Chapter 166. Family Reunion

Seeing his little sister smiling, Zuo Hao spoke up, “Qianqian, how did you and my brother meet? He never told me, and he even said it was a secret.”

Upon hearing their questions, Wang Qian had a hunch that Zuo He had kept the details of their initial encounter a secret to spare them from worrying. Since Zuo He was unwilling to share, she decided to keep the secret on his behalf.

She recounted the story of how they met to the two young brothers. Zuo Xiangcheng remained silent as he listened. However, being an adult, he was able to make bold guesses based on the vague descriptions provided by Wang Qian.

He speculated that at the time, the mother and son must have been in dire straits, and that’s how they had come across the little girl, who had extended a helping hand.

As he looked at the adorable little girl in front of him, Zuo Xiangcheng couldn’t help but feel grateful that they had encountered this family. Otherwise, he couldn’t bear to imagine the situation his parents and son would have been in. He couldn’t help but think how wonderful it would have been if this lively little girl had been their daughter.

“Mom, Grandma, we’re back,” Zuo He and Mingyuan returned from school together. The two little ones ran into the courtyard with their school bags on their backs. It was Mingyuan’s habit, and Zuo He had learned from him. Before entering the house, they both shouted in the yard.

Upon hearing her son’s voice outside, Peng Ziyun dropped the firewood she was carrying and rushed out with a stick in hand. Zuo He ran to the center of the yard and, seeing his mother in a military green uniform, called out, “Mom,” before diving into her arms and refusing to let go.

Upon seeing her son like this, Peng Ziyun, as a mother, was beyond excited and deeply moved. Holding her son’s small body, tears streamed down her face. Zuo He lay silently in his mother’s arms, gripping her clothes tightly. Soon, Peng Ziyun felt her chest getting damp.

“Good boy, be good. Mom is here to see you. Don’t cry,” she said, wiping her tears and lifting her son. Zuo Xiangcheng stood behind her, his eyes also turning red as he watched the mother and son. He reached out and embraced them both.

Zuo He burst into loud sobs, releasing all the pent-up longing in a flood of tears. Unable to contain herself, Peng Ziyun also wept uncontrollably, holding her son. Zuo Xiangcheng had to take Zuo He from her and lead her into the house.

“Zuo He, let’s not cry. Grandpa said you’ve grown into a little man. A little man doesn’t shed tears. Be good. Mom and Dad will be with you for a while. Look, your brothers have come to see you,” Zuo Xiangcheng comforted.

Zuo He, with tear-streaked eyes, saw his older brothers approaching and struggled to be put down. “Brothers, I missed you,” he said.

His brothers, initially happy to see him, were also moved to tears by his crying. “Little brother, we came to see you. We missed you too,” they said, their voices choked with emotion.

Zuo Yu led Zuo He into the house. “Little brother, look, we brought you some delicious treats and fun toys.”

Once inside, Zuo Yu took out a wooden toy gun from his small backpack and some candies prepared for Zuo He.

“Qianqian, Mingyuan, come and have some. These are the candies we saved from the New Year. We didn’t want to eat them and saved them especially for Zuo He. Also, try this candy made in the north. It has hazelnuts inside,” Zuo Yu said.

Wang Qian noticed that the candy was not the kind sold in stores, but a large block of malt candy unique to the northeast, wrapped in simple paper packaging.

Zuo Hao picked up a large piece and put it in Wang Qian’s mouth. “Qianqian, try it. This was made by the old man next door. It’s delicious.”

Meanwhile, Zuo Xiangcheng held his son, and Peng Ziyun fed Zuo He the candy. “Hehe, try it. This is the candy your two brothers saved for you. Even the kids in our yard didn’t dare to take their candy,” Peng Ziyun said.

Zuo Yu nodded proudly. “Of course, I couldn’t let those kids trick the  candy meant for my little brother. How does it taste, little brother?”

Zuo He, nestled in his father’s arms, nodded obediently. Zuo Xiangcheng and Peng Ziyun had always worried about their youngest son. They missed him terribly, and sometimes Peng Ziyun would cry secretly at night. Zuo Xiangcheng knew his wife missed their son, but he had no good solution. The conditions where they were living were tough, and if it were possible, he would have brought Zuo He back.

