Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 804 There's no place for you anymore

Looking at Chen Xuan with a disdainful glance, the old man said contemptuously, "You brat, do you have some kind of serious illness? Or are you addicted to being beaten?"

With a twitch at the corner of his mouth, Chen Xuan was both amused and exasperated. No, it's you who beats me up every time we meet. I let you beat me up as much as you want and you still complain. Believe me or not, I'll secretly scold you in front of your daughter!

Too lazy to pay attention to the young punk who had abducted his daughter, the old man stood up and said affectionately to the girls, "Roujia, Xiaojuan, long time no see. If I'm not mistaken, this must be Guo Qingxue, the daughter of Sect Leader Guo. I'll call you Xiaoxue from now on. And this girl in red, I've heard that He Hongyi, one of the ten beauties of the Yuhua Kingdom, loves red. I suppose this must be you. Hmm, Xiaolan and Xiaoxin, it's been a long time since I've seen you either."

The little girl, who had spent a lot of time with the old man, skipped over to his side, helped him up, and said sweetly, "Grandpa, how are you? Have you been eating well lately? What would you like to eat? I'll make it for you later."

Roujia is just a little girl now, and since the old man is the master's father-in-law, she calls him Grandfather.

Du Juan bowed gently and said, "Greetings, Uncle. May you be blessed with good health and longevity."

This was Guo Qingxue's first time facing the Emperor Emeritus, and she was initially somewhat apprehensive. However, when the old man recognized her accurately, a great sense of honor welled up within her. The old man actually recognized her! Surprised, she obediently bowed and said, "This commoner, Guo Qingxue, greets Uncle. It is an honor for this junior."

He Hongyi also bowed politely and said apologetically, "This humble woman, He Hongyi, greets Uncle. Some idle people were just talking nonsense; I'm sorry you had to laugh at me, Uncle."

Because of Chen Xuan, they did not address him as the Emperor Emeritus, but instead referred to themselves as juniors, which in a sense meant they were meeting Chen Xuan's elders.

Moreover, they understood that the elderly man's gentle way of speaking to them was a signal of acceptance and recognition.

This marked the beginning of a true family reunion. The old man waved his hand and smiled, saying, "Don't be so formal, relax. You're all good kids; you should be more considerate and tolerant of each other in the future."

"We will follow your teachings, Uncle," the women said in unison, a huge weight lifted from their hearts. It would have been painful if the old man hadn't liked them. Although it wouldn't have affected their relationship with Chen Xuan, not getting his approval would still have been extremely awkward. Fortunately, that didn't happen.

The old man may approve of them, but that doesn't diminish his urge to beat up the young man with the blond hair for bothering other girls. He's already beaten him up, so he'll just beat him up again next time they meet.

He couldn't help but glare at Chen Xuan again, making the blond-haired boy shrink back and reveal a fawning smile.

The old man glanced at Chen Xuan with the same disdainful look he'd given a passerby, then instantly changed his expression and beamed at the girls, saying, "It's rare to see such good children like you. I won't stand on ceremony; let me see what gifts you've brought."

Is it true that people become more childlike as they get older? They're even asking for gifts now. What's the difference between them and little kids?

While Chen Xuan was secretly playing with the crickets, the little girls started excitedly introducing the things they had brought.

"Grandpa, these are dried sea cucumbers and dried abalone. We caught them ourselves in the deep sea and dried them. They're delicious and very nutritious."

"Uncle, this is a specialty fruit from the coastal area of ​​Rongguo. It's very sweet, and we've kept it frozen. I'll cut some for you to try later."

"These are fresh vegetables and meat. The master said we'll have hot pot later, and it'll be lively with everyone..."

A group of young girls surrounded the things he had brought, and the old man's eyes narrowed with joy. Since he had sat on the throne for eight years, he had rarely enjoyed such family happiness.

The little princess watched with delight at the heartwarming scene, and should have been happy, but considering her father's health, a hint of helpless bitterness welled up in her eyes, and she almost shed tears again, but she held them back.

Taking advantage of a lull in their conversation, Chen Xuan peeked out and said timidly, "Um, Father-in-law, these things were brought to you from afar by your son-in-law. You can't pretend you don't know about my filial piety."

Hearing this, the old man curled his lip and looked at him disdainfully, saying, "With these pieces of junk, I can't see where your filial piety is. Who are you trying to fool?" He paused and then added, "Besides, they brought all these things. How can you be so shameless as to come empty-handed? What business is it of yours? Get out of here and take them with you."

Chen Xuan looked at him incredulously. How could you say such cold and heartless things? If you're so capable, say it again with your hand on your heart!

Then, his anger flared up, and he said defiantly, "Father-in-law, you don't want it, huh? Then I'll take it back."

"I think you're asking for trouble again. Once it's in front of me, there's no room for you. Mine is mine, all mine is mine," the old man said, looking at Chen Xuan with a threatening gaze, as if to say, "If you dare take it, I'll beat you to death."

