Just like Father Wang said, Aunt Wang was a character who was hard to deal with. She probably backed down this time only because Father and Mother Wang were here, and they had come back to honor their ancestors. As soon as they left, Old Man Wang would probably continue to be bombarded by her matchmaking.
Of course, this was Aunt Wangâs own wishful thinking⊠however, the root of this issue stemmed from the fact that most of the villagers depended on Old Man Wang. Back then, he single-handedly led the sea village out of poverty toward prosperity, and the villagers worshipped him like a big brother. It was because of this that the villagers believed in the importance of Old Man Wang as the pillar of the village.
But even a pillar would grow old one day.
Father Wang left the sea village to live in the city. Although he had used his earnings as an author to buy a suburban villa and settle down, this didnât give the villagers any sense of security⊠Actually, Father Wang felt that the villagers didnât have enough confidence in themselves.
Under Aunt Wang Dongmeiâs leadership, the sea villageâs growth hadnât stagnated at all in the last two years.
But Old Man Wangâs existence was like a calming tonic which soothed the people.
âAunt Wang, my father is quite tired after being on the road the whole day. Why donât we talk about this after the ancestral worship?â Father Wang knew that if she continued to hang around, his dad might not even be able to eat dinner; as someone wise in the ways of the world, Aunt Wang naturally recognized her cue to leave.
She took out a book from her chest pocket and placed it on the table with a smile. âUncle Wang, I know youâre not keen now, but thatâs fine! Iâll leave this book here. Later, when youâre interested, you can flip through it and have a look. If you see anyone you like, send me a photo and Iâll immediately arrange for the lady to come to your place.â
âYouâll even bring her here?â Father Wang smiled.
Wang Dongmei: âOf course! Uncle Wang is so distinguished, we canât have him go over himself, right? Let me tell you, Uncle Wang is still young! Itâs just that he doesnât want to take youth-retaining pills. Actually, a lot of men take it nowadays, and I donât think itâs a big deal! If Uncle Wangâs appearance went back to what it was like when he was young, it would be an insta-kill for all the fresh meat out there! Iâll leave this youth-retaining pill with you, Uncle Wang â Iâve kept it for you all this time!â
Father and Mother Wang: ââŠâ
Aunt Wangâs face was like a peach blossom as she spoke, and she started to blather on again before leaving. âAlso, Uncle Wang, go through the photos in the book carefully. For some of the old ones, there are also photos of them when they were young. If you fancy their younger looks, I can also give them this youth-retaining pill!â
Father Wang and Mother Wang: ââŠâ
After talking non-stop for five or six minutes, Aunt Wang finally left in high spirits.
Old Man Wang slumped down in his chair like Ge You; it was as if his life had already lost all meaning.
He sighed with extreme bitterness â as if he had watched the rotten ending of season eight of the
Game of Thrones
, he looked like he wanted to die.
âTsk, Aunt Wang really knows how to use any opportunity.â
Father Wang spoke mockingly, before he started flipping through that matchmaking book.
Father Wangâs glasses slid down his nose at the range of photos inside.
âThe heck⊠Aunt Wangâs prep is so detailedâŠâ Father Wang was stunned.
There were all kinds inside this matchmaking book! Even black girlsâŠ
âAgalia Mamatty, top graduate of Mixiu nationâs Xia Fo Cultivation Academy, majored in spirit sword applied engineering and air flow technology, has a Michelin five-star chef certificate⊠even her BWH is includedâŠâ Father Wang stared blankly. This foreigner could be described as utterly invincible from this information alone⊠But Father Wang didnât understand â why would such an outstanding talent appear in this matchmaking book?
âDad, what do you think these people want from you? The fact youâre old? That you donât shower <sup>1</sup> ?â
â???â
Old Man Wang: âThatâs Su Daqiang! I shower every day!â
Father Wang laughed. âIâm just joking, dad! I had a look, and the profiles arenât bad. You havenât lost any of your charm.â At this point, Mother Wang also covered her mouth and laughed; both of them were well aware of how Old Man Wang had been known as a Casanova back in the day.
Old Man Wang: âHeyâŠâ
âDad, donât sigh.â
Father Wang hurried over and gripped Old Man Wangâs hand. âYou are the pillar of Seigaku⊠Bah! the pillar of the sea village <sup>1</sup> !â
Old Man Wang rolled his eyes and sat up straight. âWhat do you knowâŠâ
âThen what do you think about this, dad?â Mother Wang asked softly as she also sat down.
The old manâs opinion was always the most important.
Although it did seem on the surface that Old Man Wang wasnât interested in finding a new partner, they couldnât rule out the slightest possibility that this was because of other factors; for example, that Old Man Wang might have his own concerns.
âDad, if you really want to find a new partner, you donât need to worry about me. I had thought about looking for a stepmother to take care of you before, which would be good. To be honest, Iâm worried sometimes about you living in this sea village. Ling Ling took pains to cure you of your dementia; who knows if itâll come back when you play mahjong with Uncle Wu and the rest â those two are pretty sly!â Father Wang whispered.
âYour mom was the reason for my dementiaâŠâ Old Man Wang rolled his eyes and poked Father Wang in the forehead. âYou heartless thing. When your mother was alive, she treated you the best! Youâre still thinking of finding a stepmotherâŠâ
âAiyo.â Father Wang pretended to cry out in pain before he laughed. âOf course, I know how good my mom was to me. Thatâs why Iâve never skipped out on honoring our ancestors every year. I also know how you feel about my mom⊠but the problem is that so many people are eyeing you now. If you really arenât interested, itâs best to deal with this quickly so that theyâll stop trying.â
Old Man Wangâs expression was melancholy. âSometimes, we donât know how to cherish something until itâs gone. Honestly speaking, when your mom was still around, she always ignored me, grumbled about me, and nagged meâŠ
âWhen sheâs gone, my heartâs empty.
âHer voice always echoes in my ears.
âI canât forget her, let alone let goâŠ
âI did think of looking for a companion, but I always felt that your momâs soul is with me and hasnât left.â
Father Wang felt tears welling up in his eyes.
But he didnât want the atmosphere to be too heavy, so he wiped his tears and forced a smile. âYouâre saying my momâs soul never left?â
Old Man Wang rolled his eyes again.
But this time.
â
Pa!
â The crisp sound of a slap suddenly rang out in the air.
The entire scene fell silent.
There was a handprint on the left side of Father Wangâs face.
The sensation was familiarâŠ
Father Wang was so frightened he broke out in a cold sweat on the spot. âHoly shit! Mom! Youâre really here! Mom, if youâre here, please slap me again!â
Pa!
There was another handprint on the right side of his face.
And then⊠there was nothing.
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Hugging each other, father and son trembled where they sat.
Mother Wang: ââŠâ
Father Wang finally realized now why Old Man Wang had been so against the idea of finding a companion.