Dragon King's Son-In-Law

by Dragon King

  Qin Shaoyang felt some numbness in his arm, immediately knowing that Su Han had advanced in Ice Frost Scroll’s level! She was here for revenge!

  A dark red light sphere instantly engulfed them.

  Bang! Bang! Bang… Inside the light sphere, the collisions made the space shake violently.

  For the students who were studying or sleeping, the whole campus quieted down after that first huge banging noise.

  Hao Ren who had been walking toward his dorm in the south also heard the huge sound. Thinking that something dropped to the ground in the construction site in the distance, he ignored it and returned to his dorm with his study materials.

  Quickly, he fell asleep.

  It was Thursday, and the nerve-wracking mid-term exams had finally come!

  Thursday and Friday were exams of fundamental courses such as Advanced Mathematics, University-level Physics, and University-level English.

  Even on these two days, Hao Ren still went to Su Han’s office to cultivate after four o’clock.

  Cold as usual, she meditated with her eyes closed. Though once in a while, she would open her eyes and give Hao Ren some instructions on his cultivation.

  Hao Ren relaxed a bit after the last exam ended on Friday.

  He returned to his dorm to get his study materials and other stuff before walking to the bus stop at the main gate of the school. He was going home for the weekend.

  After this weekend, the next weekend was Zhao Yanzi’s birthday party.

  “Did you know that I saw Qin Shaoyang on Thursday?” some girls standing before him at the bus stop were talking among themselves.

  “Oh? How was he?”

  “He was there to pack up the exhibition! However, I saw that he had band-aids on his face and hands; he seemed to have scratches on him!”

  “Band-aids? He must have looked dashing in them. Maybe he put them on for fashion purposes as like some of the celebrities!” a girl said excitedly.

  Hao Ren was surprised that a master like Qin Shaoyang got wounded and didn’t recover right away.

  “If he only had minor scratches on his face and hands that could be cover by band-aids, it seems that his opponent went easy on him. Who was the person that wounded this arrogant Inspector?” he thought.

  158 I Want to be Surrounded by Great Grandchildren!

  Hao Ren took the bumpy bus to the seaside and walked the rest of the way to his home. When he was about to yell ‘Grandma’, Hao Ren found that Xie Yujia was there already in her white apron!

  “What… What are you doing here?” Hao Ren asked in surprise.

  “I’m here to keep Grandma company,” Xie Yujia answered calmly.

  “Why, Ren? Do you have a problem with that?” Grandma walked out of a room on the first floor and went to Xie Yujia’s side.

  “No… No problem,” Hao Ren put his backpack on the couch and asked Xie Yujia nervously, “How did you get here?”

  “By bus. However, it only took me to the entrance, so I walked the rest of the way,” she answered.

  Hao Ren nodded. He assumed that Xie Yujia must have handed in her exams early, so she got here earlier than him. However, it was a half-an-hour walk from the bus stop to the house. It must have been hard for a girl like her to walk under the heat.

  “Why didn’t you come back with Ren,” Grandma complained to her.

  “I didn’t know when he would be back since he may have some activities with other classmates. Besides, I am here for you!” Xie Yujia smiled brightly.

  “Poor girl… You had to walk so long,” Grandma looked at Xie Yujia and said. It was a one-hour bus ride and a half-hour walk from the school to here. It could be counted as an exercise for Hao Ren but not an easy task for a girl like Xie Yujia.

  “Grandma, can I cook the fish the same way as last time? Steamed?” Xie Yujia changed the topic.

  “Sure, whatever way you want. As long as you are the chef, I will love it!” Grandma said pleasantly.

  “Okay!” Xie Yujia nodded and went into the kitchen.

  Hao Ren noticed the empty house and asked, “Where are my parents, Grandma?”

  “Ah… Them! Speaking of them sets me off,” Grandma appeared to be annoyed, “They went to Beijing for some big national project this time and won’t be back for a month.”

  “They went together?” Hao Ren asked.

  “Yeah, they said it’s a multi-fields project, and they didn’t tell you because they didn’t want to affect your mood during the exams,” Grandma said.

