When they arrived at the provincial city, it was almost half-past nine. Zhou Xiaozheng directly took his wife to wait for a military vehicle by the road. Usually, when they wore their military uniforms and waited by the roadside, passing military vehicles would automatically stop. After waiting for a while, they finally saw a military truck stop. The driver hurriedly got out and saluted, "Hello, Commander, are you from the military district? Quickly, get on the truck." After returning the salute, Zhou Xiaozheng and his wife got into the truck with him. "Comrade, are you heading back to the mess hall or somewhere else?" "Commander, I’m returning to the military supply to unload some supplies. If you’re heading to the mess hall, I can take you there," the young soldier said with a smile. Zhou Xiaozheng was delighted to hear this; there was no need to return to the mess hall. "No need to go to the mess hall. Do you know Zhao Chuan Guang? Just take us to find him." "Sure, I’m just heading there. What a coincidence! If you were half an hour late, I would’ve already left." The vehicle sped away and reached the destination in just twenty minutes. After Zhou Xiaozheng presented his credentials, the young soldier led them to the office. "Commander, I won’t go in. The director is inside." Zhou Xiaozheng and Lin Lishan saluted him to express their gratitude before he pushed open the half-closed door. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥 They saw their long-lost brother Zhao Chuan Guang sitting behind the desk, sipping tea with his head down. Zhao Chuan Guang, hearing the door move, frowned and looked up, suddenly stupefied. His body trembled slightly, and his hand holding the hot tea gradually lowered, causing the tea to spill onto his trousers, scalding him and making him shiver. Ignoring the burning pain on his thigh, he rushed to the door and jumped onto Zhou Xiaozheng, hugging him tightly, laughing and crying, "Brother Zheng, Brother Zheng, you’re really alive. You’ve really come back?" The commotion attracted everyone passing by to look at them, and colleagues in the adjacent office all came out to see what was going on. Zhou Xiaozheng hurriedly pushed him inside and closed the door, "Are you wetting yourself like a cat? Quickly go change your pants. Oh my, brother, be reasonable. You’ve got me all wet." Zhao Chuan Guang stepped forward, tightly hugging Zhou Xiaozheng, resting his head on his shoulder and rubbing his face on it a few times before clapping him hard and laughing heartily, "You’re really warm, truly alive. A few days ago, those guys from Beijing called to say you were alive. But the phone signal was choppy and unclear. I was planning to go to Beijing in a few days to see if it were a man or a ghost. I didn’t expect to see you with my own eyes. Brother Zheng, I burnt so much paper for you every year, all for nothing." Zhou Xiaozheng kicked him, that rascal was always so undisciplined. He took off his military overcoat and casually threw it over the back of his wife’s chair, jokingly said, "Look, all because of your snot. How am I supposed to face anyone when I go back? Aren’t you going to change your pants? Your sister-in-law is here." "What sister-in-law, she’s my sister-in-law. You’re a few months younger than me, how come I call you Brother Zheng, and you really think you’re the older brother? Sister-in-law, make yourself comfortable, I need to go change my pants with my Brother Zheng first." Saying that, he forcefully dragged Zhou Xiaozheng towards the dormitory. "Brother Zheng, does this mean your mission is complete? You’re not going out again, are you? How about retiring if possible? This life is unbearable. Damn, seventeen years without a trace of you, not knowing if you’re alive or dead. Brother Zheng, listen to me, even if you have to die, don’t take any more life-threatening missions, or just lose a limb." Zhao Chuan Guang, hugging him, whispered into his ear. Zhou Xiaozheng, both annoyed and touched, patted his head, "Don’t worry, no more going out. Haven’t you seen what I’ve become? You, watch your mouth, okay?" "Oh wow, you got promoted, that’s well-deserved. Brother Zheng, you didn’t take off your coat just to show off to me, did you?" "Yeah, I took it off to show off to you. Hurry and get me a coat, I’m freezing to death. Tell me, where are you staying?" Zhao Chuan Guang laughed loudly, "Getting old, huh? The Northeast Tiger has become a sick cat. We’re almost there. Damn, Brother Zheng, you wouldn’t know, but every time I burnt a sack of paper money for you, I guess even King Yan was moved, and that’s why you’re back." Zhou Xiaozheng joked, "Now that I’m back, no need for paper money, just give me the money directly. Your Brother Zheng has a wife and kids to support." "You’re all talk. Do your kids still need your support? Wouldn’t the Lin Family be taking care of them? Over these years you’ve been away, does your