Chapter 561: Hung Up Richard

Chapter 561: Richard Suspended Aloft

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, Master Eisen…”

This ought to have been a scene of pride and moving sentiment; after all, the entire street was passionately chanting your name, offering their most sincere birthday blessings.

Yet Mr. Eisen’s face was as dark and sunken as a pool of stagnant water.

He did remember Richard once bragging to him, claiming that upon arriving at a certain street of pastry shops, one only had to cry out the name “Master Eisen” to instantly secure credit for a bill.

Because of that very remark, upon returning home, Richard had been severely thrashed by him and confined to a wheelchair for several days.

That matter, Mr. Eisen had let pass.

But he had never imagined that coming here today, his son would actually present him with this kind of “surprise”!

Not only had he borrowed his own father’s name, but he had even “filled in” the factual personal information to the letter.

Previously, when he did not know Karen’s true identity, Mr. Eisen had exercised a degree of restraint over the thoughts that occasionally bubbled up within him, thoughts comparing his own son to Karen; he felt such a comparison was quite unfair to his boy, and he even found the frequent occurrence of such thoughts inexplicable.

Now, knowing that Karen was his own nephew, Mr. Eisen could finally, openly and rightfully, compare his son to Karen—and the more he compared them, the angrier he became!

He and Karen’s mother were siblings, which meant that both Richard and Karen carried the bloodline of the Guman family, yet now, his own son was utterly outclassed by Karen; did this not prove that the paternal lineage had created a vast disparity between them?

Recalling further the propriety with which Karen conducted himself and dealt with others, and contrasting it with the absurd spectacle his son had stirred up before his eyes…

Mr. Eisen’s fists slowly clenched tight, he took a deep breath, and then slowly relaxed them.

Madame Cassie was at first utterly bewildered, and immediately following that, furious.

No matter which wife stood here, listening to the young ladies of an entire street of pastry shops loudly chanting her husband’s name, she would instinctively feel a surge of rage.

No wonder her husband had frequently vanished and remained away from home these past few months; so he had been making merry here all along?

Very quickly, however, Madame Cassie cleared her head.

First of all, she knew well that her husband might suffer from mental eccentricity, but he would never suffer from a philandering heart.

Secondly, though these women were excitedly shouting “Happy Birthday, Master Eisen,” when the true Mr. Eisen stood right before them, their gazes did not linger upon her husband at all.

Most importantly… she had come to find her son.

Thus, a perfectly clear chain of clues was laid out before her, unmistakable and distinct.

Yet she still found it somewhat hard to credit; she could not believe her son could be so utterly “depraved.”

The “truth,” however, soon walked out of its own accord.

Accompanied by Lisa and Ronis, Richard stepped out of the shop door and onto the roadside, waving with a smile to the older and younger sisters on either side, like a politician facing the constituents who supported him beneath the campaign stage.

Standing behind Richard with their hands pressed to their chests, Lisa and Ronis spoke with earnest voices:

“May the Goddess bless you, Master Eisen.”

Richard smiled, returning the courtesy: “May the Light of Order shield you both.”

Promptly, Richard resumed waving his greetings, doing his utmost to acknowledge the aunts before every pastry shop who were celebrating “his” birthday.

Until, he faced a certain direction where a rather familiar car was parked, beside which stood two exceedingly familiar figures.

What it meant to be struck by a bolt from the blue, Richard now experienced; it was as if, beneath a clear and cloudless sky, he was skipping along merrily with a lollipop in his hand, when a flash of lightning fell, tracing the very lollipop in his grip to blast right into him.

Madame Cassie took a deep breath, intending to step forward and bind her son to bring him back, but her husband turned directly around and sat back inside the car.

Seeing this, Madame Cassie could only stifle her burning rage and seat herself back in the car as well.

Mr. Eisen started the automobile, with absolutely no intention of waiting for Richard.

Richard immediately said to Lisa: “Uh, my family’s servant has come to fetch me back. Give the keys to this car of mine to my friend who’s still inside, and let him drive himself back.”

“Very well, Master Eisen.”

In the matter of being a friend, Richard had always been beyond reproach; even at this juncture, he was actually still capable of worrying whether Leon would find it convenient to return home afterward.

