Chapter 395 - A Blind Date (1/2)

Chapter 395 A Blind Date

The Song Family had kept a low-profile thanks to its Old Master’s strict management. Old Master Song was born and grew up in a turbulent era of exotic invasion and transferring of governments, when everyone led a homeless and miserable life. He survived from a series of wars, struggling hard to become a politician. Old Master Song had witnessed a critical change of the Chinese nation in history, from troubled to prosperous.

Old Master Song always followed the Chinese traditional moral principles of self-cultivating, family-regulating, state-ordering, and the land was greatly governed. He was blessed by the heavens so that he was lucky enough to be one of the survivors from the cruel wars. His own efforts were far from enough to make his achievements to that day. It was always on his mind that his success stood on the shoulders of hundreds of thousands of dead men. He was strict to himself and also to the young generation of his family. He would absolutely punish those in his family who became arrogant or made profits through their family’s prestige.

As a consequence, the generation after Old Master Song were all common with no great accomplishments and mostly worked as basic civil servants. But the Song Family produced two excellent talents among its young generation.

One was Song Hesheng, the young man sitting in the living room. Great expectations were set on him, who was one of the most brilliant upper-class young people in Beijing. After finishing his postgraduate studies, Song Hesheng began to work as a basic civil servant. For work, he made progress step by step, willing to perform actual deeds for people. For interpersonal relationships, he was well-bred, always showing respect to everybody. So all of his colleagues and leaders spoke highly of him. At the moment he was a deputy department director, enjoying a promising future.

The other one was the coming young lady. She was the youngest granddaughter of Old Master Song and Song Hesheng’s cousin. People’s comments about her were very much like her name. Song Ruyu, which literally meant ‘being mild and gentle’ like the quality of jade.

Her name was telling people that she was extraordinary—an otherworldly fairy coming down to earth.

But Qin Sheng still had no idea about that woman. He was fully attracted by her temperament, which was hard to describe. It was rather like the feelings one would get when falling in love with someone at first sight.

She was a gorgeous young lady—even more beautiful than his sister. But it was light-headed to focus only on her appearance, since her temperament was far more prominent.

Her hair was in a pony tail. She wore no makeup and dressed casually—grey sweater, light-colored coat, distressed jeans and a pair of black cloth shoes. Qin Sheng was surprised by the shoes. He liked to wear that kind of homemade shoes when he was a child. Unlike the cloth shoes produced by “Old Beijing”, a commercial brand, those homemade ones were particularly comfortable. But he hadn’t seen homemade cloth shoes for many years, and was surprised to see that young lady wearing them.

She looked naive and simple, making him feel warm and comfortable. Her dark eyes were so clean that Qin Sheng thought his staring was offensive. He couldn’t help thinking about an old saying—Some people’s spirits were like sunflowers, always pursuing the brightness.

“Yu’er, were you in the study just now?” Old Master Song looked at his granddaughter with great affection. She was the youngest of his grandchildren and was the one he acknowledged and adored the most. Sometimes he thought his friend Old Master Qin predicted the future, finding that his granddaughter would be that good. That might be why Qin asked for the engagement between their grandchildren.

Song Ruyu gave them a friendly smile. Her eyes looked as if they were filled with warm sunshine.

“Sister Ran, long time no see. Why do you look so pale?” Song Ruyu walked to Qin Ran and Qin Sheng with steps as soft as wind in the spring that woke up all the living creatures gently.

Qin Ran liked that young lady. She had seen various kinds of women before, but Song Ruyu was different from anybody else. She was like a square peg in the round hole, but she had her unique way to gain her own position in that world. Qin Ran couldn’t help thinking that it might be good if that woman married her younger brother.

Qin Ran didn’t know why, but every time she met Song Ruyu she felt a sense of regret. Qin Ran smiled and said, “Ruyu, you’re more beautiful.”

Song Ruyu lowered her head shyly. “Sister, you’re kidding me.”

She hated it when others praised her appearance, especially strange men. But it was fine when Qin Ran said so since they were familiar with each other.

“Yu’er, do you remember him?” Old Master Song asked softly and pointed at Qin Sheng. Song Ruyu and Qin Sheng had met each other when they were still kids. But it had been a long time since then. They might have both forgotten that.

A lot of people would go to the Song’s siheyuan in the Spring Festival and Song Ruyu, of course, had no idea. She didn’t live there most of the time, but she knew that every first day of the Chinese New Year, Uncle Qin and Sister Ran visited. She sometimes saw them.

Song Ruyu was surprised that she was asked to go to the siheyuan so early in the morning by her grandfather. She thought some important people would be there, but she had waited for a long time. She was expecting to meet his grandfather’s old friends or some high-leveled government officials, not thinking that Qin Ran and the stranger beside her were the important guests.

Song Ruyu smiled and nodded to Qin Sheng as a greeting. She didn’t stare at Qin Sheng in an impolite way, but gave him a few glances, which made Qin Sheng feel neither uncomfortable, nor being looked down upon. Every detail of Song Ruyu’s behavior revealed her good education.