Chapter 197 Father’s Heart (Part 2)

Chapter 197 Father's Heart (Part 2)

The peaceful family dinner didn't break up until midnight.

In the early hours, when frost gleamed under the moonlight and the Big Dipper hung low over the railings, Wen Renxiong quietly rose, bundled up neatly, picked up a lantern, and headed toward the back gate.

The steward, Old Mi, had already prepared the carriage and was waiting for the master to board.

He'd timed it just right.

Leaving at this hour, they would arrive at the city gate just in time for it to open at dawn.

As Wen Renxiong, wrapped in a fur robe and making his way under the stars, reached the back gate, a figure silently stepped out from the shadows, giving him quite a scare.

Once he recognized the person, he patted his chest in relief and laughed heartily: "Mr. Ming, why are you up so early?"

Wen Ren Yue lowered his head and answered respectfully and earnestly: "Up early for my morning reading."

Hearing this reply, Wen Renxiong was taken aback, his mind drifting back to the past, to when A Yue was a child.

A little thing, not even as tall as a stool, sitting in the bustling rice shop, head buried in a book, completely absorbed.

Back then, his wife was still alive, and Wen Renxiong was young, never having faced any real hardships. He believed that with his wealth, as long as the heavens were kind, his son wasn't a spendthrift, the starving masses didn't riot, and the officials didn't oppress, he could guarantee Wen Ren Yue a lifetime of plain rice to eat.

It was only much later that he came to understand how hard life could be and began hoping his son would walk a smoother road to success.

Wen Renxiong walked up behind him, playfully rubbing his beard against his face to break his concentration: "Little A Yue, what are you doing?"

Wen Ren Yue was naturally even-tempered and didn't get annoyed even when the beard prickled him: "Reading."

Wen Renxiong teased him: "Why study so hard?"

"Hmm..." Wen Ren Yue treated it like a test question, thought carefully, and answered properly: "For heaven and earth, for the public good, for the common folk."

Wen Renxiong scratched the back of his head: "...?"

He had read a few books, especially excelling in arithmetic, but when it came to composing essays, he might as well have been blind.

Wen Ren Yue knew his father couldn't quite understand, so he turned to him with all the seriousness of a little adult and explained: "So that good men like Dad have money in their pockets, extra grain in the barn, and the spare time to come play with their kids."

At that time, Wen Renxiong laughed heartily, thinking this kid sure had a way with words.

Now, recalling all that, a warmth mixed with a sour ache welled up in Wen Renxiong's chest, and he blurted out: "My son used to be as diligent as Mr. Ming..."

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake and quickly said: "Ah, listen to me!"

Wen Ren Yue noticed his father's embarrassment and smoothly picked up the thread to save him from his embarrassment: "Old Master, you're leaving already? Today's the Lantern Festival... a day meant for family reunions."

Wen Renxiong: "Exactly because it's the Lantern Festival, I can't stay."

Fearing Wen Ren Yue might not understand, he explained: "During festivals, there's the most hosting and seeing off of guests. Word that I arrived in Tongzhou last night probably got around as soon as I entered the city. By today, someone's bound to come by with gifts. As long as I'm here, I hand others a ready-made excuse: the old master of the prefect's family, coming all that way, they've got to show some respect, right?"

"You can't accept those gifts; favors have to be repaid. Especially with your master in his current position, with no one backing him up, if someone really gets something on him, it'll be even tougher."

"But if I don't accept... well, don't laugh at me, Mr. Ming, but I'm a businessman, and I've got a bit of a greedy streak. When I see something good and can't get it, it drives me crazy like a cat scratching at my heart. So this way's best—out of sight, out of mind."

With that, Wen Renxiong laughed self-deprecatingly: "As a dad, I can't help him anymore. As long as I don't hold him back, I'm doing all right. Am I right, Mr. Ming?"

Wen Ren Yue remained silent.

He knew all of this.

If he hadn't understood his father's heart, he wouldn't have waited here specifically.