Right after, Richard continued to wave to both sides while jogging backward toward the car where his parents sat.

By the time he opened the car door, the vehicle was already moving forward; Richard hurriedly leaned his body in, slid inside, and before closing the door, blew several flying kisses toward the rear, eliciting a chorus of screams.

Finally, Richard closed the car door, and in an instant, the inside was severed from the outside; the previous passion and clamor vanished entirely, leaving only oppression and a deathly stillness.

Sitting in the backseat, Richard pursed his lips and forced out a squeezed smile,

Saying:

“Dad, happy birthday!”

Mr. Eisen did not speak, but he pressed the accelerator down harder than before, and the car’s speed quickened considerably, the better to reach home sooner.

In the passenger seat, Madame Cassie kept her eyes closed, her breathing growing heavy, each inhalation and exhalation seeming like a forced suppression of something within.

“Oh, dear Mother, how long has it been since you came with Father to pick me up? The last time must have been when I was in primary school, right?”

No one replied.

Refusing to give up, Richard continued his self-rescue:

“Our family hasn’t sat together in a car for a very long time; this truly makes me feel so warm.”

As he spoke, Richard began to shed tears, and while wiping them away, he deliberately paid attention to the reactions of his parents in the front row.

They still gave no reaction.

Richard fell into despair.

“Dad, Mom, I suddenly remember there are still some documents in the department that haven’t been handled properly. The Captain and the others should be returning soon, I must get all this work done before they get back…”

Madame Cassie spoke in a voice as cold as ice:

“If you continue to speak nonsense now, by the time your Captain and the others return, they can come straight to attend your memorial service.”

Richard: “…”

…

“Dear Xili, your culinary skills are truly exquisite.”

“It is all because the Young Master taught me well; I learned everything from him.”

Madame Tangli stood behind, watching the maid Xili who was busily preparing dishes ahead.

Karen was not at home, so she had called the funeral parlor to summon Karen’s maid over to study recipes with her, and incidentally, to prepare the family birthday banquet for her son.

“Though you really didn’t need to bring so many ingredients yourself, I actually have everything here.”

“Miss Purr told me to bring some prepared items from home, saying it would be more convenient; mainly because some things are already prepared and processed at home, like this lard you see, I always feel that using it to stir-fry shiitake mushrooms and green vegetables is much more fragrant than using olive oil.”

“Miss Purr?”

“Ah, yes, haha.”

Xili gave a hollow laugh, not daring to continue introducing to this kindly old lady that there was a talking lady cat in her household, for fear of frightening her.

The one who had answered Madame Tangli’s call was Purr, and Purr naturally agreed to Madame Tangli’s request, ordering the household maid to go over with the ingredients, as it was after all to keep Karen’s grandmother company and relieve her boredom.

Madame Tangli reached out and patted the maid’s bottom twice.

The maid turned her head in embarrassment, stole a glance at Madame Tangli, and then lowered her head to continue cooking.

“It is a physique well-suited for bearing children; when I was young, my buttocks were quite pert too, though not as large as yours.”

"Madam..."

"But I gave birth to three children, and I feel you could give birth to seven or eight, maybe even ten."

Oftentimes, when an elderly lady spoke of ribald matters, she did so with far less restraint than those drunken bachelors.

Xili did not find the old lady’s behavior distasteful; she truly felt the matriarch was quite kind, and one could tell from the residence that the family’s background was anything but ordinary.

When she had borrowed the washroom earlier, she noticed the black divine robes folded neatly by the sink, the very same attire her young master and his subordinates always wore.

Xili did not belong to the ecclesiastical circles, and that "world" was actually quite foreign to her, but that bloody night had shown her the terrifying nature of Mr. Alfred, which indirectly proved how formidable her master was; this old lady’s household likely belonged to the same breed.

"Giving birth to so many seems like something I couldn't afford to raise," Xili said. "Supporting a younger brother through school is already quite a strain for our household, and with my monthly salary, I could only support five."

"Hehehehe."

Madam Tangli was amused; this young girl was actually counting on her fingers in earnest.

"No matter how many you bear, Karen can afford to raise them. Give birth, go ahead and give birth with all your might."

