Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

Chapter 276 The Emotionally Excited Liu Haizhong

With a complicated and tangled mood, Liu Guangqi slowly set foot on the familiar road leading to his home.

Along the way, his thoughts were like a wild horse running wild. He felt a little happy and relieved that he could get a house, but he was also worried and uneasy about the upcoming meeting with his father because he knew his father's stubborn temper.

He deliberately stopped at a bustling market on the way, wandered among the stalls filled with all kinds of goods, and carefully selected a piece of fresh pork with bright color and clear texture.

He hoped that this piece of pork would not only add a bit of richness and warmth to the slightly monotonous meals at home, but also provide an opportunity to celebrate his successful allocation of a house, a rare happy event, and perhaps even slightly ease the tense and depressing atmosphere at home.

On the way home, his steps unconsciously became heavy and slow. He kept pondering in his mind what attitude and words he should use to face his father, racking his brains to think about how to cleverly resolve the conflict between them that was as deep as ice.

When I got home, it was already dusk. The flaming sunset in the sky dyed the whole world in a warm yellow hue.

The small courtyard of the house was gently shrouded in the warm yellow afterglow. It should have been a peaceful and harmonious picture, but in Liu Guangqi's eyes at this moment, it seemed to carry a hint of indescribable depression and heaviness.

Liu Guangqi gently pushed open the door of his home that was so familiar to him. The slight "creaking" sound of the door hinge was particularly clear in the quiet courtyard.

He saw at a glance that his father was sitting quietly on a small bench in the yard, tightly holding the pipe that had accompanied him for many years, and smoking silently.

Liu Guangqi took a deep breath, and the breath was as heavy as if it was drawn from the deepest part of his soul.

He closed his eyes tightly, trying to calm down the tangled thoughts in his mind so that he could calm down a little.

When he opened his eyes again, there was more determination and resolve in his eyes.

He bit his lip, mustered all his courage, and walked forward slowly and steadily step by step.

With every step he took, he could feel the ground beneath his feet becoming unusually heavy, as if it was carrying all his past mistakes and regrets.

Finally, he came in front of his father and stood firmly.

At this time, Liu Guangqi lowered his head slightly, not daring to look directly into his father's stern eyes.

His body was slightly leaning forward, his hands unconsciously fiddling with the corners of his clothes, his posture exactly like a child who had made a mistake and was waiting to be punished by an adult.

In a voice not much louder than a mosquito's hum, he timidly said, "Dad... I... I'm back."

After a short pause, he continued as if he had gathered enough strength: "Dad, I know I shouldn't have talked back to you some time ago. It was all my fault. I was too impulsive at the time and didn't consider your feelings at all. Please don't be angry with me anymore?"

While Liu Guangqi was speaking, Liu Haizhong, who had been sitting on the chair, was skillfully holding a cigarette and preparing to put it to his mouth.

But when he heard his son's sincere apology, the hand holding the pipe suddenly paused in the air.

With this brief pause, the long pipe in his hand also trembled slightly.

Despite this, Liu Haizhong's face still maintained that cold and expressionless look.

His eyes stared coldly at his son who was bowing his head to admit his mistake, and there was a chilling majesty in his eyes.

That face was like the surface of a frozen lake in winter, without any ripples, but everyone could feel that there was a surging rage beneath the ice, which could break through its restraints and burst out at any time.

However, only Liu Hai knew that the moment he heard his son apologize to him, his angry heart had already quietly produced a subtle fluctuation.

Although this change was extremely subtle, he, as the person involved, still keenly captured it - his son was still somewhat aware after all, and was not completely lost in the so-called love and rebellion.

When it was time to eat, the family sat around the table which was a little worn and showed signs of age.

The dim lights flickered overhead, as if they were also uneasy about the slightly awkward atmosphere.

Liu Guangqi stood there, his eyes first falling on his father's face which was as serious as a sculpture, and then turned to the slightly concerned eyes of the second aunt beside him.