little girl even recognize you? Did she turn you away?" Zhao Chuan Guang pushed open the door at that moment, quickly pulling him in. Zhou Xiaozheng kept a cold face, not responding, as he put on the coat Zhao Chuan Guang handed over. Zhao Chuan Guang, putting on his changed trousers and noticing his cold expression seemed off, cautiously said, "Brother Zheng, what happened? Don’t tell me your daughter really doesn’t recognize you? That kid’s a bit cold in personality. Don’t worry, take it slow. She’s still young, grew up with her grandparents, she’ll understand when she gets older." Zhou Xiaozheng chuckled coldly, unable to help himself from swearing, "Bullshit, grew up with her grandparents my ass." "That’s not right. I asked around in Beijing; she has indeed been living with your father-in-law and mother-in-law. It’s just that the old master’s family is a bit aloof, so I was too embarrassed to visit. I saw the kid several times. Heard she lived with her mom after her dad left, your wife didn’t remarry. But she really was with her grandparents, didn’t you misunderstand?" Zhao Chuan Guang looked at him doubtfully. The kid was indeed with the elderly, quite aloof but polite nonetheless. Zhou Xiaozheng rolled his eyes at him, "Fool, that’s my brother-in-law’s daughter, you got it wrong. Remember I went on a mission with my brother-in-law." Zhao Chuan Guang, unbelievingly, looked at him, and after a moment, he was dumbfounded, "Wha-what about that child? Our little princess? Is the real Jiao Jiao alright?" Zhou Xiaozheng disdainfully glanced at him sideways, "I was telling myself why this fool has time to burn paper annually but never got time to see my Jiao Jiao, wanted to come up and hit you. Really dim-witted! Would my seed turn out like that?" "Where would I go to see her? Brother Zheng, where’s the child now? With your wife or somewhere else? You didn’t give her away, right? Damn, no way?" Zhao Chuan Guang finished speaking, stomping in anger. Damn, he’d been fooled by that little girl for so many years. Zhou Xiaozheng sighed, wondering how this guy climbed to become a director, and helplessly asked, "Did you see the old master bringing his grandson-in-law this month?" "Yes, I saw someone. That old man has several granddaughters, who remembers them?... Hold on, you said that young guy is our son-in-law? Not the grandson-in-law but the granddaughter’s husband? That’s not right, our little princess is only seventeen, are you joking?" Zhou Xiaozheng, seriously telling him, "Not joking, that’s truly my son-in-law. After I left, my Jiao Jiao was taken away by my father. You should know about our family situation. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have left so early at sixteen. Ah Guang, I’m worn out mentally, can’t blame anyone." Having said that, Zhou Xiaozheng pulled up a chair, sat down, took a cigarette from the pack on the table, and quickly took a few puffs, coughing after not smoking for so long. Zhao Chuan Guang gently patted his shoulder and sighed. If the child were in her father’s hands, without saying, she would’ve suffered much, as she was Brother Zheng’s lifeline. Zhou Xiaozheng, holding the cigarette between his lips, gazed into the distance, slowly spoke after pinching the cigarette filter with his fingers, "You don’t know how much my Jiao Jiao suffered. Like an orphan, she was almost crushed by my brother’s family. The old man helped the eldest family, the old lady couldn’t protect her. Your sister-in-law hasn’t seen her even once in seventeen years, let alone the Lin Family. They send something each year, but my brother’s family would hide them, swallowing everything. When my Jiao Jiao was ten, she couldn’t bear it any longer, tried every way to call your sister-in-law, saying she wanted to find her mom. But your sister-in-law refused right then and there. My Jiao Jiao, such a strong and proud child, how much she must’ve suffered to seek help. But damn, even this child wore mended clothes, nothing but skin and bones, struggling to grow up like a weed. The eldest family even wanted to scheme her into marrying their jerks. Without her intelligence, without marrying Zhang Guoqing, my Jiao Jiao would’ve been left with nothing. You didn’t see, my Jiao Jiao was so thin, just skin left, comforting us, obedient and considerate to the point of breaking my heart." At last, Zhou Xiaozheng held his face in his hands, unable to continue. After meeting Zhou Jiao since he returned, he heard everything from Zhang Guoqing, from Mr. Zhang and Mother Zhang, from the villagers. With slight piecing together, he could see the kind of life his only daughter had lived. Cause and effect, without a cause, where would the fruit of growth come from? Those were insights she gained through struggles. She suffered much, and her excellence today was born of past hardships. She didn’t say, but she was his Jiao Jiao, how could he not understand his own child.