Zhang Dayou always walks with his chest straight, he can disguise his posture and expression, but every time I talk to him, this disguise will be torn apart in an instant.

He is easily frightened and afraid that his performance will not be satisfactory, so he appears very deliberate in whatever he does.

Perhaps it is because of this extremely unnatural deliberateness that he gives people a very humble feeling.

Seeing that it was not early, I originally wanted to take Zhang Dayou to live in a nursing home, but when I asked, I found out that he hadn't eaten yet.

At that time, I asked: "The air here near the sea is relatively humid, are you still used to living, what do you eat at night?" I remember that there didn't seem to be a place to eat nearby. ”

Zhang Dayou only replied sullenly: "I'm not hungry." ”

Li Huaishan doesn't seem to care about him, but as soon as I see him, I think of Xiao Weilai, and besides, people come from afar, and they are guests of the family.

I rarely come here in the Binhai Development Zone, but I heard the second master say that there is a place to eat steamed fresh sea near the beach, which is open 24 hours a day, and the place is a little more expensive, but according to the second master, the taste is very good, and now at this point, if we don't go to the bathhouse, we can only catch an hour's car back to the city to find Haidilao.

We can only choose the closest one.

I don't know how long Zhang Dayou hasn't eaten a full meal, when the steaming plate is served, he looks at the seafood on the plate, and his eyes almost bloom with green light, but when he picks up the chopsticks, he has to hold himself again, deliberately showing a very elegant eating appearance.

I couldn't stand it anymore, so I dragged Li Huaishan outside to smoke and let him stay alone to eat.

When we arrived outside the hotel, Li Huaishan and I lit a cigarette and smoked a few puffs, and Li Huaishan complained on the side: "This Zhang Dayou, it's awkward to look at, what do you say about him, how can he pretend to be so young at a young age?" ”

I took a long breath of smoke and shook my head: "In the past, the Wuling Zhang family was also the largest family in the industry, but now it has fallen into this situation, which is really embarrassing." But now it's meaningless to talk about others, nowadays, the major families and sects in the industry are all green and yellow, and maybe one day, the old family will also decline. ”

Li Huaishan: "I don't know much about the things in the industry, but just by looking at the family, I know that this industry is not lifeless." ”

I scratched my temples a little irritably: "How do you see that?" ”

Li Huaishan said: "Haven't the two families been fighting infighting all these years, I heard the second master say that when he was young, he kept fighting with your own grandfather, and it was only at the age of seventy or eighty that the two of them were safe." In the generation above you, the family was divided into three or four forces, fighting non-stop, and when it came to you, the old family seemed to be a lot calmer, but there was a little demon king. Fighting back and forth like this, no matter how deep the foundation is, sooner or later it will be consumed. ”

I took a few puffs of smoke, hugged my elbow and said, "But the second master said that even if the family declines, I can only watch, and I can't fall into the quagmire of infighting, nor do I have to think about ending infighting." I must turn a deaf ear and turn a blind eye, and if one day, the old family really reaches a situation where there is no return, I must not have the idea of reviving the family. ”

Li Huaishan was puzzled: "Why? ”

I sighed helplessly: "The second master said that the rise and fall of the family, the rise and fall, the prosperity, is the mandate of heaven, and the death is also the mandate of heaven, and the mandate of heaven can only be complied with, not disobeyed." ”

Li Huaishan casually threw the cigarette butt in his hand, crushed the last bit of spark on it with his toes, and said, "Isn't this nonsense?" ”

I picked up the cigarette butt on the ground, threw it into the nearby garbage can, and pondered for a moment before asking Li Huaishan, "Do you believe the second master?" ”

Li Huaishan clasped his hands and did not speak.

Even if he doesn't say it, I know that he trusts the second master very much.

I also trust the second master, as for what the second master once said to me...... Since the second master said this, of course, there is a reason that has to be said, but I only listen to half of the content of the words.

At this time, Li Huaishan came to me again and said to me: "If you are not, you say, how many of your old families can be ranked among all the families in the industry?" ”

I thought about it and responded to him: "I heard the second master say, there are still six great families in the industry now, and the Huang family is one of them, the strength of each family is about the same, the Jia family is the most prosperous family of the six families, in terms of comprehensive strength, the Lingnan Zhou family is relatively stronger, and in terms of financial resources, the old Huang family in the Northeast is the first of the six major families." ”

Li Huaishan's eyes widened: "The family is so rich, isn't it the richest family in the industry?" ”

I nodded: "The second master said no." ”

Li Huaishan: "Then the Wuling Zhang family, as the first family in the industry, is not rich enough to go to heaven?" ”

I looked at him with a frown: "Why did you suddenly get the money?" ”

Li Huaishan first glanced at the door of the hotel, then leaned closer, and said in a low voice: "That Zhang Dayou is really poor, and the clothes on his body may be the last bit of the Zhang family's belongings." ”

"How do you know he's poor?"

