Evening.
The delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen made Su Chen feel like he was about to start drooling.
"Mom~ When is Dad getting back? I'm so hungry I'm starting to feel faint," Su Chen asked, leaning against the kitchen doorway.
"He should be home soon. He's usually back by this time!"
The words were barely out of her mouth when they heard the front door open. A deep, weary voice called out, "Honey~ What's the special occasion? You even made braised pork! You usually won't make it for me even when I'm begging for it!"
"Dad!" Su Chen looked toward the door... A well-built, middle-aged man was hunched over, changing his shoes.
Su Zhuyun, in the middle of changing his shoes, paused and quickly looked up toward the voice.
Su Chen was leaning against the kitchen doorway, looking right at him.
A flash of excitement crossed Su Zhuyun's eyes, but his expression immediately turned grim. "You little rascal. Didn't you say you weren't coming back? What brings you home now?"
"Heh heh. I missed you and Mom, of course!"
Seeing Su Chen's cheeky grin, Su Zhuyun silently nodded.
"Xiaochen, stop standing there like a statue! Anyone would think you're a door guard. Hurry up and bring the dishes out! And you, old man, wash your hands. It's time for dinner!" Chen Shufen's loud voice boomed from the kitchen.
"You got it!"
Dinner that night was a veritable feast. Besides the braised pork in soy sauce and sweet and sour pork ribs Su Chen had requested, there was also twice-cooked pork, a tomato and pork rib soup, two vegetable dishes, and a cold appetizer!
Seven dishes in total! It was quite a lavish dinner!
During the meal, Chen Shufen filled Su Zhuyun in on what had happened with Su Chen. Su Zhuyun just grunted in acknowledgement, indicating he'd heard, but didn't say much else.
After dinner, Chen Shufen started clearing the table.
Meanwhile, Su Chen and Su Zhuyun were lounging leisurely on the sofa, enjoying the pleasant feeling of their full stomachs.
"Let's go for a walk. Help the food settle," Su Zhuyun said suddenly.
Su Chen looked at his father in surprise. His dad was a man of few words, and Su Chen couldn't remember him ever suggesting something like this before.
"Alright. It's hot in here anyway. Perfect chance to check out the Fuzhou nightscape!"
With that, the father-son duo got up and headed for the door. As they passed the kitchen, Chen Shufen glanced at them for a moment before turning back to her cleaning.
The Haiyi River View apartment complex was situated at the confluence of the Wujiang River and the Yangtze River. In the daytime, you could see the spectacular view of the two rivers meeting.
The line where they met was sharply defined, like the divider in a dual-section hotpot, creating a particularly beautiful sight.
Leaving the complex, they began a slow walk along the Binjiang Scenic Promenade.
Su Zhuyun didn't speak, so Su Chen remained silent as well.
"Want one?" Su Zhuyun took out a pack of Longfeng cigarettes and offered it over.
Su Chen took one. He lit his father's cigarette first before lighting his own.
A smoke after a meal, better than being a god!
Longfeng cigarettes might be cheap, but they packed a serious punch, which made them a favorite among many.
"How long are you planning to stay this time? And... will you be going back to Shanghai?"
"About a month. I'll head out a few days after Grandma's birthday banquet," Su Chen answered honestly, laying out his plans.
"Mmm. It's good for young people to go out and see the world. I don't have much advice for you... just stay on the right path and earn your money honestly." After speaking, Su Zhuyun clapped him firmly on the shoulder.
"Don't you worry about that!"
Thinking of the banquet, Su Chen quickly added, "Dad, let me handle Grandma's birthday celebration this time. I'll book a big hotel, I guarantee it'll be a grand and lively affair!"
He expected his father to look pleased, but instead, Su Zhuyun shook his head.
"Forget the big hotel. We'll hold a traditional feast in our old hometown."
"A traditional feast? Isn't that a little..."
Su Zhuyun cut him off before he could finish.
"Xiaochen, your intentions are good, but you haven't considered some other factors."
Su Zhuyun threw his cigarette butt on the ground, stamped it out with his foot, and kicked it into a nearby storm drain.
"With all the urban development these days, most of the young and even middle-aged people from the villages have left to find work elsewhere. The only ones left behind are the elderly and the infirm."
"If you hold the banquet in the city, what are they supposed to do? Travel all the way into town by themselves? They'd be in an unfamiliar place, not to mention they'd have to spend extra money."
"It's not a lot of money, sure, and some of the elderly can even ride the bus for free. But what if something were to happen to them on the way?"
Su Chen didn't interrupt; he knew his father wasn't finished.
His father took another cigarette from his pocket and lit it for himself.
He took a long drag before continuing, "And don't you look down on those village feasts. There's a real art to them."
"The feast can't be too lavish, but it can't be too shabby either. The most important thing is that there has to be a lot of food. The villagers will pack up the leftovers to take home, and they'll remember your generosity for it!"
Su Chen nodded as if he'd had an epiphany. "Dad... I think I understand the problem with the feast now. It's about appearances, isn't it?"
A rare smile touched Su Zhuyun's lips. "Go on, tell me what you think."
After gathering his thoughts for a moment, Su Chen began to explain. "The guests at the banquet will either be villagers or our relatives. Basically, everyone knows our family's financial situation."
"If the feast is too shabby, people will think the Su family is stingy, and they'll slowly start to distance themselves from us."
"On the other hand... if it's too lavish, they'll assume we've struck it rich. Then we'll have people eyeing our family, and requests to borrow money and that sort of thing will start popping up."
When Su Chen finished speaking, Su Zhuyun gave him a big thumbs-up.
"Exactly. I'm sure you've seen your share of messy situations after all these years on your own. That's why I hope that no matter what you do in the future, you'll always think things through carefully. Keep a low profile whenever you can."
"But if someone picks a fight with you, and you have the power to utterly crush them, you need to strike hard and decisively. Don't give them even a sliver of hope that they can fight back."
"Keeping a low profile isn't about being afraid of trouble; it's about not looking for it."
"By the way, your mother mentioned you drove a luxury car back?" Su Zhuyun asked nonchalantly, but the hand in his pocket was balled into an excited fist.
"Oh, yeah. An Aston Martin DBX707."
Su Zhuyun held out his right hand, looking at his son expectantly.
It took Su Chen a moment to process. He looked at the outstretched hand, then back at his father's face.
"The keys!"
Su Chen quickly fumbled for the keys and handed them to Su Zhuyun. The moment his father had them, he turned and headed straight for the garage.
He left Su Chen standing alone on the roadside, in the cool river breeze.
"Dad, wait for me!" Snapping out of his daze, Su Chen hurried after him.
The night air on Binjiang Road was hot and humid, filled with crowds of people out for a stroll to cool off...
And a flash of yellow, which could be seen zipping back and forth along the road again and again.