After dinner.
Guest room on the first floor of the Mansion.
Dong Xuebing, who is feeling tipsy, drank the tea given to him by Xie Huilan.
Only Xie Huilan and Dong Xuebing are in the room, and Xie Huilan shook her head and laughed. “You should know your limits. If you cannot drink anymore, you should stop.”
“How can I reject others when they toast with me?” Dong Xuebing supported himself with a chair. “I don’t want you to lose face.” If this dinner is with the Leaders from Yan Tai County, Dong Xuebing can stop drinking if he cannot take it. But this time is different. He had to force himself to drink even when his body cannot take it.
Xie Huilan laughed and straighten Dong Xuebing’s collar. “Alright. You had done a great job today.”
Dong Xuebing nodded and asked. “Huilan, why are you so gentle today?”
“Haha.” Xie Huilan’s eyes narrowed into a slit. “Are you telling me that I have not been gentle all this while? Huh?”
“Err… no…” Dong Xuebing quickly denies it. “You are also gentle in the past.”
Knock… knock… knock… Xie Hao knocked on the door and told them the elders are leaving. They have to go out to walk them out.
Xie Guobang, Xie Guoliang, and everyone at the Mansion is very busy. They don’t have time to stay there for long. By 7.30 pm, all of them started leaving, and only Ci Lifen remained to accompany Senior Xie. But she received a call from her workplace and had to leave.
In the end, only Senior Xie and a few from the younger generation remained.
Xie Ran is called Xie Huilan. “Sis, I need to speak with you.”
“Ok.” Xie Huilan nodded. “Let’s talk upstairs.”
Senior Xie’s personal doctor fed Senior Xie his medications, and Senior Xie closed his eyes on the sofa. From the start of the dinner until now, Senior Xie had never look at Dong Xuebing, let alone speak to him. After Xie Huilan left, there are lesser people in the living room. Dong Xuebing also wants to leave, but he doesn’t have any excuse. So, he just remained in the living room to chat with Xie Jing and Xie Hao uncomfortably.
Dong Xuebing is feeling very giddy but had to bear this feeling and remain there.
Dong Xuebing thought to himself as he chatted with Xie Hao and Xie Jing, sitting beside Senior Xie. This old man knows how to bear grudges. All I did was to talk back at him and won him once at a game of chess. Look at him… He is treating me as invisible. If I knew this is how he treats me, I would not give him the 50-years Wild Ginseng. I will just give him a five-years… five months ginseng.
This is so irritating.
Suddenly, Xie Hao said. “Brother-in-law, let’s go to the backyard to practice martial arts!”
“Ok!” Dong Xuebing can’t wait to leave the living room.
But Senior Xie stopped Xie Hao. “If you want to practice martial arts, go yourself.” Senior Xie said and stood up. He walked towards the stairs and said. “Xiao Dong, have a game of chess with me.” The personal doctor smiled at Dong Xuebing and went over to help Senior Xie up the stairs.
Dong Xuebing was stunned. Chess? What is the meaning of this?
Xie Hao heard it and got excited. “I want to watch!” He knows Dong Xuebing is good at Chinese chess.
But Senior Xie turns to Xie Hao. “I thought you are going to the backyard to practice your martial art?”
“Hehe… this is more interesting. I want to watch!” Xie Hao just wants to join in the fun.
Xie Jing is more matured. After hearing what their grandfather said, she immediately dragged Xie Hao away and gave him a stare. She pointed towards Dong Xuebing with her chin and shook her head. Senior Xie wants to speak to Dong Xuebing alone, and Xie Hao will cause trouble if he is around. Xie Hao got the hint and returned to the sofa unwillingly.
Dong Xuebing could only follow Senior Xie up the stairs.
The helpers are setting up the chessboard and pieces in a room filled with antique furniture. Senior Xie sat behind a redwood table and signaled to Dong Xuebing to sit opposite him.
After the helpers are done, they left with the doctor, leaving Dong Xuebing and Senior Xie alone in the room.
Senior Xie did not say anything and moved his chess piece.
Dong Xuebing is puzzled. Senior Xie had been ignoring him the whole evening, and why did he want to play chess out of a sudden? But Dong Xuebing had no choice but to play with him. He made his move… two moves… five moves… ten moves… twenty moves… this time, there are no Chinese chess experts around, and Dong Xuebing could not cheat. Within twenty minutes, Senior Xie won the first game.
Senior Xie gave Dong Xuebing a stare. “Play properly.”
Dong Xuebing smiled embarrassedly. “I had won you the last time by luck, and I am not good at playing chess.”
“… one more game.” Senior Xie let Dong Xuebing have the first move.
The second game ended twenty minutes later, and Senior Xie won again.
