Song Qing lived in a standalone villa. Unlike Li Fan, she took the commercial path, which actually aligned somewhat with Song Ye. Over the years, the two siblings often exchanged letters and discussed developments at home and abroad.
If Song Ye was focused on the comprehensive development of Tang County, then Song Qing was focused on real estate. Now, many residential developments in Beijing bore her mark.
These two siblings were no longer the children who lived under someone else’s roof and could be bullied by anyone.
Song Qing asked Song Ye about his future plans, and Song Ye said, “I’ll stay in Tang County. Maybe in a few years, it will become Tang City.”
That simple sentence revealed Song Ye’s ambition, which made Song Qing laugh and glance teasingly at Song Ye and Tang Guo.
“Alright, I’ll be watching to see when Tang County becomes Tang City.”
Li Fan was a cultured man. In fact, he came from an exceptional background. Besides being a professor in Beijing himself, his father, grandfather, brothers, and sisters had all made their mark in politics.
After chatting for quite some time, Song Qing finally brought up the Song family.
The living room fell silent. Song Qing sat gracefully on the sofa, as if recalling something. “I heard that not long after I went abroad, something happened to that woman’s family, and it dragged him down with it. There’s no hope for promotion anymore. Now the whole family is squeezed into a courtyard house. If it weren’t for the two older members of the Song family still having some connections, their life would be even harder.”
Back when trouble struck Grandpa’s family, those two elders were the first to cleanly distance themselves, claiming her mother died of illness, though really it was from anger.
First, she was angry that the Song family was heartless and ungrateful. Second, she was angry that the entire Song family had long been involved with that woman’s family. What infuriated her most was that the two children from that woman weren’t much younger than her and Song Ye. But at that time, there was nothing she could do about it.
“Sister, don’t think about that anymore.”
Song Ye noticed the change in Song Qing’s expression and knew she was remembering the past. “Is Grandpa doing well?”
“He’s good,” Song Qing showed a smile, “After I returned to the country, I found Grandpa. He wasn’t hard to find. He had been rehabilitated many years ago. Back when he was sent to the countryside, he met kind people and made it through that ordeal. His health wasn’t affected much either. It’s just that over the years, he’s often talked about you. Thinking of the situation here, he never urged you to come back.”
“Xiao Ye, if the Song family comes looking for you, don’t be soft-hearted,” Song Qing warned. “If you dare be soft-hearted, don’t blame me for not recognizing you as my brother.”
“Sister, do I look like the soft-hearted type?” Song Ye wore a faint smile on his face, but there was a hint of coldness in it. “The reason I didn’t come back wasn’t because of them.” His smile softened as he held Tang Guo’s hand. “It was because of Guo Guo.”
“Alright, stop showing off your lovey-dovey stuff in front of me,” Song Qing said in mock annoyance. “I know, I know. It’s all because of your Guo Guo.”
Whether it was before she went abroad or after coming back, Song Ye’s letters to her always had at least half the content talking about his beautiful and clever little wife. It made her teeth ache with jealousy. But Song Qing was also grateful that Song Ye had met this girl named Tang Guo and the wonderful Tang family.
“When are we going to visit Grandpa?” Song Ye couldn’t hold it in any longer. Before the troubles, the siblings had mostly lived with their grandfather.
Their grandfather was once a renowned scholar, known not only for his beautiful calligraphy but also for his exceptional paintings. His students were everywhere. What happened back then was also tied to those very students.
It could be said that the Yuan family was a true scholarly household. If not for the events of that time, the Yuan family would still be a renowned family today.
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