Jiang Cheng deserves a break

Chap 6: Shovel Talk

Narrator's Pov:

On their way to the banquet hall, they pass by a medium-sized gazebo surrounded by thick bushes and swaying vines hanging on the roof. There also sat an old man in his late sixties, accompanied by two attendants.

Dressed in the signature robes of Hua Clan with the Aster symbol on his chest; it was none other than Hua Muchen. Former sect leader to the Hua Clan and father of Hua Yongrui and his four sisters.

His grey hair was tied in a loose hairstyle, and his beard was so long that it was like a scarf. 

Hua Muchen was the 'chill' kind of clan leader during his rule, he seldom enforced the social hierarchies of clan gentry members and normal villagers. It meant that ordinary people could go up to him and greet him informally, without getting into trouble. This gave him the nickname of 'Old Man Hua'. 

Old Man Hua turns around and his eyes brighten when he sees his son and their guests. "Is that Hua Yuan I see?"

"No sir, this is a gazebo¹." Jokes one of his attendants. There was some giggling from leader Jiang's retinue, and a few even snorted. But they all went quiet when Jiang Cheng looked at them sternly.

Hua Yongrui's expression was the epitome of done, but he quickly masked over it with tolerance. "Ba², I brought leader Jiang over to meet you. I thought that you would want to meet him."

"Mn, yes, yes." Old Man Hua stands up from his comfy seat with the help of his attendents. He hobbled over to his son and leader Jiang with his walking stick.

Due to his old age, Old Man Hua had quite a severe hunchback so he had to tilt his head back all the way so that he could see leader Jiang's face. Also, one of his legs had been injured during the Wen Indoctrination and hadn't heal right.

Jiang Cheng tried his best not to fidget under the elder's gaze, as Old Man Hua seemed to assess him through his eyes alone.

Then, Old Man Hua breaks into a smile and pats Jiang Cheng on the shoulder. "You are sect leader Jiang? My my, such a handsome young man! Very tall and robust, hmm, very good, very good..." He trails off and slowly walks around Jiang Cheng to examine him.

Old Man Hua taps the back of Jiang Cheng's legs with his cane, stroking his beard thoughtfully, "You've got long legs and strong thighs! Very good, very good!"

Standing in front of him again, Old Man Hua gives Jiang Cheng a long look before tapping the younger man's forehead with his cane. "You've got an appealing face, but that frown of yours has got to change–"

"Ba, please, you're making leader Jiang uncomfortable." Hua Yongrui says when he sees Jiang Cheng fidgeting under his father's strange words and scrutiny.

"I am merely stating facts. You have brought home an outstanding man, but I'm just worried he'll be like those vermins from your previous relationships."

Now it was Hua Yuan's turn to feel uncomfortable. He leans close to his father and says softly but urgently, "Ba, please! You don't have to bring them up!"

"But I have to! Your future husband should have the right to know that if he ever breaks your heart like those piles of turds..." In a show of sudden strength, Old Man Hua snaps his cane in two with his bare hand, causing a loud crack! to resonate.

Jiang Cheng startles, and sweat drops as Old Man Hua lets the broken pieces drop to the floor. "—he'll end up like that cane there."³

"I won't ever do that to him. I swear on my life." Jiang Cheng said, full of earnest and resolute in his promise. He'd rather lay down his own life than hurt Hua Yongrui in any way.

Hua Yongrui audibly gasps at Jiang Cheng's sincerity, head swerving to look at the other man. His eyes suddenly felt damp and he turns his eyes away when leader Jiang meets his momentarily. Hua Yuan chides himself internally for suddenly getting so emotional.

Old Man Hua glances in between his son and leader Jiang until the wrinkles in between his brows smooths out. "I'll hold you to that." He tells Jiang Cheng.

One of Old Man Hua's attendants replaces his broken cane with a new one, and hands it to him with two hands. "Your cane, sir."

"Ah, thank you." Old Man Hua takes the cane and regains the form of a helpless and frail, old man. He turns to his son and holds his hands in his own, "You've found a good man, Ah-Yuan."

Hua Yuan melts into a soft smile, "Thank you, ba."

Then, his father lets go of his hands and taps Jiang Cheng's arm with his cane. "Take good care of our Ah-Yuan, alright?"

Old Man Hua shakes his head sadly. "You see, our poor Ah-Yuan has had three failed relationships. The last one had left a deep impact on him even though it was years ago."

"Ba,"

Again, Hua Yuan was getting embarassed at his father's lack of tact and tendency to spill secrets within the family. 

"Ba, please,"

He tried to stop his father, but Old Man Hua kept talking. "He told everyone that he didn't want to search anymore, and that he was content with being alone. But we could all see right through him—"

"Well would you look at the time!" Hua Yongrui says loudly, preventing Old Man Hua from saying more embarassing things. "I should bring leader Jiang and his retinue to the banquet hall now. Ba, uh, don't forget to eat, alright?"

Hua Yuan grabs Jiang Cheng's shoulders from behind him and directs him in the direction of the banquet hall, the Jiang disciples following behind them.

Hua Yuan lets go of his shoulders and walks beside Jiang Cheng. "Please ignore everything my father had just told you. He doesn't know what he's talking about. He's gone senile with old age."

Despite saying the last part in a whisper, Old Man Hua's sense of hearing was still in good use. "I may have gone senile but I haven't lost my hearing or my memory!"

Utterly mortified, Hua Yuan grabs leader Jiang's hand without thinking and pulls him along to walk faster. "Alright, Ba! We are leaving now!"

His only response is the sound of his father and the assistants laughing at his expense.

After escaping from that embarassing ordeal, Hua Yuan brings Leader Jiang and his retinue around the compound. Fortunately, Leader Jiang's disciples had been standing far enough that they hadn't heard a word that Old Man Hua had said to him and leader Jiang. 

Now there was an awkward air between Hua Yuan and Leader Jiang, directly affecting the tone of the Jiangs' tour of Aster Grove. Hua Yongrui was nervous the whole time, worried that leader Jiang would be curious of his past relationships, and grill him more about it.

It wasn't like Hua Yuan could refuse to answer leader Jiang's questioning right? Would his answers upset Leader Jiang? Would leader Jiang think that his feelings for him are insincere? Would leader Jiang not want to be with him anymore?

All these questions plagued Hua Yongrui's mind and he hadn't even realised that the tour had come to an end, and they were right outside the banquet hall. Hua Yuan hovered his hands over the surface of the large doors, hesitant to push them open.

Smile, Hua Yongrui. Smile. He forces a wide smile on his face then pushes the doors open. Leader Jiang and the others follow him, crossing over the threshold and into the hall. 
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A/n:

¹ no sir, this is a gazebo—the joke here is hua yuan's name is a direct translation meaning garden.

² Ba, 爸—father

³ if you're wondering, yes. It's always fun in the Hua family when someone gives 'The Talk' to a future spouse