Chapter 284 - Growing Trust (1/2)

Chapter 284: Growing Trust

“Me getting the required power is a precondition for helping the Millennium Pavilion move to another place, which means that for their own good, they will definitely give me a hand if the occasion arises.”

Ling Zhang’s eyes instantly lit up at this remark Yuwen Tong made in a low voice beside his ear. He caught on to what Yuwen Tong meant.

“You’re pretty good at this. I was worried that we were in a pa.s.sive position. It didn’t occur to me that you seized the initiative,” Ling Zhang also breathed beside Yuwen Tong’s ear.

Yuwen Tong smiled and gave him a kiss. “In order to shape a bright future for us, I’ve got to make full use of everything within my reach. It’s a natural thing.”

Ling Zhang gave him a pinch on the arm. “Lower your voice.”

Arms around Ling Zhang, Yuwen Tong rubbed himself against him. “Relax. There’s no doubt Ji Yanlai knows I’ll figure this out. What’s the point of worry about him finding out something he’s already known?”

Ling Zhang let out a soft cough and listened hard to the sounds from outside, but this was the Millennium Pavilion, and he really couldn’t say for sure that he wouldn’t mishear. There was no telling whether or not some kung fu expert was hiding somewhere outside this house.

Yuwen Tong, however, was totally unworried, a quite relaxed and contented look on his face.

…

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong stayed in this courtyard house. Later this day, Ling Zhaowu woke up but appeared a little listless. With his pallid face and thin figure on top of it, he looked as though he could collapse at any moment. Seeing this, Ling Zhang knitted his brows.

Ling Zhaowu’s eyes was obviously still a little unfocused when they fell on Ling Zhang, who tentatively walked over and sat opposite him. “Father.”

Ling Zhaowu looked at him, opened his mouth to utter “Ah” and then averted his gaze. After a while, his eyes moved onto Ling Zhang against, as though he had something to say to Ling Zhang but was somewhat afraid.Update by

“Father, you don’t have to be afraid of me. I’ll stay here to take care of you as well, okay?” Ling Zhang tried to make himself sound as mild as possible, fixing his father with a sincere stare.

Eyes on him, Ling Zhaowu understood. After quite a while, he bobbed his head and replied, “Okay.”

Ling Zhang inwardly let out a sigh of relief and hesitantly reached out his hand to take his father’s arm. “Father, let me support you outside to go for a walk.”

Ling Zhaowu didn’t flinch at Ling Zhang’s approach and stood up with his help. Ling Zhang brought him out of the house to have a stroll in the orchard outside the front yard. Maybe it was because of that brief mental stimulation he’d been subjected to at noon, Ling Zhaowu had been a trifle dull since he’d awoken, and he wasn’t walking with as much ease as he used to. Though Ling Zhang was guiding him, he still tripped over small rocks or short cl.u.s.ters of gra.s.s occasionally, and Ling Zhang had to watch his step for him all the time, his arms steadily supporting Ling Zhaowu to prevent him from falling.

Maybe because Ling Zhaowu had realized that Ling Zhang was reliable, he gradually became much more relaxed, smiling at Ling Zhang from time to time. Though his smile was simple and barely contained any emotions, Ling Zhang felt a brief twinge of sadness every time he saw it.

After walking around the front yard twice, worrying about Ling Zhaowu’s physical condition, Ling Zhang intended to take him back, but Ling Zhaowu seemed to have gradually taken a liking to walking with Ling Zhang. He grabbed Ling Zhang’s hand, pointed at the fruits on the trees and told Ling Zhang excitedly, “We can eat those!”

Those were plum trees. The climate in the Sanguan Mountains differed greatly from area to area. It was very difficult for plum trees outside this basin to successfully fruit, but those inside were now laden with plums some of which were beginning to redden and would be ready to eat in a few days. Ling Zhaowu was pointing at a couple of relatively red ones on a twig from which plums were hanging in cl.u.s.ters.

Ling Zhang looked at him. “You want to have a try, Father?”

Ling Zhaowu gave a nod, his expectant eyes on Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang turned his head around, s.h.i.+fting his gaze to Yuwen Tong, who took the hint and returned to ask Mr. Mu about it. Mr. Mu replied, “It was Ya who grew all those fruit trees. Please help yourself.”

So Ling Zhang had Ling Zhaowu stand under a tree. “Just stay here, Father. Don’t walk away.”

Ling Zhaowu inclined his head, eyeing yearningly at those plums, swallowing hard.

Ling Zhang released Ling Zhaowu’s hand, took a flying leap upward, nimbly picked the couple of plums hanging from the twig and then landed steadily on the ground, the several reddish plums lying in his palms, along with a few leaves.

Judging from their color, these plums had a faint sweetness in the outer layers of their flesh at the most and were largely tart and astringent.

Seeing Ling Zhaowu was straining at the leash to taste them, Ling Zhang hastily removed the leaves, wiped those plums with his sleeve and then handed one to Ling Zhaowu. “Father, these plums are very sour. You–”

Before he could finish his sentence, Ling Zhaowu had taken the plum and stuffed it into his mouth. The next moment, his brows contracted, his countenance changing, and as though what was in his mouth tasted terrible, he instantly spat out the plum, an aggrieved expression in his eyes which looked at Ling Zhang incredulously.

Ling Zhang almost dissolved into laughter at the sight of Ling Zhaowu’s amusing reaction, but he forbore from doing so, for after all this man was his father, and he had to show him some respect. Otherwise when his father recuperated from his amnesia and recollected this, he’d probably feel embarra.s.sed and angry.

“I can’t eat these,” said Ling Zhaowu in an aggrieved and quizzical tone of voice, as though unable to understand why the plums he’d had in the past had been sweet but these were so tart.

Ling Zhang explained, “These plums are still green, so they’re sour. They’ll taste sweet when they turn red.”

Ling Zhaowu, who’d lost interest in plums and didn’t want to see plums any more, swept the remaining couple of plums in Ling Zhang’s palms off to the ground and said to him, “Don’t eat them.”