Chapter 251: An Awkward Family Dinner
With two young men from the Zhuang family around, no one dared to cause trouble. After a busy day, just before evening, Xu Sa gave 1kg of crystal cores each to the two somewhat dazed young men who had been counting all day.
“This is the first time I realized counting money really wears out your arms,” Gu Qingyue said, leaning on the sofa. Gu Qingji reached over to massage his arm.
Lu Weiyi, still half-asleep, came out of the bedroom and stepped on a “mountain” of crystal cores on the floor, stumbling slightly before being steadied by Li Zhuang passing by.
He rubbed his face, more awake now. “How much did we sell?”
“About one ton,” Xu Sa estimated. “How much did we bring?”
“Countless,” Lu Weiyi gave a vague answer.
“Then we probably won’t sell it all. I set the prices high. Otherwise, we could wholesale to some local merchants. I asked around; almost every faction has their own business shops. If each buys some, we could sell eight or nine-tenths of the stock,” Xu Sa finished and asked Lu Weiyi, “When are we leaving?”
Lu Weiyi looked toward the people searching.
“None found yet. Missing person notices posted. Checked the registered personnel. The base gave locations but they have to verify themselves.” One day wasn’t nearly enough.
“How long do you think it will take them to defeat that mutated plant?” Lu Weiyi asked Zhuang Mingxu, who was coming out with a cane.
“Stay one more day. If it’s still no good, leave it to the Zhuang family people and we’ll go,” Zhuang Mingxu said. At that moment, someone was knocking at the yard door.
It was Zhuang Mingwu.
“I think the Zhuang family is reluctant to let you go,” Lu Weiyi’s expression instantly turned cold.
Zhuang Mingxu motioned to open the door and whispered, “I told him the team still has a plant-type crystal core. Let him exchange it for 3500kg of jade.”
“Mm,” Lu Weiyi nodded.
Zhuang Mingxu looked at him, meaning unclear, and asked, “How much more do you need?”
“A bit more,” Lu Weiyi replied. The range of repair gets smaller and smaller; with the 3500kg obtained in the morning, less than one-third was repaired. Lu Weiyi was starting to get anxious.
Zhuang Mingwu came in with Liu Ma, who went straight to the kitchen efficiently.
Zhuang Mingwu gave Zhuang Mingxu an awkward look. “Brother, Grandpa called you, Lu Weiyi, and the child to come home for dinner.” Avoiding Zhuang Mingxu’s gaze, he glanced at the pile of crystal cores on the floor.
Seeing his expression, Zhuang Mingxu guessed the family was unwilling to provide that part of the jade, maybe had other thoughts. He looked at Lu Weiyi, “Going?”
“…Go.” They still had to stay one more day at the Zhuang family. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Lu Weiyi unwillingly got up and said seriously, “I think I’ve learned how to endure humiliation.”
“Pfft…”
“Haha…”
Laughter echoed from the hall. Lu Weiyi gave everyone an annoyed look. “Count the crystal cores properly and put them away. One hundred each, as travel expenses.”
Ordinary low-level crystal cores were no longer very useful to them. High-level cores were rarely traded and better given out as pocket money.
“Thank you, squad leader!”
“Long live the squad leader!”
“Brother, should I go with you guys?” Lu Xi asked while accompanying Zhuang Ai Yi.
“…Come along. Watch Ai Yi carefully. Don’t interact with those Zhuang family people; they have no shame or bottom line,” Lu Weiyi said, helping tidy the two father and son’s clothes. Zhuang Mingxu leaned on his cane while Lu Weiyi and Lu Xi each held one side of Zhuang Ai Yi.
Zhuang Mingxu pretended not to hear Zhuang Mingwu gritted his teeth and glared at him, but in the end, because of Zhuang Mingxu’s silence, he held back and went back.
“All right, I’ll be careful,” Lu Xi, feeling responsible, lowered his head and warned Zhuang Ai Yi, “You have to stick with me. You’re not allowed to play with any other adults or kids. If the bad guys catch you, you won’t be able to find Dad.”
“Ai Yi is the best, will stick with uncle,” Zhuang Ai Yi said seriously, tugging on their arms. “Uncle, Ai Yi wants to jump high.”
“All right,” Lu Weiyi responded. He and Lu Xi each grabbed one of Ai Yi’s arms and lifted him up to jump one step. When he landed, Zhuang Ai Yi giggled and wanted to do it again.
Following behind was Zhuang Mingwu, walking awkwardly, trying to make conversation. “The kid is really cute.”
Zhuang Mingxu glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, his look seemed to see right through him. Zhuang Mingwu looked away, too embarrassed to say anything.
*
At the Zhuang family’s main house, they were not alone. A middle-aged, refined man with gold-rimmed glasses and a scholarly air was also there. Seeing Zhuang Mingxu, he smiled and stepped forward to pat his shoulder. “Good kid, haven’t changed much.”
Though he looked young, he was actually the same generation as Old Master Zhuang. This was Zhuang Mo Bai, Old Master Zhuang’s youngest half-brother, a bit of a maverick who had never married for half his life.
Lu Weiyi remembered he was some kind of scientific researcher, though he didn’t recall much about him from his previous life.
“Great-granduncle,” Zhuang Mingxu had a good relationship with him. He was also the only one in the Zhuang family who didn’t oppose his relationship with Lu Weiyi.
“Lu Weiyi, long time no see. Your aura is different now,” Zhuang Mo Bai said, looking at Lu Weiyi. “Looks like you’ve suffered this past year.”
“Not too bad,” Lu Weiyi replied.
