Ever since the oldest sister, Huang Helin, and the second oldest sister, Huang Suyuan, had got married, the ten-odd people of the third and fourth branches of the family hadn’t won a presentable victory. Today, Huang Xuan’s fist made up that regret.
Hit by dozens of fists and feet, Huang Jianxuan was sent to the hospital by the helpers soon. Huang Pinyan’s situation wasn’t better, he was temporarily unconscious. Most of the others had dropsy and fled from the garden.
While his younger cousins were celebrating the victory, Huang Xuan couldn’t help worrying how his mom would react to the fact that he had fought at the anniversary and had his sixth cousin hospitalized.
It was nearly midnight. In other gardens of the ancestral residence, lights were put out one after another, and people started leaving. The lotus pond was no exception. Huang Song was talking excitedly about the fists he had waved as he stuffed hazelnuts into his pockets when the butler of the ancestral residence, Zhou Li, came with a smile. “Little Sixteenth, your grandpa wants to see you.”
The little Sixteenth was Huang Xuan who had been ready to leave. Hearing what the butler had said, he was puzzled, “To see him during such late hours. Did Huang Jianxuan die?”
Huang Xuan got this thought out of his mind soon. If Huang Jianxuan had really died, his second grandfather would have been the one to found him instead. Thinking this, he put down the PSP in his hands, walked to Zhou Li and said, “Grandpa Zhou, hasn’t my grandfather gone to bed yet?”
“Not yet. He is too busy today.” Zhou Li was near of kin to Zhou Lian, the butler in Huang Xuan’s house, and had held Huang Xuan in his arms a lot when Huang Xuan had been young. “Your grandfather intended to talk with you after these busy days. Unexpectedly, you have caused trouble on the first day,” said the butler caringly.
“They started,” Huang Xuan didn’t deny and acted like a spoiled child instead.
Zhou Li smiled and said, holding Huang Xuan’s hand, “It has always been you who invited trouble since you were little. Who dares provoke you?” Saying this, he waved to other kids and announced, “Time to go home and rest, young masters. Don’t play too late.”
The crowd dispersed in a hubbub. The kids were led to their rooms by the help. According to the tradition of the Huang Family, all the people would stay in the ancestral residence tonight, and kids would be separated with their parents.
Zhou Li and Huang Xuan got in a golf cart and drove to the main house. On the way, Zhou Li said with a faint smile to Huang Xuan, “Your grandfather has heard a lot about you recently.”
Huang Xuan, who had been in a lot of trouble since he had been little, pouted and responded in disapproval, “My grandfather wanted to see me just for this?”
“I don’t know.” Zhou Li was in his late fifties. He smiled with unknitted brows, looking happy.
The first day of the occasion had just ended. The ancestral residence was crammed with people and vehicles. People greeted Butler Zhou now and then, and the ones who knew Huang Xuan nodded and chatted with him. Huang Xuan had to listen to them and act sincere, which provided the people who were unfamiliar with Huang Xuan with an impression of a good boy.
The accumulator cart was driving so slowly that Huang Xuan was getting impatient. He hated the third day most when people greeted and greeted, making him want to puke. Somebody would give him a glass of water just to start a conversation.
Huang Jindi was waiting in the study. His health had worsened in the past two years. The clan had been bigger over time and harder to manage and, although there still were talents in the family, the ambitions and hard working in the last generation were no longer to be seen. Everybody in the family was a huge spender, yet the family wasn’t a cash printer.
Huang Jindi thought he had kept the land of the family thanks to the hard work of the last generation; however, others obviously didn’t think so. They wondered since the ancestors had been able to increase the land why Huang Jindi hadn’t increased the land to ten mu. In this case, he should have resigned from the position of the head of the clan.
Huang Jindi himself wanted to resign, but he couldn’t.
A few pieces of paper were lying on the desk, the first was a photo of Huang Xuan’s, in which he was grinning and talking with Liu Ziqing.