Zuo He sat in his father’s arms, enjoying the candy fed to him by his mother, with a face full of happiness and sweetness. He was quiet, chewing on the sweet candy, looking around. Wang Qian felt as if she had returned to the moment she first saw him.

Ah, the child had been away from his parents for too long, to the point that Zuo He still couldn’t quite believe that his parents were right in front of him.

Meanwhile, Zhang Lan and Hao Lianchun were busy preparing the meal when a group of people arrived in the courtyard. Among them was the elderly man returning for the meal, and another person who brought great joy to the women in the kitchen. Zhang Weiguo, carrying a load, entered the courtyard with the others.

“Look who’s here, Zhang Weiguo. You’re a lucky star, showing up at just the right time,” Hao Lianchun greeted him with great joy.

Zhang Weiguo’s appearance at that moment filled Hao Lianchun’s heart with joy. Her son and daughter-in-law had come today, and it was a perfect opportunity to taste the fresh seafood from the seaside.

“We’ve come, Dad,” Zuo Xiangcheng and his wife greeted the elderly men in the courtyard. When they saw Zuo Zhanshan, their eyes were filled with tears. The old man had aged a lot, with white hair growing out. However, he was still in good spirits, just like before.

The couple solemnly saluted the elderly man. “Dad, you’ve suffered,” Zuo Xiangcheng said, embracing his father tightly, just as his father used to embrace them when they were children. Zuo Zhanshan also hugged his son tightly. Since the family’s incident, this was the first time he had seen his son. As he grew older, he longed for his children to be around him, but the recent upheaval had scattered the family far and wide.

“Xiangcheng, you’ve finally come,” Zuo Zhanshan said, unable to express the sentimentality in words, and simply held his son tightly, tears streaming down his face.

“Grandpa, Grandpa, we’re here too,” the two beloved grandsons of the Zuo family ran into their grandfather’s arms when they saw him. Zuo Zhanshan had to release his son and lift his two grandsons.

With a smile, he asked, “Do you miss Grandpa, Yu and Hao?”

“Grandpa, we miss you so much, but we hardly ever get to see you,” the two boys said as they stayed obediently in their grandfather’s embrace.

“Dad, you should put them down. These two little ones are getting heavier. You and Mom together won’t be able to go far,” Zuo Xiangcheng said.

Peng Ziyun took Zuo Yu in her arms, while Zuo Hao remained in his grandfather’s embrace.

“It’s okay, I still have some strength left in these old bones. Come, let me introduce you to everyone,” Zuo Zhanshan said, introducing his family to the other elderly men. When he saw Wu Changyong, Zuo Xiangcheng was particularly excited, as the elderly man was well-known in the military.

“Hello, Commander,” the couple saluted Wu Changyong.

“Very good, young man,” Wu Changyong patted Zuo Xiangcheng on the shoulder.

“Right, let’s all go inside. People outside might think something has happened here,” Old Chen reminded.

“Absolutely, let’s all go inside and talk,” Zuo Zhanshan said, leading the way into the house with his eldest grandson in his arms.

The others followed suit, eager to join in the fun. The elderly men were delighted to see the adorable faces of Zuo Yu and Zuo Hao and wanted to play with them inside.

With the addition of two more children, Wu Changyong had a great time, hugging each person in turn until everyone had a chance to hold the children.

Old Chen sat on the kang, holding Zuo Yu and chatting with him. Seeing Zuo Yu reminded him of his own grandson, who was too far away to visit.

Looking at Old Chen, Zuo Yu said, “Grandpa Chen, my brother said you usually teach them. Now that my brother and I are here, we want to learn from you too.”

Zuo Yu’s words surprised everyone present, and they looked at Zuo Xiangcheng with concern, wondering if something had happened at home that led to the children being sent over.

Zuo Xiangcheng explained their purpose for coming and the need for a suitable place for the children, which led to Zhang Lan taking charge of them.

“Haha, you almost gave me a scare just now. Zuo, you can rest assured leaving the children here. In the future, make sure to visit often, and we’ll take good care of them,” Wu Changyong said, as if the children were under his care.

Zuo Zhanshan talked to his son about the family matters, while Wang Qian and Mingyuan took the new arrivals to familiarize themselves with the surroundings and to welcome Mingcheng and the others.