My father has the appearance of an emperor

Chapter 2 Father’s Letter
In the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly in Qinghe City, and there were few pedestrians on the streets.

Under the shade of the trees in Nanshui Ancient Lane, several elderly people were fanning themselves nearby, complaining that the weather was really hot but reluctant to go back home to turn on the air conditioner.

Nanshui Ancient Alley is a famous pedestrian street in Qinghe City and also a cultural street. As a Jiangnan water town, it preserves the ancient architectural culture of Qinghe and introduces some cultural industries. It has both classical culture and modern culture.

The entire Nanshui Ancient Lane is full of ancient charm, with small bridges, flowing water and houses, presenting an atmosphere of a paradise away from the world, and is also the first choice for foreign tourists.

Walking through the quaint alleys paved with bluestone slabs and through the shops converted from residential houses, Jiang Chen, carrying a computer bag, came to a shop under a small stone bridge in the middle of the ancient alley. The three big characters "Yiran Ju" were clearly visible on the shop.

The owner of Yiranju is named Qian Jin, and he makes teapots.

The second and third floors are rented to Feiyue Media, a self-media cultural studio.

Jiang Chen works at Feiyue Media as a freelance writer.

Because everyone here is a cultured person, the layout of Yiranju is also very cultural.

The doors are all old-fashioned wooden doors. You have to remove the door panels piece by piece and install a sliding door inside.

The windows are also old-fashioned lattice windows, except that the paper has been replaced with glass. There are two antique shelves against the wall, filled with all kinds of teapots, teacups, and tea pets.

There are some green plants hanging on the central beam of the house, hanging down from the top, bringing some natural atmosphere. Two large blue and white porcelain vases stand on both sides of the door. Anyway, don't worry about whether they are real or not, the charm is full.

When I entered Yiranju, I saw Qian Jin sitting there drinking tea leisurely.

"Hey, Brother Qian!" Jiang Chen greeted him and was about to go upstairs.

Qian Jin is 32 years old this year, eight years older than Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen respectfully calls him "brother".

At this moment, Qian Jin was drinking tea. He was wearing an old double-breasted cloth coat and a pair of black cloth shoes. He looked like an antique. He was holding a teapot with a double dragon pattern on the handle. Bright yellow tea was flowing into an exquisitely crafted purple clay cup. In his left hand, he was playing with a string of small-leaf red sandalwood.

He is young, but he looks very old.

Seeing Jiang Chen coming in, Qian Jin waved his hand and said, "Xiao Jiang, you're here? Great, you can help me look after the store for a while. I have to go out for something."

Jiang Chen was speechless: "I'm still at work."

Qian Jin waved his hand: "It's okay, I'll talk to He Yao. Besides, don't you see what time it is? Is there anyone working at 1pm?"

He Yao is the boss of Feiyue Media. When the landlord asks the tenant to borrow his worker, the boss has to nod with a smile.

"Our industry is different. We can work from home."

"Then you can sit here and work." Qian Jin pushed Jiang Chen down: "Just one hour."

"I don't even know the price of your pot."

Qian Jin smiled broadly: "Just drink the tea. Do you really think you can sell teapots? I'm just asking you to help me look after the store. If you really need any, call me."

"Okay." Jiang Chen also knew that Qian Jin didn't rely on the store to sell pots.

The store is for entertaining customers. Qian Jin has his own customer base. He usually takes photos and posts them directly in the group. Naturally, the boss will make an offer. It is an auction model.

At this moment Jiang Chen went upstairs to put down his bag, greeted a few colleagues, and then went downstairs and sat down.

He opened Qian Jin's collection of tea worth thousands of dollars, brewed it in a Double Dragon handle teapot worth fifty thousand dollars, and then filled it up in a small teacup worth ten thousand dollars.

Taste it.

There's nothing special about the taste.

After smacking his lips a few times, Jiang Chen took out his laptop and was about to do some work when he saw a girl standing at the door.

The girl was a young woman wearing a big sun hat, sunglasses, a new Chanel outfit, a blue nappa Prada bag, and a pair of red diamond-studded high heels. Even with the sunglasses, her small lips, straight nose, and snow-white skin were enough to give her a beauty score of more than nine points, and Jiang Chen was also impressed.

Jiang Chen put down his notebook and greeted her with a smile on his face: "It's hot outside, beautiful lady, come in and sit for a while? It doesn't matter if you want to buy anything or not, just take a look."

It’s too low to recommend products right away. You should build a good self-image first.

I'm definitely not doing this to pick up girls.

The girl slowly walked into the tea room, looked around, and her eyes fell on Jiang Chen: "Is it Jiang Chen?"

A mouthful of Sichuan flavor.

Jiang Chen was stunned: "Am I so famous? I've gone to Shudu?"

But even though I am a talented writer and have written some popular soft articles, I did not use the name Jiang Chen.

Is he here to settle accounts?

When it comes to writing articles for self-media, they are very good at sensationalism, which inevitably offends people.

