Old Master Zhao indeed swung his cane forcefully without any hesitation.
Having earned his place through real combat experience, he still possessed good aim, striking the attacker squarely in the forehead.
It's unclear how much force was used, but a walnut-sized, swollen bump instantly appeared on the person's forehead.
"Shi Jingpei, how could you do this to me!" The old man gritted his teeth in anger. "I trusted you so much, how could you be so heartless? What did I ever do to displease you?"
Shi Jingpei was stunned by the blow; his forehead felt numb, and he couldn't feel any pain.
He's already a grandfather now, and rarely sees people bowing and scraping to him. Now that the old man has reprimanded him like this, he's furious inside, but he still respectfully asks, "Old Zhao, what exactly are you talking about? I'm still completely confused."
"My mind has never been very sharp, so please explain it to me in detail. Don't get angry, it's not worth it."
Old Master Zhao sneered, "Director Shi, I'm just a retired old man, I don't deserve to be called Old Master Zhao by you."
Knowing that the old man was truly angry, Shi Jingpei asked anxiously, "Although I don't know what I did to offend you, let me apologize first. Getting angry won't solve anything."
"Could you please give me directions? I have always treated you as a proper elder, and I have never missed sending you gifts on holidays."
“I served under you for many years. Don’t you know what kind of person I am? Can a person hide their true nature forever? You have to trust me, and trust your own soldiers!”
The old man continued with a cold laugh: "Sometimes, being a soldier only requires obeying orders to climb the ranks, but being unwise can indeed ruin a person's life."
"You're stupid! Can't you ask questions or think things through? How many years have you been using this excuse? You're shirking responsibility and making a mistake!"
Grandpa Zhao didn't argue with him any further. Before he could speak, he asked directly, "Let me ask you, did you personally go to pick up my granddaughter back then?"
Shi Jingpei was taken aback, then nodded somewhat guiltily, "Yes, I will definitely handle the matter you asked me to do personally. I went to the address you gave me and found the girl with the birthmark and jade pendant."
"But it was too chaotic at the time, and the person didn't keep the jade pendant safe and it broke. We don't know if the person was greedy or if it was really broken."
"But your granddaughter is innocent!"
Grandpa Zhao nodded. "Oh? Is that so? Why did a little girl come looking for me today? She has a birthmark, but the granddaughter you brought me has a burn in the same spot."
"Whom should I believe?"
Shi Jingpei had beads of sweat on his forehead. He used to think that China was a vast country with poor transportation and communication, and that some people, once separated, would never see each other again.
But now he feels the world is too small. How come some people can come back after going around in circles?
Regardless of whether the girl is real or not, it is still quite rare for two people to have the same birthmark in the same place.
“Old man, it’s not right for anyone to come and claim kinship. Maybe someone leaked the news and someone with ulterior motives came to take advantage of us.”
"Besides, sir, children and grandchildren have their own destinies. Haven't you always neglected them?"
Old Master Zhao was so angry he wanted to throw the ashtray on the table at him. "I don't care about the younger generation, so you can fool me? You know you've worked for me for many years, I know you very well, how could I not know which of your words were true and which were false?"
"Tell me honestly, what exactly happened back then?"
"Otherwise, I'll just throw the truth in your face, and you'd better prepare to go home and be a stay-at-home husband!"
Shi Jingpei then became frightened.
Just as Old Master Zhao understood him, he also had a deep and profound familiarity with Old Master Zhao.
Don't let Old Master Zhao's loud and boisterous manner fool you. He may seem as rough as those old soldiers, but deep down he's still the same playboy he was before he left Beijing. He's shrewd beneath his rough exterior, and if you really get serious, things can get very serious.
Shi Jingpei said somewhat dejectedly, "At that time, my mother fell downstairs and broke her leg, so she couldn't leave me alone. That's why I asked my wife to go to the countryside to pick her up."
“I checked her round-trip tickets and saw that although the child did not have any birthmarks, the burns on her shoulder were old injuries. It is unlikely that anyone would have tampered with this.”
"So I sent the person to you immediately. Could something have gone wrong?"
Old Master Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly, "Who is your wife?"
His mind was completely focused on his work, and he wouldn't think about anything he wasn't interested in, so he asked about it.
“Ling Xinlan,” Shi Jingpei said softly, adding, “is the Ling family who currently lives in the South District.”
Old Master Zhao squinted slightly, feeling that the Ling family in the southern district sounded somewhat familiar. "Continue, let's talk about this Ling family."
Shi Jingpei opened his mouth and said, "I'm a traditional man who believes in men being in charge of external affairs and women being in charge of internal affairs. I'm focused on my work and don't really understand these situations."
“My wife’s family is too big, and everyone in them is a bit greedy. When we first got married, I would take my wife to deliver holiday gifts, but we had many arguments, so my wife has been doing it herself ever since.”
“I don’t like hearing about what happens in her family, so she never mentions it in front of me.”
Old Master Zhao always felt that things were like being separated by a thin sheet of oiled paper, which could be easily broken with a single poke, but he seemed to lack the right tools to clear the fog.
The two were talking in the living room.
The old man didn't think about avoiding others, after all, his family would find out about this sooner or later, since Ke Meiyu was their Zhao family's precious granddaughter.
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