BPIFC -Volume 1 – Chapter 178 Family Banquet

Car Xianzi originally thought that once they got the old man into the car, that would be the end of it. Unexpectedly, as soon as they got in, the old man—Jiang A-liang—clung tightly to him, constantly saying:

“Uncle, come home with me. I’ll make you Dongpo pork, your favorite… and aged wine too. I’ll serve you plenty of drinks…”

While Car Xianzi was still dazed, the others in the car also chimed in:

“Little brother, please help us all the way. Help us coax him back home… Our house isn’t far. After we get back, we’ll send you back. Please, please help us…”

To be honest, Car Xianzi didn’t take these people seriously. In a fight, even eight or ten of them wouldn’t be a problem for him. As for backing, he had Sun Desheng behind him—if anything went wrong, even if someone died, it would likely be self-defense. Acting on impulse, he got into the van with them.

Inside the car, the old man kept holding onto Car Xianzi’s arm, calling him “Uncle” over and over. Before long, he fell asleep. But even while asleep, if Car Xianzi tried to pull his arm away, the old man would immediately wake up, crying and shouting for his “uncle” to go home. After quite some effort, they finally got him to sleep again—effectively cutting off Car Xianzi’s chance to get out midway.

What was supposed to be a short trip ended up taking over an hour. This was Car Xianzi’s first time in Hangzhou, so before getting off, he paid attention to their location—and realized they had reached the Xixi Wetlands on the outskirts of the city.

The van stopped in front of a large traditional Jiangnan-style mansion. Seeing the family car return, more than a dozen men and women came out to welcome them and ushered them inside.

Once inside, Car Xianzi realized this was no ordinary household. The courtyard alone was the size of several basketball courts, with gardens and a pond filled with over a hundred koi fish. Everything here was clearly worth a fortune. Although he didn’t know much about luxury, after following Sun Desheng for so long, he could tell at a glance that nothing here was ordinary.

He was led into the main hall. Even the floors were made of white jade tiles.

Frowning, Car Xianzi said to the old man’s eldest son:

“Your family is this rich, yet you still go out in a van? That’s pretty low-key. Alright, I’ve delivered your ‘nephew’ back—do whatever you want with him. I’m leaving.”

Before he could finish, the old man suddenly turned and slapped his eldest son hard.

Smack!

The sound echoed sharply. Car Xianzi was startled.

Before he could react, the old man had already begun shouting:

“You little beast! How dare you upset your uncle-grandfather! He’s the only uncle I have left in this world—I treat him like an ancestor! And you dare make him angry?! Kneel! Apologize to your uncle-grandfather!”

Right after that, the eldest son who had just been slapped immediately knelt in front of Car Xianzi and said:

“Little uncle-grandfather, please don’t take it to heart. It’s my fault for upsetting you. Please forgive me, for my father’s sake.”

Car Xianzi was completely stunned.

If this was a kidnapping scam, it was far too elaborate—he even got slapped for real, leaving a palm print and blood at the corner of his mouth. Now he couldn’t tell whether this was a setup, or whether this old man truly had dementia and really mistook him for his uncle.

Seeing Car Xianzi silent, the old man slapped his son again and roared:

“Look how you’ve angered your uncle-grandfather! He can’t even speak now! If I die and can’t face my parents, it’ll all be your fault! You unfilial children—kneel! All of you, kneel to your uncle-grandfather!”

At that shout, dozens of people in the hall all knelt down toward Car Xianzi.

He had never seen anything like this and quickly stepped back, waving his hands:

“What are you doing?! Get up! I’m not that old! You’re all kneeling to me—I can’t handle this!”

“Then you must stay for dinner,” the old man said, still clutching his arm like a child.

“Eat first, drink later, and I’ll let them stand up. Uncle, tell me what you want to eat—I’ll have it made immediately. We’ve got chefs for Hangzhou cuisine. Anything you want.”

Seeing that the old man didn’t seem like a bad person, and since it was still early, Car Xianzi decided to stay for a meal. He hadn’t eaten much at the previous Sichuan restaurant anyway.

Soon, he was seated at a large table, with only him and the old man sitting at the center, while more than ten others stood respectfully nearby.

Feeling uncomfortable, Car Xianzi said:

“Big nephew, your family has a lot of people. Let them go do their own thing. No need for all this formality.”

“Uncle, that won’t do,” the old man replied. “These are the younger generation. The younger ones serve the elders—that’s our family rule.”

One dish after another was brought out:

Longjing shrimp, braised eel in oil, Dongpo pork placed in front of him, Beggar’s chicken, shark fin soup… even West Lake vinegar fish was still being urged from the kitchen.

Everything was exquisite—both the dishes and the utensils.

Before long, Car Xianzi was already stuffed.

“I can’t eat anymore,” he said, waving his hand weakly. “I’ll throw up if I keep eating… thank you for your hospitality… it’s getting dark, I should go.”

“You’re already here, uncle. You must stay a few days,” the old man insisted, pouring him another cup of yellow wine.

“This is 80-year-old Shen Yonghe wine. It won’t give you a headache—drink another cup to settle your stomach.”

But Car Xianzi had already drunk too much and refused firmly. No matter how they persuaded him, he insisted on leaving. Finally, he staggered out into the courtyard, where a cool breeze hit him.

The alcohol kicked in hard.

He squatted down and vomited violently, then collapsed to the ground, drunk beyond awareness.

Seeing this, the old man immediately ordered people to clean up and carry him to rest.

Just as Car Xianzi was settled in, the eldest son came over and whispered:

“The person has arrived. He’s waiting in the hall to see you.”

The old man nodded and said to two middle-aged women beside him:

“Take good care of my uncle. If he vomits or wants water, serve him well. Don’t let him choke.”

After speaking, he went with his eldest son to the main hall.

There, sitting inside, was none other than Jiao Dalong, who had accompanied Huang Ran for dinner earlier that day.

Seeing the old man enter, he immediately stood up respectfully and said:

“Mr. Jiao, everything has been arranged.”