Chapter 70: 69. Meeting Between Brothers (Seeking Collections, Seeking Recommendation Votes)

During dinner that evening, Zhang Ran mentioned to Zhang Sicheng and the others that he would be going out tomorrow afternoon.

"Why don't I go with you? Many places have changed a lot recently," Zhang Sicheng said, looking a bit uneasy.

He hadn't had much to do lately; at the company, he basically spent his workdays slacking off, and aside from looking for a new job, he put all his energy into the renovation.

The speed of the renovation company Meng Mingxuan had found exceeded his expectations; work had already begun, and there was no need to watch over it constantly, so Liu Lu and he only went to take a look after getting off work each day.

Zhang Ran shook his head and said, "No need, you busy yourself with your own things. I still know the way, and besides, isn't there navigation? Don't worry."

Hearing Zhang Ran say this, Zhang Sicheng didn't insist further. He wasn't surprised at all that his father had accepted navigation so quickly, and Liu Lu was also used to it.

The speed at which Zhang Ran accepted modern electronic equipment far exceeded their expectations.

When it was time to sleep that night, Taotao and Susu pulled him over to tell them stories; Zhang Ran kept telling them until they fell asleep before quietly closing the door.

"Don't forget to pick up Taotao and Susu from school tomorrow afternoon," Zhang Ran urged, still feeling uneasy.

He had been the one picking up and dropping off the two children for this period, and he was afraid that Zhang Sicheng and Liu Lu would get used to it and forget about it when the time came.

"Alright, you can rest assured, I won't forget," Zhang Sicheng said.

"Take care on the road, and give us a call when you arrive," Liu Lu also said with concern.

Zhang Ran nodded, then sent the two little ones to school. When they parted, both little ones kissed Zhang Ran on the face, their reluctance to part very evident.

After sending the two little ones off, Zhang Ran did not delay and drove straight toward Shaanxi Province.

He Yong's hometown was in Shaanxi Province, and the journey would take about 13.4 hours. Actually, Zhang Ran could have taken a plane, but for some reason, Zhang Ran now had some psychological trauma regarding transportation tools like planes and ships, so even with such a long distance, he preferred to drive himself.

Meanwhile, on a bus from Shanghai to Shaanxi Province, a girl was also staring blankly out the window.

He Qing was nineteen years old this year and a freshman at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Tomorrow was the day her father would be released from prison, and her grandparents had asked her to go back to pick her father up and bring him home.

Regarding this father, He Qing didn't know what kind of feelings she actually had; her father had gone in almost shortly after she was born.

When she was younger, her grandparents would take her to visit her father, but as she grew a little older, perhaps due to pride or other reasons, she rarely went with her grandparents to see him.

Over these many years, the most recent time was when she got into university; it was only because her grandparents had pleaded with her that she agreed to go.

The reason she agreed to go back to pick up her father from prison this time was largely just because she didn't want her grandparents to have to travel so far at their age.

Along the way, Zhang Ran only rested at service areas for a while, added some gas, ate something, and then continued driving.

It wasn't until twelve o'clock at night that Zhang Ran arrived at his destination and found a hotel to stay in. As soon as he entered the room, he couldn't wait to open his phone and start a video call.

"Grandpa." Taotao, the little one, didn't have his usual energy.

"Grandpa." Susu's big eyes were also squinting; she was already too sleepy to go on.

Back when Zhang Ran was still on the road, Zhang Sicheng had sent a message saying that the two children wanted to video call him.

Originally, Zhang Ran had thought about finding a service area to video call them, but Zhang Sicheng wouldn't allow it, insisting he wait until he arrived at his destination.

And no matter how Zhang Sicheng tried to persuade them, the two little ones wouldn't go to sleep; they insisted on video calling their grandpa before they would sleep.

Seeing the two little ones in this state, Zhang Ran felt heartbroken. He spoke a few soft words to the little ones and began coaxing them to sleep.

Perhaps because they felt much more at ease seeing Zhang Ran, the two little ones quickly fell asleep.

Zhang Sicheng didn't chat with Zhang Ran for long either; it was late now, and he didn't want to disturb Zhang Ran's rest.

The next morning at eight o'clock, Zhang Ran washed up a little and drove to the prison.

When Zhang Ran arrived, he found that a few scattered people were already waiting there.

Zhang Ran didn't recognize any of them; they were likely family or friends of other people being released from prison today.

Zhang Ran did recognize He Yong's parents.

Zhang Ran didn't get out, just waited in the car, lit a cigarette, and watched the gate quietly.

Around ten o'clock, Zhang Ran saw that face, which, although much older, was still familiar.

At this time, only one girl remained outside; the others had already picked up the people they were waiting for earlier.

Just as Zhang Ran was preparing to get out of the car, he suddenly noticed He Yong staring blankly at the girl, so Zhang Ran stopped his movements.

He Yong looked at his daughter and felt completely uncomfortable. He wanted to step forward and hug He Qing, but he was afraid that He Qing would despise him.

"Xiao Qing." He Yong walked in front of He Qing and said this in a low voice, his tone full of caution.

He Qing looked at the man in front of her who, although fifty, still had a burly build, and seeing the way he spoke to her so cautiously, He Qing felt a pang of heartache for some reason.

He Qing didn't know much about her father's affairs, but she had heard her grandparents say many times that He Yong had actually been framed back then.

"Let's go, Grandpa and Grandma are waiting at home," He Qing stammered, finally saying.

"Right, let's go, let's go." He Yong immediately picked up his bag and followed by He Qing's side, but still kept some distance, as if afraid that the bad luck on him would rub off on He Qing.

However, they hadn't walked two steps when they saw the door of the car in front open, and a person stepped out to block their path.

He Qing frowned and prepared to walk around, but she suddenly saw He Yong freeze on the spot, the bag in his hand dropping to the ground involuntarily.

He Qing's heart sank; could this be an enemy of her father from back then? Was this person here to cause trouble?

But when she looked at the expression in He Yong's eyes, she found that there was no hatred or anger in them—only disbelief and joy!

"Zhang... Brother Zhang?" He Yong seemed unable to believe what he was seeing.

He Qing then saw the man in front open his arms and chuckle, "What? Don't recognize me?"

Hearing Zhang Ran's voice, He Yong seemed to confirm it, and he stepped forward in a large stride to give Zhang Ran a fierce hug.

He Qing could see He Yong's excitement and joy!