After finishing his conversation with Wilson, it was already 3 a.m. William drove back to the hotel and slept until noon the next day. While drinking tea after lunch, he asked Sunday, "Did the church call me this morning?"
"No, sir," Sunday replied.
William chuckled to himself, realizing the church was likely too preoccupied to contact him at the moment.
"However, Yin Yang from the Celestial Empire did call. He met with your cousin two days ago. You can see Qin Feng whenever you'd like."
"How's the kid doing?" William asked.
"According to Yin Yang, Qin Feng is doing fairly well by Celestial standards, though he is a bit introverted."
"Introverted? Haha, a kid without parents is bound to be less cheerful," William said, taking a sip of tea before pausing in thought. His ingrained mindset from the Celestial Empire kicked in. "Tell Yin Yang I want to meet the boy. Even though I had no relationship with my late father, he was still my father, and the Chen family name can't end with me. That kid has to change his name back. Also, make it clear that I don't want to get involved with the authorities."
"Understood, sir," Sunday replied. A few minutes later, Sunday said, "Sir, Yin Yang is making arrangements and will notify me once everything is set."
"Alright," William said, thinking about something Abigail had mentioned recently. Several antiques from the Grand Duke Devon had been sent to him, some of which required restoration. While national treasures couldn't be sent back to the Celestial Empire, many lesser-regulated antiques were too numerous to be handled in England. Finding enough skilled restorers would require connections, or he could send them back to the Celestial Empire for repairs under insurance.
Given that, having a cousin living in the Celestial Empire could be somewhat beneficial. As for making money there, William thought it over and decided it wasn't necessary. Europe and the U.S. were already providing him with enough profits; there was no need to compete for a piece of the pie in the Celestial Empire.
At 7:30 p.m. in the bustling city of the Celestial Empire, Qin Feng, having finished dinner and a walk with his grandparents, sat bored at home doing homework. The assignments were far too easy for him, but if he didn't do them, his grandmother would nag him for half the day.
Suddenly, the phone rang, and Qin Feng perked up, curious to know who was calling.
"Hello, who's this?" his grandmother answered. "Oh, it's Hanh, what? You want to take Xiao Feng out for Western food? No way, are you out of your mind? We just finished dinner, and he's doing his homework. If you want to take him out, do it tomorrow."
"What? You won a free meal voucher while shopping? I think you've lost it. Stop dreaming about such good fortune all the time."
Qin Feng's grandfather, who had been watching the weather forecast, chimed in, "Put it on speaker, let me talk to her. I don't want her getting scammed again."
"Yes, you should have a word with her. She's already in her twenties but still acts like a child," Qin Feng's grandmother complained as she hit the speaker button.
Before Qin Feng's grandfather could lecture their daughter, Hanh's frustrated voice came through the phone, "Mom, I'm already at the English restaurant on the pedestrian street! The foreigner here speaks fluent Mandarin and explained everything clearly to the voucher winners. The restaurant just changed owners and wants to adjust their dishes to suit the tastes of people here in Shen City, so they gave out 100 free meal vouchers as part of a survey. I was lucky to win not just any voucher, but a family-friendly one that allows me to bring a child. Mom, if you don't believe me, you and Xiao Feng should come see for yourselves. The foreigner said the chef is a Michelin three-star master from London, someone named Gordon, who's opening a branch here. Normally, a dish costs at least 30 pounds, which is 360 Celestial yuan. Today, it's all free! If you won't let Xiao Feng come, I'll just eat by myself."
Hearing that a dish cost 360 yuan, Qin Feng's grandmother was immediately tempted. "Wait, wait! We'll bring Xiao Feng over."
After hanging up, Qin Feng's grandmother, unusually, called for a taxi. In just 20 minutes, they arrived at the pedestrian street. When they got to the restaurant, they saw a group of people gathered around several young girls answering questions for a chance to win vouchers.
"Mom! Over here, over here!" Qin Hanh, who had been waiting in front of the restaurant, waved excitedly when she spotted her parents and Qin Feng. She turned to the well-dressed restaurant manager and said, "Mr. Li, my child is here. Can we go in now?"
Yin Yang, also known as Brother Jie, had been waiting for this moment. The moment he saw young Qin Feng, a smile spread across his face. "Apologies, Ms. Qin, but the restaurant's rule is that family voucher holders must bring a child to enter. Now that he's here, please come in."
Brother Jie signaled to a waiter to escort Qin Feng and his grandparents into the restaurant.
As they approached, Brother Jie smiled at young Qin Feng, who looked a little nervous. Seeing his grandparents as well, he cheerfully said to Hanh, "Ms. Qin, I apologize for the long wait. To make up for it, I'll personally give you two more vouchers."
"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, thank you!" Hanh exclaimed happily, turning to her parents and Qin Feng. "Dad, Mom, Xiao Feng, hurry up! The restaurant's almost full."
Qin Feng's grandparents, feeling a bit nervous themselves, held Qin Feng's hand and followed Hanh and the waiter into the restaurant. They happily ordered their meals with the help of the Mandarin-speaking foreign waiter and enjoyed their lavish dinner.
Just as they were finishing their meal, Brother Jie reappeared with a serious expression.
"Mr. Qin, Mrs. Qin, Ms. Qin, tomorrow is the national holiday. Our restaurant is launching a patriotic-themed event. Any child who can answer ten questions without any hints will win a free family dinner for eight. Would you like to give it a try?"
Brother Jie pointed to a business lounge in the center of the restaurant, where the Qin family noticed a circle of parents gathered. In the middle, a little girl was sitting on a sofa, laughing and waving her hands while wearing a headset.
Excited, Hanh quickly thanked Brother Jie and then urged Qin Feng, "Xiao Feng, go give it a try! You're so smart, I'm sure you can answer all ten questions. Dad, Mom, let's go check it out."
Seeing that Qin Feng's grandparents were still hesitant, Brother Jie reassured them, "Don't worry. We've already given out 40 free tables tonight. A few more won't hurt."
"Alright, then," said Qin Feng's grandmother. She and her husband stood up, thanked Brother Jie, and followed Qin Feng and Hanh to the lounge.
After waiting for about ten minutes, the last child finished answering their questions and was led back to their table by their parents. Once the lounge was empty, Brother Jie brought Qin Feng over and seated him on the sofa.
Reluctantly, Qin Feng put on the headset under the hopeful gaze of his aunt, Hanh. But what he saw and heard inside the headset was not what he expected. Instead, a young man appeared in front of him.
"Good evening, little one. I'm William Devonshire, and by family ties, you should call me cousin."
Before William could finish, Qin Feng unexpectedly took off the headset, looking panicked as he pointed at Brother Jie, stammering, "Y-you... what are you trying to do? I'm the descendant of a martyr! Kidnapping me is a serious crime!"
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