Yang Zichun stood in front of the traditional Chinese-style villa in Xishan with his luggage. Originally, he wasn't supposed to come back until he graduated from the military academy and completed his master's degree in the summer. However, this semester was primarily dedicated to writing his graduation thesis, which he had already submitted to his master's advisor at the start of the semester. With his advisor agreeing to review it and promising to reach out once finished, Yang Zichun felt assured and decided to return to the Midlands without notifying anyone, not even his Aunt Yihua in Aron Country. As he opened the door, Aunt Yang, who was busy cleaning in the foyer, looked up in surprise. Startled, she hurriedly asked:
"Master Zichun! What is the matter? Why do you come back? Did something happen? I had never heard that you would come back."
"I didn't tell anyone, not even my eldest aunt. There was nothing happened. I just missed all of you and decided to rush back to celebrate the New Year. Where are my Dad and Pa?"
"They went into the town today and will be staying there until the evening. Only the three young masters are at home."
"Three? Is Zizhan still here?"
Aunt Yang, Yang Zaihua's wife, chuckled:
"He came here since the vacation started. The day before yesterday Master Chen tried to send him away as soon as he arrived, but Master Zizhan didn't want to leave so he was still acting like a child with Master Chen and decided to stay until he can go back to Qudu with Master Yang and Master Zihui."
"How are Grandpa Yang and Grandma Yang?"
"They are doing well. As your know, your Grandma Yang does not like to sit idle so she's keeping herself busy in the kitchen. Your Grandpa Yang, on the other hand, isn't as steady on his legs as he used to be. These days he prefers basking in the yard when the sun is shining."
"That's good to hear. I missed Grandma Yang's cooking so much. I will go see them later. Oh, where are my brothers now?"
"Master Aichen and Master Zihui are in the studio. Master Zizhan and my son, Yang Wu, have no patient to stay there so they followed your Uncle Yang to shoot birds in the mountain."
"Then I will head to the studio."
Aunt Yang replied:
"I'm going to tidy up your room and you can take a shower later."
With that, Aunt Yang took Zichun's luggage and left. Yang Zichun made his way to the studio where Zhou Aichen and Yang Zihui were engrossed in their jade carvings. Upon seeing him enter, both Zhou Aichen and Yang Zihui were greatly surprised. Yang Zihui, unable to contain his excitement, rushed forward and embraced Yang Zichun, exclaiming:
"Eldest bro., why are you back? No one told us."
"I wanted to give you all a surprise. Have you been studying hard at home? How is everything going?"
Yang Zihui teased:
"Eldest Bro.! You're too predictable. As soon as you walk in, your first question is about whether I've been studying hard or not. Is your next question whether I have been good or not and whether I have been obedient at home or not?"
Yang Zichun said with joking:
"Yes, have you been good? Have you been obedient?"
Yang Zihui pouted playfully and exclaimed:
"Eldest brother!"
Yang Zichun laughed, pulled his cousin into a warm hug and remarked:
"Well, it is indeed that you have grown up like a man now. You are taller than I remember. How is Uncle Yang? Is he doing well?"
"He is fine. He is in town with Uncle Chen and Uncle Zhou."
"I will greet him tonight."
After that, Yang Zichun turned to Zhou Aichen, pulled him into a firm embrace. Aichen's voice quivered with a hint of tears as he said:
"Ge!"
Yang Zichun asked softly:
"Missed me?"
Zhou Aichen rested his head on Yang Zichun's shoulder and nodded. Yang Zichun gently stroked his head before pulling Yang Zihui into his arms, saying warmly:
"Missed all of you so much!"
He held them both closer.
Later that night, in the bedroom, amidst the usual furniture, there stood a special piece ---- an antique bed cabinet. The pornographic statue was adorned on this bed cabinet, alongside a delicate portrait of Yang Chen asleep, drawn by Zhou Di. As Yang Chen gently massaged Zhou Di's injured leg, he spoke softly:
"Chun'er came back for Aichen. Is the new prosthetic limb not fitting well? It is rubbing a bit here."
Zhou Di replied:
"It will be fine in a few days." After a moment of hesitation, he added, "Chen Ge, to be honest, I am worried that the two of them might follow the same path we did."
