Chapter 127: Shen Que Returns Home
Shen Que’s tall figure appeared outside the train station, and the longing to return home after so long made him take a deep breath.
The air in his hometown had its own distinctive smell.
"Cough...cough—"
The smell of smoke was overwhelming!
Shen Que glanced at an old man beside him, his face full of wrinkles, holding a dry tobacco pipe.
He nodded to the old man, who asked with a grin, "Young man, want a ride on the tricycle?"
Shen Que declined.
As a grown man, how could he have the nerve to sit in a tricycle pulled by an elderly man?
After refusing, Shen Que headed towards the bus stop, while behind him, the old man with the tobacco pipe knocked out the ashes and smirked.
"A cripple...trying to be tough."
Shen Que’s silhouette alternated between tall and short, unnoticeable when standing, but apparent when he walked.
Just as he expected, he could stand, but he limped.
Finding the bus stop, Shen Que boarded the bus with trepidation, standing tall while holding onto the handrail.
What would Jiang Cheng think when she saw him?
He knew in his mind that Jiang Cheng was a person with firm goals, and if she didn’t have feelings for him, she wouldn’t have stayed in touch.
But knowing in his mind was one thing; the anxiety in his heart didn’t lessen at all.
Feeling a mix of emotions, Shen Que arrived at the bus stop closest to home.
The fear of returning home was perfectly manifested in Shen Que.
He walked the few hundred meters quickly.
But when he reached the alley entrance, he found it difficult to take any steps.
It being the weekend, the children playing at the gate saw Shen Que, who was unfamiliar to them.
One of the kids recognized him as the elder brother of Shen Xing and Shen Yue.
A child from the courtyard dashed inside, shouting, "Shen Xing, your big brother is back!"
Shen Xing, who was helping with the fire, dropped the firewood in his hands as he stood up abruptly.
"What did you say?"
The child delivering the message pointed towards the gate and shouted, "Your big brother is back! I saw him!"
Shen Xing didn’t care whether it was true or false, he didn’t even have time to ask.
He rushed out immediately.
Outside, when Shen Que heard the child shouting, he started walking towards the courtyard.
The elder and the younger brother met exactly at the gate.
Shen Xing looked up.
Shen Que looked down.
Shen Xing’s eyes soon filled with tears, but he stubbornly held them back.
Shen Que smiled and reached out a hand, ruffling Shen Xing’s hair.
"What, don’t recognize your big brother?"
Shen Xing pouted, pretending to be disdainful, "And you remembered to come back!"
Shen Que couldn’t help but laugh.
Why did he feel like he was the heartbreaker?
"You little rascal, already bad-mouthing your big brother!"
Shen Que ruffled his hair a bit harder, making Shen Xing feel the reality of his brother’s return a bit more, holding back his laugh.
"I’m not!"
Shen Xing dodged Shen Que’s hand, turned awkwardly, walked a few steps, then looked back.
"What’s wrong? Don’t recognize home anymore?"
Shen Que understood Shen Xing had grievances, but he didn’t mind as he nodded deliberately, teasing Shen Xing, "My leg hurts, and this doorstep is too high."
"What’s wrong with your leg?"
Worried, Shen Xing hurried back, holding Shen Que’s arm with both hands, his eyes filled with concern for Shen Que’s leg.
"It’s nothing major, just a limp."
Shen Que said nonchalantly, limping over the threshold.
Shen Xing couldn’t hold back his tears any longer, they fell to the ground, releasing a small cloud of dust.
His brother, the heroic elder brother, was limping!
Shen Xing held onto Shen Que’s hand tightly.
Shen Que deliberately leaned against Shen Xing and asked, "Feeling sorry for your big brother?"
Shen Xing sniffed, looked up at Shen Que.
"Brother, will you stay home from now on?"
Shen Que met Shen Xing’s gaze and nodded.
"From now on, I’ll be home, with the whole family together."
The first feeling that arose in Shen Xing’s heart was joy.
He instinctively felt something was wrong, but he couldn’t hold it back.
Shen Xing, supporting Shen Que as they went inside, whispered, "It’s good, better than receiving a call about your funeral."
Shen Que heard him.
Precisely because he heard, he felt even more sorry for Shen Xing.
"Your big brother’s back now, I’ll never leave you alone again."
Shen Xing slapped away Shen Que’s hand, retorting, "I’m not alone, I have my grandaunt, Yue Yue, and Sister Jiang Cheng."
The mention of Jiang Cheng brought Shen Que back to seriousness.
The nervousness he had just let go of returned.
"You—Sister Jiang Cheng—"
"Shen Que!"
Grandma Shen arrived.
Grandma Shen, who had been working with Granny Sun, rushed over in a hurry when she heard the news, just in time to see Shen Xing supporting Shen Que in.
"Grandaunt, I’m home."
Shen Que let go of Shen Xing, and stood up straight himself.
Grandma Shen came over, her eyes naturally glanced at Shen Que’s leg.
A thousand words condensed into one sentence: It’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back.
Shen Que’s return brought many people out of the courtyard.
"Shen Que is back!"
"That’s so good! This family needs a pillar."
"You’re staying for good now, aren’t you?"
"What happened to your leg?"
Shen Que answered them one by one.
Not leaving, and his leg is lame.
That’s all there is to it.
After giving concise answers, Grandma Shen dispersed the crowd, pulling Shen Que into the house.
Shen Que instinctively looked around, not seeing Jiang Cheng’s figure.
"Grandaunt, isn’t Jiang Cheng here?"
Grandma Shen, full of concern, suddenly had her gossip senses tingling.
Shen Que asked about Jiang Cheng?
Why?
Was there a connection between them?
Suspecting, Grandma Shen’s gaze fell on Shen Que.
"What are you up to?"
Shen Que maintained a serious face, showing no sign of anything unusual, "What else could I be up to? I mainly want to thank Ms. Jiang Cheng."
Grandma Shen watched carefully for a while, but nothing seemed off.
Could it be she was overthinking it?
"Jiang Cheng took Yue Yue to art class."
"Oh...I see."
Shen Que didn’t ask any more.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to say, but Grandma Shen wasn’t like Director Lian, she knew Jiang Cheng, and they had a good relationship.
He had to get Jiang Cheng’s consent before he could express his thoughts.
Shen Que and Grandma Shen chatted, while Shen Xing sat listening beside them.
"You’re back for good this time, right?"
"I’m not leaving, I’ve retired."
"That’s good, sooner or later you had to come back for this family."
Grandma Shen glanced again at Shen Que’s leg.
"What about your leg?"
"Just a bit of a limp, nothing else bothersome."
Grandma Shen felt heartache, not intending to ask too much, knowing Shen Que must be hurting.
"Alright, tidy up a bit, I’ll go make dinner."
Grandma Shen got up to make dinner, while Shen Xing and Shen Que went into the room that Jiang Cheng used to stay in.
Shen Xing walked ahead, starting to babble.
"This room was occupied by Sister Jiang Cheng before, now she lives next door."
Shen Que was secretly pleased.
Living next door was better than renting Director Lian’s place, it was closer.
"The bedding is all clean, grandaunt washed it a few days ago, Sister Jiang Cheng used it before. If you mind..."
"I don’t mind."
Shen Que immediately replied, Shen Xing turned his head mischievously, looking at Shen Que, "If you mind, there’s nothing else available."
"Big brother...you seem a bit different."