TYAM Chapter 66.3

It happened so suddenly that Ji Linqiu couldn’t properly react for several minutes. 

Observing from a distance, he pulled Jiang Wang’s sleeve. “This was your doing?”  

Jiang Wang smirked. “Just a little city trickery.”  

It wasn’t the most ethical approach, but it was effective.  

There was no impenetrable wall from gossip. By afternoon, news had spread throughout the village like wildfire, leaving everyone confused.

When did the Ji family become so close to the town’s chief?! Even the town’s secretary came all the way to help, how much benefit did he have to give to him?

Wait, not only did they punish the Ge family, but they are actually moving out?

“Did you hear? The Ji family is moving to the city! I heard their son struck it rich and bought a villa!”  

“Impossible! Houses in Yuhan are ridiculously expensive!”  

“No, really! They came today not to fight the Ge family but to take the old folks into the city!”  

“Wow, what a life they’ll have now. I heard there are a lot of fun things to do in the city, and the food is more delicious than here.” 

For a time, everyone was envious and wished they could live in the provincial capital with them.

The Ji couple didn’t react until they packed their luggage and got on the train together.

A house. An actual house, bought just for them.  

Chen Danhong, who had always been assertive, now found herself subdued, glancing at her son with uncertainty.  

“Linqiu, you… you won’t be living with us?”  

Ji Linqiu casually responded, “All my documents and work files are with Jiang Wang. I often have late meetings and overtime, so staying with you might disturb your rest.” He glanced at Jiang Wang, who grinned mischievously.  

It was hard to tell if he was joking or openly flirting.  

Ji Guoshen sat silently, clutching his thermos, his expression complicated. After a long pause, he said hesitantly, “I’ve been saving up—about 100,000 yuan—planning to help you buy a house and marry a wife.” 

Ji Linqiu was quiet for a moment, then said softly, “I already bought another property in Beijing. It’s purely an investment, though. I’ll rent it out later.”  

Chen Danhong had never thought that she would be picked up by her son. She felt uncomfortable sitting on the train. After a while, she said, “I don’t want to cause trouble for you. Your father and I are old and annoying.”

Jiang Wang looked at the old couple and inexplicably thought of his parents who were still in their thirties and were still working hard to live a good life.

He missed them a little.

Homesickness seems to be a very sudden and subtle emotion.

He had never had this kind of experience before. After working alone for many years, he only felt free and liberated. Whenever he dreamed of his parents, he only felt uncomfortable.

It turns out that he also misses home and wants to see his parents.

The group arrived in Yuhan that evening and were driven directly to their new home.

Jiang Wang gave a brief introduction and left, leaving the family alone.

Ji Linqiu bought this new house that was fully decorated and came with free furniture. Still, it was rather empty, but the lighting was warm, the windows were bright and clean, and there were new ready-made bed sheets and quilt covers.

Chen Danhong, who had even brought a handmade quilt to the city, was overwhelmed by the new home they arrived at that evening.  

She had always worried about her son, feeling he worked harder than most laborers despite his good education. Family gatherings often made her feel ashamed, avoiding discussions about him.  

But now, faced with the fruits of his labor, she could only sit in stunned silence, murmuring, “Good… good…”  

Ji Guoshen, taking in the spacious, well-lit living room, echoed her sentiment. “Good. Truly good. Just looking at it makes you feel it’s good.”  

Though he had enjoyed rural life, he was secretly weary of its monotony. 

Here, the modern conveniences and cultured atmosphere promised a new chapter. Maybe he could even befriend new people here.

“This space will be perfect for you to host your chess friends,” Ji Linqiu said as he showed them around. “We’ll get you a table for reading or practicing calligraphy while enjoying the sunlight.”  

He had visited the empty house many times before purchasing it, imagining the day his family would be together in this space.  

“There’s a workshop here. I figured Mom loves making clothes, so I bought a sewing machine. It’s fully automatic, so you don’t have to use a foot pedal anymore.”

Chen Danhong hadn’t expected him to pick out a gift for her. She looked timid, almost as if she had done something wrong.

“You… bought this for me?”

Ji Linqiu turned to look at her, momentarily unable to decipher her emotions.

“You don’t like it?”

Chen Danhong froze for a long time before awkwardly replying, “I’ve always… been afraid you hated me.”

She couldn’t continue. 

Ji Linqiu hadn’t expected his mother to say something like that and was left speechless.

He had been avoiding his family for many years.

He wouldn’t even come home for the New Year, preferring to hide alone in the mountains, eating pickled vegetables with cold porridge amidst the howling wind.