He was in a state of confusion. After hesitating for a long time, he finally mustered up the courage, gritted his teeth, and said, "Dad, Mom, I... I have something I want to tell you. I was assigned a house in the factory! Although it's just a temporary resettlement house, it's a house that truly belongs to me after all."

As soon as she finished speaking, the second aunt's originally calm face instantly became like a light bulb that was lit, her eyes suddenly became extremely bright, and her eyes were full of surprise and relief.

The corners of her mouth lifted involuntarily, her joy was beyond words.

She waved her hands excitedly and said loudly, "Oh my, this is great, my son Guangqi! Our Liu family will be proud of this! Look how capable you are. At this critical moment when everyone is trying their best to get a house, you can actually allocate a house to our family! This is not something that ordinary people can do. It is definitely a manifestation of great ability!"

In contrast, the reaction in the fringe was completely different.

After hearing the news, he did not show his joy like Second Aunt.

On the contrary, his eyebrows were slightly frowned, and his already deep eyes looked even more unfathomable.

There seemed to be a hint of obvious doubt hidden in it, making it difficult to figure out what he was thinking.

He had worked hard in the steel mill for many years and had some in-depth understanding of the various processes, rules and twists and turns involved in dividing the rooms in the factory.

He knew exactly how capable and talented his son was, as if it were a mirror.

Based on Liu Guangqi's mediocre performance in the factory and his shallow qualifications, it was impossible for him to get the house so easily.

Therefore, he could almost conclude that there must be some unknown inside story.

Liu Haizhong slowly put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hands. The movement seemed particularly heavy, as if what he put down was not the bowl and chopsticks, but the heavy doubts and dissatisfaction in his heart.

He raised his head, stared at Liu Guangqi with a sharp gaze, and said slowly: "Guangqi, tell me the truth, what is going on with this house? Don't think I don't know the ins and outs of this."

Liu Guangqi's heart suddenly tightened. He really didn't expect his father to question him so directly and sharply.

He subconsciously glanced at his father's eagle-like eyes, then quickly glanced at his second aunt's slightly worried face, and then stammered, "Dad, this house was allocated to me by the factory, and I didn't do anything improper. Don't think too much about it."

Liu Haizhong snorted coldly, his voice full of disdain and suspicion, and said: "Do you think I will believe you? If you don't explain things clearly, you can forget about living in this house in peace."

Fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on Liu Guangqi's forehead, and the sweat slowly slid down his forehead and dripped onto his slightly nervous cheeks.

He knew very well that if he told her that it was Qi Sihui's father who helped him, her father would be even more furious.

But he really didn't want to continue deceiving his father, and for a while he was caught in a dilemma.

Seeing this, the second aunt hurriedly tried to smooth things over and said, "Haizhong, the child finally got a house, this is a good thing, don't make it difficult for him."

Liu Haizhong glared at the second aunt fiercely, with a look that seemed to be able to eat people, and said, "What do you know! There must be something wrong here. I can't let him live in this house without knowing the reason."

Liu Guangqi gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind, and said, "Dad, I know what you are doubting. In fact, it was Sihui's father who helped me a little. He went to the housing management department to talk about my situation, which gave me the opportunity to get a house. But Sihui and I are truly in love, and we also want to live a good life. This house is really important to us."

When Liu Haizhong heard this, his face suddenly became as gloomy as the sky before a storm. He shouted angrily: "I knew you must have taken the back door!"

In fact, Liu Haizhong didn't really despise Liu Guangqi's behavior of using the backdoor.

The complex and tangled emotions deep in his heart were more derived from a deep envy and jealousy, as well as a kind of helpless rage at his own inability to change the status quo.

He felt that Liu Guangqi was able to use his father-in-law's back door, but he himself had no ability or resources in this regard and could only watch his son achieve his goals with the help of others. This huge gap made him feel empty and even a little unbalanced.

