Chapter 455: with translation of chapter title

The matter of Old Lady Huang being taken away by Lin Dongfan quickly spread to the Zheng Family.

Zheng Canghai was originally singing in an old-sheng tune, lying on a rocking chair singing the classic opera "Chafang Meeting," when he just sang: "This encounter will surely make a fortune……"

Life is blissfully boundless.

The bad news from outside was like a knife that kills without seeing blood, ruthlessly piercing his heart.

Puchi—

His old heart twitched and twitched; the song could no longer be sung, and his beautiful mood plunged straight down at a ninety-degree vertical angle into an abyss ten thousand zhang deep.

Just one word—chilly!

Zheng Canghai glared at the son who rushed in to report the news, like staring at a wronged seed: "You're such a big young fellow, you can't even keep an eye on an old lady! I ask you, where did that brute vigor you have when playing with women go?"

……???

Zheng Sanshui was left looking bewildered; what kind of vicious, wolfish words are these, scolding your mother?

Playing with women may be my forte!

But that wrinkled old lady who sells pork fat—is she even a woman? She's an old gray-shelled clam spirit! Pry open the clam shell and you won't find a pearl, only a heap of rotten, aged meat.

Zheng Sanshui retorted without courtesy: "My taste isn't as heavy as yours."

"Nonsense! Watch me not beat you to death!" Zheng Canghai, though seated in the rocking chair without rising, still had his hair bristle with rage.

He lifted his left foot, and in the next second he took off his shoe.

He threw the shoe at the unfilial son.

Zheng Sanshui dodged sideways, and didn't dare to continue forward.

From a distance of four or five meters, he challenged Old Zheng: "Earlier I said to finish her off once and for all, but you wouldn't let me. Now that Fan Donglin has taken her away, you're blaming me again—is this my problem?"

"It's not your problem—could it be mine?!" Zheng Canghai roared angrily: "I didn't let you kill her because I feared your sister would be unhappy! She told me to do good and accumulate virtue—how can that be blamed on me?"

"I knew it—those who dote on their daughters never end well." Zheng Sanshui complained: "I see you're getting more and more muddled, utterly clueless about what you're doing."

Zheng Canghai was so angry his ears were about to smoke: "Shut up!"

"You old fool, always acting improperly and muddled—can't I say a couple of things?" Zheng Sanshui jabbed his own chest, emphasizing righteously: "Look clearly, I am the heir of the Zheng Family's incense! You treasure Zheng Qingxuan like a jewel in your palm, yet you treat me as an enemy and scold me—this family will surely fall into your hands…"

"Pa!!!"

Before Zheng Sanshui could finish speaking, Zheng Canghai had already snatched up the nearby teacup and hurled it at him.

Unfortunately, it missed.

Zheng Sanshui dodged it, the teacup fell to the ground and shattered into several pieces.

Still fuming, Zheng Canghai picked up another teacup and threw it at the unfilial son, shouting incessantly: "You good-for-nothing! I told you to talk back! Talk back!"

In one breath he threw three purple-clay teacups.

None of the three teacups hit the dodging Zheng Sanshui; they all landed on the ground.

Seeing the deadly intent in his father's eyes, Zheng Sanshui didn't dare to keep muttering; he turned and ran.

After stepping outside, he threw out a line: "Old fool, don't look down on me. It's just an old lady—watch and see, today I'll send him to the Western Heaven."

"You scoundrel, I never told you to kill anyone—don't talk nonsense!"

After Zheng Canghai finished shouting, he turned and hurried to look at his daughter Zheng Qingxuan's room.

Seeing the room door closed, he figured his daughter probably hadn't heard that beast's words, and then he pressed his old heart, secretly letting out a breath of relief.

Zheng Canghai got up, picked up his shoe, and put it back on his foot.

