Chapter 751
Qin Xue quickly caught up to the father and daughter, breathing slightly.
"Aunt Qin, please slow down." Su Miao hurried forward to support her.
Qin Xue waved her hand and said, "I've just finished my business, so I can't tell you anything personal. That day I went back and told my father about my encounter with you.
He was very excited and insisted that I invite you to his home for a simple meal immediately, saying that he must meet the descendants of his old comrades.
However, we were worried that his excitement might be bad for his health, so we let him rest for a few days. We also told him that Miaomiao was going to meet a foreign guest today, and we would arrange for you to meet after this matter was over."
Su Yuanzheng's voice was a little tense: "Is Uncle Qin okay?"
"He's still pretty strong, but his blood pressure is a little high, so he can't stand getting too excited all of a sudden. He's getting old, so he always likes to reminisce about the past. Ever since I told him I met you, he's been looking through old photos every day."
She paused, then continued, "Especially... the photo with your father."
A breeze blew by, and the shadows of the trees swayed between the three of them. Su Miao noticed that his father's eyes were slightly red.
"Aunt Qin, our time is convenient for us. We'll follow your arrangements."
"Okay! Then let's not delay any longer. I'll drive over to pick you up tomorrow at noon. My dad lives in the compound now, so it's hard to get in without registration."
In the evening, Su Yuanzheng took out a dark red wooden box and wiped it. The surface of the box was carved with delicate pine and crane patterns.
Su Miao came over curiously: "Dad, what is this..."
"This is a chess set made by your grandfather himself. It was originally intended to be given to your grandfather Qin when he was still in Ning County. Unfortunately, the Qin family was transferred away before the chess set was finished."
Su Yuanzheng gently opened the lid of the box. Thirty-two chess pieces were neatly arranged inside. The surface of each chess piece had a warm luster, and it was obvious that they had been carefully polished.
Su Miao picked up the chess pieces and looked through them. There was a small "Su" character engraved on the bottom of each piece.
"Grandpa's cooking skills are really good." She praised softly.
Su Yuanzheng's fingers stroked the delicate lines on the chess piece, his gaze becoming profound:
"During the Qin family's years in Ning County, your grandfather and Grandpa Qin loved to play chess together. Later, Grandpa Qin was transferred, and this box of chess pieces never got to be delivered... Your grandfather thought there would always be another chance, but he didn't expect something bad to happen to him within a year."
The next day was Saturday. After dressing up carefully, the Su family father and daughter put all the prepared gifts in the living room to ensure that nothing would be left behind.
At 11 o'clock, Qin Xue came to pick someone up on time. Looking at the gifts filling the trunk, she smiled and shook her head:
"What's this for? They've moved the department store here?"
"I haven't given Uncle Qin a New Year gift in so many years. This is to make up for it. I just don't know if I can give it this way." Su Yuanzheng scratched his head in some uneasiness.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
Su Miao said mysteriously, "Doesn't Grandpa Qin live in the compound? If we move so many gifts over there and other people see us, will it have a bad influence on Grandpa Qin?"
Qin Xue couldn't help but smile and said, "It's okay. No one has dared to bother your Grandpa Qin for some gifts. Besides, isn't this a make-up New Year's gift?"
She winked at the father and daughter, giving Su Miao a more novel feeling. When he first met Aunt Qin, he only thought she was intellectual and elegant, but he didn't expect that she had such a playful side.
Grandpa Qin now lives in the military district’s retirement home. The compound has strict access control and is guarded by Brother Bing. Even if Qin Xue drives them, Su Miao and Su Yuanzheng still have to show their ID before they can enter.
Su Miao looked out the window and said:
"Dad, Grandpa Tang also lives here. We've visited him before."
"Grandpa Tang? Which Grandpa Tang?" Qin Xue asked.
Su Miao explained: "It was Grandpa Tang Ziqian. By chance, through Sister Jiayin, I became good friends with Grandpa Tang's grandson Tang Ziyi. Later, my father became good friends with Tang Ziyi's parents.
Then, last time before the Lunar New Year, we were able to visit the Tang family, and Grandpa Tang even gave us a tank made of bullet casings, which was really nice.”
Qin Xue suddenly realized: "Oh! It's Uncle Tang! He's a very nice guy. He looks very serious, but he really likes the younger generation."
Then he said with some annoyance, "Oh, so we actually missed each other. If my dad or I had run into you when you came here, we would have recognized you then and wouldn't have had to wait until now."
"It's okay, Aunt Qin. It's not too late now. We'll meet again if we're destined to."
"Haha~ You little girl, you really have a lot of things to say."
Passing through the building in front, there are some "villas" with small courtyards in the back. Su Miao thought that since Grandpa Qin could live here, his social status must be quite high.
Qin Xue parked the car outside a small courtyard, and the three of them carried the gifts from the trunk and walked inside.
The whole courtyard is tidy and orderly, yet it is full of the breath of life.
An old plum tree leans against the corner of the wall, with a stone table and stone benches under the tree.
In front of the main hall door, a white-haired old man was looking outside. When he saw the Su family father and daughter come in, he took a few steps forward, his back still straight.
"Uncle Qin, long time no see." Su Yuanzheng walked quickly forward and held the old man with both hands.
Old Master Qin narrowed his eyes and looked at Su Yuanzheng carefully:
"Yuanzheng...Haha! How come you're not young anymore? You and your father look so much alike."
After he finished joking, his voice trembled a little, and his eyes searched for the familiar outline on Su Yuanzheng's face.
"Uncle Qin, I'm already in my teens. I'm no longer a young man. Speaking of young people, here's one, Su Miao, my daughter."
Although they had not seen each other for many years, the feelings they had felt back then seemed to have never faded when they met. Su Yuan was coaxing the old man with a warm tone.
Old Master Qin turned to Su Miao, his eyes full of joy:
"This is Miaomiao. Your Aunt Qin showed me the video of you receiving foreign guests. Good! Very good! You are as smart and beautiful as your grandmother."
"Hello, Grandpa Qin~"
"Come in and sit down~ Oh, you brought so many gifts! I want to have a good chat with you guys."
Several people sat down in the living room. Qin Xue made tea herself and said to Su Yuanzheng:
"It's a pity that my brother works out of town, otherwise he would definitely come today. I don't know if you still remember him. He is three years younger than me and has been to your house before."
"I remember, of course I remember, it's about defending the country! We used to play ball together."
"Yes, he loved running after you then."
Old Master Qin flipped through a treasured photo album, which contained many photos of him and his old comrades, two full pages of which were taken with Grandpa Su Miao.
"Miaomiao, look, this is a photo your grandfather and I took when we came back from North Korea. Look and see if your dad looks like your grandfather."
Su Miao leaned close to Grandpa Qin to look at a photo. The photo showed two young men in military uniforms standing shoulder to shoulder under a pine tree, smiling brightly.
She turned to look at her father, feeling somewhat amazed, and said, "We have a photo of Grandpa at home. Before, I only thought Dad looked a little like Grandpa, but the one in this photo looks 90% like Dad when he was a few years younger."
Su Yuanzheng smiled and nodded:
"Most of the photos at home are of your grandfather in his teens, which is about my current age. Didn't your third aunt say last time that I look more and more like your grandmother as I get older? When I was young, I looked a lot like your grandfather.
And this photo of your Grandpa Qin is when he was in his twenties."
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