Chapter 35 – Worried Person: Oh, What To Do

Feng Qi placed two cups of tea by Old Master Feng's and Hao Ritian's hands. He looked at the pair still staring at him and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

From the corner of his eye, he spotted the old master's treasured objects which had been put aside and smiled. "Oh, you were actually willing to take out your treasures?"

The old and young pair still didn't say anything. The old one stared at him with heavy eyes, while the young one wore an embarrassed flush on his face as his eyes wandered, not knowing where to look. Feng Qi felt bewildered. He had been gone for just two to three minutes, why were the two suddenly so strange?

In the end, Hao Ritian couldn't bear to watch him remain confused due to being kept in the dark, and gave him a hint. He glanced at the two chess sets, indicated towards the old master, then furtively raised up three fingers.

The average person might not have understood this reminder but Feng Qi quickly did. After all, he couldn't be more clear about the fact that the old master's collection originally had three sets. Now, it would seem he had been exposed. No, he had been exposed a long time ago; he ought to say that the old master now knew that the white jade chess set he had taken away from him had been given to Wenwen.

Mn, simply 'taken', nothing wrong.

Thinking this to be a reasonable explanation, not a slightest bit of guilt or shame appeared on Feng Qi's face. On the contrary, he easily sat next to Hao Ritian and asked the old master with a smile, "What do you think of Wenwen's chess skills? Isn't it great? You're getting on in years, so I gave that white jade chess set to Wenwen. Treasures gain more value when gifted to a talented person who can appreciate their values, don't you agree?"

Old Master Feng, "…"

Don't try to fool him. Now, the problem wasn't about the chess set. Shouldn't he explain the issues facing his daughter-in-law to him?

But the old master noticed how embarrassed the boy looked, like he wished the ground would swallow him up, so it didn't sit right with him to confront his smelly son at the moment. He gave Feng Qi a sharp look, suppressed the blood at the pit of his stomach and smiled approvingly at Hao Ritian. "Ziwen, your uncle Feng is right. Giving that chess set to you is perfect. Come, let's play a few more rounds. It isn't easy to find a well-matched opponent, so you have to play with Grandpa Feng."

The old master deliberately stressed the two appellations 'Uncle Feng' and 'Grandpa Feng'. It was as if daggers were flying out of his eyes, each one wanting to stab countless holes in Feng Qi's body.

Feng Qi's blood reservoir was thick. He was unshaken by these attacks, accepting every stab in full.

Although the old master didn't blame Hao Ritian and didn't want to bicker about the chess set, instead desiring to temporarily smooth things over, the atmosphere between the two of them had been affected.

According to Mu Ziwen's personality, it wouldn't be extreme for him to be fidgety or stiff as a board when encountering this situation. Hao Ritian exhibited that well. Nevertheless, he still insisted on continuing to play chess with the old master.

However, the old master's mind was distracted, appearing preoccupied, while Hao Ritian seemed unable to concentrate on the game, his mind always wandering. Their level of skill was greatly lowered, losing the fun in playing chess.

Feng Qi frowned, then sighed. He didn't expect such a hiccup. Though he didn't consider this a serious issue, his father and Wenwen clearly weren't in accord.

It looked like he would have to change the old master's way of thinking before bringing Wenwen to their house again.

Meanwhile, at Uncle Ou's house, Mu Rou was witnessing Ou Yu's 'great power'.

To understand what had happened, this had to start from the beginning, when they arrived at Uncle Ou's house.

When Ou Yu arrived at Uncle Ou's house with Mu Rou, Old Master Ou was still being pretentious, purposefully waiting in the study. On learning that Ou Yu had arrived, he even asked Uncle Ou to call Ou Yu to the study with a straight face. But when he learned that Mu Rou had also come with Ou Yu, he came straight out of the study in a fit of anger.

"What, my small temple can't invite an esteemed Buddha like you? Moreover, don't bring this unknown woman to me, I won't acknowledge her." The old master sarcastically mocked after being helped to his seat in the living room by Uncle Ou. Needless to say, the unknown woman he was referring to was Mu Rou.

Mother Ou virtuously passed the old master his favourite Pu'er tea, hints of schadenfreude flashing in her eyes.

What was the use of Second Brother making trouble? The old master was still in charge. She had to see how it would go down today. She absolutely wouldn't let that woman off lightly.

Uncle Ou's mind was much more clear-headed. He knew the old master simply couldn't control his second brother like in the past. The weight of the old master's words in regards to Second Brother depended entirely on his remaining affection for him. So, after the old master finished his sentence, he said to Ou Yu somewhat apologetically, "Second Brother, don't blame Father. Although his words aren't pleasant, he's thinking about you."

