Chapter 14: Injured? (2)

That day, the Qin patriarch was resting and decided to take Qin Yiyi out for a walk when he saw her staring boredly in bed.

His granddaughter's happy, bright eyes when leaving the house were etched in his memory, reminiscent of a little bird freed from its cage. This caused Qin Guosheng to reflect on his own parenting. His own children shouldn't be spoiled excessively as they all endured hardships, including Qin Liguo who had experienced hunger and cold in his childhood. Although grandparents are known to dote on their grandchildren, he ensured to follow his principles.

Yet, his granddaughter was truly the apple of his eye; her intelligence and sensibility irresistibly made him want to spoil her. However, he realized that he might have gone too far, understanding that even though he didn't want her to suffer in the slightest, he shouldn't keep her confined to the house. Therefore, the old patriarch decided to take his precious granddaughter out today, feeling at ease with her under his personal supervision.

Upon hearing her grandfather's suggestion, Qin Yiyi was so delighted that she almost jumped for joy. She might have been lazy in the past, but she hadn't stepped out for over a year. Even going to school meant just a short car ride from her courtyard to the classroom. Even a donkey needed to be let out for a stroll.

Seeing Qin Yiyi so happy, the old Qin waved his hand, calling for everyone at home to join them in what turned into a family outing. This pleased both the great-aunt who was at home and Hua Yunshang. For a family like theirs, opportunities to go out together were rare, and with the weather so fine today, it was the perfect chance for a walk.

And so, in the pleasant autumn weather of October, the entire family was mobilized. Meng Zhong'an and Hua Yunshang were in charge of dressing the Little Princess, taking turns holding up various clothes in front of Qin Yiyi.

In this era, there were not many styles of children's clothing, but Hua Yunshang was an artist with a keen sense of aesthetics and dexterity, and having no work recently, she had made many beautiful clothes for Qin Yiyi. Although not quite up to later standards, they still looked quite impressive overall.

In the end, Qin Yiyi chose a green sweater vest dress that Hua Yunshang had recently finished knitting according to the season. The tender green dress adorned with many pink flowers gave off a fresh sprout-like vibe against the desolate autumn backdrop. The more they looked at it, the more satisfied they became, and after showering her with affection, they went to help Grandma Qin prepare the lunch to take with them.

The old patriarch picked up his granddaughter, who looked as pretty as a flower, and sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, waiting for the female family members. However, an unexpected visitor abruptly ended their plans for that day.

Qin Yiyi, in high spirits while sitting on her own grandfather's lap, was giggling merrily when a loud, "Reporting," came from the gate.

Qin Yiyi's first reaction was dismay; she hoped it wasn't urgent business that her grandfather had to attend to suddenly. Such occurrences were common, and though she was used to it, she wished it wouldn't happen right now.

As if to mirror her thoughts, the guard walked up to the old patriarch, saluted, and said, "Chief, there's a call at the gate from Director Xia of the Education Bureau looking for you."

Qin Guosheng looked apologetically at Qin Yiyi and said, "Let him in." He was puzzled, as it was unusual for the Education Bureau to seek him out due to his military background and lack of connection with politics. But considering his grandchildren were all in school, he saw no harm in meeting.

Qin Yiyi, although understanding and not making a fuss, still harbored resentment in her heart, wondering if she had recently clashed with someone with the surname Xia. When she saw the two figures, one tall and one short, brought by the guard, she realized that she indeed had been clashing with the Xias recently.

"Hello, Commander, my name is Xia Gao, and I work in the Education Bureau." He was a middle-aged man with an oily and powdered face.

When Qin Liguo saw the man bringing in a little girl, he roughly guessed the purpose of his visit. Instantly, his aura was fully unleashed, unlike the adorable old man he seemed to be when with Qin Yiyi. This made Qin Yiyi feel a sense of admiration for her grandfather for the first time; he was still quite authoritative in front of others.

Qin Guosheng simply nodded at him without striking up a conversation. Moreover, as a veteran general who had been through wars, his presence caused Xia Gao to break out in a cold sweat. He quickly pulled his daughter forward, and his attitude changed from the initial pride and equanimity to somewhat servile.

"Commander Qin, I'm sorry to bother you today, but I only just found out that my daughter has offended Miss Qin Xiaoxiao, so I immediately brought her here to apologize," he said, then yanked Xia Jiaojiao, who had been keeping her head down, "Aren't you going to apologize to Miss Qin Xiaoxiao quickly!"

Xia Jiaojiao had never been treated like this before, and these days her father was no longer doting on her—every time he saw her he would either scold harshly or just give her a cold face, making her always want to avoid him. But now she couldn't even go to school, and she was terribly frightened and aggrieved. Today her father told her that he was bringing her to apologize, and if she did well, everything would be fine, but she had never seen such a scene, with so many uncles standing guard at the door, and this grandfather looking quite scary.

Xia Gao saw that his daughter didn't speak and wasn't sure what she was thinking, he was so angry that he wanted to slap her, but he understood this wasn't the place to discipline his child. He yanked Xia Jiaojiao hard and whispered sternly, "What are you thinking, hurry up!"

"I'm sorry," Qin Yiyi looked at the little girl crying without making a sound, feeling a bit embarrassed, as if she had bullied a child.

If they hadn't come today, she would have forgotten about it. Although Xia Jiaojiao was indeed spoiled, she hadn't done a great wrong, and the incident hadn't been intentional—she hadn't taken it to heart at all. Moreover, it is the father's fault for not teaching—he didn't think to verify the situation with his daughter before hastily bringing her to apologize. Not to mention harming his own child's heart, this behavior made others perceive the Qin Family poorly: as if the great Commander Qin was as petty as a child or as if she, the young Miss Qin, was unyieldingly vindictive. Regardless, what he did was too much, no wonder her grandfather didn't show him a pleasant face.

The old Master Qin was already quite indulgent towards little girls, and his granddaughter had explained the situation clearly to him; there originally wasn't much to it. But now, by his doing, he worried that his precious darling's reputation might suffer. It's no wonder he disliked politicians—people who, it seemed, had a hundred thoughts for every word they spoke. Now seeing Xia Gao, the man who had disrupted their outing, he was even more displeased.

"You are making it sound too serious. My granddaughter has told me it was just an accident, and since she wasn't hurt, there's no issue. Just take your daughter and leave," he said, glancing at the side at the little girl trembling with fear, and sighed, "Comfort your child well; knowing one's mistake and correcting it is a mark of a good child."

Xia Gao, seeing the old Master Qin's attitude seemed like he was shooing them away and noticing that Commander Qin truly didn't care, wondered why he kept getting harassed by his superiors recently. Either way, it was clear they couldn't stay any longer today, he'd have to find the reasons after going back.