Chapter 220 Striking Thunder in This Peaceful Scene
An ordinary person either enjoyed the first half of his life and suffered for the rest or vice versa. There were only people who suffered their whole life, there was no one that enjoyed their whole life.
Hence, a young man should strive to fight for his life while he was still young. This way, he would then lead an exciting life and find value in existing. If you led an over-comfortable life when you were young, then you could become a good-for-nothing for the rest of your life. It might be too late when you finally wake up and realized what was going on. You no longer have the energy and the environment, let alone the determination and courage. The fate of the rest of your life had been decided.
Qin Sheng was more special than ordinary people. He felt that his life must be exciting and not plain and passive. He could accept the failure and peacefulness after a rough fight. He would have no regrets or feel sorry for himself. However, he would not accept the peacefulness without a fight.
To him, the unwillingness to be mediocre was the only way to launch the strongest counterattack.
But for Qin Ran, her younger brother’s life was not supposed to be like this. He should be like her, without any stress for survival, to enjoy the best that the world had to offer.
Now that she heard his attitude towards life, Qin Ran was very upset. But when she saw this hard-to-come side of her younger brother, she was comforted when she saw how he was countless times better than those useless rich second-generation in Sijiu City.
But she felt that Qin Sheng was carrying too many responsibilities and pressure. He would be very, very tired. She pitied him a lot…
“Qin Sheng, as your sister, I believe in you. One day, you will stand out in this crowd. Strive on!” Qin Ran said with bursting emotions. She even subconsciously addressed herself as his sister, and she did not even realize it.
Qin Sheng naturally did not notice a difference. He laughed and said, “Sister Ran, my path ahead is still long. But as long as I’m alive, I will never give up. This is the path that I’ve chosen. I will stick to it till the end, even if I have to go on my knees.”
For some unknown reason, Qin Ran looked at her brother with a gaze of admiration. Anyone could see the doting love in her eyes.
Qin Sheng was a little embarrassed by her gaze. He quickly changed the topic and said, “Sister Ran, how long are you staying in Hangzhou? Are you on a business trip or are you here to find me?”
Qin Ran laughed, but she could only lie and say, “I don’t think you’re that charming yet. I have some things to handle in Hangzhou, I have to make a trip to Shanghai tomorrow too. I should have gone earlier, but I dragged until now.”
Qin Ran was actually going to Shanghai to tell her grandmother about this good news. She naturally would not tell her directly that the grandchild whom she was so worried about had been found. She would only tell her that there was news about him.
The old lady had always been thinking about this after so many years. Back then, Qin Ran’s mother’s death and her younger brother going missing was such a strong hit for the old lady. Qin Ran’s grandfather also left them two years later. Hence, the relationship between the whole Zhu and Qin families had always been very stiff. Everyone felt bad for Qin Ran but detested Qin Changan.
Qin Sheng could not tell if she was saying the truth. He chuckled and said, “I thought you came here specially for me.”
“You wish!” Qin Ran laughed femininely.
Qin Sheng said with seemingly many thoughts, “Sister Ran, but you seem to be very capable. Since you manage to locate me in Hangzhou, you must definitely not be an ordinary person. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have so much power.”
“I can’t guarantee it if you’re talking about something difficult. But trying to find you is still considered an easy feat.” Qin Ran smiled as if it was nothing.
Qin Sheng laughed and said, “Alright then, seems like there’ll be more chances for us to meet again in the future. Why not you take down my phone number? If you really want to meet me, just give me a call and I’ll wait for you. This way you don’t have to put in so much effort.”
“That would be the best,” Qin Ran said with great satisfaction. This way, she would be able to have deeper conversations with Qin Sheng in the future and it would aid in the development of their sibling relationship.
After exchanging contact information, Qin Ran could not wait to add him on WeChat. She had gained so much in this Hangzhou trip. She chuckled and said, “Alright, it’s getting late, Qin Sheng. I have to head back to the hotel. If you don’t mind, you can send me back.”
“Happy to be of service,” he replied happily.
After sending Qin Ran back to the Four Seasons Hotel by the West Lake, Qin Sheng hailed a cab and went back to the Golden Coast directly…
In the early morning on the next day, Qin Sheng did not go for his morning run and stayed in the study to read books. It started raining in the wee hours of the morning and the whole of Hangzhou was not as stuffy and warm anymore. The air was filled with the smell of mud.
