The storm in Lingjin City had completely settled. The next day, they went to Qiyun Road in the provincial capital to visit Elder Qin Lie. After having lunch with him, they returned to Lingjin City.
「The orphanage.」
Shanshan held a chicken wing in her left hand and a cola in her right, her cheeks puffed out as she ate with gusto.
Qin Qiu patted her little head. "Eat slowly, don't choke."
"Mmhmm." Shanshan nodded, obediently slowing down.
After finishing her food, she patted her round little belly and said with a smile, "Auntie Qin Qiu, you're so pretty!"
"Oh, you! When you grow up, you'll be even prettier than your auntie is." Qin Qiu scooped Shanshan into her arms, the genuine affection for the little girl evident on her face.
Standing to the side, Chen Yang bead, his previous worries completely swept away. He had only intended to visit Shanshan, but it was Qin Qiu who had taken the initiative and asked to adopt her.
"Boss, the paperwork is all taken care of," Yang Hu said as he walked over, waving the docunts in his hand.
Hearing this, a smile blossod on Shanshan's face, and she clung tightly to Qin Qiu's neck. This was her dream, and at this mont, it was finally coming true.
"Let's go."
Shanshan nodded, her little face flushing a cute, rosy red.
Leaving the orphanage, the van headed north, speeding straight for the highway to Cangyun City. The sudden addition of a new person brought a great deal of extra joy. Shanshan was a bundle of curiosity, her bright eyes scanning everything. Many things that seed ordinary to others were filled with wonder for her. Only today had this colorful world truly opened up to her.
As the sun set, Shanshan took out her brushes and painted the crimson horizon. Under the glow of the sunset clouds, she drew two adults holding a little girl's hands, chasing a flutter of butterflies.
For a four-year-old child, the things she wanted weren't many; in fact, they were quite simple. She just wanted a ho. Nothing more.
About two or three hundred kiloters from Cangyun City, the van turned onto a side road, heading directly for the small mountain village where Yang Hu had once lived in seclusion. In Chen Yang's words, since the relationship was confird, they couldn't keep the girl waiting. So, on Chen Yang's orders, Yang Hu was preparing to bring his girlfriend back to Cangyun City with them.
As darkness fell, smoke rose languidly from the picturesquely arranged houses. Dogs barked and roosters crowed. Under the dim shroud of night, a child led a yellow bull ho, his pant legs rolled up and feet bare. He swung a stick, his youthful face filled with an unabashed, lingering joy. Every corner was a beautiful scene, presenting a sight completely different from the city of steel.
The years vanish in the blink of an eye. Only the simple, worldly pleasures of life are eternal.
Chen Yang had suffered far too much in his life, so he understood better than most just how precious these scenes—so rare in the big cities—truly were. Being here, he naturally had to savor them. Though he had been troubled by the Martial Association's tenth-anniversary celebration and the affairs of the Chen Clan, he found an instant sense of peace upon entering this rural landscape.
In the distance, firecrackers erupted, sending up plus of white smoke. Soone must be celebrating sothing auspicious.
At the village entrance, a girl in a white blouse and blue jeans saw the approaching van. A smile lit up her face, and a blush crept onto her fair cheeks. He's here. That man is here to get .
"Qinghan!" Yang Hu was already leaning out the window and waving eagerly, even though they were still so distance away.
"Brother Hu," Shi Qinghan said, running forward a few steps, her heart brimming with joy. After they had parted ways, she had feared it would be a final farewell. The heart that had been caught in her throat only settled when her phone rang today.
"Qinghan, get in." The van stopped, and Yang Hu gestured for her to get in the car.
Shi Qinghan hesitated, knowing there were others inside. Her face flushed red all the way to her ears, but she eventually walked over slowly.
SWISH!
The car door slid open, and Qin Qiu reached out her hand, smiling. "Co, sit next to ."
"Oh, okay." Shi Qinghan instinctively took her hand and got into the car.
"Boss, this is my girlfriend, Qinghan," Yang Hu said, gesturing to Chen Yang and Qin Qiu. "Qinghan, this is my big brother and his wife."
"Hello, Big Brother. Hello, Sister-in-law." Despite her shyness, Shi Qinghan didn't neglect her manners.
"Hello," Chen Yang nodded.
Qin Qiu imdiately struck up a conversation with Shi Qinghan. Yang Hu happily started the van again, heading toward Shi Qinghan's house.
Shi Qinghan's mother, Madam Huang, was already bustling about in the kitchen. Her father, Shi Kang, leaned on a cane with a smoking pipe in his hand. When the headlights swept over him, a faint smile appeared on his rugged face. He was very satisfied with Yang Hu. His fondness had multiplied several tis over, especially after learning the young man was from the Martial Departnt. In his view, a good man should join the army to fight and protect the empire.
A luxurious SUV gradually slowed, stopping beside Shi Kang. From the passenger seat, a chubby head belonging to a man of about fifty poked out. His few remaining strands of hair were ticulously combed back.
"Well now, if it isn't old Shi Kang. By my count, it's been five years since we last saw each other, hasn't it?" The middle-aged man flashed a gold-toothed grin so wide it showed his gums, his face a mask of smug satisfaction.
Shi Kang frowned slightly. He had thought it was the young man, Yang Hu, returning. "Old Nine," he nodded curtly in acknowledgnt.
The man's full na was Shi Jiu. He was a notorious petty thief in the village, who would even snatch a couple of eggs from a coop if he passed by soone's gate. His son, Shi Xu, however, was clever and shrewd from a young age. He had gone to the city in his teens to make his fortune. Rumor had it that he'd latched onto a wealthy older woman at a club and used her connections to carve out his own path. Now, he owned a textile factory with five thousand employees and had amassed assets worth tens of millions. Today was his triumphant return ho. Fireworks had been going off nonstop since dawn. He had also spread the word that he would host a grand banquet in the village tomorrow. Anyone with the surna Shi could co and eat and drink to their heart's content, and he, Shi Jiu, would foot the entire bill.
"After all these years, you're still living in this shabby house," Shi Jiu chuckled, every crease on his face oozing with the smugness of a petty man who had made good. "By my count, your little Xiaoni should be of marriageable age. Haven't you found a good son-in-law to fix this place up for you?"
"Is that any of your business?" Shi Kang's expression darkened as he spoke coldly.
"Tch!" Shi Jiu scoffed disdainfully. "All temper and no talent! But I won't hold it against you. How about this: let your Xiaoni beco my son's concubine, and from then on, you, Shi Kang, can live the high life with . What do you say?"
Half of this proposal was his own idea; the other half, naturally, ca from Shi Xu.
"Get lost!" Shi Kang's eyebrows shot up as he barked. "Get as far away from as you possibly can!"
"Don't be so quick to refuse. Rember to co to the banquet tomorrow. We can discuss this marriage in more detail then," Shi Xu interjected. He tossed out the line, and then the vehicle drove off.
I, Shi Xu, am a multimillionaire now. Why is this old coot so clueless?
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