Chapter 371 - On a Jag (1/2)

Their chit-chat continued, unhindered by the previous interlude. At this time, Qin Sheng had attracted everybody’s attention. Ma Weiyang and Zhang Da had endless questions for him, for they were even more worried about Qin Sheng than Qin Ran. They were eager to listen to his experiences and his ups and downs over the past 20 years. Qin Sheng was somewhat surprised by their enthusiasm and didn’t know how to react properly.

The other two men, Yin Hao and Yang Shihua, only spoke a couple of sentences but paid close attention to the others. They just stayed involved in the chat and never interrupted others’ speech. Even though their families had some connections with each other more or less, these two had entered the circle later than others. Also, they were relatively younger, so they chose to keep a low profile.

Compared with Wei Li, who had tried extremely hard to enter the group, Qin Sheng made it rather easily. This was not only because of his relationship with Qin Ran or Qin Changan, but also thanks to the Qin Family’s firm position in Beijing for several generations.

“You’ve been staying in Xi’an all these years. Old Master Qin kept you well-hidden. We all made our best effort to find you, but failed miserably.” Ma Weiyang was surprised when Qin Sheng told them that he had been living in Xi’an. She thought Old Master Qin had locked him up in some remote place, fearing that someone would chance upon him.

Since Old Master Qin was mentioned, Zhang Da asked, “Sheng, now that you’re back, what about your grandfather? My grandfather said he wanted to invite Old Master Qin to drink his tea.”

Qin Sheng sighed and said with sorrow, “He passed away a few years ago.”

Zhang Da regretted talking about this, for he made Qin Sheng recall the sad memory. Ma Weiyang also glared at him due to his inappropriate words.

Qin Ran was suddenly reminded by his words. She was focused on Qin Sheng so much that she didn’t ask about their grandfather’s death, though she had already known that. The other reason was that she was not close to their grandfather. Unlike Qin Sheng, who had lived with the old man for decades, she had only met him a few times.

“Where’s his tomb?” Qin Ran asked, breaking the awkward silence and making everybody else feel relieved.

Qin Sheng answered simply, “At the foot of the Zhongnan Mountains.”

Qin Ran nodded and said, “When you have free time, we should go and take a look. Anyway, he’s our grandfather.”

“Of course.” Qin Sheng nodded. Chinese New Year was coming, and he was going to Xi’an to meet all those friends and relatives there. Recalling their familiar faces, he abruptly remembered Uncle Lin. He was framed, went broke, and then was even sent to prison. Qin Sheng had no way to help him in the past, but now, after knowing that he was born into such a powerful and wealthy family, he might as well try to make up for his regrets. However, Qin Sheng was unsure how to talk about this with Qin Changan.

At this very moment, the room door was opened without any warning.

Along with it, a familiar voice came. “Zhang Da, where’s Sheng? I came from Xisanhuan, such a long way from here. If you trick me, I will beat you into your grave.”

The voice was from Fan Dezhi, who had been enjoying his family time but rushed to here due to Zhang Da’s call. He was so eager to come that he was still wearing the leisurewear under his down jacket.

The atmosphere in the room was a bit sorrowful before Fan Dezhi stepped into the room. Now everybody here was staring at him and his unkempt hair.

“Brother Fan, what’s wrong with your hair?” Yin Hao said while laughing.

Fan Dezhi felt embarrassed and said, “Shut up.”

Then he turned to Zhang Da and asked, “Where’s Sheng?”

Zhang Da didn’t want to grace his silly question with an answer. Since there were six people here and only one of them was a stranger, of course, that stranger had to be Qin Sheng. Otherwise, how could he sit between Qin Ran and Ma Weiyang?

But Zhang Da knew that Fan Dezhi was just too excited. He pointed at Qin Sheng and said while giggling, “He’s over there.”

Fan Dezhi stared at Qin Sheng and was astonished by how he had changed. He was a little boy when he left, but a grown-up now after more than 20 years. He found himself too shocked to believe it.

Fan Dezhi turned to Qin Ran and asked again, just to make sure, “Ranran, is he really Sheng?”

“Yeah,” Qin Ran answered with a nod.

Fan Dezhi didn’t trust others aside from Qin Ran. He finally accepted that the fellow over there was Qin Sheng. He assumed that Zhang Da was playing a trick, never expecting Qin Sheng to be found after all these years. The huge surprise made Fan Dezhi, who was always calm, emotional. He gave Qin Sheng a big hug and patted him on the back. “Good boy. You’re finally back. It’s good. It’s so good.”

Everyone understood Fan Dezhi, for he had complicated feelings for Qin Ran. He hoped that Qin Ran could lead a happy life, but he also knew that it was impossible for her unless Qin Sheng was found. Now, she could be relieved, and nothing could be an obstacle for her anymore. She was free to look for her own happiness at last.

Fan Dezhi was happy for her from the bottom of his heart.

After Fan Dezhi calmed down, Zhang Da asked him to go to the corner, knowing that he had a couple of questions. He needed to tell a lot of things to Fan Dezhi beforehand, like that matter in Shanghai.