When did he… become capable of loving them again?

Chen Danhong thought she had said something wrong again and hastily began apologizing, not even sure what for. Despite being an old lady now, she was as flustered as a teenager.

“Linqiu, Mom used to… provoke you a lot and said many harsh things.”

“Every time I spent New Year’s with your dad and your sister, I couldn’t help but blame myself. I blamed myself for not taking good care of you all, making you unwilling to come home.”

“The incident in the village… it’s in the past. Let’s not talk about it anymore. Bringing it up would only upset you.”

She grew anxious again, unsure of what to say. “We urged you to get married, to change jobs — not to fight with you.”

“A man needs to marry a wife and have a child. You’re already in your thirties. If you don’t have kids, people will gossip, and Mom doesn’t want you to feel bad.”

Ji Guoshen had a complex expression but didn’t argue with Chen Danhong’s words.

Ji Linqiu exhaled slowly, opened his arms, and hugged his parents and sister, gently patting their backs.

“Let’s just focus on living well for now. There’s no need to rush the rest.”

He didn’t continue the topic and instead led them to explore the house, showing them every corner, including the small yard he had picked for them.

“These lights and the mahogany furniture were all included with the house.”

Ji Guoshen’s attention was diverted, and he kept praising, “Good! You can tell the material is top-quality just by touching it. Way better than the wardrobes made in the village. They look like imported stuff!”

Ji Changxia was so stunned by the spacious and elegant house that she felt like she was dreaming. She followed quietly without saying a word.

“This is your room,” Ji Linqiu said, taking her hand. “You can stay here, plant flowers, and bring Xiaofeng over to see Grandma and Grandpa.”

Ji Changxia froze for a moment. “Brother, you even left me a room?”

“Of course. You’re my sister.” Ji Linqiu chuckled. “I specifically bought a four-bedroom, two-living-room house. There’s definitely a room for you.”

“In the village, people gossip about daughters visiting their parents. That’s just because they love to talk. But here in Yuhan, people don’t care about such things. If you’re ever upset, come back and stay as long as you want.”

While they were chatting, Chen Danhong had already stepped outside the living room and let out a surprised exclamation.

She was overjoyed, like a child. “Old Ji, come look! There’s a yard here with a trellis. We can grow beans and vegetables!”

Ji Guoshen couldn’t help but laugh at her. “City folks don’t grow vegetables in their yards. They grow flowers!”

Initially, they had been hesitant and nervous about the unexpected gift of a house, as if they were unaccustomed to such blessings. 

But once they arrived, they couldn’t help but feel incredibly happy.

Ji Linqiu handed them the keys and access cards, carefully explaining everything before leaving.

“This is the house I bought for you two. Feel free to decorate it however you like and buy whatever you need.”

“I’ll head back now and come see you again tomorrow.”

The elderly couple escorted him to the door, still in disbelief. “You’ll come again tomorrow?”

“We’re practically neighbors now. We can meet anytime.” Ji Linqiu couldn’t help but smile. “No more long train rides just to see you.”

Ji Guoshen quickly added, “I’ll head back in a couple of days and bring all the furniture over!”

Ji Linqiu suddenly remembered something, pulled out a card, and handed it to them.

“Almost forgot. This card is for you. It has 200,000 yuan in it.”

“The password is your and Mom’s birthdays. Buy new appliances and utensils, no need to save or skimp.”

Under the night sky, the family went their separate ways, each returning to their own place.

The elderly couple turned on the lights and explored every corner of the new house, marveling at it endlessly.

Ji Changxia sat in the back of a taxi, gazing out the window, smiling all the while.

Ji Linqiu walked alone with his hands in his pockets, wandering the quiet streets for a long time.

He didn’t immediately return home to see Jiang Wang and Xingxing.

He finally felt regret.

Regret for those years spent avoiding everything, feeling incapable of dealing with it all.

When one confronts their own cowardice head-on, it can be a deeply painful experience.

If only he had done this sooner, if only he had been more capable, he could have given his parents and sister a better life much earlier.

Ji Linqiu realized just how much Jiang Wang had silently changed him.

He used to be an extremely emotional person.

Stubborn and introverted, he would avoid things he had made up his mind about, refusing to confront or change them.

But for Jiang Wang, change was as natural as breathing.

That person was always moving forward, with a personality like a summer breeze and blood that carried the heat of the sun.

Since meeting him, Ji Linqiu had unknowingly started quickening his own pace.

Together, they had begun climbing higher, even running at times, chasing after time and everything else.

It was only after meeting him that Ji Linqiu finally remembered how to soar.