At 8 am, Xue Qingyan was already downstairs ready to pick up Qin Sheng. He changed his clothes and went down. A brand new Toyota Alpha was parked at the door. Qin Sheng quickly kept his umbrella and got on the car.
“Sis, I can just drive myself there, but you still insist on picking me up. Aren’t you trying to shorten my life?” Qin Sheng said cheerfully after getting on the car.
Xue Qingyan rolled her eyes at him and said, “I knew that you are such a sweet talker, no wonder you can trick Lin Su into falling for you. If I was younger by a few more years, I would probably fall for your tricks too!”
“You say as if I’m some flower thief!” Qin Sheng pouted and said, “If I can make you fall for my tricks, then I wouldn’t have to worry about if I have food to eat or clothes to wear! All that’s left for me to do is to enjoy my life! It’s such a pity that I don’t have such a blessing…”
Xue Qingyan struck back without a warning. “What if I were to give you the chance?”
“Sir, how much is this car? It’s quite comfortable,” Qin Sheng quickly changed the topic and said. He dared not continue with the topic. Ms. Cheongsam had a very high IQ, and she could be setting up a trap for him.
The driver did not know what was going on and thought that he wanted to buy the car. He smiled and said, “It’s an imported Toyota Alpha, costs 900,000. But this car is popular. If you want to buy it now, that’s another 200 to 300,000.”
Qin Sheng initially thought that it was just a normal nanny car and his mouth fell apart. “Goodness gracious, so expensive? It’s a pity that I can’t even afford to buy a wheel.”
The driver was also dumbfounded. He did not know how to respond to that. Sitting beside him, Xue Qingyan was already crackling.
The old man that Xue Qingyan was bringing Qin Sheng to visit lived on Meijiawu’s tea mountain. Qin Sheng stayed at Meijiawu for a few days when he came to Hangzhou the previous time. However, he was in a total disheveled state then and did not have the time to admire Meijiawu’s view properly before.
Today, he was sitting in a car. With nothing to do, he admired the rainy Meijiawu. A whole stretch of tea mountains, clouds and mist circulating around, everything was green and vibrant. It gave him the ‘an old man wearing a green straw hat and woven coat, immersed in the beautiful view and not leaving even after a long time’ kind of feeling.
Qin Sheng really liked this kind of feeling, for it made him feel like he found the memories of what it was like when it rained in Zhongnan Mountains in the past. His grandfather would sit under the eaves and play his erhu. Qin Sheng stared at the empty mountains of Zhongnan Mountains after they went through a shower from the rain. The sound of the erhu and the rain complemented each other and they eventually disappeared into the mountains.
The old man that they were paying a visit to lived on the tea mountain. A famous designer designed a yard for him and he spent most of his time staying here. He would drink tea, practice calligraphy, enjoy the view, host guests, and travel from time to time. He did not know how long or how short the time was.
“Sis, do we need to bring anything when visiting the senior?” Qin Sheng could not help but mutter when the Toyota Alpha pulled to a stop in front of the yard entrance.
“I already brought it, and it’s something the old man is most interested in. You don’t have to worry too much about it,” Xue Qingyan said as she deliberately kept him in suspense.
Qin Sheng nodded silently, but after getting off the car, he did not see her carry anything at all. He was a little puzzled. Could it be a smaller item?
There were two doormen clothed in green long-sleeved shirts standing at the entrance. They walked towards them while holding onto umbrellas which they then used to shield Qin Sheng and Xue Qingyan from the rain. This kind of interesting and appealing ancient yard, as well as the doormen dressed in green long-sleeved shirts, gave people the feeling of returning to the past. The only thing that did not quite match was the hairstyles of the doormen.
The two doormen were not young. Qin Sheng did not know what their identity was too. He could only follow behind Xue Qingyan and the two doormen led them into the yard.
The yard’s design was very meticulous. Green bricks and gray tiles, a small bridge over moving water, a tower above the lake, slate roads, a house built almost completely out of bricks and wood. There were carvings on the round pillars and eaves, etc. There were rockeries or garden art placed everywhere in the yard. Almost every corner could be a scenery on its own.
