Gao Mingcheng got promoted again, which led to a job transfer. After living in the capital for ten years, they were going to move back to the south.
The house was a mess, with boxes and bags, some packed and some not, scattered everywhere.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"Coming, coming!" Xing Zhaozhao rushed out of the room, almost tripping over herself.
Opening the door, Xing Zhaozhao smiled and pulled Qin Shi, who had grown tall and strong, inside, saying, "Why are you here?"
Qin Shi walked into the room and saw boxes and bags scattered everywhere. He rolled up his sleeves and said, "Aren't you going to the south in a couple of days? I came to see if there's anything I can help you with."
Back then, Xing Zhaozhao moved to Beijing with Gao Mingcheng less than a year later, the movement ended prematurely, the college entrance examination was resumed, and the country reopened.
After observing the situation in Lanyuan for two years and confirming that things had stabilized, the old principal and Mrs. Qin brought Qin Shi to the capital. The elderly couple were old enough to stay in Lanyuan and retire comfortably, but they had a young grandson. They were willing to leave their parents behind to care for their grandson, so they needed to plan for his future. Of course, returning to the capital was the most suitable option, as there were more opportunities there, and their connections were all there.
They used the large yellow croakers they had stockpiled to buy back the Qin family's old house that they had previously sold off.
Taking advantage of the sudden surge in overseas travel at the time, Xing Zhaozhao also bought two courtyard houses. If it weren't for the fact that Wang Dafa and Ling Xiao from Lanyuan's hometown were planning to start a transportation company together and were short of funds, she would have been able to buy two more houses, one for each of her three children and the couple. Fortunately, the transportation company made a lot of money over the years, and she also received a considerable share, which allowed her to finally buy all four courtyard houses she had always dreamed of.
Right now, Xing Zhaozhao is the only one at home.
Gao Mingcheng went out early this morning to say goodbye to his old comrades, saying he would come back as soon as possible to help, but he hasn't been seen yet.
Hongyu couldn't continue his studies after graduating from junior high school, so his father sent him to the army. He was the first of the three children in the family to leave home. Now he is in the harshest part of Northwest China and may not be able to come back even once a year.
Hongfei is already a college student. Although he had always said he wanted to join the army like his father since he was a child, he didn't end up taking that path. Instead, he studied business and, judging from his words, plans to start his own company. He's even thought of a name for it: Zhaohong. Although summer vacation has already started, he hasn't been seen for the past few days, and no one knows what he's been busy with.
As for Xiao Hongling... well, let's not talk about her. If no one comes to her with their son to complain, "Your daughter broke my son's head again," she'll be thankful.
Since Qin Shi had come to help, Xing Zhaozhao didn't stand on ceremony with him. She pointed at the boxes and bags in the living room and said, "Help me move these, these, and these to the door. We're going to send them all to the courtyard house to be stored later."
"Okay." Qin Shi immediately agreed and got to work.
As Xing Zhaozhao continued tidying up the room, she casually asked, "By the way, how are your grandparents doing lately?"
Qin Shi hesitated for a moment, his expression somewhat complicated.
Xing Zhaozhao noticed something was wrong and looked at Qin Shi with concern, asking, "What's wrong? Has something happened at home?"
Qin Shi nodded: "My dad, my mom, my uncle, and my aunt have come looking for me."
Xing Zhaozhao's face darkened. "After all these years, why are you suddenly coming back? Did you hear that the old couple still have assets and are eyeing them again? Where do you get the nerve? Didn't we sever all ties back then?"
"That's what my grandparents said too. They knelt down in front of my grandparents, crying and begging, saying how helpless they had to be back then..." Qin Shi said in a low voice.
Xing Zhaozhao scoffed dismissively and said, "Back then, when the movement had just ended, why didn't they come?"
Although the former principal and Mrs. Qin had moved to Beijing, they still kept in touch with their old neighbors. Even if they had only visited once, Fu Lan would never have failed to tell them. She never did.
If, in previous years, the old principal and Mrs. Qin still held a sliver of hope for those unfilial sons, hoping they would have a shred of conscience and come looking for them as soon as possible, especially the eldest son and his wife, since their eldest grandson was still with them, the final result was that the old couple completely gave up hope.
"How did they find us?" Xing Zhaozhao asked curiously.
"They want to go abroad, but they're short on money, so they came to ask their grandparents' old friends for help..." Qin Shi said.
Xing Zhaozhao understood, and her face darkened: "You wouldn't be eyeing your courtyard house, would you?"
Qin Shi nodded: "They want Grandpa and Grandma to sell the courtyard house and divide the proceeds among themselves."
Xing Zhaozhao's face darkened further: "Do they know that my godparents only own one house in Beijing? Where will they live if they sell it?"
"They want Grandpa and Grandma to go back to Lanyuan to live, and it would be best if they sold the little villa that Lanyuan later returned," Qin Shi said.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." I don't know what to say anymore.
"They really have no shame at all." Xing Zhaozhao shook her head speechlessly.
"My godparents probably won't pay any attention to them, right?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
"Of course," Qin Shi said, "it's just that you keep calling at the door every day, it's so annoying, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I came here."
"Before we go south, we plan to go back to Lanyuan. Why don't you come back with us for a while and have some peace and quiet?" Xing Zhaozhao suggested to Qin Shi after thinking for a moment.
Qin Shi hesitated for a moment: "I'm afraid they might chase after us."
“Just stay at our place then. Lanyuan isn’t that big, but it’s not that small either. It won’t be easy to find someone. Besides, we’re considered local big shots in Lanyuan, so it’ll be easy for us to get someone to deal with them,” Xing Zhaozhao said.
Qin Shi knew that during the tense period of the Cultural Revolution, Xing Zhaozhao had been colluding with Fei Ge, who was in charge of the black market—no, she was doing business with him. Now, Fei Ge had started a transportation company, which was unique in Lanyuan and was the envy of everyone. No one dared to mess with him.
Qin Shi was very tempted. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll go back and ask my grandparents."
Xing Zhaozhao nodded and said, "Okay, I'll wait for your news. If you're sure you want to go, I'll have Mingcheng arrange another car."
As the two were talking, the door was suddenly pushed open with a bang, and a tall, pretty little girl, about eleven or twelve years old, wearing a small floral dress, walked in.
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