Chen Xingyao had been dispatched away for a year, so how could he have imagined that his most favored disciple had actually gotten married!
He knew Cheng Lang that kid all too well—you couldn’t pry a word out of him with a crowbar. Back when they were in the mine district, plenty of people in the family quarters had wanted to play matchmaker for him. Chen Xingyao had even seen quite a few female comrades try to strike up a conversation with him, but the kid was just like the steel on the equipment—ice-cold and completely unresponsive. So many women had looked all pitiful and innocent before finally giving up.
And now he was saying he had gotten married?
Chen Xingyao naturally didn’t believe it!
Cheng Lang had long grown accustomed to his master’s temperament. He just stepped aside and explained softly to Feng Man, “Master loves to joke around. Don’t take it seriously.”
Feng Man’s brows curved into crescents. She hadn’t expected the villainous big shot from the book to have such an eccentric personality—in a way like this. He wasn’t the stern and rigid type at all. He was actually… pretty lively.
It was the first time Chen Xingyao had seen Cheng Lang speaking so softly and gently to a girl. His eyes widened more and more. This was too terrifying! Was this still his disciple, the one who was ice-cold to every girl?
Chen Xingyao kept sizing up the two of them. He stopped teasing his disciple but still felt like Cheng Lang that kid was pulling a prank on him. “A-Lang, tell Master the truth. You didn’t just pick up some girl on the road to put on an act and scare this old man, did you?”
Feng Man was once again shocked by this villainous big shot’s train of thought. Normal people wouldn’t come up with something like that.
Sure enough, Cheng Lang beside her couldn’t hold back a rare smile either. He sighed helplessly, “Master, do I seem like the type to do something that boring?”
Chen Xingyao: “…”
“It was a proper, aboveboard marriage, right?” Chen Xingyao dropped another bombshell. “Legal? With official status?”
Cheng Lang’s sword-like brows arched slightly. “Of course. We got the marriage certificate and even held a wedding banquet.”
Chen Xingyao looked at Feng Man in shock again, trying to make himself accept this fact. This little girl had a proper appearance, and her face looked kind when she smiled. How had she fallen for his own aloof and chilly disciple!
Finally, he asked Feng Man directly, “Girl, you know his personality, right? You married him willingly? No one forced you?”
Feng Man: QAQ
The villainous big shot’s every sentence took an unconventional path. Feng Man’s lips curved up slightly as her eyes sparkled. She nodded. “Master, of course I was willing.”
On the way back to the mine district, Chen Xingyao clicked his tongue in wonder. “You’re impressive. I can’t even stand his silent and reticent personality, and yet you married him!”
The three of them returned to the area near the mine district. Cheng Lang carried the luggage bag for his master and took him to their home first to rest. “The house we’re living in now—we bought it outright.”
Cheng Lang had even bought a house? Chen Xingyao realized that after just one year apart, he almost didn’t recognize this disciple anymore.
Where had his silent, aloof, and self-willed disciple gone?
As soon as the gate opened, a spacious courtyard appeared before Chen Xingyao’s eyes. In the past, Cheng Lang had lived in the single dorms at Liberation Mine District—a simple room with just a bed was enough for him, maybe adding some enamel cups and enamel basins for daily use. But now, things were truly different.
Two trees were planted in the courtyard, sure to be lush with branches and heavy with fruit come spring and summer. On the left side of the courtyard, a vegetable patch had sprouted with tender green scallions and vibrant red peppers. The washstand was nearby, with several basins on it. Clean clothes hung on the iron wire above, swaying in the wind.
Strings of corn were hung on the walls by the doors of the main house and the east and west wing rooms, dangling there like symbols of a bountiful harvest. From afar, he could see that the main hall had a sofa, coffee table, TV cabinet, and television set. An ice chest stood against the wall. It was fully equipped, brimming with the air of everyday life everywhere.
“My cousin and his wife are out with the family. We’ll go to a restaurant outside later for dinner.” Cheng Lang led his master into the house to sit for a bit. In the blink of an eye, Feng Man was already brewing tea.
“Master, A-Lang said you like strong tea. Try this Pu’er—see if it suits your taste?” Shallow green tea steeped in a white porcelain teacup, with a few tender bud-like leaves swirling in the rolling hot water.
Chen Xingyao sat down at the coffee table. His deep blue work uniform, patched in places, was wrinkled and rumpled, smoothed out by his rough, skinny hands.
He lowered his head, blew on the tea, smacked his lips, and took a sip. A faint tea fragrance spread in his mouth. Chen Xingyao’s sharp eyes scanned the room’s details again. A white square lace doily covered the television. A simple blue-and-white checkered tablecloth draped the coffee table, with a white porcelain vase of fresh flowers in the center. His eyes lit up involuntarily.
This was definitely the kind of setup that came with a woman in the home. With Cheng Lang’s monk-like ways, could he have arranged all this!
While Feng Man went off with the thermos to fetch hot water, Chen Xingyao couldn’t help sighing to his disciple, “You’ve finally got the look of someone with a home now!”
Cheng Lang maintained his serious and calm expression, only the faintest arc lifting at the corner of his lips. “Mm.”
“But this wife of yours—she really isn’t some rental to pretend?” Chen Xingyao asked for the third time. “Tell Master the truth.”
