Xu Jiawen said, "Dad, no matter what decision you make, we support you."
Xu Changshan showed a slight smile on his face. His youngest daughter was still the most articulate. He nodded and said, "It’s not like we’re closing imdiately. There are so many old patients from the past. If I suddenly close it, who will they go to for treatnt? I plan to officially close on the 29th of the lunar month. I’ve been busy for most of my life, and it’s ti to rest."
Xu Jia’an said, "Dad, what about this place?"
With Huichun Hall closed, the storefront couldn’t just be left idle. Although Xu Jia’an didn’t say it out loud, he was sowhat dissatisfied with his father’s handling of this matter. They were all his children, yet in the end, the father gave all his assets to the grandson.
Xu Changshan said, "There are a few things I must make clear. Huichun Hall will not be closed forever. If Huichun Hall is ruined by my hands, I will also be letting down the Xu family’s ancestors. After Chunliang completes his studies, he can reopen Huichun Hall."
Xu Chunliang said, "That puts a lot of pressure on ."
Xu Changshan said, "I also plan to take on a disciple."
Everyone was taken aback. The old man had never ntioned this before.
Xu Changshan said, "Zheng Peian wanted to beco my disciple from a young age, but because of ancestral rules, I never agreed. Over the years, I’ve been thinking, if I always adhere rigidly to the old rules, our Xu family’s dical skills will one day face the risk of being lost. What do you all think?"
Xu Chunliang said, "I agree. Uncle Zheng is a person of very high moral and dical standards."
Xu Changshan’s three children had no objections, and Xu Jiawen was the first to voice support.
Xu Jia’an said, "I’ve long said that Dad should let go of the old ways. Only by taking on disciples extensively can Huichun Hall’s dical skills expand and thrive. This is a great beneficial thing for the nation and the people, I support it."
Xu Jiaxuan didn’t say anything.
Xu Changshan said, "Do you have any opinions?"
Xu Jiaxuan shook his head, indicating he had no objections.
"If you have no objections, why don’t you speak? Are you dissatisfied with in so way?"
Xu Jiaxuan said helplessly, "Dad, you just told to keep quiet."
Xu Changshan said, "Have you gotten silly from eating Western food? You speak when you shouldn’t and stay silent when it’s your turn to voice your opinion, well, thankfully Chunliang isn’t like you."
Xu Jiaxuan looked at his son sowhat dejectedly, feeling that he was still very much like him. The old man’s words were a bit damaging to his self-esteem.
Xu Changshan turned his gaze towards his eldest daughter, Xu Jia’an: "This storefront belongs to Chunliang, how to handle it is up to him, you all shouldn’t make any plans."
Xu Jia’an blushed, "Dad, I didn’t an that."
Xu Changshan said, "I know you might think I’m biased, and yes, I am biased. Chunliang is my direct grandson, whom I personally raised. In my heart, he’s more important than the three of you combined. I can wrong you, but I cannot wrong Chunliang."
Only Elder Xu could talk about favoritism so righteously.
Xu Chunliang was deeply moved inside, Grandpa was really unparalleled in his support for him.
Xu Jiaxuan was also very moved, believing that the old man’s favoritism towards Chunliang was essentially favoritism towards himself. He laughed and said, "Dad, I don’t think this situation is appropriate. So, when the kids get married in the future, I’ll give each of them a car."
Xu Jiaxuan didn’t want this matter to create a rift among the siblings. Although he wasn’t a super-rich, this amount of money wasn’t significant to him.
Xu Jiawen said, "That’s unnecessary, we all respect Dad’s decision."
Xu Jia’an also nodded. Seeing her brother’s perceptive response, she figured it wouldn’t be right to say anything more.
Xu Changshan certainly understood his son’s motives, and with a snort said, "Having a little money is nothing special!"
Xu Chunliang thought his father’s actions were admirable. With his deanor, he certainly wouldn’t give ordinary cars, starting at at least half a million. It’s mainly about showing attitude, ensuring his sisters don’t feel disadvantaged.
Although economically everyone was doing alright, Grandpa’s arrangent was still sowhat inequitable to the aunts, potentially causing an imbalance in their minds. Xu Jiaxuan’s approach elegantly avoided creating a rift among the siblings.
Xu Chunliang said, "I also have a decision. Since Grandpa handed Huichun Hall to , it can’t close under my watch."
Everyone looked at him, wondering if this kid truly intended to practice dicine? He didn’t even have a practitioner’s license yet.
Xu Chunliang said, "Isn’t Grandpa planning to take Uncle Zheng as a disciple? And there are still so many old patients we can’t neglect. If we close Huichun Hall, where will they go for treatnt? I plan to discuss with Uncle Zheng and figure out a compromise. Anyway, the pharmacy will keep running, and arranging consultations can be done based on the actual situation."
Xu Jiaxuan said, "I think it’s feasible!"
Xu Jiawen said, "Then I also have an announcent."
Everyone turned their gaze to her, anticipating that she might officially announce her divorce, which wasn’t actually a secret anymore.
Xu Jiawen said, "Zhen Guowei and I have divorced. I want to change the environnt, and coincidentally Nanjiang University has extended an invitation to , so I’ve decided to teach there."
"Really?" Xu Changshan said, excitedly.
Xu Jiawen nodded. Although it wasn’t Dongzhou, her going to teach at Nanjiang University ant she could visit her father more often henceforth.
