From Paper Craftsman to World-Suppressing Immortal

At Weigukou Wharf, a massive steamship docked. Zhao Qingzhi, Zhang Zhixuan's talented cousin who was rumored to have studied in the capital and then traveled to Japan for several months before finally returning home, disembarked and reunited with her family.

"Dad! Mom!" Zhao Qingzhi saw her parents and beamed with joy. She carried her small suitcase through the crowd and walked straight over.

"Dad!" Zhao Qingzhi walked quickly to Second Master Zhao, put down her suitcase, and threw herself into her father's arms.

Startled by the sudden hug, Old Master Zhao was at a loss for what to do with his hands. In the end, he simply patted his daughter's back, smiled with relief, and said, "Good girl, it's good that you're back. Your parents missed you so much."

"Daughter, I miss you all very much!" Zhao Qingzhi released her father and then turned to Wang Shi.

"mom."

Wang's eyes were already red, and she hugged her daughter tightly. Finally, she couldn't hold back her emotions and burst into tears on the spot.

Zhao Qingzhi gently patted her mother's back and quickly comforted her, "Mom, don't cry. So many people are watching. I'm back now, aren't I?"

"Good boy, let Mom see if you've lost weight? You've been in Japan for so long, are you used to the food and the accommodations?"

"The food there is quite good, I really like it. The local flavors in Japan are also relatively light and healthy. Even the streets are clean and tidy, the houses are beautiful, and there are trams. It's much more advanced than here. The Japanese people are also well-dressed, unlike us, who are so rustic." Zhao Qingzhi's words were full of praise, and her words were full of love for Japanese food and local customs.

Master Zhao shook his head and said calmly, "No matter how good it is, it's someone else's place. The place you're standing on is our home."

Zhao Qingzhi pursed her lips, clearly dissatisfied with what her father had said, but she did not refute it.

"She sounds like an old lady right from the start." Zhang Zhixuan sneered inwardly. Although he was disdainful, he wasn't familiar with this cousin, and besides, there was no need to say anything that would spoil the mood and ruin the joyful atmosphere of their family reunion.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Second Master Zhao spoke up at the opportune moment, saying, "Qingzhi, come and see if you still recognize me. This is your cousin, Zhang Zhixuan. You two used to play together a lot when you were little."

"Him? My cousin?"

Zhao Qingzhi discreetly observed Zhang Zhixuan, secretly scrutinizing him. This cousin was fair-skinned and handsome, and not short, but his clothes were extremely crude and shabby.

Moreover, she had long heard her mother say that her cousin was a complete spendthrift who idled away his days away from home and did nothing productive. In his early years, his family had been engaged in the lowly business of making paper offerings for the dead. In Zhao Qingzhi's eyes, such a person was a representative of feudal dregs and was completely different from her, a modern student who had studied abroad and seen the world.

After meeting her in person, Zhao Qingzhi formed her own opinion, but she prided herself on being well-educated and wouldn't show it even if she felt disdain.

"Hello, cousin." Zhao Qingzhi gave Zhang Zhixuan a polite but distant smile and nodded slightly.

Zhang Zhixuan responded politely and calmly, "Hello cousin, welcome home."

Master Zhao, however, was oblivious to his daughter's aloofness and disdain for Zhang Zhixuan. He was overjoyed and kept urging the two to catch up: "Qingzhi, you and your cousin have been playing together since you were little. Get closer to each other in the future. Your cousin is honest, capable, and will protect you."

Zhao Qingzhi smiled politely and replied, "Father, I understand."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Zhang Zhixuan, carrying a hint of condescending scrutiny, and she asked indifferently, "Cousin, are you still in the paper-making business?"

"Yes, I inherited the skills from the older generation, so of course I'll continue doing the same old trade," Zhang Zhixuan replied calmly.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingzhi's lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer, and her tone became more lecturing: "Cousin, I'm not trying to criticize you, but what era are we living in? You're still doing this kind of feudal dregs. If you ask me, making paper figures and burning paper money are all superstitious things from the old society, and they should have been eliminated long ago. I only realized how advanced the outside world is when I went to Japan to study. Whether it's Japan or the West, they don't use these things at all. Their industries are developed, their systems are civilized, and their people are enlightened. Unlike us here, clinging to these outdated things, we'll never progress."

She became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke, her eyes filled with longing for foreign countries, and her words were full of disdain for the land she stood on and for traditional trades: "To put it bluntly, the reason why our place is backward is because there is too much of this kind of dross culture, and too many people clinging to outdated customs. Cousin, I advise you to change careers as soon as possible, stop doing this kind of disreputable business, read more books, learn some new things, that's the right path."

Aunt Wang, upon hearing her daughter's words, chimed in, "Look at her, Qingzhi is so insightful! People who have studied abroad are just different! Zhang Zhixuan, listen to this, you should learn from your cousin!"

Looking at his cousin, whose face was full of "civilized superiority," Zhang Zhixuan felt both amused and pathetic.

Seeing that Zhang Zhixuan remained silent, Zhao Qingzhi assumed that he was speechless because she had hit a nerve, and her pride only grew stronger.

Just then, a girl's complaining voice came from behind them: "Hey, Qingzhi! Why didn't you wait for us? You disappeared in a flash, and we've been looking for you everywhere!"

Hearing the sound, the group turned around and saw a young man and woman carrying luggage walking towards them.

Upon seeing the person who arrived, Zhao Qingzhi's delicate face was full of apology: "Sorry, I'm so sorry! I got so excited to see my parents..."

Then, Zhao Qingzhi pulled the two of them in front of her and introduced them one by one to Zhao Erye and his wife: "Mom and Dad, let me introduce you. This is Lin Shuyao and this is Shen Weiyong. They are my good friends who studied together in Beijing. They also accompanied me to Japan for study tours a while ago."

Lin Shuyao, with her hair in two braids and dressed in a well-tailored little dress, smiled and greeted Master Zhao and Madam Wang, "Hello, Uncle! Hello, Aunt!"

"Okay, okay!" Mr. and Mrs. Zhao nodded with smiles.

At this moment, the young man named Shen Weiyong also showed a gentle smile and said, "Uncle, Uncle, I'm sorry to have disturbed you."

"No disturbance, no disturbance. Our Qingzhi is studying away from home, and we are very grateful for your care."

"Of course," Shen Weiyong replied politely and with good manners.

At this moment, Zhao Qingzhi walked to Shen Weiyong's side and naturally put her hand on his arm. The two looked intimate, and their relationship was obvious.

Zhao Qingzhi turned to the side and whispered to Second Master Zhao, "Dad, Weiyong is from the Shen family in Beijing. The Shen family runs businesses in Beijing and owns several textile factories."

When Master Zhao saw his daughter being so intimate with Shen Weiyong in this setting, he was somewhat displeased, but he simply gave a faint "hmm".

"Alright, alright, everyone's here. This isn't the place to talk. Let's hurry home." Seeing this, Madam Wang quickly smoothed things over. After saying that, she nudged Master Zhao, then took Lin Shuyao's hand and asked her all sorts of questions as they walked towards their carriage.

Zhao Qingzhi linked arms with Shen Weiyong, and the two followed behind the crowd.

As they passed Zhang Zhixuan, Zhao Qingzhi suddenly said, "Cousin, since you don't have anything to do anyway, why don't you help us carry our luggage?" Her tone was as if she were ordering a servant.