Chapter 164 The Insult of Offering a Free Meal: The Father-in-Law Breaks His Defenses

The old man in the tattered military overcoat was frozen in place.

He gripped the edge of the slightly patinated wooden table tightly with one hand.

His other hand was still hanging high in the air, his fingertips tightly gripping the small silver spoon.

The cold light from the overhead incandescent bulb reflected off the surface of the spoon.

The old man's eyes were frighteningly red, like a startled rabbit, and there were two clear streaks of water on his face.

Before him, the celadon plate that had once been filled with delicacies was now so clean it reflected light.

A gust of wind blew by, stirring up a few dry leaves in the corner.

The courtyard was unusually quiet.

Everyone stared at the old man, who looked as if he hadn't had a proper meal in decades.

As Lin Mo watched this scene, a subtle ripple flickered in his calm eyes.

He didn't step forward to mock them, nor did he expose their clumsy attempt to stage an accident.

Instead, a faint sense of empathy inexplicably welled up in his heart.

In his eyes, the ragged old man in front of him was nothing more than a pitiful person whose edges had been worn down by life.

Even though he had a strange and domineering temper, he was ultimately a starving, lonely old man.

When people are extremely hungry, they don't care about appearances anymore.

The dim light cast his shadow long on the bluestone slab, making him appear tall and composed.

As Jiang Jianguo watched Lin Mo approach, alarm bells immediately went off in his mind.

He frantically tried to put down the spoon, but his fingers were so stiff that he almost lost his grip.

The spoon handle struck the edge of the celadon plate, making a crisp "ding-dong" sound.

The sound echoed in the quiet courtyard, making him feel even more ashamed.

Lin Mo walked to the table and gently placed the steaming cup of jasmine tea next to Jiang Jianguo.

The white porcelain cup made a deep, muffled sound as it touched the wooden tabletop.

Eat slowly.

Lin Mo's voice was gentle, with a sense of untroubled ease.

"Have a sip of hot water to calm your nerves, no one's going to take it from you."

He didn't say anything unnecessary, he simply pushed the teacup forward very naturally.

The tone was as if he were comforting an elderly neighbor who had been wronged.

There was no condescending charity, nor the embarrassment of exposing a lie.

There is only one kind of kindness and compassion that comes from the core of one's being, based on equality.

Jiang Jianguo was completely stunned.

His cold heart, hardened by decades of experience in the business world, suddenly felt as if it had been scalded by something.

An indescribable sense of shame rushed up my tailbone and straight to the top of my head.

His face instantly turned bright red, even redder than when he had been eating the food and the steam had made him.

He, a billionaire, came to his son-in-law's shop to cause trouble.

Not only did he fail to find it, but he was also so tempted by an ancient dish that he cried in public.

She was already shedding tears, but now this young man was even treating her like a poor beggar and trying to pity her!

If this gets back to that circle in Beijing, what will become of Jiang Jianguo's reputation?

In a panic, Jiang Jianguo suddenly raised his arm.

He rubbed his face haphazardly a few times with that rough sleeve, which was slightly dusty and smelled of mothballs.

Trying to wipe away the tears that represent weakness and surrender.

His movements were very exaggerated, making him appear somewhat exasperated.

After wiping away his tears, he took a deep breath of the cool air.

He tried his best to straighten his slightly hunched back, attempting to forcefully reclaim some of the aura befitting a billionaire.

He puffed out his chest slightly, patted his thighs hard with both hands, and shook off a few specks of dust that didn't even exist.

He tried to put on an air of nonchalant authority.

"Ahem!"

He clenched his fist and pressed it to his lips, coughing heavily twice.

This is used to cover up the trembling in his voice and the undeniable hoarseness.

"It's alright, nothing special!"

Jiang Jianguo raised his chin, deliberately shifting his gaze away from the clean celadon plate.

He stubbornly began his clumsy performance.

"This dish is... barely passable!"

