Chapter Ninety-Seven: The First Conflict

Chen Hao, still in the bathhouse, had no idea what his father and Dong Jianguo were discussing outside. Unaware of it all, his father had already begun to set a marriage for him, and the girl chosen for him was even a little older than he was.

At that moment, Chen Hao was still busy sightseeing inside the bathhouse. He was in no hurry to take off the modest cloth wrapped around his waist, and instead wandered about the vast bathing hall of the Dong household. Touching this and looking at that, everything seemed fresh and novel to him.

He had no idea that, because of the conversation between himself and Dong Xin’s father, Dong Xin’s feelings toward him had already changed from disdain and irritation into anger and hostility. Chen Hao still did not realize that disaster was already upon him, and that Dong Xin was preparing to teach him a proper lesson with a broom.

He was still marveling at the Dong family’s bathhouse. “Ah... I really wish my own home had a bathhouse like this!”

No sooner had he said it than Dong Xin rushed into the bathhouse, broom in hand, and, seething with rage, came down on him with a furious blow.

Hearing the movement behind him, Chen Hao thought Dong Xin had come to bring him a change of clothes, since he had not expected to run into an accident and end up looking this disheveled.

As he spoke, he turned his head. “You brought me some clothes? I go—!”

What met his eyes was the broom growing rapidly larger before his face. Thanks to his lightning-fast reflexes, Chen Hao dodged sharply to the side, and the hand that had been holding the modesty cloth at his waist naturally loosened its grip. Then...

“Aaahhh!”

Dong Xin let out a piercing scream. “You filthy hooligan, you disgusting pervert!”

Still shouting, she shut her eyes and, in tears, fled from the bathhouse again.

...

“Damn it! How is this my fault?” Chen Hao stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly after the fleeing Dong Xin, utterly baffled.

Besides, what was so terrible about looking? They were still children, after all. His mother had said that children did not need to worry about such things. And even if someone had lost out, it would have been him who lost out. It was clearly she who had seen him naked—how had it ended up as though she were the victim?

By his own logic, Dong Xin ought to have taken off her clothes and let him look back at her to make things even.

And what was she crying for? Were girls really that prone to tears? Just like his little sister, Gu Mengyan.

After thinking it over, Chen Hao shook his head and decided not to bother with Dong Xin anymore. He simply climbed into the pool.

Dong Xin’s scream, of course, startled Chen Ding'an and Dong Jianguo.

The two men exchanged a puzzled look, then rose at the same time and headed toward the bathhouse together.

“Let’s go take a look. I have no idea what those two children are up to. Could they already have started sparring?” Dong Jianguo said as he led the way.

Even Chen Ding'an, clever as he was, could not have guessed what had happened, so he followed after Dong Jianguo.

Before they had even reached the bathhouse, they saw Dong Xin, broom in hand, crying her eyes out.

“Girl, what’s wrong?” Dong Jianguo asked in confusion. “Did you two come to blows?”

Seeing her father, Dong Xin threw herself into his arms and burst into tears. “Waah... I’m never getting married...”

The two fathers stared at one another in bewilderment at her inexplicable words. How had this suddenly come up? They had only just been discussing whether the children might be engaged in the future, so where did this talk of never marrying come from?

And the children were so young—how had she suddenly brought up something like this?

“What exactly happened?” Chen Ding'an asked this time.

So, with tears and sniffling, Dong Xin haltingly described what had happened in the bathhouse. Though she was older than Chen Hao by several years, she was still only a child, so her account was naturally full of gaps and tangled logic. Her words jumped this way and that, and because she was still angry, they were colored by strong emotion and quite a bit of exaggeration.

Still, the two adults more or less understood what had happened. It was only a small misunderstanding between the children, one caused by the two grown men themselves.

Chen Ding'an and Dong Jianguo could only shake their heads and smile bitterly at one another. Yet there was one thing that made Dong Jianguo take notice. First he comforted Dong Xin, and Chen Ding'an also promised to go back and give Chen Hao a good scolding. Only then did Dong Xin stop crying and return to her room by herself.

After she left, Chen Ding'an could only shrug helplessly. “What a mess, huh?”

“And all of it was your terrible idea,” Dong Jianguo said with disdain. “The two of us were fine, chatting away, and the girl overheard us. Of course she flew into a rage! And what about Chen Hao? How have you been raising him? How could he suggest taking a bath together with the girl?”

“Alas...” Chen Ding'an wore a pained expression. “I suppose it’s just a habit he picked up at home.”

