Find My Younger Brother

It was truly remarkable that Qin Peng could still write such neat and steady characters at his age. Liu Chang'an paused for a moment, but still quickly tore open the envelope.

The letter was long, the edges of the paper were slightly curled, and the handwriting was not written in one go; there were corrections and several circles and crosses, and the wording was changed repeatedly.

Many surviving calligraphic works are like this, which is different from the image of calligraphy in the minds of many modern people. They are not a few clean and neat characters written in one go on a clean sheet of paper with ink splashed on the brush.

Just like Yan Zhenqing's masterpiece, which is second to none in the world.

Liu Chang'an read through the letters from the beginning with a smile. He thought that receiving such letters from old friends would probably become less and less common in the future, and it would even be normal for them to disappear altogether. Throughout history, countless traditions have risen and then disappeared.

Qin Peng wrote a poem reminiscing about the days when he was taught by Qin Peng, then recounted how he had been searching for "Ye Chenyu" all these years, and finally lamented that the peach blossoms and the face of the man remained unchanged, inviting Liu Chang'an to meet him at the Qin Family's old residence.

This will probably be the last time we meet... Liu Chang'an thought. It must be because of Qin Yanan's situation during the summer vacation that Qin Peng felt it was necessary to meet with Liu Chang'an to clarify some things.

Unlike the invitations from the Third Mistress and others, Liu Chang'an was too lazy to pay attention to those invitations; if they wanted to see him, they would have to come to him themselves. But Liu Chang'an would not do that to Qin Peng.

Even if Qin Peng were on the other side of the Pacific Ocean and he needed to swim there, Liu Chang'an wouldn't mind. He had never been aloof or indifferent towards the children he had raised and cared for. Liu Chang'an had more patience and consideration for them.

Perhaps decades later, in the years to come, Liu Chang'an will forget Qin Peng, but since he still remembers him, he will naturally have some compassion for him, just like when he remembered Li Daoren, he was willing to let Li Hongfang go.

Liu Chang'an carefully put away the letter and the postcard in the rattan box under the bed. Then he took off his vest and shorts and changed into a clean, slightly worn cotton shirt, black trousers, and cloth shoes.

With his shirt not tucked in and his sleeves neatly rolled up, Liu Chang'an entered the carriage.

"Dan Dan, I have to go out for a bit, I probably won't be back until tomorrow... um, maybe I'll be back tonight."

Shangguan Dandan remained silent, but Liu Chang'an noticed that the phone was no longer on the coffin lid. He didn't know the reason why, but he wasn't surprised either.

"How did you end up in someone else's hands? Before you were sent here, what kind of condition were you under guard?"

Not getting an answer, Liu Chang'an didn't take it to heart, locked the carriage door, and slowly walked out of the residential area.

He knew it was impossible for the surveillance targeting him to completely disappear. Liu Chang'an strongly suspected that several seemingly hidden cameras near the street entrance of the residential area were used to monitor him. However, since he had marked out his own territory, Liu Chang'an wouldn't bother with other people's cameras as long as they weren't installed in areas monitoring the inside of the residential area.

Having witnessed the coffin's miraculous nature and Shangguan Dandan's control over it after waking up, Liu Chang'an was no longer worried that anyone could easily steal the coffin, unless it was her own intention.

Liu Chang'an brought his ID card, bought a high-speed rail ticket with his mobile phone, and then took the subway to the South High-Speed Rail Station to catch his train.

This trip was much more extravagant than my last trip to Taiwan.

He made quite a bit of money this summer. Although he needed to save the money to open a shop, the rice noodles sold well, and Liu Chang'an wasn't the kind of person who would be stingy and unwilling to spend money just to save it up.

The Junsha Metro currently has two lines in operation. The southern terminus of Line 2 is a convention center. Liu Chang'an went there to check out the station, and the second to last station is Junsha Station.

There are usually no seats on the subway in the city center, but it's not crowded. Liu Chang'an stood in a corner watching many men and women carrying luggage. Summer vacation is almost over, and there are quite a few college students heading to school now, which can be seen from their somewhat unfamiliar and somewhat inexperienced appearance.

Liu Chang'an recalled the days when Qin Peng and Ye Sijin were students.

This meeting might involve chatting and catching up, or perhaps we'll skip the past and focus on the future, with the main topic likely being Qin Yanan's situation.

It should also be Qin Yanan's business. Otherwise, given Qin Peng's personality, or rather, some of the agreements made back then, their next meeting would have meant Qin Peng was nearing the end of his life. Right now, Qin Peng seems to have several more years to live.

Liu Chang'an got off the high-speed rail at the station and walked through the East Square to enter the station. There were fewer people there. Liu Chang'an looked up at the span of the station's dome and couldn't help but think of the Terracotta Army pits at the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. At that time, due to inadequate technology and materials, the construction of the exhibition hall was very conservative.

He should Shangguan Dandan to see modern Chang'an sometime, but if she stays in the coffin and doesn't come out, it will be inconvenient to take her there. He can't exactly carry the coffin there, can he? Judging from the bronze aura this coffin looks like, if Liu Chang'an carries it to the street, he might be reported by concerned citizens and then have to hand her over to the state.

