Seeing that Zhao Hai didnât respond, Jason didnât care. He kept busily talking and drinking tea with Zhao Hai. At this time, sounds of footsteps can be heard from the living room. Before long, people appeared from the living roomâs door.
Zhao Hai and Jason immediately stood up. Zhao Hai looked at the newcomers, the one at the lead was an old person, he looked quite old but his face was still healthy and full of life. He wore a very gorgeous noble clothing. Although the old manâs posture wasnât that straight, his temperament along with his clothes made one unable to underestimate him.
Along with the old man was a middle aged man. The man looked much like Jason, but his face was serious and he also had clear eyes. He seemed like an astute person. At the back of the two was the servant who went to inform them.
Jason hastily bowed to the old man and the man, âGrandfather, Father, this is the Buda Clanâs Patriarch, Zhao Hai. Little Hai, this is my Grandfather, this is my Father.â
Zhao Hai immediately gave a bow and said, âZhao Hai has met Grandfather and Uncle.â
Jasonâs Grandfather and Father sized Zhao Hai up before Jasonâs Grandfather smiled and said, âGood, little Jason doesnât have any friends. You should come here often.â
Zhao Hai smiled and said, âI will certainly visit if I have time. But Iâm going everywhere all year round, I donât have that much free time. I was only able to come this time because Megan asked me to visit the Capital. After this, I wonât be here most of the time. But Grandfather and Father can rest assured, I will be Jasonâs friend forever.â
Jasonâs Grandfather nodded, âAlright, I feel relieved by your words. But Little Hai, Iâm just a bit curious, Little Jason talks very frankly, making people of the Rosen Empire quite uncomfortable. How did you become friends with him instead? Can you bear his mouth?â
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, âI just like talking with him, I donât see anything wrong with Jason. Although he has a frank attitude, saying everything he thinks about, he is a good person, a good friend. There arenât a lot of people that can handle the truth in these times.â
Jasonâs Grandfather stared, if those words were said by someone with the same age as him, then it wouldnât have been strange. But the one who said it was actually the same age as Jason. One cannot just have those kinds of thoughts at that age.
Jasonâs Father havenât said anything since coming in the living room. He was just observing Zhao Hai, when Zhao Hai said those words, he couldnât help but stare at the young man.
Jasonâs Grandfather nodded, âRight, nicely said, itâs good that you became friends with Jason. Donât go home at noon, letâs go drink together.â
Zhao Hai smiled and said, âAlright, Iâll go drink with Grandfather and Uncle later. Right, little nephew bought some gifts. Iâll take them out outside so you can have a servant take them away.â Then he went towards the door and released the seafood that he prepared for the Crook Family.
Seafood were rare in the continent, but for a Great Noble Clan like the Crook Family, those things arenât foreign. However, the seafood that Zhao Hai took out are much better in quality compared to the ones they have consumed before.
After he took out his gift, Zhao Hai turned to Jason and said, âJason, make someone take these away. I have no other good stuff to give, I can only give these seafood to your family.â
Jason laughed and said, âGood, good, these are quite delicious, you really do have the best things on hand. Hahaha.â
Zhao Hai smiled and said, âDonât waste anymore time, go get these to the kitchen immediately. Right, Iâve also brought some nice liquor.â Then he also retrieved a several big leather bags, all filled with Milk Wine.
Seeing Zhao Hai and Jason chatting and laughing, Jasonâs grandfather said, âLittle Jason finally found himself a good friend. He even brought some gifts.â
Jasonâs father nodded, âI actually didnât think that Little Jason would have a friend given that he has that foul mouth of his. Iâve been worried for this boy.â
Jasonâs Grandfather smiled, âThis Zhao Hai child is very good, hahaha. Not many people can handle the truth. Good, good.â
Then Jasonâs grandfather continued, âIâve doubted Little Hai before. But now that I see him, he seemed like a good man. To make such a friend, Little Jason is surely blessed in his life.â
Jasonâs father nodded and sighed, âA good friend is quite a hard to come by. Especially for someone of our status, Jasonâs luck is really good.â
At this time, servants came and carried Zhao Haiâs gifts towards the storehouse. Zhao Hai and Jason returned to the living room along with Jasonâs grandfather and father, the two looking at Zhao Hai with gentle gazes.
