Chapter 177: Granddaughter Arrives

As the train pulled into Beijing Station, Lu Cheng cradled Qing'er in one arm and held his luggage in the other.

"Qing'er, we're home."

Whether from fatigue or the unfamiliar surroundings, Qing'er, perched on his shoulder, said nothing in a soft voice, her little hand clinging tightly to his clothes.

Lu Cheng saw she was a bit nervous, smiled, and prepared to head home right away.

At that moment, Ding Han Zhen called out from afar, "Group Leader Lu, whose child are you holding?"

"It's Ding Jingzhang, it's my older brother's child; I brought him over for the New Year."

Ding Han Zhen came up, teased a bit, and said, "Your timing is perfect; Captain Lei asked me to inform you that in three days the department will hold an event in Da Litang, and you are to attend."

Lu Cheng thought for a moment, then declined, "I won't go, Ding Jingzhang; I want to rest properly."

If it hadn't been for Ding Jingzhang mentioning it, he would have planned to join the fun earlier.

But now that Qing'er has arrived, he still wants to set aside time to stroll around with his little niece.

"No way, Group Leader Lu; Captain Lei said it's an order, and I must make sure you get the notice."

"An order? Just to attend an event, and you have to order me? Isn't that the principle of voluntariness?"

Ding Han Zhen smiled and said, "Then I'm not sure about that; I've already notified you. If you don't go and Captain Lei criticizes you, don't blame me."

Lu Cheng, having no choice, reluctantly agreed, "Alright, I understand. Thank you, Ding Jingzhang."

After saying goodbye to Ding Jingzhang, Lu Cheng took the shuttle back to Da Za Yuan.

Da Hu was playing at the gate; when he saw Lu Cheng carrying a little girl with twin braids, he ran over curiously.

"Lu San'er, who are you holding?"

Lu Cheng waved him over, "Da Hu, this is your Uncle Lu Feng's child. Her name is Qing'er. If any kids bully her in the future, you're to beat them up hard for me, understand? Make them bleed, I'll cover it."

Da Hu nodded, reached out to pull Qing'er down to play, but she still clung tightly to Lu Cheng.

"We'll play later, Da Hu; let's go home first."

Chen Xianglan was in the kitchen preparing lunch; Lu Cheng first tossed his luggage onto the bed, then walked over and cleared his throat in the kitchen.

"Cough… cough cough… cough cough, vomit!"

Chen Xianglan recognized the sound as her son's return and bent over to stir the noodles.

"Stop coughing; I know you're back. Go wait in the room; the noodles will be ready soon."

"Mom, you should turn around and look at me; it's been a few days, you haven't missed me."

Chen Xianglan, while putting the noodles down, said offhand, "I have to stir quickly, or they'll stick together."

Qing'er, clutching his little hand, said, "Uncle, I'm hungry."

Lu Cheng pinched her tiny cheek, "Hungry, huh? Uncle's hungry too. Later Uncle will take you to a restaurant, and we'll eat something tasty…"

"Ah!" Chen Xianglan heard a little girl's voice, glanced over, and exclaimed.

"San'er, where did you pick her up from? Whose child is she?"

Lu Cheng lifted Qing'er again, "I found her on the road."

"Huh? You're being careless again! Picking up a child randomly—rush and return her to her family; the parents must be worried."

"Haha, just kidding, Mom. Look closely, who is this?"

Lu Cheng turned Qing'er's face toward Chen Xianglan, who examined her closely: "Looks familiar!"

"It looks familiar because she's a relative of ours."

"Oh dear, you're making me anxious—whose child is she actually?"

Lu Cheng looked at Qing'er and asked, "Tell Grandma, what's your name?"

Qing'er, in a childish voice, replied, "My name is Qing'er."

"Qing'er? Hey, she has the same name as your older brother's child."

Lu Cheng was speechless: "Mom, you wasted looking at those photos; this is my older brother's child, and you can't even recognize your own granddaughter."

"Huh?" Chen Xianglan shouted again; actually she had thought it looked similar earlier but hadn't dared to admit it.

The main thing is she hadn't expected Qing'er to show up at the house, so she hurriedly looked toward the courtyard again.

Lu Cheng said, "Stop looking; my older brother and sister‑in‑law haven't returned. I brought Qing'er back for the New Year, and my sister‑in‑law agreed."

"Oh dear, oh my!" Chen Xianglan, momentarily flustered, didn't know where to put her hands, rubbed them on her apron, then finally extended a hand.

"It's really Qing'er, oh dear, let Grandma hold her."

Qing'er refused, turned her head and clutched Lu Cheng's neck tightly.

"Grandma, Qing'er, I'm Grandma—let Grandma hold you."

Seeing her little granddaughter, Chen Xianglan was so excited she couldn't say anything else.

"San'er, why does she keep staying with you and not let me hold her? You quickly coax her."

"Want to hold her?"

"Of course I do."

Lu Cheng extended his hand, "Then give me some money; you can't hold her for free. It's the first time I'm meeting your granddaughter, so a little meeting fee is due."

Chen Xianglan glared, reluctantly pulling money from her pocket, "Here, here, here—I've only got two yuan left. Seriously, holding my granddaughter now costs money."

Lu Cheng, satisfied, took the money and whispered to Qing'er, "Qing'er, let's let Grandma hold you for a while; later Uncle will take you to buy soda."

Qing'er finally nodded, and Chen Xianglan was finally able to take her granddaughter in her arms, delighted beyond words.

"Quick, let Grandma see you. Oh dear, you're finally here—how wonderful, spending the New Year at Grandma's house. You look so thin, so lacking nutrition; Grandma will make you something tasty. Tell Grandma what you want to eat."

Chen Xianglan had just been thrilled for less than a minute when Lu Cheng whisked her away.

"Let me hold her again."

"Two yuan only buys a minute of holding; look at the noodles in the pot, they're all stuck."

"Oh dear, indeed."

Chen Xianglan hurried over to tend the pot, and Lu Cheng asked, "Where's my dad?"

"He's at the doorway watching people play cards; it's a good chance for you to go call him back home for dinner. This guy won't come back unless you call him…"

Chen Xianglan looked up and realized that the doorway was already empty.

Lu Cheng saw his father at the Hu Tong Entrance, gave Qing'er a shushing sound, and before long Lu Beitang had a child on his back.

"Hey, whose kid is this? He looks so much like Qing'er," Lu Beitang said, cradling the child in his arms, and the more he looked, the more alike they seemed.

"Then you have sharper eyes than my mother; this is your granddaughter Qing'er, and I brought her back for the New Year."

"Ah, this is really great." Lu Beitang was overjoyed, and to the person beside him he declared that she was his own granddaughter.

"Hey, dad, dad, don't just enjoy yourself; my mother already gave a meeting money, you should show something too—can't just hold her for free."

Lu Beitang lowered his body a bit: "Do I have to pay to hold my granddaughter?"

"That certainly has to be given; after all, I'm a grandfather. My mother gave ten yuan, so why don't you give five."

When he heard that the child's grandmother had already offered that much, this grandfather couldn't be stingy, so he dug out the money; Lu Cheng took the cash and then carried Qing'er away.

He didn't expect that the little fellow was quite good at making money; in a short while he earned seven yuan.

"Come on, Qing'er, let's see if your aunt is off work; we'll go on making money, and later I'll take you to Quanjude for roast duck."

Quanjude roast duck is famous nationwide; a single duck costs eight yuan, which ordinary families can't afford, but today, thanks to the little niece's help, we can finally enjoy a feast.