He handed over a food box that was still warm: "Tangyuan, with peanut filling. You're heading out early; have something hot to eat."

"Oh!" Wen Renxiong laughed. "Don't laugh at me, but this old man's always loved the peanut-filled ones. Ever since A... your master left, I've been too lazy to make them—all that grinding and rolling, such a pain."

Wen Ren Yue said calmly: "What a coincidence. Prefect Wenren made these himself, said we should try his cooking. I tried one and it's really good. Didn't realize I'd be getting a treat thanks to the Old Master."

Wen Renxiong looked at him, and the laughter in his heart couldn't be held back, spreading across half his face in wrinkles.

Somehow, in front of his son, now a prominent prefect, Wen Renxiong always felt stiff and ill at ease.

He couldn't say why.

Even though his son carried himself almost the same way, Wen Renxiong always felt like he was eating with a stranger, uncomfortable from head to toe.

But in front of Juren Ming, he could laugh and chat freely.

"Mr. Ming, we're not strangers. You feel like family to me, so I won't stand on formalities." Wen Renxiong took the food box and said gently, "Could I ask you a favor?"

"Of course, go ahead."

Wen Renxiong moved a little closer: "He... A Yue, does he get picked on a lot?"

Wen Ren Yue: "...?"

Brother Gu not going out and bullying others would already be a blessing—why would his father think that?

But Wen Renxiong was genuinely worried and said: "Yesterday, I saw a young officer dare to give A Yue such a dirty look..."

Wen Ren Yue: Oh, that's Yuan Zijin.

He explained gently: "Rest assured, Old Master. He's a thorn in everyone's side."

But that didn't comfort Wen Renxiong: "A Yue... he never had any playmates growing up. I was always out doing business, and he stayed home alone. His mother raised him to be so well-behaved... I know those Japanese pirates are bad news, and A Yue putting them on display at the city gate was to make an example of them, to let the common folks vent their anger during the New Year. I get the reasoning, but I know what he was like before. How much must he have suffered here to turn so hard-hearted..."

Wen Ren Yue's hand twitched at his side, wanting to reach out and take his father's.

Was it because he was now taller?

In his memory, that towering man, eight feet tall, who carried him on his shoulders everywhere, had always been a mountain he looked up to.

Now, standing eye to eye with him, listening to him fret and grumble that his son was being picked on.

His father referred to the whole official world outside as "your place here."

Wen Ren Yue thought of all the hardships he'd faced when he first arrived in Nanting.

When he'd gone through them himself, they hadn't felt so hard to bear.

But with just a few words from his father, a wave of genuine grievance surged up, making his eyes burn and blur.

Just as he was about to lose it, Wen Renxiong wiped the corner of his eye and said with a self-deprecating laugh: "Ah, I'm getting old, I talk too much."

Wen Ren Yue clenched his fist and tucked it behind his back.

His throat tingled and itched, and he swallowed back the honest words that shouldn't have been spoken: "Old Master, what was it you wished me to do?"

"Ah, look at me, talking in circles like a winding mountain road! Going around and around and never getting to the point!" Wen Renxiong looked at him with eager, earnest eyes, "Mr. Ming, since you're by A Yue's side, could you keep an extra eye on him for me? Make sure he eats plenty, drinks plenty, and doesn't push himself too hard."

Wen Renyue's expression darkened: "I'm afraid I'll let you down, Old Master. I... am about to leave for the capital to take the imperial examination."

"Oh...!" Surprise flickered across Wen Renxiong's face, but it soon gave way to a genuine smile, "May you pass the exam with flying colors and pluck the laurel from the moon, Mr. Ming!"

Wen Renyue lowered his gaze: "I'll take your kind words to heart."

Wen Renxiong studied this young man, an inexplicable tide of emotion surging in his chest. He even took a step forward and asked a rather intrusive question: "May I ask how many people are in your family, Mr. Ming?"

"Just my mother."

"And your father?"

Wen Renyue kept his answer brief: "My father... passed away early on."

