Chapter 363: Loss and Financial Prospects

Wei Lingling ran off, leaving her biological mother to her biological father, hoping to give them a chance—but her father ended up bringing her mother right back.

"And he wants to take my retirement money!"

Lin Ni was furious, while Li Zhi stood nearby, barely holding back her laughter and yawns.

Wei Lingling: "Little Li, go rest first. Mom, come with me."

Lin Ni followed Wei Lingling into the room like a child who'd done something wrong, and obediently closed the door behind her.

"You came back so late—I thought you'd already patched things up."

Lin Ni blushed: "We just slept in separate beds."

"What did I tell you? Men need to be coddled."

"But this man is impossible to coddle!" Lin Ni pouted. "Aren't I low enough already? I even took off most of my clothes—can't he just take the initiative?"

Wei Lingling asked: "If you were both asleep, why did he send you back? Did you say something unpleasant?"

"No, oh—he said he was going to meet a friend," Lin Ni worried. "Do you think he's found someone else in Hong Kong?"

"Meet a friend?" Wei Lingling suddenly picked up a newspaper on the table—it was a report about Wei Ming at the Frankfurt Book Fair, and just two days ago she'd mentioned to Old Ghost that Wei Ming and the others had transited through Hong Kong.

"I get it."

"You know he's got a mistress in Hong Kong?!" Lin Ni jumped up, slightly enraged.

Wei Lingling pushed her back down; Wei Lingling had the typical northern girl's build, while her mother, a local Taiwanese woman, was half a head shorter.

"It's probably my eldest nephew who came to Hong Kong—he's leaving tomorrow, so he rushed over late at night to meet him."

"You mean his grandson? That writer!"

"Mm."

Lin Ni worried: "How come they're so close? They've only known each other a short time. Your uncle admires him too. Lingling, you can't let that branch outshine you."

Wei Lingling scratched her ear. Lin Ni quickly added: "I won't say anything more, I won't."

Then she said: "If your dad wants my retirement money, maybe I should just give it to him—it might earn you some points."

Wei Lingling laughed: "I don't need you to earn me points. Keep your money for yourself."

She was now confident—most of the technical hurdles for the Transformers had been solved—and she wanted to meet Wei Ming, since that kid still owed her several Transformer designs.

"Alright, sleep here tonight," Wei Lingling said. "Just rough it out tonight—I'll send you back tomorrow."

"What? I can't stay here? This place is comfortable; his place is a slum."

Wei Lingling: "If you move in, I won't be comfortable. You can't cook, you're useless at housework, and I only have two beds. So go find your man. That's final. Sleep."

Lin Ni pursed her lips, dared not resist, and turned her back to her daughter, lying down with a huff—just to show her displeasure, she let out a fart right at her.

In the hotel room, Old Ghost Wei Senhao helped the three children sit up, looking at his granddaughter, then at Anping—so much he wanted to say.

Wei Ming: "So you've got nothing to say to me, right?"

Wei Ming summed it up: "We're one step closer to a full Wei family reunion—congratulations."

Wei Anping wiped his tears: "Yes, yes, soon Jiefang will probably come too."

Old Ghost froze: "How's a commoner like him going to come?"

Wei Hong smiled: "My dad's a big deal now—he's a giant panda keeper."

Old Ghost immediately understood: "You mean the one they're sending to Hong Kong?"

Wei Ming: "Right. He found one at our grandmother's place before. This time, when he went back, they reunited—and this is the perfect chance for him to come to Hong Kong for a while."

"Great! Wonderful!" Old Ghost beamed. "Jiefang takes after me."

He turned to Wei Anping: "You take after me too. When I was young, I was smart—if it weren't for the war, I'd have been the first Wei to get into Peking University."

Listening to Old Ghost's boasting, the sadness eased a little—but Wei Ming always felt something off about it. How could they possibly take after him? They're not even close relatives.

"Anping and Xiao Hong are both excellent. Xiao Ming isn't stupid either—no fool could make such a splash in the literary world. Everyone has their own strengths," Old Ghost concluded.

Wei Ming: "I get it. So only my dad's the idiot in the family? I'll pass that along."

"Go, go," Old Ghost waved him off, then turned to Wei Anping. He'd wanted to ask about his mother's later years, but changed his mind: "Anping, I know you have twin children. How did you and your wife meet? Tell Uncle."

Wei Ming interrupted: "Before you talk about Xiaoyan, shouldn't you tell us about high school and college too? That must've been interesting."

Wei Hong, equally bold, added: "There was even a German auntie involved!"

Old Ghost's eyes widened, his heart racing—this kid is just like me!

Wei Anping wanted to ball up these two brats and throw them out. He warned: "Don't you dare mention her to your aunt when we get back."

Old Ghost curiously asked: "You really dated a German woman?"

"She was just a fellow international student, Uncle, don't listen to them," Wei Anping quickly changed the subject. "Xiaoyan was introduced to me. After graduating from Peking University, I joined the army, and a senior officer took a liking to me—he introduced me to his daughter."

"Your wife's surname is Lu. What's her father's name?"

Wei Anping gave his father-in-law's name and military rank. Old Ghost burst out laughing: "So it's him! I never thought we'd become in-laws."

Old Ghost silently swallowed a syllable.

"Uncle, you know my father-in-law?"

"He's about my age. Back then, I passed intelligence to him—we met a few times. He looked so young and immature."

"Yes, yes! My father-in-law has a baby face!"

"When we first met, I teased him—he actually thought I was the senior officer." Old Ghost launched into the story, full of nostalgia.

Wei Hong quickly made herself a cup of coffee—she'd miscalculated; she hadn't slept during the day and was now exhausted.

Old Ghost, who hadn't smoked in ages, lit a cigarette to stay alert. As he exhaled smoke, he casually asked: "Anping, when your mother passed, did she suffer?"

Speaking of his mother, Wei Anping—who didn't smoke—lit one too: "Heart trouble. It came suddenly, no suffering—but she never got to enjoy any comfort. At the time, Xiaoyan and I had just married; we lived modestly, couldn't bring her to the city. And she never saw her grandchildren—she died just a year before they were born."

Old Ghost patted the boy's shoulder. Wei Ming lit a cigarette too: "Uncle, don't say that. You got into university, joined the army, ended up assigned to Peking University—your second aunt's back was straight in the village. Everyone envied her for having such a good son."

Old Ghost's hand trembled slightly as he smoked: "You call Anping's mother Second Grandma?"

"Yeah. Grandma told me to call her that—it's easier to tell them apart."

Old Ghost exhaled smoke to mask his subtle facial change.

Since they were talking about mothers, Wei Anping said: "Uncle, I have something I want to ask you alone."

Since it was private, Wei Ming immediately stood up and pulled Wei Hong: "A Long should be arriving soon. Xiao Hong, come see your Dragon Brother."

"Huh? Oh."

Once they left, Old Ghost slumped back into the sofa, looking uneasy: "What is it?"