Dragon King's Son-In-Law

by Dragon King

  Another half hour passed. As Grandma was about to call again, a white Ford arrived at the door.

  Hao Ren’s father in a silver suit and his mother in a long black dress came out of the car and hurried over hand in hand.

  They matched each other perfectly, no matter in looks or temperaments.

  If Xie Yujia was here, she would have been stunned because the couple was no other than Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang who gave the science lectures at East Ocean University a couple of days prior!

  Seeing Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang coming to her side, Grandma didn’t show any joy on her face; instead, an unusually stern expression appeared. She pointed at the floor and said as her body shook slightly “Extend your hand!”

  78 Important Virtues

  Hearing Grandma’s stern voice, Zhao Hongyu and her family were all surprised as well.

  “Mom, please calm down,” hurriedly, Hao Zhonghua took two steps forward and explained, “I had to handle some urgent business in the office, and that’s why I’m a bit late.”

  “Scientific research is your priority, and this old woman is none of your concern at all, right?” Grandma’s face fell as she asked.

  Hearing that Grandma’s tone turned a little bit softer, Hao Zhonghua took two more steps forward and replied as he wanted to help her walk to the car, “I…”

  “Extend your hand!” Grandma raised her voice abruptly.

  The dignified Hao Zhonghua shivered at his mother’s scolding and glanced at Zhao Hongyu’s family in embarrassment.

  “Auntie…” seeing the situation turning ugly, Zhao Hongyu walked to Grandma and tried to calm her down.

  “Hongyu, stay out of this. Today, I must have my say,” Grandma raised her hand and stopped Zhao Hongyu.

  Seeing the awkward situation between the mother and the son, Yue Yang finally broke the silence and said, “Mom, please calm down. Your high blood-pressure…”

  “And you!” Grandma who was usually amiable was beside herself today. “Have you ever taken care of Ren since he was born? I took care of him all by myself! Have you ever worried about the duties in this household? I took care of them all by myself! Work! Work is everything in your lives!” she shouted.

  Scolded by Grandma, the decorous Yue Yang backed off a little and remained silent.

  “Give me your hand!” Grandma yelled at Hao Zhonghua for the third time.

  Seeing his mother shaking in rage, Hao Zhonghua was afraid that she would have another stroke due to high blood pressure, and he had no choice but to lower his head in embarrassment and extend his palm.

  Grandma looked around and saw a folding fan on the coffee table, and she picked it up instantly.

  The folding fan had a frame made of fine rosewood, and it was smooth and hard.

  “As the old saying goes, amongst all the virtues, filial piety comes first. With all your trips overseas, it seems like you have forgotten our ancestors’ teachings and disciplines!” Grandma held Hao Zhonghua’s hand in one hand and hit the palm with the folding fan.

  Feeling the sharp pain, Hao Zhonghua had the urge to withdraw his hand, but he dared not to in front of his angry mother.

  A red welt appeared immediately on his palm.

  “Where were you when I passed out due to high blood pressure? Where were you when I was discharged from the hospital? Where were you when I was ready to go home? If it weren’t for Zhao Hongyu’s family, I would have been dead!”

  Snap! Another hard lash landed on Hao Zhonghua’s palm.

  Yue Yang felt sorry for her husband but was afraid to stop Grandma. She said in a low voice, “Mom, please don’t say that.”

  “Every word I have said is true! Hongyu’s family saved my life, and they took care of me. How about you? Zhonghua is my son, and you are my daughter-in-law, but where were you when I was in danger? And you treat my saviors with such attitude? I may be illiterate, but I know the virtues and how to act in good faith!”

  Snap! The third hard lash landed on Hao Zhonghua’s palm.

  Hao Zhonghua’s palm had quickly turned red, and this well-known scientist stood obediently before his mother with a red and sweaty face.

  “We agreed on eleven o’clock, then you must come at 11 A.M. Being late is not respecting others’ time! Hongyu’s family are my saviors, and you made them wait at home! You are ungrateful for their kindness and have acted in bad faith!”

  Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! The fan landed on Hao Zhonghua’s palm repeatedly each time Grandma opened her mouth.

