Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

Footsteps echoed in the courtyard.

Then the door opened a crack, revealing an old face.

He's an old servant in the family; he's been working here for over thirty years.

The old man's gaze fell on Zhou Tianyang's face, and he stared blankly at him for a few seconds.

Then those cloudy eyes suddenly widened.

His lips trembled.

"Third...Third Young Master?"

Zhou Tianyang looked at him, unsure of what to say.

He opened his mouth, but in the end he just nodded.

The old man's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

He flung open the door, his hands trembling.

She grabbed Zhou Tianyang's arm and shouted in a hoarse voice.

"The Third Young Master is back!"

The echoes from the courtyard reverberated through the several courtyards.

The door to the main room was pushed open.

A figure ran out of the house.

She was a woman in her forties.

When she reached the center of the yard, her pace suddenly slowed down.

It was as if they feared the figure before them was just an illusion.

Zhou Tianyang looked at her, his throat feeling like it was blocked by something.

This is the original owner's mother.

As he looked at the woman before him, all those long-forgotten details suddenly came flooding back.

His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to call out "Mother".

But those two words circled on the tip of my tongue several times.

In the end, he still shouted it out.

"daughter."

The man suddenly took two steps forward, looked him up and down, and tears streamed down his face like a broken string of pearls.

Her hands were trembling, and her voice was trembling too.

"Tianyang, it really is you, you're back..."

"You're really back..."

She gripped Zhou Tianyang's arm as if afraid he would disappear if she let go.

Zhou Tianyang felt the hand trembling.

He didn't break free; he just let her hold him and lead him into the house.

A man around fifty years old was sitting in the main hall.

He was looking down at something on the table.

He looked up when he heard footsteps, and his gaze lingered on Zhou Tianyang for a moment.

His hand trembled slightly, but his expression only changed slightly.

This is the original owner's father.

The head of the Zhou family is one of the wealthiest merchants in Suzhou.

He was shrewd and capable his whole life, but at this moment he was somewhat out of control.

He stood up, walked up to Zhou Tianyang, and glanced at him.

He remained silent for a long while before speaking.

"Eight years!"

He only said those three words.

But Zhou Tianyang could tell.

These three words contain more than any lengthy discourse.

"father."

He called out, but not loudly.

The old man looked at him with an extremely complex expression in his eyes.

There was relief, heartache, blame, and a complex mix of emotions that were hard to define.

He didn't say anything more, but simply turned around and gestured with his chin toward the chair next to him.

"Sit down and let's talk."

Then, Mother went out to prepare the meal.

Zhou Tianyang heard her voice instructing the maid in the courtyard, her voice tinged with barely suppressed joy.

Only the father and son remained in the house.

Zhou Tianyang sat in a chair, and his father, Zhou Kui, sat opposite him.

There was an octagonal table between the two.

Silence filled the space between the two.

Zhou Tianyang could feel his father's gaze fixed on him.

It's like getting to know the person in front of you all over again.

The boy who ran away by climbing over the wall at the age of twelve has now grown into a tall and handsome young man.

He had already changed out of his military uniform, but the air of a soldier remained in him.

Zhou Kui stared at it for a long time.

He sat in the armchair, his gaze fixed on Zhou Tianyang.

"You were only this tall when you left."

He raised his hand to indicate that it was roughly at shoulder level.

"Now you're taller than me."

Zhou Tianyang knew this wasn't just a casual remark about height.

There's so much hidden behind that statement.

There were so many things that he didn't know where to begin.

"father."

"When I left, I left a letter."

Zhou Kui lowered his gaze slightly, as if touched by those words.

"I saw the letter."

"Your mother cried for three days after reading it."

Zhou Kui paused here.

"I told your mother that your son will come back."

"If he can't come back... that's his fate."

Zhou Tianyang remained silent.

He knew, of course, that letter from back then would worry his parents.

But he also knew that if he said goodbye in person, he might not be able to leave.

"Father, these past eight years..."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts.

Then he slowly began to speak, briefly recounting his experiences over the past eight years.

After leaving home, I followed the Red Army.

From climbing snow-capped mountains and crossing grasslands, to the Red Army being reorganized into the Eighth Route Army, he rose from battalion commander of the 772nd Regiment to regimental commander of the New Second Regiment.

He didn't go into those details, nor did he mention how many battles he had fought or how many Japanese soldiers he had killed.

But his father was a smart man.

Zhou Kui has spent most of his life in business and has met more people than Zhou Tianyang has walked roads.

He didn't need to hear the specific details of the battle.

All I needed to do was hear my son say the words "commander" in that calm tone.

One can already imagine how many life-or-death situations this road is fraught with.

"Commander."

Zhou Kui repeated the word, his tone carrying an indescribable meaning.

"A regimental commander in the Eighth Route Army?"

"right."

"How many people are you in charge of?"

"There are now more than 1,500 people."

Zhou Kui paused for a moment, his hand holding the teacup still.

He looked up at Zhou Tianyang, his gaze revealing a more complex expression than before.

"You're only twenty years old, yet you're leading a team of over 1,500 people?"

Zhou Tianyang didn't explain much, he just nodded.

Zhou Kui remained silent for a long while.

Instead of asking about the specific combat experiences, he changed his approach.

"You must have suffered a lot, right?"

The question was asked very softly, as if afraid of touching something that shouldn't be touched.

Zhou Tianyang was silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"He suffered a lot."

"But compared to those comrades who sacrificed their lives, it's nothing."

"When our regiment was first formed, it consisted of a company of about 120 men from the 772nd Regiment."

"Later, we gradually recruited soldiers, incorporating some defeated soldiers and teams willing to fight the Japanese, which led to our current scale."

"I'm already lucky to have survived this long."

Zhou Kui listened to these words and remained silent for a long time.

"So, are you coming back now because you're just passing through, or did you come back specifically for this purpose?"

Zhou Tianyang did not hide anything.

"Just passing by."

"My superiors assigned me a task that happened to require me to pass through Suzhou."

"I just wanted to come back and see you all."

Zhou Kui nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

He understood that there were many things he shouldn't ask.

Even if you ask, he might not be able to tell you, and even if he does, he might not be able to help.

Looking at his father, Zhou Tianyang felt a complex mix of emotions that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

This old man had spent most of his life in business, had seen the world, and knew what was important.

He didn't ask about the details that he shouldn't have.

Zhou Tianyang was silent for a moment, then asked a question.

"Dad, how's things at home?"