Second Elder Qi, Qi Suibai’s father, spoke these words seemingly in reprimand, but in truth, he was creating an opportunity for his son to back down.
Qi Suibai showed a contrite expression. "My apologies. It's a friend on the phone. I'll be right back."
The elder patriarch of the Qi family signaled for everyone to pause, suggesting they wait for Qi Suibai’s return.
After Qi Suibai walked away, the eldest son of the Qi family expressed his displeasure. "What friend is so important that we elders have to wait here for him alone?"
The eldest son of the Qi family was originally the primary candidate for family patriarch. However, due to his lack of children, the second elder Qi became a strong contender for the position.
Unexpectedly, before he and the second elder Qi could settle their rivalry, the second elder's son had already seized the opportunity. There was no way he could be happy about this.
However, after a short while, Qi Suibai’s somewhat flustered voice drifted in from outside. "Yes, it's me. Please wait a moment, I'll hand the phone to my grandfather right away!"
"What's going on?" The elder patriarch looked at his eldest grandson with surprise. How did this involve him?
Qi Suibai strode back and said in a low voice, "Grandfather, we've found someone who might be the Little Ancestor."
"If the Little Ancestor is here, why didn't she come directly to the Qi family to find me?" The elder patriarch was puzzled, but he still solemnly took the phone and brought it to his ear. "Hello?"
On the other end of the line came a little girl's soft, slightly uncertain voice. "Are you, Pingnan?"
The Qi family patriarch! Qi Pingnan!
The elder patriarch's body trembled, and his back involuntarily curved slightly, showing a respectful posture.
Even though the people present had heard the legends of the Little Ancestor, seeing the elder patriarch's respectful demeanor at this moment still shook them to their core. They were astonished by the weight the Little Ancestor carried in the elder patriarch's heart.
The voice was slightly different, and it was over the phone, but the elder patriarch could be sure that it was the tone the Little Ancestor used when calling him!
"It's me! It's me! I am the current patriarch of the Qi family." The elder patriarch's hand holding the phone trembled, but to ensure he wasn't mistaken, he asked, "Do you happen to know my father's name?"
Jian Sheng hugged the phone and ran off. Jian Junyu was left behind, looking bewildered. Then, he said in a low voice, "Your father's surname is Qi, given name Zhiheng, courtesy name Hengyuan. He attended private school when he was young and went to Pingjing University in his tenth year..."
" at nineteen, you secretly betrothed yourself to your mother. However, due to your busy involvement in war relief, you didn't have children. At twenty-seven, you had you in an accident. To settle down, you lived in the capital and firmly established the Qi family's development base..."
"At three years and seven months and ten days, you finally stopped wetting the bed. At five years old, you fell from a tree while trying to get bird eggs and broke the cloud-patterned dragon vase your father had found. Your father punished you by making you kneel for a day, leaving a hidden injury in your knee. At eight years old..."
The elder patriarch was old and a bit hard of hearing, so he had the phone volume turned up very high. Those nearby could all hear the little girl's voice on the other end revealing all the embarrassing moments of both the elder patriarch and the previous patriarch.
The elder patriarch had immense authority in the Qi family, and in their eyes, he had always been a calm and dignified father. Now, hearing about the elder patriarch's past embarrassments, everyone looked as if they wanted to laugh but dared not, almost choking with suppressed laughter.
At the same time, they were astonished by the little girl's knowledge of these secrets.
If she could say these things, let alone the elder patriarch, even they had already believed that the little girl was the legendary Little Ancestor. Otherwise, how could she know even such ancient events so clearly?
Poor elder patriarch, on the verge of death, still had his youthful embarrassing stories exposed by his juniors.
Even with the elder patriarch's weathered disposition, his face was still flushed with embarrassment. He quickly said, "Enough, enough, Little Ancestor, please stop talking. Where are you now? I'll send my young ones from home to pick you up."
If the Little Ancestor continued speaking, would he still have any face left?
When the elder patriarch confirmed that Jian Sheng was indeed the Little Ancestor they revered, Jian Sheng also confirmed that this was the Qi family she was looking for.
Jian Sheng was a little happy. She could meet old acquaintances here and learned that both of her lives were in the same world, which made her very excited.
However, her current situation was a bit complicated. Jian Sheng glanced in the direction of her mother and uncle. Seeing them curiously peeking, but having no intention of eavesdropping, she covered the phone and whispered, "I'm currently staying in the house you have in Jiangcheng. But my situation is a bit special, and I've borrowed someone else's identity. When you come to find me, please treat me as a normal child, and absolutely don't expose my identity!"
The elder patriarch guessed that the Little Ancestor might be in trouble. Otherwise, with the Little Ancestor's abilities, why wouldn't she come to him directly, instead taking such a roundabout route?
Hearing the Little Ancestor's instructions, the elder patriarch quickly agreed.
After the Little Ancestor hung up the phone, the elder patriarch said solemnly, "Xiaobai, apply for a flight path immediately and use the express channel. The Little Ancestor will arrive in the capital in at most two to five days. You go ahead and serve her well. Everyone else, go back and brief the younger generation in your families. If anyone dares to offend the Little Ancestor, I will hold you accountable!"
Everyone agreed. Looking at the junior Qi Suibai, they were filled with envy.
This was a golden ticket to becoming the family patriarch! Naturally, whoever contacted the Little Ancestor first had the greatest advantage. If the old man hadn't spoken, many of them would have scrambled to go and serve her.
However, it was good for Qi Suibai to go ahead and test the waters first. They still had a few days to prepare themselves mentally.
-
Jian Sheng hung up the phone, then ran back with her short legs, returning the phone to her uncle. A faint dimple appeared on her chubby cheeks. "Thank you, Uncle~"
Jian Junyu's expression was complicated. He found himself unable to understand this little niece.
Xiaobai did exist, but it wasn't a child of the same age as Sheng Sheng, as they had imagined. Instead, it was the eldest grandson of the Qi family, a potential contender for the position of family patriarch, whom he felt fortunate to befriend.
When the phone call connected, his little niece directly and tentatively called out to Xiaobai. He didn't know how much his heart had pounded then, thinking his little niece had certainly angered the other party.
But who knew that the other party was even more flustered than he was? After they exchanged a few incomprehensible words, that Qi family eldest grandson actually handed the phone to the Qi family patriarch.
Later, his little niece ran off, and he naturally didn't follow. However, the attitude of Young Master Qi towards his little niece was enough to shock him immensely.
Jian Junrui rarely interacted with the circles in the capital and didn't understand what this meant. However, he knew deeply that the skies of the capital might be about to change!
He hoped his family wouldn't force his little sister into anything. Otherwise, given his little niece's fierce protectiveness of her mother, coupled with the Qi family's eldest grandson, who knew what kind of havoc they could wreak on the capital if pushed to their limits.
He didn't yet know that it wasn't just one Qi family eldest grandson behind Jian Sheng, but the entire Qi family!