Rebirth: General, Don't Mess Around!

Sitting in his home playing chess, Old Master Qin placed a black piece; Ye Jian, having made tea, retreated from the room. Old Master Qin waited for the chess room door to close and spoke to Old Man Xia, who was contemplating his move, ”I’ve come to like your granddaughter more and more. We are old acquaintances, and it should have been ’the vigilant fisherman who gets the fish,’ but then came a twist of fate! Thinking about it leaves such a bitter taste in my heart.”

Ye Jian was indeed well-favored by the elder, mainly due to his long military career that endowed him with an upright and commanding presence, brimming with energy and vigor, making one feel comfortable and secure just by looking at him.

Old Master Qin began working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the sixties and didn’t retire until the early nineties, more than a decade ago. Despite his retirement, his sharp eye for judging people, honed by years of experience, had not dulled in the least. He could tell what kind of person someone was, what they would say, and distinguish truth from lies with ease.

Old Master Qin was very clear about the kind of character Ye Jian had and thus always felt a sense of wistfulness upon seeing him.

Why hadn’t he acted sooner?

Why hadn’t he paired his grandson, Qin Xiu, with Ye Jian?

Why hadn’t the two young people seen eye to eye?

How had they let such an opportunity pass them by?

Just the thought filled Old Master Qin with immense regret.

Yet, Old Man Xia viewed things much more calmly, ”Grandchildren will have their own luck; who they end up with is not for us to control. Marriage requires destiny, and without it, even if they grow up together, they cannot become husband and wife; they’ll only be siblings.”

”I like Xiu as well,” he continued, ”but if the two of them do not have the marital bond, then being siblings is also good in my eyes.”

Although his granddaughter and her future brother-in-law got along well, Qin Xiu, as good as he was, ultimately wasn’t the one Sun Xueqing fancied. Moreover, Dingkang’s daughter-in-law had made some unfavorable remarks during her last visit, which even a trace of fate could not overcome after being so ruffled.

Placing down a white piece instantly blocked Old Master Qin’s escape route. Seeing this, Old Master Qin, holding the black pieces, chuckled and confidently stated, ”Trying to block my way? I don’t have just one path of retreat.”

After saying this, he promptly placed a black piece, and with a single move, turned the tide of the game that had seemed lost, opening up a glimmer of hope. Old Man Xia picked up his tea cup, smiled, took a sip to moisten his throat, ”The game hasn’t been decided yet, don’t be too smug. You should worry less about Xiu’s marriage. He’s hiding someone in his heart, at least give him some time to sort it out.”

”Huh? You’ve noticed too?” Old Master Qin, who had been handling the chess pieces in the box, stopped his actions and even set the chess box aside, his expression turning serious, ”I’ve always felt that Xiu has someone on his mind, but upon closer observation, it doesn’t seem to fit.”

”Since you’ve said as much today, he must indeed have someone, and it’s been for some time. My daughter-in-law is always so assertive, likes to interfere too much. Since Xiu has someone in his heart yet hasn’t confided in the family, I’m afraid...”

Old Master Qin sighed and even grew somewhat angry, ”I fear it’s because of his mother that Xiu doesn’t dare to reveal the truth to the family, keeping it concealed.”

Seeing his old friend getting upset, Old Man Xia hastily poured another cup of tea and handed it over, ”Now, now, cool down. I just said that grandchildren have their own blessings, and before you even left the room, you forgot all about it.”

”Apart from being rather meddlesome when it comes to Ying and Xiu’s lifelong matters, Dingkang’s daughter-in-law is quite good in other aspects; you can’t be angry just for that.”

”Which parent doesn’t hope for their children to marry well? We must understand her worries. You two elders should just stay as usual, there’s no need for you to get involved.”