The Game of Life

Chapter 770: Chapter 769: The Gift (Part 2)

Zhang Guanghang’s room was very large, in fact, there were no small rooms in Fen Garden. The residence, which originally had enough space for dozens of people, now seemed excessively large and somewhat wasteful with only Xia Mushi and Zhang Guanghang living in it. Even though a large part had been converted into a private restaurant, the remaining living space was still very generous.

As Zhang Guanghang walked towards his room, passing through the garden, over the stone bridge, the main hall and the corridor, Jiang Feng also noticed that even though Fen Garden was expansive, the furnishings were quite sparse. Zhang Guanghang’s room might be slightly better, equipped with essentials for a child’s bedroom such as a desk and bookshelves, and felt like a normal room.

Jiang Feng just peeked through a wall into a room — it wasn’t clear if it was a guest room or something else — that was almost empty save for a small bed, looking like an unfinished house.

After returning to his room, Zhang Guanghang did not take a nap as Xia Mushi had suggested, nor did he eagerly start doing his homework. Instead, he sat at his desk, staring blankly with a draft book open in front of him.

The draft book wasn’t the commercially-sold white paper type for drafting, but a homemade one, bound by Xia Mushi using cheap and thin paper. Holding a pen, Zhang Guanghang stared at the white paper for a while, then finally began to write in French the sentence he had previously seen in the tin box.

He wrote three sentences in a row.

Jiang Feng seemed to understand what Zhang Guanghang was writing.

A birthday cake, a poem of praise, a group photo — combined with the questions Zhang Guanghang had earlier asked Xia Mushi, it was not hard to guess that what he was now writing was likely the birthday gift he was preparing to give Xia Mushi tomorrow on his birthday.

As Zhang Guanghang was about to write the fourth sentence, Xia Mushi suddenly pushed the door open and came in.

Seeing that Zhang Guanghang hadn’t taken a nap and was instead writing at his desk, Xia Mushi seemed somewhat displeased and frowned, saying, “Didn’t I tell you to sleep first before doing homework? What’s the rush with homework? It’s just a little homework. You definitely need to sleep first. How are you supposed to grow taller without sleep? All that milk you drink would be wasted.”

“I am writing a task list. I’ll go to sleep once I’m done,” said Zhang Guanghang, lying through his teeth, confident that Xia Mushi could not understand French.

“Well, that’s perfect, because there’s something I need to discuss with you,” Xia Mushi said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Turning to face Xia Mushi, Zhang Guanghang put on a serious expression to show that he was all ears.

“Xiaohang,” said Xia Mushi, “I think it’s time for you to go back to your own country.”

“Aren’t we scheduled to return in half a month?” Zhang Guanghang didn’t grasp Xia Mushi’s meaning.

“I mean that after you go back this time, you might not need to come here anymore.”

Zhang Guanghang was taken aback and asked, “Why? Master, I haven’t finished learning yet. There are still many dishes I don’t know how to cook, and didn’t you always say that I’m actually still at the stage of practicing basic skills?”

“You can practice the basics anywhere. You’re of the age to start middle school and should be studying properly, staying with your parents. Surely you can’t go on like this, not attending school regularly, only having that family tutor come to give lessons for two months out of the year. How is that acceptable?” Xia Mushi’s words, though spoken, evidently did not sit well with him.

While Zhang Guanghang was still somewhat baffled by Xia Mushi’s sudden declaration, Jiang Feng, watching from the side, could roughly guess why.

Xia Mushi was concerned.

It was care that bred these apprehensions.

Zhang Guanghang had come to Beiping to be with Xia Mushi when he was not yet ten years old, looking very much like a child at that time. Xia Mushi had no problem taking him out and about; neighbors did not find it strange. But Zhang Guanghang, a Chinese-French mix, grew much faster than other boys his age. In just a few years, he had grown from a child into a youth, prompting many who didn’t understand the nature of Zhang Guanghang and Xia Mushi’s relationship to question why Xia Mushi’s grandson appeared not to attend school.

Those who knew Zhang Guanghang was Xia Mushi’s apprentice would occasionally whisper behind his back to others, saying that French people are odd, not attending school properly at such a young age, coming to Beiping to learn cooking from someone, parents really have big hearts.

Xia Mushi originally never cared about these words.

In his life, he had loved few people, and even then, for a very short time, almost all concentrated in the first half of his life. Before taking Zhang Guanghang as his apprentice, he was a merciless money-making machine, uncaring about what happened around him, nor about the changes in the world, caring only about money.

So when he began to notice the changes in the world, he realized the world was no longer the one he had known.

In his view, it was very normal for Zhang Guanghang, despite his young age, to leave his hometown to apprentice and learn a craft. But to others, this was an incredible thing.

He was already out of sync with the times, an oddity, and he didn’t want his apprentice to also become an oddity, disconnected from the era.

He wanted Zhang Guanghang to have the life a thirteen-year-old should have, going to school and staying with his parents, rather than leaving home to become his apprentice.

But Zhang Guanghang was never a normal child.

“I don’t want to.” Zhang Guanghang shook his head, “I don’t need to go back to school. A home tutor is sufficient for me to complete the necessary studies. I’m not planning to take the university entrance exams, and I don’t need any extra courses.”

“Moreover, I don’t need to stay with my parents, and they don’t need to be with me.” Zhang Guanghang’s eyes were filled with indifference.

Zhang Guanghang glanced at the note he had just finished writing on the table, and very stiffly and forcefully changed the topic, “Master, let’s go take a photo together tomorrow.”

Xia Mushi immediately went along with the change of topic, no longer mentioning the prior conversation, “What do we need a photograph for?”

“Tomorrow is your birthday, Master. Of course we need to take a photo to commemorate it. My grandfather and I always used to take a photo together on his birthday.” Mentioning this, Zhang Guanghang suddenly sighed, “But I haven’t taken a photo with Grandfather for several years now, and it’s likely I won’t see him this year either. Mrs. Grace said that Grandfather is sick and currently in the hospital for treatment and can’t see anyone. I wonder if he will be a bit better by the time I return.”

Xia Mushi realized something and tentatively asked, “When did your aunt tell you?”

“She told me during our last phone call.”

“We’ll go to the photo studio to take pictures tomorrow, get up early and don’t sleep in, go right after buying the groceries,” Xia Mushi suddenly stood up from the bed, changing topics so abruptly that Zhang Guanghang couldn’t even react. Without giving Zhang Guanghang time to respond, Xia Mushi left after saying quickly go to sleep.

Even when he left, he seemed somewhat angry, leaving one to wonder what had upset him.

Zhang Guanghang: ???

Zhang Guanghang looked at the fourth sheet of paper on the table, which was still unfinished and not forming complete sentences, and didn’t continue to write. Instead, he obediently got up and went to bed.

Jiang Feng sighed.

A sigh he himself didn’t know the reason for.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co