Chapter 47: Xiezhi [3]

Golden Horn

“Uncle Qi, this is my friend, Zhang Qiu and Li Shu.” Lu Feng introduced.

The opposite person’s eyebrows seemed to be dyed with austerity with his line of sight swept over them and stayed on Li Shu for a second, then quickly turned his eyes away. The way he spoke was also cold, so unlike the host of the party. He seemed as if tired of such occasions, but tried to endure them.

“En, you guys have fun. If you need anything, go find Ah Xiu.”

After that, they went straight up to the second floor and went to the lounge. The Ah Xiu mentioned was a young man. When he smiled, his eyes curved like a crescent moon. He greeted Lu Feng with a smile. You could tell between the lines that they had a good relations.h.i.+p. After a while, more people came, and Ah Xiu was busy entertaining others.

Lu Feng then said, “Ah Xiu is Uncle Qi’s adopted child from a distant relative’s home and brought up under Uncle Qi’s name from childhood.”

When Zhang Qiu first heard Lu Feng talked about Uncle Qi, he thought Uncle Qi had a respectful bearing and sounded like a lively elder. But when he met Uncle Qi just now, he didn’t expect that Uncle Qi was in his early thirties, which was only three or four years older than Lu Feng. Uncle Qi also didn’t like to be busy at all and was cold when he saw more people. Zhang Qiu just couldn’t understand why he wanted to hold a party since he didn’t like it.

Hua Ting patted Hua Hua. “You take little brother to play.” After sending off the children, he continued: “Uncle Qi is named Qi ZhiRong, who has more seniority[1] than us. From small to big, I used to see Uncle Qi in the courtyard, and he has always been like this —cold and cheerless, has no desire and no demand but his means of doing things are very fierce. We’ve got a bit of thorn heads[2] in our circle, too and they were all trained to be obedient and stick to each other.”

[1] 輩分 [bèi fen] = seniority in the family or clan

[2] 刺頭 [cì tóu] = someone who is difficult to deal with, not at peace with others

Zhang Qiu always felt that Qi ZhiRong was a familiar name, but he couldn’t remember it for a while. They sat in the corner drinking and chatting, and from time to time someone came up with a gla.s.s of wine to honor Lu Feng. Lu Feng knew that Hua Ting did not like this kind of social interaction and so he held the wine gla.s.s as a greeting.

Su Zhicai hasn’t appeared yet. They came a little early.

“Wouldn’t it be possible that he won’t come?”

Hua Ting listened and laughed. “Don’t worry, Uncle Qi’s party is held once a year. People from all walks of life would attend. Su Zhicai just wanted to take root in Beijing and so he will definitely come to the party.”

“Ah!” Zhang Qiu finally thought of how he so familiar with the name Qi ZhiRong. He was shocked and said, “Turns out, Uncle Qi is the invisible plutocrat.” It was just a while ago that Qi ZhiRong wrote a list of the world’s richest people, a strand of hard to remember foreigners’ names on his micro-blog that impressed people of him.

The most important thing was that the well-known name of a plutocrat in China was also in it, but yet Qi ZhiRong overwhelmed them. Thereupon, the netizens were speculating about the origin of the airborne plutocrat, but nothing was found out, only heard that his ident.i.ty in Beijing was quite amazing.

“I read that microblog, but I don’t know the details. Uncle Qi went abroad when he was a teenager and only returned in recent years.”

As they talked, Xiao Jiang came running with Hua Hua. He plunged into Zhang Qiu’s arms and offered something in his hands like a treasure. “Daddy, look!”

Zhang Qiu looked at a small fox carved from an apple. As he looked he felt familiar. Then he heard someone behind him said, “I didn’t expect to meet so many beautiful people today. I was right to come.”

Following the voice, as expected, it was the seductive and bewitching Qi Xi.

Qi Xi came over while his pair of eyes fixed at Pixian Hui w.a.n.g. Pixian Hui w.a.n.g’s eyes showed a little coldness. Qi Xi immediately took back his sight and raised his gla.s.s. “We meet again. Sure enough, a beauty’s friend is also a beauty. Don’t mind if I sit down.”

Qi Xi’s b.u.t.tock had already sat down on the sofa next to Pixian Hui w.a.n.g. Zhang Qiu looked distracted, swallowed back the ‘don’t mind’ in his throat. At this moment, he very much wanted to say ‘mind’. Qi Xi dared to dig his second brother’s corner, did not even discuss about it!

But after Qi Xi sat down and didn’t say anything messy anymore, but asked Little Jiangs.h.i.+ and Hua Hua to bring him food. About this, Little Jiangs.h.i.+ had a little thought. Showing his tiger’s teeth, he said happily, “One trip for one little fox.”

