Endless Fall

180 Reunion

Lin Kanglu corrected him. “This is called a Tang suit.”

“Only old men wear this kind of suit.”

“We’re still young, unlike you.” Pei Zhen admired the decorations around him. “Old Lin is indeed having a comfortable life. Look at this villa.”

Lin Kanglu rolled his eyes at them.

He knew that if he went along with them, they would continue to make fun of him, so he pretended not to hear it. “Did you two come empty-handed?”

“Of course. Are you expecting us to give you a gift?” Chu Kui crossed his legs and took two sips of tea.

“You actually have the cheek to come empty-handed.”

“We don’t have money.” He looked at Lin Hongyuan. “If we don’t give gifts, will we be allowed to eat?”

“Yes.” Lin Hongyuan was amused by him. “If you want, you can eat here with Uncle Pei for a month.”

“Look.” Pei Zhen gave Lin Kanglu a look and said teasingly, “Your son is even more sensible than you.”

Lin Kanglu narrowed his eyes.

He looked at Old Pei and suddenly laughed. “It’s normal for juniors to not know manners. I won’t take it to heart.”

“Who is junior?”

“Pei Zhi calls me grandpa, so you are supposed to call me uncle.”

“Old Lin, do you have any shame?!”

Chu Kui’s laughter mixed with the bickering made the living room much livelier.

They were about to fight when they were stopped by Lin Hongyuan. After a while, they sat at the mahjong table as if nothing had happened.

In the evening, Pei Zhi and Lin Jiao arrived at the villa.

They put down the birthday gift they had prepared for Lin Kanglu and sat at the square table, looking at the mahjong tiles.

“Pei Zhi, give me some cash.” Pei Zhen did not have much cash on him.

“Is five hundred enough?”

“That’s enough.”

Pei Zhi took out some cash from his wallet and placed it on Pei Zhen’s right.

He picked up the fruit plate and fed Lin Jiao a cherry. “How long have you been sitting at the mahjong table?”

“Not long.” Lin Kanglu looked up at him. “Less than three hours.”

“Who won?”

“Your Uncle Chu and I.”

“Who can say for sure until the end?” Pei Zhen did not agree with him. “Right, Hongyuan?”

Lin Hongyuan, who had always been a noob at mahjong, nodded in agreement and asked Fang Liu to help him look at the tiles.

“Jiaojiao.” He took out a tile and placed it on the table. “Ask Yanshen where he is.”

“He’s almost there.” Lin Jiao spat out the fruit core and opened WeChat to look at the message she received three minutes ago.

Not long after she finished speaking, Zhou Yanshen walked in unhurriedly with two gift boxes.

He put his hand on Lin Kanglu’s shoulder. “Old man, you are quite lucky today. You won so much.”

“Of course.” Lin Kanglu smiled from ear to ear and glanced at the losers on both sides proudly.

He stood up midway. “Hongyuan and Old Pei are about to lose everything. Let them win a few rounds.”

“Alright.” Zhou Yanshen sat down with a cigarette in his mouth.

Lin Hongyuan, who was sitting on the right, saw his bloodshot eyes clearly. “Have you been fooling around outside again for the past two days?”

In order to meet Lin Kanglu, Lin Hongyuan had “bribed” Zhou Yanshen many times and also got closer to him over the years.

He treated Zhou Yanshen as his son and gave him more love and care than Zhou Yanshen’s biological parents.

“I’m not fooling around.” Zhou Yanshen was used to being nagged by him, so he was not impatient. “I’ve been busy chasing someone recently.”

“Someone in the entertainment industry again? How many times have I told you that those women are getting close to you for fame and fortune…”

“She’s a doctor.”

After being told that the girl Zhou Yanshen was chasing was actually Lin Jiao’s friend, Lin Hongyuan reminded him, “If you want to be with her, take it seriously.”

Zhou Yanshen replied seriously, “I know.”

After they finished playing, Pei Yilan and the Pei couple arrived at the villa, followed by Shen Yi and Chu Yuzhou.

Chu Yuzhou’s parents were still on a business trip. He slowly handed the gifts to Pei Zhi.

“I’m so tired.” He took a deep breath and looked at Pei Yilan. “Where’s Jiang Ye?”

“He’s on set and can’t leave.”

“What a pity. I wanted to drink with him tonight.”

“Brother Yanshen can drink with you.” Pei Yilan held Bai Ying’s arm and sat down with an ambiguous smile.

They all walked into the dining room to celebrate Lin Kanglu’s birthday.

“Grandpa, I wish you all the best.” Lin Jiao raised her glass and toasted him.

Lin Kanglu was happy as long as Lin Jiao was around.

He took out a stack of red envelopes from his pocket and stuffed one into her hand. “I hope you and Pei Zhi can have a baby soon too.”

...

“It’s still early.” Lin Jiao looked at Pei Zhi and her face suddenly turned red.

The next second, Pei Zhi held her hand tightly. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring you a great-grandson in two years.”

Lin Kanglu laughed heartily and said, “Then I’ll wait.” He then gave Pei Zhi another red envelope and waited for the others to toast him.

After saying “I wish you a long and happy life”, Zhou Yanshen received a red envelope too.

However, before he turned around, he whispered into Lin Kanglu’s ear, “You’ll have a granddaughter-in-law soon.”

Lin Kanglu was stunned. “Really?”

“Of course.” He briefly explained his relationship with Qian Yue to reassure him. “I’ll bring her back after the new year.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Definitely not.”

Lin Hongyuan, who had drunk a lot of white wine, stood up with a cup and said, “Dad, I’ve let you down in the past. I’m really happy that you’re willing to come back and let me fulfill my duty as a son.”

Some time ago, he was wondering if it would be awkward since they had not lived together for many years.

...

However, the moment Lin Kanglu returned, he realized that the bond between father and son had never changed.

The only thing that changed was that he wanted to follow him around every day.

“Let the past stay in the past.” Seeing that Lin Hongyuan’s eyes were red, Lin Kanglu said awkwardly, “Sit down. Don’t embarrass me.”

Lin Hongyuan suddenly smiled and held back his tears.

The huge rock that had pressed down on him for many years finally disappeared amidst the laughter and chatter.

After Lin Kanglu cut the cake, the group of people either played mahjong or chatted in the living room.

Zhou Yanshen and Shen Yi each carried a box of beer and called the young ones to the lounge on the top floor.

He sat on the carpet by the window and started talking about him and Qian Yue. “We haven’t seen each other in six days.”