Chapter 6: The Whole Family Reunites Flying Over the Internet

  It's another early spring season. 1917 was a colorful year for the world! Domestically, warlords were fighting each other, making life miserable for the people as they vied to become president or emperor. Overseas, the flames of war were also raging, with World War I entering its penultimate year. As for Lin Ao Feng, who knew history well, he could do nothing but wait quietly in the temple for his parents to arrive.

  Around noon, Lin Aofeng's parents appeared on the stone steps leading up the mountain. Half an hour later, under Xia Shami's guidance, Lin Aofeng's parents entered the abbot's Zen room. Seeing Lin Aofeng standing beside the abbot, Cheng Xue Mei could no longer hold back her longing and suddenly hugged the seven-year-old Lin Aofeng in her arms and burst into tears.

  Lin Guodong, standing by the side, said with a mixture of laughter and tears: "Master Hui Neng, I'm ashamed to see you!"

  "Amitabha!" Master Hui Neng clasped his hands together in a single-handed gesture and recited a Buddha's name, then smiled and said: "The female donor is anxious to see her son, this is a common human sentiment, what is there to laugh at?" Next, Master Hui Neng spoke to Lin Ao Feng: "Ao Feng, the four-year period has arrived, your merits are now complete, you may return home with your parents!"

  Lin Aofeng broke free from his mother's arms and bowed respectfully to Master Hui Neng, saying: "Thank you, Master, for taking care of me for the past year. I, Lin Aofeng, am eternally grateful!"

  Huīnéng shook his head and said: "This is your destiny, it's also the end of the cause and effect from your previous life. You can go down the mountain now!"

  Lin Aofeng knelt down on the ground and kowtowed three times to Hui Neng Fangzhang, then left Da Yun Temple with his parents. Along the way, Cheng Xue Mei kept asking this and that, while Lin Aofeng recounted his life over the past four years without getting tired of it.

  At dusk, Lin Guodong took his wife and children back home by car. As soon as they got off the car, the butler hastily ran to Lin Guodong's side and said: "Master, your in-laws have arrived! They are waiting for you in the living room!"

  Lin Guodong nodded slightly and looked back at his wife. Cheng Xue Mei smiled and picked up their son, saying: "Dad and mom are probably thinking of their grandson. Let's go in early!"

  "Grandpa, Grandma!" As soon as Cheng Xue Mei's words fell, Lin Ao Feng, who had sharp eyes, saw an old couple walking out of the living room and quickly broke free from his mother's grasp, running over hastily.

  "Oh my, my dear grandson! Four years without seeing you, and now you've grown so tall. It's enough to make your grandma die of joy!" Lin Ao Feng's grandmother, Zhou Ying Xue, exclaimed tearfully as she hugged the Lin Ao Feng who had thrown himself into her arms.

  "Grandma, don't cry! Peak won't leave again!" Lin Ao Feng once again showed off his childish charm and coaxed his grandma. The fifty-year-old man with some gray hair standing beside them, who was Lin Ao Feng's grandfather Cheng Jincheng, felt a deep comfort seeing his grandson being so considerate and said: "Old lady, today is a good day for our family to reunite, why are you crying like this?! It'll make the kids laugh."

  "You old scoundrel, only knowing how to do business and not caring about anything else. Your grandson was cheated by the monks and stayed in the temple for four years, your son is never seen... "

  "Mom, let's just drop it! Let's go inside!" Cheng Xue Mei said, exchanging a glance with her husband as she noticed her father's displeased expression.

  "Yes! Mother, what are you doing standing outside? Let's go in and talk!" Then Lin Guotong said to the butler: "You go down and arrange the banquet!"

  "Yes!" The butler responded with one word and quickly left.

  Just as the four of them had entered the living room, a young man in his twenties walked in from outside with a big smile on his face. He looked at Lin Ao Feng in Zhou Ying Xue's arms and said with a laugh: "My little nephew, you've finally come back! Have you missed your uncle?"

  Lin Aofeng scratched his head, sizing up his little uncle Cheng Zhihao standing in front of him, and glanced at the expressions of his grandparents and parents, saying: "Mom, why is my little uncle dressed like this?! I've been a little monk for four years, how can he also be a monk?!"

  "You little scoundrel!" Cheng Zhihao, who was originally pleased with himself, stumbled upon hearing Lin Aofeng's words and quickly ran to the front of Lin Aofeng. He snatched Lin Aofeng from his mother's hands, pinched Lin Aofeng's small nose, and said: "You're back and you're still annoying me, are you doing it on purpose?! This hairstyle is called avant-garde, you don't understand so don't pretend to!"

  "Little brother-in-law, you're not being avant-garde! You're making Grandpa angry! Otherwise, I'll stake my own face and take you to the Daiyun Temple to receive Buddhist precepts! This way, it can also make Grandpa not see you as a nuisance! And it can also make him live a few more years!" Lin Ao Feng said with a smile while rubbing his sore nose.

  Cheng Zhihao's facial muscles twitched involuntarily as he said, "You little brat, I didn't expect that after four years of not seeing each other, your mouth has become even more glib! You actually dare to tease me, your younger uncle? Just you wait and see how I'll deal with you!"

  "How dare you!" Before Lin Ao Feng could even open his mouth, Cheng Jincheng's furious voice rang out.