"The oranges weren't picked well; the flesh was a bit sour, barely edible!"

He forced himself to lie while nervously picking up the cup of jasmine tea in front of him.

Regardless of whether the water was hot or not, he tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful.

"And another thing, your yard is drafty from all sides, there isn't even a curtain to block the wind."

"The wind was so strong just now that sand blew into my eyes. It's just gotten in my eyes!"

He stiffened his neck and loudly tried to find a lame excuse for his tears.

It was as if as long as the voice was loud enough, it could cover up the fact that he had just wolfed down his food.

Beside the water trough in the corner of the yard.

Wang Cuncun, still clutching the dish sponge in his hand, couldn't help but purse his lips slightly.

Zhou Yang, behind the cashier, rolled his eyes dramatically and drew a thick black line on the paper with his brush.

Does this old man really think everyone in the yard is blind?

Who could get wind in their eyes and, while crying, lick the soup from the bottom of their plate clean?

However, since their boss Lin Mo didn't say anything, these two academic giants just watched this comedy unfold quietly.

Lin Mo listened quietly to Jiang Jianguo's complaints. Lin Mo understood, so he didn't say anything to expose him.

"You're right, the courtyard is indeed quite old and can't keep out the autumn wind."

He even nodded slightly in agreement with Jiang Jianguo's words.

There was not a trace of impatience in his tone, only calmness.

Seeing that Lin Mo didn't refute him, Jiang Jianguo felt even worse.

Why isn't this kid playing by the rules?

If Lin Mo were to jump up and argue with him, he could actually use the situation as an excuse to back down, have a fight, and then walk away.

But this lukewarm attitude, which even showed some tolerance for elders, made him feel like he had punched a thick layer of cotton.

It's so frustrating, so incredibly frustrating.

Jiang Jianguo felt he couldn't stay in this dilapidated courtyard for even a second longer.

If he stayed even a second longer, he risked being burned by that invisible kindness.

He suddenly stood up.

The sudden movement of getting up knocked over the long bench behind him.

With a loud "clang".

The heavy wooden bench slammed onto the bluestone slab with a dull thud.

Jiang Jianguo didn't even glance at it, and hurriedly straightened his worn-out military overcoat.

"Now that I've finished eating, I won't stay here in the cold wind."

He deliberately put on a stern face, pretending to be a condescending food connoisseur who had just finished commenting.

"The dish was just so-so, but I've already paid for it, so we're even."

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave this place of trouble.

Just as he turned around...

Lin Mo moved his hand.

His movements were very natural, without the slightest hesitation or affectation.

"Wait a moment, sir."

Lin Mo's voice rang out behind Jiang Jianguo.

His tone remained steady and calm, without the slightest hint of impatience.

Jiang Jianguo subconsciously stopped and turned around, his eyes filled with a hint of wariness.

Lin Mo took the money, took half a step forward, and closed the distance between the two of them.

Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, he extended his hand.

He stuffed the hundred yuan back into Jiang Jianguo's sweaty hand.

The rough texture of the banknote instantly spread throughout Jiang Jianguo's palm.

"Take this money back."

Lin Mo looked at the old man in front of him, whose face was somewhat stiff, his eyes sincere and without a trace of impurity.

"This crab-stuffed orange meal is on me today."

The courtyard house fell into a deathly silence once again.

The ledger in Zhou Yang's hand fell onto the table with a "thud".

Wang Cunzun also stared wide-eyed behind his thick-rimmed glasses, as if he had seen a ghost.

The boss actually gave the meal for free?

Lin Mo didn't care about other people's opinions; all he saw was this simple kindness.

He looked at Jiang Jianguo's thin and worn-out military overcoat.

As the autumn night wind blew, the wide hem of her dress fluttered in the wind, making her look particularly desolate.

Lin Mo sighed silently in his heart.

"At my age, it's not easy to get a decent meal while traveling around."

