True Solution of the Sword Dao

Lin Fei noticed Jiang Nan’s expression and smiled.

"Nannan, it’s alright," he said, gently ruffling Jiang Nan’s hair.

"Yeah," Jiang Nan responded in a low voice. She didn’t know what expression to use to face her mom and dad—whether to ignore them or...

"This child, sigh..." Jiang Feng looked at Jiang Nan with sympathy, not knowing what to say.

"Shall I speak to the fourth elder?" Lin Jianguo asked.

"Don’t," Jiang Nan suddenly spoke up, "I don’t want to go back. I’m fine right here." Unlike her sister, Jiang Yan, who always got everything first from a young age, Jiang Nan had developed a more independent nature, so it was no surprise when she said this. "If it’s inconvenient for you all, I can move to the community residence by myself," she added.

"Don’t say such things. We are your family; how could we ever shun you?" scolded Jiang Feng. "All right, I’m going to prepare the meal."

Lin Jianguo also stood up and said in a deep voice, "Nannan, settle down here peacefully and don’t think too much. You and your brother Lin Fei have always been close since childhood. There’s no need to be so formal."

After speaking, he turned to Lin You.

"You, change into some clothes and dress normally," he commanded.

Lin You’s eyes widened. "Dad! I am dressed normally!" She glanced at her attire: she was wearing a grey jacket over a simple sleeveless tank top and pink shorts.

Lin Jianguo glared at her, "How can you meet people dressed like that? Zhang Uncle’s son is also coming later."

Although Lin You was reluctant, she stood up and headed to the bedroom. "What does his visit have to do with me?" she murmured quietly, even though she was aware that her overcoat covered most of her body, making it seem like she wasn’t wearing much underneath. No wonder Lin Jianguo had commented.

Jiang Nan quietly hung her head, lost in thought.

Yet Lin Fei understood; Jiang Nan simply didn’t know how to face the family that had abandoned her, her own biological parents.

The two sat for a while, watching some TV, then heard a knock on the door.

"They’re here. Feifei, could you get the door?" Jiang Feng’s voice came from the kitchen.

"Sure," said Lin Fei as she got up.

Jiang Nan suddenly stood up. "I’m going to the study." She was currently living in the study, which had been converted into a small bedroom with curtains. With the door closed, it was quite private.

Lin Fei nodded, waited for Jiang Nan to enter her room and close the door, then she unlatched the security door with a click.

Standing outside was a tall man with short hair, a sallow complexion, smiling, wearing a black T-shirt and grey-white trousers. His robust appearance gave off an energetic vibe.

The moment she saw him, Lin Fei immediately thought of the term ’retired soldier.’

Next to the man stood a skinny, tall youth wearing glasses, only slightly shorter than the man. He was dressed in a grey and white shirt, his hair neatly parted to the side.

"You must be Lin Fei. I’m your Uncle Zhang, remember?" the middle-aged man greeted with a smile.

"Uncle Zhang, come on in," Lin Fei said warmly. Even as half of his attention was on breaking through the final level of Tracing Shadow Sword Art, he handled the situation with ease.

This Uncle Zhang, Zhang Weicong, his son Zhang Sihan, was the godson of Lin Jianguo. They were all from the county town. After all, Lin Jianguo himself had a rural background, with most ties back in the countryside. Their families had some occasional interactions, so they were relatively close.

The two men entered the living room carrying fruit and boxed wines. However, Lin Fei had a mixed impression of Zhang Weicong.

Though he was warm and loyal to friends, able to take a bullet for them, some of his habits were too careless...

Zhang Weicong wore black leather shoes, but the edges were caked with thick mud and grass clippings. He strode in nonchalantly, leaving a trail of dirt behind him. The freshly cleaned floor tiles were marred with clear footprints again.

"Feifei, where’s your dad?" he asked.

"I’ll be right there," Lin Fei answered.

Lin Jianguo walked out from the inner room just then, and upon seeing Zhang Weicong, immediately approached with a smile. "Weicong, it’s not easy for you to come by." His gaze swept over the items that had just been set down. "You shouldn’t have brought anything to our place! That makes us feel like strangers, doesn’t it?"

"Not at all, the main reason for this visit is to ask for your help!" Zhang Weicong chuckled, "My godson Sihan is considering studying in the city, and we too want to provide a good environment for our child, right? After some thought, you were the one who came to mind."

"Of course, of course," Lin Jianguo laughed, "Take a seat first." After the three of them sat down, Lin Fei went to brew some tea. She carried out three cups, placing one in front of each person.

Zhang Weicong picked up his cup and took a sip of tea before he became serious.

"Jianguo, bro, I have come to ask for more than just a favor for Sihan. But I’ll just say it, and you can weigh in. To tell the truth, I didn’t want to mention these things, but I’m really out of options."

"What’s the matter? Just tell me. If it’s within my power, I’ll give it my all," Lin Jianguo said, reluctant to make any solid promises.

Zhang Weicong frowned and sighed.