Zhuang Mo Bai lowered his gaze and teased Zhuang Ai Yi a little. Then the group entered the house.
The main decision-makers of the Zhuang family, as if with nothing better to do, were still talking in the living room. Seeing the newcomers, they broke their silence from the day before.
Old Master Zhuang smiled warmly at the man who yesterday had to rely on a wheelchair but could now stand and walk. “I heard from Old Zhou that you recovered. I didn’t believe it, but now seeing it, I can rest easy.”
“Thank you for your concern,” Zhuang Mingxu said.
Lu Weiyi sat with Lu Xi on a vacant sofa, protecting Zhuang Ai Yi in the middle, while Zhuang Mingxu sat at the far edge.
“This is Ai Yi, right? Hello, I’m your grandfather,” Zhuang Chengli decided to introduce himself directly, as it seemed no one else would.
“Hello,” Zhuang Ai Yi glanced at Lu Weiyi beside him. Seeing no sign he would speak, nor did he call out, his big dark eyes kept flickering among the people.
“This is your great-grandfather, this is your great-uncle, this is your uncle and your younger uncle,” Zhuang Chengli introduced each person present.
Zhuang Ai Yi looked around and said in a moderate voice, “Ai Yi has his own uncle.” He hugged Lu Xi tightly with both small hands.
Lu Xi nodded toward the adults and looked at the relatively familiar Zhuang Chengye. “Hello, Colonel Zhuang.”
“This is Lu Xi, Weiyi’s cousin,” Zhuang Mingxu introduced at the right moment.
“You’re Lu Xiao’s son?” Zhuang Chengye sized up Lu Xi. “I remember your father said you study weapons development.”
Lu Xi smiled and nodded, though it was unclear which question he was answering.
“Your father is on a mission and will return in some time. You two will reunite then. After the apocalypse, he’s been worried about you, always searching for news about you, and promised to come once he found you,” Zhuang Chengye talked a lot about Lu Xiao.
Lu Xi, who had already met him, didn’t say anything.
“I miss Dad too. The best news is that he’s alive and well.”
They awkwardly chatted for a bit. Xia Xiaorong brought over some dried fruit and nuts and invited everyone to eat. Then she picked the reddest peach and offered it to Zhuang Ai Yi. “This is freshly picked. It’s rare at the base. Little one, want to try?”
Lu Weiyi couldn’t help but glare at her sarcastically.
Lu Xi also gave her a blatantly surprised look. No one knew what gave her the nerve to think they couldn’t afford fruit for a child.
“Yes, it’s newly arrived fruit. Ai Yi, try some,” Zhuang Chengli said.
Zhuang Ai Yi leaned in for a look. Just as Xia Xiaorong thought he was going to take it, he retreated back to the sofa and sat properly, lifting his pale little face seriously. “Thank you, but I can only eat mutated fruit. You keep it.”
Mutated fruit was good for the body, with obvious health benefits. Most of the family’s mutated fruit was reserved for the ordinary people, while the normal fruit was for the ability users.
Usually, Zhuang Ai Yi was brought up by Xi Shi, who probably taught him that he couldn’t eat ordinary fruit so he would have room for the mutated ones.
“Pfft!” Zhuang Mingxu openly laughed, like a slap in Xia Xiaorong’s face.
The men in the room also looked displeased, and Zhuang Chengli even shot Xia Xiaorong a glare.
“Great-uncle?” Zhuang Ai Yi curiously peeked at Zhuang Mingxu.
“It’s nothing,” Zhuang Mingxu reached over Lu Weiyi in the middle and patted his son’s head, nearly saying “You’re so great.”
“Does mutated fruit taste good? Great-grandfather hasn’t tried it. Little Ai Yi, how about telling great-grandfather what you think?” Zhuang Mo Bai spoke gently to Zhuang Ai Yi, breaking the awkward atmosphere.
“It’s okay,” Zhuang Ai Yi modestly said. “My grandpa says mutated fruit is good for me and keeps me from getting sick.”
“Your grandpa is?” Zhuang Mo Bai’s gaze shifted away from Lu Weiyi, thinking he was talking about Lu Weiyi’s father, Ji Heng.
“He’s Grandpa Xi who cooks for us. He cooks so well. He can even make rice balls into little rabbits. Can you do that?” Zhuang Ai Yi had been spending time with Xi Shi at home, now excitedly sharing.
“I can’t do that. Your Grandpa Xi is amazing.”
“I think he’s great too. My Grandpa Xiong can even lift me up. I can sit on his neck. He’s so tall,” Zhuang Ai Yi said, unable to resist gesturing. “Even taller than this.”
“Really that impressive?” Zhuang Mo Bai exaggerated.
“Mm, my eldest uncle is awesome too,” Zhuang Ai Yi said like a kid who just got recognition and couldn’t help but brag, “My eldest uncle can make me Transformers and robots. He even lets me sleep on the waves, and little fish kiss my toes…”
Everyone’s abilities combined by him made the eldest uncle opposite, Zhuang Mingwen, look increasingly useless by comparison.
Lu Weiyi realized for the first time that while he didn’t know, Zhuang Ai Yi had already become the darling of the entire base.
Before the meal, the scene had completely turned into Zhuang Ai Yi’s little bragging session. Though exaggerated, it helped ease everyone’s awkwardness a lot.
Lu Weiyi was naturally not the kind to put on a polite front. With Xia Xue, the illegitimate daughter, constantly making her presence felt, Zhuang Mingxu no longer felt like reuniting—especially since he had started suspecting the real purpose of this visit.
In the living room, for a while, only Zhuang Ai Yi’s childish voice could be heard.
