Chapter 6: The Precious Eldest Daughter from the Lawrence family

Desmaius, the patriarch of the Lawrence family, had been feeling a little restless lately. He had a destructive appetite and couldn't sleep well.
He had always lived a regular life. He learned some internal martial arts in his early years and continued to practice Tai Chi and The Eight Pieces of Brocade all year round. Although he was over eighty, he had always been in good health. His doctor said his heart was healthier than ordinary young people's.
Not knowing why, he felt he was increasingly weak. He had no energy to move even a little.
He thought that his death was approaching, so he planned to make suitable arrangements for his affairs while he was still alive. The most important one was the granddaughter's marriage.
"That boy from the Lopez family has been gone for so many years, but I don't know what happened to him..."
Every evening, Desmaius used to go out for a walk. Today, he couldn't walk after walking very far.
"Old Mr. Lawrence, let's go back," Sewall Lawrence, the housekeeper following him, said.
Several housekeepers were in the Lawrence household, and Sewall was the general housekeeper. Still, he did not care about specific affairs and was only responsible for Desmaius's daily life and food. With Sewall by his side, Desmaius felt relieved, as did everyone in the Lawrence family.
"Sewall, you have been working for me for more than ten years."
Sewall was stunned, wondering why Desmaius suddenly said, "Yes, I've been with you for sixteen years."
"It's been sixteen years, and you're getting old too." Desmaius sighed, "We must accept we are old now."
"Old Mr. Lawrence, what's going on?"
"It's been hard for you to work for me for so many years. Have you ever thought about starting your own business?"
Sewall shook his head and replied, "You treat me well. I'm willing to work for you without any second thoughts!"
"Haha! You're thinking too much." Desmaius laughed heartily and responded, "At my age, I may die anytime soon. What are you talking about after I died."
"Old Mr. Lawrence..."
Desmaius waved his hand to stop Sewall from continuing, "You and I are not outsiders, so we won't say those clichés. Everyone is mortal, and there are taboos. A few years ago, I bought a small island in The East China Sea and developed it. It should be almost done. I know you don't want to associate with common people, so how about going to The East China Sea and becoming the owner of Peach Blossom Island?"
Sewall said quickly, "Thank you, Sir."
"Don't thank me in a hurry." Desmaius said, "I also want to ask you for a favor."
"Sir, please tell."
"The catastrophe of the Lawrence family more than 20 years ago still scares me when I think about it. Now the Lawrence family seems to be prosperous, but there are many internal and external troubles. Once I die, I am afraid it will grow. I want to ask you to help, within three years after my death, you must protect the safety of the descendants of the Lawrence family."
"Don't worry, Sir. This is what I should do."
"One more thing, there is a man named Astyre..." Desmaius paused, turned around, and said, "Let's go. I will tell you more about this matter when I get back."
The two walked back, and when they arrived at the entrance of the villa area, the security guard saw Desmaius coming back, saluting and bowing. "Why are you back so early today, old Mr. Lawrence?"
Desmaius had always been easygoing toward his subordinates and said with a smile, "I'm old and can't walk anymore."
The security guard said, "Old Mr. Lawrence, you treat the servants and poor relatives from the countryside so well. You're a good man. My mother has told me since I was a child that good people can live a long life."
Desmaius laughed loudly. "There is no such thing as longevity. No matter how you flatter me, you can't change the fate of someone as old as me."
Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he turned to look at the security guard and asked, "What poor relatives did you just talk about?"
The security guard said, "Don't we often have poor people who come to visit our relatives? You also told us to be polite to them, have you forgotten? There is a little Taoist priest here today."
Desmaius was very happy and patted the security guard on the shoulder, "You did the right thing. People who are poor must not be short-minded, and people who are rich must not forget their roots. Accumulate virtue and do good deeds. After three generations, your descendants will also be rich."
The security guard smiled naively. "I don't dare to think about obtaining wealth. I only hope to live a good life. Haha!"
Desmaius was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. He was stunned momentarily, turned around, and asked, "You just said little Taoist priest... What kind of a Taoist priest he is?"
The security guard said, "Today there is a young man who dressed like a Taoist priest came to you by name and says he is your relative. His name seems to be Astyre..."
"What did you say his name was?" Desmaius put away his smile and asked sharply.
The security guard didn't know why Desmaius suddenly became unhappy and was startled, "His name is Astyre. Ah, yes! That's his name. Alfred served him just now."
"Where is he now?"
"He left."
