Chapter 2883: The Way of Friends
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Exactly, exactly, exactly deceiving the consumers!”
Meng Xiaolang smiled mischievously. “But Grandpa, please don’t be angry. My father is my father, and I am myself. This time, you have to do your grandson a favor.”
“Oh?”
Meng Jiang smiled. “I knew it. You must be up to no good. Tell me, what happened?”
“Well, as I told you last time, the ‘major compet.i.tion’ for the graduates of our batch is about to begin. If we perform well, it is very likely that we will be selected to join the Burning Prairie Fleet.
Meng Xiaolang paused for a moment. He stuck out his chest and grinned. “I’m in!”
“This is a good thing! I knew it!”
Meng Jiang was both surprised and delighted. “The Burning Prairie Fleet is the best of the best in the federal army. Why don’t you go home and tell your parents such a happy event? Do you want Grandpa to help you?”
“It’s not like that. II told you not to be angry. You were chosen, but your grandson’s performance was too outstanding. Now, the higher-ups have given your grandson another choice.”
Meng Xiaolang lowered his head and said, “If I have the chance, I will go to… another fleet.”
“What do you mean? The Burning Prairie Fleet is already the strongest ace army of the federal army. Didn’t you always say that you might as well pack up and go home if you can’t go to the Burning Prairie Fleet after you go to the military school?”
Meng Jiang was suspicious. “What are you up to again? Is there a better place than the Burning Prairie Fleet?”
“Well—”
Meng Xiaolang shook his head. “I can’t say.”
Meng Jiang narrowed his eyes and looked at his grandson for a long time. He thought for a moment and asked, “Then, where is your new fleet going?”
“I don’t know.”
Meng Xiaolang shook his head again. “I can’t tell you even if I do.”
“Oh. Guess again, Grandpa.”
Meng Jiang said, “Your new fleet must be much more dangerous and arduous than the Burning Prairie Fleet, right?”
“still can’t say.”
Meng Xiaolang said, “Grandpa, I’m sorry. I can’t say anything, but I still hope that you can help me plead with my parents and ask them to let me go. You know, when I applied for the military school, they grumbled for an entire year. If they knew that I went to a mysterious new fleet instead of the Burning
Prairie Fleet, who knows when they would come back, they would definitely agree!”
“Hehe. I see.”
‘Meng Jiang smiled and said, “Are you going to fight a war in the center of the sea of stars with real weapons?”
Meng Xiaolang gasped.
Although he didn’t say anything, his wide-opened eyes and shocked expression betrayed everything.
He almost blurted out, “Grandpa, how did you know?”
“Nonsense. Do you really think your grandfather is old?”
Meng Xiaolang didn’t open his mouth, but Meng Jiang knew what the kid was going to say. He took his razor from his grandson’s hand and scratched it repeatedly, while he mumbled, “Right now, there are loudspeakers shouting ‘Wa la la la’ every day outside. News is changing one after another. They are
all about the expedition to the center of the sea of stars. Also, the regular customers in your grandpa’s shop have been soldiers for decades. If they can’t figure out the market, what can they do?”
“Then—”
Meng Xiaolang felt that something was bothering him. His cheeks were burning, but when he noticed that his grandpa was not anxious or angry, he asked carefully, “Then, then, Grandpa, what if—what if I really go to the center of the sea of stars? Will you support me?”
“Let’s put the support aside for now. Why do you have to go?”
‘Meng Jiang put away the razor neatly. He secretly took out a small bottle of shaving foam from the secret compartment at the bottom of the tool cabinet. He opened the bottle, only to be greeted by the fragrance of wine.
He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he took a sip of the canned food that his grandson had brought back and gestured to his grandson. “Go and wait at the gate. Send a signal to your grandpa when you see your grandma enter the neighborhood. Yes. Just squat there and tell your grandpa
what you were thinking. Why did you have to risk your life in the center of the sea of stars instead of living a comfortable life at home?”
“What—what is there to think about? Our Federation has always respected martial strength. Floating Spear City is the most popular place for martial arts in the entire Federation. It’s the ‘Vulture City’. Which Floating Spear man doesn’t want to fight for glory with every strike?”
Meng Xiaolang made up his mind. He held his head high and said, “Grandpa taught me since I was a little kid that, no matter what I do, I should always do my best. Now that I’ve studied in a military school, it’s only natural that I join the best fleet and become the best soldier! I thought that the Burning
Prairie Fleet was the best in the federation, and that’s why I always wanted to join the Burning Prairie Fleet. But right now, I have a better choice. Normal people won’t have the opportunity to join it even if they want to. The elimination rate is more than 99%. There’s no reason for me to waste such a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity after going through so much trouble to pa.s.s the test!
“Besides, besides—”
“Not to mention what?”
Meng Jiang stared at his grandson.
“Besides, I want to help you, grandpa!”
Meng Xiaolang took a deep breath. Seeing that n.o.body was around, he clenched his fists and declared resolutely, “I’m going to let everyone know that ‘Meng Jiang’ is not only Li Yao’s cla.s.smate but also ‘Meng Xiaolang’s’ grandfather. You have a super awesome grandson who will definitely make great
achievements in the center of the sea of stars. He will s.h.i.+ne brilliantly and have many fortuitous encounters. He will become the new generation of the Federation’s G.o.d of War and the legend of the next hundred years. Hahahaha!”