Lin Mo's tone carried an irresistible sincerity.

He even reached out and gently straightened Jiang Jianguo's rolled-up, dusty collar.

The movements are gentle, yet maintain an appropriate and respectful sense of propriety.

"Winter is just around the corner, and it's getting colder and colder."

Lin Mo looked directly into Jiang Jianguo's eyes and spoke clearly, word by word.

"Keep this hundred yuan safe. Use it to buy a thicker coat at the market."

"Don't catch a cold."

Silence. The entire room was deathly still.

Even the sound of the wind seemed to be forcibly paused by the extremely heavy atmosphere.

Jiang Jianguo kept his head down.

His eyes were fixed on the hundred yuan that had been forcibly stuffed into his hand.

He was completely frozen in place, as if he had been frozen in place by a spell.

My mind went blank, and my ears were ringing.

What did he just hear?

He is Jiang Jianguo.

He owns assets worth hundreds of billions, countless luxury cars and villas, and even flies to Italy to have a shirt custom-made.

Now, it's actually being taken over by a poor kid who runs a restaurant in a run-down alley.

You gave "sympathy" a free meal for 100 yuan?!

He was even treated like a beggar who couldn't afford clothes, and told to use the money to buy a thick coat to keep warm?!

What kind of absurd black humor is this?!

Jiang Jianguo felt a surge of heat rush to his head.

My temples were throbbing wildly, as if two small hammers were pounding inside them.

Blood pressure spiked to the critical point in that instant.

He could feel his back molars clicking uncontrollably.

What is this?

This is blatant charity!

This is a ruthless trampling and humiliation of his dignity as the richest man!

Jiang Jianguo's chest heaved violently, his breathing rapid and labored, like a leaky bellows.

He suddenly raised his head, and the pitiful look he had been putting on vanished completely.

His eyes burned with fury, and his facial muscles were contorted with extreme anger and shame.

Lin Mo remained standing there calmly.

His eyes were clear and open, without a trace of malice.

"you……"

Jiang Jianguo stretched out a trembling finger and pointed it at Lin Mo's nose.

His fingers trembled like withered branches in the autumn wind.

His lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Anger, shame, embarrassment, frustration.

A mix of complex emotions combined to deliver a powerful blow that utterly crushed him.

He suddenly realized that his carefully planned challenge today was nothing but a huge joke.

I felt like a clown, putting on a shameful one-man show here.

Jiang Jianguo could no longer hold back.

He abruptly withdrew his hand.

He held the crumpled hundred-yuan bill high in the air.

With a force as if he were going to die with him, he slammed his fist heavily onto the old elmwood table next to him.

"Snapped!"

A dull thud suddenly exploded in the courtyard.

The tremor caused the celadon teacup on the table to jump slightly, spilling a few drops of tea.

"Who do you think you are!"

Jiang Jianguo shouted at the top of his lungs.

His voice was shrill and cracked due to extreme exasperation.

"Do you think I owe you money for this meal?!"

He stared at Lin Mo, his eyes bloodshot as if they were about to bleed.

"Since you don't want the money, then this old man won't give it to you!"

After shouting these illogical, blustering, and ultimately cowardly words...

Jiang Jianguo felt that his face had been completely burned away.

He felt an urge to disappear into the ground if he stayed even a second longer.

He turned around abruptly.

He covered his old face, which had turned purplish-red, with both hands.

He didn't even bother to pick up the stool that had fallen to the ground, and he didn't care about maintaining the demeanor of a billionaire.

It's like a deserter who has lost his armor and weapons on the battlefield.

He stumbled and scrambled toward the gate of the courtyard house.

His steps were unsteady, and he staggered.

The large, tattered military overcoat swayed violently in the night wind, making him look utterly miserable and wretched.

With a loud "bang!", the heavy wooden door was violently kicked open.

The fleeing figure vanished instantly into the thick darkness of the alleyway.