His name was Qin Sheng, 26 years old, 1.8 meters tall. Not exactly handsome, but with a certain rugged charm.
He poured an entire bottle of 375ml Xifeng liquor, his grandfather's favorite, onto the grave. His grandfather had passed away two years ago at the age of 89. Before his death, his grandfather had instructed him not to return for two years.
Since then, Qin Sheng had traveled all over China, visiting famous mountains and rivers, fulfilling his grandfather's wishes. He would never forget the experiences of those two years, how he had cheated death countless times.
"Grandpa, I'm leaving for Shanghai tomorrow. I'll come back to see you during the New Year. Take care of yourself," Qin Sheng said casually after clearing the weeds from the grave. In fact, Qin Sheng had many questions for his grandfather, but now that his grandfather was gone, there was no point in asking.
For example, he wasn't from Xi'an. He only knew that his grandfather had brought him here when he was four years old, and he had lived here ever since. He had no idea where he was from or who his parents were. He had asked his grandfather, but the old man had never said, only saying that he would know when the time was right.
After chatting with his grandfather for a while, Qin Sheng left. He had just returned, but he had to leave tomorrow. He still had a few friends to meet.
As Qin Sheng left, two men emerged slowly from the nearby woods. "Master, should we let him go?" asked the burly man with a fierce look, addressing the middle-aged man beside him respectfully.
The middle-aged man was dressed in comfortable linen clothes and cloth shoes. His face was lined with wrinkles, and his temples were flecked with gray. Without speaking, he exuded an aura of authority, his eyes narrowed as he watched Qin Sheng leave and then turned to the inconspicuous grave. "Let him go for now. I'm curious to see what kind of monster the old man has raised," the middle-aged man sneered.
It took twenty minutes to walk from the mountain to the road, but before Qin Sheng could leave, he was intercepted by three strangers. It was clear they were up to no good.
"Young man, hand over that thing and we'll let you go," the leader said, playing with a dagger, a sneer on his face.
"From Sichuan to Xinjiang, from Xinjiang to Qinghai, and now Xi'an? Aren't you tired of chasing me?" Qin Sheng chuckled.
"Don't waste our time. You know the consequences," the man threatened.
Qin Sheng sighed. "I've told you countless times, that thing you're looking for from the Song family isn't with me. Why don't you believe me? Is there no trust between people anymore?"
"Looks like we'll have to use force," the man growled.
Qin Sheng found it boring and didn't bother to explain. "Come on then, if you're going to do something, just do it."
The three men, enraged by his sarcasm, charged at Qin Sheng. "You all think I'm a pushover?" Qin Sheng smirked. If his grandfather hadn't told him to keep a low profile, he would have dealt with these pests long ago.
Now that the time his grandfather had specified had passed, he no longer needed to be humble. After all, people had underestimated him for so long that they genuinely believed he was weak.
As the first man approached, Qin Sheng kicked his wrist, snatched the dagger from his hand, ducked a sneak attack from behind, and plunged the dagger into the man's thigh.
The other two men closed in, but Qin Sheng calmly dodged their attacks, waiting for an opportunity. With a powerful elbow strike, he hit the man on the left in the chest, breaking two of his ribs. He then leaped up and slammed his knee into the man's side.
The man on the right lunged at Qin Sheng with his dagger, but Qin Sheng, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, spun around and caught the man's wrist, twisting the dagger into the left man's shoulder. With a final hook punch to the right man's chin, he knocked him unconscious. Not stopping there, he pulled out the dagger and plunged it into the right man's arm.
Within a few minutes, the fight was over. Qin Sheng was unharmed, while the three men were incapacitated and posed no further threat.
"I told you I'm not a waste of space, why won't you believe me?"
"Come on, come on, hand over your phones," Qin Sheng said with a smirk.
The three injured men stared at Qin Sheng in confusion, wondering what he was up to. They hadn't expected him to be so tough. Who the hell had said he was weak?
"You won't, huh? Fine, I'll do it myself," Qin Sheng snorted, and proceeded to search the three men for their phones.
"D*mn it, I'm still using an old Nokia, and you guys are all using iPhone 6s? You're so rich," he muttered.
After saying that, Qin Sheng, under the astonished gazes of the three men, threw the phones to the ground and stomped on them with all his might, cursing, "For chasing me, for chasing me!"
In no time, Qin Sheng had completely destroyed the three phones. The men were so distraught they could have cried. Out here in the wilderness, if no one came to their rescue, they were bound to bleed to death.
