NOVPUB"Your calligraphy is quite impressive, do you practice regularly?" Xiao Jianbiao emerged from behind Xu Qingfan, his soft voice breaking the silence.
Xu Qingfan jumped at the sudden voice, even his brush-holding hand trembled. He turned around nonchalantly and replied, "Yes, uncle, hello, I just practice occasionally, not very often."
"Hmm, I heard the couplet at the doorway was also written by you? It’s quite commanding," he said, patting Xu Qingfan on the shoulder.
"Ahem, yes." Xu Qingfan glanced at the hand on his shoulder, noting the clear calluses on the base of the thumb, a tell-tale sign of a lifetime gripping guns, as any experienced person could tell.
"You’re a sturdy young man. Would you like to have a couple of drinks with your uncle sometime?" Xiao Jianbiao squeezed his shoulder, then patted it with more force.
Xu Qingfan’s eyes shifted towards Xiao Lijian, but the old master was engrossed in his writing, seemingly indifferent to their conversation.
In someone else’s home, and when the host has asked, could he really refuse?
Xu Qingfan nodded his head: "Sure, I’m not much of a drinker, still growing."
"It’s okay, just a casual drink." He patted Xu Qingfan’s shoulder again and walked away.
In the living room, the five girls had already retreated to their rooms. Grandma was busy in the kitchen, Ruan Wen’s mom wasn’t home, and Xu Qingfan guessed she had gone to the market to buy groceries.
Xiao Jianbiao took a bottle of Feitian Moutai and two small drinking glasses from the liquor cabinet and sat down on the sofa, gesturing for Xu Qingfan to come over and sit as well.
He nodded his head and obediently sat across from Xiao Jianbiao.
The Moutai bottle was already open, and on the bottom right corner of the bottle were the white characters ’Hong Kong Military Special Supply.’
Xu Qingfan wasn’t surprised; he had seen too much similar liquor over the years with Zhang Chunxue, including Zhang Yiyi’s grandfather, eldest uncle, and second uncle. Their daily necessities were also purchased from specific supermarkets.
The so-called special supply liquor wasn’t much different from the regular Feitian Moutai available in the market, although certainly, the vintage would be older.
Government agencies purchase batches of liquor directly from the factories to save on costs each year, and the purchase costs are naturally very low. The factories, concerned about people reselling it, would imprint the special supply markings on the bottle.
Xiao Jianbiao filled both glasses with liquor, pushing one in front of Xu Qingfan before raising his own glass and gulping it down.
But Xu Qingfan wasn’t as brave. Under Xiao Jianbiao’s watchful eye, he picked up his cup and took a small sip.
For a moment, they just sat there, staring at each other, neither saying anything.
It was Xu Qingfan who couldn’t stand the silence first. He randomly found a topic: "Uncle, are those calluses from shooting a lot?"
As soon as he spoke, he regretted it. What a strange thing to say.
"Hmm." Fortunately, Xiao Jianbiao wasn’t given to thinking the wrong way and didn’t take it amiss. He nodded and said, "Why, are you interested in joining the military? You have a strong build, you’d make a good soldier."
Of course, Xu Qingfan had no such desire. He was a person reborn; why would he be a soldier? His initial thought was to playfully say something like, "If the country needs me, I won’t hesitate," but considering Xiao Jianbiao’s status, such an answer probably wouldn’t be appreciated. So he honestly replied, "I haven’t considered that path, and I don’t think my mom could bear me being away for so long."
"That’s true." Xiao Jianbiao nodded in agreement and refilled his own glass, then asked, "What do you think of Ruan Wen?"
"Ah?" Xu Qingfan clearly hadn’t expected such a question and hesitated before answering, "Ruan Wen is very nice, yeah. She’s optimistic, cheerful, has a good singing voice, responsible, and easy to get along with."
Parents naturally love to hear others speak well of their children, and Xiao Jianbiao was no exception. After smiling and drinking another glass, he said, "I’m embarrassed to say, but as a father, I haven’t spent as much time with Ruan Wen as you have this year. However, I am fully aware of her character: she’s competitive, a bit scatterbrained, and tends to rush through things."
Xu Qingfan blinked, his survival instincts kicking in, not sure how to respond. He just took a sip of his drink, leaving the rest unsaid.
"It’s nothing, it’s just that I have often heard Ruan Wen mention you since she was very little. I was curious, and it turns out you really are an outstanding young man."
"Ahaha... not at all, Ruan Wen is very outstanding too. With an uncle as respectable as you to look up to as an example, she’s doing great," Xu Qingfan said, scratching his head.
"I’ve witnessed the growth of our second daughter over these years. She changes a lot every year. If we’re talking role models, I think it’s because she has a friend as outstanding as you beside her."
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[What is this, a flattery convention?]
Xu Qingfan didn’t understand what Xiao Ruanwen’s dad was trying to say and just gave an embarrassed smile.
Xiao Jianbiao thought Xu Qingfan would pick up the conversation, but when he didn’t, the two men once again found themselves awkwardly looking at each other.
"Born in ’96?"
"Yeah, that’s right."
"Which month?" Xiao Jianbiao asked again.
"June 29th."
"That’s two months older than Ruan Wen," he nodded.
"Haha... right..."
...
After a while, the five girls came out of the room and were instantly stunned to see Xu Qingfan and Xiao Jianbiao arm wrestling on the coffee table!
"Dad, Brother Fan, what are you guys doing?" Xiao Ruanwen asked in disbelief, her eyes wide.
"Arm wrestling," Xu Qingfan said through clenched teeth, his face red with effort.
"Dad what are you doing~ Brother Fan couldn’t possibly wrestle..." Xiao Ruanwen thought her dad was picking on someone younger, but upon closer inspection, she realized that Xiao Jianbiao’s face was red too.
Lin Wanning looked left and right and then, waving her little fists, cheered, "Go Brother Qing Fan!"
"Go Brother!" Zhang Yiyi naturally supported Xu Qingfan and cheered him on as well.
"Go Brother Fan!"
The voices of the five girls were like the final weights tipping the balance of a deadlocked scale, and with his left hand gripping the coffee table, Xu Qingfan finally ended the long-lasting battle with a forceful twist of his right hand.
"Good lad, are you really not interested in joining the military?" Xiao Jianbiao sneakily put his right hand down, not wanting to massage it in front of his daughter and her classmates.
"Dad what are you thinking, Brother Fan is the top of our school, and he was also first in the district joint exam. With such grades, you’re telling him to join the army?" Xiao Ruanwen said, hands on hips, glaring at her father.
Xu Qingfan was about to speak, but since Xiao Ruanwen had already spoken for him, he naturally kept quiet.
Lin Wanning saw that Brother Qing Fan’s hand was red and hurried over to massage and relax it for him.
"Cough cough..." Xiao Jianbiao almost choked at the scene, what a winner in life, right?
"We’re in an era of modern warfare now, the impact one person can have is sometimes greater than an entire army," he said, patting his daughter’s head to explain.
"Uncle, let’s just forget it. With parents alive, one does not travel far from home," Xu Qingfan waved his hand.
"If you change your mind, you can always come to me."
"Dad!"
"Haha... okay, okay, Dad will stop," he said.
...
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