  “You are ungrateful, unfilial, and unfaithful! I don’t want such a son like you!” Grandma got even angrier with each lash. She was now panting, but the beatings got even more forceful.

  Hao Zhonghua bowed before his mother and bore the pain with a frown. He kept his head lowered the whole time.

  When he was a boy, Grandma would scold him this way whenever he messed around or got lazy with his studies. In the last 20 years since he grew up and earned his reputation, he had not been punished like this.

  Now in front of outsiders, he experienced his mother’s fury again. He felt not only the burning pain but also shame, guilt, and some gratitude as well.

  “I taught you everything about filial piety, faith, honesty, and honor! Have you forgotten them all?!”

  Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Another series of lashes landed on his palm, and Hao Zhonghua gritted his teeth, endured his mother’s rage, and didn’t withdraw his hand that was regarded as the deftest and valuable hand in science as his hands could split cell membranes with the assistance of a microscope and a pair of tweezers.

  “Don’t think you are above everyone with several prizes and the support of the Mayor! There is something higher than us! How can you call yourself a man when you treat the saviors this way?!” out of breath, Grandma couldn’t stand any longer, and she had to sit down on the sofa behind her.

  “Mom, it is my fault,” Hao Zhonghua moved forward and held his mother’s hand in his and said with sincerity.

  “I’m wrong, too,” Yue Yang took two steps forward and said with her head lowered.

  “It’s never too late if you can correct your mistakes! Don’t forget our ancestors’ teachings while you are abroad!” Grandma said in a loud voice.

  “Auntie, don’t work yourself up. You must take care since you were just discharged from the hospital,” Zhao Hongyu took the opportunity to appease her.

  “Grandma, please don’t be so angry,” Zhao Yanzi also walked over to comfort Grandma.

  Hao Ren moved to his grandma’s side and gently patted her back, helping her calm down.

  Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang were now standing beside Grandma in silence. A couple of days before, they were confident and passionate scientists giving lectures in the auditorium, but now, they had tears in their eyes as they faced Grandma like kids who misacted.

  “Faith and virtue! They are the foundation of our race! Even though you are building a big career, you will amount to nothing if you have forgotten the most basic principles of being a human!” Grandma raised her head and added.

  “Mom, we know we are wrong,” Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang said together.

  “Ok then. Now go get my bags!” Grandma gave them a hard look.

  Hurriedly, Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang began to move Grandma’s bags into their car. Hao Ren saw the red tomato-like palm of his dad that was shivering uncontrollably, and he knew Grandmother was dead serious this time.

  “I apologize for what happened today,” after several deep breaths, Grandma returned to her amiable self and said to Zhao Hongyu and Zhao Guang.

  “It’s all right,” Zhao Guang said with a smile.

  After publicly scolding her son, Hao Ren’s grandma apologized to her hosts, hoping that they would not hold any grudges against Hao Ren’s parents for being late.

  “Mom, the bags are all in the car. Shall we go to lunch now?” Hao Zhonghua reentered the house and said.

  His expression returned to normal and didn’t look as embarrassed as a few m
inutes before.

  “Um-hem,” Grandma stood up and walked toward the door.

  After several days of rest in Zhao Hongyu’s home, Grandma was much stronger, and her complexion looked much healthier.

  She was old, but her head was clear. She knew Zhao Hongyu must have put many valuable ingredients in the chicken soup that she made been making for her

  Also, she noted how much Zhao Hongyu liked Hao Ren.

  Seeing Zhao Yanzi and Hao Ren together, she found his grandson’s calm manner quite matching with Zi’s cuteness.

  Now that she had told everyone that Zhao Hongyu’s family was her savior and showed them her authority as the big boss of the Hao Family, everything else would go smoothly.

  She was willing to wait a few years as long as Zhao Yanzi and Hao Ren had feelings for each other. She didn’t mind Zhao Yanzi’s age since when she was young, she had even seen girls marrying as young as 12 or 13!

  Hao Ren was oblivious to his grandma’s plan underneath her outburst, and he walked his grandma out of the door and into his father’s Ford.

