Chapter 360 If You Like it
Nan Gong already recognized who the middle-aged man was. Since Nan Gong had left resolutely upon seeing him, he must be someone that Nan Gong trusted, and would not pose any danger to Qin Sheng at all.
The middle-aged man could not be any ordinary person. Otherwise, the two bodyguards would not have blocked Nan Gong’s way. Then, who was he?
It was snowing heavily at Yanqi Lake. It was said that there was no snow at all in the downtown area. Originally, Qin Sheng had planned to climb the Great Wall. It certainly would be a pleasure to stand on the Great Wall and enjoy the northern scenery. However, after thinking it over, he gave up the idea. Firstly, the Great Wall was a little far away. Secondly, it would be boring for him to go there on his own. As a result, he went out for a run and stroll.
The residential quarter was built beside the tributary of Yanqi Lake. There was a moderate distance between the smaller lake and the main lake. However, the width of the smaller lake was also large. At this moment, it had frozen over, and its surface was covered with accumulated snow.
After Qin Sheng finished his run, he stood by the side of the lake, and did some exercises. He did Tai Chi Boxing, practicing the Five Animal Mimic Boxing for some time, and felt completely refreshed at the end of it. Ever since he had exercised well in the gym last night, he was in a good state of mind when he got up this morning, and did not feel sleepy at all. However, he felt somewhat sore and his muscles ached, although it was nothing serious at all.
Just as Qin Sheng was about to go back to the villa, a middle-aged man showed up . He had been observing Qin Sheng for a long time, but from a discreet distance and did not encroach on his privacy at all. He just stood there and stared at him quietly, checking on what his ill-fated nephew looked like, one whom he had lost contact with, for more than 20 years.
Yes, he was Qin Sheng and Qin Ran’s blood kin uncle, Zhu Weiguo.
After Qin Ran was sent to the court by his driver that night, she had been chatting with her uncle and aunt for a full three hours. Qin Ran stayed over with them in the end. Qin Ran told them about everything related to Qin Sheng, making them love Qin Sheng dearly and feeling quite sorry for him. They were also very proud of Qin Sheng.
The little guy who used to be such an innocent kid, and spoke in a babyish voice was almost thirty years old now. As for Zhu Weiguo, he was almost sixty years old. As the saying goes, time flies fast and speeds up the aging process. Twenty years had passed in the blink of an eye. It seemed as if everything had just taken place yesterday.
There were still photos of Qin Sheng as a child in the family album. However, his appearance had changed so much. He did not resemble the boy in the photos from his childhood at all. His height and appearance were like his uncle’s, which was not a disgrace to the Zhu family.
Zhu Weiguo , who was dressed in a black coat, walked over slowly and said, “Young man, you are doing well in your Taijiquan and Wu Qin Xi moves,” Though there was a lot of snow on his hair and body, he did not seem to be bothered about it at all. The weather was snowy during icy cold winter days. Zhu Weiguo looked to be in high spirits. Every step he took was overwhelmingly vigorous. He looked very sprightly.
Qin Sheng, who had planned to go back, stopped subconsciously and turned around. Upon seeing Zhu Weiguo walking over, he replied as he frowned slightly, “My movements are just ordinary. The expert will not appreciate my skills.”
Qin Sheng’s humility made Zhu Weiguo feel very satisfied. However, he had replied in a somewhat cold and distant tone. Zhu Weiguo replied, “Many young people like foreign cultures these days. Consequently, many traditional studies of Chinese ancient civilization have been lost. Let’s take the Five Animal Mimic Boxing as an example, the way I see it, only few young people know how to use it. ”
Qin Sheng, as a young man, had a greater say on such matters. He did not agree with Zhu Weiguo at all. The times that these young people had gone through, were the most complicated ones. However, they were most fortunate to have caught up with the period of the rapid development of this country, and witnessed the country’s achievements and attainment of its current position, step by step. Compared with their predecessors, they, who were more mature now, became more patriotic and had more sense of national pride. The simplest example would be that many scholars of the previous generations had gone abroad, few of whom had returned home. As for the ones in current times, most of them returned to this land that they loved dearly eventually, after going abroad.
