Chen Yuqi has been back in Xin'an for several days now, but the Chen family's case is still under investigation, and Lin Yingyu's matter is not over yet. They can only wait.
"Dad, I'll take you back to the guesthouse later. Don't worry, we definitely won't have to go back."
"Once this is all over, the house will be returned to us, and then we'll bring my sister back."
"Where is your mother?" Chen Fangyang had suffered several times more than they had, and he had become suspicious, worrying whenever his wife was out of his sight.
"Mom is still investigating, she'll be back soon."
Chen Fangyang nodded, still refusing to leave, stubbornly standing at the entrance of the Public Security Bureau.
The father and son met again after six years, but they no longer had endless things to talk about as before, and Chen Yuqi's eyes gradually welled up with tears.
In his memory, his father was always a tall and humorous figure. He had a broad chest and a straight back. He was talkative and loved to laugh, which often made him and his sister laugh heartily, and also made his mother scold him for being improper.
But now he has become taciturn and unwilling to speak much. Even when someone walks by, his eyes start to dart away.
Chen Yuqi couldn't bear to think about what had happened to her father that had turned him into this.
In fact, it's not just him who has changed; Chen Yuqi herself has changed as well.
When they were sent to the countryside, their family had to separate. Their parents stuffed all the tickets and money they had into his hands, hoping that he and his sister could survive.
Chen Yuqi took her younger sister, who was just over ten years old, to a completely unfamiliar rural area.
He didn't know how to do farm work at first, and the few work points he earned weren't enough to support even one person, let alone two.
In order to survive, he did many things over the past six years that he could never have accepted before, and even now, looking back, he feels like a stranger to them.
Everyone has changed.
The father and son stood outside the police station waiting, a silence spreading between them, while workers riding bicycles passed by on their way home from get off work.
Xin'an is not big, and the place where they were standing was very close to where they used to live. Besides the children, there were many familiar faces.
The people came and went, busy as usual, and did not cast any extra glances at the father and son.
After all, their current appearance is very different from the Chen family father and son that everyone remembers, and few people can connect them together.
No one knew that the Chen family had returned so quietly.
"Old Chen? Yuqi? Is that you?"
The familiar voices pulled them back to reality. Tian Qiaozhu was passing by with her grandson. They had only glanced at them casually at first, but the two looked more and more familiar.
At first, she didn't dare to recognize them. If she hadn't heard Song Hai say that the Chen family was coming back, she wouldn't have believed that the two were actually the Chen family father and son. She stared at them for a long time before walking over.
"...I'm back."
Tian Qiaozhu's voice was choked with emotion. She secretly wiped away her tears with her sleeve. Her grandson stared at her strangely, then curiously looked at the two men in front of him.
"It's good that you're back. Old Song was talking about you the other day. Where are you staying now? Why don't you come to our house first?"
Chen Fangyang didn't speak, shook his head, and looked in another direction.
"Xiao Qi?"
"Aunt Tian, no need, we have a place to stay."
"Oh, that's good."
The two families have been neighbors for over 20 years. The Chen siblings practically grew up under Tian Qiaozhu's watchful eye. Except after he started dating his daughter, Xiao Qi has never been polite to her.
Time flies, and when they meet again, the two who were once so familiar with each other have nothing to do but ask and answer each other's questions.
Tian Qiaozhu knew that the two families could never go back to the way things were before. They had quickly severed ties and let their daughter get married, fearing it would affect their own families. She felt sorry for Xiaoqi.
This reunion was particularly moving; just from their appearances, you could tell they had suffered a lot.
"Where's your mother?"
"My mom is back too."
"That's good. Come to Aunt Tian's house for dinner in a few days."
Chen Yuqi politely declined her offer. Tian Qiaozhu saw that it was inconvenient for them to talk much while they were standing at the entrance of the Public Security Bureau, so she could only turn back every few steps and leave with her grandson.
It's good that you're back.
"What are you looking at?"
Tian Qiaozhu had already taken her grandson far away. Chen Yuqi didn't look in that direction at first, but started to stare blankly after they left.
Perhaps not expecting his father to take the initiative to ask questions, Chen Yuqi showed a surprised expression.
"I didn't see anything."
"That's good. It's been six years. Everything is in the past. We should look forward."
At that moment, both father and son knew what the other was talking about. Chen Yuqi smiled. Six years had passed, and he knew better than anyone what it meant for things to change.
Everyone has a new life; no one should be stuck in the past.
But when I think about it again, it still stings my heart.
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