Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 916: Decisions and Diaries

Luo Qiu and Song Haoran appeared at the entrance of the dining hall, chatting and laughing. Coincidentally, they also encountered Song Ying there.

Song Ying greeted Song Haoran warmly, calling him "uncle," but then snorted at Luo Qiu and turned to run into the dining hall.

Old Master Song had not yet arrived. There were many rules in their ancient family, such as the younger generation not being allowed to eat before the elders arrived.

To seemingly leave Luo Qiu out, once Song Haoran and Luo Qiu were seated, Song Ying immediately moved her chair next to Song Haoran and began discussing matters.

"Stock limit? Oil? Gold mines?" Song Haoran found it hard to believe what Song Ying was saying; he felt it was quite incredible!

"Yes! I won't even mention those; there are many smaller things as well."

Song Ying seemed genuinely in a good mood at that moment. "You wouldn’t believe it! Until I came to the dining hall, I had received over ten phone calls, all bringing me good news. Today is simply my lucky day!"

"Speaking of which, I was feeling pretty good earlier too," Song Haoran chuckled. "You two getting discharged from the hospital really brightens the spirits—this saying appears to hold true!"

While they discussed, Luo Qiu was instead reminded of his conversation with Mr. Blind in the mourning hall. The impact of the added incense seemed a bit much…

"Oh, everyone has arrived."At that moment, Old Master Song walked out slowly, accompanied by Uncle Wu, but Mr. Blind was not in sight. After sitting down, Song Tianyou glanced at his descendants, revealing a kind smile. "Before we eat, I want to say a few things, and you can listen."

Song Ying promptly moved her chair back to her position. Song Tianyou was a very rule-abiding person and naturally expected others to do the same.

"Grandpa, what’s going on?" Song Haoran asked curiously.

Song Tianyou replied, "I've set the date for our trip back to China. It’s one week from now. The main purpose of this trip is to honor our ancestors. It's been years since we've returned, and I don’t even know what our ancestral tomb looks like anymore."

"Honoring our ancestors? This is so sudden!" Song Ying was taken aback—she had only visited the Song family's ancestral tomb once, and that was when she was a child.

"It’s not a spur-of-the-moment decision," Song Tianyou explained. "Actually, I had this idea after Haoran found Luo Qiu. Just right, the matters here are nearly settled, and our traditional New Year is approaching, so I plan for us to return to China to celebrate the Lunar New Year."

Song Ying frowned. "But Grandpa, I still feel it’s too sudden. You know that once you go back, many people will be watching. Besides, the group’s affairs won’t be resolved so quickly. And the issue with the hospital..."

Song Tianyou smiled and said, "Don't worry about those; I will arrange for someone to handle it. As for the group, just give a general overview of things. A brief trip out won’t throw the whole organization into chaos."

Song Ying could only nod. "Alright, I’ll start making arrangements soon."

She knew that once Song Tianyou made a decision, it was final; that was the supreme authority of the head of the Song family.

As she spoke, she shot an annoyed glare at Luo Qiu, who appeared innocent across from her.

Luo Qiu paused for a moment before returning a smile, which made Song Ying's annoyance even more pronounced.

"Luo Qiu, do you have any questions?" Song Tianyou suddenly asked.

Honoring the ancestral tomb was a matter of course, and Luo Qiu had no reason to refuse, so he simply nodded in agreement… This would likely mean another relocation for the club.

However, the club itself was a place that could be moved around easily. He had heard Yōu Yè mention that during his term, he spent quite a bit of time traveling all over the world.

"Where is the Song family's ancestral tomb?" Luo Qiu then asked.

"In Tai'an, Shandong," Song Tianyou replied with a smile. "Our grandfather is actually near Mount Tai, but very few people know this. By my father’s generation, we primarily operated in the southern region and made our fortune there."

Luo Qiu nodded, indicating his understanding. But… it seemed a bit coincidental with Mount Tai. The time now was not far from the second day of the second month.

"Luo Qiu? Luo Qiu?" Song Tianyou suddenly called out a few times. "Do you still have questions?"

The words of Mr. Blind in the mourning hall lingered in Song Tianyou's mind. Though he appeared calm on the surface, his attention to Luo Qiu was unavoidable.

Undoubtedly, Old Master Song did not want the bloodline of the Song family to be severed. Even if Luo Qiu were not of noble birth, he would ensure this child had a peaceful life. If the child had some ambition, he would also do his best to help realize that ambition.

But now, knowing that Luo Qiu could bring great fortune to the Song family, Old Master Song’s desire to keep him around naturally intensified, and he became even more concerned about Luo Qiu's own thoughts—he had not considered that Luo Qiu might leave the Song family.

"It’s nothing; I just suddenly remembered I’ve never been to Mount Tai," Luo Qiu casually smiled.

"Well, it’s a perfect opportunity for a nice tour," Song Tianyou chuckled. "If possible, you can bring your father’s wife along too. Since she has married into our Song family, she should also partake in the ancestral honoring."

"I’ll think about it," Luo Qiu did not refuse outright but rather found it amusing to imagine how Ren Ziling would react to discovering her lineage with the Song family after he had gone around for a visit. Probably, she would be quite shocked.

"That’s fine; you can have your own considerations. I won’t force you," Song Tianyou nodded and then decisively said, "Then it’s settled. Let’s prepare for dinner; the kitchen has made a lot of delicious food today, so make sure to eat plenty."

Song Ying did not raise her hand to announce that they could finally eat or anything like that; she merely felt that her grandfather’s attitude toward Luo Qiu seemed to have improved significantly.

He had already been quite accommodating, but now it was almost becoming indulgent… Unbelievable!

---

"Fruits, fresh fruits! Bananas, cucumbers, carrots!"