They did not enter the house. Instead, they followed a small path in the yard and walked through a few doors before eventually reaching the end of the yard.
The old man was currently practicing his calligraphy under a pavilion. There was no obstruction around the pavilion and he could admire the view of Meijiawu. At the same time, he could have a birds’ eye view of Meijiawu in the rain. There were two beautiful ladies in cheongsam by his side. There were also the two doormen. On top of all these, a melodious Guzheng sound could be heard. This scene was really out of the world.
“Sir, the guests have arrived,” one of the doormen stepped forward and said softly in a well-structured manner.
The old man put down his pen and ink. He laughed and turned around to look at Qin Sheng and Xue Qingyan. He said, “Qingyan and Little Qin, you’re here!”
After having a clearer look of the old man, Qin Sheng finally understood that the person Xue Qingyan wanted him to meet was Master Liu, whom he had the fate to meet once in Shangshan Ruoshui. He did not expect Master Liu to be living in Hangzhou.
“Uncle Liu,” Xue Qingyan said politely.
Qin Sheng lowered his head slightly and said, “Master Liu.”
The old man may look like he was only in his sixties, but he was in fact much older than that, which was why Xue Qingyan addressed him as Uncle Liu. The old man put in effort to take good care of his health and exercise on normal days, which was why he looked so young.
“Little Qin, why did you not come to pay me a visit when you came to Hangzhou? You should have let me do my best to be a good host for my own land,” Master Liu, whose hair had turned all white, said casually.
Qin Sheng replied honestly, “Master Liu, I did not know that you’re in Hangzhou. Also, I’ve just arrived not long ago.”
“Qingyan, this is your fault,” Master Liu looked towards her and said in between smiles.
She replied very naturally, “I was afraid that he would stir up your peacefulness.”
“Xiao Qin, I heard from Qingyan that you’re quite good at calligraphy. What do you think of my work?” Master Liu took a few steps back and motioned for Qin Sheng to step forward to take a look.
Qin Sheng quickly rejected and said, “Master Liu, this is just a past-time of mine, it’s not something to be brought onto the table, nor am I worthy to evaluate your artwork.”
The old man pointed at Qin Sheng and said, “Little Qin, you’re too humble! I’ve seen your work! I asked Qingyan to bring you here so that I can interact with you. To be honest, everyone thought that the older you are, the better your calligraphy will be. But actually, I think that’s just a form of taking advantage of your age. At least, after looking at your work, I’m truly in awe!”
Qin Sheng had a strange look on his face. “When did Sister Xue saw my work?” He could not recall anything.
Xue Qingyan did not explain anything. She stood not far away from them with smiling eyes and let them interact with each other. This old man was not an ordinary person in Hangzhou.
Qin Sheng asked with beaming interest, “I think that if you try to compete in things that boost your health and build your character, you’ve already lost in the first step.”
“Well said,” Master Liu praised again. However, he quickly followed up with another question. “Qin Sheng, your work is indeed not bad. But I’m even curious about the fact that your work is very similar to a precious piece of calligraphy art that I treasure. I’m not sure if you’re related to this senior?”
“You’re referring to?” Qin Sheng asked with curiosity. Other than the years of training at Beilin Museum, his calligraphy was taught by his grandfather’s words and actions. This was how he ended up with this accomplishment today.
Master Liu turned towards the doorman that stood not far away from them and said, “Bring me my treasure piece of calligraphy art!”
The two doormen immediately picked up a rosewood box by their side and opened it slowly. They took out the artwork inside and Master Liu motioned for them to display it. Qin Sheng and Xue Qingyan had a curious look on their faces.
Qin Sheng stared at it intensely. When the artwork was slowly revealed from the top, Qin Sheng had a tint of doubt in his gaze. When it was gradually opened, his face quickly turned into a shocked expression.
When he saw the signature at the bottom of the artwork, he was already completely blown away. He subconsciously muttered, “This is my grandfather’s handwriting.”
This one sentence was like a striking thunder in this peaceful scene…
Xue Qingyan might not have realized the heavy meaning behind this sentence, she was merely surprised. On the other hand, Master Liu trembled and almost fell to the ground. The two doormen quickly went up to support him. He stared at Qin Sheng in bewilderment and then suddenly burst into laughter.