  Hao Ren thought to himself, “If it would, then my exams would be affected years ago.”

  He was already used to that.

  Hao Ren sighed lightly and asked, “Then… Do you want to go live with Zi for the month?”

  He thought that Grandma must feel very lonely at the house by herself. Uncle Wang couldn’t do more than cooking and taking care of the flowers and vegetables, so it would be more relieving if Grandma stayed with Zhao Yanzi’s family.

  “We shouldn’t bother them this time. I’ve decided to go to the countryside for a while. A good friend of mine from a long time ago got in touch with me a few days ago. She said that she is living in Zhejiang Province now, and the mountains and rivers in her village are gorgeous. She is surrounded by her children and grandchildren there, and she invited me to live there for a while,” Grandma said.

  “By yourself?” Hao Ren was worried.

  “I am much healthier than before, so I will be fine. Plus, living in the countryside and talking with my old friend about the past will be a lot of fun,” she sighed, “A big family surrounds her, but I am here all alone. Both my son and daughter-in-law are not here, and you are my only grandson. Who knows where my great grandchildren are at this moment…”

  Hearing this, Hao Ren stopped her and comforted, “Alright, alright. I’ll take you there as soon as I finish my exams.”

  He thought, “If she goes there and sees the large family, who knows what she will be thinking by the time she comes back…”

  There wasn’t much that Grandma could do since Hao Ren was the only child. In her traditional view, the responsibility of carrying on the family and extending the bloodline was all on Hao Ren’s shoulders.

  Uncle Wang went back home for some family issues, so there were only the three of them in the giant house. If Xie Yujia didn’t come, there would only be Hao Ren and Grandma which would feel even lonelier.

  Since there were just the three of them, Xie Yujia didn’t cook a full table of dishes. She made three vegetable dishes, a meat dish, and a bowl of soup; very well matched and balanced.

  They were quiet when Grandma didn’t say anything at the dining table. Xie Yujia took small bites as Hao Ren swallowed his rice without even looking at her.

  Grandma watched the two of them as she ate. She noticed that something was wrong.

  “Zi is not coming here this week?” Grandma thought of Zhao Yanzi and asked.

  “Um… Her parents took her to Nanjing, and they won’t be back until Sunday,” Hao Ren said.

  “Oh…” Grandma sounded a little disappointed.

  After hesitating, she asked again, “Those two girls from last time, Lu Linlin and Lu Lili… Are they not coming here either?”

  Grandma liked it when there were more people, but the house was as quiet as an ancient castle. She used to look forward to Hao Ren’s return every day. But now, she has started to look forward to the girls’ visits as well.

  “Grandma…” Hao Ren shrugged, “They both have their own things going on and can’t come to spend time with you every week.”

  “But they told me that they would come over every weekend…” She murmured. She adored the sweet and beautiful twins.

  Hao Ren felt terrible seeing the disappointment in his grandma’s eyes. She only wanted to have people over for some company.

  “Stay here for the night with Grandma, little Yujia,” Grandma suddenly looked at Xie Yujia and said.

  Xie Yujia hesitated for a second as her pret
ty eyes blinked a few times. She picked up her cell phone and replied, “Let me phone my aunt.”

  She stood up and walked to the French windows facing the ocean. After a little bit, she hung up the phone and came back.

  “My aunt said that it’s ok if I’m staying at Hao Ren’s place,” she said.

  Grandma smiled happily at her answer, and it boosted her appetite suddenly as well.

  She asked a lot of questions, and the kids answered them one by one. They seemed like a real family at the table.

  After dinner, Xie Yujia and Hao Ren cleaned up the dishes together.

  Although Xie Yujia had confessed to Hao Ren in the library, there was still something weird going on between them. They cleaned everything up quietly and quickly moved away when they ran into each other from time to time.

  Unlike those crazy and wild girls at school, she was candid and reserved at the same time.

  Hao Ren also wasn’t one of those guys who would pursue girls casually and could pretend that nothing had happened after being rejected.

  Grandma was watching TV in the living room while Xie Yujia and Hao Ren were doing the dishes in the kitchen without a word.