Wen Renxiong's voice trembled slightly: "Oh dear, that must have been... really tough."

Wen Renyue: "No matter how hard it was, it's behind me now."

However it was, it's all in the past.

Wen Renxiong let out a long sigh and gave a helpless smile: "Ah well, I've written all my advice in the letter. The boy's grown now—whether he listens or not is up to him. This old geezer doesn't call the shots anymore."

With that, he carried the food box in one hand and stepped over the threshold of the back door.

As he climbed into the carriage, his tall frame seemed oddly clumsy. His knees bent stiffly for a moment, and on his first try, he couldn't get up.

He set the food box down, grabbed the handrail with both hands, and tried again—this time he made it up.

Wen Renxiong wasn't too bothered by this little stumble. He turned back and waved at Wen Renyue: "Mr. Ming, go on back inside. It's cold out here."

The sky was dim, the fires cold, the lamps few—so Wen Renxiong didn't see the tears streaming down Wen Renyue's face.

As the crisp jingle of the carriage bells faded into the distance, Le Wuya's head popped out lightly from the back door. He glanced at the direction the carriage had gone, then looked up at Wen Renyue.

Then, arms crossed, he stepped out from the shadows: "I gotta say, our old man's pretty adorable. This is my turf—did he really think he could slip away without a sound?"

Seeing that Wen Renyue wasn't responding, Le Wuya stuck his face right in front of him with a sly grin: "Been crying, huh?"

Wen Renyue pushed his chest and said hoarsely: "Brother Gu, knock it off."

"If you're that reluctant to part, how about I write a letter and have the old man adopt you as his sworn son? How's that?" Le Wuya offered eagerly, "Once you become the top scholar, the old man probably wouldn't dare claim you, right?"

Wen Renyue, still holding back tears: "Then how would we address each other?"

"Brother Gu here, Brother Gu there—I'd still be your good big brother, of course." Le Wuya shot him a sidelong glance, "But if you want to be my adopted son, I wouldn't mind. A little loss is fine by me."

Wen Renyue couldn't help it—he burst out laughing.

But after the brief laughter came sorrow, rising like the tide.

He turned around and suddenly pulled Le Wuya into a tight embrace, murmuring softly: "Brother Gu, my father... he's so old now... so old..."

Le Wuya was caught off guard by the embrace, but once he recovered, he silently wrapped his arms around him and patted his back in a steady rhythm.

He looked up at the morning star in the corner of the sky, his gaze unusually vacant, scattered with brilliant starlight.

And when the swelling, taut emotions inside Wen Renyue finally began to ebb and release, he felt a creeping sense of embarrassment.

"Hey, were the peanut-filled tangyuan any good?" Le Wuya looked down at him, "I want some too."

Wen Renyue finally found a natural excuse to extricate himself from the embrace: "Too sweet. You'd probably complain again."

Le Wuya: "I'll just eat the skin."

Wen Renyue let out a soft breath and walked back side by side with him.

Le Wuya shamelessly boasted: "You haven't praised me yet. Did I pull it off or what?"

"You did." Wen Renyue said gently, "Watching you smile is almost like looking in a mirror."

"That's exactly how you smiled when I first met you." Le Wuya shook his head, "No wonder your father thought I was being bullied. Tsk, that smile of yours... just makes people want to mess with you."

Wen Renyue: "Not anymore."

"Right." Le Wuya said, "Now you've learned to cry like a baby."

Wen Renyue: "...Alright, Brother Gu, no more."

Le Wuya continued to himself: "I'm going to keep this robe in good condition and sell it later. A top scholar's golden tears—now that's worth something."

Wen Renyue suddenly moved, his broad hand grabbing Le Wuya's wrist and sleeve in one firm grip: "Brother Gu, keep teasing me and I'll strip this robe right off you."

Le Wuya hadn't expected him to be so strong, but since he wasn't afraid of him, he just kept grinning: "Oh dear, you scared me half to death!"

Wen Renyue let go, his face that had been stern for a moment softening again: "Did that hurt?"