Jasonâs grandfather looked at Zhao Hai and said, âLittle Hai, think of this place like your house. If you want to come, just come, you donât need to be polite.â
Zhao Hai smiled, âCertainly, Grandfather can rest assured.â
Then Jasonâs grandfather stood up and said, âAlright, you young men go play around. Also, remember to not drink too much, you still need to accompany me later at noon. If you donât, I will be all alone later.â
Zhao Hai nodded with a smile. Looking at the two men leaving, Jason turned to Zhao Hai and said, âLetâg head to my courtyard. I have a few snacks there. Letâs go have some cups, we donât need to drink much anyway.â
After pouring two cups of liquor, Jason looked at Zhao Hai and said, âLittle Hai, do you consider yesterdayâs matter finished? Donât you want to deal with Terry and the Crown Prince?â
Zhao Hai smiled at Jason and said, âWhat? You want to help me? Can you do it? You know the Crook Familyâs standing, it wouldnât be good if you involve yourself in this matter. Donât act carelessly.â
Jason snorted and said, âI become angry everytime I think about what happened last night. Not only did they plot against you, they somewhat included me as well. That thought really makes me angry.â
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, âRest assured, Iâm not the type of person that would suffer a loss without fighting back.â
When Jason heard Zhao Hai, his eyes couldnât help but light up as he said, âReally? Do you really intend to deal with them? What are you planning to do?â
Zhao Hai forced a smile and replied, âI didnât expect that you would have such enmity with them. I donât have a solid plan right now, but rest assured, I certainly wonât make them live their lives peacefully. But we must wait for a good time to start.â
Jason nodded and said, âAlright, but you must consider me. If you need my help, donât hesitate to tell me. Otherwise, donât blame me for being impolite.â
Zhao Hai asked Jason, âWhy are you so anxious? Letâs be clear, if you really want in on my plans, do you really think that your family will agree? This action would also be seen as joining the battle for succession. Even if you represent yourself, you still have your family behind you. If you really want to join, you need to ask your father and grandfather first.â
Jason sighed and lifted his glass of wine and took a sip. He turned to Zhao Hai, âYou really are in a better position. Whatever you do, nobody would restrict you. You have more freedom.â
Zhao Hai sighed and said, âWhile I may be free, I rarely have time to relax. I have to consider my family in all of my actions, I always worry about them wherever I go. Since nobody still has any idea of our location, I can freely act against anyone I want. But if they do find out, I will have more troubles coming my way. Moreover, I also donât want to implicate the Calci Family in my matters. Megan is already engaged to me, I donât want to be unfair to her. If I manage to bring trouble to the Calci Family, I will certainly feel sorry.â
Jason looked at Zhao Hai, then he suddenly smiled and said, âNow that you say it, you really are quite good. To be honest, I saw how Princess Lizzy looked at you last night. What would you do if she wants to marry you?â
Zhao Hai bitterly smiled and said, âDonât talk nonsense, why would she want to marry me? As you can see, Iâm only a count, and not even a count of the Rosen Empire. You think Princess Lizzy would marry me? Donât joke around.â
Jason smiled and said, âThat may be possible. Meganâs status isnât that low compared to Princess Lizzy, yet she became engaged to you. You must be more confident in yourself.â
Zhao Hai ridiculed him, âGet lost. Why would I not have confidence in myself. If Princess Lizzy indeed wanted to marry me, then would His Highness the Emperor agree? A princess getting snatched by a man with several women, in the eyes of the Emperor, this would certainly look bad.â
Jason nodded, âIndeed, even if Princess Lizzy is willing, his majesty surely wouldnât agree. Princess Lizzy is his most loved daughter, and her well being is related to the Royal Clanâs face.â
Zhao Hai smiled and said, âItâs fine if I donât wed Princess Lizzy. After all, I already have three fianceâs. Meg grew up with me, her grandfather is Spirit Wind Green, someone who I treat like a real grandfather. Moreover, they are also very loyal to my Buda Clan. Without Grandpa Green, I wouldnât be able to survive to this day. Laura, for the sake of me, sacrificed her years of work and even fell out with her Markey Family. Megan doesnât care about my low family background, she was determined to marry me. Having three such fianceâs already made me satisfied.â
Jason looked at Zhao Hai and sighed, âYour luck is indeed really good. You also have good luck with females, being able to find such good women. I really envy you to death.â
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and didnât talk back. He agreed with Jason, for him to obtain the approval of Laura and the others was certainly his good luck.