Ou Siyu and Ou Siyang were also present but weren't allowed to speak on this occasion. Ou Siyu's brows couldn't help but twist when he saw how the old master immediately put on airs after Second Uncle and Second Aunt arrived. No matter how he put it, this was still the person Second Uncle had been searching so long for and acknowledged, how could Grandpa not leave Second Uncle any face?

Ou Yu covered the back of Mu Rou's hand and gave it a comforting pat. He regarded them calmly, taking in all their subtle reactions. He had to admit, because he had been throwing all his energy into work and searching Mu Rou, he'd remained blind for many years.

He thought his big brother was still the same brother who had secretly helped him when he was driven out of the house. He thought his sister-in-law truly saw him as a younger brother like she appeared to. He thought his two nephews sincerely loved and respected him. However, now it seemed, besides the eldest child Ou Siyu who still possessed upright thoughts, the rest had begun having crooked thoughts since a long time ago.

It looked like the support and assistance he gave them after his career took off hadn't obtained their appreciation, but instead raised their appetites.

Thinking about that made him feel like he had failed as a human.

Mu Rou could see that he was feeling down so she secretly squeezed his hand. To be honest, she never thought that Ou Yu's father would actually hold this sort of attitude towards him. What she heard was radically different from what she was seeing with her own two eyes. She could understand the old master looking down on her, but Ou Yu was his own son, why would he treat Ou Yu like this?

Ou Yu's downcast mood was swept away when he felt Mu Rou comfort him. Just as the old master's expression became pleased, believing Ou Yu's silence meant he was heeding his scolding, Ou Yu straight-up ignored the derisive old master and spoke to Uncle Ou, "Brother, I have always remembered your kindness as you helped me out when I left home. All these years, I've been bending over backwards for you, helping with anything I could. I personally think I've been doing a good job, what do you think?"

Uncle Ou appeared startled and a sense of foreboding rose in his chest. Still, he forced a smile. "Of course! We are brothers, it's only natural that we help each other. Why should we recount them so clearly?"

Ou Yu nodded. "Since you believe this too, then this will be easy to handle."

Afterwards, he passed the investigation material compiled by Feng Qi to Uncle Ou and pointedly looked straight in his eyes, "Seeing as we're brothers and a straightforward man doesn't resort to insinuations, take a look at this material."

Uncle Ou accepted the document bag, the sense of foreboding in his heart becoming increasingly stronger. However, Ou Yu had only asked him to look at the material, which wasn't a difficult request, so he naturally couldn't refuse.

The obviously neglected Old Master Ou became livid and yelled at Ou Yu again, "Unfilial son, did you not hear what I said? Are you not going to listen to even me, your father?! I said I won't acknowledge this woman of dubious background as my daughter-in-law. Besides, that bastard of yours is autistic, how can he inherit the family fortune? You really are becoming more and more silly, listen to me…"

Ou Yu seemed to have only just realized that his father was still there. His eyes drifted to him then immediately cut off his opinionated speech. "I remember, 20 years ago, you said you no longer acknowledge me as your son. What, now I'm your son again?"

Before he and Gu Qing divorced, the old master had been nothing but discontented with him, as he thought Ou Yu was a total failure who shamed the Ou Family. He could have shaken it off if that was all, but the old master had used his authority as his father to control his life as he pleased, and that, he couldn't endure.

Moreover, after he divorced Gu Qing, the old master no longer cared about his life or death. Besides being father and son on paper, what other familial feelings remained between them?!

Now, once again, he wanted to use his identity as his father to manage him. It was 20 years too late!

Ou Yu's expression suddenly chilled as the old master choked off at his rhetorical question. He looked sharply at him. "And I will only say this once: AnAn isn't some unknown woman, she's my right and proper wife. We have a marriage certificate and will hold a wedding later on. What's more, Ziwen is my only son. Let alone simply having autism, even if he were an idiot, he still has more right than anyone to inherit my hard-earned family fortune."

My Rou, who had been angry at first that her son had been targeted, suddenly calmed down after hearing Ou Yu's words. Why should she be angry because of an insignificant person?

It's just, Ou Yu, this guy! What the hell is this example? How could their son be an idiot?!

She felt too tired to retort.

Before the old master could get angry again, Uncle Ou finished reading the material and hurriedly stood in front of the old master. The look on his face wasn't very good as he faced Ou Yu. "Second Brother, is there some kind of mistake? You watched Siyang grow up, you should know what kind of child he is. Don't let outsiders incite disharmony in our relationship."

Ou Yu was disappointed inside but also understood. Big Brother had helped him in the past due to brotherly feelings. However, many years had passed since then and Ou Yu couldn't ask him to remain the same. Compared to his own small family and interests, his younger brother had simply taken a backseat.

Ou Yu didn't argue, just indifferently stared back. "This material was given to me by Feng Qi. Ziwen was also rescued by him. If he hadn't, Big Brother, I'm sure you're very clear what the aftermath would've been."

