Qin Ningyi lived in a place close to Grandma Yao and her family's house. From his second-floor room, he could see the entrance to their courtyard without even leaving his room.
He spent the entire day confined to his room, clutching the jade pendant in his hand.
As the night grew deep, the roar of engines suddenly echoed from the road in front of his house.
On the second-floor balcony, Qin Ningyi put down the steaming bowl of noodles he was holding and leaned out to see a special vehicle driving down the road. This was the same type of vehicle that had previously picked up his grandfather. It was the kind only very important individuals had the privilege to ride in.
Calculating the time, Grandpa Nong's report should have been completed. However, at his age, he should have stayed in Yu Chang City for at least one night.
"What's the situation at the reporting site in Yu Chang City?" Qin Ningyi turned and quietly asked the subordinate beside him.
"Everything went very smoothly." Their intelligence network had already kept abreast of such matters. "Grandpa Nong, with the help of a capable assistant, resolved this technical issue. The international media were very eager to know about this assistant, but for protection, no information about them was ultimately revealed."
The subordinate, talking about this mysterious assistant, couldn't help but elaborate a bit more. "Based on the clues we've gathered, this assistant is very likely his youngest son, Yao Jian. Yao Jian suddenly returned a while ago; perhaps he was here to help Grandpa Nong solve this technical challenge..."
Qin Ningyi listened to his subordinate chatter on, while the vehicle that had passed by downstairs eventually stopped at the entrance of the large courtyard next to where Grandma Yao lived.
The family in that house clearly had good financial standing; there was even a streetlamp installed at the entrance.
Under the glow of the streetlamp, they saw a young man get out of the car. He stomped his feet, then quickly went to the other side of the car to help an elder alight.
"That's Yao Jian," the subordinate whispered in introduction behind Qin Ningyi. "The one he's helping is Grandpa Nong."
Qin Ningyi nodded, redirecting his attention back to the bowl of noodles on the small table. The weather was cold, and the steam had already dissipated. He picked up his chopsticks and casually lifted two strands of noodles.
In the silent, deep night, he could faintly hear a man's voice from downstairs, "Dad, be careful!"
Qin Ningyi's thoughts were scattered, unable to concentrate. He put down his chopsticks again, his gaze drifting downstairs, but his mind was elsewhere. He spoke, giving an order, "Find me some birthday candles."
Downstairs, Yao Jian was supporting the old man, chattering as they walked towards the rear of the car. "I told you to rest for another day, but you insisted on coming back with me! Do you think I can't handle this on my own?"
Grandpa Nong raised his walking stick and feigned a light tap on his son, "Handle it? You can't handle a damn thing! On a day like today, even if I'm not here, I, this old man, have to be!"
The driver and another person from the car also quickly got out. The driver opened the trunk, and several people began unloading the contents together.
Following them were two cars of security personnel, who also got out and started unloading their cargo.
Box after box of fireworks soon piled up at the neighbor's entrance.
"Elder Nong, what now? Should we set them off on the road?" the driver asked, frowning as he looked at the fireworks strewn everywhere.
Yao Jian seriously surveyed the road, deliberated for a moment, and then nodded, "I think it's fine. Let's line them up on this road; we should be able to fill the entire street. Setting them off in bursts will be beautiful!"
Grandpa Nong's walking stick now truly hit his son. "Who sets them off like that? They need to be concentrated! They're most beautiful when concentrated!"
After saying this, Grandpa Nong looked around and saw that the courtyard where Qin Ningyi was staying was still lit.
"Go tell that family over there and ask if we can set some off in their yard," Grandpa Nong pointed to Qin Ningyi's courtyard and instructed Yao Jian to communicate. He then successively assigned other families to the driver and the security personnel.
The overall distribution of personnel was arranged to surround their own courtyard.
After assigning tasks, Grandpa Nong, holding the arm of a security guard beside him, went to the courtyard entrance to set up fireworks. He said cheerfully, "I'm too old to handle this now. When the time comes, you light the fuse."
The security guard, holding the lighter handed to him, nodded with amusement. "Yes."
Grandpa Nong stood at the entrance with satisfaction. "When the time comes, no matter where the girl looks, she'll see fireworks. She'll definitely be happy."
Meanwhile, Yao Jian arrived at Qin Ningyi's courtyard gate and knocked.
"Hello, sorry to bother you."
The subordinate had just brought a few thin, long candles. Upon hearing the voice outside, he looked at Qin Ningyi, awaiting his instructions. "Young Master Qin?"
"Go open the door and ask what it is," Qin Ningyi said. He had heard enough to guess it was about setting off fireworks. He took the candles, looking at them with a hint of disdain, as they were not particularly attractive.
He added, "If they want to borrow our courtyard to set off fireworks, let them. Just make sure they don't come inside."
On a night like this, many things could be permitted.