Chapter 1770 - 1365: Night of Returning Home (2)

The four sat down, and Song He Xie opened a bottle of red wine: "Brother, welcome home."

The clinking of glasses made a crisp sound.

The red wine slid down the throat, slightly astringent, then sweetened aftertaste.

"Tomorrow we'll head back to the countryside…" Song Heping put down his glass: "To sweep the gravestones for mom and dad."

There was a moment of silence at the dinner table.

Lingling's eyes were a little red, she lowered her head, picking at the rice grains in her bowl: "Hmm. Dad's grave and mom's grave have now been relocated together, and we renovated them again the year before last Tomb-Sweeping Day."

"Must have cost quite a bit."

"It was all the money you sent back, brother." Song He Xie said: "We renovated using the best specifications, marble tombstone, fenced it in, plus a large expanse of concrete ground."

Song Heping nodded, picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth.

Stewed until very tender, fatty but not greasy, melting immediately — it was indeed mother's recipe—first caramelize sugar with rock candy, then add cooking wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and finally simmer for two hours over low heat. The taste memory was awoken, and his eyes suddenly warmed.

He lowered his head to eat, hiding his emotions.

"Brother, after coming back this time... are you leaving again?" Lingling asked cautiously, as if afraid to break something.

"Yes." Song Heping said, "The business over there can't be left unattended."

"Can't you slowly bring the business back to the country?" Song He Xie took over the conversation: "There are many opportunities now in China, and your overseas investment experience would fit perfectly..."

Song Heping put down his chopsticks.

The sound of tableware clashing was exceptionally clear in the quiet dining room.

"He Xie, Lingling…" his voice was calm but carried a hint of helplessness: "Some things… aren't that simple. The business I have abroad can't just be transferred like that. Moreover…"

He paused for a moment, looking out at the river view through the window.

Night had completely fallen, the city's lights like the Milky Way.

"Moreover, I've gotten used to that way of life."

The brother and sister exchanged looks and didn't persuade him further.

They knew their brother's temperament.

Once decided, not even nine oxen could pull him back.

Zhang Wei silently ate throughout, occasionally giving Lingling some dishes but didn't talk much.

This brother-in-law seemed honest and straightforward, a civil servant at the community office; marrying Lingling seemed a bit of "a stretch," but Song Heping could see he was genuinely good to Lingling.

After dinner, Lingling washed the dishes, and Zhang Wei helped tidy up.

Song He Xie prepared tea.

Song Heping walked to the balcony, pushing open the glass door.

The night breeze carried with it the moist scent of the river.

From the top floor, 28 floors up, the city's night view unfolded before him.

Thousands of household lamps, behind each a family, a life story.

Far away, the traffic on the overpass was like a weaving river, the red taillights linked into a flowing river of light.

This is peace.

Ordinary people's life, simple happiness.

He Xie brought over tea: "Brother, tea. Pu'er, the one you used to like."

Song Heping took it, sipped a bit.

The tea was rich, with a long-lasting sweetness.

"Brother, there's something... I ought to tell you." He Xie's voice was very low, almost blown away by the night wind.

"Go ahead."

"Last year, two people came to my office, said they wanted to learn about your situation abroad, asked a lot of questions." He Xie paused, "I didn't say much, just mentioned you were doing engineering overseas, specifics weren't clear. But they seemed... not convinced."

Song Heping felt a twinge inside, but remained calm on the surface: "What kind of people?"

"Police officers…" Song He Xie's face was somewhat unnatural, hesitating a moment before carefully saying: "They said they were police responsible for household registration from the substation, said data monitoring showed you had been away for many years without returning, wanted to verify…"

"What happened afterward?"

"Later, I became more vigilant, had Zhang Wei look into it, found out those two people didn't exist in the substation, their documents were fake…"

He Xie lowered his voice.

Obviously, only he knew about this, not having told their sister.

Moreover, he felt those two were suspicious.

Song Heping stayed silent. He'd long anticipated his identity couldn't be kept entirely hidden.

"Sorry," he said: "for dragging you into this."

"What are you talking about?" He Xie patted his shoulder heavily: "You are my brother. No matter what you're doing out there, you are my brother. I'm just... worried about you. Those people didn't seem simple, not like police officers but yet a bit like…"

"I'll handle it," Song Heping said: "In future, if such matters arise, have doubts, just report to the police."

That night, Song Heping lay on the bed, staring at the recessed LED strip on the ceiling.

Home on the first day, beyond joy, was a deeper worry.

He had brought danger home.

Though those two's identities were unknown, and in the country, there wouldn't be much danger, yet...

Professional instincts told him things weren't that simple.

His hand reached into his pocket, feeling for the phone, thinking of calling Jiang Feng, to arrange enhanced security measures for his brother and sister.

Though he had no team in the country, he could hire reliable people through connections.

These days, money can turn the devil's millstone.

The only thing he lacked was not money.

Yet he hesitated upon picking up the phone.

Such an action, once taken, would equal involving his siblings in the originally peaceful life.

Concerning his family, Song Heping always acted cautiously.

Perhaps...

He suddenly thought of someone.

At the crucial moment, maybe they could be of use.

But doing so would mean officially connecting to the domestic system.

For better or worse, he hadn't figured out yet.

Once aligned with the domestic system, his freedom would greatly diminish, but family's safety would gain more guarantees.

Outside came distant car noises, the city's night was never truly quiet.

A distant ship's horn sounded from the river, deep and long.

Song Heping closed his eyes, took a deep breath of air.

Anyway, he had returned.

That was enough.

Other matters, it was best to deliberate clearly before proceeding.

Early the next day, He Xie drove, taking Song Heping, Lingling, and Zhang Wei back to town.