236: Chapter 236 Zhao Weiguo stands up for his grandson, Qin Yi gains favor with Master Ma.

In the capital, within that quaint courtyard house, Zhao Weiguo lay on his rattan chair in the courtyard as usual. On the tea table beside him sat a cup of steaming tea. He gazed up at the starry sky, his eyes reflecting the twinkling starlight. At this moment, his state of mind was peaceful, as if he were truly enjoying this rare tranquility.

"Elder Zhao, a call from Young Master Lintai." Just then, the guard responsible for Zhao Weiguo's safety said softly, handing over the mobile phone.

Zhao Weiguo's eyebrows twitched slightly, and a glimmer of expectation flashed in his eyes. He slowly sat up from the rattan chair, and the guard immediately stepped forward to support him carefully. Taking the phone, Zhao Weiguo's voice held a trace of complaint and doting: "Lintai, you child, you've been away for so long, and only now do you think to call home."

Zhao Lintai on the other end of the line showed an apologetic smile upon hearing this: "Haha, Grandpa, it's my fault for making you worry. How is your health lately?"

"I'm doing just fine. How about you? Is everything going smoothly?" Zhao Weiguo's tone was full of concern.

"It's going quite smoothly, Grandpa. I've already met Grandpa Si, and we even had dinner together tonight and chatted about many things from when you were young." Zhao Lintai said with feigned ease.

"Oh? Is that so? Then how is Grandpa Si's health?" Zhao Weiguo's voice carried a hint of worry.

Zhao Lintai paused slightly, as if organizing his words: "Grandpa Si… he is in a wheelchair now. I asked him about his condition, but he didn't say much. However, I gave him the ginseng you asked me to bring; I hope it can be of some help to the old gentleman."

"Sigh, time spares no one." Zhao Weiguo sighed, a sense of inexplicable melancholy rising in his heart.

"Grandpa, there is something I would like to discuss with you." Zhao Lintai's voice suddenly became a bit serious.

"What is it? Go ahead." Zhao Weiguo sensed his grandson's anomaly, and his tone also became serious.

"It's about the engagement between Si Yao and me…" Zhao Lintai stammered, as if weighing his words, "Grandpa Si's attitude tonight made me feel that he doesn't really approve of this marriage."

"What?!" Zhao Weiguo's voice rose sharply, filled with surprise and confusion, "How could he not approve? Didn't our two families settle this long ago? Besides, it was his son, Si Hongjun, who initiated it back then!"

"I don't know the specific reason either." Zhao Lintai said, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Perhaps it's because he sees that the influence of our Zhao Family is not what it used to be, and he doesn't really want to marry his granddaughter to our Zhao Family anymore."

"Nonsense!" Zhao Weiguo's tone rose sharply, and he said in a deep voice, "Si Zhengxiong is someone who values integrity above all! I absolutely do not believe he is the type of person who chases power and forgets old favors!"

"Grandpa, people always change. Grandpa Si's exact words were that it's a new society now, and the old ways of arranged marriages can be thrown into the dustbin of history. He also told me not to worry about the thoughts of your older generation, and even said that Si Yao has a stubborn temperament, and if I'm not satisfied, I can completely propose to call it off… Isn't this just wanting to break the engagement?"

Zhao Weiguo was silent for a moment, seemingly digesting this sudden news. His expression gradually became solemn: "Lintai, what do you think? Although our Zhao Family is now far from the center of power, while this marriage is certainly important for our future, as the only descendant of our Zhao Family, you haven't reached the point where you must beg for others' approval! If you don't want it, then we don't need this marriage!"

"Grandpa, I know. Actually, I have a good impression of Si Yao, but she doesn't seem interested in me." Zhao Lintai said truthfully, with a bitter smile on his face, "However, don't worry, I won't give up easily."

"Good grandson! That's the spirit!" Zhao Weiguo said, a smile of gratification appearing on his face, "Go ahead with confidence! I have my own plans for this marriage! I will personally call Si Zhengxiong tomorrow to ask clearly! I want to see if this Si Zhengxiong really intends to break his promise!"

