Hearing this, Noah Johnson was a bit displeased. Henry Johnson gave a couple of awkward chuckles but didn’t reply.

Ethan Johnson coughed twice, waved his hand with bulging veins, and said loudly, “Boss, don’t blame your brother—it was me who told him to call you and your wife to come back and stay for a couple of days. Your mother and I haven’t been feeling well lately. We’re both pushing seventy, and who knows how many days we have left... What, you’re not happy just because we asked you to come back and keep us company for a couple of days?”

Noah Johnson gave a wry smile. “Dad, that’s not what I meant... It’s just that I still have some things to take care of at work. Since you and Mom are okay, we’ll head back tomorrow... Once I get through this busy period, I’ll come back with Paige Walker to spend more time with you two, all right?”

“What are you busy with? I already heard from Nate—at work, you’re just a deputy director with no position or power, what work do you even manage?” Ethan Johnson raised his thick, black eyebrows streaked with white. Henry Johnson chimed in with a laugh, “Nate said it seems big brother is in charge of the office, and he’s pretty free all day.”

“I’m telling you, since you two are already back, just settle in and stay for a couple of days. Let’s have a proper family reunion... And another thing, the little girl from the second brother’s family is getting engaged in a few days. As her eldest uncle, you can’t skip her engagement banquet, can you? It’s a hassle to come and go, so just stay for a couple of days, okay?”

“Nate said he has a classmate in Qing’an whose family keeps bees. He heard his grandpa isn’t well and insisted on getting some royal jelly from his classmate for his grandpa... Honestly, I think it’s a hassle, it’d be easier to just buy some, but the kid says most of what’s sold in the market is fake... When Nate comes home, let the second brother’s family slaughter a pig, and call your eldest sister’s family back too. Wouldn’t it be great for the whole family to have a reunion together...”

Noah Johnson’s mother, Mrs. Zhang, stood at the threshold of the main room and interjected.

“Mom, it’s not a holiday or anything, why slaughter a pig? That’s too wasteful.” Paige Walker quickly got up to help support Mrs. Zhang.

Ethan Johnson laughed heartily. “It’s not wasteful. Life at home is getting better and better... Besides, we have double happiness in the family now, so we have to slaughter a pig and invite the villagers for a meal! Nate graduated from college, and the little girl from the second brother’s family is getting engaged—how can we not slaughter a pig? We must!”

Noah Johnson frowned and said, “Nate has classmates in Qing’an? Did he say when he’ll be back? Oh, Henry Clark, wasn’t Wenjing supposed to get engaged in August? Why is it earlier now?”

Wang Yuemei stood up with a smile and explained, “Big brother, here’s the thing: the groom’s family invited a feng shui master to pick a date, and he said next Tuesday is an auspicious day, so they changed it. Since the groom’s family said so, there’s nothing we can do. I was just about to call you and your wife, and it just so happened that Nate came back...”

Noah Johnson responded with an “oh,” still a bit suspicious inside, but he didn’t say anything more. He was a filial person, and since his father and mother insisted on them staying at the old home for a couple of days, he could only comply. Still, this trip back home... left him feeling a bit uneasy. He had a vague feeling that all of this was orchestrated by his son Nathaniel Johnson, but after thinking it over, he figured there was nothing wrong with staying a few days to keep his parents company, so he just went along with it.

Although he wanted to go back and handle “official business” with Quinn Lewis, he thought again that a few days wouldn’t make much difference, and he couldn’t risk upsetting his parents over it.

“All right, second brother’s wife, since your sister-in-law came from afar, you’ll cook tonight.” Ethan Johnson was actually still quite robust. He sprang up from the rattan chair, startling Noah Johnson. “Dad, take it easy, don’t strain your back!”

“It’s fine, I’m still in good shape. I can still help the second brother’s wife carry manure in the morning. That’s settled then—just stay here for now. Boss, the little girl’s engagement is in these two days, and we’ll be hosting guests. You should help your sister-in-law out too.” Ethan Johnson waved his hand as he spoke.

Paige Walker quickly smiled and said, “Okay, I understand, Dad.”

……

Nathaniel Johnson never actually went to Qing’an City, but went straight back to Haidu. With the cooperation of his grandparents, his “lure the tiger away from the mountain” plan was successfully carried out. When he got home at noon and heard that his younger uncle’s cousin was getting engaged, he was overjoyed and quickly urged Grandpa Ethan Johnson to use his “parental authority” to “summon” his stubbornly filial father back home for a break.

After telling a white lie, Nathaniel Johnson hurried back to Haidu. In fact, when he returned to Haidu, Noah Johnson and his wife hadn’t even made it back to Taishan Town yet.

Back home, he took a shower, then stood on the balcony, quietly looking down at the parking lot below. He rarely smoked, but feeling a bit unsettled, he took one of his father’s Ashima cigarettes and lit it.

At dusk, a black, old-style Audi—at least in Nathaniel Johnson’s eyes—slowly drove into the complex and parked in the Lu family’s reserved spot. The secretary got out and opened the car door. Wearing a short-sleeved white shirt and black pants, with hair slicked back and shiny, Quinn Lewis stepped out of the car, looking stern and dignified, carrying his briefcase as he walked upstairs, though his steps were clearly hurried and a bit unsteady.

……

……