Chapter 191 — More Aggressive
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
Wei Zhao meant to call the old man and talk about matters on this end. After closing his door, he dialed the old man's number... As a rule, when Wei Zhao was out on a mission he did not contact the old man; only once the mission was over would he report that he was safe.
The phone rang many times before his own old man's rather lewd voice finally came through: "Hello?"
"Old man, it's me, Xiaoyi," Wei Zhao said after a moment's silence.
"Oh? That you, Xiao Wei? How's the mission coming along?" Old Wei was plainly in the middle of a drink—you could still hear the crunch of peanuts between his teeth.
The mission was one subject Wei Zhao had hoped to avoid, but the moment it came up he was struck dumb for a beat. "Listen, old man, what kind of mission have you actually assigned me? Every day I'm trailing behind the young lady like a glorified errand boy. Are you trying to turn me into a first-rate footman?"
"What kind of mission? You'll find out in due course." Old Wei clearly had no intention of wasting further breath on the matter.
"In due course—how long exactly?" That was the question Wei Zhao actually cared about, and it served as a lead-in to what he was about to say next.
"Heh heh, as long as you like—there's no time limit. It all depends on how fast you finish." Old Wei answered with perfect indifference.
"As long as I like? Truly?" Wei Zhao hesitated for a moment, then spoke his mind. "Old man, I'm rather thinking of staying here..."
"Oh? You already want to stay there? Wonderful!" The moment he heard Wei Zhao's words, Old Wei grew animated. "Then the mission must be progressing nicely. It's a fine beginning!"
"What do you mean?" Wei Zhao was baffled. What did any of this have to do with mission progress?
"Nothing—just that if you like it, then don't come back. In a few years I'll settle down over there myself... You lay the groundwork first, raise a few children, and when I arrive I can go straight to being a grandfather..." Old Wei seemed to approve heartily of Wei Zhao staying on at Songshan—more enthusiastic about it, even, than Wei Zhao himself.
"Huh?" Wei Zhao had braced himself for a hard fight, expecting to have to persuade Old Wei to let him begin a quiet life... Yet before he had even opened his mouth, the old man was already telling him to go ahead and have children? What was that supposed to mean? Was he planning to retire him?
"Listen, old man, what about future missions..." Wei Zhao eyed him with suspicion. Was this really his own stingy grandfather—the one who had assigned him perilous jobs just to pocket a few extra coins? "Missions? There are no missions after this. This is the last one."
Old Wei went on: "Of course, if you fancy stretching your muscles, you're welcome to pick up a job here and there..."
Wei Zhao sat there, silently wondering whether the old man had drunk too much. He had been agonizing over how to broach the subject with Old Wei—after all, the life he used to lead had never belonged to the kind of quiet existence he now enjoyed... And yet, before he could even open his mouth, the old man was already encouraging him to start a family...
Though Wei Zhao broke into a slight sweat over the matter, a long-standing worry was thus put to rest. Good—he could go woo Tang Zhi starting tomorrow... and there would be no need to hold himself back or second-guess anything anymore...
If it weren't for the fact that his own two young ladies were off-limits, Wei Zhao would never have gone so far afield to look for love.
"Anything else? The Widow Wang from the village entrance has dropped by. I'm going to catch up with an old friend. Nothing more? I'll hang up now. Bye-bye." Without waiting for Wei Zhao to say another word, Old Wei cut the line.
Looking at the phone in his hand, Wei Zhao allowed himself a wry smile. How had all of this come to feel so much like a dream? Ever since he had accepted this utterly baffling mission, his entire life had begun to change?