  "Ah! Bad dish! I forgot that Old Master is also here!" Cheng Zhihao hastily piled up a smiling face and said, "Dad, I thought you and Mom had already gone back!"

  Cheng Jincheng's face turned stern as he bellowed: "You ungrateful son, kneel down at once!"

  Cheng Zhihao pouted, hung his head in shame and put down Lin Ao Feng at the same time, knelt down on the ground and said: "Dad, please calm down, I know I was wrong. Can't I change?"!

  "Change, change, change! How many times have you promised me?! Lin Ao Feng saw that his grandfather was trembling with anger from being scolded by his younger uncle, and after hesitating for a moment, he spoke up: "Grandfather, please calm down and give my younger uncle another chance for my sake!" As he said this, Lin Ao Feng carefully picked up the teacup and placed it in his grandfather's hand.

  Cheng Jincheng took the teacup, drank a sip of water, and said: "You're already over 20 years old, but you're not as good as a seven-year-old child. I know I'm saying this to you, but you won't listen anyway, forget it! From now on, I won't care about you anymore, you can take care of yourself!" Cheng Jincheng picked up Lin Aofeng and continued: "I'm getting old too, and my energy isn't what it used to be. Originally, I wanted to wait a while before saying this. But I think it's better to clear things up today. Ziliang, you're good at managing the business, so I'll hand the company over to you. The stocks, cash, and real estate will all go to Zhihao. My wife and I will return to our hometown in Ningbo to spend our old age in peace."

  "Dad, the company is your life's work, I think it's better for me to take care of it temporarily and hand it over to Zhihao when the time is right!" Lin Guodong said with some difficulty.

  Cheng Jincheng snorted and said, "Hand it over to him? I'd rather shut down directly! Zi Liang, I understand what you're thinking. My mind is made up, so don't say anything more!"...

  What was originally a warm and harmonious reunion became dull and flavorless because of Cheng Zhihao.

  It was a little past 9 o'clock in the evening, after putting her son to sleep, Cheng Xue Mei returned to the room and sat in front of the dresser, staring blankly. Lin Guo Dong, who was lying on the bed reading the newspaper, saw that his wife had entered the room without making a sound, so he put down the newspaper and asked: "Xue Mei, what's wrong with you? Are you not feeling well?"

  "What?!" Cheng Xue Mei snapped out of it and replied with a wry smile: "I'm fine!"

  "It's all right!" Lin Guodong walked to the back of Cheng Xuemei, hugged her from behind and said: "Are you worried about Zhihao?!"

  Cheng Xue Mei nodded and said with some helplessness: "I only have this one younger brother. How can I not worry?! What do you plan to do?!"

  Lin Guodong sighed and said: "What else can we do?! Your father's temper, you and I both know. I think it's better to wait a few more years!"

  "It's the only way now!" Cheng Xue Mei removed her makeup and walked to the bedside, leaning into her husband's arms, saying: "Zi Liang, Feng Er is already seven years old. It's also time for him to start school. The schools in Guangdong are not good, and with the current state of society being so chaotic, I think it would be better to send our son to study in Hong Kong or abroad!"

  Lin Guodong hesitated and said, "My son is still young, it's not suitable for him to go abroad or to Hong Kong. I think Shanghai would be a better choice! There are foreign concessions there, those warlords wouldn't dare cause trouble in Shanghai. Besides, my father-in-law has entrusted the company to me. How can I just watch his life's work go down the drain?!"

  Cheng Xue Mei sighed and said: "It's really hard for you."

  Lin Guodong smiled, rubbed Cheng Xue Mei's nose and said: "We've been husband and wife for so many years, do we still need to say these things?! It's getting late, go to bed early!"...

  As the calendar flipped page by page, half a month had passed in the blink of an eye. On the third day after Lin Ao Feng returned home, Lin Guo Dong followed his father-in-law's family and left Guangdong for Shanghai to take care of the company handover. On May 1st morning, Lin Ao Feng walked to the dinner table as usual, picked up his chopsticks and asked: "Mom, it's been half a month since Dad left, when is he coming back?!"

  "Chirp, chirp" Lin Ao Feng's voice had just fallen when the car horn sounded, and then a black sedan drove into the yard. Cheng Xue Mei smiled and said: "Your dad is back, let's go welcome him!"

  "Oh!" Lin Ao Feng somewhat reluctantly put down his chopsticks and followed his mother over.

  "Is everything going smoothly?!" Cheng Xue Mei asked, taking the briefcase from Lin Guo Dong's hand. Lin Guo Dong picked up his son and smiled as he replied: "Everything is going smoothly. And we've already found a school for our son, it's a church school. Once I've settled things here, we'll head to Shanghai!"

  Lin Ao Feng scratched his head and asked: "Dad, our whole family is going to Shanghai. What about the family business?"

  Cheng Xue Mei smiled and pinched Lin Ao Feng's small nose, saying: "You little rascal, you've also learned to care about family matters! It's been three generations without leaving the uncle's house, it seems you're not like your uncle, you're more promising than him! In the four years you weren't home, your dad had already started transferring the business to Shanghai and Hong Kong."

  "Alright! The child is still young, don't tell him about these adult things! I'm starving to death!" Lin Guodong interrupted.

  Lin Ao Feng revealed a smile and said: "Old bean, you're back just in time, we've just started eating. And today we have your favorite char siu bao!"