With her chin raised and hands on her hips, Chen Xuan said, "You're being too domineering. You act like nobody's afraid of you. What's yours is yours, I'm not going to bother arguing with you."

As he spoke, he turned his head, ran to the side, squatted down, and sulked, looking like a wronged little wife.

The old man rolled his eyes. What's with this mix of toughness and cowardice? I thought you were planning to grab it and run, but this is what you've got.

Du Juan and the others couldn't help but laugh, wanting to laugh but not daring to, it was extremely difficult for them to hold back. Their master was very imposing wherever he went, but he was like a little clown in front of the old man.

"Let's go, ignore this brat, let's cook a big meal ourselves and make him drool," the old man said cheerfully, and then really left Chen Xuan aside.

It almost made Chen Xuan withdrawn. No, I'm becoming an outsider now, you guys can't do this.

"You're not including me, huh? I don't care anyway." Then Chen Xuan leaned close to Eunuch Wang and whispered, "Uncle Wang, where have you and your father-in-law been all this time?"

"This..." Eunuch Wang glanced subconsciously in the direction of the old man discussing cooking with the young maids, then hesitated, "Young master, you should ask His Majesty yourself. I dare not say anything more."

A hint of surprise flashed in Chen Xuan's eyes. He thought to himself, what could be so hard to say? It's just sightseeing, isn't it?

With a flicker of thought, he guessed that the places Old Deng had been to in recent months were either improper or not very safe, otherwise Eunuch Wang wouldn't have refused to reveal a single word.

"Did you go to the underground cave?" Chen Xuan asked curiously, intending to try and provoke him. He figured he might actually go there, given the old man's personality. He was capable of doing such a thing. Chen Xuan knew the old man too well.

With a shifty gaze, Eunuch Wang glanced again in the old man's direction, shook his head, and said, "Young master, you're joking. Why don't you know anything about it? You don't even know where the grotto is?"

Okay, Chen Xuan confirmed it. They really had been there. It made sense. In the last days of his life, the old man would have been inspecting the beautiful land he had protected for decades. How could he not have visited a place like Dongtian?

There is definitely danger, but the old man has a lot of life-saving trump cards. Unless a grandmaster or expert risks their life, they can't really hurt him. And since he's already here, of course he's safe and sound.

So Old Deng really is playful. I wonder if anyone is worried. No wonder he got away so easily last time. If they knew he was going to the cave... they probably wouldn't be able to stop him.

At an age when you can barely walk straight, can't you just give people a break?

Eunuch Wang used to be the Grand Eunuch, and he was as shrewd as a ghost. If he hadn't answered deliberately, how could Chen Xuan have guessed that they had been to a place like Dongtian? Therefore, no matter how hard Chen Xuan tried, he couldn't get any more details out of him.

Chen Xuan was filled with helplessness, suffering the consequences of his lack of education. If it were Xiao Gao, even if Eunuch Wang sewed his mouth shut, he could probably pry it open. Hmm, he wondered if it would be too late to study hard later. He also longed to have the keen mind to deduce information from a few words. However, Chen Xuan had to accept the fact that he wasn't cut out for studying. As a child, he had some motivation to gain freedom, but now, trying to cram into books only gave him a headache. No matter how good his memory was, it didn't equal digestion and understanding. Martial arts manuals were out of the question; he could learn those at a glance and master them in no time. Classical texts were truly beyond his reach.

Unable to get what he wanted from Eunuch Wang, Chen Xuan gave up on finding out, because none of that mattered. As a fragrant aroma wafted over, he decisively dragged Eunuch Wang over, his face contorted with embarrassment. Since things had come to this, let's eat first.

Before the elderly man, who was being cared for by the women while they were having hot pot, could even get close to him, they waved him away with disdain, as if shooing away a fly: "We didn't see you when we were cooking, so how dare you come over here now that it's done? Go away, there's no room for you here. We'll only save you a sip of soup after we're done eating."

"No way, I'm your son-in-law, your own father-in-law, you can't treat me like this," Chen Xuan said pitifully.

Everyone knew that the father and son were just joking around, and the women all understood which side they should stand on. So they could only cast helpless glances at Chen Xuan.

The old man glared at Chen Xuan, who was quietly inching closer, with his arms outstretched as if protecting his food, and warned, "I already said there's no room for you. If you try to come and freeload again, believe me, we won't even leave you any soup later!"

"Hmph, fine, I won't eat it. It doesn't look appetizing at all. I'm not hungry. Slurp. Look, the meat is overcooked, and the dipping sauce looks like it's been under-salted," Chen Xuan muttered, his eyes never leaving the hot pot, practically drooling.

"I can't teach you a lesson, kid. I'll make you drool," the old man thought to himself with a smug grin. He deliberately picked up a piece of mutton, as thin as a cicada's wing, dipped it in the sauce, and didn't eat it right away. Chen Xuan's eyes followed his chopsticks as he swallowed, and as the old man swallowed, he lovingly placed the mutton into the little girl's bowl, instructing her, "Roujia, eat more. You're still growing. Some pigs don't need to eat, so you won't starve."