"Grandpa, don't be angry. Grandpa Si didn't close the door on it either; he was probably just testing my stance. Perhaps it's just me overthinking." Zhao Lintai comforted.

"Alright, I understand. It's getting late today, so you should rest early. I will handle the matter of the engagement!"

"Okay, thank you, Grandpa. You should rest early too."

After hanging up the phone, a triumphant smile appeared on Zhao Lintai's face. He lay back on the soft big bed leisurely, hummed a tune, and then muttered to himself: "Southwest Si Family, humph~ sooner or later, it will be in the palm of my hand, Zhao Lintai!"

Meanwhile, in a private room at the Yunjin Restaurant on the 120th floor of the Shanghai Center Tower, the atmosphere was lively and harmonious. Under the warm hospitality of Qin Yi and Xing Zhenkun, Master Ma had been drinking quite happily, his face flushed with a drunken haze.

Master Ma picked up the exquisite wine cup, raised his hand to pat Qin Yi's shoulder affectionately, his eyes filled with a smile of appreciation: "Young Friend Qin, to be honest, it's been a long time since I've had such a congenial chat with young people like you. Come, let me toast you." As he spoke, he handed over his wine cup, his eyes revealing the approval of an elder for a Junior.

Qin Yi hurriedly picked up his own wine cup and clinked it gently with Master Ma's, his tone full of respect: "Master Ma, you are too polite. This glass should be a toast from me to you. I'll finish mine first; please drink at your leisure."

Master Ma laughed upon seeing this, refusing to admit his age: "What, does Young Friend Qin look down on my drinking capacity? Back when I was young, I could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. This kind of 53% alcohol, I could easily handle at least two jin." He hiccuped, patted his chest as if to prove he was still as good as ever, "Let's not talk about that. Everything is in the wine. Come, bottoms up!" After saying that, he tilted his head and drank it all in one gulp, a satisfied look on his face.

Seeing this, Qin Yi also drank the wine in his cup in one gulp along with Master Ma. He skillfully picked up the decanter, filled Master Ma's cup first, and then poured his own.

After putting down the decanter, Qin Yi raised his previous question again, his eyes sparkling with curiosity: "Master Ma, I still can't quite figure it out. You have so many treasures, they can't all be passed down from your ancestors, right? Could it be that your ancestors were royalty or nobility?"

"Hahaha," Master Ma laughed after hearing this, looking at Qin Yi, "Young Friend Qin, to tell you the truth, not many of those collections were passed down from ancestors. As for me, my ancestors weren't royalty or nobility either; just ordinary commoners."

Qin Yi was a bit skeptical after hearing this: "Master Ma, you are being too humble. Brother Kun told me before that you come from a military family; how can you be an ordinary commoner?"

Master Ma waved his hand and said seriously: "Hey, what are you saying. Which of our Dragon Country's soldiers aren't children of commoners? They are all soldiers of the people. Count back three generations; which family didn't come from a poor background?"

Qin Yi nodded after hearing this: "Hmm, that is indeed true."

A flash of reminiscence crossed Master Ma's eyes, and he said slowly: "So, how could there be so many family heirlooms? Eighty percent of the things in the exhibition hall used to be street stall goods." He paused, a hint of pride appearing on his face, "They were all treasures I saved up for and hunted down from street stalls one by one."

Qin Yi exclaimed after hearing this: "Whoa, so you really struck gold then?"

Master Ma laughed and nodded: "You could say that. At that time, when I first started working, I had a little spare money, and I loved to go to the Panjiayuan antique market in the capital or stroll around the Palace Museum. In the beginning, I often misjudged things, but after suffering enough losses, I slowly learned how to distinguish the real from the fake. Later, I could find a few real treasures almost every month."

"So your ability to appreciate antiques was honed from picking up treasures at the antique market back then?" Qin Yi asked curiously.

