HNYWEF -Chapter 76 He’s Back

Second year of Zhenguan, third day of the ninth month.

Chang’an.

The city gate was still the same gate. The streets were still the same streets. The blue stone pavements were still those same blue stone pavements.

When they left, it had been mid-seventh month. By the time they returned, it was already the beginning of the ninth month. More than a month had passed, and the pagoda tree leaves in the city had already turned yellow.

Zhou Yi walked beside his father, a bundle slung over his shoulder.

Inside was the guqin, along with a bunch of miscellaneous things they’d picked up along the road.

He looked up at the familiar streets, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

When they left, it had felt like fleeing disaster.

Now that they were back, it felt more like returning home from a long journey.

He stole a glance at his father.

Zhou Xiong walked ahead at an unhurried pace, his face expressionless as always, but Zhou Yi could tell—

his father was in a good mood.

Over this past month or so, his father had changed a lot.

He talked more. Smiled more. Even when he walked, his shoulders no longer looked so heavy.

Zhou Yi couldn’t quite explain what that change was, but he knew one thing:

it was a good thing.

The alley drew closer and closer.

They turned in and walked forward, and soon that familiar wooden door appeared before them.

The door was open.

Several people stood at the entrance, bustling in and out.

Some swept the ground with brooms. Some carried basins and splashed water around. Others wiped down the old blackened wooden door.

At the front was a broad, thick-built man with the loudest voice of all, standing in the courtyard with his hands on his hips, barking orders.

“There! That corner! Look how much dust has piled up there—clean it properly!”

“And wipe the doorframe too! Damn it, are your eyes just for decoration? You can’t see that thick layer of dust?”

“Inside too, inside! Open the windows and air the place out! Nobody’s lived here for over a month, the whole place smells stale!”

Zhou Yi recognized him immediately.

It was Cheng Yaojin.

He froze for a moment and looked toward his father.

Zhou Xiong stood in the alley, looking at the door, looking at the people busy inside.

He watched for three breaths.

Then he lifted a foot and walked in.

Zhou Yi hurried after him.

Inside the courtyard, the servants were still hard at work. Cheng Yaojin had his back to the entrance, still pointing at a pile of fallen leaves beneath the corridor while issuing commands.

“Clean up that pile of leaves too! What kind of mess is that supposed to—”

A hand landed on his shoulder.

Pat. Pat.

Cheng Yaojin’s voice cut off abruptly.

He whipped around—

Zhou Xiong stood before him, smiling.

“Well now, keeping busy?”

That hoarse, rough voice came from his mouth so casually, as though he were merely saying, Nice weather today.

Cheng Yaojin froze.

His mouth hung open. His eyes widened so much they looked ready to pop out. The expression on his face shifted from confusion to shock, then from shock into something harder to describe.

He simply stared at Zhou Xiong without moving.

Zhou Xiong wasn’t in any hurry either.

He just stood there, looking at him.

The two men held each other’s gaze.

Three breaths.

Five breaths.

At last, Cheng Yaojin moved.

He took a step back.

Then another.

His heel caught on the threshold and he nearly fell. He steadied himself, eyes still fixed on Zhou Xiong.

“You… you…”

Zhou Xiong looked at him like that and suddenly laughed softly.

The laugh came low from his throat—not loud, but perfectly clear.

“What ‘you’? Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me anymore?”

Cheng Yaojin looked even more stunned.

He stared at the smile on Zhou Xiong’s face, at those eyes curved upward, at the man he had known for nearly twenty years—

Back in the days at Wagang Fortress, that old bear of a man had smiled exactly like this.

Carefree and foolish, like a complete idiot.

But that smile…

he hadn’t seen it in over ten years.

More than ten years ago, that man had left carrying a child in his arms, and the smile vanished with him.

Every time they met afterward, there had been no expression on that face at all. His eyes were empty. The whole person had looked hollowed out.

But now—

Cheng Yaojin opened his mouth.

“Bear…”

Even his voice cracked a little.

Zhou Xiong nodded.

“Mm.”

Cheng Yaojin took another step back.

This time he wasn’t tripping.

