Ding Meng's first impression of Qu Shangqing and his wife was that Qu Xiaoqing had definitely inherited her parents' excellent genes. They were completely carved from the same mold. She not only had her mother Xia Yun's elegant and charming appearance, but she had also inherited her father's calm and refined temperament.
"This must be Ding Meng, right?"
Qu Shangqing did not look like a middle-aged man at all. Instead, he looked like a young man in his forties.
Xia Yun also maintained her appearance very well. She elegantly followed behind Qu Shangqing. "Welcome, Ding Meng."
Ding Meng could only bow his head politely. "Uncle, auntie, nice to meet you!"
Qu Shangqing's face was full of smiles. "I've heard Xiaoqing mention you many times. Today, I finally get to meet you in person. Although you're not a very handsome young man, you have your own spirit. Come, come, come, come in and have a seat. Please!"
These words were not pretentious or distant, and Qu Shangqing's attitude was very sincere. Ding Meng immediately had a good impression of this elder.
The front row of the Qu family's villa was a reception hall. It was decorated in an ancient style and was quite artistic. In the center, there was even a solid rockery in the shape of a pine tree welcoming guests. The fragrance of sandalwood lingered in the air, causing one to feel refreshed and refreshed.
Ding Meng sniffed carefully. It actually had the effect of the Flying Star City's calming tea. He could not help but exclaim in surprise, "This is the effect of a refreshing medicine, right?
It's a rare good thing! "
"Brother Ding is indeed an expert!"
Qu Xiaoqing's brother, Qu Yang, could not help but give a thumbs up. "This sandalwood is a new product that our company designed this year. It's mainly used on the frontlines. Soldiers can install it in their weapons. It has a very strong effect on dispelling poison. Recently, our company has been promoting it …"
Qu Xiaoqing smiled embarrassedly. "Ding Meng, my brother is a workaholic. Normally, he puts all his energy into business. Whenever he opens his mouth, it's always about business …"
Ding Meng smiled and waved his hand. "It's fine. Isn't he the same as us origin ability users?
Whenever he has time, he thinks about how to improve his strength. "
The group sat down in the living room, and the servants served them tea and fruits, all of which were the most expensive specialties of the empire.
"Ding Meng, since you're here, you're a guest. Go back to your hometown and rest for a while. Let us do our part as hosts!" Qu Shangqing spoke first.
Ding Meng pondered. With Qu Xiaoqing's status, she should know a lot of things. Therefore, Qu Shangqing must have heard about what happened to him in the Federation.
"Uncle, you're too kind. I came back this time mainly to visit Mr. Zhao. Unfortunately, he's not in the academy!" Ding Meng replied calmly.
Qu Xiaoqing's second brother, Qu Zheng, sighed and said, "Brother Ding, actually, you're also a citizen of the empire, and you're also a member of the military. Forgive me for speaking bluntly, although the Federation is powerful, it doesn't value talents as much as the empire. Xiaoqing is your classmate and comrade. Now that you're back, you should properly develop yourself in the empire. With Xiaoqing in the military, she'll be of great help to you."
Before Ding Meng could reply, Xia Yun took over the topic. "That's right. Xiaoqing came back for a vacation, and Ding Meng also came back to rest. You guys have been running around for a long time, and it's rare for you to have a chance to rest. In my opinion, why don't you and Xiaoqing travel together to relax?"
Huh?
This doesn't sound right. Why does it sound like she's trying to matchmake me?
Looking at the Qu family members' crafty smiles, Ding Meng suddenly felt a little awkward.
Qu Xiaoqing's face immediately turned red. "Mom, what are you talking about?
Ding Meng and I are close friends. Don't make wild guesses about our relationship! "
In fact, Ding Meng also knew about this. During the trip to the Dead Silent Star, Randy's tragic death had touched Qu Xiaoqing too much, so much so that it had deeply affected her over the years. Qu Xiaoqing did not touch anything about love between men and women. There were countless people from the rich and powerful families in the empire who pursued her, but Qu Xiaoqing rejected them all.
It was not that she could not forget Randy. It was mainly because she would compare Randy to anyone of the opposite sex in this aspect. For a soldier like her, if he did not sacrifice himself to save her, then there was no need to talk about relying on him in life and death.
However, she had been talking about Ding Meng in front of her family for a long time, which made the Qu family mistakenly think that she liked this young man called Ding Meng.
Ding Meng also quickly explained, "Uncle, auntie, I'm already married. My friendship with Miss Qu is deeper."
"Oh?" This time, it was Xing Yi who was surprised. "Ding Meng, did you find a partner in the Federation?"
Qu Xiaoqing was also interested. "Why haven't you mentioned it before?"
Ding Meng smiled and said, "Actually, you've met her before. On the Conqueror, Lu Qing is one of my wives."
"One of your wives?" Xing Yi's eyes widened in curiosity. "Do you have a few more wives?"
Ding Meng was a little embarrassed. "I have four wives now."
"I really didn't know that Ding Meng was so charming!
You're awesome! "Xing Yi gave him a thumbs up.
Qu Zheng smiled and said, "The Federation is like this. They don't promote monogamy like the empire. Brother Ding is so outstanding, it's normal for him to have three wives and four wives."
Qu Xiaoqing looked at her parents. "Did you hear that?
