However, they moved later on. Following Old Man Qin's death, the Qin and Li families basically stopped interacting.
Hence, when he heard the news about the Qin family, he couldn't help but be surprised.
He Fang smiled and said, "How strange. Qin Youmi used to be in the Higher Education Committee just like me. Why didn't they keep in touch?"
Li He asked, "Was she the one who wanted to introduce him?"
He Fang said, "Yeah, I don't know where she saw your son. We happened to have a Higher Education Conference yesterday and she mentioned it to me."
"Is her father still in the department?" Li He asked.
He Fang asked, "I didn't ask, but Brother Qin Youmi was married twice. I think this girl was born to his ex-wife."
"Did you see the girl?" Li He asked.
He Fang said, "I saw the photo. She has a good aura, like the young Qin Youmi."
Li He said, "You two can discuss it."
Li Lan received a photo from his mother on his phone. It was a girl. She didn't pose but just stood there casually. He took a second look at that casual smile.
He agreed to the blind date.
It was six o 'clock in the evening. He got off work early and drove to Jianguo Road. In half an hour, he had only moved twenty meters.
After turning a corner, the car stopped in the parking lot of the business center.
Then, he squeezed into the dense crowd of people on the subway.
As soon as he came out of the subway, he recognized her at a stall.
She was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and a navy blue skirt. She stood by the barbecue stall with her hands behind her back and held her phone, drooling over the meat skewers on the grill.
Li Lan looked at himself, took off his tie, and put it in his pocket. Then, he unbuttoned a button.
"Li Lan?" She recognized him immediately under the night sky.
"Yeah, hello, Qin Yuancheng?" Li Lan knew that the Qin family had weird names. This girl's name was the only normal one he knew.
"Do you want to eat mutton skewers?" the girl asked with a smile. "My treat."
"Do you want another two bottles of beer?" Li Lan asked.
"That's too easy." She pulled out a stool with a smile and sat down next to him. She called out to the owner, "Another ten mutton skewers and a case of beer. You didn't drive, did you?"
Li Lan said, "I took the subway here. The traffic was too bad."
The beer was served, and under her dumbfounded gaze, he easily opened the can with disposable chopsticks.
"Wow, look at your proficiency. You usually drink a lot." She smiled and took the beer.
Li Lan said, "Our family is an alcoholic."
Qin Yuancheng said, "I can't remember your father's name, but I think he's a businessman. He used to live not far from my house, and I often saw him squatting at the door drinking beer. He seemed to be quite a drinker.
Is your family still doing business? "
Li Lan replied, "I'm doing it."
"Cheers," Qin Yuancheng said. "From my aunt's tone, it seems like your family's business isn't small."
Li Lan replied, "It's alright."
"Can't you say two more words?" Qin Yuancheng asked unhappily.
"No problem at all." Li Lan laughed. "I used to go to Grandpa Qin's house often, but I don't seem to have a deep impression of you."
His talent in Go was developed by Old Man Qin.
The two of them were friends despite the difference in age, and they were both teachers and friends. Therefore, when he heard from his mother that she was Old Man Qin's great-granddaughter, he was willing to meet her.
Of course, he was very familiar with the Qin family, but he had no impression of Qin Yuancheng.
Qin Yuancheng pinched the mutton skewer and put it into her mouth. She rubbed it from head to tail, leaving a thick grease stain on the side of her face. She wiped it with a tissue and said with a smile, "My mother and father divorced when I was a few years old, and then I grew up with my mother. Later, I went to my grandfather's house less and less."
"Sorry." Li Lan picked up a glass of beer and clinked it.
"You don't want to play Go anymore?" she asked with a smile.
"No."
"Why?" she asked curiously.
"Because my surname isn't good," Li Lan said seriously.
"What does it have to do with surnames?" She was even more puzzled.
"Look, those who are good at Go all have small surnames, such as Ke, Lian, or Gu," Li Lan sighed. "There used to be a Lee Changgao. I thought he was from the same family, but he turned out to be a Korean."
She said with a smile, "You're deliberately making excuses for yourself."
"You know how to play Go?" he asked.
"A little," she said with a smile.
"That's not bad." He didn't think that she was being modest. If she was an expert, he would have seen her on the field. In his eyes, those of the same age who hadn't competed with him on the same stage were only a little bit good at Go.
The two of them chatted as they ate and drank.
Before they knew it, the two of them had been eating for more than an hour.
"Let's walk," she suggested.
"Okay," Li Lan said after paying the bill, "Where are we going?"
Qin Yuancheng said, "This is where you grew up. Don't you want to walk around?"
Li Lan said, "Sure. I remember that there's only one street that hasn't been demolished. The rest is almost demolished."
He walked in front. Many places were not the same as he remembered. The familiar places had been replaced by wide roads and tall buildings.
The only place that hadn't been demolished was the alley where his house was.
Walking in again, there were some changes. For example, the public toilet was gone, but there was a parking lot.
People came and went on both sides of the road. None of them knew him, and he didn't know any of them. His old neighbors were no longer living here.
This was now a tourist area, no longer a pure residential area.
"Hey, is there no one living in your house?" she asked.
"No one." He sat on the threshold of the closed door, as if he had returned to his childhood. He took out a cigarette and asked, "Do you mind?"
"Do as you please." She kept a distance from him to avoid the smell of smoke. Looking at the high wall, she said with a smile, "Your family is so rich. You're just going to throw such a good house away here?"
Li Lan said, "Isn't it the same for your family?"
Old Man Qin's house was also empty.
"My surname is Qin, but it doesn't mean I'm a member of the Qin family. I'm only in contact with my aunt now," she said, "because my aunt treats me the best."
"I'm sorry." Li Lan extinguished the cigarette halfway. He stood up and said, "When we moved, it wasn't as clean as before. There are still many things inside. Do you want to go in and take a look?"
"Can I?" she asked with a smile.
"Wait." He looked around and touched the beam when there was no one around. Unsurprisingly, he found the key.
The key was not far away. It took some effort.
With a bang, the door opened, attracting the curious gazes of many people around. Their heads also followed the dark door, but they couldn't see anything.
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