PS: Reading the comments lately, some readers have mentioned the titles Great-Grandfather and Second Grandfather since the beginning. It's true that these titles have caused some reading friction, but ultimately, it's because certain names cannot be written. To distinguish them, Jiang Cheng's biological grandfather is Great-Grandfather.
At Jiang Cheng's greeting, the people guarding the entrance of Chen Ping's courtyard lifted Qiu Zheng's wheelchair over the threshold.
Halfway to the reception hall while pushing Qiu Zheng, Jiang Jianmin hurriedly walked toward them.
"Uncle Jiang."
"Dad."
Seeing that she and Jiang Cheng spoke almost at the same time, Qiu Yihe glanced at Jiang Cheng with a slight touch of awkwardness.
Jiang Jianmin nodded to them and then took over Jiang Cheng's position.
Seeing that the expression on Qiu Yihe's face remained tense.
Jiang Cheng spoke up: "No need to be nervous..."
Hearing this, Qiu Yihe nodded.
But she still subconsciously swallowed: "I've never been this nervous in my life. Your grandfather isn't someone you just get to meet. I didn't expect to be this lucky..."
While talking, several people had already reached the entrance of the reception hall.
His grandfather, who had just walked out of the room, was originally preparing to take a seat in the hall.
Looking at Qiu Zheng, who was being carefully carried in by several people in a wheelchair.
His body stiffened suddenly, as if time had frozen at that moment.
With a 'clack', the book held tightly in Great-Grandfather's hand fell to the floor.
"Uncle Jiang~"
Hearing Qiu Zheng's call, Great-Grandfather's eyes instantly turned red, and tears welled up within them.
He hurriedly stood up and walked toward Qiu Zheng with slightly stumbling steps.
Great-Grandfather's face, framed by black-rimmed glasses, was full of wrinkles.
At this moment, these wrinkles appeared even deeper due to excitement and sorrow.
In those cloudy eyes, crystal-clear teardrops rolled down uncontrollably.
With tear-blurred eyes, he gazed at Qiu Zheng's face, which looked slightly distorted due to pain.
His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start.
For a moment, the entire hall fell into a heart-wrenching silence.
Great-Grandfather's weathered, wrinkled hand trembled as it tightly gripped Qiu Zheng's hand.
The various hardships Qiu Zheng had experienced were like a key, quietly opening the door to the depths of his grandfather's memory.
Those long-buried past events surged into his heart like a tide.
"Little Qiu, good boy, good boy... It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..."
Great-Grandfather's voice was thick with choking sobs as he repeated those words over and over again.
Standing aside, Jiang Cheng keenly sensed the surging pity and sorrow in his grandfather's heart.
He stepped forward quickly, came to his grandfather's side, and reached out to steadily support his grandfather's slightly trembling body.
Just like Great-Grandfather, Qiu Zheng was currently pursing his lips tightly, trying hard not to let the tears fall, but his eyes were already red.
He took several deep breaths, trying to calm his excited emotions.
"Uncle Jiang, I'm fine. I'm truly so happy to see you again! You must take good care of your health!"
Qiu Zheng suppressed the grief in his heart and spoke in as steady a tone as possible.
However, his slightly trembling voice still betrayed his true feelings.
Great-Grandfather gently patted Jiang Cheng's hand that was supporting him, indicating he was fine.
Looking at Qiu Zheng, his eyes were full of kindness and heartache: "Little Qiu... Sigh, I don't even know what to say... You child, you've really suffered all these years..."
As he spoke, Great-Grandfather couldn't help but shake his head and let out a long sigh.
Seeing his father looking a bit dazed, Jiang Jianmin, who was standing aside pushing Qiu Zheng's wheelchair, suddenly became flustered.
He hurriedly spoke to persuade him: "Dad, please don't get too excited. Taking care of your health is what matters most! Let's sit down first and talk slowly..."
"Jiang Cheng, help your grandfather sit down."
After helping his grandfather sit in the middle chair, Jiang Cheng then picked up the book that had fallen on the floor.
Seeing that his grandfather was reading the [Selected Works of Mao].