It was true that Meng Xiaolang had a great secret since childhood—he was the ‘Supreme of the Three Realms, Vulture Li Yao’, who was regarded as a glory and a miracle by the entire federation. He was a hero who had created countless glories and legends. He was also the symbol of Floating Spear City. He
and his blood grandfather were actually cla.s.smates in high school!
However, at that time, his grandfather and Li Yao did not seem to be on good terms. He had vaguely heard his grandfather mention that the two of them had some kind of conflict. His grandfather had even… bullied Li Yao!
Therefore, his grandfather did not like to mention the name ‘Li Yao’ at home. Occasionally, when Meng Xiaolang’s father mentioned it, his grandfather would glare at him with a fierce look on his face.
Ever since Meng Xiaolang had become sensible, he had always had a very strange feeling. It was the weird feeling that… although he was a historical figure recorded in textbooks, he had been involved with the people closest to him.
For some reason, he also had the ambition of “If I can do it, then there’s no reason why I can’t do it.”
Besides, it sometimes occurred to Meng Xiaolang that, if his grandfather had really had a conflict with ‘Vulture Li Yao’ when he was young, his grandfather must’ve been very depressed, because his grandfather would never be able to redeem himself when faced with an unparalleled expert such as ‘Vulture
Li Yao’.
It didn’t matter. If Grandpa couldn’t find a place, he would ask his grandson to do it for him. One day, he, Meng Xiaolang, would create a greater glory than ‘Vulture Li Yao”!
Meng Xiaolang blushed. Embarra.s.sed, he told his grandfather everything that had happened.
He did not expect that Meng Jiang would suddenly burst into laughter after staring at him for a long time. He was laughing so hard that he almost spilled the wine contained in the shaving foam.
“Hahahaha. Good grandson. What a good grandson. Grandpa is to blame. Haha. Hahahaha. Grandpa is really to blame!”
Meng Jiang laughed for a long time before he was stopped by the stunned look in his grandson’s eyes. He took a few deep breaths, only to find that his face had tured blue. It was not until half a day later that he winked at his grandson and gestured for him to come over. “Come here. I’ll tell you a secret. If
you are planning to go to the center of the sea of stars because you want to fight for your grandpa and surpa.s.s Vulture Li Yao, then it’s unnecessary.
“Grandpa and Li Yao were indeed high school cla.s.smates, but there were no conflicts or grudges between them. On the contrary, our relations.h.i.+p was very good at that time. We were best friends.
“Even grandpa went to Li Yao’s wedding. Also, after he returned from the Ancient Saint World after a hundred years and stopped the invasion of the Black Wind Fleet, he didn’t stop contacting grandpa. So, don’t think too much about it!”
“”What—what?”
Meng Xiaolang was dumbfounded. He felt that the world was collapsing in front of him. He stammered, “Grandpa and Li Yao are best friends? How is that possible? I remember clearly that Grandpa and Dad said that you were in a bad relations.h.i.+p at that time. Grandpa even asked someone to beat Li Yao
up, only to be slapped in the face by Li Yao!”
“That was a lie.”
Meng Jiang blinked his eyes and said, “You know your father’s personality better than anyone else. As I said just now, he’s all about money and nothing else! He has been thinking hard about how to make use of the fact that his father and Li Yao are high school cla.s.smates to expand his business. If he
learns that his father and Li Yao are best friends, won’t it be a disaster? If he really dares to pester Li Yao and ask him to be the spokesperson of our store, will you believe it if I say that he will help him promote the ‘Automatic Image Design Cabin’ and the ‘Up to One’s Will?”
“Li Yao is actually a very casual person. Based on my grandfather’s friends.h.i.+p with him, even if he is asked to promote the hair growing drug in our store, I estimate that it would not be a problem. However, this is my father’s friends.h.i.+p. How could I let that dog waste it like this? I might as well tell him
that my grandfather has a grudge with Li Yao and completely cut off his hopes. Haha. You didn’t see the expression on his face when I said this for the first time. He was so heartbroken that his eyebrows were about to fall off!”
Meng Xiaolang was rendered speechless. He couldn’t understand his father and grandfather’s weird brain circuits at all.
“Why didn’t you tell me such a big thing earlier? I’ve been gritting my teeth and longing to help you!”
Meng Xiaolang complained, “It’s one thing to keep it a secret from my father, but there’s no reason for you to keep it a secret from your own grandson, is there?”
“In Grandpa’s hundred years of life, this is just a trivial matter. What’s there to talk about?”
Meng Jiang said with a smile, “I am Li Yao’s best friend. I am also Meng Yuan’s son. I am Yu Siyum’s husband, Meng Bo’s father, Meng Xiaolang’s grandfather, and the founder of the “Tidal Image Design Center’. In my heart, the later ident.i.ties are far more important than the first ident.i.ty. Do I have to brag
about my friends when I am faced with my own grandson?”