As he watched, Lian Bingcheng gradually came to his senses and realized that his brother Changhe hadn’t recognized him at all.
Indeed, he had lost much weight compared to before, so it was not surprising that, at first glance, one might fail to recognize him, especially since brother Changhe didn’t even deign to give him a proper look!
Once he figured this out, Lian Bingcheng was no longer dazed or disheartened and was not in a hurry anymore. He simply folded his arms behind his back and, with a gleam in his eyes, began to watch the play from the side.
Look, wouldn’t the excuse to punish him with a drink soon present itself to brother Changhe?
That would definitely give brother Changhe quite the shock.
With this thought, he became even less anxious. His initial excitement gradually turned into the anticipation of watching a play, and he even began to feel happy.
Among the group, only Lian Changhe remained unaware. After letting out an excited howl, he finally calmed down a bit, released Lian Musu, and couldn’t help but laugh and pat Lian Musu on the shoulder again: "Haha, good lad, you surely make your father proud, such an achievement, hahaha..."
At first, when he heard that his son had secured the first rank in Taiyuan Prefecture, Lian Changhe had not yet had the chance to rejoice before he received the terrible news that there were suspicions of his son cheating and calls for a re-examination, which left him unable to feel joyous, and instead, he felt a pent-up frustration.
Now, finally, he let it all out, feeling utterly delighted!
"It’s all thanks to the meticulous teaching of father and mother." Lian Musu bowed deeply as a gesture of respect.
After the bow, without waiting for Lian Changhe to speak, he seized the opportunity and reminded once more, "Father, look who’s arrived behind us?"
Wu Sheng promptly followed suit, pointing towards the main gate.
Here they come, people are about to look this way.
Lian Bingcheng began to feel excited again, coupled with an inexplicable nervousness.
He quickly cleared his throat, stood with folded arms, slightly lifted his head, and feigned a leisurely, composed demeanor, but the emotions in his eyes betrayed him utterly.
"Who?" Lian Changhe, still intent on boasting a few more words, wore a smile and looked back in puzzlement.
His gaze had just landed on the old man at the center of the main gate when he saw a figure rush from the courtyard, followed by a loud shout: "Big brother, you’ve finally returned!"
It was Lian Wanzhen, who had hurried over after hearing the commotion.
He had just finished setting the last dish, arranged the drinks and dishes with everyone, and even lit a bonfire in the courtyard, making it seem warm and festive. After completing these tasks, Lian Wanzhen heard some noise at the gate and, pricking up his ears, recognized his father’s booming voice, praising his big brother.
He rushed over like a gust of wind, unable to stop in time and simply embraced the irritating old man standing in the middle of the gate with his hands folded and turned him 180 degrees to the side.
He approached Lian Musu, lifted him along with his book basket, weighed him, and burst into excited laughter:
"Big brother, well done, hahaha, I heard that your essay impressed all those scholars, I went out to see for myself today, the number of people you convinced with your writing is more than the people I’ve subdued in fights all these years, hahaha."
Lian Bingcheng had not yet recovered when he suddenly found himself spinning around, hoisted aside by a sturdy man, and turned over so that he faced the gate, his back to Lian Changhe.
He was in a state of disarray but still maintained his previous posture, staring blankly into the courtyard through the gate...
Then he saw a swarm of people pouring out from inside the courtyard, all heading towards Lian Musu.
Led by Lian Wanzhen, a new wave of excitement erupted. Lian Changhe also became reinvigorated and, no longer caring to see whom Lian Musu was talking about, joined the excited crowd, everyone howling in their fervor.
Only one person stood with his hands behind his back, his face partially covered by a few wisps of disheveled hair drifting in the air, silently facing the gate as if contemplating his faults against the wall.
Fortunately, this situation did not last long. A woman with a serene countenance appeared in the yard, wiping her hands as she walked toward the gate. She looked at him with perplexity and after a few steps, recognition dawned on her, and she exclaimed, "Brother Bingcheng!"
Lian Bingcheng had never dreamed that his reunion with Lian Changhe would be so fraught with twists and turns.
Through hope, disappointment, hope again, and yet another disappointment, he felt incredibly drained, his mind in chaos, finding life exceptionally difficult.
That surge of excitement, pah, what excitement? The excitement had vanished like smoke, leaving his heart utterly cold.
Suddenly hearing the shout, he slowly turned his head to look, and the lifeless eyes suddenly reignited with light, "Sister-in-law?"
Su Ran hurried over, both shocked and overjoyed, "Brother, it’s really you, how..."
She didn’t finish her sentence before she glanced at the situation by the gate and understood what had happened.
She couldn’t help feeling helpless; her husband always acted rashly, and so did her second son. Skinny Monkey and the other boys went even further by leaving a living person out to dry while they crowded around the eldest son, not even giving him a chance to speak, sigh...
She was both happy and apologetic as she said to Lian Bingcheng, "Brother, please don’t be offended. Changhe and the others have been holding it in for too long, let them be mad for a while, and after they’re done, we’ll punish them. Let’s not bother with them. Come on, please come in."
Lian Bingcheng’s chilled heart gradually warmed up. His sister-in-law was right; when Brother Changhe had ignored him enough and made a fool of himself, he would see how he would deal with it!
He nodded, turned back for a glance at the crowd, focusing on Lian Changhe. He nodded fiercely again, huffed and puffed, and with his hands behind his back, followed her into the yard.
With her heart brimming with joy and triumph, Su Ran exclaimed that today was indeed a day of quadruple happiness. She hadn’t expected Brother Bingcheng to visit. She inquired how Lian Bingcheng and Lian Musu came back together, explaining that they had first gone to Yanqing Mansion but couldn’t find them.
As they chatted, she led him inside, had him sit down by the main table, served tea, and introduced Lih Qingshu and Qian Chen who had come out from the kitchen.
Once they had all exchanged greetings, she was about to engage in casual talk with Lian Bingcheng when there was a noise at the gate.
All heads turned to look.
As soon as the figure became clear, Lian Bingcheng snorted heavily and lifted his head high, adopting an arrogantly indifferent demeanor.
Suddenly remembering there was someone by his side, he quickly turned to Su Ran and said awkwardly, "Sister-in-law, I wasn’t being rude to you, I was just..."
Su Ran nodded knowingly and smiled, "It’s understandable, Brother Bingcheng. Later on, you must punish him properly, don’t let him off easily."
Her husband’s friendship with Brother Bingcheng was extraordinary. The two together were like one entity, always bickering and teasing, saying whatever came to mind, and occasionally squabbling until they were red in the face, but they’d quickly make up afterward.
Her husband had neglected Brother Bingcheng for so long; it was only natural for him to be annoyed.
Lian Bingcheng felt reassured, realizing that the best thing his careless Brother Changhe did in his life was to marry a wise wife.
With this thought, he nodded with a smile at Su Ran, then resumed his stand-offish pose, waiting to be noticed.
Lian Changhe led the way back into the yard with an air of importance, the crowd trailing behind him as he approached the table where the food and drinks were set.