He genuinely backed away.

He looked Zhou Xiong up and down once.

Then again.

And suddenly he stepped forward.

Smack!

A heavy palm landed on Zhou Xiong’s shoulder.

“You damned bastard!”

The blow made Zhou Xiong stagger, but he steadied himself and looked at him.

Cheng Yaojin’s eyes suddenly reddened.

“You damned bastard… you came back?”

Zhou Xiong said nothing.

But the corners of his mouth were still lifted in that smile.

Cheng Yaojin looked at the upturned corner of Zhou Xiong’s mouth and suddenly didn’t know what to say.

He just stood there, one hand still resting on Zhou Xiong’s shoulder.

The servants in the courtyard had long since stopped what they were doing. One by one, they stood frozen, staring at the two men.

Zhou Yi stood by the doorway, watching the scene unfold.

Suddenly, he remembered the clay figurine stall in Luoyang over a month ago, when his father had smiled like a child.

Now his father was smiling again.

Smiling at Uncle Cheng.

All of a sudden, Zhou Yi felt a sting in his eyes.

He couldn’t explain why.

They just stung.

At last, Cheng Yaojin snapped back to himself.

He pulled his hand off Zhou Xiong’s shoulder and rubbed his eyes hard.

“Damn it, there’s a lot of dust today.”

Zhou Xiong didn’t say anything.

But his smile became even more obvious.

Cheng Yaojin glared at him.

“What’re you grinning for? You left without saying a word, and now you come back without saying a word too. What are you, a cat? Coming and going whenever you feel like it?”

Zhou Xiong said, “Didn’t Li Er say everything had settled down before I came back? Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

Cheng Yaojin’s mouth fell open.

He stared at Zhou Xiong for a long while without speaking.

Then suddenly, he laughed again.

Like he’d just found buried treasure.

“What did you call him?”

Zhou Xiong didn’t answer.

Cheng Yaojin laughed even harder.

“Alright, alright. You win. You win.”

He turned around and waved at the stunned servants.

“What’re you all standing around for? Get back to work! Clean the place up inside!”

The servants finally came back to their senses and hurriedly resumed working.

Cheng Yaojin turned back to Zhou Xiong.

He looked at him for a while.

Then he spoke again.

His voice was quieter this time.

“The trip alright?”

Zhou Xiong nodded.

Cheng Yaojin asked again, “This brat tagging along with you—he didn’t cause trouble, did he?”

He pointed at Zhou Yi.

Standing nearby, Zhou Yi froze for a moment.

Zhou Xiong glanced at him.

“He was alright.”

Just two words.

Cheng Yaojin laughed.

He walked over and slapped Zhou Yi on the shoulder.

The force nearly knocked Zhou Yi a step forward.

“Kid, you’ve grown taller!”

Zhou Yi looked up at him.

The smile lines on Cheng Yaojin’s broad face were all bunched together.

For some reason, Zhou Yi suddenly felt that Uncle Cheng seemed really happy today too.

After patting him, Cheng Yaojin returned to Zhou Xiong’s side.

He looked at Zhou Xiong.

Looked at him for a long while.

Then he spoke.

“How about a drink tonight?”

Zhou Xiong thought for a moment.

Then nodded.

Cheng Yaojin grinned.

“Good. I’ll go get something decent. You wait here.”

With that, he strode out.

But when he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped.

He turned back and looked at Zhou Xiong.

Zhou Xiong stood in the courtyard, watching the servants busily moving about.

Cheng Yaojin watched him for a while.

Then he shouted—

“Bear!”

Zhou Xiong turned around.

Cheng Yaojin flashed him a wide grin.

“It’s good to have you back.”

Then he turned and left.

His footsteps thudded farther and farther away.

Zhou Xiong stood in the courtyard, looking in that direction.

For a long time.

Zhou Yi walked over and stood beside him.

“Dad?”

Without turning around, Zhou Xiong answered,

“Mm.”

Zhou Yi said, “Uncle Cheng seems really happy.”

Zhou Xiong didn’t reply.

But the corner of his mouth was still raised.

Raised high.