Ning Ge did feel a bit resentful towards the old man, but he had nothing but genuine respect and affection for his older siblings. Hearing what Ning Gang said, he felt somewhat guilty.
"I, I just couldn’t stand the sight of him acting all high and mighty, yelling at me," Ning Ge grumbled after a while.
Seeing Ning Ge’s submissive attitude, Ning Gang’s tone softened, "The old man just doesn’t know how to deal with you, you rascal. You’re old enough; can’t you think for yourself? And to think you’ve been educated abroad."
"What’s going on? I could hear you lecturing someone from miles away. What unthinkable thing did the fourth sibling do this time?" A female voice came from the doorway.
"Sis," Ning Ge lit up as soon as he saw the woman, calling out to her joyfully.
It was Ning Zhen, seven years his senior, who had studied medicine and became a military doctor in the army. Influenced by the environment, she had a striking and vigorous presence, a very lively woman to behold.
Ning Zhen walked over and playfully punched Ning Ge, laughing, "You little rascal, you finally decided to come back?"
"You’ve been messing around since you returned to the country without doing anything serious. I was about to send out a telegram to find you," another male voice came from the doorway.
Looking over, Ning Ge respectfully called out, "Second brother, second sister-in-law."
"Xiao Ge is back. You’re not planning on leaving again, are you? Your second brother has been talking about you so much I’m getting calluses on my ears," Susan, referred to as the second sister-in-law, said with a smile.
Ning Ge scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "Well, I studied photography, right? And I’ve got a job at a geography magazine, Naturally, I have to travel around, taking pictures of cultures and landscapes and stuff."
"Irresponsible. What kind of photographer is that? Look at that mess of hair. Get it cut into a crew cut and join your elder brother for some military training," Ning Li said with a stern face.
When it came to whom Ning Ge was most wary of in the Ning Family, it wasn’t the highest-ranking old master nor the elder brother Ning Gang who had a position in the military district, but this cultivated and genteel Ning Li, known as the "smiling tiger" in the provincial party committee.
"I don’t want to go to the military," Ning Ge said.
"So where do you want to go?" Ning Li’s eyes widened, handed his coat to his wife, nodded at Ning Gang and called out, asking, "Where’s dad?"
"You siblings keep chatting, I’ll go help big sister-in-law in the kitchen." Susan took the coat and went to the kitchen.
"He’s resting in his room," Ning Gang replied, sitting back down, and looked at Ning Ge, "You’re right, second brother. Where you don’t want to go, what you don’t want to do—what exactly do you want to do?"
"Xiao Ge, it’s quite nice in the military. There are several pretty girls in my health camp. If you join the military, sis can introduce a couple to you," Ning Zhen said, wrapping her arm around her younger brother’s shoulders.
"No, I definitely don’t want to be shackled by marriage this early. You go ahead and get married first, sis. Xi Rong bro must be getting impatient," Ning Ge chuckled impishly.
"Go on!"
"If you don’t follow the family’s arrangements, don’t tell me you still want to be some kind of photographer?" Ning Li narrowed his eyes.
Ning Ge’s heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, he blurted out, "Of course not, I’ll do photography and other things too. I want to start a business."
"Start a business?" Ning Gang and the others frowned.
"Yes! I’m going to start a company, big brother, second brother, you’ll support me when the time comes, right?" Ning Ge laughed heartily.
For some reason, he thought of Cheng Su, her jams, and wondered if he started a company and collaborated with her, could they make something great happen?
That way, he could avoid following the family’s plans and continue his true ’career’!