An undercurrent was surging, but unfortunately, Zhao Yuan was unaware.
After giving Father Lu acupuncture and waiting for the Lu family's excitement to settle, he added, "Officer Lu, you can dilute the medicine I gave you with more water and use it as a foot soak for Uncle Lu. As long as he keeps up with his exercises and uses the medicinal soak, he'll be able to leave his wheelchair behind in two months!"
"Thank you, Zhao Yuan. Thank you so, so much!" Lu Qing was too moved to find the right words. Her father's legs had always been a great sorrow for her. Now that there was hope for his recovery, she felt an indescribable sense of gratitude toward Zhao Yuan.
"That's right, Xiaozhao! Thank you, I really can't thank you enough. You're my great benefactor!" Father Lu was also incredibly excited. He clapped Zhao Yuan firmly on the shoulder and grinned. "I'm going to have to toast you properly with a few drinks at dinner!"
Mrs. Lu was not pleased. She chided, "Old Lu, the moment your legs show the slightest improvement, you're already thinking about drinking? Do you even want these legs anymore?"
Father Lu looked a bit awkward, unsure of what to say.
Zhao Yuan stepped in with a smile to smooth things over. "In Uncle Lu's case, a little alcohol is fine. It can actually help improve circulation and relax the muscles, speeding up his recovery. Of course, he can't have too much."
Father Lu was ecstatic, as if he'd been given a get-out-of-jail-free card. He said triumphantly, "Did you hear that? Xiaozhao himself said I'm allowed to drink!"
Mrs. Lu retorted peevishly, "And why aren't you mentioning the last part of what he said? You can drink, but not too much!"
Father Lu gave a crafty smile. "You know my tolerance. Half a bottle, even a full one, isn't much."
"Absolutely not!" This time, Zhao Yuan cut in before Mrs. Lu could speak. "One shot, at most!"
The smile on Father Lu's face instantly froze. After a long moment, he reluctantly consoled himself. "Fine, one shot is one shot. It's better than nothing. Sigh, one shot per meal… isn't that just enough to whet your appetite before it's all gone?"
"It's not one shot per meal." Zhao Yuan shook his head. "It's one shot per day, at most!"
Hearing this, both Lu Qing and Mrs. Lu couldn't help but snort with laughter.
Father Lu, however, looked completely dumbfounded. "What? One shot a day? Doesn't that mean I only get a third of a shot per meal? It'll be gone before I can even taste it! That's just not going to work!"
He put on a shameless, fawning smile and pleaded with Zhao Yuan, "Ah, Xiaozhao, your Uncle Lu can really hold his liquor. Look, can't you raise the daily limit a little?"
Zhao Yuan shook his head. "Uncle Lu, it's precisely because you can hold your liquor that I can't let you drink more. Alcohol is the essence of grain. A little bit can improve circulation and strengthen the heart, but too much will harm the liver and kidneys! Auntie, Officer Lu, you can't go soft on him. You have to strictly control how much he drinks every day."
"Rest assured." Mrs. Lu was delighted to have Zhao Yuan on her side. After shooting Father Lu a smug look, she promised, "Don't you worry, Xiaozhao, I'll be sure to keep a close watch on your Uncle Lu. In a bit, I'm going to lock up all his liquor and only take it out to pour him a tiny bit at mealtimes."
"Do you have to be so ruthless?" Father Lu was on the verge of tears.
After a few more jokes, Mrs. Lu brewed another pot of tea and set out some fruit and melon seeds on the coffee table. She left the three men to chat in the living room while she and Lu Qing went into the kitchen to get busy.
The three men made small talk in the living room. To Zhao Yuan's surprise, he learned that although Father Lu and Xian Hong were police officers, they both loved to play Chinese chess. Zhao Yuan wasn't an expert, but he knew the basics, so the three of them finally found some common ground. Before long, Father Lu simply brought out a chess set and began a fierce match with Xian Hong, while Zhao Yuan sat by and watched.
Although Zhao Yuan wasn't skilled at chess, the Miscellany section of his Information Leaf contained a wealth of materials and strategies for Chinese chess left behind by Wu Peng. So, as he watched them play, he quickly began reviewing the chess materials, hoping to cram at the last minute and learn what he could on the fly.
Father Lu's skill was clearly no match for Xian Hong's, and he was quickly and thoroughly routed. At a critical moment, Zhao Yuan used a move he had just learned from the Information Leaf to give Father Lu a pointer. That single move was enough to turn the tide. Not only did it save Father Lu from certain defeat, but it completely reversed his fortune, bringing the game back to a stalemate with Xian Hong.
Xian Hong wasn't having it. He protested, "Hey, hey, hey, what's all this? Are you coaching him? Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'A true gentleman watches a game in silence'?"
"Who's coaching? I was going to make that move anyway; Xiaozhao just said it out loud first." Father Lu, being thick-skinned, refused to admit he'd been helped. He even added with false bravado, "Xiaozhao, you just keep quiet and watch how I beat him!"
Zhao Yuan smiled and nodded.
Unfortunately, Father Lu's skill really wasn't up to par. Within a few moves, the stalemate was broken, and his position once again began to crumble.
This time, Zhao Yuan took his advice and kept his mouth tightly shut, not saying a word.
Father Lu shot several glances at Zhao Yuan, but seeing no reaction, he finally grew desperate and blurted out, "Xiaozhao, hurry up and tell me what to do!"
Xian Hong quickly tried to stop him. "Old Chief, didn't you just say you didn't want Xiaozhao coaching you? What's all this now?"
"So what if I'm letting Xiaozhao coach me? What are you going to do about it?" Father Lu resorted to being shameless, grumbling, "You punk, you don't even know to go easy on me when we play. Why do you have to be so serious?"
"Alright, so it's my fault for taking it seriously," Xian Hong said with an exasperated laugh. Zhao Yuan laughed along with him.
Just then, Mrs. Lu came out carrying some dishes. "What are you all laughing about? Put the chess set away, it's time to eat."
The three of them put away the chess set, washed their hands, and sat down at the table.
Soon, the dining table was covered with dishes—a magnificent spread.
The meal was filled with constant laughter, and the atmosphere was warm and joyful.
After dinner, Zhao Yuan and Xian Hong stayed at the Lu family's home for a little while longer before taking their leave. Lu Qing went downstairs to see them off and to buy some wooden tubs for the baths and foot soaks.
After the three of them had left, Mrs. Lu nudged her husband with her elbow and whispered, "Old Lu, what do you think of Xiaozhao?"
"He's great. Why?" Father Lu asked.
"I think he's great, too. It would be wonderful if he could be our son-in-law," Mrs. Lu said, her voice full of hope.
Only then did Father Lu realize what his wife was thinking. He couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. "Oh, you. Stop trying to play matchmaker."
Mrs. Lu said, "How is this playing matchmaker? I just think our Qingqing and Xiaozhao are a perfect match! No, I have to think of a way to create some opportunities for them in the future…"
"Can't you just stay out of their love lives?" Father Lu couldn't stand it anymore and tried to reason with her. "You can't force romance. It all comes down to fate."
Mrs. Lu had been hoping for her husband's support, but instead had a bucket of cold water thrown on her. Her mood instantly soured. She shot Father Lu a look and said nothing, but she muttered in her heart, 'Fate is something you can create, too…'