  “Later, you can sleep in my parents’ room. It’s empty because they went to Beijing,” Hao Ren said in a dry voice after a long period of silence.

  “Um, ok,” Xie Yujia wiped the dishes dry smoothly as she answered.

  Then, nothing more was said.

  159 Unwilling to Admit Defea

  The two remained silent.

  For Hao Ren, he was apologetic for making Xie Yujia wait so long; also, he felt like he was not worthy of her wait. Therefore, he did not know how to respond to her.

  On the other hand, Xie Yujia was asking herself, “What am I doing?”

  After putting away the bowls and chopsticks in the cupboard, they came out of the kitchen.

  Lying on her side on the sofa, Grandma was dozing off with the remote control in her hand. She was about to fall asleep.

  Being considerate as she was, Xie Yujia walked over, picked up the jacket on the side, and laid it gently on Grandma. Xie Yujia had worried about Grandma getting too lonely being on her own as Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang were so occupied with their careers. That was why she made time to visit her today.

  Seeing that Grandma was dozing off while watching TV, she could imagine how Grandma usually spent her daily life alone at home. She felt a little heartbroken just thinking about that.

  “Ah, did you finish doing the dishes?” Rubbing her eyes, Grandma asked as she let out a prolonged yawn, “Why don’t you guys go and rest early night?”

  Somehow, Grandma’s remark seemed a little ambiguous and dubious to Hao Ren.

  Sharing Hao Ren’s view, Xie Yujia also blushed at Grandma’s words.

  Yet, Grandma had not realized the awkward feelings her previous remark had induced in them. Instead, she further added, “I had a dream just now. In my dream, Ren had a lot of children, and they were all calling me great-grandma!”

  “Grandma, I am a male, how could I give birth?” Helping his grandma up from the sofa, Hao Ren found her dream both funny and weird.

  “Haha…” Grandma did not explain herself any further. She turned to Xie Yujia who was still blushing and suggested, “Grandma is getting sleepy, so I am going to bed now. Since it is still early, why don’t you two go for a walk along the beach?”

  “Eh.” Xie Yujia nodded habitually at Grandma’s suggestion.

  “You, you should talk with Little Carrot more. Now that you two have reunited, how come you seem more distant?” Grandma turned to Hao Ren and asked.

  “I will. Grandma, you go and get some rest.” Supporting Grandma by the arm, Hao Ren helped her into her bedroom on the first floor.

  Watching Hao Ren, Xie Yujia found another virtue that Hao Ren possessed - filial piety.

  Xie Yujia realized that ever since the first year of university, it had always been his gentle and straightforward nature that attracted her. It never had anything to do with whether he was good-looking or not.

  “Let’s go take a stroll around the beach.” Hao Ren said as he came out of his grandma’s room.

  “Sure.” Xie Yujia nodded lightly.

  The beach was only a few dozen meters away from the house. The sand was very soft, and it was comfortable to walk on it barefooted. Xie Yujia took off her shoes altogether and began to walk.

  The sound of the waves was also very gentle. Moreover, the sea glistened in the moonlight. As they were in a suburb area of East Ocean City, the air was fresh, and the stars were brilliant.

  After walking along the beach for a few minutes, neither of them had spoken.

  “How did you do on your exams today?” Hao Ren asked. Since he was a man, he should be the one to break the silence.

  “Oh, today’s exams were not really difficult. I think it shouldn’t be a problem to get at least a 90 on each of them,” Xie Yujia replied.

  Hao Ren smiled helplessly; he would be immensely thankful if he could achieve a 70 on each of the subjects.

  When they were children, they used to went for walks along the beach, just like now. Yet, though it seemed only a moment ago, they were now already in their early 20s.

  “Ouch!” Xie Yujia suddenly bent down.

  “What’s wrong?” Hao Ren moved closer.

  In the moonlight, Xie Yujia could be seen furrowing her brows. “I might have stepped on a piece of glass or something.”

  Hao Ren quickly helped her to sit down and lowered his head to inspect her right foot. The bottom of her foot was bleeding a little as she stepped on a shattered shell.