After finishing, Qin Sheng swaggered away, leaving the three men cursing him to high heaven.
Leaving the Qinling Mountains behind, Qin Sheng cleaned himself up, shaved, and changed his clothes. When he returned to the city in the afternoon, he headed to a residential complex in the southern suburbs. There lived his benefactors, the family he had considered his own since elementary school. He treated the elderly couple like his own parents and would have adopted them as his grandparents if his grandfather hadn't forbidden it.
"Sheng'er, you're finally back! Where have you been for the past two years? You have no idea how worried we were," a middle-aged woman hugged Qin Sheng tightly, tears streaming down her face as soon as he entered.
Qin Sheng didn't know how to explain. He knew the woman saw him as her own son, so he held her and let her vent her emotions.
After a long time, the woman finally calmed down. She pulled Qin Sheng to sit down. She had known he was coming back and had prepared a meal.
"Aunt, I know what happened at home. How are you doing? How is Uncle Lin?" Qin Sheng asked calmly.
He knew that during his absence, his family had almost fallen apart. His uncle had been framed and his company had been taken over. They had nearly lost everything.
"Sheng'er, your Uncle Lin has suffered so much," Wang Li cried again.
Qin Sheng felt guilty. Although they weren't his biological parents, he had become part of the family. As the only man in the family besides his uncle, he should have been there to support them.
"Aunt, it's okay. Just think of it as a loss to avoid a greater misfortune. Grandpa had said long ago that Uncle Lin would face a difficult time in middle age. He probably knew it himself. But as long as he's alive, there's still hope," Qin Sheng comforted her.
"Your uncle is fine. He's taken it all in stride," Wang Li wiped away her tears and shook her head.
Qin Sheng continued, "Besides, I'm back now. I'll find a way to help Uncle Lin."
"Sheng'er, there's nothing you can do to help your uncle. Don't tire yourself out. As long as you and Xinxin are okay, I'll be relieved," Wang Li dismissed Qin Sheng's offer. Qin Sheng was just a young man, while the problems his uncle faced were too big for him to handle.
"By the way, Aunt, where is Xinxin studying?" Qin Sheng asked, concerned about his aunt and uncle's only daughter, Xinxin, who was a few years younger than him. He had always treated her as a younger sister.
"She's studying in Shanghai, just like you," Wang Li said with a wry smile.
Qin Sheng was delighted. "Shanghai? That's great. I'm going to Shanghai tomorrow. I can look after Xinxin then."
"You're leaving tomorrow?" Wang Li was surprised.
Qin Sheng felt a pang of guilt. Although they weren't his biological parents, he had become part of this family. As a member of this family and the only other man besides Uncle Lin, he should have been the one to bear the burden at that time. But...
"Aunt, it's okay. Just think of it as a loss to avoid a greater misfortune. Grandpa had said long ago that Uncle Lin would face a difficult time in middle age. He probably knew it himself. But as long as he's alive, there's still hope," Qin Sheng comforted her.
"Your uncle is fine. He's taken it all in stride," Wang Li wiped away her tears and shook her head.
Qin Sheng continued, "Besides, I'm back now. I'll find a way to help Uncle Lin."
"Sheng'er, there's nothing you can do to help your uncle. Don't tire yourself out. As long as you and Xinxin are okay, I'll be relieved," Wang Li dismissed Qin Sheng's offer. Qin Sheng was just a young man, while the problems his uncle faced were too big for him to handle.
"By the way, Aunt, where is Xinxin studying?" Qin Sheng asked, concerned about his aunt and uncle's only daughter, Xinxin, who was a few years younger than him. He had always treated her as a younger sister.
"She's studying in Shanghai, just like you," Wang Li said with a wry smile.
Qin Sheng was delighted. "Shanghai? That's great. I'm going to Shanghai tomorrow. I can look after Xinxin then."
"You're leaving tomorrow?" Wang Li was surprised.
At dinner, Qin Sheng kept Wang Li company. The food tasted just like it always had. When he took a bite of the eight-treasure spicy meat sandwich, Qin Sheng's eyes welled up. He only had his grandfather and no parents. Others called him an orphan, but only here did he feel like he belonged.
His grandfather had said, "If someone does something good for you, you don't need to say it out loud. Just remember it in your heart. When they need you, be there for them."
So, if anyone had wronged Uncle Lin and his family, Qin Sheng would make them pay.
