Chapter 106: Nonsense

Along the way, Wei Hai and Liu Fang walked in silence, one trailing slightly behind the other.

There was no conversation between them at all, and if not for their relatively close proximity, bystanders might have assumed they weren’t together.

After leaving the courthouse, they walked for about half an hour before arriving at their shop.

The shop’s door was wide open, and the faint aroma of food wafted out.

Liu Fang took a few steps forward but noticed Wei Hai still standing frozen behind her. She sneered, “What? Afraid to go in?”

“I…” Wei Hai gritted his teeth. His feet felt as if they were weighed down with lead, making every step an immense struggle.

“Father, Mother!”

“You’re back!”

A lively voice rang out!

Wei Hai looked up in shock and saw his son, Wei Chao, stepping out and staring straight at him.

“Chao… Chao’er!”

“You… you can walk now!”

Wei Hai’s voice trembled, filled with disbelief. To confirm it wasn’t a dream, he slapped himself hard.

Slap!

A bright red handprint appeared on his face.

Hiss!

Feeling the sharp pain on his cheek, Wei Hai burst into laughter. “It’s not a dream! It’s not a dream!”

Wei Chao walked closer, grabbed his father’s arm, and smiled. “Father, stop laughing. The neighbors are all watching. They might think you’ve lost your mind.”

Wei Hai gently pinched his son’s limbs, his voice shaking. “Who cares! Who cares about them! When did you recover? Why didn’t I know?”

“Last night,” Wei Chao replied matter-of-factly. “Of course you didn’t know.”

“Last night?”

Thank goodness I didn’t die last night!

While Wei Hai was lost in thought, Liu Fang placed her hands on her hips and said impatiently, “Are you done? Can’t you come inside and talk while eating?”

“You were hungry enough to steal someone’s buns, and now you’re not embarrassed?”

“Huh?” Wei Chao laughed. “Father, you even pulled a stunt like that?”

Scratching his head, Wei Hai replied, “It was purely accidental, purely accidental. Let’s go inside and talk!”

The Wei family gathered around the dinner table, which was set with four dishes and a soup. While it couldn’t compare to the luxurious meals at the Ren family estate, it was enough for Wei Hai to devour three bowls of rice in one go.

As they ate, Wei Hai listened intently to his wife and son recounting the events of the previous night.

It turned out that after Wei Hai delivered the package, Gu Ning’an had come to their home. He introduced himself as Wei Hai’s friend and brought a golden kumquat, claiming it could cure Wei Chao’s illness.

Had Liu Fang not seen Gu Ning’an with Wei Hai at the Ren family estate, she would’ve assumed he was a fraud.

While golden kumquats might have medicinal value, curing a severe condition like Wei Chao’s paralysis with one? That was unheard of and unimaginable.

If such a fruit truly had miraculous effects, it would undoubtedly sell for an astronomical price!

After handing over the kumquat, Gu Ning’an left behind a single sentence before departing:

“Tomorrow at one-quarter past the hour of the Dragon, bring three coins to the courthouse to retrieve Wei Hai.”

“Golden kumquat! Golden kumquat!” Wei Hai muttered the words repeatedly as he processed the whole story.

Despite not being the sharpest mind, he suddenly pieced together a lot of things.

“Damn it!” Wei Hai put down his chopsticks and slapped his forehead. “That Wen Songmo is lucky! He even managed to share half of the kumquat with Yuanqiu!”

“Even if the whole thing was given to Yuanqiu, it’d be better than letting Wen Songmo have any!”

“Father!” Wei Chao suddenly called out.

Swallowing the food in his mouth, Wei Hai asked, “What’s with the shouting?”

“I wanted to ask…” Wei Chao began, but before he could finish, Wei Hai interrupted, “Don’t ask about Mr. Gu. Even if you ask, I won’t tell you anything.”

Wei Chao let out a sigh and pointed at the food on the table. “I just wanted to ask if the food tastes good. I made it.”

“You made this?” Wei Hai picked up a chopstick full of stir-fried vegetables and stuffed it into his mouth. “It’s damn delicious!”

“Father, have some wine!” Wei Chao picked up the leftover wedding wine and was about to pour when Wei Hai stopped him. “No, no more drinking. Drinking causes trouble. I should drink less from now on.”

Clap!

Liu Fang slapped her chopsticks on the table. “Oh, now you know to drink less? Last night at the Ren family estate, you didn’t hold back at all! The stench of alcohol on you could be smelled two miles away!”

“What? Your own son pouring you wine isn’t as good as the groom pouring it?”

“Why don’t you just go and recognize him as your son instead?”

Hearing this, Wei Hai quickly let go and said, “No, no, no! I’ll drink, alright? I’ll drink!”

“Today is a joyous day for the Wei family. Not only will I drink, but we’ll all drink together!”

As Wei Hai spoke, his son skillfully poured three large bowls of wine.

“The first bowl,” Wei Hai said solemnly, raising his bowl, “is in honor of Mr. Gu. Without him, our family wouldn’t be reunited like this!” After his words, everyone downed their wine in unison.

Clatter!

Another bowl was poured. Wei Hai picked it up and turned to Liu Fang, his expression serious. “The second bowl is for my wife. These past three years, you’ve worked so hard all on your own.”

Hearing this, Liu Fang’s eyes misted over. She turned her head away with a soft hum. “At least you know!”

“Of course I know,” Wei Hai replied, pouring the third bowl. He turned to his son and said, “Child, this third bowl is for you… for enduring these years without despair, without thinking of giving up…”

“It’s better to live a hard life than to die. Besides, if I died, what would you and Mother do? Sure, I’ve been a burden, but I’ve also been your spiritual support!” Wei Chao joked lightheartedly. “Father, are you saying you ever thought about giving up on life?”

“Hmm, I almost did last night,” Wei Hai said with a laugh.

“What?”

“What did you say?”

Both Liu Fang and Wei Chao stood up abruptly, their faces darkening.

Wei Hai quickly grabbed both their hands and reassured them with a smile. “Why are you panicking? I’m here, alive and well, aren’t I?”

“If Mr. Gu hadn’t accompanied me last night, I might have actually died.”

Liu Fang froze. “Accompanied you? What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, Mr. Gu was planning to watch me die and then decide, based on how I chose to go, whether or not to find a place to bury me…”

As Wei Hai finished speaking, Liu Fang raised her hand and gave him a hard smack on the shoulder. “You’ve been drinking too much and spouting nonsense again!”

“Mr. Gu is a scholar, and from the way you’ve spoken, he’s also our benefactor. You can’t talk about him like this!”

“By heaven and earth, I’m not making this up!” Wei Hai protested, even raising his hand as if taking an oath.

Liu Fang raised her hand again, threatening another smack. “Say it again!”

“Alright, alright!” Wei Hai shrank back, his neck retreating. “I’m making it up. It’s the wine talking. Happy now?”

Liu Fang shot him a glare. “I can tell you’re still feeling indignant!”

“Not at all! Not at all!”

Hastily bowing his head, Wei Hai began shoveling rice into his mouth, though his mind was already planning something. When the New Year came, he was determined to visit Ansi Courtyard and personally deliver a bottle of his handcrafted “Eternal Vintage” wine as a token of gratitude.