Qin Sheng shook his head and said, “I think what you said is somewhat one-sided. From my perspective, the love of studies of Chinese ancient civilization has increased. Most people will go through three stages of thinking, namely, to know everything is to know nothing, the wise man knows he knows nothing, while the fool thinks he knows all, and to know oneself is true progress. In the beginning, they came into contact with traditional culture and then slowly came into contact with western culture later on. Following that, they gained insight on both cultures, which have their individual charms. In the end, they feel that traditional Chinese culture is more extensive and profound instead.”
Qin Sheng’s insight was very interesting. Zhu Weiguo nodded while listening. It was evident that Qin Sheng’s values were very positive, and he was not the kind of young man whom he should be worried about. Zhu Weiguo chuckled as he said, “It seems I am somewhat aged. I don’t quite understand the young people in current times, thinking they are still the same as before.”
Qin Sheng smiled lightly as he replied, “A lot of people used to say that the generation after 1980 was a broken one. However, they have already become the backbone of the current society. Many people also say that they can’t trust the generation after 1990. However, people of the generation after 1990 are the most patriotic ones, who claim themselves to be Government Collaborators. Frankly speaking, it is because the country has increased in strength, so much so that people are becoming more confident and have more sense of pride. They definitely will be patriotic.”
Zhu Weiguo’s original intention was just to chat with Qin Sheng. Consequently, he had expressed his opinion casually. It did not occur to him that Qin Sheng would respond so vehemently. He, who had a high position, definitely knew what Qin Sheng said was well spoken. Speaking of the in-depth reports from various internal think tanks that he had seen every year, they were more profound than Qin Sheng’s insights.
But his biggest gain was that he now knew what Qin Sheng’s values were, which was claimed to be positive energy by the young people today. Originally, the family background of the Zhu family was connected to the Communist Party of China, of course, Zhu Weiguo did not want to see the offspring conducting apostasy.
Zhu Weiguo laughed as he said, “Yes. If I think about it carefully, it seems that I should know more about young people.”. Even the wrinkles on his face seemed to have been smoothed out.
Qin Shengxi smiled awkwardly and did not continue speaking. After all, as his senior, the man in front of him was very sincere, and did not have the kind of old and stubborn way of thinking.
Qin Sheng had been focusing on rebutting him a moment ago. It was not until now that he eyed Zhu Weiguo up and down solemnly. The man in front of him seemed to be a righteous man. His eyebrows were dense and he had a determined look in his eyes. When the muscles on his face tightened, he looked pretty formidable.
Qin Shengrao asked with interest, “Were you once a soldier?”
Zhu Weiguo was not surprised at Qin Sheng’s question. Anybody could tell that he had been in the army for a lifetime After all, the temperament of the soldiers was different. He nodded and said, “I have been a soldier my entire life and dedicated my whole life to the country. I love this country deeply and love this land more. ”
Zhu Weiguo’s words made Qin Sheng respect him instantly. He changed his attitude immediately. His biggest regret was that he had never been a soldier. At first, he had intended to register for the examination in the military academy. However, Grandpa had not consented to his request, however hard he had begged. Even the Lin family had a problem with his choice. In the end, he had chosen to study at Fudan University in Shanghai.
The word “soldier” held great importance in Qin Sheng’s heart. As the saying goes, this is not an era of peace. It just happened that we live in a peaceful country and that’s all. Yes, the reason why we are able to live a happy and comfortable life now, was because some people were carrying the burden for us and guarding the peace for us. They were the loveliest and the most hardworking people, who turned to be soldiers.
Therefore, that was the reason why Qin Sheng and Hao Lei got along so well with each other. That was because up till now, Hao Lei had the righteousness of a soldier.
Qin Sheng mellowed instantly and asked politely, “Do you live here?”
Zhu Weiguo shook his head and said, “This is not the case. I’m here to attend a meeting today and on the way to meet a friend. It happened that you were practicing boxing at that time. As a soldier, of course, I am interested in martial arts.”
Originally, Qin Sheng had been skeptical of Zhu Weiguo. That was because the strangers who showed up by his side during this period usually did not turn up accidentally, but had intentionally chosen to run across his path. Consequently, Qin Sheng was wary of strangers.