After dinner, Qin Sheng left the Lins' house and went to a barbecue place on Yanta North Road. There was a Sichuan bamboo skewer barbecue restaurant there that was particularly delicious. Whenever he came back, he would come here with his friends.
Qin Sheng arrived early. He called his four friends, and they were all surprised to hear from him. Only two of them could make it, but Qin Sheng didn't say anything about it.
He knew that as people grew older, they would drift apart. Many things would never be the same.
"Qin, d*mn it, we thought you had disappeared. Where the hell have you been for the past two years?" Two of his friends arrived at the same time. The one who spoke was Mengzhe, a handsome guy who used to be called Pretty Boy.
"F*ck, I thought you were a scammer when you called. I never thought it was actually you," Hao Lei cursed, spitting out the words. He had been in the military and had only recently been discharged. He was tall and a bit thin.
"Sit down and let's talk. There's a lot I need to tell you," Qin Sheng said, putting his arms around his two friends.
After they sat down, Hao Lei shouted, "Waiter, three cases of 9-degree beer, 20 yuan worth of meat, 20 yuan worth of tendon, 20 yuan worth of kidney, three baked oil cakes, a plate of baked eggplant, and a mixed vegetable platter."
"Let's get drunk tonight," Mengzhe said happily.
Drinking was a part of life, but it was only enjoyable when you drank with the right people. Drinking with boring people was just drinking for the sake of drinking.
So Qin Sheng happily replied, "D*mn right, I'm not afraid of you guys. Let's get drunk."
The three of them clinked their glasses three times before starting to chat.
"What have you guys been up to for the past two years?" Qin Sheng asked.
"I just got discharged from the military and haven't found a job yet. Lao Meng is getting engaged. He's probably getting married next year. Don't disappear then," Hao Lei said with a laugh.
"What about the others?" Qin Sheng asked.
Lao Meng sighed. "Lao Xu and Wu Yong aren't on the same page as us anymore. I guess you called them too. We've barely seen each other in the past year. I don't know how to say this..."
Qin Sheng sighed. "Let's not talk about it. Let's just drink."
"Come on, come on, let's drink."
It was early October, so the weather was still a bit hot. The barbecue plaza was bustling with activity. Everyone was eating and drinking heartily, laughing and cursing. It was a familiar place, with a familiar feeling.
Qin Sheng felt good.
"You know, drinking is best when you're with the right people. It makes it so much more enjoyable. Drinking with boring people is just drinking for the sake of it, it's pointless," Qin Sheng said, grinning.
"D*mn right, I'm not scared of you guys. Let's get wasted," he replied, raising his glass.
The three of them clinked glasses three times before starting to chat.
"How've you guys been doing these past two years?" Qin Sheng asked.
"I just got discharged from the military and I haven't found a job yet. Lao Meng is getting engaged, probably next year. Don't you dare disappear then," Hao Lei laughed.
"What about the others?" Qin Sheng continued.
Lao Meng sighed, "Lao Xu and Wu Yong aren't really on the same page as us anymore. I guess you called them too. We barely see each other once a year. You know what I mean..."
Qin Sheng nodded, a bit wistful. "Let's not talk about it. Let's just drink."
"Come on, let's drink!"
It was early October, so the weather was still a bit warm. The barbecue plaza was buzzing with activity.
Everyone was eating and drinking heartily, laughing and cursing. It was a familiar place, with a familiar feeling.
Qin Sheng felt good.
"Qin, what the hell have you been up to for the past two years? Spill it," one of his friends asked.
"We'll talk about it later. Everything's fine," Qin Sheng replied.
"You little sh*t, so what are you going to do next?"
"My train leaves at one. After we finish drinking, I'm going to Shanghai. I'm going to start a new life there," Qin Sheng explained, not hiding anything from his best friends.
"Shanghai? Isn't Suqin there too?"
"Lao Meng, shut up," Hao Lei quickly interrupted, and Mengzhe realized he had said something wrong.
Qin Sheng shook his head and chuckled. "It's okay, say whatever you want. It's all in the past."
"Let's drink, let's drink, stop talking nonsense."
Before they finished the three cases of beer, the three friends parted ways. After all, Qin Sheng had a train to catch, and the others had things to do the next day.
Qin Sheng took a taxi to the train station. With little luggage, he sat in the taxi and looked out the window at the city's night view. The mottled city walls told stories of the past, and the familiar street names seemed worlds away. The city was like an aging old man, coldly watching the changes of time.
As the train started to move, Qin Sheng knew he was about to embark on a new journey...
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