Desmaius was furious and shouted, "Call Alfred over!"
The security guard's heart was pounding. Desmaius was usually kind and amiable, but everyone would fear him once he became threatening.
Was that guy surnamed Lopez a liar?
Alas! He thought he must have angered Desmaius. He was also afraid that he might get in trouble and implicate Alfred.
…
Dylan Lawrence didn't know what happened at home, so Desmaius called him home angrily.
The recent business situation made him so anxious that he couldn't handle his family affairs.
At Desmaius's residence, Dylan's wife, Jane, their son Hillyard Lawrence, Kingslie Lawrence, and his nephew Ruadh Lawrence had already arrived. Except for Dylan's daughter Michelle, who was studying at a university in Quillara, and his nephew Fridolf Lawrence, who had studied abroad, all the leading figures of the Lawrence family were here.
Dylan felt that something was amiss with the atmosphere. No one greeted him after he entered. Not even his wife said anything, and everyone was silent.
Desmaius, sitting on the sofa, seemed calm, but there was anger on his face. He must have just lost his temper.
Could it be that Desmaius knew about the recent setbacks in business?
"Dad, what happened?" Dylan asked anxiously.
"You should ask your wife," Desmaius suddenly became angry. His voice was booming as he roared, "Ask her what she has done!"
Jane trembled with fright, lowered her head, and began to sob.
Dylan didn't understand why his father was so angry, so he had to go over and ask his wife.
While crying, Jane told what happened during the day, concealing some details.
"I don't think I'll treat him badly if I give him two million. He has never met Michelle, but he comes to us just like this... Michelle will definitely not be able to accept it. Besides, how could the daughter of the Lawrence family get together with a poor boy who comes from the mountain like him? If word spreads out..."
Dylan understood. Of course, he knew about his daughter's engagement since childhood, but he never took it to heart and thought it was a joke.
He didn't expect that after so many years, Astyre would come to his door.
"Alas! Look at what you've done! Why didn't you tell Dad and make your own decisions?"
"Hasn't Dad been in poor health recently? I don't think such a trivial matter should bother him. Moreover, the engagement was made by Dad back then. Dad is a man who cares about his dignity. There are some things we can do for him. As children, it's our responsibility to share Dad's worries."
Everything Jane said made sense and was perfectly sound, and the way she sobbed aroused the sympathy of everyone present.
Dylan also felt his wife was right, and his father was narrow-minded and lost.
But he didn't dare to contradict his father, so he looked to Kingslie for help.
Kingslie was Dylan's uncle's son. His uncle died early, and Desmaius felt guilty. Hence, Kingslie bore a weight before Desmaius, and the latter would listen to Kingslie more than Dylan.
Kingslie coughed lightly and said...
"Yes, Desmaius. What Jane said makes sense. Not to mention that they're not from the similar background, let's just say that they have never met. How can Michelle accept it? It's not like you don't know her temper."
Dylan glanced at his cousin gratefully. He felt it should be enough with his cousin helping him speak, so he stepped forward and said, "Dad..."
Unexpectedly, as soon as he spoke, Desmaius suddenly stood up, grabbed the teapot on the table, and smashed it out.
There was a crisp sound, and the purple clay pot fell to pieces.
Everyone was stunned.
A famous teacher made this purple clay teapot, and it was expensive. It was also Desmaius's favorite item. The purple clay teapot fell, showing Desmaius's anger.
No one dared to speak now.
"Poor boy?" Desmaius sneered, "What's wrong with being poor? Look up the family tree and examine the three generations before us. Everyone has never been poor! What about the Yancey family? They're equally the same!"
"I was also poor back then! I didn't even have enough to eat when I was in trouble. If I were like you, would I be able to marry your mother?"
"Sir, don't be angry. You don't need to be so mad," Sewall, standing behind Desmaius, advised softly.
"It's not that I'm angry. It's that these unscrupulous people are so unsatisfactory!" Desmaius pointed at the people in the living room with trembling fingers and continued, "I don't have much time left. If I leave, who can you take over such a big family business? You will regret driving away Astyre!"
"Dad..." Dylan didn't understand the relationship between whether he could take over the family business and Astyre. He thought Desmaius was getting confused, but he didn't dare to say so. He only asked, "Tell us, what should we do to make you cool down?"
"Go now! Go find him! Ask everyone to look for him! If you don't find him…" Desmaius looked at Dylan and said, "I will tell your wife to go back to Mirkwood City."
This last sentence almost made Jane collapse to the ground.
…