Chapter 428: 424. I Only Recognize You as My Younger Brother (Please subscribe, monthly tickets!)

Huo Zhiyuan only found out this morning, and at this moment she was also somewhat puzzled; she also knew what kind of place lay further inside.

She and Qi Xiaoting took the three little ones in one car, while He Yong and Zhang Ran and the others took another.

Huo Zhiyuan made a phone call to ask He Yong if they had taken the wrong road.

"That's right, Brother Zhang's house is right inside," He Yong said.

Now, not only was Qi Xiaoting curious, but Huo Zhiyuan also felt a sense of curiosity; only the tipsy Gong Nan didn't pay any attention.

But when they arrived at the location and looked at the wide gatehouse, as well as the grand plaque inscribed with two vigorous and powerful characters: Zhang Mansion!

At this moment, Gong Nan also sobered up a little.

"Brother, this... this is?" Gong Nan pointed at the gate, unable to speak.

"This is my house in Beijing. How about it? I didn't lose face for you, did I?" Zhang Ran said with a laugh, his tone carrying a rare hint of showing off.

This was an older brother showing off in front of his younger brother, and at the same time, it was telling his brother that he truly had the ability, so there was no need for his brother to worry.

Gong Nan was, after all, still quite drunk; hearing this, he staggered a step and said, "Brother, you are still the best." As he spoke, he gave a thumbs up.

"Let's go, I'll take you inside for a look." Zhang Ran took Gong Nan's hand and walked inside.

The steps were a bit high, and the threshold was even higher, almost causing Zhang Ran to stumble.

Qi Xiaoting was speechless by now; looking at this sprawling Siheyuan, she was truly dumbfounded.

"Huo Yi, is this really Uncle Zhang's house?" Qi Xiaoting's mouth hung open.

Huo Zhiyuan was also stunned for a moment, but she was somewhat mentally prepared, or rather, she could understand whatever Zhang Ran did.

"It should be, otherwise it wouldn't say Zhang Mansion on it," Huo Zhiyuan said.

"But... but I remember this place didn't seem to be private property before. I've come here to visit, although I didn't go inside.

And I heard this place wasn't for sale. How was it suddenly sold? The most critical thing is that I didn't hear a single thing about it." Qi Xiaoting felt her head getting more and more confused.

In her view, how could her own father, who had always been spineless, suddenly have such a wealthy friend? Moreover, although Qi Xiaoting was only in high school, she understood a thing or two about many matters.

A house like this could not be bought just by having money.

Fortunately, at this moment, He Yong on the side explained, "Brother Zhang bought this thirty years ago; he's just taken it back now."

However, this explanation only made Qi Xiaoting even more bewildered; she couldn't understand the relationships involved at all.

Fortunately, this didn't affect her excitement. "Aunt Huo, can I take pictures?"

Qi Xiaoting wasn't truly impolite, so after her excitement, she still asked this question.

Huo Zhiyuan didn't give her an answer, "Go ask your Uncle Zhang; this is his home."

Hearing this, Qi Xiaoting immediately ran to Zhang Ran and her father's side, "Uncle Zhang, can I take pictures?"

Zhang Ran waved his hand and said, "Feel free to take them."

At this moment, his head was also still a bit dizzy.

Qi Xiaoting said loudly, "Thank you, Uncle Zhang."

After saying that, she immediately started taking selfies and wandering around. The entire Siheyuan was very large, with many houses and an even greater variety of flowers, plants, and trees.

The key was that it was maintained extremely well; saying there was a view every step might be an exaggeration, but a view every ten steps was definitely no lie.

Furthermore, many things here were antiques, and he wasn't stingy either; everything that should have been kept was kept.

"Ah, ah, ah, I really should have worn my Hanfu here. I'm so regretful." After taking a few photos, Qi Xiaoting was very dissatisfied.

However, she still uploaded them to her social media feed with the caption: Came to my dad's friend's house, it's really super beautiful here!

Very quickly, her post received many likes, and people kept asking her where she was taking the pictures.

While Qi Xiaoting was having a great time, Zhang Ran and Gong Nan sat down in a cool, shaded area of the courtyard and continued chatting.

Time passed just like that, and around five o'clock, Gong Nan had sobered up a bit more.

"Brother, actually, seeing that you're doing so well, my heart is at ease," Gong Nan sighed.

Over these years, he had actually looked for Zhang Ran many times, but he just couldn't find him; finding one person in the vast sea of people was simply too difficult.

Seeing that Zhang Ran had such a large family estate, although Gong Nan was shocked, he felt even more happy for his brother.

Over these many years, his life hadn't been great, nor had it been bad; he could always just barely get by.

So he hoped even more that his brother could live better, or at least better than him.

At five-thirty, Gong Nan prepared to leave with Qi Xiaoting and Qi Mingming, but the two little ones were not very willing.

Qi Mingming was having a great time playing in the large courtyard with Taotao and Susu, playing hide-and-seek, climbing rockeries, playing with water...

These were things he had never played before, so he was very reluctant to leave.

As for Qi Xiaoting, there were still many places she hadn't photographed, and the photos she had taken here had satisfied her vanity greatly.

"Uncle Zhang, can I come over to play next time?" Qi Xiaoting asked expectantly, and Qi Mingming also nodded frantically along with his older sister; the little guy also liked it here very much.

Zhang Ran laughed, "Of course you can. You can come over to play whenever you want. Even if I'm not here, you can have your father bring you over to play."

"Really?" Qi Xiaoting's eyes instantly lit up!

Zhang Ran nodded and said, "Of course it's true. Your dad is my younger brother; don't be a stranger with me."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang. Uncle Zhang, you're so kind." Qi Xiaoting was instantly excited; she had already started imagining the scene of bringing her friends over. At that time, she would surely receive many envious gazes.

It was just that Qi Xiaoting might not fully understand her father's character; when Zhang Ran wasn't around, Gong Nan would absolutely not bring her over to stay. Perhaps helping to manage things would be fine, but he would absolutely not let her live here.

"Brother, then I'll head back first," Gong Nan said.

Zhang Ran didn't try to keep him, knowing that if Gong Nan went back late, there would probably be some conflict in the family.

"Mm, come back tomorrow. At noon, we brothers will have another good drink," Zhang Ran said.

Gong Nan nodded earnestly.

However, just as he was about to leave, Zhang Ran suddenly said, "I, Zhang Ran, only recognize you, Gong Nan, as my younger brother. The Qi Family has nothing to do with me. If you don't speak up, no one else's words matter."

Gong Nan listened, feeling confused, not knowing what Zhang Ran meant by these words, only to see Zhang Ran wave his hand, signaling him not to ask anything more.

Gong Nan didn't ask further, but he didn't take it to heart either; his relationship with Zhang Ran had never had any connection to the Qi Family anyway.

At 6:30, Zhang Sicheng and his wife finally arrived here, but the two of them stood at the entrance, looking at the gatehouse, and for a long time did not take a step forward.

PS: I owe one chapter today; I'm going out to drink with some book friends who came to visit tonight, so I probably won't be able to write!