No matter how many refutes Uncle Ou had, he couldn't say them now. Feng Qi specialized in this field, so the information obtained couldn't be fake. To say anymore would only make him appear on the losing side.

The expression on his face suddenly changed. He strode to Ou Siyang and ruthlessly slapped him. Throwing the document bag at Ou Siyang, he angrily rebuked him, "Look at your good deed. This is your cousin, how could you plot against him?!"

Mother Ou shrieked when she saw her youngest son be slapped and scolded Uncle Ou as she rushed to shield Ou Siyang, scolding Ou Yu and Mu Rou along indirectly. As she cursed some more, even the fact that Uncle Ou was in the know and was in acquiescence was revealed.

Ou Siyang was slapped silly. He covered his face and stayed in a daze for a while.

Ou Siyu also became stunned. But afterwards, he collected the papers strewn on the ground and quickly flicked through them. The more he read, the more unsightly his expression became. He simply couldn't imagine his warm and cheerful-looking younger brother doing such actions.

It wasn't very pleasant to hear but Ou Yu, their second uncle, treated them as well as their father did, and to some extent, even better than their father. Ou Siyang's action was the same as biting the hand that had fed him. He would be bitterly disappointed as well if he were in Ou Yu's shoes.

Ou Yu and Mu Rou were sitting on the sidelines watching the family with the cool eyes of bystanders, as if they were performing a drama. Old Master Ou finally came to his senses and was angered about the family's state of affairs. Of course, the person he was angry at was Ou Yu, this 'main culprit'.

The old master grabbed the teacup beside him and hurled it at Ou Yu's direction. Luckily, Ou Yu had sharp eyes and was quick on his feet. He shielded Mu Rou and dodged it. However, the look on his face became completely cold. "Don't mistake my kindness for weakness. If this happens a second time, don't blame me for disregarding feelings."

No matter how one tried to interpret it, a son talking to his father like this went against the values of filial piety. However, Old Master Ou honestly wasn't qualified to be a father with the way he had been treating Ou Yu all these years, so even Ou Yu couldn't be blamed for not respecting him as a father.

Old Master Ou clutched his chest in anger, but Ou Yu no longer paid him any attention. He looked at Uncle Ou and the others and said in a deep voice, "Enough."

Uncle Ou and Mother Ou stopped at once, embarrassed. Uncle Ou still wanted to explain and apologise but Ou Yu stopped his meaningless apology and explanation. "Big Brother, I personally came and showed you the evidence to tell you that the grievances my son suffered will not be for nothing. I haven't done my duty as a father for so many years, and I will use my own way to recover justice for him.

"Second Brother, it's true that Siyang made a mistake and I will punish him, but you can't break so many years of brotherhood between us just because of a small matter. And I wasn't aware about this…"

Ou Yu looked deeply at him, his eyes seeming to see through him. "Whether you were aware about it or not, deep down you know the answer. And the grievances my son suffered is only a small matter in your eyes?"

"It would be a waste of breath to say more, I've said everything I needed to say. Since our views are different, let's not deal with each other from now on. No need to see me out, Brother." After saying that, Ou Yu held Mu Rou and, step by step, walked out of the family's line of sight.

He had said before that he only came to communicate his attitude and take action afterwards, not listen to any explanations. No amount of explanation could offset their original intention, nor could it erase the harm suffered by his son.

After Ou Yu left, Old Master Ou's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fainted. Not only did he fail to establish his authority, he also realised that he had lost his second son a long time ago. He had still been able to believe his own lies before, but this time the veil on the surface had been torn off and everything was made clear. The old master who had been arrogant all his life, naturally, couldn't accept this blow.

Uncle Ou's family was thrown into confusion.

However, Ou Yu and Mu Rou who had left Uncle Ou's house were completely unaffected. Ou Yu looked nervously at Mu Rou. "Don't worry about what the old foggy said, he has been confused due to old age for a long time now."

His previous domineering attitude had completely disappeared. The speed of his change warmed Mu Rou because he would only care about her opinion if he cared about her. She actively hugged Ou Yu's arm and said, "Am I such a petty person?"

Ou Yu smiled flatteringly. "Of course not, AnAn is the most magnanimous woman."

But inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief. If his wife, whom he had gotten with great difficulty to return, distanced herself from him because of a few unpleasant words, he would have nowhere to cry.

Thinking that his son was still at home alone, Ou Yu didn't want to linger here and was about to leave with Mu Rou when Ou Siyu ran out and called him.

"Second Uncle, wait a minute."

Ou Yu turned around to see Ou Siyu stop in front of him with an expression of indescribable remorse. Wracked with guilt, he said with difficulty, "I'm sorry, Uncle."

