Chapter 29
Chapter 29: The Real Master
Panda Novel
After checking out of the hotel, Zhao Guang drove them to another place near the bottom of GreenStone Mountain.
On their way to the destination, it was raining. The mountain range and clear waters both appeared a bit depressed. Zhao Yanzi was playing with the edges of her long T-shirt while looking at the rainy scene in silence.
She changed to a new set of clothes because the weather turned chilly today. Hao Ren could only wear the shirt he wore yesterday because he didn’t bring another set of clothes.
The mountains were moving in the background, and the square car window outlined Zhao Yanzi’s side face. It was a delicate face; the pink-whiteish neck supported a small head, and her black hair laid beside her porcelain-like ears. It presented a vague and dim aesthetic.
“If this girl doesn’t fight and quarrel, she is actually quite pretty.” Hao Ren looked at her quietly and thought.
The car stopped in front of a courtyard house. The owner of the courtyard house greeted the four of them zealously.
Hao Ren noticed that a lot of old people lived there. Due to the rain, they were all chatting on the benches underneath the roof instead of going out for walks.
“It’s a great resort for elders who want to retire,” Zhao Hongyu turned back and explained to Hao Ren.
Hao Ren suddenly understood. This place was near the bottom of the mountain. The weather was beautiful, and the air was fresh. It was indeed an excellent place for retirement.
The owner of the courtyard house brought them to a small backyard. Hao Ren found out that there was a hidden but beautiful spot; a small half-outdoor restaurant.
Bamboos fences, frames covered with grapevines, antique-looking square tables, and a small piece of land planted with loads of vegetables… All of this reminded Hao Ren of his childhood.
“Sit,” Zhao Guang found a table, sat down, and said.
There were only four tables there, and it wasn’t as noisy as normal restaurants.
The drizzling rain continued. The green corn field kept on swaying like the wave, and water dripping down along the grapevines created a beautiful scenery.
The restaurant’s stir fry dishes were cheap but tasted delicious. They were made from natural and organic ingredients.
Zhao Yanzi’s mother, Zhao Hongyu, was very charming and began talking about what had happened in the past. She talked about how the barren mountain started to flourish throughout the passage of history.
Zhao Yanzi and Hao Ren both enjoyed listening to the stories about what happened before they were born.
Even Zhao Guang, who normally remained silent, was in a good mood when talking about the people and origins of GreenStone Mountain in this pure and natural environment. He also talked about the lifestyle of people who were in Hao Ren’s grandparents’ age, and that drew Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi’s interest.
Zhao Yanzi had never experienced things like these, and that was why she was very interested. For Hao Ren, he still had vague memories of the past. As Zhao Guang kept talking, he felt more and more nostalgic.
Halfway through the meal, Zhao Yanzi couldn’t help but want to go out and look around. Zhao Hongyu didn’t stop her. She borrowed an umbrella and asked Hao Ren to accompany Zhao Yanzi.
Hence, both of them rushed out of the small yard surrounded by the fences and went to the nearby vegetable farm for an “adventure”.
There was very little rain, and Zhao Yanzi was unwilling to hold the umbrella. She ran forward like a bird who just got released from its cage.
She rolled up her pants and went inside the muddy cornfields with her sandals. Hao Ren wore sneakers and couldn’t get down there. He could only watch her play around crazily and wildly while standing on the ridge,
In Hao Ren’s memories, he was often sent to his grandparents’ place in the countryside when he was young, and the countryside at that time was fairly similar to the scenery there!
It was a pity that with the expansion of the city, the countryside was replaced by reinforced concrete which later became factories, warehouses, and harbors…
“Hahaha…” Zhao Yanzi’s feet were both covered in mud. She finally finished playing in the fields and returned happily to the ridge that Hao Ren was standing on.
Due to the narrowness of the ridge and the slipperiness of the mud, she was unable to keep her balance and had to hold on to Hao Ren.
Hao Ren grabbed her. Seeing that she found everything here interesting, he realized she actually had some cute sides.
Nowadays, how many kids in the city had really gone to the countryside? They didn’t even get a chance to touch a piece of soil, not to mention to play in the fields!
Tall corn stalks seemed to separate this place from the outside and made a little isolated world.
When one looked up, chilly rainwater hit his or her face. A blue sky could also be seen.
When one looked down, the refreshing odor of soil came to one’s nose. Occasionally, the sound of bugs could also be heard.
“It’s about time to go back,” Hao Ren reminded her.
“No! Let’s go check the front too!” Zhao Yanzi said capriciously as she dragged Hao Ren’s arm and walked forward.
It was rare for her to enjoy the real happiness of the countryside. How could she go back so easily?
They came to a small river after crossing the cornfield. The water of the river was very clear. Although they didn’t see any fish, the cobblestone riverbank was fairly beautiful.
The rain dropped on top of the river and made many ripples; that created an elegant prospect in the rough and unadorned field.
Hao Ren held up the umbrella and let her appreciate the small river. In fact, experiencing the countryside in these mountains and forests not only excited Zhao Yanzi but also delighted Hao Ren.
Zhao Yanzi found a place with shallow water, went inside with her sandals for a bit, then returned to Hao Ren’s side.
