Beijing, Jiang Conghe returned home with a dark expression, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. Upon entering the living room, he heard Lu Shufen shouting and scolding.
"We raised you all these years, and you talk like this, do you have any conscience? Huh? Who is forcing you to die? If we wanted to kill you, why would we waste all our efforts over the years?"
Jiang Conghe furrowed his brow, turned the corner of the living room past the yellow pearwood screen depicting the Magu offering longevity, only to see her on the phone, yelling into the receiver, with a handkerchief in her other hand, wiping away tears.
One didn’t need to guess who was on the phone—it could only be that stubborn daughter of theirs. Who else could it be?
Seeing his wife crying and sobbing made the anger inside Jiang Conghe even greater. Just that day, he had a confrontation with Ning Gang, exchanging veiled jabs, all because of that infamous Qi Taiguo.
Ning Gang had actually crossed off Qi Taiguo’s name on the list for border defense duty, for one simple reason: Qi Taiguo had just been reprimanded for misconduct during a mission, and according to regulations, should be under observation, unfit to bear the heavy responsibility of guarding the border.
As for Jiang Conghe, he seized this point, arguing that exactly because Qi Taiguo had been at fault, he should be sent to the border to undergo retraining and introspection. Young people were impetuous, and the border could temper their hot-headedness.
Once he said this, Ning Gang retorted that it was too trivial, the border defenses were inherently critical, and to send someone just for training instead of defending was preposterous, as if it were a training ground.
The two men quarreled over this, and eventually, the personnel list had to be finalized by higher-ups in the organization.
Jiang Conghe was furious. He was bent on sending that kid far away so he would be out of his daughter’s sight, not expecting to hit a snag at this step.
But this Ning Gang, was he valuing Qi Taiguo too much? Qi Taiguo had some merits and potential, but was he really that good?
"I can’t reason with you. If you want to die, then die, but don’t talk about it in front of me, consider it as if I raised you in vain." Lu Shufen cursed angrily, hung up the phone with a snap, and started crying into her hands.
The sound of her crying brought Jiang Conghe back to his senses, he asked, "Was that Qingqing, what happened?"
"Who else would carve up my heart like this but her? What else could it be about, if not for that Qi boy, ready to live or die for him. She’s saying we’re forcing her to her death!" Lu Shufen said with teary eyes: "How are we pushing her? Isn’t it all for her own good? But she thinks we’re trying to kill her. Is it better to let her fly into the flames, to jump into the fire pit, before we can be said to care for her?"
Jiang Conghe’s face turned ugly: "I think this girl is becoming more and more willful!"
"I can’t control her anymore." Lu Shufen sobbed.
As Jiang Conghe was about to speak, the phone rang. He answered, "Hello?"
On the other end, Chiang Qing’s voice came through: "Dad, did you submit Qi Taiguo’s name for the border defense rotation? Why would you do that, Dad?"
"Are you questioning me or what?" Jiang Conghe replied coldly.
"Dad..."
"I am your father. I don’t need to report my actions to you, nor seek your opinion, nor is it your place to question your elders. All the education you received over the years, was it eaten by dogs? Utterly outrageous!" Jiang Conghe rebuked.
"Dad, I’m begging you, the border is so far, so harsh, please pull him back. Consider it a plea from your daughter." Chiang Qing pleaded desperately on the phone.
"If I pull him back, will you return? Will you stop longing for him?" Jiang Conghe’s eyes narrowed.
Chiang Qing choked, after a moment she said, "If you don’t pull him back, and he goes to the border, I’ll apply to go along."
Jiang Conghe exploded in anger, "How outrageous!"
"Outrageous then outrageous, since you’re determined to drive me to death. It doesn’t matter where I die. You decide, Dad!"
Beep, beep, beep!
The busy tone came through the phone, Chiang Qing had hung up, leaving Jiang Conghe so enraged that he smashed the phone in his hand.