Huang Jindi used to have high expectations of his first grandson; however, Huang Xuan had disappointed him in the past decade. As a veteran politician, he didn’t value diploma and academic performance so much; nevertheless, as a student, Huang Xuan had failed, which was an indisputable fact. What worried him most was that the failure tended to continue.
His sons either focused on business or academics. No one had shown interest in politics, which frustrated Huang Jindi. There was no doubt that the head of the clan should know politics. Therefore, Huang Jindi had to pin his hope on the third generation. Maybe he had been impatient, after all, the kids were young, but his body couldn’t wait.
“My lord, the sixteenth young master has arrived.” Zhou Li lightly pushed the door open.
“Let him in.” Huang Jindi put the paperweight on the material to cover the name and photo.
Huang Xuan walked in quietly. He had always been in awe of his grandfather, which he might have inherited from his father.
“Little Sixteenth, come over and sit.” Huang Jindi patted on the sofa beside him, looking relaxed.
“Oh.” Huang Xuan smiled and ran over. He had found that his grandfather was in a good mood when he smiled with extended brows.
Huang Xuan half sat on the sofa, with one leg folded under his butt. “Grandpa, are you tired?” he asked, rubbing his grandfather’s shoulders.
“Yes.” Huang Jindi leaned on the back of the sofa comfortably. Huang Xuan wasn’t good at it, but he was the only child who would think of it. Huang Jindi’s sons were all afraid of him, and his grandchildren were all too young to be thoughtful, except Huang Xuan. Although he was always making trouble, he was a filial child, which should suffice.
“It’s OK. I would feel better after a good sleep,” he said, patting lightly on Huang Xuan’s hands. Then he moved his body, sat up and continued, “Huang Xuan, I’ve heard that you have accomplished great deeds recently.”
Huang Xuan’s heart was beating rapidly. He was fidgeting. “No, grandpa. I just didn’t want to be too idle.”
Huang Jindi gave two coughs and then said, “A man can’t accomplish many great deeds in his life. Reflecting when he is old, he will find that there have been just several.” He looked at Huang Xuan anxiously and continued, “However, a man will meet a lot of people all his life. Each can accomplish several deeds. These deeds will be marvelous when put together. It’s not up to you who you will meet, but you can choose whom to work with.”
Huang Jindi became sad when it came to the age issue and sighed deeply. Huang Xuan refilled his cup and said, “Grandpa, I met a person a few days ago. He is powerful, but I can help him, and he is willing to help me. I feel good.”
Huang Jindi smiled with extended brows, patted Huang Xuan’s hand and said, “As long as you feel good. Grandpa is old, but as long as grandpa is still alive, your feelings will always come first.”
Huang Xuan was sad to hear this. His grandfather had been busier and busier and come to the ancestral residence less and less in recent years. Under the lights, his grandfather looked even older, although he looked still high-spirited when he smiled.
Huang Xuan was going to say something when his grandfather smiled at him and said, “I won’t interfere with what you choose to do and whom you choose to be your friends, but you must remember that you are a member and the first grandson of the Huang Family. Do you understand?”
Huang Jindi became stern with the latter part. Huang Xuan was close to tears. He nodded his head. Huang Jindi clapped his hands in satisfaction and narrated, “In the time of Emperor Ming in the Qi Dynasty, many cabinet ministers intended to rebel. When the day came, one of them got scared. To save his own life, he had packed the treasures half a day earlier and came to a camp of a rebellious leader with his family. He thought that he and his family would be safe with the protection of the army, but do you know what happened in the end?”
Huang Xuan shook his head. He hardly knew anything about history, not to mention a man whose name was unknown.
Huang Jindi stroked his head and said, “The leader got scared too. So were many of the others when they anticipated that the rebellion would be a failure. Naturally, the rebellion failed, and the man died.”
Huang Xuan winked his eyes, wondering why Huang Jindi had told him this story.
The clamor outside the window had ceased. Huang Jindi looked out of the window, without a word. Then he stood up, gripped Huang Xuan’s hands tightly and kept looking out of the window for a long time, making one wonder whether he had said the last words to Huang Xuan or to himself.