Because they needed to drink with Jasonâs grandfather at noon, the two didnât drink too much liquor. They only drank a small cup as well as eating a few snacks before taking a rest.
At lunchtime, the place was very lively. Jasonâs grandfather not only invited the well-known members of the family, they also introduced each one of them to Zhao Hai. This gave Zhao Hai a big sense of respect for the family.
However, in such an occasion, it was impossible for one to both drink and eat too much. Almost everyone was there to chat, and pretend to be polite. Such occasions werenât to the liking of Jason and Zhao Hai. But since this event was made for Zhao Hai, the two of them couldnât just escape midway. They could only stay here, this made Zhao Hai quite impatient.
After having lunch, Zhao Hai chatted with Jason for quite a while before saying his goodbyes. Jason escorted Zhao Hai outside the fort and waved him farewell.
When Zhao Hai returned to Dark Soldier Fort, the skies were already turning dark. Upon returning to his courtyard, he immediately told Laura and the others about what happened back at Jasonâs family. The group talked until the skies turned completely black.
There were a lot of cards that came, inviting Zhao Hai to various banquets. But since Zhao Hai found them quite bothersome, he didnât participate in any of them.
The next day was the Day of Rare Purity, although people still send some gifts, most of them were fully preparing for tomorrowâs Godâs Grace Day. At this time, nobody attended any banquets. Also, it was the Imperial Banquet tomorrow, no noble family held any banquets in these two days.
On this day, the entire Dark Soldier Fort was also very busy. Everyone was preparing for tomorrow. For a Great Clan like the Calci Family, they were very particular in performing the festival and following tradition. Everybody received an itinerary about what to do tomorrow. This was to prevent anyone from being out of the loop.
When Zhao Haiâs group received their itinerary, they couldnât help but gasp. The day was indeed quite strict. Upon waking up, they would have a particular time to eat their meals before they need to wear appropriate clothing and then proceed to worshipping the ancestors. What to wear as well as to which ancestor they would go first was clearly written. It was as though the family was afraid that anyone might make a mistake.
For a Clan like the Calci Family, worshipping the ancestors was a grand matter. If a mistake was made in worshipping the ancestors, that person would receive huge fines and have their status in the family affected.
Although Zhao Hai wasnât a person of the Calci Family, he was still placed under Smithâs umbrella. If he makes a mistake, Smith would be penalized. Therefore, Zhao Hai had no choice but to prepare well for tomorrow.
At the same time, Zhao Hai also made Caiâer monitor the entirety of Dark Soldier Fort. If somebody was thinking of causing trouble with him, he made sure that Caiâer would report to him. He was really afraid that Juwan and Third Grandfather might bring him trouble when he goes to worship the ancestor.
Fortunately, Juwan and Third Grandfather also placed great importance to the ceremony. They donât wish to smear the faces of the ancestors, it would not only be unfair to the ancestors, it might also bring the family bad luck for the following year. Because of this, they didnât make any plans against Zhao Hai. This made Zhao Hai very relieved.