Chapter 374 - Mourn for the Mother (1/2)

What Qin Sheng was supposed to say had been finished on the day he had been at the old house. Surprisingly, he had found something more here before his mother’s tomb.

In such remote outskirts of the barren mountainous area, his mother had been waiting in her grave alone for over 20 years. One could imagine how hard he would feel. There was an old saying: A mother would always worry about her son, who had gone for thousands of miles away. It had been over 20 years since he had left Sijiu City, so did that mean that his mother had never stopped worrying about her son restlessly all the way through those 20 years or so?

You watch me grow up while I keep you company, growing old with you. That’s the best and the most poetical commitment that parents and their children could give to each other. However, Qin Sheng and his mother had never gotten a chance like this. How pathetic it was.

Regrets would be filled in one’s lifetime, some of which could be made up if they endeavored to, while some of which would stay where they were, never to be redeemed.

Qin Sheng had been on his knees in front of the tomb for long, reluctant to stand up. He added, “Mom, you’ve been gone for over 20 years, yet I had never come back to see you for once. Please forgive me for being such an unqualified son, who hasn’t paid his duty to you, for even one day. I know that you’ve always been a caring mother, and I’m sorry to let you be so. I’ll come back and see you often later in the future, keep you company, and make up for all the lost time.”

Qin Ran could not bear to see such a scene, for fear that she couldn’t help crying out again. She supported Qin Sheng with her hands and said, “Stand up, bro. Mom would never blame you for that. She knew that you had suffered a lot more than she did during the past 20 years or so. You’ve come back now, and nothing is better than our reunion. Mom would be delighted from the bottom of her heart.”

Wu Yajun approached, too, hands in Qin Sheng’s arm. “Sheng, get up. It’ll hurt your mother to see you get sick if you keep your knees down on the damp ground,” she said.

Feeling ill at ease as he was supported by both his sister and aunt, Qin Sheng slowly rose to his feet. It appeared to him that his mom was smiling at him from inside the photo on the tomb, and a wave of gentleness began winding up in his eyes.

After the mourning, Qin Ran planned to take Qin Sheng away, but the latter wanted to take a short walk around the place to check the environment. Therefore, Gongsun kept him company while the others were waiting there.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhu stood there waiting, together with Qin Ran. Zhu Weiguo frowned and asked, “Well, what about those two? Is their relationship evolving?”

Wu Yajun was also concerned about the answer given by Qin Ran. Though they were not in a solid relationship with Qin Changan, they still hoped that conflicts were not to get in between the father and son’s way. After all, for over 20 years being separated from each other, Qin Changan had stepped into such an old age, and how many years were left for him to enjoy time with each other as a family?

Holding her arm, Qin Ran smiled and said to her aunt, “Better. I brought Qin Sheng back to the siheyuan for dinner the night before yesterday, and he didn’t refuse. He even had a bottle of white wine with dad.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Weiguo was quite in delight. “Sounds great. It’s good to have some progress.”

Wu Yajun asked, “Ranran, did you ask your father that what’s his plan for Qin Sheng? Is Qin Sheng going to take over from his father?”

Finding it both funning and annoying, Zhu Weiguo replied, “Of course he will. Qin Changan had fought for a lifetime in order to build his family estate, and you think he will give it up to others? I know what’s going on in your mind. Relax. He would not hand his son over to us to educate.”

Wu Yajun mumbled to herself, “What’s the point of doing business? It’s too risky. You don’t see those unspeakable crises behind all those glories. In my opinion, it will be better an option for Qin Sheng to enter politics or join the army. Given enough time, together with the resources from our Zhu Family, you can’t tell how far he would get?”

Zhu Weiguo shook his head with a bitter smile and said, “Then you will have to persuade Qin Changan in the first place. After all, Qin Sheng is not our son, and it’s not our call to decide his future.”

Wu Yajun heaved a sigh and asked Qin Ran while looking at her, “Ranran, say something. What is your father thinking actually?”

The fact that Qin Sheng was still in favor, as it had been the previous time, gave Qin Ran a sense of relief and gratitude. The care and concern would allow Qin Sheng to become better aware of the warmth of family affection and could help regain his sense of presence in the family.

“Auntie, you do know my father’s temperament. He can’t wait to resign. Now that Qin Sheng is back home, he surely will give all he has achieved to Qin Sheng. Besides, putting my dad’s opinion aside, according to my understanding, I guess Qin Sheng won’t choose a life with too many rules, such as politics or the army. Business, however, sounds more liberate and offers him more opportunities to do what he really wants to do. Not long ago, dad arranged him a class for an advanced study of Economy and Management specialty at Tsinghua University, and he seemed not that opposing. He’s always showing up in class on time, listening very carefully to the teachers, and even sitting in classes of other departments when he’s free. As you can see, he certainly has an interest in business,” Qin Ran explained to them honestly. She, too, had expected that Qin Sheng could take over from their old man and inherit the family estate, which would allow him to stand on the shoulders of a giant. Yet it might take him quite a long time to get somewhere if he chose to enter the politics or join the army, even with the help of the Zhu Family’s strong background.

Since Qin Ran had said so, there was not too much to say for Wu Yajun. It was all up to Qin Sheng then.

They waited there for a little longer until Qin Sheng finally returned with Gongsun half an hour later. Then Qin Sheng announced a decision.

He glanced at the people in front, smiling, and said in determination, “Sis, Auntie and Uncle, I’m not coming home with you this time. I’m free until the Spring Festival, so I’ll stay here and guard my mother’s tomb so as to remedy the time I lost to her and the regret of not keeping her company all these years.”

Shocked by his decision, they looked at each other and didn’t know what to say. However, they were all moved by Qin Sheng’s filial piety.

Qin Ran definitely could not let him stay there as the environment was quite bad. Hence, she said in an opposing tone, “Qin Sheng, you want to make up for mom, I get it. But the conditions here are too harsh. You don’t need to do this, and it’ll hurt our mom if you do so.”

“Sis, it doesn’t matter for me to suffer a little. I’m going to crash in with Uncle Guo for a month anyway, to spend more time with mom.”