Douluo Continent: The Twin Sons of the Styx River, Shaking the World and Destroying the Heavens

Chapter 290 Grandpa
"Hello, Miss Xia Die, I am Lin Shaobai, a second lieutenant from the Northern Theater Command of the Imperial Capital." A man in a crisp military uniform stepped forward, his epaulets adorned with three general stars surrounded by golden branches, which were particularly eye-catching under the lights.

"I am Xiao Ran, a high-ranking official from Dongchuan Province." An elderly man with gray hair walked slowly closer, looking at Xia Die with a gentle smile on his face, and raised his hand slightly to indicate, "Hello."

Xia Die's original family was not so simple either. Her father was a big shot in the army region, and her mother, Chu Xinglan, came from a wealthy family.

There's also my retired grandfather, Liu Shenzhong.

In their family, there are two older brothers and one younger brother.

Strictly speaking, I was already dead.

I wonder how they are doing.

During our conversations with them, I noticed a difference in their capabilities.

Then another person appeared, someone Xia Die recognized. He was also an officer, and a middle-aged man.

“Hello, I am the highest commander here, my name is…” The middle-aged officer had just raised his hand to salute when Xia Die abruptly interrupted him.

"You don't need to say anything, I know."

"You know?" The middle-aged officer was clearly taken aback, his raised hand froze in mid-air, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He didn't recall having much interaction with this girl.

"Your son, Liu Yebai," Xia Die said calmly, her tone straightforward.

Xia Die rolled her eyes in annoyance. How could she not know her own father? However, she didn't intend to hide it, since she was currently an unregistered resident.

!!!

“Miss, this joke is not funny.” Liu Qianguo’s face darkened instantly, his brows furrowed, and his tone was clearly displeased, obviously not believing Xia Die’s words at all.

To everyone's surprise, Xia Die merely glanced at him indifferently before speaking. Her words instantly plunged Liu Qianguo into an ice cellar, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.

"There's a hidden compartment under the floorboards by our front door, where your bank card with 100,000 yuan is kept. The PIN is the last six digits of your birthday. There's also a card with 200,000 yuan buried under the old locust tree in our yard. And those dozens of bottles of perfume you broke that Mom treasured the most back then—you secretly filled them with cooled boiled water and stuck a few roses from the yard in there to make them look like perfume. When I was twelve, the little bit of money that was missing from Grandpa's drawer was stolen by you. And the old hen he kept saying he couldn't find for days—you were so hungry for it that you secretly took it to the back hill, wrapped it in mud, and roasted it… Waaah!"

Liu Qianguo's face flushed red and then paled, veins throbbing on his forehead. If she continued, not only would his carefully hidden stash of savings be exposed, but he'd probably be chased by his grandfather with his cane tonight, and might even end up sleeping on the streets. He couldn't care less about anything else. He rushed forward and covered Xia Die's still-moving mouth with both hands, his fingertips turning white from the force.

"My little darling, stop, stop! I believe you, I really believe you, okay?" He lowered his voice, his tone both urgent and embarrassed, and quickly glanced at the person next to him whose face was ashen and whose back was already covered in cold sweat.

But before Xia Die could finish speaking, heavy footsteps sounded behind her.

No one noticed that an elderly man with gray hair was walking over with a dark expression.

“Believe me, Dad, your nickname is Gou Dan (Dog Egg).” Xia Die pried Liu Yebai’s hand away, her voice clear and bright.

Liu Qianguo quickly covered Xia Die's mouth, his ears turning red and his face looking unnatural.

"Ha ha ha ha."

Lin Shaobai and Xiao Ran couldn't help but chuckle softly. "I never expected Chief Liu to have such a down-to-earth side," Lin Shaobai teased with a smile, his eyes full of mockery.

"Is this something you can just say to others?" Liu Qianguo said in a low voice, and then lightly patted Xia Die's bottom.

"what!"

But then, a hoarse cough suddenly rang out, carrying a strong and powerful sound.

Several people looked in the direction of the sound at the same time—

"Grandpa?" Xia Die was stunned for a moment, then called out subconsciously.

"Old man?" Liu Qianguo was also somewhat surprised, and his tone became more restrained.

"Old Chief?" Lin Shaobai and Xiao Ran quickly stopped laughing, stood up straight, and spoke respectfully.

“Little Bai, Little Xiao,” the old man spoke slowly, his voice hoarse with age but each word clear, “Please excuse me for a moment, I have some family matters to attend to, other matters can wait.”

"Yes, old chief." Lin Shaobai and Xiao Ran responded immediately, exchanged a glance, and then slowly retreated. Before leaving, they didn't forget to give Liu Qianguo a "good luck" look.

Seeing this, Liu Qianguo quietly took half a step to follow, intending to slip away during the opening, but was stopped in his tracks by the old man's stern shout: "You stand right there! Did I say you could leave?"

His foot, which had been about to step out, suddenly stopped, as if nailed to the ground. He straightened his back even more and subconsciously softened his breathing.

Once everyone had left and the door was gently closed, leaving only the three of them in the room, the air seemed to freeze. Liu Qianguo subconsciously swallowed, the curve of his Adam's apple clearly visible in the quiet space. The composure he had displayed when facing his subordinates was completely gone, replaced by a slight awkwardness in front of an elder.

Liu Shenzhong's gaze swept around the room, finally settling on the gleaming military baton on the corner of the table, his expression darkening.

Xia Die rationally believed in filial piety and parental love. Afraid that Liu Qianguo would slip away in the chaos, she quickly grabbed the military baton, turned around and handed it to her grandfather. Her movements were swift and decisive, and she even glanced at Liu Qianguo, the meaning of which was all too clear—see where you think you're going.

"Hey Dad, what are you doing!"

"What are you doing? I'm going to teach you a lesson, you little brat!"

"What is this? It's only natural for a father to beat his son! Don't think that just because you're wearing this uniform you can't be controlled."

After a while, Liu Shenzhong, being quite old, stopped, panting, and slammed his baton on the ground with a dull thud.

He raised his hand to wipe the thin layer of sweat from his forehead, then turned his gaze to Xia Die, who was watching with great interest. His brows furrowed again, and his eyes were filled with doubt.

Seeing this, Xia Die spoke up, avoiding Liu Qianguo's anxious gaze, and looked up at her grandfather, her tone so calm it didn't seem like she was talking about her own affairs: "To be honest, I've already died once. My current state is probably... a reincarnation."

"Oh, Dad, why did you hit me?" Liu Qianguo shrank back, clutching his arm, his face full of grievance. "This can't all be blamed on me, who would have thought..." Before he could finish speaking, Liu Shenzhong glared at him, and he swallowed the rest of his sentence.

"Get out here and kneel down!" Liu Shenzhong slammed his military baton on the ground, his voice carrying an undeniable authority. "Don't get up without my order!"

Liu Qianguo shrank back, not daring to refute, and could only reply with a bitter face, "Yes." He turned around and moved towards the door dejectedly. When he passed by Xia Die, he did not forget to use his eyes to signal her to plead for him, but the girl pretended not to see him and turned her head away.