Xu Jia’an, watching her father’s excitent, silently made up her mind to make sure she frequently returned in the future.
After the family eting, Xu Jiaxuan quietly called Xu Chunliang out for a drink, since he was leaving tomorrow and hadn’t really chatted with his son alone. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk, but this boy kept not giving him the opportunity.
The two of them stepped out the door, and Xu Jiaxuan let Xu Chunliang choose a place since he had been away from Dongzhou for so long and was unfamiliar with the current local situation.
Xu Chunliang indicated he would decide, and that he would pay for dinner tonight.
Xu Jiaxuan mused over it and recalled a local Dongzhou cuisine place near the TV station called Yifu Residence, although he wasn’t sure if it was still there after all these years.
Xu Chunliang hadn’t been there before either. He searched on his phone and saw that the restaurant was still open, so he caught a cab straight to Yifu Residence.
Yifu Residence is an old restaurant in Dongzhou that specializes in local cuisine. Xu Jiaxuan had told his son that he used to eat there often when he was young, but now Yifu Residence has been renovated and no longer looks run-down.
The restaurant was doing well; the hall was fully booked, and the owner set up a temporary table in the corner for them. After all, the father and son were not particular about drinking.
Xu Jiaxuan ordered so local specialties: pork jelly, fried peanuts, rice flour pork, mixed vegetables, kidneys, and sweet and sour fish. After this al, who knows when the next ti will be. Even after living in North Arica for so long, his Chinese palate hadn’t changed.
Xu Chunliang brought two kilograms of Moutai, opened a bottle, and poured a drink for his dad.
Looking at his son, Xu Jiaxuan felt that he had indeed grown up, and a sense of reluctance at parting grew in his heart.
The two clinked glasses, and Xu Jiaxuan downed his drink in one go. He had a bite of the pork jelly and said, "Still tastes the sa." He said to the owner, "Add a cold dish of shredded eel."
Xu Chunliang said, "How about so stew with soft-shelled turtle?"
Xu Jiaxuan shook his head and said, "You wouldn’t understand. When you’re here, you have to eat the local dishes. Back in the day, I..." He stopped mid-sentence.
"Back in the day what?"
Xu Jiaxuan laughed, "Not much to it. When I was young, I was nothing like you. Your lives now are just too good."
Xu Chunliang said, "Co on, I heard from Grandpa that you were quite popular when you were young."
Xu Jiaxuan said, "Did he really say that to you? Honestly, what kind of father talks about his son like that?"
Xu Chunliang clinked glasses with him, and after drinking, refilled his glass, "Tell about my mom."
Xu Jiaxuan said, "What’s there to say? I heard she settled in Vienna and found herself a phony foreigner, even beca a stepmother."
Xu Chunliang laughed, "You sound like you’ve got so grievances."
Xu Jiaxuan said, "No, we agreed not to interfere in each other’s lives anymore, so we don’t keep in touch."
Xu Chunliang ate a peanut, "Does she still rember she has a son like ?"
Xu Jiaxuan said, "Actually, it’s not her fault. I persuaded her not to co back to Dongzhou to see you. A short pain is better than a long one."
Xu Chunliang asked, "She never planned to take with her back then?"
Xu Jiaxuan shook his head, "It wasn’t convenient."
"It wasn’t convenient for you either?"
Xu Jiaxuan sighed and said, "At that ti, I couldn’t even support myself. I had to choose between work and you."
"You chose work."
"Otherwise, how could I have bought you a house?"
Xu Chunliang said, "Comrade Xu, do you think a villa can compensate for all those years of neglect?" "No, that’s not what I an. I truly feel guilty, to you, to your grandpa. I owe you both too much."
Xu Chunliang said, "You don’t owe anything. You owe your dad. In the future, co back and see him more often if you can. He’s getting on in years."
"Alright, I’ll listen to you."
The father and son toasted again, and Xu Chunliang asked him to talk about his current family.
Xu Jiaxuan took out his phone and showed him a photo. It was a family portrait of three, with Xu Jiaxuan holding soone on each side: a blonde, blue-eyed woman on the left and a blonde, blue-eyed young girl on the right.
Xu Chunliang said, "Your wife? Your daughter?"
Xu Jiaxuan nodded.
Xu Chunliang said, "Have you ever done a DNA test?"
Xu Jiaxuan pretended to hit him and ended up laughing himself: "My genes didn’t escape, but her genetic advantages are too strong."
Xu Chunliang said, "Send it to ; I might miss you on the street in the future."
Xu Jiaxuan gleefully sent him the photo.
The father and son were chatting happily when suddenly Xu Jiaxuan stood up, waved at soone who had just co in, and shouted, "Xiao i!"
Xu Chunliang turned to look and saw Tang Mingi walking in with a few friends. She was stunned when she saw Xu Jiaxuan.
Xu Chunliang said, "Sister Tang! What a coincidence!"
Tang Mingi paused for a mont, then smiled, "Jiaxuan, long ti no see."
Xu Jiaxuan said, "Indeed! Please sit, do sit!"
Tang Mingi said a few words to her friends, telling them to go ahead.
Xu Jiaxuan pulled out a chair for her, and Tang Mingi said, "How co you’re together?"
Xu Jiaxuan said, "You know each other? He’s my son."
"Your son?" Tang Mingi could hardly believe it. What a coincidence in this world.
User Comments
0 comments from readers