  Zhao Guang drove out his black Chevrolet, and the two cars drove toward the Starlight Restaurant one after another.

  “Today, are we just have lunch, or do we want to let Ren’s parents know about the arrangement?” sitting in the passenger seat, Zhao Hongyu asked Zhao Guang.

  “Auntie has just expressed to us that she has the final say in the family. Since this is the case, we can make it known,” Zhao Guang said calmly.

  Sitting in the back seat, Zhao Yanzi heard her parents’ discussion, and she bit her lip but didn’t interrupt.

  “I don’t want to marry that silly Uncle…” looking at the clouds through the car window, she mused to herself.

  79 Who Is Your Girlfriend?

  In contrast to the discussion between Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu, the four members of Hao Zhonghua’s family were silent in the white Ford.

  Sitting in the back seat, Grandma was still angry. After all, it was unacceptable for Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang to be one hour late on such an important day.

  Afraid to anger her again, Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang dared not to start a conversation.

  Like Zhao Yanzi who was in the Black Chevrolet, Hao Ren looked out at the white clouds and got lost in his own thoughts.

  Two cars arrived at the Starlight Restaurant situated in the center of the city, and the two families greeted each other again and were ushered by a waiter into their reserved compartment.

  They sat down, and Hao Zhonghua handed the preselected menu to the waiter.

  “I’m grateful for your family’s excellent care of my mom. Today, my wife and I want to express our gratitude,” after handing the menu to the waiter, Hao Zhonghua began talking to Zhao Guang.

  They didn’t have time for introductions due to Grandma’s anger, and they needed to introduce themselves to each other now.

  “I’m Ren’s father, Hao Zhonghua. And this is Ren’s mother, Yue Yang,” Hao Zhonghua stood up and continued.

  “Nice to meet you!” Zhao Guang nodded and stood up as well. “I’m Zi’s father, Zhao Guang. This is Zi’s mother, Zhao Hongyu. And this is my daughter, Zhao Yanzi. Under Ren’s good tutoring, Zi’s performance in school has improved greatly.” he said.

  Zhao Yanzi pouted and thought, “My mid-term scores have not been published yet. What hypocrites the adults are!”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Hao are both well-known scientists who are well respected by everyone. We didn’t know that you were Ren’s parents, and it’s a great honor to meet you!” Zhao Hongyu added.

  “I’m just doing some research, and I’m still far from being a big scientist,” Hao Zhonghua’s face reddened a little and said hurriedly as he thought of the scolding he received from his mother in Zhao Guang’s home.

  “What do Mr. and Mrs. Zhao do?” Yue Yang asked warmly.

  “Hehe, I run a small business, and my wife runs a small design studio,” Zhao Guang answered.

  “That is nice,” Hao Zhonghua answered courteously.

  He knew Zhao Guang was humble. Judging from the interior decorations of Zhao Guang’s home, he knew Zhao Guang’s business wasn’t small. However, he didn’t realize that Zhao Guang’s company was, in fact, the famous Mingri Group whose businesses covered multiple industries. It was also one of the most prominent machinery manufacturing groups in the country.

  Although Zhao Hongyu’s design studio had only about a dozen employees and was just a mini-company, it had an excellent reputation in the designer circle and was ranked among the top six interior design studios in the country.

  “Your daughter is beautiful. Is she in middle school?” Yue Yang looked at Zhao Yanzi across the table and smiled.

  “Yes, she is in the Eighth Grade. She is not a diligent student, and that’s why we asked Ren to tutor her,” Zhao Hongyu answered with a smile.

  “Hehe. I hope our Ren didn’t cause you too much trouble,” Yue Yang continued.

  “Not at all. Ren is smart and considerate. I like him very much, and so does my husband. He will make an excellent son-in-law,” Zhao Hongyu said.

  Yue Yang didn’t realize Zhao Hongyu was serious about the topic. She chuckled and said that Ren still had a long way to go.

  “I’m sure Ren will follow your steps and become a great scientist, won’t he?” Zhao Hongyu asked.

