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

Zhou Kui leaned back in his chair, as if he had finally found a direction to talk about.

"After the Japanese came, our family business suffered a lot."

"The Japanese controlled the import and export channels, and those businessmen who did business with the Japanese obtained licenses through connections, driving down prices very low."

"For us established brands, we either have to cooperate with them or downsize."

"I did not cooperate with them."

Zhou Kui said this in a very calm tone.

But Zhou Tianyang could tell what was behind that tone.

"And what about the family's income?"

Zhou Kui's tone remained calm.

"But it's alright, these days, just being alive is already a blessing."

Zhou Tianyang was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Father, don't let anyone know I've come today."

Zhou Kui looked at him, but didn't ask why; he just nodded.

"I know."

"When you leave later, go out the back door."

"The alley leading from the back door leads to the back street, where there are fewer people and it's less likely to be seen."

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

He glanced out the window and saw his mother's figure moving back and forth between the kitchen and the main hall in the courtyard.

"Father, what about Mother...?"

"I will tell her."

Zhou Kui stood up, walked to the door, glanced at the figure in the courtyard, and then turned back.

"Your mother knows what she's doing."

"She won't stop you, she just needs to know you're still alive."

Zhou Tianyang stood up and walked to his father.

He looked at the old man who was half a head shorter than him.

"Father, I will come back after the war is over."

Zhou Kui looked up at him and remained silent for a long while.

Then he reached out and patted Zhou Tianyang on the shoulder twice.

"it is good."

He only said this one word.

Then he turned around and called out into the yard.

"Honey, is dinner ready?"

My mother's voice came from the direction of the kitchen, carrying a hint of urgency and joy.

"Almost there, almost done!"

"Let Tianyang sit for a while longer, I'll bring it over right away!"

Zhou Kui turned around, looked at Zhou Tianyang, and a very faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Your mother's cooking skills haven't changed."

Zhou Tianyang stood there, looking at his father.

I glanced again at the figure busy in the kitchen outside the window.

He nodded slightly.

"it is good."

……

The meal was both lively and peaceful.

Wang Lan, the mother, was busy in the kitchen for almost half an hour.

The table was laden with dishes.

These dishes are not rare in ordinary years.

But in Suzhou in 1938, it was possible to gather enough people for such a meal.

It was quite a feast.

Zhou Kui sat at the head of the table, Wang Lan sat next to him, and Zhou Tianyang sat opposite his mother.

His older brother Zhou Tianyu, older sister Zhou Tianxuan, and younger sister Zhou Tianqing are all on their way.

The mother kept putting food into Zhou Tianyang's bowl.

"Eat more, look how thin you are."

Her gaze swept back and forth across her son's face.

Zhou Tianyang lowered his head and ate, the food in his bowl piled high.

That bowl of pickled bamboo shoots and pork soup was his favorite food when he was a child.

At this moment, the salted meat and tofu knots in the soup are stewed until they are tender and melt in your mouth.

With each bite he took, his mother's smile widened.

As they were eating, they heard hurried footsteps outside the courtyard.

"Is the third brother back?"

A man's voice came from the doorway of the main room, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Zhou Tianyang put down his chopsticks and turned around, seeing a young man stride across the threshold, followed by two young girls.

Walking at the front was his eldest brother.

Zhou Tianyu.

It looks like he just rushed back from the shop.

Zhou Tianyu walked to the table, grabbed Zhou Tianyang's arm, looked him up and down, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"You little brat..."

He uttered two words, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he paused for a moment before continuing.

"Eight years, and you haven't even sent a letter home?"

Zhou Tianyang stood up and looked at his older brother, who was half a head taller than him.

"Big brother."

He only called out once, and Zhou Tianyu's eyes reddened slightly.

He patted Zhou Tianyang on the shoulder twice forcefully, then looked away.

As if trying to cover something up, he pulled the two girls behind him forward.

"Your sister and your younger sister are here."

Zhou Tianyang's gaze fell on Zhou Tianxuan.

His older sister is three years older than him and has grown into a gentle and dignified woman. She wears a plain cheongsam and has a resemblance to her mother in her features.

Her eyes were red, and her lips were trembling slightly.

"Tianyang".

She cried out, her voice choked with emotion.

"Where have you been all these years?"

Zhou Tianyang looked at her, and then at the fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl behind her.

That was the original owner's younger sister, Zhou Tianqing, with two braids, secretly watching him from behind her older sister.

Her eyes were bright, filled with a mixture of curiosity and shyness.

"Sister, Tianqing."

Zhou Tianyang called out twice, his voice softer than usual.

"I'm back."

Zhou Tianxuan's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

She bit her lip and didn't say anything, but just nodded vigorously.

Zhou Tianqing peeked out from behind her sister and called out timidly.

"Third Brother..."

Looking at his younger sister, Zhou Tianyang felt a surge of indescribable emotions.

The year he left home, Tianqing was only seven years old, still a little girl with snotty nose following behind him, begging for candy.

She's grown into a beautiful young woman now.

"Sweet Qing has grown taller."

He smiled, his tone tinged with emotion.

Zhou Tianqing blushed and shrank back behind her sister.

Wang Lan, the mother, wiped her eyes, then stood up and greeted them:

"Don't stand there, sit down and talk, the food's getting cold."

The family sat down again.

Zhou Tianyu sat next to Zhou Tianyang, while Zhou Tianxuan and Tianqing sat on their mother's side.

Zhou Kui remained seated at the head of the table, his gaze slowly sweeping over the people at the table.

"Tianyang, tell us first, where have you been all these years?"

As Zhou Tianyu poured wine for his younger brother, he asked.

His tone carried the concern expected of an elder brother, mixed with a hint of barely concealed urgency.

"He didn't write letters or reply to messages, and my mother worried about him for eight whole years."

Zhou Tianyang picked up the glass of wine, took a sip, remained silent for a few seconds, and then spoke.

He had already prepared his explanation, one that would neither reveal his true identity nor put his family at ease.

"Big brother, sister."

He put down his wine glass and glanced around the table.

"Over the years, I've been doing business outside, traveling all over the south and north, dealing in fabrics and medicinal herbs."

"Doing business?"

Zhou Tianyu frowned slightly.

He had worked in the Zhou family's shop for many years and was very familiar with the ins and outs of the business.

How could a boy who left home at the age of twelve, without capital, connections, or backing, manage to do business in a chaotic world and survive to this day?

He glanced at Zhou Tianyang.

I feel there's a loophole in what he said.

But he didn't press the matter in front of his mother and two younger sisters.