Cheng Lang was amused and exasperated: QAQ
Feng Man came back with the thermos and had just stepped into the main hall doorway when Chen Xingyao’s words made her burst out laughing. What kind of image had Cheng Lang had before, to make Master Chen so disbelieving of his marriage?
Cheng Lang didn’t argue with his master. He went straight into the inner room, used a small key to open the narrow drawer in the middle of the wardrobe, took out a red booklet, and handed it to his master. “Master, the real deal—official status.”
Chen Xingyao: “…”
It was the first time he had seen a faint hint of amusement on the face of his own aloof disciple, who seemed uninterested in anyone. Chen Xingyao was inevitably shocked.
We had agreed to be bachelors together, but you went and got married behind my back!
“Alright, alright, no need to show off in front of Master.” Chen Xingyao waved his hand. “Look at that smug look on your face!”
By the time they returned, it was already lunchtime. After a brief rest, the three of them headed out to a small nearby restaurant for lunch.
Three stir-fried dishes and a vegetable soup were served. Chen Xingyao and Cheng Lang exchanged a few words about the situation at the mine. That’s when Feng Man realized that Cheng Lang’s master still didn’t know he had left Liberation Mine District and gone independent.
Cheng Lang spoke in a casual tone, as if discussing the weather. “Master, I’m no longer at Liberation Mine District. I’ve contracted Red Star Mine District now and am running it solo.”
“You—” Chen Xingyao never imagined so much could happen in the short year he had been away.
Cheng Lang had gotten married and left Liberation Mine District!
“You’ve got big ambitions. Working at Liberation Mine District was indeed too restrictive. Going independent is good, but…” Chen Xingyao dropped his earlier joking tone and reminded him seriously, “Never rush things, no matter what. Think everything through.”
“Understood.” Cheng Lang poured his master two liang of baijiu. “Master, do you want to come over…”
“Why would I come!” Chen Xingyao waved him off. “You’ve learned about all you can from me. It’s good that you’ve grown wings and flown off on your own. As for this old man, I’ve been at Liberation Mine District for over forty years—where else could I go?”
Cheng Lang had anticipated this, but Feng Man listened quietly.
This villainous big shot really was nostalgic.
Chen Xingyao had a few days of rest after being transferred back, and Cheng Lang and Feng Man had originally invited him to stay at their home for a few days to recuperate. But Chen Xingyao was single-minded about returning to the mine district where he had lived and worked for over forty years.
They saw him off at the entrance to the mine district. Feng Man watched the villainous big shot’s departing figure, pondering how his personality differed somewhat from the book’s description.
The villainous big shot in the book had no direct portrayal. He always lurked in the shadows, clashing with the book’s male lead—powerful, mysterious, and eccentric.
After half a day’s interaction, Feng Man felt that Master Chen’s personality wasn’t really eccentric. It was more whimsical and freewheeling.
“Your master doesn’t seem like what I imagined.” Feng Man walked back with Cheng Lang.
“What did you imagine?”
“Stern, domineering, maybe a bit unapproachable—with a strong sense of distance.” Feng Man thought carefully now; none of those words fit Master Chen. “Your master is actually very kind, and what he says is sometimes quite amusing.”
Especially something like hiring someone to fake being his wife—could normal people think of that?
When Fan Zhenghua got off work and returned home, he felt regretful to hear that Master Chen had rushed back to Liberation Mine District. “I’ll definitely have to drink with Master Chen tomorrow when I’m free. By the way, A-Lang, is your master’s health still holding up?”
Chen Xingyao had a skinny build and ate hearty meals every time, but he didn’t gain much weight. Plus, with years of mining under the wind, sun, rain, bustling up and down the mountains, he had suffered a lot. After all that wear and tear, at around fifty, he already looked much older than his peers.
And this time, being sent to prospect in the deep mountains and forests for nearly a year had no doubt worn down his old bones.
“It’s alright, no major issues.” Cheng Lang had seen his master’s good appetite and heard his steady, forceful speech—his health was still decent.
“You think Liberation Mine District pulling Master Chen back a month early means something…” Fan Zhenghua knew full well that next month was the end of Master Chen’s one-year term, yet You Changgui insisted on fighting for that extra month to bring him back early?
Cheng Lang paused. “There must be some move. I mentioned the You uncle-nephew duo to Master. Even if they stir things up, they shouldn’t target a master who helped open up the mine district.”
“Master Chen doesn’t want to leave?” Fan Zhenghua had somewhat expected it, and with Cheng Lang’s mention, he immediately guessed nine-tenths of it.
“Yeah, after all, forty-plus years there. You know Master’s temperament—he wouldn’t leave that easily.”
“Then forget it. Don’t make things hard for him.”
“Mm.” Cheng Lang chatted a bit more with his cousin, and soon the sky had fully darkened.
In the courtyard, Feng Man was playing fight-the-dog with Xiaoshan while her cousin-in-law urged her son to do his homework, or else he’d likely be at the bottom in the end-of-month final exams.
The home was lively and bustling. Cheng Lang recalled a sentence his master had said not long after entering the house. His thin lips curved slightly as he turned and headed out.
He strode out until he reached the riverbank, where he slowed his steps. A cigarette was promptly offered.
Slim Monkey, who had been thoroughly subdued by the riverside last time, respectfully handed over the smoke, only to see Cheng Lang wave it off coldly. “How’s the task I assigned you going?”
Slim Monkey hadn’t expected Cheng Lang not to smoke. Was he worried about poison?