“Mom, you want your son and the children to go to the capital, but you refuse to come with us. How can we rest easy leaving you alone in the hometown?”
“Yeah, Mom, please come with us.”
“Grandma, Qingqing wants to stay with you!”
“Xiaotian wants to stay with Grandma too!”
Qin Tian and Qin Qing each clung to one of Grandma Qin’s arms, looking up at her with eyes full of attachment and dependence.
Over the years, with their parents away, they had relied on their grandmother for everything.
To them, Grandma was incredibly important, so they couldn’t bear to be separated from her.
The children’s stance was clear—if Grandma Qin insisted on staying in the hometown, they would stay with her.
Grandma Qin looked at her two precious grandchildren, stroking their heads with deep affection in her eyes. Finally, she sighed and said, “Alright, I’ll go with you.”
I really can’t do anything about you.
For Grandma Qin, her grandchildren were her weakness.
Going to the capital was the better choice for their future.
How could she let her own reluctance hold them back?
Fine, then—this old bones would go see the nation’s capital too.
“Great!” Everyone was overjoyed at Grandma’s agreement.
…
These past two days, Qin Zhihong and Du Lan’s return had set Qin Village abuzz.
The villagers didn’t know why the couple had left in the first place. Even when they had asked Grandma Qin before, she had only said it was for work.
But…
In the eyes of the villagers, what kind of job would keep someone away for years without a single word?
They suspected Qin Zhihong and Du Lan had simply run away.
They thought Grandma Qin and the two children—one old, the other young—were burdens too difficult to care for, so the couple had abandoned them.
Over the years, rumors like this had spread widely.
This was also why Qin Tian had said other children taunted him, saying his parents would never return—they had heard it from the adults.
But no one expected that, after nine years of absence, Qin Zhihong and Du Lan would suddenly return.
And they came back in a military jeep, dressed impeccably, clearly returning in glory.
“Not only did they come back in glory, but I heard from Grandma Qin that they’re taking the whole family to the capital. From now on, they’ll be capital city folks!”
“My God, the capital—that’s the heart of the country!”
“So they’re becoming city people just like that? How enviable.”
“I heard Qin Zhihong and Du Lan were gone for so long because they were working for the country.”
“Oh, so that’s what happened.”
“Does that mean they have the government backing them now?”
As soon as this speculation arose, the villagers’ estimation of the Qin family rose another level.
They began anxiously recalling whether they had ever mistreated Grandma Qin or the two children while the couple was away.
What if Qin Zhihong and his wife found out and sought revenge?
At that moment, some of the children started crying.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden?”
“Yeah, what’s going on?”
The children sobbed in fear, their faces streaked with tears.
Between sniffles, they confessed how they had bullied Qin Tian and his sister in the past.
“Oh no, oh no! How could you say such things? How could you bully them?”
“I only said it because I heard you say it—you said Qin Tian and Qin Qing’s parents had been gone so long, they must have abandoned them!”
“What? You were the one who said that?”
“N-no, I didn’t…”
…
As a result, many households in the village shut their doors, afraid to step outside for fear of running into Qin Zhihong and his wife—or worse, having the couple show up at their doorstep.
They were all terrified of facing retaliation.
“If I’d known this would happen, I never would’ve said those things. I should’ve helped the Qin family more. Then maybe Qin Zhihong and his wife would’ve repaid me. Even if I couldn’t become a capital city resident, they might’ve at least gotten me a decent job…”
…
This time, Qin Zhihong and Du Lan only had a one-month leave.
There was much to do in that month.
First, they had to identify those who had helped Grandma Qin and the children during their absence.
Though many in the village had kicked them while they were down, some had offered support—whether lending money, sharing food, or occasionally giving snacks to little Qin Tian and Qin Qing.
Upon learning of these acts of kindness, Qin Zhihong and Du Lan repaid them generously, even assisting those now facing difficulties.
Of course, the ones they owed the most gratitude to were Gu Jianing and her husband.
No one knew that on the very night they returned home, Qin Zhihong and Du Lan had the same nightmare.
A nightmare so horrifying it felt real.
In the dream, Gu Jianing had never appeared.
So Qin De’s crimes were never exposed, and he was never arrested.
Grandma Qin contracted tuberculosis and died from illness.
Qin Tian was sold to human traffickers by Qin De and died soon after.
As for Qin Qing…
How could Qin De allow her to live when he was determined to seize the Qin family’s property?
By the time Qin Zhihong and Du Lan returned with honors, all they found were three graves of their loved ones.
No one could fathom the depths of their grief.
That night, the couple woke up, recounted the dream, and wept in each other’s arms.
They inexplicably believed that if not for Gu Jianing, the nightmare might not have been just a dream—
It could have been reality.
So Gu Jianing was their family’s savior.
They had to repay her properly.
…
Not long after, Qin Tian came to Gu Jianing and told her about his parents’ return.
He also invited her and Sheng Zexi to a meal at the state-run restaurant.
“So your parents are back? Sure, let’s go.” Gu Jianing agreed.
She observed Qin Tian and thought, As expected, having parents back makes all the difference.
A child cherished by their parents carried confidence and brightness in their demeanor.
Qin Tian also mentioned that their whole family would soon move to the capital.
“But once we move, I don’t know if I’ll ever see Sister Jianing again…” His eyes were filled with reluctance.
To Qin Tian, Gu Jianing was like a real elder sister—no, even more than that.
She was his idol!
He wanted to grow up to be someone like her.
If there was one thing that made leaving Qin Village hard, it was saying goodbye to Gu Jianing.
Hearing his words, Gu Jianing chuckled and ruffled his hair.
“Xiaotian, did you know? Your ‘Big Brother Sheng’—the one your sister married—is from the capital. We even have a house there. We might move back someday.”
“So don’t worry, we’ll definitely meet again.”
“Really?” Qin Tian’s face lit up with joy, his last trace of worry vanishing instantly.
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