Chapter 3: Goodbye to my parents

The bus station was not far from my home. I sat in the car and chatted with Uncle Hu, saying one thing and then another: “Uncle Hu, the town has become so prosperous since you haven’t been back in all these years.”

“You’ve been in the big city for a long time, and your horizons have become higher, haven’t they? Where is this town? This is the county seat!” Uncle Hu said as he drove.

I blushed. I had forgotten that this was a county seat, and I had called it a town. It wasn’t that I had become more discerning, but I hadn’t been back for so many years that my memory had become a little fuzzy, and I couldn’t tell the difference between a town and a county seat.

In fact, it is not difficult to distinguish between the town and the county. Looking at the streets outside the car window, I felt very unfamiliar. It felt like I had arrived in another place. Fortunately, after passing the bustling street, the next jump to the old street still retained so many familiar buildings, which gave me a sense of returning home.

In my heart, whether it is the town or the county, there is a strange feeling. My hometown is just that quiet little village, that abandoned labor service, that small building hidden in the bamboo forest. Have they changed?

Just as I was thinking, the car had stopped. Uncle Hu turned to me and said, “You little brat, we’re here. Get out of the car.”

“We’re here?” I looked out the window in confusion, not expecting to be home at all.

Because in front of me was a brand new street, wide, clean, and bustling, and I clearly remembered that my home was in a small alleyway at the entrance to the school, so how could it be here?

Uncle Hu patted my shoulder and said, “This is close to the county center, and it has long been a prime location. It’s normal to change like this. You’ll know when you get off. Your parents are doing well in the county seat.”

I was a little confused and even more timid, so I got off the bus with my things. Uncle Hu parked the car, took my luggage, and walked with me. I looked around at this unfamiliar place and found it a little funny that I was a little shaky.

After walking for a few minutes, Uncle Hu stopped and said, “Sanwa, this is it, you’re home.”

I looked at the beautiful three-story building in front of me with a surprised look, not quite believing that this was my home.

In my memory, my home was a two-story building with two storefronts downstairs, one selling stationery and snacks for students and one converted into a spicy hot pot restaurant, and then the upper floor was for people to live.

But the three-story building in front of me was very large and imposing. The first floor had three large storefronts, one selling books, one a small and exquisite restaurant, and one a beautiful stationery store.

It looks like there is a sign hanging on the upstairs, saying something like “tutoring class.” Is this my home?

I had a lot of questions, but unfortunately Uncle Hu didn’t wait for me to ask them. He shouted downstairs, “Lao Chen, Lao Chen, come downstairs quickly. Remember to ask your sister-in-law Xiu Yun to come downstairs with you!”

There was a response from upstairs soon after, a voice saying, “Old Hu, what’s the matter? I’ll be right down with Xiu Yun.”

The voice was a little old, but it was so familiar. My heart was pounding. It wasn’t my father’s voice, so who was it? I don’t know why, but when I heard my father’s response, I suddenly felt like running away and I didn’t dare to face it. I didn’t know what I was afraid of.

Uncle Hu sensed my excitement and put his hand on my shoulder, saying, “Your parents don’t live here anymore. They bought a house in the county seat, and the storefront on this floor is rented out to someone else. But the third floor is still rented out to some students and their parents at a very low price. You know, there are a lot of people in the county seat. Your father said that these students are not easy, so he is doing a good deed for you. Didn’t you ask someone to bring back a lot of things last time? Your parents have set aside a room to display them. They’ve been busy with this for the past few days.”

Uncle Hu told me, but I was so nervous that I didn’t really listen to much of it. I was silent, but I saw a figure come out of the hallway and then look at me and freeze. Then another figure came out of the hallway and also looked at me and froze…

The first one to come out was my father, followed by my mother.

As soon as I saw them, I couldn’t hold back any longer. At that moment, the whole world seemed to disappear, and all I could see were these two figures. I didn’t want to cry, but as soon as I saw them, my eyes were like a floodgate that had been opened, and the tears just couldn’t be stopped.

After just a few seconds of this short gaze, my face was already completely covered in tears. How many years has it been? Eight years. I haven’t seen my parents in eight years.

Uncle Hu looked at our family standing there, and couldn’t help but push me, saying, “What are you doing? Aren’t you going to call your parents?”

I took a few breaths and finally called out, “Dad…” The sound was so shaky that I couldn’t bear to listen to it anymore.

My father had already walked over quickly at this point, and without saying a word, he immediately hugged me. In my father’s strong embrace, I suddenly couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t guess how much they had missed me during these eight years, and how difficult it was for them. I only knew that at this moment, my father, who had always been emotionally restrained, hugged me so hard that I felt as if he was afraid I would disappear.