Yang Chen chuckled:
"I think it is becoming quite obvious. But Dizi, I have told you before: don't interfere this and let them figure it out on their own."
Zhou Di sat up abruptly, his voice rising with emotion:
"How can I not worry about this? It is not enough That I have already caused you so much pain. Do you want my son to ruin your son's life as well?"
Hearing this, Yang Chen's face darkened. He gave Zhou Di's leg a light slap and said:
"You little brat, what nonsense are you talking about again? Tell me what harm you have caused me. Can't I become the president because of you? I've told you many times that I have never cared about this. You should be punished because you make me angry."
"If I were not with you, the position of the President would be yours and Yang Jing would not be berating you every time you meet him and your family wouldn't have become so distant from you. Please tell me how many years you don't have been home for the New Year. All of these are because of me."
"I have told you many times that the position in Yichun isn't as great as you think. Yang Jing would have stopped criticizing me long ago if this job were easy to do. I have said it before and I will say it again. I didn't want to be neither the President nor the commander-in-chief in the army. Actually I would rather have Chen Yufeng take over my current position. But apart from taking care of his grandchildren at home now, he isn't interested in doing anything. As for my family, the issue isn't you. It is that they can't accept the fact that I am a gay. They still hold a grudge about my resignation. They don't even know you well, especially my youngest sister Yang Sihua. But since she has been married for many years, she has never forgotten to give Aichen the present and money for New Year and his birthday every single year. Yang Yang and his son are living here with us. They have always gotten along well with you for these years. Zihui is so happy to learn the carving from you. Every summer our house is nearly gets torn down by my nephews and nieces. They adore you and respect you so much. They love staying here. You see, Zizhan comes over as soon as he's on vacation. Even Zaihua's wife has mentioned many times that you are a good person and it is easy for her to get along with you. Dizi, do you regret being with me?"
Zhou Di shot him a glance and said:
"Chun'er is still young. If he abandons his studies and comes back without hesitation, it will ruin his future."
"Young? He is 26 years old. When I was his age, I was already a Young Marshal. And what about him? Nothing. Yes, he became a commander in a company, but what does he have done with it? He assigned some soldiers to study at various military academies both domestically and internationally and left the rest to be trained by my special forces. Don't worry about him. He told me that there is only the graduation thesis in this semester and he has already finished it. He has nothing to do but wait for the call from his advisor. He has confident it will pass and once it does, he'll return for the thesis defence. The real reason that he comes back is because Aichen is going to the college this autumn and Aichen does not have given him a definite answer about where he wants to go. I think he has just worried so he came back to ask in person. He wants Aichen to stay here and wait for his coming back once he graduates. It seems Aichen hasn't agreed yet."
"He is selfish. My Aichen is ambitious too. What Chun'er wants is to in our footsteps. Let Aichen follow my career if he wants to. He wants to be a demon king like you."
"Isn't it good like ours? Damn it, Zhou Di, you bastard. Do you really regret being with me? Always talking about how you've harmed me. Are you just making excuse?"
"Yes, I regret it."
With that, Zhou Di turned around, ignoring Yang Chen. Yang Chen smiled and said:
"Dizi, do you want me to punish you right now? You know how I handle you every time you make me angry."
"Nonsense, I'm just worried about Chun'er and Aichen. I don't..."
But Zhou Di's words were cut off as he was silenced with a kiss. After a long time, both of them were left exhausted, their bodies glistening with sweat. Yang Chen, breathing heavily, asked:
"Dizi, do you really regret being with me?"
Zhou Di responded with a kiss, his voice tender and affectionate:
"No, you know I could never regret being with you."
Yang Chen returned the kiss and said:
"Don't interfere with them. They are adults now."
Zhou Di said nothing but nodded. Yang Chen teased:
"That wasn't exactly a clear and firm answer. There is nothing to do for us tomorrow so we don't need to get up for the whole day."
"No, damn it, Yang Chen. The children are home."
His objection, as usual, were ignored. Yang Chen continued making love with him until Zhou Di collapsed into an exhausted sleep. Actually no one cared about them. The next morning, when everyone saw Yang Zaihua carrying a tray with breakfast inside to Yang Chen and Zhou Di's bedroom, it was nothing out of the ordinary and the children just went about their own activities without concern.