Although no newspaper had ever bothered to compile exact statistics, Madam Tangli knew well that for the vast majority of young masters from wealthy households, their first time was given to their own maids.

A young man's impulses in that regard were inherently potent, and when paired with a maid constantly fluttering about before his eyes, it was difficult to maintain restraint, and the latter group usually would not resist too strongly, often even taking the initiative.

In this regard, Madam Tangli did not hold exceptionally high moral standards for Karen.

A person's stance is determined by where they sit; she would keep her own husband on the tightest of leashes, and if he ever dared to stray outside, she, Tangli, would personally break his legs;

Yet regarding her grandson, she wished nothing more than for Karen to have more women around him so he could sire offspring earlier, allowing her to hold her great-grandchildren sooner.

Hearing these words, Xili felt she needed to explain on behalf of her young master, lest outsiders misunderstand his integrity and innocence:

"Madam, the master has only his fiancée in his heart."

"He hasn't touched you?"

"Never, the master would not do such a thing."

"Then keeping you by his side is solely to please his eyes?"

"Ah, the master is a true gentleman!"

Though at the very beginning, Alfred had instructed her that she could only wear jeans to work;

In the course of their subsequent interactions, there were moments, especially when she encountered the young master in the mornings, when his gaze seemed to linger upon her for a brief second;

But she was willing, and sometimes she would deliberately bend down or squat with her back to him, feeling a certain sweetness in her heart whenever his gaze fell upon her.

However, these details were not fit to be shared with outsiders; she was no fool.

"Alas."

Madam Tangli shook her head in slight disappointment.

She knew her grandson had previously shared a past with that princess of the Dark Moon Island; it was more than just mere rumors, as Richard had also recounted the interactions between Karen and Her Highness on the island to the family.

Richard's expression during the retelling had been exceedingly animated, so much so that an oblivious onlooker might think it was he, Richard, who had walked beneath the moon with the princess instead of Karen.

Listening to Richard's account, the rest of the family felt that if Karen could be with that princess, it would be a tremendous bargain and a stroke of great fortune.

Only she, knitting her sweater, sneered silently in her heart; for a grandson of the Guman family to marry the Dark Moon princess might be considered marrying up, but for Dis's own grandson to marry her, it was the Dark Moon Island that would be marrying up, and Karen who would suffer a loss.

The direct grandson of a contemporary elder of the Temple of Order—what girl of his generation from any clan could he not marry if he wished? Matches made of free romance between grand families were the rarest of the rare.

It was only her husband who, due to his personal history, was broad-minded in this regard; aside from their second son, who was somewhat introverted in his youth and required the family's assistance in an introduction, their eldest and youngest daughters had both found their own partners.

Thus, at times Madam Tangli felt her old man brought it upon himself when he secretly fumed at his younger son-in-law.

Tsk, it was just a pity that Dis had arranged a marriage for Karen, and that Allen family showed no intention of "disdaining" him.

From Madam Tangli’s perspective, how wonderful it would have been if the Allen family had disdained Karen; then the engagement could have dissolved early, and she could have happily selected young ladies for her grandson.

Oftentimes, elders arranging marriages for the younger generation was not entirely for the fulfillment of the descendants' domestic bliss; it was akin to breeding a pig one had raised oneself, carrying an inherent sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and amusement.

Yet now it seemed her grandson had inherited his grandfather's style, appearing quite responsible and monogamous in matters of affection.

"Keep yourself busy here for now, I will go outside and pour you a glass of juice."

"Thank you, Madam."

Madam Tangli walked out of the kitchen, and as she passed the dining room, she happened to see her husband stepping inside.

Old Man Delong spoke with some nervousness: "Our grandson has been tied up and brought back."

"Tied up and brought back?"

"Yes, by Eisen."

"Isn't that quite normal."

"It's different this time. Kaixi and Eisen brought Richard back together; they are in the living room now. It feels like both of them are going to lay hands on him this time."

"Kaixi is going to lay hands on him too?" Madam Tangli did not grieve for the harsh ordeal her biological grandson was about to face, but instead smiled, "Is she here to repay this long-belated maternal love?"

"I listened for a moment just now; they apparently caught Richard at the pastry shop."

"Hmm?" Madam Tangli knit her brows, "Truly?"