But the man who is going to account for the loss should be a big and strong man, not a fashionable beauty like this model.

The girl turned her wrist and an exquisitely made business card was handed to her.

"Zhao Xiaoqi, deputy general manager of Whispering Company of Pioneer Group?"

Jiang Chen read it once and put the business card down: "What's the matter?"

Zhao Xiaoqi replied: "Old man Kui asked me to give you something."

As she spoke, Zhao Xiaoqi opened her handbag, took out an exquisite rosewood box and placed it in front of Jiang Chen.

My father's instructions?

Jiang Chen was stunned.

To Jiang Chen, Jiang Luo could be considered an irresponsible father. After the divorce, he handed his son to his grandfather and wandered around outside all day, so he rarely saw him throughout the year.

Not long after Jiang Chen graduated last year, his grandfather passed away.

When my grandfather died, my father didn't even come once. He just made a simple phone call and said that he would take care of everything. Instead, my mother came to help with the funeral, fulfilling her filial duty as a former daughter-in-law.

This also made Jiang Chen extremely disappointed with his father.

Jiang Chen had long given up hope on his father, but he didn't expect to hear news about him suddenly. This made Jiang Chen feel complicated.

Looking at the box at this moment, Jiang Chen did not take it, but just asked: "Why didn't he come himself?"

Zhao Xiaoqi replied: "He's dead!"

died?

Jiang Chen was slightly stunned.

Over the years, my father has long lost his presence in my heart and is as distant as a stranger.

But even so, Jiang Chen still felt a sense of sadness in his heart, which he then forced down.

He cursed, "I thought he had had enough of hanging out outside and was too old to do it anymore, so he came back to admit his mistakes and ask his son to take care of him in his old age, and by the way, he found a paid-for saintly mediator to mediate. I was also wondering why there was no cameraman. Besides, he's not that old."

Using this method to wash away his grief over his father's death, Jiang Chen immediately felt much better.

He looked at Zhao Xiaoqi and asked, "How did he die?"

Zhao Xiaoqi shook her head: "It's hard to tell. Just look at the contents of the box yourself."

What's wrong?
Jiang Chen opened the box in surprise and saw a light blue ring inside with a black skull mark on it. Next to the skull ring was a letter.

Jiang Chen took the letter and unfolded it, only to find that it was blank.

This surprised Jiang Chen, and he tried to take the ring again, but Zhao Xiaoqi's hand was on his.

The hands are white, soft and smooth.

But it has great power.

Jiang Chen struggled but couldn't move. This made Jiang Chen, who had been doing fitness for a long time, look at Zhao Xiaoqi in surprise.

The girl is very tender, definitely not soft!
Zhao Xiaoqi said seriously: "Only when you wear a finger mask can you read the contents of the letter. But I suggest you don't wear it. Find a place to bury it!"

Depend on!
Is reading a letter quite a ritual?

Do you want to burn a few more incense sticks?

Jiang Chen expressed his dissatisfaction with his eyes.

Zhao Xiaoqi had withdrawn her hand, took out a tissue, wiped her hand, and threw it away. You wiped it?

I rub!

what's going on?

Do you think I'm dirty?
Jiang Chen looked himself up and down and thought, I take a shower every day, and I haven't changed my clothes for three to five days, so they should be relatively clean, right?

"Don't mind, I'm a germaphobe." Zhao Xiaoqi said.

Jiang Chen blurted out: "If you have mysophobia, then you should not touch me at all, instead of making up for it afterwards."

Zhao Xiaoqi smiled slightly, and her tone suddenly changed: "Your father is right, you are indeed very smart. But in our line of work, there are always some frustrations."

Huh?
what's the situation?
What you said is standard Mandarin.

Can you speak Mandarin?
Jiang Chen couldn't figure out what was wrong with this woman.

He stared at Zhao Xiaoqi in a daze: "No, what do you do? Why do you need mysophobia?"

As he said this, he put the ring on.

Zhao Xiaoqi's face turned serious: "Fuck you, you idiot! I told you to think about it, but you put it on right away. Don't you think before you do anything?"

Why did it become a Northeastern accent again?
You didn't come from a mental hospital?
Jiang Chen stared at her in a daze, really unable to understand what was wrong with this woman.

Looking at the letter again, it's still a blank piece of paper!

Seeing that Jiang Chen had already put on the ring, Zhao Xiaoqi slapped her forehead helplessly and spoke back to Mandarin: "Forget it, you decide your own destiny. Of course, I can understand your feelings, but what I can tell you now is that he really loves you very much. He has done a lot for you... He is a great father."

Jiang Chen looked at her: "Excuse me, where are you from?"

Zhao Xiaoqi replied unhappily: "Magic City."

"Have you lived in Shudu and Northeast China?" Jiang Chen asked.

Zhao Xiaoqi shook her head, her eyes full of aftertaste: "I've only been there twice, and the total time was no more than twenty days."