He walked to the ancestral tablet, lit three incense sticks, and while praying muttered: "Alas, misfortune has befallen the household, producing such a great rebel; I beg the ancestors to protect that beast, and may he never die outside…"

Just as he inserted the incense,

Suddenly from behind came his daughter Zheng Qingxuan's questioning voice: "Dad, are you up to something guilty again?"

He turned around, and their eyes met.

Zheng Canghai's heart rose to his throat; his precious daughter's questioning gaze was as clear and cold as a knife, truly inescapable.

Zheng Canghai forced a grin: "Don't guess wildly—I have… I have done nothing guilty; it's your brother who's disobedient, and I'm praying to the ancestors to protect him…"

"You're lying."

"No… no, what would you like to eat for lunch today? I'll have the maid prepare it…"

"Don't change the subject; speak while looking into my eyes."

Zheng Qingxuan's eyes are not merely eyes; they are limpid autumn waters, seemingly able to reflect all truth and falsehood in the world.

Very beautiful!

This is also something that makes Zheng Canghai immensely proud: he married a beautiful woman, fathered a beautiful daughter, and the genes were perfectly passed down.

But at this moment.

Zheng Canghai resolutely dared not meet his daughter's gaze, and even grew nervous to the point of being at a loss.

In this embarrassment.

Zheng Canghai, thinking quickly in his panic, covered his stomach and squatted down, putting on a pained look: "Qingxuan, my stomach hurts, quickly get me the medicine…"

"You still think I'm a three-year-old? That trick is outdated."

As a child she often fell for it, but now Zheng Qingxuan is experienced; she can see through it at a glance—no matter what tricks her father plays, she cannot escape being exposed.

Zheng Canghai still held his stomach, squatting on the ground: "I'm not lying to you; this time my stomach really hurts."

"Last time you said the same thing; I gave you the medicine, but you held it in your mouth without swallowing, then secretly spit it out when I wasn't looking."

Saying this, Zheng Qingxuan turned her gaze toward the ancestral tablet.

Pointing at the tablet, she said to her father: "Do you dare, in front of the ancestors, to say you haven't deceived me this time?"

"This…"

The guilty Zheng Canghai stammered, unable to speak.

Zheng Qingxuan, at a loss for words, shook her head and turned, walking away while saying: "Since you love fighting and killing so much, I'll go out and fight and kill too—let's go crazy together."

Zheng Qingxuan, Dad made a mistake, sorry.

Zheng Canghai had spent most of his life fighting in the martial world, but at this moment he was like a person with a fragile heart; a heavy apology left Zheng Qingxuan stunned and halted.

Zheng Qingxuan turned to face her father, half-believing, half-doubting: "Where did I go wrong?"

"I shouldn't have been fighting and killing outside, I shouldn't have repeatedly deceived you." Zheng Canghai raised three fingers, squeezing out an embarrassed smile: "Trust me once more; I swear to my ancestors that in the second half of my life I will do good and accumulate virtue, so that no one will say behind your back that you have an unforgivably wicked father."

Can you answer a question for me?

Ask away; as long as you're not angry with me, whether it's one question or a hundred or a thousand, I'll answer.

Uncle Cai, was it you who killed him?

Well...

Faced with his daughter's skeptical, icy gaze, Zheng Canghai once again found himself in an awkward situation where he could not explain himself.

He lowered his head.

He replied solemnly: "Although your Uncle Cai wasn't killed on my orders, he died because of me; I am willing to apologize at his grave."

People are dead; is an apology useful?

Zheng Qingxuan urged earnestly: "Dad, I'm worried about you, you know? If you don't rein yourself in, your fate will eventually be like Uncle Cai's. And my brother, always fooling around outside, disregarding the law! He's been arrested, and you still had people get him out. Do you think you're helping him? You're harming him."

I understand.

Zheng Canghai kept his head down, not even having the courage to talk back.

In this world.

Few dare to reprimand him to his face.

Like Guo Lichun and Li Yongyuan, who usually flaunt their power and scold him, he outwardly obeys but inwardly resents; only his daughter's reproach leaves him without any temper, as obedient as a baby.