"No more flying, especially in crowded places..." Shen Siyuan crouched down to warn Tang Tang. Tang Tang immediately spread her arms for a hug. If she can’t fly, she wants a hug; anyway, she doesn’t want to walk a single step. The clothes wrapped around her made her feel terribly uncomfortable. She was born in Jiangyou and later ended up in Bin Hai, both places belong to the Southern region, with an average temperature of around twenty degrees. So she had never worn so many clothes since childhood, which made her very uncomfortable. Shen Siyuan reached out to pick her up, and she immediately snuggled up to Shen Siyuan and gave his face a big kiss. Shen Siyuan nodded her little nose. Then he waved to a taxi by the roadside. "Longmen Grottoes," said Shen Siyuan. "Are you here for tourism?" The driver casually asked. "Yes," replied Shen Siyuan. Seeing Shen Siyuan’s concise reply, obviously not wanting to converse much, the driver didn’t say anything further. Tang Tang was captivated by the scenery outside the car, appearing especially well-behaved, and the interior of the car fell silent. Chang Qingsong’s father was named Chang Dewei, he also came from a military background, having served on the Laoshan frontline, and after retiring, he returned to his hometown’s county government for administrative work. Chang Qingsong’s mother Guan Chunhong worked at the county cultural center; if Chang Qingsong hadn’t sacrificed himself, the family’s life would likely have been quite happy. But there’s no "if" in life. Additionally, Chang Qingsong was the only child of the family, and his sacrifice cast a shadow over the household. For several years, there was no laughter, and even though time gradually eroded much of the sadness, both parents did not forget their son but missed him even more deeply. Every year on their son’s death anniversary, they would travel to Bin Hai to visit his grave. Though both husband and wife were public servants, the salaries in small counties were not high, so this journey back and forth each year would consume nearly half of their annual savings. Yet, they persisted for over twenty years. They had considered bringing their son’s ashes back to Henan, but feared he would be lonely, so ultimately chose to travel between both places. Running this route each year meant the couple was well acquainted with the roads, and Chang Dewei found his car in the parking lot before driving over to pick up the waiting Guan Chunhong. The couple didn’t have many belongings, but they were quite miscellaneous, consisting mostly of Bin Hai’s local specialties to gift to relatives and friends. However, their friends and relatives were already indifferent to these things; partly because life had improved, Bin Hai’s specialties weren’t particularly remarkable, and partly because the couple brought these items back each year, so they had long grown tired of them. But these were the heartfelt gestures of the elderly couple, so everyone still received them gladly. As the car slowly drove out of the airport, Guan Chunhong couldn’t resist looking out the window. "What are you looking at?" Chang Dewei casually asked. "I was looking at that little girl earlier; she waved and said goodbye to me," Guan Chunhong replied. "She’s long gone; what are the chances to see her again?" Chang Dewei said somewhat speechlessly. Guan Chunhong knew it was impossible to see her again; her glancing was just a subconscious act. "The little girl really...um..." She suddenly noticed the little girl from earlier sitting in the back seat of a taxi beside them, smiling at her. She hurriedly raised her hand and waved. "See, I’m seeing her again; truly fated," Guan Chunhong said, beaming with joy, her mood instantly lifted. Unfortunately, after the taxi passed theirs, it quickly drove ahead. "Was it the car in front?" Chang Dewei was somewhat surprised. "Yes, that little girl is in that taxi," Upon hearing this, Chang Dewei didn’t say anything but drove a bit faster. Guan Chunhong immediately noticed and quickly said, "Slow down, don’t chase. Meeting again is fate, what would we do by catching up? Her father might even mistake us for bad people." Upon hearing this, Chang Dewei thought she’s right, and slowed the car’s speed again, watching the taxi in front drive further away. Their home was in Yichuan County, it’s more than forty kilometers from the airport, taking about an hour’s drive. Guan Chunhong felt slightly car sick, which was why she kept candies in her pocket, and once the car stabilized, she ate a candy and closed her eyes to rest. Seeing this, Chang Dewei turned off the music and closed the windows, the car fell silent. Not knowing how long had passed, Guan Chunhong was awoken by the sound of the car door, she turned her head to look at the driver’s seat, seeing Chang Dewei wasn’t there, she looked forward to find they had already arrived home, and looking back, indeed, she saw Chang Dewei opening the trunk to take things out. Guan Chunhong quickly opened the door to get out but felt her legs softening, nearly falling, she quickly held onto the car door. Seeing this, Chang Dewei hurriedly came forward to support her. "Are you alright?" Chang Dewei asked with concern. He noticed Guan Chunhong’s pale face, and her constant glancing around. "What are you looking for?" "Did someone just speak?" Guan Chunhong asked, puzzled. "Speaking?" Chang Dewei looked around and saw a few people about ten meters away. So he said, "Was it them speaking? What did they say?" "No, not them..." Guan Chunhong shook her head directly. "What did you hear that made you so nervous?" "I... I heard someone calling me mom, sounded like Qingsong’s voice," Guan Chunhong said. Upon hearing this, Chang Dewei’s face lost its smile, his expression serious, "Are you dizzy from the car, just hearing wrong?" Guan Chunhong smiled at his words, "Possibly." Though she said this, in her heart, she was extremely puzzled because the voice just now felt so real, as if it was still echoing in her ears. But thinking about it, it’s impossible, she could only dismiss it as an auditory hallucination. When their son had just sacrificed, she often heard hallucinations, always feeling like he had returned, it took a long time to improve. That’s why Chang Dewei was so serious, worried she was having another of those episodes. The couple tidied up a bit, carrying the things brought from Bin Hai, they took the elevator back home. Though their salaries weren’t high, the benefits were pretty good, a few years ago when the old unit housing was demolished, they were settled into their current community. Fresh chapters posted on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚫𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚫𝕟𝕖𝕥 Most people living in this community worked for the government, so the overall environment was quite nice. The new house was much larger than before, but it felt exceptionally empty, Guan Chunhong didn’t like it here, but with the old house already demolished, there was no choice. The first thing Chang Dewei did upon returning home was to go to the kitchen to boil a kettle of water. Meanwhile, Guan Chunhong took out some specialties bought from Bin Hai to bring to Chang Qingsong’s room. Even though they had moved from the old house, they still kept a room for their son. The son’s room was simply decorated, with some items from when he was alive, most prominently a black-and-white funeral photo on the desk. Guan Chunhong placed some candies and specialties in front of the portrait. In the portrait, Chang Qingsong wore a military uniform, smiling, youthful yet revealing a hint of heroism.