  “Xie Yujia’s skin must be very soft to get cut by a shell…”

  In a moment of rashness, Hao Ren scooped up some sea water with his hands to help her rinse the wound. After that, to prevent Xie Yujia from getting hurt again, he ran to get her shoes and helped her to put them on.

  Intently watching Hao Ren’s every move, Xie Yujia was touched. When they were kids, Hao Ren always liked to pretend to be a big man and ignored all her cries. Only when things got out of hand would he come over reluctantly and try to calm her down. Now that he had gotten older, he had somehow become very gentle and meticulous.

  “It should be alright. Let’s go.” Hao Ren grabbed Xie Yujia’s arm and helped her to get up from the ground, “The sand gets very cold at night, so you might get a stomach-ache if you sit on it for too long.”

  “Yeah.” Xie Yujia felt a bit of pain from the bottom of her foot. Yet, she endured it as she did not want to appear weak.

  “I remember when we were little, I jumped down from that gigantic rock a few times. I always thought that since it was all sand underneath, it wouldn’t hurt even if I fell. Come to think of it now, I don’t understand how I was so daring as a kid.” Hao Ren said as he pointed at a huge piece of black rock not too far away.

  “I know, right? I even followed you and jumped off it myself. However, I ended up twisting my ankle and spent two full days bawling at home,” Xie Yujia complained.

  “Haha. When you were little, you never liked to admit defeat and rarely gave in.” Hao Ren remembered.

  Xie Yujia did not respond. She believed that he was probably correct. Wherever Little Older Brother went, she followed. Whatever Little Older Brother did, she would try to copy as well.

  They no longer talked about what happened at school. Instead, they began reminiscing the memories they shared as kids. As they pieced together their memories piece by piece, they were able to recall the events that took place one by one vaguely. All the little stories they couldn’t remember were found in each other’s recollections. Piece by piece, their shared experiences became dimensional and vivid.

  A light breeze caressed Xie Yujia’s face and blew up strands of her hair. Bathing in the moonlight, Xie Yujia’s beautiful figure seemed especially gentle and serene. It was hard for Hao Ren to imagine that she used to be Little Carrot who refused to accept any defeat and was always sprinting aro
und like a tomboy.

  Since Xie Yujia’s foot was no longer hurting, they had walked very far away. Now, they were slowly strolling back to the house along the beach.

  When they got home, Grandma who was on the first floor was already fully asleep. Hao Ren and Xie Yujia tiptoed their way onto the second floor, they each went back to rest in their own rooms.

  Xie Yujia had not told any of her friends about the fact that Hao Ren was her Little Older Brother. Likewise, Hao Ren also did not mention anything to his buddies. By leaving it a secret, they grew to understand each other more even though they had to act more cautiously around each other.

  Hao Ren knew that there were a lot of male students going after Xie Yujia at school. After all, Xie Yujia was pretty and kind. Just how many guys have pictured their dream girl to be like her?

  Nonetheless, Xie Yujia had always maintained a low profile and never tried to make her popularity into an asset of hers, unlike Lin Li, who liked to show off her popularity by making the number of her admirers known to the whole school. Furthermore, most of Xie Yujia’s outfits were simple and unflashy, whereas Lin Li’s choices of outfits were usually conspicuous and ostentatious.

  If they were to compare the two, most guys at school would agree that Xie Yujia was more beautiful and graceful than Lin Li. Also,

  Hao Ren was aware that many senior students on the Student Council tried to find ways to approach Xie Yujia, but most of these guys feared Xie Wanjun and had never openly expressed their admiration for her.

  However, it was well-known among the senior students that after this year’s National College Basketball League, Xie Wanjun would be attending school in the United States…

  Gradually, the entire house went back to its original peacefulness and serenity.

  As the tides turned, Hao Ren woke up from a pleasant dream and realized it was already ten o’clock in the morning.

  He crawled out of bed quickly and went over to check on the room next door. He found that the door was open, and Xie Yujia was nowhere to be seen

  “She wouldn’t have left already, would she?” Hao Ren got a little anxious suddenly. Still in his pajamas, he immediately went downstairs.