“Deal! I can also give you another rabbit.”

But Little Jiangs.h.i.+’s love for the rabbit was obviously not very high. He bargained with his stick fingers and said, “Two foxes are all right!”

Hua Hua wanted rabbit in particular, but he was usually taught by Hua Ting to be a very clever child. So he could not work out how to bargain like that, he was a little anxious. After thinking, Little Jiangs.h.i.+ decisively said: “Forget it, better be a fox and a rabbit.” He turned to Hua Hua, and like offering the treasure said, “Big brother, my little rabbit is for you.”

At the side, Zhang Qiu wanted to facepalm. Little Jiangs.h.i.+ is a child prodigy!

Little Jiangs.h.i.+ and Hua Hua went to run errands, and soon came back with something. Little Jiangs.h.i.+ put the plate away, exposed his tiger’s teeth, which flashed a sharp light. “Little rabbit and little fox.”

Zhang Qiu always had the illusion that if Qi Xi dared to go back on his words, his family’s Xiao Jiang would straight ahead gave him the tiger’s teeth, although the tiger’s teeth were the milk teeth.

Qi Xi scanned the things on the plate and muttered something in a low voice. Zhang Qiu could not hear clearly. Qi Xi took off his ring from his finger and who knew what he did, suddenly, the ring became a sharp knife. He held an apple, after maneuvering few times, a life-like rabbit emerged.

Zhang Qiu saw Hua Hua’s face red with excitement and thought that Qi Xi’s trick had worked well.

After Qi Xi finished the rabbit and the fox, he slowly and calmly went away with a gla.s.s of wine. Zhang Qiu was baffled and asked, “This man came here for what?” It’s like he was only making rabbits and foxes for these two children.

Hua Ting didn’t know, either. Li Shu’s eyes swept somewhere. “Su Zhicai’s here.”

Zhang Qiu also did not care what Qixi was doing coming here. He saw Su Zhicai, dressed in forma suit and supported by a walking stick, near the entrance of the lobby. He was accompanied by a young man in his twenties, who was the general height and looked ordinary. At this moment, he was supporting Su Zhicai and they lowered their head to whisper.

At the side, Pixian Hui w.a.n.g stood up in surprise and said, “Go and have a look.”

Zhang Qiu and several others hurried to catch up, at the same time Lu Feng also pa.s.sed by and stopped Su Zhicai to speak.

“… Boss Su, we met at the last auction.”

“Oh, the auction, I remember.” Su Zhicai laughed and said, “As we get older, our memory is worsening.”

“Do you remember Su WanTing?” Pixian Hui w.a.n.g asked from behind his back.

Su Zhicai looked back at Pixian Hui w.a.n.g. He didn’t mind Pixian Hui w.a.n.g’s sudden interruption, he laughed very kindly. “Why don’t I remember my adopted daughter? How did this gentleman know Tingting?”

Last time Lu Feng called Su Zhicai, he didn’t know anything. Now he suddenly knew. Why Zhang Qiu thought that Su Zhicai was weird? Zhang Qiu looked at the young man standing next to him. Was this Su Zhicai’s youngest son?

“This is —?” Lu Feng had already asked.

Su Zhicai laughed and answered, “This is my son Xiao Yu.”

Lu Feng acted like he heard it for the first time, he glanced at the young man next to him and praised a few words such as like father like son. Changing the topic, he asked, “I only saw Boss Su’s daughter at the last auction, but it’s my first time seeing your son.”

Zhang Qiu discovered that Su Zhicai’s face stiffened for a second, and the young man next to him snorted, “Are you guys checking household registration?”

“Xiao Yu! What’s with the words?” Su Zhicai rebuked him, turned to laugh and said, “He just came from his hometown. This is the first time I bring him to this occasion, so it’s normal if you haven’t seen him.” Su Zhicai put it simply in a few words. Obviously he was impatient with them. It so happened that Qi ZhiRong came out and people in the hall rushed to the stairs. Su Zhicai also took his son to go over.

Qi ZhiRong stood on the second floor. His face was still cold. He kept a straight face and looked around. When he came down the stairs, people circled around him. Zhang Qiu stood in the outer circle. Hua Ting laughed and said, “This is the case every year, but Uncle Qi will go back up in less than ten minutes.”

“Why?”

Hua Ting shook his head. “I don’t know, since Uncle Qi returned to China six years ago, this kind of party has been held every year, but the time he spent is very short. Every year it becomes shorter and shorter. I don’t know why.”

