After becoming a widow, I became the apple of a rough man's eye.

The woman's voice sounded like it was being torn from her chest, trembling, and before she could finish shouting, tears streamed down her face.

Li Dongye froze completely.

In his entire life, apart from Lin Qingqing, he had never been hugged by a woman.

The embrace was so soft, carrying a faint sandalwood scent, completely different from the villagers' smells of cooking oil and sweat. It was a refined softness nurtured by a life of comfort.

"My dear Yunqi...it really is you..."

Liu Shuyan clutched Li Dongye's worn-out leather jacket tightly, "It's all my fault, I've lost you for so many years..."

Li Dongye's hands hung awkwardly in mid-air, unsure whether to put them down or hug them.

Just then, another man came out of the house.

He wore a Zhongshan suit, his hair was gray, but his posture was ramrod straight. His face resembled Li Dongye's by about 70%, but with an added air of authority and composure from someone who had long held a high position.

Mu Zhenbang stood on the steps, looking at the tall young man being embraced by his wife.

It's been almost twenty years.

He never shed a tear on the battlefield, nor bowed his head in turbulent times, but when he looked at his son, who was half a head taller than him, his eyes reddened terribly.

"Shuyan." Mu Zhenbang came down, his voice a little hoarse, and patted his wife on the back. "Don't cry outside, you'll scare the child."

Liu Shuyan then realized what was happening, hurriedly wiped her face, but couldn't bear to let go of Li Dongye's arm.

Mu Zhenbang looked at Li Dongye, his eyes, which had seen countless people, churning with too many emotions, finally settling into a heavy sentence: "It's good that you're back."

Li Dongye moved his lips, but the word "Dad" stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter it.

"Come inside first." Mu Zhenbang noticed his unease and stepped aside to make way.

As soon as you enter the house, you are greeted by a wave of warmth.

Li Dongye paused for a moment.

The floor was covered with a thick handmade carpet, which was soft and quiet to walk on.

Several calligraphy and paintings hung on the wall, all signed with names of people I had seen in textbooks.

The set of mahogany furniture gleamed with a warm luster, and on the coffee table sat a set of blue and white porcelain teaware, with several foreign language books placed beside it.

"Who is this?" Only then did Liu Shuyan notice Lin Qingqing, who had been quietly following behind.

Lin Qingqing wore a beige shirt with a light brown knitted vest over it today, which Li Dongye bought for her in the county town. Although it wasn't a designer brand, it made her look exceptionally well-behaved and gentle.

"This is Qingqing." Li Dongye pulled Lin Qingqing to his side. "She came with me."

Liu Shuyan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter through her tears. Her eyes swept over the two clasped hands, and she immediately understood what was going on.

"Good, good boy." Liu Shuyan released Li Dongye and instead took Lin Qingqing's hand, her palm warm. "Thanks to you for accompanying Yunqi all this way. He's really handsome; this child is blessed."

In her view, it was a great blessing that her son, who had been away from home for so many years, could have a caring girl by his side.

Lin Qingqing neither withdrew her hand nor rushed to explain.

In this situation, calling her a "cousin" would seem distant and insincere. If she admits to being his girlfriend, what will happen when those four men come to visit?

She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing the emotions within them, her voice as soft and sweet as a freshly cooked glutinous rice ball: "Auntie, you're too kind. Fourth Brother has been taking care of me all this way. Without him, how could I have come to such a far place?"

Her calling him "Fourth Brother" was both natural and affectionate, neither denying the relationship nor giving all the credit back to Li Dongye.

"Fourth Brother?" Liu Shuyan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I'm the fourth child in my family," Li Dongye replied, pulling Lin Qingqing closer to him. "She's timid and shy around strangers."

Mu Zhenbang invited the group to sit down.

The orderly brought over the tea, the finest Longjing tea, the leaves swirling in the glass.

"These past years... you've suffered so much." Mu Zhenbang looked at Li Dongye's calloused hands, the marks left from years of gripping the steering wheel and repairing vehicles. "I heard from Company Commander Zhao that you're a transport worker?"

"Um."