“A habit?” Dong Jianguo blinked. “Damn it, don’t tell me your son is still bathing with that adopted daughter of yours?”

Chen Ding'an nodded awkwardly. “Yes...”

“How could you even think that way? Setting aside the fact that they aren’t even real siblings, even if they were, the children are older now and shouldn’t be bathing together. There’s a serious problem with your parenting!” Dong Jianguo scolded him like a schoolmaster.

Chen Ding'an could only sigh helplessly. “It wasn’t my idea. It was Chen Hao’s mother... I don’t know what got into her, but she was determined to make Chen Hao and Mengyan end up together someday. So ever since they were little, everything in their lives has been tied together.

Bathing together, going to school together, eating together, sleeping together. If I hadn’t firmly objected, his mother might even have had them sleep in the same bed!”

“I...” Dong Jianguo was at a loss for words. “That really is something else. If she truly followed that line of thought to the end, then it would all become far too reckless...”

Suddenly, Dong Jianguo seemed to think of something. “Wait a minute! You old bastard—when you said you were planning to marry Chen Hao to Dong Xin, was it because you were trying to oppose Chen Hao’s mother?

You don’t actually want Chen Hao and your adopted daughter to end up together, but his mother strongly approves of it. So to put an end to her idea, you thought you’d have Chen Hao marry my daughter instead? Damn it, after all this time, our girl was just your shield!”

Chen Ding'an scratched his head. “It isn’t entirely that reason. I won’t deny that I had that thought, but I really did mean it when I said I wanted Chen Hao and your girl to marry.

The two of them are a good match, and both of them know martial arts. I think they would suit each other well. As for Mengyan... if possible, I wouldn’t object to the two of them ending up together someday either. Though I treat Mengyan like my own daughter, she has no blood relation to our Chen family. Even if she were to marry Chen Hao one day, there would be no issue of ethics or morality.

What I do object to is Chen Hao’s mother trying to force the two children to end up together by making them live like this now.

That is no different from us elders deciding their future lives for them. Perhaps because of her approach, Chen Hao really will marry Mengyan in the future.

But in that case, would their marriage come from genuine affection for one another, or merely because living together has already become a habit?”

Dong Jianguo had not expected Chen Ding'an to have thought about it so thoroughly, and he could not deny that his reasoning had merit.

Still, Dong Jianguo snorted coldly. “And what, arranging for Chen Hao and my girl to get engaged isn’t interfering in their lives? By your own logic, isn’t that also deciding their future for them?”

Chen Ding'an shook his head repeatedly. “That’s different. I may intend for Chen Hao and your girl to marry, but I have no intention of meddling in anything else. The two of them still need to spend time together and build their own feelings on their own. If you don’t object, I’ll bring Chen Hao here often in the future. First, it will give the children more chances to interact. Second, it will let them spur each other on and improve together.

If, in the process, they become as close as the two of us—even becoming lovers—would that not be a wonderful thing? By then, Chen Hao can handle affairs outside, your girl can manage things at home, and the two of them, working hand in hand, could, with our help, carry forward the martial arts of both families. Wouldn’t that be a fine thing?”

“Hm...” Dong Jianguo had no real answer to Chen Ding'an’s words, though he still felt some unease. “But what happened just now... I’m afraid the two of them won’t get along that easily. At the very least, it won’t be as smooth as you imagine.

Chen Hao is one thing. You can tell the boy takes after you in temperament—cheerful, outgoing, good-natured. But my girl is very much like me, with a bit of a stubborn streak. Add to that the unpleasantness between them earlier, and I’m afraid it won’t be easy to start with her.”

“It’s just a child’s tantrum. How long can a grudge like that really last? Maybe after the sparring match, both of them will have already forgotten what happened today. I have great confidence in my son. He’s very good at getting along with people—you just wait and see!” Chen Ding'an said with considerable pride.

“Hmph, how shameless,” Dong Jianguo said with obvious disdain, though he did not continue the subject, which was as good as tacit agreement with Chen Ding'an’s idea. “Let’s leave the children’s matter as you suggested for now. Now tell me something else—why did you and your son arrive so late today? And how did you end up looking like that? Were you chased here by wild boars in the mountains?”

At that, Chen Ding'an’s face grew troubled. “Ah... don’t even mention it. It was a disaster from nowhere.”

“Oh? What happened?”

Chen Ding'an thought for a moment, then pulled Dong Jianguo into a corner. After looking around to make sure no one was listening, he finally spoke in a low voice. “Before coming to your place, I made a trip first to the inner martial hall of Shaolin Temple to visit the old hall master...”