Courtyard House: A Veteran Returns Home and Becomes a Father

With the police station's letter of introduction and the deed to the east wing of the military building in his hand, Su Mo hurriedly stepped out of the military headquarters building. The iron-blooded coldness he had developed over five years on the battlefield melted away in his eagerness to return home, and all he could think about was Xia Wanqing's image.

Su Mo arrived at the entrance of No. 96 Courtyard very quickly.

Five years later, the gate of No. 96 Nantongluo Lane has been rebuilt. The vermilion wooden door is still there, but the edge of the door is worn. The door number "96" next to the door is mottled but still clear.

This courtyard was where he lived with his master's family before he left. His master and Wanqing went to work, his master's wife always stayed in the house busy with chores, and his master would drink tea in the house or go out fishing. The two families in the courtyard (who were practically one family) had always lived in harmony, and the gate was ajar at this moment.

He gently pushed the wooden door open; with a creak, the courtyard view came into view.

The roses in the corner were planted by him and his master and grandmaster before he left to join the army. Now they have climbed half the wall. Adults’ coarse cloth clothes are hung on the clothesline, along with a few small floral dresses. They sway gently in the wind.

In the center of the courtyard, a little girl with pigtails and wearing a floral cotton-padded jacket was chasing a pink butterfly. Her delicate and beautiful appearance made her short legs thump loudly as she ran, and her laughter was clear and crisp.

Perhaps startled by the movement of the wooden door, the little girl turned around abruptly and saw Su Mo's unfamiliar face. She instantly stopped smiling, straightened her little body, and rushed over, spreading her arms to block him, just like a little tiger cub protecting its home.

Around four or five years old, her big, dark eyes kept darting around. Her eye shape and eyebrows were just like Xia Wanqing's, but her cleverness with her hands on her hips and cheeks puffed out was inexplicably just like mine.

Su Mo wondered to himself, "My master's family doesn't have children this big. Whose child is this?"

"Stop! Who are you? How dare you trespass into our yard!" The little girl's voice was childish, but she managed to shout with a hint of force, her little fists clenched tightly.

Su Mo paused for a moment, then subconsciously softened his tone, squatted down, and tried not to scare the little one with his aura: "Little friend, I'm looking for someone, Xia Wanqing."

As soon as he finished speaking, the little girl tilted her head and looked him up and down, her gaze finally settling on his slightly limping leg. Curious, she pointed and asked, "Uncle, what's wrong with your leg? You're walking with a limp. Did you fall?"

Su Mo then remembered that he hadn't taken off the limp he'd pretended to have with the officers at the military headquarters. He'd been in such a hurry that he'd forgotten, so he casually replied, "Uncle was injured before, it's nothing serious."

Just then, the curtain to the main room was gently lifted, and a gentle yet noticeably trembling voice came from inside: "Niannian! Don't be rude, move aside!"

Su Mo suddenly looked up, her heart clenched, and she instantly forgot to breathe.

Xia Wanqing stood behind the curtain, still holding half a rag that hadn't been washed properly in her hand. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing her slender wrists. Her eyebrows and eyes still had the gentle look he remembered, but the corners of her eyes had a touch of the softness and maturity of time. Her skin was slightly paler, but it made her even more pitiful.

The moment their eyes met, everything around them fell silent. The sound of the wind in the courtyard and the soft rustling of the master's wife picking vegetables inside the house all disappeared. Only the sound of their heartbeats could be heard clearly.

Xia Wanqing's eyes instantly reddened, the rag in her hand fell to the ground with a thud, and she staggered forward two steps, her voice trembling uncontrollably, filled with five years of anticipation, worry, and a hint of inexplicable trepidation: "You...you're really back?"

Xia Wanqing happened to be off today. Unexpectedly, she heard a noise in the yard. When she went out to look, she found that it was the person she had been thinking about for five years who had been out of touch with her.