Chapter 390 - This is How a Spring Festival Holiday Should Look (1/2)

On the last day of the year, most of the people had gone back to their hometowns. All the families were saturated with cheering and laughing. After all, on that day, there were so many customs in many places, such as visiting the graves of their ancestors, inviting them to go home to celebrate the Spring Festival, and so on. Consequently, Capital Airport, where the people had been hurrying to and fro and which had been quite lively on usual days, became somewhat deserted today.

However, many travelers were catching flights, intending to go back home and unite with their family members before New Year’s Eve. The atmosphere of the Spring Festival was quite lively at the airport. However, the livelier the atmosphere was, the more grieved they felt. If it were not for their livelihoods, everybody would like to go back home early and unite with their family members. However, instead, they had no choice but to rush home at the last moment.

Gongsun came to pick up Qin Sheng and Qin Ran in person. As a general housekeeper of the Qin Family, he had set up everything related to the Spring Festival celebration of the Qin Family.

In contrast to the situation in which they had come to the airport yesterday, there were not any cars on their way to the airport today. The vast city became an empty one again. However, it would become noisy and lively soon, which would go on in circles year after year. It was unknown when this cycle would end.

In the car, Qin Ran was chatting with Uncle Gongsun, talking about the preparations in the family and so on. As Qin Sheng looked through the car window and stared at the Spring Festival decorations along both sides of the outside street and on the tall buildings, he could not help thinking of those interesting deeds happening during the Spring Festival when he was little.

Compared with the atmosphere of the Spring Festival in the cities, the atmosphere of the Spring Festival in the villages was much livelier. However, the situation today was no longer the same as that in his childhood. When Qin Sheng was little, he had never liked celebrating the Spring Festival. This was because he felt lonelier when the Spring Festival came. As all other families were uniting, he had no choice but to watch over his grandfather in the old house.

At that time, Qin Sheng was somewhat tough and stubborn. Though he only had his grandfather, he insisted on tidying up the old house, pasting up Spring Festival couplets and the “fu” character, and hanging up Chinese knots and various decorations. The old house had to be the same as other houses, which should be filled with the atmosphere of the Spring Festival. Fortunately, at that time, the Lin Family was by his side. It was the Lin Family that had prepared all the new year’s goods for the old house. Though the Lin Family had asked Qin Sheng and Old Master Qin to celebrate the Spring Festival, never had Old Master consented. It seemed that celebrating the Spring Festival never existed in his world at all. Since Old Master did not come to the Lin Family’s house, of course, Qin Sheng would not go there. He stayed with his grandfather in the old house. It was not until the second day of the Chinese New Year that he went to visit the Lin Family.

Upon thinking of those past events, Qin Sheng could not help smiling bitterly. The more aged he became, the better he knew how difficult his grandfather’s situation was. Never had he blamed his grandfather for taking him away from the Qin Family. That was because he had learned many things at the side of his grandfather, which could not be obtained even if he had spent all of his life outside.

He had been wondering how many obstacles the old man had gone through all his life, since he was so calm and gentle in his old age. Nothing in the world could stir any emotion in his heart. He repeated his life year after year and day after day, seemingly doing nothing but waiting for his death quietly.

So far, never had Qin Sheng came across another legendary figure like his grandfather in his lifetime. However, until now, he was not even able to demythologize his grandfather’s lifetime stories.

However, since Qin Sheng had gone back to the Qin Family now, he knew the day when he demythologized his grandfather’s lifetime stories would be within reach. Those truths over the past years would surface gradually. Even if he did not take the initiative to go after the answers, some things would come to him proactively.

To Qin Sheng, going back to the Qin Family was a rebirth, turning his life completely upside down. However, as the saying goes, every coin has two sides. Going back to the Qin Family plunged him into a greater crisis. This was also the reason why Qin Changan had dared not reconcile with Qin Sheng at first, fearing that Qin Sheng could not handle all of these issues.

After all, he could not ruin the happiness and comfort that the Old Master had endowed to Qin Sheng for more than two decades…

When they arrived at the alley where the siheyuan was in, they saw that all the families had pasted up Spring Festival couplets and the “fu” characters, and only the doors of the Qin Family were bare and empty. Qin Ran smiled and asked, “Uncle Gongsun, why have we not even pasted up the Spring Festival couplets yet? At this time in the past years, everything should have been done, right?”

Gongsun explained smilingly as he said, “According to the Master, the Spring Festival couplets should be pasted up by you. So we left that to you for when you come back.”