Li Dongye picked up his teacup, but instead of chugging it down like he usually did, he took a sip, just like Mu Zhenbang did. The taste was too weak, not as strong as Gao Sui. "I've been driving big trucks for several years, traveling all over the country."

"How are your adoptive parents treating you at home?" Liu Shuyan asked cautiously, afraid of touching on her son's painful memories.

Li Dongye put down his teacup and rubbed his fingers on his knees.

I have no adoptive parents.

The atmosphere in the room froze for a moment after those words were spoken.

"I grew up on the charity of many families, and later I met a few brothers."

Li Dongye didn't mention Qin Lie and the others by name, only vaguely mentioning, "Our eldest brother led us through life. We were poor at the beginning, but I never went hungry. Later, we did quite well."

He didn't want to talk about it because the environment here instinctively made him wary.

Everything and everyone here exudes a sense of "rule." But he and his brothers are like wildly growing vines, people who break the rules.

"Then I won't run away anymore." Liu Shuyan's eyes were red. "My family will arrange a job for you, or you can study? Or join the army? Anything is fine. As long as I don't have to suffer like that again."

Mu Zhenbang nodded: "Your name is Yunqi. Mu Yunqi. This name was given to you by your grandfather, meaning to sit and watch the clouds rise."

Mu Yunqi.

Li Dongye silently repeated the name in his mind.

It sounds nice, but it's light and airy, lacking substance.

It's not as good as the name "Li Dongye," which he earned by rolling in the mud and speeding on mountain roads.

He didn't reply, but just looked down at the tea leaves in his teacup.

The topic shifted elsewhere.

Mu Zhenbang asked about his experiences on the road and then chatted about the current situation.

Liu Shuyan then asked him if he liked listening to symphonies, saying that there were tickets for a performance next week.

Li Dongye was completely confused.

He knows which gas station has the cheapest gas, and he knows how to crack someone's skull open with a wrench. But he doesn't know who Beethoven is, nor does he know how to hold a teacup elegantly.

A huge, invisible barrier stood between them.

This is farther than that 1,000-kilometer journey.

Lin Qingqing felt the tension in his muscles. Under the table, she quietly stretched out her foot and gently hooked his calf.

Li Dongye turned to look at her.

Lin Qingqing winked at him, her eyes full of cunning and reassurance.

Just then, a noise came from the entrance hall.

"Young Master is back," the orderly's voice rang out.

The door was pushed open, and a young man in an army service uniform walked in. He wasn't wearing a hat, his short hair was neat, and the two bars and one star on his epaulets were somewhat glaring under the light.

This person was very tall, half a head taller than Li Dongye.

His facial features were exactly the same as Mu Zhenbang's, but his lines were colder and harder, and his eyes were like knives, carrying a murderous aura as if he had crawled out of a pile of dead bodies.

Those were people who had truly seen blood.

Li Dongye stood up instinctively.

"Dad, Mom."

The man changed his shoes, his voice as cold as ice, revealing no emotional fluctuations.

He handed the briefcase to the orderly, his gaze sweeping across the living room before finally settling on Li Dongye's face.

That gaze was so sharp, it seemed to see right through the flesh and into the bones.

Liu Shuyan quickly stood up and introduced, "Wenbin, this is your younger brother! Yunqi, we've found him!"

Li Dongye looked at this so-called older brother.

Mu Wenbin was clearly taken aback for a moment, then strode up to Li Dongye, said nothing, and just stared at him for a few seconds.

Then he reached out and hugged Li Dongye tightly.

"I'm back."

The hug was tight, but before Li Dongye could react, Mu Wenbin had already let go.

He turned around and his gaze fell on Lin Qingqing, who was sitting on the sofa.

Lin Qingqing felt a chill run down her spine.

Mu Wenbin narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over her fair and delicate face, then over her slender neck, and finally settling on her somewhat startled eyes.

A faint smile curved his lips, a half-smile playing on his lips, his eyes holding a scrutinizing gaze and a deeper meaning that defied comprehension.

"And this is..." Mu Wenbin drawled, his voice deep and magnetic, "...your sister-in-law?"