"Pretty much. I never systematically studied knowledge in this area; it was all through exploration, and slowly I developed my own logical System." Master Ma said, looking at Qin Yi, a glimmer of appreciation flashing in his eyes. He reached out and pulled Qin Yi's hand, patted it lightly, and continued, "Young Friend Qin, do you know why I feel like I've known you for years?"

Qin Yi shook his head. Although he knew that 60 out of the 80 points of favor Master Ma had for him came from the martial arts he displayed, he still shook his head to indicate he didn't know.

Master Ma took a deep breath and said slowly: "To tell you the truth, it's because of your martial arts. You see, you have neither family heritage nor guidance from famous teachers, yet you rely entirely on your own exploration and comprehension, and you were even able to create your own Cultivation Technique. This makes me think of my own experiences and struggles when I was young. If Young Friend Qin doesn't mind, I would like to become friends with you regardless of our age gap."

Hearing this, Qin Yi felt a warmth in his heart and immediately raised his glass to salute Master Ma respectfully: "Master Ma, you are too kind. It is my, Qin Yi's, honor to become friends with you regardless of age. This glass is a toast to you!" After saying that, he tilted his head and drank the wine in one gulp.

Seeing this, Master Ma laughed loudly: "Good, good, good! I didn't expect that I, Supervisor Ma, nearing seventy, could still become friends with such a talented person as Young Friend Qin. Truly a great joy in life! Come, I'll have a drink with you too!"

Following this, the System prompt in Qin Yi's Sea of Consciousness suddenly rang out.

[Ding! Detected that Supervisor Ma's favorability towards the host has increased by 10 points, current favorability is 90!]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the task of increasing Supervisor Ma's favorability towards the host. Reward: Charisma +1, Intelligence +1, Special Skill 'Jade Appreciation Master'!]

As the System sound rang out again, Qin Yi only felt a warm stream of air slowly flowing into his Sea of Consciousness. Countless pieces of knowledge about jade appreciation shone like stars, imprinting themselves into his mind one by one.

From jade identification methods—the water drop method, touch method, visual inspection method, tongue-licking method—to the standards for selecting jade—jade quality, shape and pattern, carving craftsmanship—and even the evolution of artistic styles from ancient to modern times, this knowledge was as if carved into the depths of his Soul, clear and profound.

Qin Yi's eyes flickered with excitement, but the sudden massive amount of information also made him feel a bit dazed. He frowned slightly, closed his eyes, and tried hard to digest this knowledge.

Xing Zhenkun noticed Qin Yi's anomaly, mistakenly thinking he had drunk too much and couldn't handle the alcohol. He hurriedly turned to Master Ma and skillfully diverted the topic, giving Qin Yi a buffer time.

Xu Qian also noticed Qin Yi's state and, taking the opportunity to pour water for Qin Yi, asked softly with concern: "Young Master Qin, are you okay?"

Qin Yi came back to his senses at Xu Qian's inquiry. He shook his head gently, with an apologetic smile on his face: "I'm fine, I was just distracted for a moment."

"Well, don't drink too fast. Eat some food first." Xu Qian said, gently picking up some food for Qin Yi and placing it in his bowl.

Qin Yi looked at Xu Qian gratefully and picked up his chopsticks to eat. But in his heart, he was secretly happy: This Master Ma really gave him many surprises! Thinking back, Master Ma was actually the first person whose favorability reached 90 so quickly after he obtained the System. This task was completed way too easily!

Not long after, the banquet gradually came to an end amidst laughter and chatter.

As the party was breaking up, Master Ma and Qin Yi enthusiastically exchanged contact information and added each other on WeChat. Master Ma did not forget to remind Qin Yi once again to introduce him to the martial arts Great Master he mentioned when there is an opportunity. Qin Yi naturally agreed readily.

Elsewhere, Ye Qingcheng also finished the dinner with Sister Hong. Sister Hong watched Ye Qingcheng drive away before returning to her own car.

Sister Hong sat in the car but didn't start it immediately. Instead, she took out her mobile phone and opened an application. On the phone screen, a map gradually unfolded, and a flashing red dot was slowly moving on the map; that was exactly Ye Qingcheng's car.