Just as Ruan Ruan was excitedly receiving her gifts early in the morning, Huo Haocheng, a hundred miles away, also returned to the Huo family home, travel-worn and weary.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, Sister, I'm back!" Grandma Huo, who was sweeping the yard, turned around and saw a man in military uniform, carrying a large bag in each hand and on his back, smiling broadly at her.

Grandma, I'm home.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Come in, come in. Have you had breakfast? Are you hungry? I'll go cook you a bowl of noodles now." Grandma Huo put down the broom in her hand, pulled Huo Haocheng into the house, and turned to go to the kitchen to prepare to cook noodles for him.

"Grandma, don't bother. I ate in town and even went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some food," Huo Haocheng said, pulling his grandmother along. He then put down his backpack and started taking things out.

There were dried mushrooms, wild game, meat, and fish that he had specially brought back from Yuncheng. Today was Ruan Ruan's birthday, and he had even taken special leave for his wedding so he could hold the ceremony at home with Ruan Ruan and then take her to join his military unit.

Huo Haocheng is now well-off enough to accompany the military. Before returning, he specifically applied for a house, a small courtyard of about 200 square meters with three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a small yard in the front and back, which can be used to grow vegetables or flowers, depending on what Ruan Ruan wants to use it for when she moves in.

"Grandma, where's my sister? Did she go out to play?" Huo Haocheng noticed that his sister hadn't come out even after he'd been back for a while. Ruan Ruan usually slept in, but no matter how loudly he spoke, she still hadn't come out. That shouldn't be the case; she must not be home.

"Haocheng, listen carefully to what Grandma is about to say, don't get excited yet." Looking at Huo Haocheng, Grandma Huo didn't know how to start, but she knew he needed to know this: Ruan Ruan was his fiancée.

"Grandma, did something happen to my sister?" Seeing his grandmother's troubled expression, Huo Haocheng had a bad feeling.

Had his sister stopped liking him because he'd been away for so long? Had she found someone she liked? Or was she sick? In a second, his mind was filled with all sorts of speculations about why Ruan Ruan was gone—more numerous than any international academic hypothesis.

"Haocheng, listen to me first." Grandma Huo then recounted to Huo Haocheng how Ruan Ruan's relatives were found and how Ruan Ruan returned home.

"That's the situation now. Anyway, they said they would bring Ruan Ruan back when they left." Finally finishing speaking, Grandma Huo let out a deep breath and slumped onto the stool, looking at Huo Haocheng as if all her strength had been drained.

The worst-case scenario is that Huo Haocheng might not know and run off to find Ruan Ruan, but who knows where to look? They only said they would bring Ruan Ruan back when they left, but they didn't give them their address.

"So, Grandma, you mean Ruan Ruan's relatives found her and took her back. Actually, Ruan Ruan didn't want to go back; she was tricked into going by her nominal cousin, is that what you mean?" After hearing Grandma Huo's words, Huo Haocheng was first certain that Ruan Ruan had found her relatives, but he wasn't sure if those relatives truly meant well for her. Moreover, Ruan Ruan herself wasn't prepared to be tricked into going back just because someone cried. This was Huo Haocheng's real concern, and he also felt a bit of blame towards his family. They hadn't even known their intentions before taking her back; it was too hasty.

"That's right." Initially, the Huo family saw them driving, and Old Master Huo had said it was a military vehicle. Ruan Chuanyan had also identified himself, so they didn't think much of it when they said they were taking Ruan Ruan back. Only after she left did they realize that it wasn't quite appropriate.

Huo Haocheng felt terrible. How could his precious child, whom he had cherished since childhood, be gone?

The more Huo Haocheng thought about it, the angrier he became. But when he looked at the things he had bought for his sister, he sighed and could only carry them to Ruan Ruan's room and put them away for her.

Sitting on Ruan Ruan's bed, looking at the things he had bought for her, Huo Haocheng recalled the moments he had shared with his sister as they grew up. "No," he thought, "I have to go find Ruan Ruan."

"Grandma, you said the family that came to pick up my sister is surnamed Ruan, right? Do you remember the license plate number of their car?" Huo Haocheng walked up to his grandmother and confirmed the useful information with her again.

"His surname was Ruan, and I think he was the commander of the military region. I can't remember anything else. You should ask your grandfather when he gets back. He's the one who told the other party the specific details." Grandma Huo tried hard to recall the situation, but as people get older, their memories fade.

"Where did Grandpa go?" Huo Haocheng knew that now was not the time to be anxious, and his grandmother was also getting old; he couldn't make her worry too. So, his expression changed from what it had been before.

"He took your dad to a meeting in town. They said there's new fertilizer coming out this year, and your dad wants to see if our brigade can get a spot first. You know, if the fertilizer application is approved, our brigade's grain harvest will be much better this year!" Speaking of fertilizer, Grandma Huo also hoped her brigade could get a spot, otherwise this year's harvest would be reduced.

Hearing his grandmother say this and looking at the time, Huo Haocheng could only suppress his anxiety for the time being. No matter how anxious he was, he had to wait for his grandfather to come back before making any plans.