Seeing that half of her body was soaked in water, Hao Ren was scared that she would catch a cold and dragged her back. Zhao Yanzi didn’t resist this time.
A small tree branch extended onto the side of the road. A small grasshopper jumped in front of them, a thrown-away worn-out bamboo basket was to their left… every small thing in front of their eyes made Hao Ren more and more nostalgic.
Zhao Yanzi continued to walk and breath in heavily along the way as if she couldn’t smell this kind of refreshing air when she returned to the city.
A joyful feeling spread throughout the field.
They returned to the small restaurant and saw Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu still eating. Zhao Hongyu didn’t blame her daughter when she saw her whole body covered with mud. Instead, she took out a napkin gently and wiped off the rain on her forehead.
“How was it?” Zhao Guang asked Hao Ren. This random question made it sound like he was an elder who was familiar with Hao Ren and had known him for many years.
“Pretty good. It’s very rare to experience the feeling of the countryside now,” Hao Ren replied.
“Yeah. We’ll be returning to the city soon,” Zhao Guang nodded and said.
Hao Ren nodded and looked at the green and lush mountains and suddenly felt lost.
Zhao Yanzi cuddled inside her mother’s arms and seemed like she was reluctant to leave the nature as well.
Yet, they still had to go back. After half an hour, Zhao Guang drove his black Chevrolet and took them back to the city.
It was still raining. Zhao Yanzi who played wildly for two days, finally couldn’t stop the weariness from settling in as she leaned on the seat and fell asleep.
Hao Ren looked towards the monotonous landscape of the highway. Feeling the quiet ambiance in the car, he suddenly realized that he seemed to be a lot closer to Zhao Yanzi’s family after the two-day field trip.
Without Zhao Yanzi’s unbearable ill temper, Zhao Hongyu and Zhao Guang were indeed very kind to him, and there weren’t any problems with them.
“After returning to the city, let’s have a family dinner together,” Zhao Hongyu who sat in the front seat said suddenly.
“Family dinner?” Hao Ren reorganized his thoughts and asked with confusion.
“Yeah, with Zi’s Third Uncle, her Second Uncle’s family, and our family,” Zhao Hongyu said.
“She completely treats me as a family member…” Hao Ren thought.
However, thinking about meeting up with the relatives other than Zhao Yanzi’s parents, Hao Ren felt pressured and shook his head, “This is not necessary…”
Honestly speaking, as to marrying Zhao Yanzi, he hadn’t had a clear idea yet. If there was a new way of solving the current problem in the future, maybe he wouldn’t become Zhao Yanzi’s “husband”, and Zi won’t have to marry him unwillingly.
Certainly, another reason was that Hao Ren knew Zi’s Third Uncle didn’t like him. Therefore, he didn’t want to go to their family dinner.
“That’s fine, then we’ll bring you back to your school,” Zhao Hongyu said. She didn’t have any intention of pushing Hao Ren.
“Does Zhao Yanzi’s father have two siblings?” Hao Ren asked.
“Yes, you saw Zi’s Third Uncle last time. He isn’t married and has been single. Zi’s Second Uncle is doing business overseas, but some of his family members stayed behind in East Ocean City, and we still meet quite often,” Zhao Hongyu explained.
Zhao Guang didn’t participate in these conversations. Instead, he focused on driving.
Hao Ren felt like their lifestyle wasn’t any different compared to ordinary people, but they were probably wealthier than normal. “Zhao Yanzi’s Second Uncle probably has a bigger business than her dad’s.” He thought.
And as of Zi’s Third Uncle, he looked malicious, his personality wasn’t that great, and his temperament didn’t feel like that of a successful person. He probably didn’t have a stable job. “No wonder he is still single and didn’t get married.” He wondered.
As if she guessed what Hao Ren was thinking, Zhao Hongyu said, “Zi’s Third Uncle is very diligent in cultivating. He doesn’t care about secular matters and never had any thoughts of having a family nor a career. Zi’s Third Uncle may look ordinary, but he has the highest cultivation level out of all three brothers.”
“Oh? How does he compare to Su Han?” Hao Ren asked randomly. He remembered that Zhao Hongyu once said that in their circle, Su Han already belonged to the top tier.
Zhao Hongyu smiled. “Two Su Han can’t even beat Zi’s Third Uncle.”
Her reply slightly shocked Hao Ren. Two Elder Lu couldn’t beat Su Han, and two Su Han couldn’t beat Third Uncle… According to Zhao Hongyu’s statement, Su Han was a Heavenly level master who was one step away from entering the Soaring Realm. Then the actual strength of this Third Uncle…
“As for a person like me who is still a newbie struggling with the beginner’s cultivation technique, Zi’s Third Uncle can pinch a hundred of me to death with a single finger…”
Hao Ren’s forehead was covered with a layer of cold sweat.
“Her Third Uncle has a bias against you. But don’t worry, he isn’t the type of person who kills for no reason,” Zhao Hongyu smiled and said.
“This Third Uncle loves Zi very much. No matter what, I am nominally Zi’s “fiancé”. In this period of time, if I did anything against “the normals of a husband”, I probably will die very miserably…”
Another layer of cold sweat suddenly covered Hao Ren’s forehead.
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