"Fried dough twists, fried dough twists! Authentic snacks from China, fried dough twists! Genuine fried dough twists!"

Everyone shouted—on this street called Chinatown. This was the only place Song Da felt a slight taste of home in this foreign land.

Of course, it wasn't too strong.

However, just seeing so many Chinese people was reason enough to browse around—though, Song Da was not here just to shop.

Taking out Natasha's credentials, Song Da looked at the doorplate numbers in front of the buildings.

The rent for houses around here is quite low, and in fact, many locals or foreigners working here live in them. What Song Da didn't expect was that those attending the vineyard wine party would actually stay in such relatively modest places.

“...121, is this the place?” Song Da looked up and saw a five-story concrete building.

Most of the buildings in Chinatown are only a few stories high, so this concrete building didn’t stand out—especially with the specific room number. After thinking for a moment, Song Da ultimately decided to go inside.

Just then, a woman in her mid-twenties came out of the hallway. Her features bore some resemblance to Natasha's.

The woman, using crutches, was slowly and cautiously making her way downstairs. Song Da frowned, but at that moment, the woman’s crutch slipped, causing her to lose her balance and nearly fall down the stairs.

“Watch out!” Song Da quickly stepped forward and managed to catch her.

One crutch fell down the stairs, landing on the street outside. Song Da glanced at the woman, noticing her pale complexion, as if she hadn't rested well for days, and a worried expression on her face.

He helped the woman down, leaning her against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, and picked up her crutches.

“Thank you,” the woman said softly, looking down before moving past him.

“Where are you trying to go?” Song Da instinctively asked.

“Looking for someone,” the woman quickly replied, turning back to him. “My sister has been missing for several days. I need to find her.”

Song Da rushed after her, suspecting something and wanting to confirm, “Is your sister's name Natasha?”

“You’ve seen her!” The woman suddenly grabbed Song Da's arm with excitement. “You’ve seen her, haven’t you?”

Looking around, Song Da nodded, “I do have some information about Natasha, but can we go somewhere else? This isn't the right place to discuss it.”

Having been in this area for years, Song Da wasn’t very familiar with the language—though listening was no problem, speaking was still a bit slow and unrefined.

The woman hesitated for a moment.

Song Da reluctantly took out Natasha's identification. Upon seeing it, the woman’s hands trembled slightly. After taking it from him, she suddenly fainted.

Surprised, Song Da quickly reached out to catch her. He checked her closed eyes, felt her wrist, and touched her forehead… she was burning up, likely running a high fever.

…

Time passed, and she slowly opened her eyes, looking around—this was her room, but why was she suddenly back here?

Confused, she propped herself up with her hands and sat up… Suddenly, she remembered something and hurriedly grabbed the crutches beside the bed. In her rush, she didn’t hold them properly, and they fell with a loud clatter.

“What’s happening?”

At the sound, the door swung open, revealing a large man she didn’t recognize, causing her to scream in terror. She grabbed the alarm clock from the nightstand and threw it at him. “Who are you?! Why are you in my home?!”

“Miss, it’s me!” Song Da quickly caught the clock. “It’s me! We met downstairs… do you remember?”

The woman relaxed a little, quickly clutching her blanket.

Song Da slowly explained, “You fainted suddenly and had a high fever, so I brought you back home. Oh… I found the key in your wallet; it had your room number on it.”

“But you…” The woman stared at Song Da in disbelief, or perhaps at his appearance.

He was wearing a women's apron—his strong physique made it look quite small—while his head was wrapped in a white cloth. He was also holding a broom.

“This?” Song Da glanced at the broom in his hand. “I had some time and got a bit bored; your place seemed to need cleaning, so I couldn't help myself… don’t worry, I didn’t touch your clothes or anything!”

“Natasha…” the woman suddenly whispered.

“What?” Song Da was taken aback and fell silent.

The woman trembled as she said, “Natasha… tell me, what… what happened to her? I… I’m prepared for it… I saw the news about the vineyard castle…”

Calm? No, looking at how tightly she clutched the blanket, trembling, Song Da knew she was far from calm.

Taking a deep breath, he removed the apron and headscarf, took off his shoes at the door, and walked into the room.

“Your sister, unfortunately, died in the collapse of the castle.” Song Da looked at the woman; she bowed her head, and her shoulders suddenly shook.

Fortunately, she wasn’t looking into his eyes—Song Da was not someone who was comfortable with lying.

He continued, “I’m sorry, when we found her, her body was so disfigured by the fallen stones that we could only find her identification, which was her only belonging.”

The woman remained silent, not crying out loud, just sitting there with her head down, as if she were an empty shell. Song Da shook his head, gently placed the clock back on the nightstand, and set Natasha’s identification down as well.

Quietly, he left the room and closed the door.

Just as the door shut, he heard a scream, followed by the sound of heart-wrenching sobs—this was the sound of someone breaking down. Song Da frowned and walked into the kitchen.

After a long time, the room fell silent.

Eventually, Song Da returned from the kitchen holding a bowl of something—some herbal medicine he had bought in Chinatown for treating colds and fevers.

He quietly opened the door, only to find Natasha’s sister collapsed under the bed, unconscious again.

He had no choice but to lift her back onto the bed, cover her with a blanket, and help her drink the herbal medicine.

She should feel better by tomorrow, but mental anguish cannot be cured by medicine… Song Da sighed, starting to examine the room.

On the bedside table were several photos of the woman and Natasha, from childhood to adolescence, including a recent close-up.

Later, Song Da found an old diary on the table… hesitating for a moment, he opened it, only to find that while he could understand spoken and heard language, reading and writing was quite challenging for him.

With no other choice, he took out his phone, used a translation app, and began to read the diary little by little.

“...If only I could, I really hope to step onto the stage once more.”