Perhaps, it might be due to Zhu Weiguo’s words and his identity of being a soldier that Qin Sheng had not thought too much and instinctively trusted him.
Qin Sheng asked curiously, “Since you are that senior, are you still on active duty? Why haven’t you retired and left the army?”
Zhu Weiguo laughed and said, “Well, young man, it seems that you are looking down on an old person like me.”
Qin Sheng said hurriedly, “I’m sorry, I did not mean to offend you. I was just asking a casual question. After all, most people at your age start to live a life where they can hold their grandsons, while dancing in the square.”
Zhu Weiguo brushed the snow off his shoulders as he replied, “I’m just kidding. I’ve been in the army for a lifetime. It’s okay for me to be old. In that case, let’s continue contributing our remaining energy and cultivate the young people conveniently.”
Though Qin Sheng admired Zhu Weiguo much, he did not intend to continue disturbing Zhu Weiguo. After all, it was so cold outside and Zhu Weiguo’s body condition certainly could not keep up with young people like him. Consequently, Qin Sheng was about to leave.
Zhu Weiguo took the initiative to speak up as he said, “Young man, I see that you have a somewhat confused look in your eyes. Do you have something weighing on your mind? If it is convenient for you, you can tell me. Anyway, I am free at this moment and it is rare to meet someone who is such an interesting young man.”
Qin Sheng was at a loss. All the incidents, which had happened in recent days, had been piled up in his heart. However hard he had vented, he just could not make himself feel at ease. He did want to talk to someone personally. Unfortunately, he was in Beijing now. There weren’t any reliable friends by his side.
He hesitated for a while and eventually he said, “I don’t know how to pour my heart out to others, so I will just do it casually. I am indeed a bit confused. I hope you can give me some advice.”
Zhu Weiguo nodded as he said, “Feel free to talk to me. I am all ears.”
Qin Sheng breathed in the cold air deeply and said slowly, “Ever since my childhood, my grandfather and I depended on each other for survival. I always thought that I had no parents. Later, my grandfather died and I took off and wandered about. During this period, I offended many people and experienced many things. It was not until sometime back that I knew that my father had found me since the year before last year. But he did not reconcile with me immediately. Instead, he kept watching me secretly. At first, he did not interfere with my life. However, he tried to come into my life all of a sudden later on. I lived completely according to his will. Every step I took was set up by him, including the friends around me, who were his connections. I was kept in the dark completely. During this period, my enemies found me and began to plot against me. My friend died protecting me, and for that, I feel very guilty. Though he knew what was happening, he did not reconcile with me. It was not until a few days ago that I knew all the ins and outs. I’m a bit confused, I don’t know how to face him, I don’t know if what he did is right or wrong. In your opinion, what should I do? ”
Qin Ran had told Zhu Weiguo about all these already. However, Zhu Weiguo saw them from a different perspective. He would not give Qin Sheng a mere casual guidance. He hoped that Qin Sheng would be able to settle his problem by himself. Consequently, he replied, “Since you are confused and don’t know if what he did is right or wrong and how to face him, you can put them aside first. Life is not only related to these trivial things. You have more things to do. Besides, you have a long way ahead. As you continue your journey, you might figure it out along the way.”
Zhu Weiguo’s words instantly awakened Qin Sheng. He thought, “Yes, why should I have to stand on the spot, struggling with what is right or wrong?” He still had a lot of things to do. If he could not figure it out in his lifetime, could it be that he would not be doing anything at all for his life? As he continued his journey and looked around, he would experience and learn a lot. He would figure it out eventually.
It was a little while later that Qin Sheng said excitedly, “You are right. I know what to do now. Thank you.”
Zhu Weiguo laughed as he said, “It seems that you are very clever and promising.” His nephew was not as confused as he thought.
Qin Sheng glimpsed at the time and realized he should go back. Consequently, he said, “It’s late. I won’t bother you, I hope that you will stay healthy and everything that happens is for the best.”
Zhu Weiguo smiled slightly as he replied, “Okay, thank you.”
It was not until this moment that Qin Sheng realized that he had been so focused on chatting with the man in front of him that he did not know how he should be addressed. Consequently, he said, “Well, I don’t know how I should address you?”
Zhu Weiguo said smilingly, “If you like, you can call me uncle.”