Seven days later, I was discharged from the hospital. Elder Brother Chang booked a restaurant to welcome us back and to ward off bad luck. It was a private room. Upon entering, there was a fire basin. After stepping over it, Lin Han flapped a banana leaf over us.
Da Huang shouted, "Tang Nan, quickly take back your Princess Iron Fan." Da Huang's wife was quite demure. She gently nudged Da Huang, who scratched his head and said, "It's okay, they're all family."
Elder Brother Chang asked Fatty, "Why didn't you bring Liu Lifang?"
"There's a lot going on at home, we're preparing to leave Beijing. She wants to go back to Tianjin to live. One reason is lower living pressure, and the other is that no one there knows her, so there won't be any gossip."
"What about you?"
Fatty gave a wry smile, "I'm staying in Beijing, working on our website."
I smiled and took over the conversation, "Last year, Elder Brother Chang and I discussed opening a branch company. We planned to start in Tianjin. Our IT services mainly cater to foreigners in the port. Fatty, how about you manage this branch company in Tianjin?"
"Me?" Fatty was confused.
This was my spur-of-the-moment idea. Da Huang, being clever, said with great conviction, "Yeah, I heard Big Brother mention it last year too. This position was originally mine, but my wife is pregnant, so I couldn't make any rash moves. Fatty, you'll have to work a bit harder."
Fatty pursed his lips, his face filled with gratitude, "Okay, thank you."
Elder Brother Chang laughed upon hearing this, "Shit~ We're brothers, and you're still saying thank you."
"Dad, don't swear."
It was then that I noticed a daughter standing nearby, about thirteen or fourteen, with large eyes, bright and intelligent. Seeing me look at her, the girl nodded and smiled, "Hello, Uncle."
"Call him Brother."
Elder Brother Chang slapped the back of my neck, "This is my daughter. If she calls you Brother, aren't we in the same generation?"
I felt awkward. Lin Han put an arm around me, "Nephew, have a seat."
...
Over drinks, we chatted and joked. Everyone asked me to tell a funny story from school. I nodded and told the story of the class monitor. The class monitor's dorm was on the sixth floor. That day, he climbed to the sixth floor only to find he'd forgotten his key. So, he trudged back downstairs to borrow a key from the dorm supervisor, then climbed to the sixth floor again to open the door, went back down to return the key, and when he climbed back up, he found the door shut tight. At that moment, a neighbor student came over and said, "Class monitor, I saw no one in your dorm, so I helped you close the door to prevent anything from being lost. Call me Lei Feng."
After I finished, I laughed to myself, only to find that no one else was laughing.
The daughter asked me, "Uncle Tang Nan, are you telling a joke?"
I had to admit, after all my efforts, it wasn't as funny as the daughter's single remark. Everyone burst into laughter, roaring with mirth.
While everyone was laughing, Chang Dachun quietly pulled me aside. I stood up and walked out with him. Lin Han asked curiously, "What are you two doing?"
Chang Dachun said, "We're out of good wine. I'm taking Tang Nan to pick out a bottle."
"You were just discharged from the hospital, take it easy."
As soon as Lin Han finished speaking, Da Huang burst into laughter, "You're already bossing him around? Sister-in-law, you haven't even married in yet!"
The others joined in the laughter. Lin Han's face turned bright red, and she ignored me. Chang Dachun and I took the opportunity to go out and headed towards the counter. In a secluded spot, Chang Dachun said to me, "While you were in the hospital, Qin Sisi was also released from prison. She found my contact information from somewhere."
"What did she say?"
"She said Zhu Guang didn't find Brother Shun's whereabouts, he only threatened her. Because she had no contact with Brother Shun, she was forced to cooperate."
Hearing Elder Brother Chang say this, I thought of Qin Sisi firing her gun. She must have been terrified, but her resolve was firm. She was different from me. I don't kill people, but she would. She was capable of anything. Theoretically, besides Zhu Guang's security guards, the only female technician among the hostages had also died by her hand.
"Then why did she contact you?"
"She said Zhu Guang shouldn't be so powerful."
"Why didn't she look for me?"
Chang Dachun gave a wry smile, "Qin Sisi said you're a hot target now. She's out of prison and doesn't want to form an alliance with you. She wants to stay as far away from you as possible. But she also said that you've done so much for her, and she considers what happened between you a friendship. For the sake of this friendship, she directed you to a mental hospital and gave me the address."
"A mental hospital? What are we going there for?"
"I don't know!"
Chang Dachun took out the address and put it in my pocket. I looked at the address. Chang Dachun patted my shoulder, "Don't get distracted. Let's start the game we planned today!"
I smiled and nodded, "Okay!"
...
Everyone had a good tolerance for alcohol, except for me. After a few drinks, I leaned onto Lin Han's shoulder like a wilting flower. Lin Han pushed me away, "Does this look proper? A grown man can't hold his liquor. How will you manage when we go back to Xi'an?"
Seeing me and Lin Han acting so intimately, Da Huang was the first to speak up, "My wife is pregnant with our baby. We'll be leaving today."
Chang Dachun smiled and said, "Then I'll leave too. My daughter has class tomorrow. Fatty, you're coming with me, I'll give you a ride."
Fatty was happy today, "I'll have a couple more drinks with Tang Nan." Chang Dachun frowned, "Aren't you going to tell Liu Lifang the good news about opening an IT branch in Tianjin?"
"Oh, right."
"Let's go, Dongzhimen is on my way."
"Big Brother, how is Dongzhimen on your way..."
Da Huang couldn't stand it anymore, "Hurry up and go, why so much nonsense? Are you drunk!"
I looked at the surprised Lin Han and smiled, "Because I didn't know which one you liked, I bought more. Whatever you like, it's all yours."
After speaking, I casually picked up a ring that I thought was the most beautiful, knelt on one knee, and said, "Lin Han, marry me..."
Before I could finish, I saw Lin Han rushing towards me, tears welling up in her eyes. My expression changed, "Be careful of your arm, it hasn't healed completely yet~"