Chapter 79: Dad, I’ll Care for You in the Future
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Although they had only been apart for one year, An Lin’s eyes still brimmed with tears when he saw that figure.
Why is half of his hair white? He’s only fifty years old!
Many of the white hairs lay nestled amongst tuffs of black, making them appear especially glaring. They were like silver needles, stinging painfully at An Lin.
It’s only been a year! What could’ve made dad change so much?
After cooking a bowl of hot and spicy noodles, An Mingchuan turned on the television and started watching it as he ate.
He really liked watching television as he ate. He felt that the sound formed by the television and the slurping of the noodles would increase one’s appet.i.te.
Even looking at it now, some of his habitual actions still hadn’t changed at all.
For example, before eating his noodles, he would rub his hands together then pick up his chopsticks.
Seeing this, a familiar feeling rushed into An Lin’s mind.
When he was small, he also liked to copy his dad’s action of rubbing his hands together before eating noodles.
His mom would sit to the side and look on in amus.e.m.e.nt at father and son.
That was an extremely comforting feeling. It was a pity that he could never experience it again.
On the television, a beautiful anchorwoman was delivering some entertainment news.
“During Dongfang Xue’s Asia tour yesterday, a mysterious singer called An Lin appeared.
“His song, ‘Daoist Scripture’, caused the stadium to go into raptures.
“This song has swiftly risen to the top of various music charts.
“Now, let us enjoy An Lin’s ‘Daoist Scripture’ together!”
When An Mingchuan heard this, his hands trembled slightly.
He looked up and fixed his gaze on the television.
The image changed to that of the concert, and a familiar face appeared before him.
An Mingchuan’s eyes widened, so much so that wrinkles appeared on his forehead. Even his breathing became labored.
An Lin was singing a capella at the start, and the pleasant sound of his singing flowed out from the television.
Carrying with it a graceful melody and a shred of vicissitude, his clear voice reverberated throughout the entire room.
Not listening to this song live and in person, the conception of dao would be lost.
However, just the melody of ‘Daoist Scripture’ made it a superb song.
As a result, after being uploaded online, it was met with great fervor.
The noodles which had just been cooked were still steaming hot.
However, the slurping sounds of noodles being eaten vanished, and only the sound of An Lin’s singing remained.
The noodles between An Mingchuan’s chopsticks had already become cold, yet he was completely oblivious to this.
It was unclear whether he was enchanted by the singing or enchanted by that familiar figure.
Finally, An Lin held hands with the girl who played the guqin and they bowed slightly to the crowd. They left the stage under rapturous applause.
The image on the television once again cut back to the anchorwoman. She was just starting to comment on the phenomenon caused by the song.
Regaining his senses, An Mingchuan was animated as he picked up his phone and once again dialed that familiar number.
“Sorry, the number that you have dialed is unavailable…”
…
He cut a desolate figure as he put his phone down. He picked up his chopsticks again. With his head lowered, he sniffed and rubbed his eyes. “Why are these noodles so spicy? Even my nose and eyes are stinging…” he murmured.
An Lin watched as the male continued to eat the noodles with his head lowered, and he also wiped at his eyes. Just like how he copied his dad in rubbing his hands before eating noodles, this action was also identical, just like in the past.
In this past year, he would often grumble about how he was screwed over by his dad.
If it wasn’t for his b*stard dad, he wouldn’t have been forced to withdraw from school, nor would he have been captured and forced to suffer.
However, what he overlooked was how his dad had cared for him in the past.
He was also unable to witness how he begged, or even cast aside his dignity, to borrow money.
Moreover, he didn’t know why in just one years time, half of his dad’s hair had gone white.
Perhaps the only thing that An Lin knew was that every few days, his dad would go to Hongda Construction and Investment Corporation to beg Director Zhang for the release of his son.
This was in spite of the fact that his dad probably knew in his mind that his son was already not there…
…
His dad was indeed a b*stard for being addicted to gambling.
However, as his son, what had An Lin ever done for him?
Up till now, he hadn’t helped him do a single thing.
It appeared as though all the responsibility and burden was shouldered by his father alone…
…
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Hearing someone knock, An Mingchuan slowly got up and went to open the door.
After opening the door, what greeted him was an extremely familiar face.
He was completely dazed. He gripped the doork.n.o.b tightly and his entire body started trembling.
“L-little Lin, you’re back?”
An Mingchuan’s lips quivered as he spoke, and he stared dazedly at the youth in front of him.
An Lin’s eyes were slightly red. He squeezed out a smile and lightly punched the male’s chest. “I’ve finally found you, you gambling addict! What, you’re going to stand in the doorway and not invite me inside?”
“Ah, come in, come in!” Afraid that An Lin would leave, An Mingchuan pulled him inside and grabbed him a chair.
Seeing An Lin sit down, An Mingchuan also excitedly sat down next to him.
As if looking at some beautiful woman, his eyes were completely transfixed on An Lin.
“Little Lin, are you hungry? Do you want dad to make you some noodles?” An Mingchuan asked expectantly.
“Sure, I haven’t had dinner yet,” An Lin nodded.
Hearing this, An Mingchuan ran to the kitchen cheerily and started bustling about.
Seeing the figure bustle about in the kitchen and smelling the fragrant aroma, An Lin gradually calmed down.
Not long later, a steaming bowl of noodles was placed before him.
An Mingchuan had also gotten some more noodles for himself. “I’ll eat with you,” he chuckled.
They sat at the same table and the sounds of slurping could be heard as they ate. Their eyes were both stung red by the spicy noodles.
“Little Lin, it’s all dad’s fault that you had to suffer so much…
“How about… you return to school! Leave the other matters to dad, I definitely won’t affect your studies again!” An Mingchuan suddenly said.
An Lin was moved by this, and he glanced up at his dad.
“Dad, didn’t you watch TV? I’m a famous singer now. It’s fine even if I don’t go to university,” An Lin replied.
Hearing this, An Mingchuan became anxious. “Little Lin, listen to me. Finish your education first. In this day and age, knowledge is the most important thing.
“Once you have knowledge, no matter what happens, you can still lead a good life.
“Look at me. Even though I lost my business, I can still fall back on my skills to make big bucks.
“Your dad’s here to help, you don’t need to earn money by singing. Money is not an issue for us, why don’t you return to studying!”
After saying this, a smile emerged on his face which had been tanned dark by the sun, and a bright glimmer appeared in his eyes.
Dad’s here to help…
Yeah, this feeling of having someone to rely on feels so good…
No matter what happens, there’s always someone standing in front of you, s.h.i.+elding you from the wind and rain.
How long has it been since I’ve had this feeling? I’ve finally returned after having wandered about for a year.
Seeing his aged dad utter this, an indescribable warmth enveloped his heart.
An Lin smiled. However, the tears which were welled up in his eyes fell down uncontrollably.
He felt that this was his true home, this was where he truly belonged.
…
An Lin was a cultivator and he could sense his father’s condition.
After overexerting himself at work day after day, his dad’s body was already extremely battered.
That aged appearance and those white hairs were all a result of overexertion and mental pressure.
If he still let his dad continue on like this, then why did he bother cultivating?!
An Lin grabbed his dad’s hand and said with a look of determination, “Dad, I’ll care for you in the future!”