Qin Ran said disapprovingly, “A shabby genteel.” However, she also knew what her father’s order meant. If they thought about it solemnly, all the members in the siheyuan started celebrating the Spring Festival formally this year. In the previous years, the siheyuan had been so desolate. After all, Qin Sheng came back this year.

After Qin Sheng and Qin Ran went into the siheyuan, they had lunch, rested for a while, and started getting busy. Gongsun had prepared everything. However, compared with the situation on usual days, many people had left the siheyuan on New Year’s Eve, which had been ordered by Gongsun. They would be divided into two shifts every Spring Festival. Those bodyguards and servants who had been staying in the siheyuan would go home to celebrate the Spring Festival after the seventh day of the Chinese New Year. It was not until the 15th day of the Chinese New Year that they would come back to the siheyuan.

Qin Changan was not at home. Though he was high in position, he was far busier than anyone else whenever the Spring Festival arrived. It was not until the afternoon of New Year’s Eve that he would go home. He needed to pay a visit to many people and vice versa. Consequently, he needed to stagger his schedule. However, Qin Changan could be more relaxed this year. This was because Qin Sheng could help him with many things.

“Sister, the way you see it, is it OK?”

Outside the siheyuan, Qin Sheng was stepping on a ladder while pasting up the couplets. Qin Ran was keeping an eye on him from the bottom of the ladder. Two bodyguards were stabilizing the ladder. Gongsun was saying that Qin Sheng should be careful by his side.

It did not occur to Qin Sheng that it was Qin Changan who had written this pair of Spring Festival couplets by himself. It was not until he asked Gongsun that he learned that Qin Changan would write the Spring Festival couplets and “fu” characters on his own every year. It was well-known that many tycoons were all aspiring for a pair of Spring Festival couplets from Qin Changan.

Upon pondering over it, Qin Sheng figured it out. After all, the Qin Family was a family of scholars, which could be seen from the calligraphy of his grandfather, which could be counted as being at a very high level. As for himself, when he was a child, he had been cultivated by his grandfather, who had brought him to the Beilin Museum to do the copy painting and so on. He was making some progress in calligraphy now. Consequently, it was no wonder that Qin Changan’s calligraphy was hotly sought after.

Qin Sheng had studied Qin Changan’s calligraphy in detail a moment ago. Compared with the calligraphy of his grandfather and his own, Qin Changan’s calligraphy could be better. However, it definitely could appeal to refined taste. Qin Sheng ridiculed Qin Changan in secret that if it were him who had written the calligraphy, he definitely would have amazed all the people, which was somewhat true. If Qin Sheng had written the Spring Festival couplets in the semi-cursive script, some experts would have taken it as a fairy if they had passed by it.

“They are crooked, crooked. Move them to the right side. The left one could be pasted up higher. Yes, yes, yes, you got it. Now it is OK.” Qin Ran, who had been standing at the bottom of the ladder, lifted her head and gave orders to Qin Sheng. Her face was filled with a happy smile.

Within minutes, they pasted up the Spring Festival couplets and “fu” characters on the doors, and had cooperated tacitly. Standing outside the main door, Qin Sheng said with great interest, “Great. However, the characters look shabby. If it were me who had written the characters, it would be perfect.”

Qin Ran found it funny and did not know whether she should laugh or cry. It was well-known that Qin Changan’s calligraphy had been well-recognized by several influential figures. Qin Sheng’s saying so was showing off his skill before an expert.

Qin Ran covered her mouth, smiled cutely, and said, “You go on bluffing. You are better at blowing hot air. Do you know who collected father’s calligraphy?” She liked the way Qin Sheng talked about the nonsense formally better and better.

Qin Sheng said disapprovingly, “Sister, you don’t believe me, right? You must have not ever seen Grandfather’s calligraphy, which is super awesome. I dare not say I can beat Grandfather, however, his calligraphy is just so-so. If there were a chance, I would give you a piece of calligraphy as a gift. If you don’t believe me, you could go to a master randomly and ask him to appraise it or take it directly to the auction branch of Jia De or Bao Li. They would be scared to death by you.”

The more Qin Sheng boasted, the less Qin Ran would believe his words. She did not know whether she should laugh or cry as she said, “Yoho, the way I see it, who did you learn this defect of boasting from? There is nobody else like you in our family.”

As the saying goes, never can you wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep, all you want to do is pour a basin of cold water on him. Consequently, Qin Sheng did not bother to argue with her. He shrugged as he said, “Forget it if you don’t believe me. Probably I am in too low a profile.”