Chapter 255 - Which Side
Grandpa Zhou looked at his grandson's red cheeks. His heart ached.
But right now, his grandson was in the wrong. They have to show in front of Master Xiong that the Zhou elders were fair and could discipline their grandson well.
He did not want to hurt his grandson, but this matter had to be done.
The elders could see that Master Xiong was truly furious. If Master Xiong saw them stand on his side, and if Linfeng was persuaded to apologize and accept the arrangement, then perhaps Master Xiong's anger would be put at ease. He would no longer vent it towards their grandson.
There was just one problem.
Grandpa Zhou knew that his grandson was very stubborn, just like his son had been before.
This matter most likely would turn bad. If his grandson shed a little blood at the moment, if worst comes to worst, his banishment would not be that severe. They could still help him in the shadows. Even if his grandson had to live in the backcountries, at least, they could still save his life and let him live as a common man.
His heart was grieving, but outwardly, he scolded Linfeng more.
"You brat! You've always been wise and reasonable since young, why are you rebelling now?! Master Xiong is paving a good future for you! You can still back down from using your only chance of pardon in this life!" he persuaded. Grandpa Zhou still have a tiny hope for his grandson to take this last chance.
Meanwhile, Master Xiong thoughtfully glanced at them. If Linfeng would take back what he had said, he might forgive him for being rude earlier, and just blame it on his young age.
This young man was talented and could greatly help his granddaughter, he really did not want to waste his talent. Old Xiong's furious heart was appeased after he saw the harsh scolding Grandpa Zhou gave to the youngster.
Grandpa Zhou's move was effective in appeasing Old Xiong. However, he was right when he thought that Linfeng was stubborn. Linfeng was truly more stubborn than his father had been.
Linfeng silently accepted the beatings and the scoldings. When his grandfather took a rest, Linfeng slightly glanced up at his grandfather's eyes.
Linfeng was not a fool. Although he felt hurt by the action, he knew just exactly what his grandfather was aiming for the moment the elderly raised his hand to beat him.
The Zhou family was not like the Xiong.
The Zhou elders might strictly adhere to the traditions and rules of the treaty, as their ancestors respected and gave the treaty a lot of importance, but, they also value familial love over those strict rules. They strive to maintain a balance between the two. If both could not be observed at the same time, they would follow the rules, but still do their best to lend a helping hand towards their kin.
Just like how Zhou Min helped his brother behind the Xiong's back.
Linfeng knew that his father and grandfather would do whatever it takes to help him weather the anger of Master Xiong.
But this was his fight against the rules, the treaty, and against the people trying to tie him to an order he could never obey.
Linfeng ignored the burning on his cheeks. He took his grandfather's wrinkled hand that was slightly trembling. The palm was a bit red. The force and friction caused the elder's hand slight injury, too.
Linfeng gently rubbed it and smoothed out the elder's skin to lessen the swelling. His eyes were gentle and distressed, with a bit of a pained look at the thought that he would still have to disappoint the elder.
He just could not go along with Granda Zhou's intention.
"Grandpa, thank you. But trust me, I will overcome this," Linfeng faintly whispered to his grandfather. Only the people near them could hear these very faint words.
Grandpa Zhou's bloodshot eyes watered. The warm hands of his grandson rubbing his hand were gentle, but heart-wrenching. He had hurt his grandson, yet his grandson chose to understand him and did not blame him. Grandpa Zhou could not speak as he was choked with emotions.
His grandson was truly a hundred times better than his son! A pity, a pity…
His resolve crumbled.
'Oh, my dear grandchild, I can't scold you now when you're like this.' Grandpa Zhou held back his tears and looked at Grandma Zhou for help.
His strong facade was slowly deteriorating. He might end up dragging his precious grandson out of here and shout at Master Xiong, 'Screw your engagement!'. If he did that, the Zhou family might cease to exist after the present generation. All of them would be banished, stripped of their surname.
He looked at Grandma Zhou, signaling the other to continue berating Linfeng to ease Master Xiong's ire.
Grandma Zhou finally calmed down in a more composed state than the current Grandpa Zhou. She understood her spouse's intentions, but she too, was filled with emotions.
Seeing his grandson act like this…
So mature and handsome.
So firm and open with his feelings.
The young Linfeng who learned to mask his feelings at an early age never acted cute at all with them.
Even though the elders were always reminding the younger ones about the traditions, the rules, and the responsibilities, their hearts still yearned to see their grandchildren acting cute and fluffy.
The Linfeng who had learned the rules of the society at such a young age was like a serious tiny a.d.u.l.t every time they saw him. He was a cute steamed bun, but there never was a moment of him running around energetically, shouting at them with 'Grandma! Grandpa!' in a waxy tone, or hugging them to ask for gifts and toys.
Now, the Linfeng in the palm of their hands was looking at them with firm determination. Their grandson had called them here. What for? It was to ask help from them.
Grandma Zhou, who just witnessed her grandson finally open up his feelings, promised to herself that she would protect his grandson's feelings and free will.
She looked at the other Zhou elders, then studied Master Xiong for a short moment.
She then took a step forward and bowed to the Master.
"Master Xiong, we are very grateful for your grace, for giving this huge opportunity to my grandson, and to the Zhou family. We will be forever grateful."
The moment she said this, Grandpa Zhou sighed with relief. He took a step back from Linfeng, hid behind his wife, and followed her actions. The other elder recovered from his shock and bowed, too.
The two echoed Grandma Zhou, "We will be forever grateful."
Xiong Zhi, who did not know their inner thoughts, frowned as she studied them. She was afraid that the elders would take Old Xiong's side.
As she was about to open her mouth, Grandma Zhou continued.
"Linfeng, my grandson, is a good child. I remember when he was young, he cut himself during knife training when he was nine years old. That time, we did not know at first. We just found a lot of blood stains in the training room. We looked for the person who was hurt, but no one reported they were injured and continued their training everyday. It was only three days later, that Linfeng knocked in my room and said he needed a doctor to clean his wound. His wound was not treated properly and his arms were strained when doing strenuous activity, it got infected and the wound got worse," she recalled nostalgically. Her husband, the grand-uncle, and Zhou Min looked at Grandma Zhou in surprise.
They remembered that incident. It was the first time that the young successor, Linfeng, took a two weeks break from his training. He had to undergo surgery. The wound was festering so much and had to be stitched up.
Linfeng looked at Grandma Zhou, his eyes flickering. He remembered that time. He did not want to cause trouble and ignored the wound after he did first aid. Sometime later after several trainings, he could not endure the pain anymore. He got scared by the color of the wound, so after hesitating, he sneakily knocked on his Grandma Zhou's room who was the closest to him at that time.
But why mention it now?
He looked at his elders' expressions. They looked all guilty. Even his father looked down to hide the shame in his eyes.
Linfeng looked down, too. His eyes hid what he was thinking about at the moment.
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