I hugged my father back as hard as I could, wanting to say something, but I was suddenly overwhelmed by sobs. I thought I was a soft-hearted person who often shed tears, but I rarely cried out loud, as I did at that moment.

My father hugged me for a moment, probably feeling embarrassed, and then let go of me. He still held me tightly, and then shouted to my mother, who was still in a daze, “Old woman, what are you still doing there? Can’t you see that your son is back?”

At this point, my emotions had already improved. I wiped away my tears and forced a smile. I shouted at my dumbfounded mother, “Mom, I’m home.”

It felt so strange to say this, just like how many years ago I would come home from school, throw my bag down, and shout, “Mom, I’m home!” It was just like how many years ago I would come home from the mountains and shout, “Mom, I’m home!”

Now, eight years later, it’s still the same sentence, “Mom, I’m home.” I really want to say it for the rest of my life, and when I die, I can still say it, “Mom, I’m home.”

When my mother heard this, she quickly walked two steps towards me, but then suddenly crouched down and covered her face in tears. As soon as my father saw this, he quickly walked over, grabbed my mother, and said, “I said, what are you crying about, you old woman? Your son is back, why are you crying? There are so many people on the street, why are you crying?”

Uncle Hu’s eyes were also red at this moment, but he still joked, “Your family is really funny. You all cry when you see each other. What’s the point of that? You’re still standing on the street. Won’t you let me come in and sit down?”

I also walked over and gently pulled my mother up, saying, “Mom, I’m coming back this time to stay for a month. Let’s go home and talk.”

My mother finally got up and came with me. She touched my face and said, “My eldest son, you’re back. You’re back. Hey, Sanwa, you’re back…”

My eyes were red, and I smiled at my mother and nodded, saying, “Yes, Mom, I’m back.”

My mother seemed to have finally woken up from a dream and realized that it was reality. She suddenly started laughing and then grabbed me tightly, saying, “My third son, let’s go inside. Old Hu, you come in too. No, I have to go buy some food. Son, what do you want to eat? Oh, what time is it…”

My mother was incoherent, crying and laughing, but in my eyes she was so cute. My father was unhappy and said, “You’re an old woman, you’re not dignified, you’re crying and laughing, what are you like?”

“I’m happy that my son is back. I’m happy. I’m happy. What do you care?” My mother snapped back.

I was quite happy to watch my parents bicker. The initial shyness I felt when I saw my parents had completely disappeared, and all that was left was affection, family love, and a deep warmth that surrounded me.

There are a thousand words I want to say, but I don’t need to say them all at once, because I have a whole month to tell my parents all about my feelings.Taoist priest

At the dinner table, there were my parents, my two sisters, and Uncle Hu.

My two sisters were already working in other cities, but my parents had informed them as soon as possible and asked them to come back.

At that time, the university still assigned jobs, and my two sisters really wanted to stay in Beijing, but they had to obey the arrangement and went to work in other cities. Because they went to other cities, we saw each other much less.

I miss them so much!

In addition, my eldest sister is already married, and I have a brother-in-law and a two-year-old nephew. My second sister is also getting married this year, but unfortunately I don’t know about these family events, and I have no way of knowing.

When I was young, I didn’t think much of it, but when I grew up, I realized that fate is cruel. Some people envy Taoist priests and my strong spiritual awareness, but do they know that I also envy the happiness of being able to be with my parents and relatives all the time?

We talked for a long time over dinner, and I had hoped to return home in style and give my parents peace of mind, but after three rounds of wine, I couldn’t help but tell my parents the truth. I couldn’t bear to deceive them.

Look, time is so cruel. My father’s hair has turned gray, and my capable mother has also developed many wrinkles. My impression of them has remained the same since I was 15 years old. This time I came back and realized that time would not stop because of my memory.

How could I bear to lie to my parents?

I told them everything, but I glossed over many things, such as my rebellious years, the time I almost died in a fight, and the various dangers I experienced. I only focused on telling them about my studies, which they found interesting. The truth is the truth, but it was also my goal not to worry them.

My experiences were extraordinary, and of course my parents were deeply moved. In the end, the two old people could not speak for a long time, and even Uncle Hu was stunned.

After a long time, my father put down his wine glass and said, “That old village chief is pitiful. People should be kind.”

My mother also said, “Yes, it’s better to be kind, so you can sleep well at night.”

This is the most simple and honest feeling of the common people. I looked at my parents and smiled. As for Uncle Hu, he sensed a lot of danger in this matter, but he only said, “Only by following Master Jiang can you experience these things. This Master Jiang has been gone for three years. I don’t know when I will see him again.”

This sentence undoubtedly stirred up my thoughts again!