This afternoon Zhou Aichen opened the door to the sunlit room. Zhou Di was reclining in the rocking chair and reading a book. Zhou Aichen asked:
"Pa, do you want to talk with me?" He saw Zhou Di's prosthetic leg nearby and continued, "Is this prosthetic bothering you?"
"It takes a few days to get used to the new one. Sit down. I want to talk with you while your Dad and Chun'er are at the shooting range. Aichen, I want to know Chun'er and you.... Okay, do you know what Chun'er's intentions are toward you?"
Zhou Aichen felt a little shy at Zhou Di's question but he met his father's gaze bravely and said:
"I've figured it out. He doesn't has said it explicitly but I don't want to bring it up either. After all, I'm still young and have never really considered it."
"If he does mention it to you clearly, how would you respond?"
"I would tell him that I want to study abroad. I will reject him."
"Do you already have any plans for studying abroad?"
"Yes, I want to study mechanics in Ferceland because it is something I'm passionate about."
"You...you are..."
Zhou Di didn't know how to phrase his next question but Zhou Aichen understood his question and said:
"Pa, I know what you want to ask. Frankly speaking, I have never really thought about whether I like boy or girl. In fact, most of my friends are boys. You know that I've gotten along with all the boys in the Yang family. At school, I also get along with my classmates no matter whether they are boys or girls but I've always just regarded them as my classmates and I have never thought much beyond that."
"Then what do you think about it if Chun'er tells you..."
"Last September he told me directly that I should stay at home and learn carving from you. That day, we had a big argument over the phone, which was the first time we'd ever fought like that."
"Why did he want you to stay at home?"
"He said he missed me and did not want to be separated anymore. I didn't think much of it at first, but after we had told about it many times, I started to realize that his feelings for me might be deeper than just casual."
"So do you miss him?"
Zhou Aichen lowered his head, and after a long pause, nodded heavily, whispering:
"Very much."
Zhou Di sighed and said:
"Aichen, you are almost 18 years old, not a child anymore. You lost your mother when you were just a baby, so you've missed out on her love. All I want is for you to be happy. Follow your heart and don't worry about what anyone else thinks. If you want to study abroad, just go ahead. I will never stand in your way. As for your sexual orientation, whether you like boy or girl, it is your life to live. I don't think I have the right or the qualification to comment on this. Just remember, life isn't always smooth sailing. You'll encounter challenges and hardships along the way. My boy, protect yourself first. I don't want to see you get hurt. If you're faced with problems, handle them step by step within your capabilities. And of course, if you ever find something too hard to handle, Pa will always be here for you. Do you understand?"
"I understand. Thank you, Pa."
"Your Dad doesn't want me to interfere in your relationship with Chun'er, but you are my only son. I hope you will have a bright future and I don't want to confine you to my side. I am happy if you are willing to learn the craft from me, but if not, it is no problem for me. There are many others who have learned from me, and they'll continue to pass on my craft. I'm already proud of your restoration and carving skills, which have greatly exceeded my expectations. Besides you, Zihui is also quite talented in these areas and I am glad that he is interested in these skills."
"Yes, he indeed enjoys them."
"Chun'er, Zihui and you all grew up without mothers and without siblings. You've been together here since your childhood. No matter what happens, I hope you all will continue to get along. Chun'er has taken care of you a lot since you were baby and Zihui is younger than you so I hope your relationships don't cause tension between your Dad and Uncle Yang. Let's keep this family close."
"Pa, I see. I get along well with Zihui. Ge is a bit domineering and likes to take control of everything but he has this ability to back it up. I usually just let him do what he wants."
"Just don't compromise your bottom line."
"Don't worry, Pa, and I will handle it."
"Okay, if Chun'er wants to talk to you about it, have an open and honest conversation with him. In addition, remind Chun'er to go back to Qudu for the New Year. It has been many years since Chun'er celebrated the New Year with his grandpa. If possible, let him convince your Dad to go back to Qudu as well. I'm entrusting him with this task because I trust him. We can celebrate the New Year with the family of your Uncle Zhang Tianming's."
"Yes, Pa."