He knew that apologising at that moment was useless, but if he didn't say it, his heart would continue to feel unbearably suffocated. He didn't know what else to say besides sorry.

He never dreamed that his perfectly normal family would suddenly change like this. His father, mother and brother had become complete strangers in a blink of an eye while his second uncle broke ties with them.

Ou Yu looked at his eldest nephew whose head was lowered and was earnestly apologising to him. Ou Yu didn't blame him. After all, he was the only one within this family who was still clean. Ou Siyu was also aware that he was his second uncle and hadn't returned his kindness with ingratitude. But returning to the past was impossible.

He reached out and clapped Ou Siyu on the shoulder. "Go back."

After those final two words, Ou Yu and Mu Rou promptly departed.

In a daze, Ou Siyu watched his second uncle and second aunt get in the car and quickly disappear from his line of sight. He suddenly felt at a loss at that moment. He didn't know whether to blame his family or Second Aunt for returning with a son.

After a while, he shook his head and laughed bitterly. He clearly knew that the fault lied with his family. From now on, they truly couldn't interact with Second Uncle as they once did. A mistake was a mistake.

After Ou Yu and Mu Rou returned home, they unexpectedly discovered that their son was missing!!!

exm?

Call their son right away!

Hao Ritian received a call from Papa Ou just as he was absent-mindedly playing chess with Old Master Feng. After he hung up, he spoke to Feng Qi, "Uncle Feng, my dad called, I have to go back."

Feng Qi felt regretful inside but he knew that he should let Wenwen return in this circumstance. If not for the mishap caused by that chess set, Wenwen could have stayed at his house a while longer. Unfortunately, there were no 'if's.

"Alright, Uncle Feng will send you back." Feng Qi rubbed Hao Ritian's head and agreed. Just as he was about to send Hao Ritian home, he met the old master's eyes.

The old master's eyes said 'I'll deal with you when you return'. However, he didn't have any complaints when it came to Hao Ritian. Instead, he very enthusiastically invited him to visit and play again. Under the old master's repeated invitation, Hao Ritian had no choice but to accept.

On the way home, Hao Ritian sat in the front passenger seat, studying his fingernails. With his head down, he hesitated for moment before asking, "Uncle Feng, should I return the chess set to Grandpa Feng?"

Feng Qi, whose face had been thicker than a wall in the presence of his father till now, suddenly felt embarrassed right then. He thought his image in Wenwen's mind had collapsed a bit, but still wanted to try to save it. "No need. The old master likes you a lot, so it's more than fitting to give the chess set to you. Don't listen to the old man's nonsense. Why would Uncle Feng steal his things? I clearly just took it. Let's not talk about this again in the future."

"…Oh." Hao Ritian obediently listened to him.

Fine, let's say you took it!

Feng Qi glanced at Hao Ritian. He thought that the 'Oh' sounded a bit subtle, or maybe he was thinking too much. Anyways, he had finally covered up this matter.

No more incidents appeared after that and Feng Qi safely delivered Hao Ritian home. After learning that Feng Qi had taken her son to his house to play chess with the old master there, Mu Rou unexpectedly thanked him. She couldn't be more pleased with Feng Qi for making her son get out more to do activities. Papa Ou, however, was dissatisfied with Feng Qi's all-pervasive behaviour. What the hell was he doing, always coming over to steal his son?

It was a pity no one paid attention to his protests.

When Feng Qi came home afterwards, he saw the old master expressionlessly point at the seat opposite him and say concisely, "Sit."

Feng Qi pulled at his neckline and sat down.

"Tell me, what's the situation?" The old master looked sternly at him.

Feng Qi lifted his eyes. "What's there to tell?"

"Don't act dumb with me!" The old master snapped, "You…did you learn to play with men like those disgraceful things from outside? I'm telling you, Ziwen is a good boy, don't you harm him."

Feng Qi chuckled. "How do you also know about playing with men? You're really up with the times, Dad!"

The old master could hardly resist slapping this shameful son to death!

Seeing that the old master was really about to blow his top, Feng Qi corrected his attitude and said seriously, "How could I harm Wenwen? I just wanted to determine my own feelings. At the moment, I think being with Wenwen wouldn't be bad. When the time is right, I'll make it clear to him. I would never mess around with him."

The old master suddenly fell silent.

If it were anyone else, he probably would have been unconvinced and ruthlessly lectured them. However, ever since he was young, his youngest son had always been different from others. His emotions were very minimal, so minimal that he hardly cared about anyone. No matter how hard he tried to conceal it, some inkling of it still showed. When his wife had still been alive, she often fretfully confided in him that she was worried this child would live his life alone.

That was why he had been so joyous some time ago when he learned that his son had taken his treasure to win his future daughter-in-law. But now, the daughter-in-law had disappeared and become a boy, and that boy had even called him 'Grandpa'. Oh, what to do!