The old woman, upon hearing Chen Fan's words, stumbled back a few steps in a daze and sank onto the bed, her face pale.
"Who told you all this?" After a moment, the old woman's emotions stabilized, and she asked Chen Fan.
"Long Yinglan." Chen Fan did not hide it.
The old woman nodded with a sigh of relief, "Just as I suspected."
This time, Chen Fan frowned slightly, "Grandma, you know Long Yinglan?"
"Yes, not long after your mother's accident and your father's disappearance, she came to Huainan Province. She visited you a few times, but I sent her away each time because I hated them, hated all the Long family members!" The old woman's emotions, which had just calmed down, seemed to flare up with anger again.
"Grandma, the Long family owes us. I will make them pay double the price." A cold glint flashed in Chen Fan's eyes.
The old woman shook her head, "Xiao Fan, don't seek revenge. Promise Grandma, don't let them know your identity."
Seeing his grandmother's worried expression, Chen Fan nodded, "I know, Grandma. I am not yet strong enough to contend with the Long family."
The old woman glanced towards the door, "You should go. They came for the first time, you can't keep them waiting. I won't interfere with your affairs anymore."
Chen Fan didn't know what to say at the moment. He knew his grandmother was worried about him, fearing he would suffer the same fate as his father.
He nodded and asked, "Grandma, then Shuran and I will go buy groceries. We'll eat at home for lunch."
The old woman did not reply. Seeing this, Chen Fan slowly withdrew from the room.
As Chen Fan left, the old woman's eyes welled up again. She took out a faded old photograph from under her pillow. It showed a mother and son. The man was handsome and radiant, leaning into the embrace of a short-haired woman.
Holding the photograph, the old woman's tears fell again.
The handsome and radiant man in this photograph was Chen Fan's father, who had been missing for over twenty years.
After leaving the room, Chen Fan took Qin Shuran out of the house and headed to a nearby vegetable market to buy ingredients.
"What's wrong? You look unhappy," Qin Shuran asked, holding Chen Fan's arm.
Chen Fan forced a smile, "It's nothing."
"Does Grandma dislike me?" Qin Shuran asked, a little worried.
"No," Chen Fan shook his head.
"I was just thinking about my parents. I was wondering if they would be happy if they knew I brought back such a beautiful daughter-in-law," Chen Fan explained the reason.
Qin Shuran's face flushed, and she hugged Chen Fan's arm tighter, offering him some comfort.
She knew about Chen Fan's situation: his father had been missing for over twenty years, his mother was brain-dead, and she was with the Long family in the capital. It was truly cruel for Chen Fan.
"I'm fine," Chen Fan said with a faint smile, sensing Qin Shuran's concern.
"Stop, thief!" Suddenly, a sharp voice rang out from inside the vegetable market.
The sudden sound drew the attention of many people at the entrance of the market.
A young man with green hair was seen fleeing frantically, holding a woman's handbag.
A motorcycle was parked a few steps in front of Chen Fan.
"Let's go!" The green-haired youth jumped onto the motorcycle and shouted at the rider.
"Vroom, vroom!"
The rider heard him, twisted the throttle, and was about to escape.
However, at that moment, a hand suddenly appeared and gripped the rider's right wrist.
The rider was startled and looked to his right. He saw a man and a woman standing beside him, and his wrist was being held by the man.
The other party's grip was so strong that the young man couldn't exert any force.
"Damn it, you dare to meddle in my business? Are you looking to die!" The rider glared, his face fierce, trying to scare them away.
But the other party seemed deaf, continuing to hold the youth's throttle hand.
The green-haired youth sitting in the back was enraged. He pulled out a dagger from his pocket, pointed it at them, and yelled, "Damn it, let go, or I'll stab you to death!"
His words startled the surrounding crowd, and they held their breath for the young man who was standing up for justice.
After all, few people dared to intervene in such matters these days, as it carried significant risks.
"Stop!" At this moment, two more people rushed out from the vegetable market entrance, wearing uniforms. They were clearly trying to apprehend the thieves.
"Kid, you're asking for death!" Seeing someone chasing them, the green-haired youth became furious when the other person still didn't let go. He raised his dagger and aimed it at the other man's abdomen.
This scene shocked many onlookers. Some of the more timid ones even closed their eyes, unable to bear watching.
Seeing the dagger thrust at him, the man remained calm. He swiftly and accurately clamped down on the youth's wrist.
"Crack!"
A bone-snapping sound echoed.
"Ah!"
The green-haired youth screamed and fell off the motorcycle.
Hearing the scream, the crowd was astonished to realize that the man who was stabbed was unharmed, while the thief who was doing the stabbing lay on the ground, clutching his wrist and crying in pain.
At this point, two uniformed men had already rushed over and handcuffed both of them.
"Thank you, brother!"
After apprehending the two thieves, the uniformed men thanked the man who had acted bravely.
However, as he clearly saw the man's face, the uniformed man froze, "Chen, Chen Fan?!"
The one who had acted bravely was none other than Chen Fan, who had just arrived at the vegetable market with Qin Shuran.
Chen Fan was slightly taken aback and looked closely at the uniformed man, "Are you, Sun Mingyang?"
"Hahaha!"
"Kid, when did you get back?!" Sun Mingyang burst into laughter and punched Chen Fan's shoulder.
"Just got back today. What about you?" Chen Fan looked at Sun Mingyang's uniform with surprise.
"How is it? Handsome, right?" Sun Mingyang said proudly.
Chen Fan gave him a thumbs-up.
"You two know each other?" Qin Shuran, standing beside Chen Fan, asked curiously.
"Who is this?" Sun Mingyang finally noticed Qin Shuran.
"My girlfriend," Chen Fan introduced.
Sun Mingyang was so shocked his jaw almost dropped, "Holy hell, Chen Fan, you're something else! Your girlfriends are more beautiful than the last! This big city is different, are there any single young ladies, introduce some to me too!"
"Cough, cough!" Chen Fan coughed dryly.
"More beautiful than the last? Chen Fan, how many girlfriends have you actually brought home?" Qin Shuran looked at Chen Fan with a scrutinizing gaze.
Sun Mingyang chuckled beside them, looking like he was enjoying a show.
"Just two. The last one was Li Mengyao, you know her."
After explaining, Chen Fan couldn't help but glare at Sun Mingyang.
Sun Mingyang laughed and put his arm around Chen Fan's shoulder, "You know, it's really good timing that you're back. We're having a primary school reunion tonight."
"You organized it?" Chen Fan asked, confused.
"I don't have that kind of capability. With my salary of three thousand a month, even if I organized it, no one would come. Remember Huo Yifeng from our school? He's working in the provincial capital now, and I heard he's doing well. Now that he's got money, he wants to show off to us old classmates."
He then added, "Anyway, we don't have to pay for it, and it's free food. Come tonight. We haven't seen each other in at least a year."