Xie Ming

After rambling on for a while, Xu Jialin finally got to the point and brought up the purpose of his trip.

“At the beginning of October, that bastard Qi Dayong broke into my house after drinking.”

"Second Grandfather, you know that we peasants can't fight city hall."

"Originally, it's better to avoid trouble."

"As long as that soldier doesn't go too far, I'll turn a blind eye and let it go."

"But that scoundrel, reeking of alcohol, said things that were truly unbearable to listen to."

As he spoke, he flicked his hand.

Without paying attention, he brushed against the pipe bowl, burned his hand, but didn't care. He wiped it on his trouser leg a couple of times, and kept talking.

"Whatever else, I've lived a miserable life, swallowing my pride and pain."

"But there's one thing: I, Xu Jialin, only have these two girls, they're my precious darlings."

“I can tolerate and comply with others.”

"But he, but... only he..."

Upon reaching this point, Jia Lin was speechless and felt truly embarrassed.

In contrast, at the small table opposite them, the two old men, with their sharp eyes, had seen it all and were well aware of what was going on.

The more one imagines, the more horrifying it becomes, that Jingyi has suffered some terrible fate.

Then, with his long eyebrows and old eyes furrowed, his face full of wrinkles twisted into a knot, and he spoke with a pained expression.

"Oh?"

You mean...

Upon seeing and hearing this, Xu Jialin hurriedly offered his concluding remarks.

"Oh dear, you have no idea."

"You damned soldier, you bastard who bred a traitor."

"He wants to take over the town and wants to take my daughter Xu Jingyi as his mistress."

Upon hearing Xu Jialin's words, the two old men immediately flew into a rage, their expressions revealing their deep empathy and unbearable pain.

"What?"

"Pooh!"

"You bastard, you son of a bitch."

He cursed and swore, then casually tapped his pipe against his shoe to vent his anger, dumped out the ash, and flung it onto the table.

Judging from the situation, Jialin continued.

"I have no face to talk about this kind of thing with anyone in the clan."

"Second Grandfather, I'm so desperate today that I've come here to ask you for help."

"Ugh"

"Jingyi is a stubborn girl by nature."

"My husband and I talked about it afterward, and sure enough, she overheard it."

"It was because of this incident that the child was scared and ran away from home."

"My wife was feeling very resentful, and then she got sick, and then..."

The more he spoke, the more stifled he felt, as if he couldn't catch his breath. He hunched over, looking utterly pathetic and dejected.

Seeing his frustrated expression, the two old men couldn't bear it either.

So I patiently guided him and offered words of comfort.

"Jialin, don't be so narrow-minded, okay?!"

"Listen to your second grandfather, there will definitely be a road once this car reaches the front of the mountain."

"There's no mountain of flames you can't cross."

"What's shameful about it? We didn't do anything illegal or criminal, what's there to be upset about?"

"Normally, in the clan, which branch or lineage doesn't want to take more things for themselves?"

"I can't get anything out of this trivial matter."

"But don't forget, we're from the same clan, we're all from the Xu family."

"If there's ever any outside trouble, who else can you rely on if not your relatives and clansmen?"

"Can he trust outsiders?"

This is indeed the case.

Regardless of how much infighting occurs in ordinary times, when it comes to matters of life and death, blood ties matter.

These two old men's words, no matter how you look at them, are absolutely heartfelt.

After listening, Jialin glanced up and felt deeply comforted.

"Yes, yes."

"My second grandfather's teachings are correct."

"I"

Impatient with Jialin's nonsense, the old man had his reasons.

"Alright, since you've braved the wind and snow to come here today, you must have some ideas in mind."

"Speak, as long as my old bones are still of some use."

"We guarantee we won't say a word." A straightforward and honest person.

Upon hearing this, Jialin straightened his back, encouraged by the words.

"Oh, Second Grandfather, hearing your words makes me feel more at ease than if I'd eaten a weight."

The second old man waved his hand, displaying his straightforward and decisive nature.

"Hi, ta-ta-ta."

Stop talking nonsense.

"Just tell me what you want," the old man said.

Upon hearing this, Xu Jialin paused, secretly thinking that the matter was settled.

