Several days had passed, and the oppressive atmosphere continued to spread within the Inner Ring. Even Qi Lin, who was buying vegetables, felt something was amiss.
"Judge Qi Lin, you gave me the wrong amount. This should be 15, and you only gave me 10."
"Oh, I apologize. I was distracted."
Qi Lin immediately handed the vendor an additional 5 dollars. He then glanced at the nearby newsstand, wanting to buy some newspapers, but realized he had run out of change.
As he hesitated over whether to use a larger bill, Lu Luo took down today's newspaper from the stand and handed it to Qi Lin.
"Dad, it's been a long time."
Dad! What a strange word it was!
Qi Lin's aged hands trembled slightly. He looked at Lu Luo, and after a long silence, he finally nodded.
"Good, I'm very good. Indeed, it has been a long time. Are you doing well too?"
Qi Lin was somewhat incoherent, which shouldn't have been the case considering he was neither ill nor lacking in knowledge and experience.
