Chapter 212: Sweeping The Grave (1/2)
By the time I finished the noodles, the rain had already stopped.
The garden was overgrown with weeds. There was no way father could clear them out in his condition.
Thus, I put down the chopsticks, grabbed the spade and went to clear them out.
Sitting in his wheelchair, father watched me work with a smile on his face.
……
It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door.
“Who is it?” Father asked.
There was no response, but I knew immediately who was outside the door. I immediately dropped the spade and opened the rusted door. As expected, it was the world-class beauty in purple uniform. She looked up and down before teasing me. “You are aware that a Heavenly King and weeding is an odd combination, right?”
I let out a chuckle before saying in a soft voice, “They can call me whatever they want, but here, I am only my dad’s son.”
“Hehe.”
He Yi stepped into the house after that. I noticed that she was purposely wearing her badge in the open. What is she planning?
When father saw He Yi for the first time, he thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him. After giving them a rub and confirming that he wasn’t seeing things, he asked, “You are…?”
He Yi stopped in front of father and smiled respectfully at him. “Uncle, I’m Lu Chen’s boss. Did you forget about me already?”
“Ah?” Father’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Are you that girl who came to visit half a month ago?”
“Yeah!”
I had not heard about this. “You’ve been to my house, Eve?”
“Yeah!”
He Yi pursed her lips as her eyes turned red. “I thought you were gone at the time, so I checked your household register and came here. I was going to take uncle to Suzhou to take care of him, but he wanted to stay here, so I had no choice but to give up.”
Father smiled at He Yi and asked, “Are you an acquaintance of Lu Chen, young lady?”
“Yep!” He Yi smiled back before pointing at me. “I’m his boss. In the company, he must address me as boss~~”
I was stunned. Seriously, what on earth is He Yi planning?
A hint of relief broke out of father’s expression. “So Lu Chen is working now?”
“Mn.”
He Yi showed off her badge before smiling. “Look, it’s a GGS software company. I’m the department manager, and Lu Chen’s a core member of our department. Also, GGS is an international company and one of the Top 500 companies in the world!”
Father looked really relieved. “Hehehe, good. I’m very glad. I’ve been worried that Lu Chen would have an unstable job and lead an unstable life. Oh right, manager, why are you still standing outside? Come in and take a seat. You shouldn’t have come all the way to this small village…”
I didn’t know what to say. Giggling, He Yi stuck her tongue at me before she grabbed my arm and pulled me into the living room behind father.
I couldn’t believe I had missed something this obvious. How careless of me.
Father was very cordial with He Yi. “Manager, I don’t have anything besides a couple of countryside dishes to offer you during your visit. I hope you don’t mind!”
He Yi nodded with a smile. “Of course not, uncle.”
I asked her quietly, “Has the car been fixed already?”
“No, they told me to go back in the morning. I came on a motorized tricycle, it was unbelievably bumpy…”
“...”
The chat went on for a little while longer before I rose to my feet. “Dad, I’m going to sweep mom’s grave.”
“Oh, sure!”
He Yi also rose to her feet in a hurry. “I’ll come with you!”
But my father asked in surprise, “But manager, why would you want to visit his mom’s grave?”
“I... er…”
He Yi turned red as her lies finally caught up to her. She glared at me, and I hurriedly said, “She’s been cooped up in the city all day and night, and she felt like checking out life in the countryside and breathing some fresh air to relax.”
Father’s puzzlement faded away. “Ah, I see. See you later then!”
“Bye!”
……
The second I stepped out of the house with He Yi, I let out a deep sigh of relief.
He Yi was also breathing rather heavily after the fright my father gave both of us. She laughed. “Wow, that was scary. I had no idea what to say just now. Thank goodness you’re a quick-witted person, Lu Chen…”
I stared at her expressionlessly. “Fuck, that was a do-or-die situation, you know?”
“Hehe!” He Yi giggled in a rare moment of embarrassment. After that, she said, “Anyway, you were going to sweep auntie’s grave, right? Should we buy some paper money first?”
“Mn.”
We arrived at a small shop. The owner was an old auntie past 60. She smiled at me when she saw my face. “Aiyo, you’re Carpenter Lu’s son, Lu Chen, right? You haven’t been home in a while, have you?”
“Mn.” I nodded. “I would like to buy some paper money, please.”
She nodded, but jolted in surprise when her gaze strayed from me to He Yi. “Ah?! Is it just me, or does she look like a star on TV? Lu Chen, is she your girlfriend?”
“I… er… well…” Having no idea how to answer the question, I wasn’t able to give an answer no matter how much I stuttered.
But He Yi grabbed my arm affectionately and smiled brightly. “That’s correct! We’re visiting a grave after this, so can you please get our paper money quickly, auntie?”