“Uh…” “Actually, even though Qi Dayong is making a fuss right now, there are still some contacts left by General Xiao in our town.”

"For a short while, even the most ruthless killer wouldn't dare to act recklessly in open conflict."

"In a few days, I'll pick a few of the most discreet elders in the clan, and we'll get together and discuss it."

"Everyone says it is true; bandits pass by as easily as shaving, and soldiers pass by as easily as combing."

"I was thinking, the money stored in the ancestral hall's accounts, and the grain stored in the granary behind the ancestral hall, we..."

With just a glance from Xiao Jialin, the two old masters understood perfectly.

"Hmm, not bad."

"You shouldn't have the heart to harm others, but you can't be without the heart to guard against them."

"We should prepare some backup plans; that's the proper way to do it." I wholeheartedly agree; it's a very pertinent point.

After saying this, the old man wanted to say something more.

As expected, Jialin still made an unreasonable request.

"Uh"

As for…

"Second Grandfather, aside from clan affairs, actually, I..."

He put on a frustrated expression.

"Speak!" The old man, disapproving of such dawdling, shouted.

Following her wishes, Jia Lin earnestly explained what she needed.

"My wife, your nephew's wife, oh dear, she's always overthinking things, she's really gone mad."

"That's why he's always brooding over things at home."

“That girl Jingyi has hardly ever left the town in her entire life.”

"This time, they just disappeared without a word."

"Women are always nagging and complaining, with nothing better to do all day long."

"We stayed at home and thought, most likely, he went south with that Mr. Xu."

"this."

"Wenze, nowadays, has become an official, both big and small, within the team."

"They know a lot of people and are very thoughtful."

"Second Grandfather, look, how about we let Xiaoyun write a letter and ask Wenze to do his best to find it?"

"I, I..."

Finally, he revealed his purpose.

Upon hearing this, the two old men glared at each other, gritted their teeth, and snorted through their noses.

"call--"

"I see, so that's where they were waiting."

He raised an eyebrow, dusted off his rough, old hands from his shirt, and braced himself on his legs, as if he was about to stand up.

Seeing the situation, Jialin felt apologetic and quickened his pace, wanting to reach out and help.

"Second Grandfather, please, for the sake of the Buddha, even if you don't care about the monk, I..."

To everyone's surprise, the old man wasn't having any of it and turned away, refusing to let Jia Lin stay by his side.

At this critical moment, Jia Lin's granddaughter, Xu Xiaoyun, who had been eavesdropping through the crack in the door, nimbly rushed over to help her out of the predicament.

"Okay, stop there."

"Ugh"

"My old face is no good anymore."

The old man's face was ashen, seemingly harboring deep resentment towards his grandson-in-law.

However, he had barely uttered a word when his face fell.

Liang Jialin stood to the side, unsure of what to say.

"No, no, Second Grandfather, that's not what Jialin meant."

If you don't listen to him, the old man will become stubborn and refuse to listen to anyone.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, you can go back now."

"I'm getting old, and I can't sit still anymore."

Xiaoyun, supported by the person beside her, didn't seem flustered at all.

As they passed each other, she glanced at Xu Jialin, showing a rare moment of quick thinking.

After all, the grandfather and granddaughter lived together. If others didn't know the temperaments of the two old men, how could Xiaoyun not know them?
This matter is different from others.

Jingyi, such a good girl, got caught up in it all.

Even if her two grandfathers were stubborn, Xiaoyun was certain they wouldn't act foolishly and refuse to help in this matter.

Feeling emboldened, she carefully considered her words and refrained from uttering any further insults.

So, after a long pause, no one spoke.

After the old man sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), he let out a long sigh and finally managed to soften his tone and find a way to save face.

"Jialin, I can't control that little bastard outside."

"Jingyi, that girl, I've watched her grow up since she was a child."

"No matter what, she's a perfectly good girl, we can't just abandon her."

"I'm not senile yet; I know what's important."

"Just pretend you never told me about this."

"Xiaoyun, if you're willing to write this letter for your brother Jialin, then you can write it yourself."

"I won't stop you."

"I couldn't stop it either." (End of Chapter)