  “No! No!” Yue Yang waved her hand immediately and replied, “Zhonghua and I are both in the science field and know it is too demanding of a career. That’s why we have never pushed him in this direction. We hope he could live an ordinary life.”

  Zhao Hongyu nodded and was satisfied with this answer. She had been worried that Hao Ren would put all his time and energy into his work like his parents and neglect Zi.

  “Your Zi looks so pretty and smart. She will one day do great things,” Yue Yang complimented.

  “Hehe, with her present academic performance, we don’t expect too much of her. We just hope that she will be like an ordinary girl and could find a good husband who loves her.”

  “She’s just in the Eighth-Grade. Isn’t it too early to think about that?”

  “No, not too early…”

  The mothers were warming up to the topic while they waited for their dishes.

  In the eyes of the public, Yue Yang was a mysterious female scientist. But on the inside, she was just an ordinary mother who loved to talk about her kid.

  She and her husband were both famous scientists, but they didn’t have high expectations for their son. Their lives looked dignified and high above the crowd, but it was very hard. They hoped Hao Ren’s life would be simpler and more comfortable.

  Otherwise, with their abilities, they would have sent Hao Ren to the best elementary, middle, and high schools in the country and then to the best domestic or even international university.

  Meanwhile, Hao Ren had always been low-key, never using his parents’ names for his convenience. He worked hard, climbed the academic ladder all by himself, and finally entered the nationally well-known East Ocean University.

  Of course, it was not a secret that Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang had a son named Hao Ren. A few officials in the municipal government knew about it, but they were familiar with these two scientists’ temperaments and wouldn’t do anything to please them.

  While Yue Yang and Zhao Hongyu warmed up to each other, Zhao Guang and Hao Zhonghua, like typical fathers, talked about their work on the other side of the table. Since neither of them knew about the other’s area of profession, their talk sounded superficial and tentative.

  As to Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi, they just looked at each other from across the table. While the parents began to get familiar and the topics got broader and more profound, they still couldn’t contribute and just observed the direction of their conversation cautiously.

  When the dishes began to be served, Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi busied themselves with eating, which was another excuse not to join in on their parent’s conversations.

  “Yo
u are very busy, and you don’t stay in the country often, do you?” seeing Zhao Guang and Hao Zhonghua still not being so close with each other, Zhao Hongyu initiated another topic directed at Hao Zhonghua.

  “Oh, we occasionally go abroad to do research, but we stay in the country most of the time. However, Yue Yang and I spend most of our time in the labs and research institutes and have neglected Ren. Fortunately, he is a good boy and is very independent,” Hao Zhonghua answered.

  “You don’t have much time to take care of Auntie, right?” Zhao Hongyu asked tentatively.

  “We hired Uncle Wang to take care of my mother. We usually squeeze some time to stay with her when we’re in the country. The incident made us realize that there were some problems with our previous arrangement. Yue Yang and I discussed it, and we are considering hiring another person whose sole responsibility will be to take care of my mother,” Hao Zhonghua said.

  “I can still move around. I don’t need a hired help to take care of me!” Grandma, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

  “I have a suggestion. Since Auntie got along with us well and you are very busy, she can live in our home, and we can take care of each other,” Zhao Hongyu said.

  “No, it’s not appropriate,” Hao Zhonghua immediately shook his head and replied, “We have troubled you for so long, and we can’t put more burden on you!”

  “So, I’m just a burden,” Grandma threw out a comment.

  “Mom, that’s not what I meant…” hurriedly, Hao Zhonghua turned to Grandma and explained.

  “Before you came back from abroad and after you came back to East Ocean City, you have just called me twice. Doesn’t it mean that I’m a burden to you?” Grandma said.

  “Since Zhonghua and I returned from abroad, we had to make time to give lectures at East Ocean University, and then the supervisors arranged for us to be interviewed by all kinds of media. We were so busy that we didn’t even have much time to sleep…” Yue Yang tried to explain.

  “I will be left with a hired help. It seems that I’m really a burden…” ignoring Yue Yang’s explanation, Grandma continued her complaint.