As Liu Chang'an pondered these random thoughts, he noticed the business class lounge in the station. However, he didn't splurge on a business class seat and instead quietly sat on one of the rows of iron chairs in the waiting hall.

The waiting room is lined with all kinds of restaurants. Fewer and fewer people are eating instant noodles now, and some stations have even stopped selling them altogether.

Liu Chang'an wasn't hungry, but he felt that being able to hold a bowl of instant noodles with ham and braised eggs on the train was one of the most satisfying pleasures of the journey.

People always have sentiments, and there's nothing wrong with sentiments.

First Class, First Class, Second Class.

Liu Chang'an was in second class. After boarding, he sat idly in his seat. He had neither brought a data cable nor a power bank, so of course he had to conserve battery on his phone. There was another row of passengers in front of him with their backs to him. It wasn't as interesting as the old-fashioned trains where two rows of passengers faced each other, so naturally he wouldn't see any glimpses of cleavage like last time... and there wasn't much to see.

In the afternoon, Liu Chang'an arrived at his destination and went straight to the Qin Family's old residence after exiting the station. More than a hundred years ago, the Qin Family and the Ye Family were both prominent families in this area. The Ye Family had already squandered its wealth during the war. The direct line of the eldest son had died out by the time of Ye Chenyu and Ye Sijin. Some of the collateral branches were not so wasteful. They experienced ups and downs, and some even developed well, leaving and then returning.

The situation with the Qin Family is more complicated. When Qin Peng started the revolution, the Qin Family didn't support him; Qin Peng leaving home was practically the same as being kicked out. However, after the victory of the Liberation War, the Qin Family couldn't help but harbor some thoughts: Qin Peng is now a high-ranking official, shouldn't he at least take care of the Qin Family?

Without any intervention, the land was still confiscated and subject to redevelopment.

The Qin Family's numerous mansions were distributed to the local people. Only the courtyards where Qin Peng lived as a child became known as "Qin Peng Former Residence." When Qin Peng returned to spend his later years in peace, the plaque for "Qin Peng Former Residence" was taken down and returned to him.

Liu Chang'an looked around and circled the house several times. Apart from the house itself, everything around it was no longer the same as it used to be. The old houses that originally belonged to the Qin Family had been mostly destroyed and there were very few left. Some of the buildings that had taken their place were also very old. Some of the houses were being demolished, and the compensation must have been very generous. He wondered if they would be grateful to the Qin Family back then.

"What are you doing here?"

Although Qin Peng Former Residence was once inevitably one of the patriotic education bases for primary and secondary school students in the area, attracting many visitors, Qin Peng has long since returned, and the residence has not been open to unauthorized personnel for many years. People like Liu Chang'an who wander around are somewhat suspicious and deserve questioning. After all, the safety of such a surviving veteran revolutionary cannot be overlooked. If anything happens, the local leaders will be on edge and unable to eat or sleep.

"Looking for my younger brother," Liu Chang'an said with a smile.

"How old is the child?" The plainclothes guard asked casually, only because Liu Chang'an's clothes gave off the feeling of an intellectual youth out of step with the times, and he didn't seem like a bad person.

Liu Chang'an didn't know how to answer this question, but he could tell that the guard was carrying a gun, so he figured he was the one who could relay the message. Liu Chang'an took out the letter and decided not to try to climb over the wall into the courtyard.

If you can walk in openly and honestly, then you can walk in openly and honestly. But if you have to climb over the wall or even dig a hole, Liu Chang'an doesn't really mind.

The plainclothes guards recognized Qin Peng's handwriting, especially since it bore Qin Peng's name and seal. They disregarded Liu Chang'an's earlier claim about finding his brother and, while remaining vigilant, politely invited Liu Chang'an to wait in a small room inside the house.

This small room used to be where the gatekeeper rested, Liu Chang'an remembered. He could feel the gazes of people walking past the door, as well as the surveillance from the cameras inside. After a while, an old secretary-like man with some silver hair invited Liu Chang'an in.

"Isn't a security check required, like a body search or going through a security gate?" Liu Chang'an asked, slightly puzzled.

The old secretary was taken aback; the question was too suspicious. After hesitating for a moment, Liu Chang'an, who clearly didn't want to be searched, walked past him.

Liu Chang'an was familiar with these courtyards, while Qin Peng was probably still living in the courtyard where he was a teenager.

"Wait a minute..." Although Qin Peng had already given the instructions, the old secretary still couldn't help but worry, because Qin Peng's safety was too important. At his status and age, every hair on his body and every pore of his body was being worried about.

Liu Chang'an ignored him and walked to the innermost courtyard. In the courtyard with swaying bamboo shadows, an old man with a full head of white hair and vigorous spirit was sitting in a rocking chair, looking straight at the door and seeing Liu Chang'an walk in.

Even though the other person's voice and appearance bear no resemblance to that vague memory, a sudden surge of emotion wells up within me.

Just as Qin Peng's hand touched the rocking chair, the old secretary rushed over to help him up, but Qin Peng waved him away.

Liu Chang'an walked over and hugged Qin Peng's emaciated body.

"Elder brother!"

After a shout, Qin Peng looked at the young man before him, tears streaming down his face.