But it's so delicious it'll make you drool.

This is all the fun I have: eating, sleeping, and beating up Chen Xuan. My life is so fulfilling. The only regret is that I can't see my grandson born.

Chen Xuan was furious. This was outrageous! Was there no law? No justice? No place for me?

Honey, please say something for me! Look at your dad, he's bullying me so much! I just wanted a bite, what's wrong with that? I even asked him to bring it.

However, faced with his pitiful eyes, the little princess could only apologize and say, "Just go along with Daddy for now, and I'll reward you later."

Since his wife had said that, what could Chen Xuan do? He looked at the little girl and the others, and thought, "Forget it, I can't count on them anymore."

With a quick dart of his eyes, Chen Xuan instantly came up with a solution. "No place for me, huh? You think you can stump me? Watch me pull some tricks on you!"

The old man quickly said in an annoyed tone, "You brat, get out of my way! How many times do I have to tell you? There's no room for you, and you're just trying to squeeze in? Haven't you been beaten enough yet?"

Above the table, suspended in mid-air, Chen Xuan scooped up a chopstick and said smugly, "I'm not sitting down, so I don't take up any space. Father-in-law, you can't just kick me out, can you?"

Yes, although he didn't sit down, Chen Xuan could still take advantage of the situation. After all, he was a Grandmaster, and his supreme lightness skill allowed him to stay airborne for a short time.

I won't sit down, but I can sit on the table, no, I mean above the table.

The old man was impressed by his almost desperate solution, and exclaimed, "Good heavens! This old lady has lived for decades, and you're the first person to have ever driven me away!"

"Father-in-law, I don't like what you're saying. I'm sitting on the table, far away from you," Chen Xuan said, indicating that he wouldn't take the blame for the anti-Tian Gang incident. He then decisively grabbed another chopstickful and stuffed it into his mouth, his mouth full of oil.

With his lips twitching, the old man was completely exasperated and said speechlessly, "Get down here now, or you'll fall into the pot. If you spill any dirt and ruin a good meal, I'll cook you in the pot!"

"Don't worry, if even a speck of dust falls in, I'll be the one who gets caught," Chen Xuan said smugly, then added, "So now there's a place for me, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, give this brat a seat," the old man said with a look of disgust. If he wasn't allowed to sit down, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause.

However, you know what? Despite all the noise, the old lady's appetite was much better than usual, and her eyes were full of smiles.

The next second, Chen Xuan's words completely broke his composure.

"Then, Father-in-law, you said to invite the son-in-law down," Chen Xuan said, recklessly testing the limits of his own sanity.

The old man immediately laughed, then looked at Grandpa Wang beside him and said through gritted teeth, "Grandpa, where's my knife?"

"Father-in-law, what are you looking for? Your son-in-law will help you find it," Chen Xuan, who had been sitting obediently next to the little princess at some point, asked casually.

Hesitant to speak, the old man looked at the little princess and asked, "When did he sit there?"

"Father, my husband was looking for the knife just now," the little princess blinked, trying to suppress her laughter.

"Alright, alright, is this how you play it?" The old man looked at Chen Xuan with a smile and said, "Since you want to eat so much, my dear son-in-law, if there's not a single vegetable leaf or drop of soup left today, I'll stuff the whole pot into your stomach. Trust me, I can definitely do it!"

Chen Xuan wasn't frightened at all; instead, he exclaimed with delight, "Is there really such a good thing? Father-in-law, how did you know that your son-in-law never leaves a single grain of rice uneaten?"

Upon hearing this, the old man suddenly realized something and thought to himself, "Oh no! Isn't this a reward for him? That brat left the plate clean, like a dog licked it."

He then sneered, used a wooden stick to pull out a few clumps of ash from the charcoal fire under the hot pot, and threatened Chen Xuan, "You've eaten everything, haven't you? Come on, I have some good stuff here. If you leave even a little bit of skin, I'll skin you alive!"

At first, Chen Xuan didn't think much of what the old man was pulling out of the charcoal fire. But after seeing it clearly, his eyes lit up. He forgot about arguing with the old man and looked at it with surprise, saying, "It's really something. Where did you get it, Father-in-law?"

It's more than just a good thing; in this era, it's practically an auspicious omen!

If Chen Xuan wasn't mistaken, those fragrant, roasted ash-covered lumps were clearly potatoes and sweet potatoes!

Chen Xuan had traveled all over the country for many years but had never seen either of these two things.

"Never mind where they came from, just give them to me to eat, not even the skins!" Old Deng was being quite serious with him.

Hesitantly, Chen Xuan pointed to the potatoes and sweet potatoes and said, "Father-in-law, do you know what these mean?"

...(End of this chapter)