Beijing time, 7:34 PM.
The moment Lu Mingfei stepped through the Family's main gate, he immediately realized what good show he had missed by choosing to go to Qutang Gorge.
Four boys, who looked much younger than him, were standing in the corner, each holding a bucket of water on their heads, their hands gripping the almost overflowing buckets, not daring to move, their faces filled with sorrow.
In front of them was a shattered cake and a middle-aged man whose white clothes were barely recognizable.
A child's trick.
Even cunning middle-aged men would be deceived by their innocent and lovely appearance, and Lu Mingfei would be no exception. Fortunately, he went to Qutang Gorge instead of turning directly to the Family.
Someone took the hit for him.
Liu Heguang offered an apologetic smile, "We received the notice at 4 PM. These four little rascals' prank intended for you was caught by the Family Uncle, so they are staying here as punishment, to serve as a warning to others."
"How much longer do they have to stand?" Lu Mingfei asked curiously.
"Originally it was 4 hours, but considering the target was you, Mingfei, I specially added two more hours for them." Liu Heguang glanced at the four little ones. "The buckets on their heads are about to leak."
The four little ones instantly straightened their heads, looking straight ahead.
"Why aren't there things padded under their feet?" Lu Mingfei asked.
As soon as he said this, even Zero looked up at Lu Mingfei, wondering when and by whom Lu Mingfei's heart had been blackened.
Lu Mingfei had watched many movies and TV shows and seen similar punishment methods. Most people would have bricks or other things padded under their feet, but these four little ones were standing on flat ground, which seemed a bit...
But he immediately realized that his words were ambiguous, implying that he was dissatisfied with this punishment. He was just curious about the different method and definitely not black-hearted, so he quickly rephrased.
"Don't misunderstand, I just found it different from what I saw in movies, so I was a bit curious."
"Tong Chen, no need to call someone to get things for padding their feet." Liu Heguang said softly, then he turned to look at Lu Mingfei, "Mr. Angers is having dinner with the Family Elders. It might be impolite for us to intrude now, so do you mind if it's just the four of us eating together?"
The four of them moved to a courtyard. In a room within the courtyard, the sounds of stringed instruments played harmoniously. The stone table under the old scholar tree was already filled with nine porcelain plates. There were no other people nearby, so it seemed this dinner truly was just for the four of them.
It wasn't the lavish feast Lu Mingfei had imagined; it was more like home-cooked dishes: stir-fried broccoli, stir-fried green beans, mushrooms with meat, and so on.
Four bowls of millet porridge were neatly placed on the table, making Lu Mingfei feel like he was eating at home.
"Do you want steamed buns?" After sitting down, Liu Heguang frowned slightly, realizing something was missing, and asked Lu Mingfei.
"Yes, yes!" Lu Mingfei was delighted. He ate wraps and rice every day at Kassel College, and the steamed buns he usually ate at home were not common there.
"That's good. Time was short, so we really couldn't prepare anything better. I still have to apologize to you, Mingfei." Liu Heguang said.
"No, no, this is great. I wouldn't be able to relax if it were too formal." Lu Mingfei watched as the fresh steamed buns were brought out.
Zero quietly sipped her millet porridge. After discreetly putting a slice of meat on Lu Mingfei's plate when he wasn't looking, she remained silent.
Liu Heguang was also not reserved, enthusiastically placing a chicken leg in front of Lu Mingfei. "Consider this an apology to you, Mingfei. We will definitely treat you well tomorrow."
Lu Mingfei was flattered, not expecting Liu Heguang to put on no airs at all. He didn't seem like a young Family Head, but rather more like a big brother next door, giving him a familiar feeling of visiting relatives.
In the past, during Chinese New Year, he often saw his uncle putting meat and vegetables on the plates of visiting relatives' children. He never expected to have such a day himself.
Liu Tongchen just ate quietly, picking up another chicken leg and placing it in front of himself.
"Tong Chen?" Liu Heguang glanced at Liu Tongchen.
"Brother." Liu Tongchen responded, reluctantly looking at the chicken leg in his bowl.
"It's okay, I don't really like to eat meat." Zero interjected. She had been observing the two brothers opposite her; they were odd. As soon as they sat down at the dinner table, Liu Heguang's big-shot demeanor vanished, replaced by a homey atmosphere.
That person seemed to regard everyone sitting at the dinner table as his own Family.
Liu Tongchen was his younger brother, Lu Mingfei was also his younger brother, and she was his younger sister.
It was strange; this person seemed a bit too familiar.
Zero lowered her head and drank her porridge, saying no more.
Liu Heguang nodded and no longer demanded that Liu Tongchen contribute his chicken leg. According to the rules of eating within the Family, one should not speak during meals, but the two people in front of him, one was a student studying abroad, and the other was not Chinese at all, plus Liu Heguang himself didn't care much about this rule.
So, the meal turned into a lively chat.
"Oh, I forgot to give you something."
Two girls emerged from behind Liu Heguang, carrying wooden boxes. They walked to Lu Mingfei and Zero's sides and bowed, opening the wooden boxes to reveal two wooden plaques in each, and nothing else.
"This is?" Lu Mingfei thought of his Kassel College student ID.
"Family identification. If anything related to hybrids happens domestically in the future, having this will make things much easier." Liu Heguang smiled, "Which means, from the moment you receive this wooden plaque, both of you will be considered guest elders of the Family."
"Guest elder?" Lu Mingfei was stunned. This was a high-ranking official in ancient times; was it given out so easily?
"It just means guest." Liu Tongchen explained.
"So does this mean I've joined the Family? Do I need to go somewhere to register?" Lu Mingfei took the wooden plaque, flipping it over and over, seeing no difference.
"Joining the Family isn't that simple." Liu Heguang smiled. "Currently, there are only three ways to join the Family: one is to gain the recognition of a certain surname's Family Head and become an affiliated surname of that great Family; the second is to marry into the Family, finding a woman from a major surname to marry; and the third, well."
He paused, "The third is to prove with your strength that your surname can survive within the Family, by slaying a Dragon King and establishing your own independence."
"Affiliate, marry in, slay a dragon." Lu Mingfei summarized.
"That's the idea. To be honest, the current attitude within the Family towards you, Mingfei, is that marrying in is preferred over affiliation." Liu Heguang said frankly. "From what I understand, two families already have daughters considering marrying you, Mingfei."
"Marry in?" Lu Mingfei's eyes widened. "Me? I haven't even graduated from college, my first love hasn't even started, and I'm already getting married into a Family?"
Liu Heguang nodded, saying nothing more.
Zero gazed calmly into Liu Heguang's eyes, also saying nothing.
Lu Mingfei scratched his head, not knowing what to say.
The atmosphere at the dining table suddenly became strange. In that moment, the 18-year-old boy suddenly had to consider his own life's major events for no clear reason.