Guan Chunhong placed the "offerings" in front of the memorial photo. She talked to herself, mumbling, "Qingsong, Mom bought you your favorite coconut candy." Guan Chunhong remembered the first time she went with her husband to visit their son in the army, she bought him a bag of coconut candy. She vaguely recalled that he especially loved it. That’s why every time Guan Chunhong and her husband returned from Bin Hai, they always brought this "specialty" for a reason. "We’ve come back from Bin Hai..." "This time we went to Bin Hai, we got you peanut cake and honey jujube, but the honey jujube got crushed. It’s all your dad’s fault, it was squashed when he packed the luggage..." "I see your tombstone has been cleaned, was it one of your comrades who visited you? I’ve never encountered them, I really should thank them properly..." "I still want to visit your former unit, but your dad won’t allow it. He’s afraid of causing trouble for them..." "Airfares are getting more expensive every year, I’m not sure if we’ll have a chance to visit you next year. We’re getting old, in case we can’t make it, don’t hold it against us..." Guan Chunhong would say this every time, but each year when Chang Qingsong’s anniversary approached, she would start preparing a month in advance. "And... this time when we were coming back, I met a little girl at the airport, she was so cute. If you were still here, surely you’d also have a child just like her. Back then, your father and I also wanted to have a baby girl..." Listening to his mother’s endless chatter, Chang Qingsong could no longer hold back and manifested, calling out. Upon hearing the sound, Guan Chunhong turned around and saw her son, Chang Qingsong, sitting at the edge of the bed, looking excited and a bit nervous as he gazed at her. Guan Chunhong looked surprised, glanced back at the photo on the desk, then back at Chang Qingsong sitting at the edge of the bed—identically alike. "Qingsong?" A look of joy spread across Guan Chunhong’s face. "Mom, it’s me." Chang Qingsong said somewhat nervously. He worried that his sudden appearance might frighten his mother, who was getting older, and if she got too startled, it would be his fault. Luckily, Guan Chunhong did not show any signs of fear; she was just a bit dazed. "My old ailment is acting up again." said Guan Chunhong. Then, with a joyful expression, she quickly stepped forward and held Chang Qingsong’s hands, examining him closely. Chang Qingsong wanted to stand up, but she pressed him back down and gently caressed his cheeks with her hands. "Let Mom take a proper look." said Guan Chunhong. "Just like the real thing, seems my illness has worsened." "Mom." Chang Qingsong understood what she meant. Right after Chang Qingsong’s sacrifice, Guan Chunhong’s longing for her son led to some mental confusion, causing her to hallucinate, often feeling like her son was calling her, or that he had returned home. It took more than half a year for her to gradually come out of it. So now Guan Chunhong thought she was having hallucinations again, assuming everything before her was fake, a product of her imagination. But this feeling was wonderful. Seeing the worried look in her son’s eyes, Guan Chunhong smiled and said, "Mom’s fine, exceedingly happy, it’s been so many years, Mom finally gets to see you again." Chang Qingsong’s voice choked, unsure of what to say next. "Chunhong, I made you a cup of honey water, come out and drink it quickly." Honey water can help with motion sickness. Earlier, Chang Dewei saw Guan Chunhong’s pale face and weak stature, assuming severe motion sickness, which is why he went straight to the kitchen to boil some water upon returning. Guan Chunhong responded, then pulled Chang Qingsong’s arm to walk out of the room. Yet, as they walked, Guan Chunhong sensed something was off. She looked back at Chang Qingsong in bewilderment, her lips trembling, uncertain of what to say. "Mom." Chang Qingsong called out again. Guan Chunhong responded, already having pulled Chang Qingsong to the doorway, after all, the room was small, just a few steps to exit. Chang Dewei, holding a cup, waiting for Guan Chunhong to exit the room, naturally saw her leading their son out. Then, he froze entirely, with a surreal sense of disbelief, as if the whole world was twisting. A whirlpool of questions arose from his heart, at the same time overwhelming joy surged. In such astonishment and delight, he felt as if all his strength was drained away, making him go limp all over, and the cup in his hand fell straight down. The source of thɪs content is 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝓷𝓮𝓽 There was a crisp sound, and the foot felt a scalding heat, snapping him back to reality instantly. The freshly made honey water scorched his feet, making him jump up, yet also bringing him back to his senses. However, his eyes were still fixated on Chang Qingsong behind Guan Chunhong, his throat moving, suddenly at a loss for words. "Old man..." exclaimed Guan Chunhong, startled, intending to rush forward. But she didn’t expect someone beside her to be even swifter. "Dad, did it burn you?" Chang Qingsong moved forward to support Chang Dewei, guiding him toward the sofa. Chang Dewei didn’t speak, just kept his gaze fixed on Chang Qingsong. After being sat down by Chang Qingsong, he regained his senses and asked with a trembling voice, "Qingsong?" "Dad, it’s me." Chang Qingsong nodded with a smile. Struggling free from Chang Qingsong’s supporting arm, Chang Dewei reached out to touch his cheek, his eyes already moist. "My son, is it really... truly you? Am I not dreaming?" Chang Dewei asked with a trembling voice. Chang Qingsong held his hand, gently rubbing it, speaking in a choked voice, "Dad, you’re not dreaming, I’ve come back to see you both." At that moment, Guan Chunhong also approached, speaking with a puzzled face, "Can you see Qingsong too? Isn’t it my illusion?" "Mom, you’re not sick, you’re perfectly fine." Chang Qingsong extended his hand, holding his mother’s hand. "But... but it doesn’t make sense, you weren’t sacrificed?" inquired Chang Dewei in confusion. He felt his mind was in a mess, with fleeting thoughts across his mind, yet there remained a sense of unreality, though the person in front of him appeared to be real, producing a contradictory and divisive feeling, as if the world had split. Guan Chunhong’s thoughts were much simpler, she didn’t bother with all that, she directly hugged Chang Qingsong tightly. "Son, I missed you so much. Why only now did you come back to visit us; where have you been all these years..." Chang Dewei’s heart leaned toward the belief that perhaps his son hadn’t actually been sacrificed, maybe it was a mistake, but upon seeing his son’s youthful face, it made him dismiss that notion, causing his temples to throb with a headache from overthinking. Chang Qingsong did not explain much but rather asked, "Do you remember the Mr. Shen you met at the airport today?" The couple nodded immediately upon hearing this, they had just talked about his daughter earlier. "Mr. Shen is not an ordinary person." Upon hearing this, the couple became very curious; although they found the young man poised and his daughter adorable and well-behaved, they hadn’t noticed anything extraordinary about him. "He is the Qiong Province Governor." "Qiong Governor? What do you mean, are you saying he is the Governor of Qiong Province?" Chang Dewei said with a somewhat strange expression. In ancient times, a State Governor was akin to today’s provincial governor, so saying this wasn’t wrong. His odd expression resulted from him not believing Chang Qingsong’s words, although retired, he still kept up with current affairs, hence he knew the governor of Qiong Province was not the young man they saw today. "Of course not, he is the Divine overseeing the ghost gods of Qiong Province. Because you met him, you’re able to see me again." Chang Qingsong said with a melancholic expression. The couple was startled by his words.