"It seems to be true, which is why Kaixi is so furious this time."

"Alas, that child, how could he behave so."

She had just been lamenting Karen's moral rectitude when facing the Dark Moon princess and the maid at home, only to learn in the next breath that her own biological grandson had run off to a pastry shop for a grand time and been dragged back by his parents.

One grandson and one biological grandson—how could the gap between them be so vast?

Madam Tangli looked at her husband, thinking to herself: Could it be because of the lineage?

But looking at her husband and her son, they were at least devoted in their affections.

Old Man Delong immediately said: "I told you before, the Felsher family's reputation may not be pleasant, but the girl from their house is a decent girl after all. I rather think she suits our grandson well."

"You are bringing this up to me again?"

"Am I wrong?"

Madam Tangli reminded him: "That girl has quite a temper, mind you; your grandson will not be able to keep her in check."

"We must find a granddaughter-in-law who can keep him in check; let's see if he ever dares to go to such places again."

Madam Tangli: "..."

"If we found a girl with a gentler disposition, wouldn't that be harming her?"

"Delong, you are Richard's biological grandfather."

"Only a biological grandfather can speak this way."

"You are pushing your grandson into a fiery pit. He might not have any such notions himself right now, but if we elders help instigate it from behind, he might truly develop those intentions."

"What of being in a fiery pit, as long as he lives happily himself."

"You old thing, what is the meaning of those words?"

"Nothing, nothing at all."

At that moment, the telephone rang.

"I'll answer the phone; Eisen and the others likely have no time to spare."

Madam Tangli walked along the edge of the living room, receiving nods from both Eisen and Kaixi, which she returned in kind.

It was a rare sight to see the couple so unified, finally resembling a proper husband and wife.

As for her own grandson, Richard, he had already been strung up.

Madam Tangli deliberately averted her eyes, stepping upstairs to answer the ringing telephone.

"Hello, this is the Guman residence."

"Grandmother."

The voice belonging to Karen drifted from the other end of the line.

"Ah, Karen, how are your injuries healing?"

"They have recovered, thank you for your concern, Grandmother. Since today is Mr. Eisen's birthday, please convey my wishes to him."

Karen had just spoken with the funeral parlor, where Pu'er informed him it was his uncle Mr. Eisen's birthday, prompting this congratulatory call.

"If you knew it was his birthday, why haven't you come over for a family dinner?"

The relationship between Madam Tangli and Karen was one of mutual understanding, tacitly left unspoken.

"Grandmother, I am currently waiting for the teleportation array; it will take another hour to return to the York City District, so I will not make it in time."

"You will make it, I shall have Eisen pick you up at the Administrative Building shortly."

"Let us not trouble him, Grandmother, I shall pay you a visit tomorrow."

"No need, it must be tonight."

"But it really is somewhat inconvenient for me here..."

"There is nothing inconvenient about it, if you do not come tonight, you might not see Richard tomorrow, his parents caught him red-handed outside the pastry shop and have hung him up, preparing to thrash him.

Listen if you do not believe me..."

With that, Madam Tangli directed the receiver toward the living room, silently wishing they would strike a bit harder.

"Ah!" "Ah!" "Ah!"

Richard's miserable shrieks echoed continuously, exceptionally fierce and hurried this time, as it was his first experience with a parental dual assault.

"Very well, Grandmother, I shall come over as soon as I teleport back to the Administrative Building."

"Yes, that is more like it."

Hanging up the telephone, Madam Tangli grabbed a handful of preserved fruit to snack on as she walked to the top of the stairs, watching her grandson enjoy his parents' affection in the living room.

Screaming under the alternating infusion of paternal and maternal love, Richard strained his gaze toward his grandmother, pleading for rescue.

Madam Tangli spoke up: "Eisen, drive to the Administrative Building in an hour to pick up Karen, he is coming over to celebrate your birthday, I told him not to trouble himself but he insisted on coming, saying he simply must."

Hearing this, Richard breathed a long sigh of relief: as expected, Grandmother still loves me.

Mr. Eisen paused his movements, touched that his nephew was coming to celebrate his birthday.

Madam Tangli, however, urged them on:

"Why stop, hurry up and beat him, so you can pick the boy up when you are finished."

Richard: "..."