Sure enough, not even ten minutes, Qi ZhiRong had gone upstairs. Qi Xiu stayed to greet his friends. Although it took only ten minutes to see Qi ZhiRong at the party every year, some people couldn’t even speak to him, but there were still a large number of people coming here. Even if not for Qi ZhiRong, there were many bigshots from all walks of life, who took it as to expanse their network in sociality.

Until more than eleven o’clock, the party was drawing to a close, and Su Zhicai took his son to leave.

Hua Hua and Little Jiangs.h.i.+ were already asleep. Li Shu and Lu Feng were both carrying their own sons in the arms. Pixian Hui w.a.n.g saw Su Zhicai had gotten in the car, he hurriedly said, “You guys go back first. I’m going to follow him to take a look.”

“Second’s wife, you can’t drive.” Zhang Qiu was worried. He totally felt that Su Zhicai, the pair of father and son was odd.

Li Shu handed Little Jiangs.h.i.+ in his arms to Zhang Qiu. “You go back first.”

Zhang Qiu wanted to say something, but after seeing Pixian Hui w.a.n.g’s impatient face, he said, “Be careful.”

Lu Feng handed the car key to Li Shu. “I’ll call the driver.”

They disappeared into the night. Soon, Lu Feng’s driver came and they all got in the car. The villa was on the mountain in the suburb. The car was driving steadily. Zhang Qiu was holding Xiao Jiang in his arms. A moment ago Xiao Jiang was still in high spirits. He didn’t know what happened that Xiao Jiang was so sleepy that he kept his eyelids shut.

He looked at Hu Ting sitting next to him. Hua Ting, who was holding Hua Hua’s head, gradually had fallen asleep.

The front copilot, Lu Feng, seemed to have fallen asleep too. The driver was only a back head. Zhang Qiu couldn’t express his feelings when he saw it. The street lights on both sides of the long road going around the mountain were curved, which seemed like two dragons going around the mountain. When people stared at it for a long time, their eyelids would feel heavy and become sleepy.

Something was wrong.

Zhang Qiu was on guard, shaking his head and trying to stay awake.

“Lu Feng, Senior brother.” Zhang Qiu called the two, but was only responded by silence. There was also something wrong with Xiao Jiang in his arms. He slept too soundly. Zhang Qiu touched Xiao Jiang’s face with one hand and his eyelids slowly drooping. “Xiao Jiang.” It sounded like a low murmur.

Beep beep—

An ear-piercing car horn sounded, a beam of strong light shone in, and the sleepy Zhang Qiu suddenly waked up. When he saw the situation in front of him, his pupils shrank, and he subconsciously protected Xiao Jiang in his arms by the bending his whole back.

“Be careful!”

Several sleeping people in the car awoke from their sleep when they heard Zhang Qiu’s shout. The driver hit the steering wheel and the whole silent mountain rang with the sound of tires braking on the ground.

Bang!

There was a violent crash and the sound of broken windows.

Zhang Qiu held Xiao Jiang tightly in his arms. He couldn’t grasp anything else at all. He could only tumble in the car as the car tumbling upside down, and his ears buzzed. Who knew how long it took, but soon it was quiet.

Eyes blurred by blood, he vaguely saw a pair of leather shoes.

“Truly a great meal.” The other side gently held the broken and shapeless door. Like breaking tofu, ka cha, the door was pulled down and thrown aside. The gray pupil-less eyes stared at the Little Jiangs.h.i.+ in Zhang Qiu’s arms. Licking lips with hunger and thirst, the dried claws stretch out slowly.

Zhang Qiu could feel the malice from the top of his head, all directed at Xiao Jiang in his arms.

It was a dried, inelastic hand, like those shriveled zongzi in the tomb, but with long nails and green s.h.i.+ning light.

When the claw was approaching Xiao Jiang, Zhang Qiu did not know where the strength came from, but he grasped the other’s wrist. The feel of the skin on the hand made him nauseated. But Zhang Qiu could not let the monster take Xiao Jiang.

“Heh.” The other side sneered, and the voice seemed to be pressed down by something. The other’s hand suffused with green light pointed at Zhang Qiu’s head with its sharp nails.

Zhang Qiu raised his head sharply in pain, reflecting in his pupil was a dried zongzi in suit and leather shoes. With a stiff smile on the other’s gray and dried face, this zongzi mocked him for not being able to do his best.

The nail on top of his head was like teasing a kitten. Then it slowly increased its strength. Zhang Qiu’s painful whole head was going to burst open. The blood from his forehead blinded his eye, his vision blurred.

“ROARRR!”

A fury roar that shook heaven and earth approached from a distance. When Zhang Qiu fell down, he saw a huge monster, like a cow with a golden horn on its head. The voice charged mightily towards this place, and the pressure on his head immediately loosened.

Zhang Qiu’s eyes saw black and he could no longer support himself.