Jiang Cheng's brow couldn't help but twitch.
To be honest, as he encountered more and more people.
Jiang Cheng increasingly felt that his own knowledge reserve seemed a bit weak.
Even though he had graduated from a first-tier university.
Whether communicating with the highly respected Great-Grandfather, discussing issues with his well-informed father,
or comparing himself with the profoundly learned Qiu Zheng,
he found that his educational level was at the bottom.
Sigh, how shameful.
He wondered when the system would give him a skill like rapid reading or some kind of knowledge reserve.
Unfortunately, when Jiang Cheng put the book back on the side of Great-Grandfather's table, the system still remained silent.
After everyone sat down, Uncle Lin appeared out of nowhere.
He stepped forward with skilled and swift movements, diligently adding tea for every guest present.
After completing this task, he quietly retreated to the side just as he had come, the entire process flowing so smoothly it was almost unnoticeable.
Qiu Yihe had already noticed earlier that the scale of this Courtyard House was beyond imagination.
When she entered the main gate, she had to pass through two long corridors.
The carefully arranged scenery on both sides of the corridors was very pleasing to the eye.
Precious flowers and plants competed for beauty, and in between were uniquely shaped rockeries and shimmering fish ponds.
Normally, this house would surely require heavy daily maintenance work.
But strangely, despite not seeing any extra cleaning staff busy around, everything here remained orderly and spotless.
Jiang Cheng's hand rested gently on his grandfather's back, softly stroking it to help him breathe easier.
Once his grandfather's breathing had stabilized slightly, Jiang Cheng shifted the topic imperceptibly.
He asked softly: "Grandfather, where is Second Grandfather?"
Grandfather took a slight breath, a gratified smile appearing on his face.
He replied: "He had many check-ups early this morning. The results were very stable and good. After the check-ups, he went to rest."
After saying that, Grandfather slowly closed his eyes again, as if wanting to gather more strength.
After a while, Grandfather opened his eyes and looked at Qiu Yihe, who was sitting next to Qiu Zheng.
"Is this your daughter?"
Qiu Zheng, on the side, seemed to suddenly realize something and slapped his forehead.
He hurriedly said to Qiu Yihe: "Oh dear, look at my memory. Yes, yes, yes. Quick, call him Great-Grandfather!"
Hearing this, the originally somewhat reserved Qiu Yihe suddenly became a bit flustered.
She hurriedly stood up, her hands tightly clasped in front of her.
She glanced at Jiang Cheng and Grandfather with slight nervousness.
Qiu Yihe took a deep breath and composed herself.
She carefully picked up the gift placed on the table.
She walked up to Great-Grandfather with a smile and nodded obediently.
Then she said in a sweet voice: "Hello, Great-Grandfather. My name is Qiu Yihe. These are some local specialties from Shanghai I brought for you."
Great-Grandfather personally took the gift bag from Qiu Yihe's hand with a look of affection.
He replied with a chuckle: "Good, good, good child. I haven't been to Shanghai for many years. Every time Jiang Cheng comes back, he brings me some local specialties from there too. I like them very much. Thank you."
Seeing that Great-Grandfather had accepted her things, Qiu Yihe felt a sense of relief in her heart.
Summoning her courage, she said: "When I was studying, I really liked some of the policies and guidelines you proposed."
Hearing this, Great-Grandfather laughed heartily, his tone carrying a bit of sentiment: "Those are all things of the past. Times are progressing, and the future of China ultimately depends on you young people to forge ahead. Your thinking is more active, and your vision is broader. The road ahead must be led by you."
Qiu Yihe's expression was solemn, her tone firm and respectful: "Your thoughts have not only influenced an era but also set a spiritual benchmark for us. Although times are changing, wisdom and truth are eternal. Although I am walking very slowly in this regard, I also hope to do my best to take over this baton of righteousness and contribute a modest amount of strength to correct ideological views."
This response was full of integrity.
Jiang Cheng suddenly realized that he seemed to have never truly known Qiu Yihe.
He could only silently say two words: "Impressive."