Le Wuya immediately played it up: "My hand's broken!"

Wen Renyue: "...Is this how a big brother is supposed to act?"

"See for yourself, right?" Le Wuya said, utterly unashamed, "A big brother is someone who opens your eyes to the world."

Wen Renyue knew he was joking around like this just to lift his spirits: "Thank you, Brother Gu."

"Don't thank me yet." Le Wuya tucked his hands into his sleeves and leaned closer, "These past couple of days, I had Qin Xingyue pick out two garrison soldiers—sharp-eyed and skilled. Write a letter in a bit, saying they're servants sent to the old man's side, and I'll have them deliver it. They don't have indentured contracts, but their military records and families are all in my hands, so the old man can use them without worry."

Wen Renyue was momentarily puzzled: "Brother Gu, the old man isn't short on help... Are you afraid he's too soft-hearted and might be taken advantage of?"

"That's not all." Le Wuya's pupils were deep, "If the old man were to pass away for any reason, whether I like it or not, I'd have to observe three years of mourning."

Wen Renyue stopped in his tracks.

Goosebumps, carrying a cold fury, spread rapidly across his entire body.

Wen Renyue stood frozen for a long moment, then asked in a hoarse voice: "...Could it really be that dangerous?"

"Better safe than sorry." Le Wuya said lightly, "In officialdom, it's always better to have too many precautions than too few."

With that, he yawned, cutting off the concern Wen Renyue was about to voice: "When my tangyuan are ready, just send them to my study."

Seeing that he didn't want to discuss it further, Wen Renyue said no more.

For a brief moment, he wanted to say—maybe he wouldn't go to the capital after all. Waiting another three years wouldn't hurt, as long as he could stay and see him through this hardest stretch.

But he knew those words couldn't be spoken.

If he actually said it out loud, Brother Gu would chase him down with arrows.

So he tucked all his tangled thoughts back into his heart and obediently went to cook his peanut-filled tangyuan.

Le Wuya wrapped his clothes tighter and made his way back to his quarters.

Unexpectedly, halfway there, he ran into Yuan Zijin, wearing close-fitting archery gear.

Le Wuya asked curiously, "Why are you up so early too?"

"I'm drilling troops," Yuan Zijin said matter-of-factly. "You think I'm like you, goofing off all day with no discipline!"

Le Wuya couldn't be bothered to argue with him—"There's peanut tangyuan. Want some?"

Yuan Zijin himself didn't notice at all that Le Wuya's attitude toward him was no longer what it used to be—no longer constantly tearing into him.

Just as he also failed to notice that his own temperament had undergone an earth-shattering transformation, and that he was more than happy to open up about his worries and big dreams with Le Wuya.

He planted his hands on his hips, quite pleased with himself: "That's kid stuff, I don't eat that stuff! My father heard I'm serving in the army and told me to pack up and get the hell home! But I refuse to leave! I'm going to tell him I've got to make something of myself—even if I end up a corpse on the battlefield, it's what I choose willingly!"

Le Wuya laughed out loud.

That old geezer, Old Tiger Yuan—sharp tongue, soft heart.

Sending him down to Little Phoenix's army post in the first place was just a way to temper him with strict military discipline.

After all, Dayu and the Jing tribe had been at peace for a long time; that place, though spartan, wasn't life-threatening.

Old Tiger Yuan never imagined that his seemingly good-for-nothing little tiger would stick his head out of the golden cage he'd built, imitate his old man, rough around the edges, and actually put on the airs of a young tiger roaring in the woods.

Le Wuya waved his hand: "Then hurry up and get back to drilling troops. I don't need a dead tiger stinking up the place."

"Tsk." Yuan Zijin curled his lip, then secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "I'm telling you, no hogging it all—save me a bowl!"

With that, he hurried off in a whirlwind.

Le Wuya crossed his arms and looked up at the starry sky once more.

"...Dad," Le Wuya murmured. "Everyone has a dad. Damn it all."