I told you before that Ding Meng and I were classmates when we first met, and then we became comrades in outer space. That's how our relationship is. "
Qu Shangqing and his wife could only smile bitterly. They had misunderstood and thought that Qu Xiaoqing was bringing a man home to reunite with her family.
Seeing that her parents were embarrassed, Qu Xiaoqing quickly waved her hand and said, "Dad, Mom, Big Brother, Second Brother, I asked Ding Meng to come here to discuss important military matters. Go and prepare dinner. I believe that I still have the face to ask Ding Meng to stay for a meal."
After she said that, the rest of the people stood up. Before leaving, Qu Shangqing didn't forget to remind them, "Ding Meng, Xiao Yi, stay with us for the next two days. It's a rare opportunity for us to reunite."
Ding Meng and Xing Yi naturally agreed. After everyone left, Qu Xiaoqing slowly stood up from the sofa. "Ding Meng, did you meet Elder Zhao before?"
Ding Meng said sadly, "To be honest, Teacher Zhao died half a year ago."
"Died?" Both Qu Xiaoqing and Xing Yi were shocked. "Where?"
Ding Meng sighed. "On the Flame Star, one of the hinterlands of the Devouring Sector. I saw it with my own eyes!"
Qu Xiaoqing and Xing Yi looked at each other, their eyes filled with deep shock.
"Ding Meng, you must have returned to the Norse Empire to investigate Elder Zhao's past, right?" Qu Xiaoqing asked carefully.
Ding Meng sighed even more heavily. "Teacher Zhao was too pitiful. He was modified into a fifth-generation frogman warrior and died under Jun Ling's blade."
Qu Xiaoqing and Xing Yi were so shocked that they couldn't speak. They also knew that Jun Ling was Ding Meng's little sister. The reason behind it must be very strange that one of their own killed one of their own.
Qu Xiaoqing paced back and forth in the house with her hands behind her back. There was a deep contemplation on her face, as if she was making a decision. After a long time, she waved her hand and said, "Ding Meng, are you interested in visiting my house?"
Ding Meng reached out his hand and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Miss Qu to lead the way."
Coming out of the guest hall on the first floor, Qu Xiaoqing led him west. After passing through a few flower beds, they stopped in front of a simple single-story wooden villa.
Ding Meng noticed that this villa was a bit different. The doors and windows were covered in a lot of dust, as if it had been abandoned for a long time and was not used for living. Xing Yi also didn't come with him this time. It seemed that what Qu Xiaoqing wanted to discuss with him was quite confidential.
Looking at the dusty wooden house, Qu Xiaoqing's face was filled with emotion. "This was my third brother Qu Xiaole's room when he was alive. I loved to come here to play when I was young. My third brother spent most of my childhood with me."
Her eyes were filled with nostalgia for the past. It could be seen that among the Qu siblings, Qu Xiaoqing and Qu Xiaole were very close.
Ding Meng suddenly waved his hand, and Catoptric Deflection immediately left his belt and transformed into a classical sword. "This is the Krypton gold sword you gave me back then. Along the way, I killed countless strong enemies. I guess I didn't let down your third brother's wish when he was alive?"
Qu Xiaoqing smiled. "If my third brother was still alive, he would be proud of you for using this sword. Because you did what he couldn't do for him."
Then, Qu Xiaoqing gently pushed open the two wooden doors. There were all kinds of strange things piled up in the living room. Other than the optical computer, workbench, cutter, culture tank, crystal bottle, and some children's toys, Ding Meng couldn't name the other things.
Ding Meng hesitated and said, "These things are …"
Qu Xiaoqing lowered her head and looked at the dusty junk. The nostalgia in her eyes became even stronger. "My third brother was a clever person since he was young. Anything he saw, he could immediately copy it, and he could even make it manually …"
Ding Meng listened quietly.
Qu Xiaoqing continued, "But at that time, our family wasn't doing very well. The business of my father's workshop was very bad, and the whole family was invested in the sales of nutrient solution. Sometimes, I would see a toy or a piece of clothing I liked on the street, but I couldn't afford to buy it."
Ding Meng said, "So after you came back, your third brother personally made toys and clothes for you?"
Qu Xiaoqing nodded. "Before I was six years old, all the toys I had were made by him. After he left, I kept these toys and put them in here."
Ding Meng thought for a while. "Actually, this is also a kind of talent. I heard that among the non-combat origin ability users, there is a profession called the simulation master. No matter what it is, as long as you let him look at it once, he can immediately copy it. The imitation is enough to pass off as the real thing. However, it is said that a person with this kind of profession and talent has almost never been born before."
Qu Xiaoqing's eyes immediately revealed a look of admiration. "If my third brother heard this, he would definitely treat you as his confidant."
Ding Meng laughed. "You flatter me. I have only heard of it, but I have never seen such a talented person. I'm not afraid that you will laugh at me, but even if I cultivate applied telekinesis, I can't do this."
Qu Xiaoqing casually picked up a model of an engineering car. "Actually, copying these things also requires materials. I just said that our family's financial condition didn't allow it at that time. Therefore, my father and the others didn't support our behavior."
This confirmed Ding Meng's guess. Qu Xiaoqing's third brother playing with these things might seem like a special hobby to outsiders, but in the eyes of his father and brothers, he was a prodigal son.