"We’ve been friends for so many years; I won’t talk nonsense. My eldest son, Siming, just graduated from a technical secondary school, which barely counts as an education. But he found it tough to look for a job because there are so many technical diploma holders out there, and even more with higher qualifications than him. So I was thinking, I’d like to have Siming come and learn some business from you. What do you think? He’s not getting any younger, and staying at home all day is not the way forward."

Lin Jianguo maintained an expressionless face. He hadn’t told his family back home about the expansion of his business, so as far as his relatives knew, he was still running a small bookstore, unchanged as always.

"I don’t lack staff in my bookstore, but since you’ve asked, I owe it to you to oblige," Lin Jianguo pondered for a moment, "Here’s what we’ll do: send Siming over and I’ll pay him two thousand a month for inventory management, that should handle the business volume, right?"

"That will certainly do!" Zhang Weicong was immediately overjoyed. He had two sons, the younger one was doing well and not a worry, but the elder, Zhang Siming, was a problem. From childhood, he had liked to fight, full of too much energy, hanging around with local hooligans when there was nothing else to do, and possessed an explosive temper that easily invited trouble. However, the good thing was, he was as loyal as Zhang Weicong himself — a true brother!

"When the time comes, Feifei, you need to look out for your brother Siming," Zhang Weicong said to Lin Fei with a smile.

"No worries," Lin Fei nodded. He knew Zhang Siming well; he was cast from the same mold as Uncle Zhang. Time had smoothed out Uncle Zhang’s rough edges, but Zhang Siming was still young. Although he didn’t like Uncle Zhang’s overly brash demeanor, he admired the loyalty.

"This time, I’ve asked around and put my face out there with no other choices left before coming to you. It’s really..." Zhang Weicong spoke with emotion, "Enough said. I’ve been through life achieving nothing, and all my hopes are now pinned on Sihan and Siming. To be honest, letting Siming follow you is also because I don’t want him taking the old path I did. That life in society leads nowhere."

After he left the military, beyond the skills he had been trained in, he hardly knew anything else. Forced by life’s pressures, he had no choice but to mix with society. In the county town, he was once quite a respectable figure, but after getting married and having a family, he progressively realized that wasn’t the right path and finally extricated himself, although there was no hope for a different life at this point. He worked as a security guard in a small community within the county, earning just enough to get by.

"Alright, alright, what are we brothers doing talking about such things!" Lin Jianguo knew his friend’s character; he had to honor Zhang Weicong’s requests no matter what!

Zhang Weicong and his son stayed for a while before leaving without eating, probably because they felt awkward asking for favors.

Only after they left, did Jiang Feng come out and see Lin Jianguo sitting on the couch in silence, lost in thought. Lin Fei was busy clearing away the tea cups.

"Now that we have money," Jiang Feng said, "why not bring your parents over and buy a house next to ours so that we can live close by? How about that?" By ’parents,’ she referred to Lin Jianguo’s parents who still lived in the county. Both in their seventies, they were still relatively healthy.

"That can only be decided after asking Mom and Dad for their opinion. If they’re willing, it’s fine, but I doubt they will be," Lin Jianguo mused, "Mom and Dad are nostalgic. They have emotional ties with the neighbors and community they have lived with for so many years. How could they easily agree to move?"

"How do you know they won’t agree if you don’t ask?" scolded Jiang Feng. "In a few days, once the company stuff is settled and the new manager is in place, we’ll go to your hometown and see what the elders think."

"Alright. After Feifei’s matters are settled and she has a three-month break, we can go back," Lin Jianguo nodded.

In the kitchen, after Lin Fei finished tidying up the cups, she took out more cups and got them ready for her four uncles who were due to visit. That was when she heard Lin Jianguo opening the door, with the voice of Uncle Jiang Yuansheng following.

"Yuansheng, you’ve arrived, come on in. Let’s all have dinner together," Jiang Feng called out warmly. Although Jiang Yuansheng hadn’t been very sociable in the past, after all, they were close relatives, and that relationship was permanent.

Lin Fei stayed in the kitchen, listening to the voices from the living room. She was fully informed after Jiang Yuansheng got swindled at his supermarket. Although Lin Fei had the capability to help him recover his losses from the scam, it was not her obligation nor did she have the energy to care about such a trivial matter. With someone like Jiang Yuansheng, even if his relatives treated him well, he would still take it for granted, so helping him would be meaningless.

A bit of time passed.

Eventually, the group from the living room made their way into the kitchen. Jiang Yuansheng himself was present, as was Jiang Yan, although his wife was absent. Jiang Yuansheng wore a smile, seemingly having had a good talk with Lin Jianguo.

Lin You had changed into a long-sleeved white undershirt and long pants and was followed by a little black cat into the kitchen. Upon seeing Jiang Yuansheng, a flash of disgust appeared in her eyes.

"Where’s Nannan? I didn’t see her," Jiang Yuansheng barely sat down before he began asking. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to support it by voting for it with your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)