Jiang Chen’s expression was as wonderful as it could be.

No wonder your Trump and Northeastern dialect sound a bit unstandard.

No, then why are you acting like this? Do you know that talking like this can easily make you look bad and lower your temperament?
"My dear, remember this next time. You must read more and think more before doing anything!" Zhao Xiaoqi threw this sentence at him without thinking, this time in Cantonese.

Then she took a few steps back, put on her sunglasses, and walked out.

Listening to her words, Jiang Chen seemed to be thinking about something.

So, I am still a great old man? I have been silently giving for my son?
But can you give it in public next time?

Stop doing little things behind people’s backs!
If there is a next time.

Looking at the box, he suddenly said, "Are you colleagues, agents?"

Zhao Xiaoqi's body paused slightly, and she slowly turned to look at Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen sat down behind the coffee table and lit a cigarette for himself.

He squinted at Zhao Xiaoqi and said unhappily, "I remember this ring. I think it was from my father. Oh, by the way, I noticed that there are also marks of a ring on your finger, but there is no ring. And... you are quite strong."

Zhao Xiaoqi laughed: "Then why do you say we are agents?"

Jiang Chen could tell something was wrong with her tone and felt surprised.

He spread his hands and said, "What else could it be? Superman? This is the only reason I can find to explain why he is a qualified father... I am really filial."

This was indeed Jiang Chen's judgment, and it was his best explanation for why his father neglected to take care of him but was still a great and good father: this allowed him to understand him, although it did not help to grow their feelings.

But when he thought of Zhao Xiaoqi's strange behavior just now, Jiang Chen felt that this idea was unreliable.

How can a psychopath be a spy? And a psychopath with mysophobia?

Zhao Xiaoqi was silent for a moment, then said, "You have amazing insight, which is good. But things are not as simple as you think. The ring is a token of trust. When you wear it, your life will take a huge turn from then on."

Jiang Chen was happy.

He blew out a puff of smoke. "Wow, what a turn? Stop being a freelance writer? Switch to being a paparazzi? I'm pretty good at sneaky jobs, especially taking pictures of beautiful women."

Zhao Xiaoqi glared at him: "Can't you be more serious, you idiot? What are you talking about?"

Oh, it’s the Northeastern accent again.

Jiang Chen grinned and shook his head: "That's so boring. I'm in a bad mood now and need to find some fun."

Changing the subject, he asked, "By the way, if you didn't want me to wear that thing, why did you give it to me?"

Zhao Xiaoqi stepped back: "Because that is your fate...Okay, I have given you all the hints I should have given you. I don't owe you anything, that bastard old man. Whether you live or die in the future is up to you."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen was slightly stunned.

My thoughts are flying at this moment, and a forgotten memory emerges in my heart at this moment.

It was one night three years ago. I came back from vacation to have dinner and received a package.

The courier specifically addressed it to him, but he didn't know who sent it.

When he opened the package, his father snatched it away.

The memories of the past gradually become clearer, forming pictures in my mind!
Jiang Chen remembered that there was a ring box in the express delivery, and inside it was a ring like this!
This ring was originally sent to me, but it was my father who took it away!!!

At this moment, his heart was confused.

When he came to his senses, Zhao Xiaoqi had disappeared.

…………

Jiang Chen spent this day in confusion.

He came home from get off work in the evening, had dinner, sat on the sofa, drank beer, and stared at the TV.

After my father divorced, my mother remarried and started her own family, and we didn't have much contact. After my grandfather passed away, I was the only one left in the huge house.

Fortunately, Jiang Chen is a person who is unwilling to be lonely. He will not let himself fall into sorrow because of this. Instead, he lives more actively and hard. However, he can't help but complain about his father and just pretends that he has never had this father.

It was not until the appearance of Zhao Xiaoqi and his father's letter that he vaguely felt that there seemed to be some shocking secret and unspeakable hardship behind this, which also gave Jiang Chen a glimmer of hope.

Maybe Dad isn't so irresponsible after all?
But this realization, coupled with the bad news about his father, inevitably caused him some pain.

Dry!
How about you just be an irresponsible father? At least I don't need to feel sad for you like a woman!
Now, I have to understand you... although I don’t know from which angle to understand you.

Jiang Chen silently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and tried hard not to think about his father.

He looked down at the letter paper; it was still blank.

Only the ring was illuminated by the light. The skull emitted a strange glow, and its deep pupils stared at him, as if calling from the unknown.

"Damn, if I put this on, I will be Ximan from now on, right?" Jiang Chen said to himself.

There have been quite a few bizarre urban legends recently!

But if that's the case, old man, you're going too far!

The greater your ability, the greater your inheritance should be!

Forget it, I’m a filial son and I won’t bother with you.

He thought as he turned the ring casually.

The next moment, my heart trembled slightly, and I felt as if time had frozen.

The picture on the TV remained motionless and everything was silent.

Everything before his eyes was disappearing, and the endless halo completely submerged him.

(End of this chapter)