Most importantly, Liu Guangqi relied on Qi Sihui's father so blatantly. In Liu Haizhong's traditional and stubborn concept, this was undoubtedly a blatant contempt and challenge to his authority as the head of the family. In addition, Liu Guangqi's previous attitude towards him, and his bold resistance to him, made him think about the future.

He was worried that when he got old, weak and had difficulty moving, wouldn't Liu Guangqi become even more lawless and reckless?

By then, how will I solve my retirement problem?

Do I really have to watch my son revolve around the Qi family all day long, while forgetting about me and my spouse, leaving them alone to spend the rest of their lives?

This fear and worry about the future, like a demon, lingered in his heart for a long time.

Liu Haizhong criticized Liu Guangqi harshly. He stood up in agitation and because he used too much force, the stool behind him was knocked to the ground, making a harsh noise.

He paced quickly back and forth in the small space of the room, and every step carried with him the surging anger and extreme anxiety from deep within his heart.

As he walked, he shouted, "You bastard! Do you think everything will be fine if you rely on the Qi family? Do you still have me as your father? By doing this, you not only lose face for yourself, but also for our Liu family!"

His angry voice kept echoing in the small and closed room, making Liu Guangqi's ears buzz as if it was going to burst his eardrums.

Liu Guangqi lowered his head, his face full of guilt and helplessness. He knew his father's stubborn temper, and he also knew how unforgivable his behavior was in his father's traditional and conservative eyes, which was simply treason.

He said in a trembling voice: "Dad, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have kept it from you. But I really have no other choice. Sihui and I want to have a family, and I don't want her to suffer with me all the time."

There was an undisguised tremor in his voice as he tried to justify his behavior, which seemed ridiculous to his father.

Liu Haizhong didn't listen to his explanation at all, and continued to shout: "You want a home? Is this the home you want? Can you feel at ease living in a house that is given by others? You also keep saying that you are truly in love with that girl. If you really love her, you should use your own abilities to make her happy, instead of taking such crooked ways!"

The second aunt looked at the father and son anxiously, her hands constantly rubbing the corners of her clothes, and fine beads of sweat oozing out of her forehead.

She wanted to persuade him again, but she was afraid of angering Liu Haizhong, who was already furious, so she could only say carefully: "Haizhong, calm down first. Guangqi was also confused for a moment. Let's talk slowly."

Liu Haizhong suddenly turned around, his movements as fast as lightning, and yelled at the second aunt: "Don't meddle in this! He must learn a lesson from this!"

After saying these words, he once again cast his sharp and cold gaze like a blade at Liu Guangqi, which contained endless anger and disappointment.

"Also, don't be so naive as to think that as long as you own a house, you can do whatever you want and be lawless! Humph, you should never forget that you are my biological son, and this is where your roots are! If you dare to abandon me and your mother, even if I die and become a ghost, I will never easily forgive you for what you did!"

Hearing these words, Liu Guangqi felt an indescribable sense of sadness in his heart.

In fact, he knew very well in his heart that his father's worries at this moment were not groundless or without basis.

After all, in such a family environment where traditional concepts have long been deeply rooted in everyone's heart, supporting the elderly has always been regarded as an important and unshirkable responsibility that sons must bear.

However, looking back at his recent series of actions, it is true that his father has been filled with unprecedented fear and deep worry about their future living conditions.

It seemed that through Liu Guangqi's current behavior, his father could already foresee the bleak and miserable situation he might encounter in his old age.

So, Liu Guangqi slowly raised his head, his eyes vaguely revealing a trace of unwavering determination, and responded: "Dad, please rest assured, no matter what, you are still my biological father, so I will do my best to honor you and my mother."

Unexpectedly, before he finished speaking, Liu Haizhong's emotions became more and more agitated, even to the point of being on the verge of losing control.

He raised his voice and shouted in a voice that was almost hoarse: "Okay, since you keep saying that you understand filial piety, then you must immediately sever your relationship with Qi Sihui! Otherwise, there is no point in discussing this!"

The roar was like a thunderous explosion, deafening, as if it could break through the extremely solid roof above the head at any time.

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