Senior Xie did not show any frustration and said. “You are not playing seriously. I will make you play seriously.” He called out to his helper. “Bring a bottle of Maotai and two glasses.” Senior Xie looked at Dong Xuebing and said. “From the next game onwards, the loser will have to drink a glass.”
“Ah? Err… I can’t drink anymore.”
“… then you have to win.”
“Huh?! I had been trying my best.
Dong Xuebing’s protest fell on deaf ears, and the next game started.
Dong Xuebing lost the third game and had to drink a glass of Maotai. He forced himself to finish the glass of Maotai in one gulp and felt even tipsier.
Second glass…
Third glass….
After a few games, Dong Xuebing felt the room spinning, and he is almost wasted.
“One more game.” Senior Xie said.
Dong Xuebing reached out to grab a chess piece but failed after four to five tries. In the end, he grabbed Senior Xie’s chess pieces instead and made a move.
Senior Xie laughed. “What are you trying to do?”
Dong Xuebing got mad and said. “No… I am not playing anymore. I can… can tell that you are… you are trying to make me drunk! That’s right! You are trying to make me drunk!” Dong Xuebing stammered. “I… I will not fall for your trick… Hehe… I… am not playing… anymore…” Dong Xuebing supported himself by pushing against the chessboard.
Senior Xie said. “You don’t want to play anymore?! Then have a chat with me.”
Dong Xuebing gave Senior Xie a side glance. “Chat with you? What’s there to chat about? We… have… generation gap, and don’t have any common topic.” Drinking will give one courage, and furthermore, Dong Xuebing had never been afraid of anyone. He swayed as he stood up and walks over to Senior Xie’s chair and sat beside him. “Hmm… your chair is so comfortable.”
Senior Xie laughed and moved to give Dong Xuebing more space. “We have not started chatting. How do you know we don’t have any common topics? Start a topic.”
“Topic?” Dong Xuebing smacked his lips. “Then… let’s talk about… why are you always putting on a stern-looking face? You… you looked terrible… If you are unhappy… with me, you can… tell me straight!”
“Stern-looking face?” Senior Xie shook his head and laughed. “What do you know? Before my retirement, I had to smile from day to night. Did you see how Huilan smiles? She is the same as me. I had to smile when I meet the people and cannot let them feel I am too serious. I had to smile when I meet other government officials, as I cannot let them know what I am thinking. When I meet delegates from other countries, I had to smile, as I need to establish a good diplomatic relationship. I had been smiling for decades, and I am sick of smiling. That’s why I stop smiling after I retired.”
Senior Xie finished, and Dong Xuebing extended his arms over Senior Xie’s shoulder. “So… this is the reason… Old Xie ah… it’s not easy for you too!”
Senior Xie’s brows twitched.
Dong Xuebing continued to pat Senior Xie’s shoulder. “Old Xie, let it go… It’s fine. Just… look at me. Every time I do something, the leaders and colleagues from our County… will start to criticize me… they say I am too young and rash… What I did was wrong… Sometimes I also know I am impulsive and… did not think of the consequences… But… when something happened in front of you… you have no choice… A relative of the County’s Party Committee member had hit someone from our Police Station… If I don’t arrest him… what will my colleagues think?! Our fellow countrymen are getting beaten up in Korea… If I don’t challenge the Taekwondo schools, how am I going to face them?!”
Dong Xuebing got agitated and patted his chest. “What’s wrong with being rash and impulsive? What’s wrong with doing the wrong things? I hold my head high… when I face our people! Even if I lost my job and position one day, I could still walk along the streets with my head held high! My conscience is clear!”
Senior Xie heard what Dong Xuebing said, and laughed. “Well said!”
“Old Xie… I realized that… you are not that irritating after all.”
“Haha.” Senior Xie laughed. “After living for so long, this is the first time someone praised me like this. Not that irritating… Hahaha…”
The Doctor, who was standing outside, could not stand it anymore. He quickly opens the door and entered. “Xiao Dong, you are drunk. Come downstairs with me and don’t disturb Senior Xie’s rest!” He is speechless with Dong Xuebing. How dare he address Senior Xie as Old Xie?!
Dong Xuebing gave the Doctor a stare. “We are having a good chat now! Why must I go downstairs?!”
Senior Xie laughed. “We are having a good time now. Don’t interfere!”
“Senior Xie.”
“Get out, get out!” Senior Xie waved his hand to chase the Doctor out. “Xiao Dong, carry on.”
Dong Xuebing had his arm around Senior Xie’s shoulder. “What else do you want me to say? Oh… You… tried to arrange Sister Xie’s marriage… I have to say that you are wrong…”
“Do you know what I was thinking when I arranged her marriage?”
“Who cares… what are you thinking? You are wrong in doing so!”
Senior Xie laughed loudly, and everyone downstairs can hear their conversation.