"When I was in the taxi just now, you sat alone in the passenger seat, and he and I sat in the back. When he got in the car, he lifted his trouser leg to reveal half of his socks, and I saw that he had a lot of patches on them, and they were dirty and old, and his leather shoes were polished with vegetable oil. You say, how poor does a person who can't even afford socks and shoe polish have to be? ”

I stared into Li Huaishan's eyes and wondered how he knew that people used vegetable oil to shine their shoes?

Before I could ask, Li Huaishan said again: "You said, what the second master said to you, did anyone say anything to Zhang Dayou." The Wuling Zhang family used to be so strong, but now it has not fallen to this point, will Zhang Dayou have a hurdle in his heart that he can't overcome? ”

Can't get over it?

I know what Li Huaishan means after a little thought, Zhang Dayou is obviously a very humble person, but he hides it everywhere, and he has to pretend to be elegant and polite to everyone's children, is it just to maintain the little dignity left of the Zhang family?

The second master said, if the family declines, let me not have the idea of reviving the family program, then Zhang Dayou will have such an idea.

In his heart, will there be an obsession to revitalize the family, and if so, in addition to being humble and deliberate, does he still have something hidden in his heart that we can't see through.

I thought about it for a long time, and then asked Li Huaishan: "What do you want to express?" ”

Li Huaishan said: "I just think that Zhang Dayou is a person, it may not be as simple as it seems on the surface, do you think he will harm us?" ”

It turned out to be this meaning, but I have to say that Li Huaishan's idea is not completely unreasonable.

I scratched my temples: "Just be careful, I think Zhang Da is not as complicated as you say." ”

Li Huaishan has always been very guarded, and when I turned around and walked towards the hotel, he grabbed my wrist again and whispered to me: "It's really not good, let's take the lead and control Zhang Dayou." ”

I broke free of him, waved my hand again, and quickly entered the store.

Originally, I dragged Li Huaishan out to smoke, just to let Zhang Dayou take advantage of no one to eat something happily, but I didn't expect him to be able to hold back.

The jug of white water brought by the waiter was almost emptied by him, but the food in the steaming tray was not missing at all.

He was still unwilling to let go of the dignity in his heart.

Since he insists on pretending, let him pretend, anyway, as long as I extend the time of this meal indefinitely, even if he eats slowly and methodically, he will be able to eat enough sooner or later.

I live so big, the most unbearable thing is that others can't eat and drink, maybe it's because I've been taking care of Xiaowei in the past and getting used to it.

When he sat down, Li Huaishan also pointed to the steaming tray and motioned for me to eat first.

I know that he was afraid that Zhang Dayou would poison the plate.

It wasn't until I ate a few clams and was sure that they weren't poisonous that Li Huaishan threw off his arms and ate them with confidence.

We ate this meal for nearly three hours, at the beginning Zhang Dayou was obviously hungry, but he kept pretending to be slow with patience, but in the end, he really couldn't eat, and when he looked at the food on the plate, his eyes didn't have the essence of before.

When I saw that he had almost eaten, I tentatively asked him, "Are you still in school?" ”

Zhang Dayou said: "I didn't go to school, when I was young, my grandfather kept teaching me all kinds of knowledge, he said that my knowledge was enough, and I didn't need to go to school." ”

I picked up the shrimp in my hand and said, "Do you have any other relatives?" ”

Zhang Dayou: "I only have one relative like my grandfather, and after he dies, there will be no more." ”

Now I also understand that the grandfather in his mouth is the old man who appeared in the black alley.

I didn't have the heart to continue eating, so I put the half-peeled shrimp in a small plate, sighed, and asked Zhang Dayou: "Do you know how your grandfather died?" ”

Zhang Dayou was silent for a long time before he slowly spit out a few words: "Do too much injustice." ”

Li Huaishan and I looked at Zhang Dayou at the same time, with a trace of imperceptible sadness on his face, but he deliberately suppressed it, not wanting to show it.

Li Huaishan and I looked at each other, and then Li Huaishan asked him again: "How have you lived alone all these years?" ”

Zhang Dayou's mentality fluctuated greatly, and it took a long time to squeeze out a few words from between his teeth: "I'm doing well." ”

I picked up the shrimp again, pondered for a while, and then said to Zhang Dayou: "Although your grandfather's death has nothing to do with our old family, he died on our territory after all, and logically speaking, he should give you some compensation." ”

Zhang Dayou immediately responded: "I don't need compensation. ”

I waved my hand at him, "You listen to me first." Although it is compensation, we will not give you money directly. You should know that the old couple has a very special thrift store under their hands, right? ”

Zhang Dayou nodded: "Everyone in the industry knows." ”

I was talking to Zhang Dayou here, and Li Huaishan kept glancing at me, and it seemed that he probably guessed what I was going to do.

(End of chapter)