Chapter 165: Long Time No See

Xiang Yubao stood up the hardcover book to block the bowl and ate secretly with his brother.

You take a bite, I take a bite—the sweet-sour delicacy filled their mouths; the two little brothers grinned with crinkled eyes.

Zhi Bao and Seeing Yaobao are so pitiful—they can't eat anything.

They've missed so many tasty things! It's fine—they'll eat for their younger siblings, and when they grow up, they'll tell them about it.

The dragon-phoenix twins: "?!"

In the end, the good older brother let his younger siblings drink the sweet-sour tomato juice; the two little ones loved it, clapping their hands with joy.

The moon rose into the sky; the village sank into stillness.

Lin Zhao and the others slipped quietly to the foot of the mountain.

The knock—two short, one long—was unmistakable.

Not just Meng Meng Jiusi, but everyone else in the house knew who had come. They stayed silent, pretending to know nothing—unaware of the connection between the Meng family and the Lin-Gu families, unaware that people occasionally came here.

Meng Jingmo was dozing off, his head nodding, but at the knock, he jolted awake.

"Dad?" He sat up on the bed, his little ears perking up.

"Go back to sleep. I'll go see." Meng Meng Jiusi got out of bed.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he stepped out of the room, took three quick strides to the broken courtyard gate, lifted the bolt, and pulled the door open.

Outside stood one, two, three, four… five people.

The four members of the Lin family and Lin's son-in-law.

"... Dad? Mom?" Meng Meng Jiusi froze slightly, blurting out: "You're back."

Hearing the little fourth call them "Dad" and "Mom," Lin Lin Heling and Song Xi were shaken to their cores; the couple exchanged a glance, their eyes brimming with joy.

Little fourth recognized them!

Meng Meng Jiusi noticed his parents' happy expressions, felt a little embarrassed, and looked away, turning to the young man leaning on a cane.

Dark-skinned, eyes black and bright, his aura slightly resembled his sister-in-law's—upright and full of integrity.

"You..." Meng Meng Jiusi had a faint suspicion in his heart.

Lin Lin Shifan stepped forward, leaning on his cane with one hand, the other arm cradling his twin brother, and gave Meng Meng Jiusi's back a few firm thumps, his voice clear and strong.

"Your brother—the one born into this world at the same time as you—Lin family's third son." The soldier's voice boomed, making Meng Meng Jiusi's ears ring, "Little fourth, welcome home."

He pulled out a piece of paper and shoved it unceremoniously into Meng Meng Jiusi's hand.

"Here's my contact info. Write to me if you need anything."

Song Xi slapped Lin Lin Shifan on the shoulder—her hand rose high but landed with most of the force dissipated. "Your dad and I are here. Why would you need to do that?"

Lin Lin Shifan feigned a grimace, saying, "Just in case—I'm his real brother. He should know where I am."

"Right?" He slung an arm around Meng Meng Jiusi's shoulder, completely at ease.

Meng Meng Jiusi froze.

He hadn't expected twin brothers to be like this.

He stared blankly at Lin Lin Shifan's face—only three-tenths like his own.

"... We don't look alike."

Lin Lin Shifan knew he and little fourth only resembled each other slightly. "Your eyes are alike. Your height is too."

Both Lin Lin Heling and Song Xi were tall; none of their children were short, and each had their own kind of beauty—standing together, no one would doubt they were brothers.

Standing at the gate to talk was improper; they entered the courtyard.

The people living at the foot of the mountain had special status and weren't entitled to comforts, so their living conditions weren't good.

The courtyard was empty—even a single stool was missing.

They could only sit on straw mats.

Meng Jingmo was close to the Lin family; hearing his aunt's voice, he slipped on straw sandals and stepped out. Meng Guangbai slept lightly; seeing his brother leave the room, he followed sleepily.

"Brother, brother, wait for me."

Meng Jingmo didn't hear.

Seeing the strangers in the courtyard, he stopped, his eyes curious.

"Dad." He stood beside Meng Meng Jiusi, then greeted Lin Zhao and Gu Gu Chenghuai: "Aunt, Uncle."

At that moment, Meng Guangbai, dressed in short sleeves and shorts, also came out.

He had once been cheerful and sweet-tongued, but after seeing his father taken away by several men, he became timid and fearful of people.

The courtyard was full of people; Meng Xiaobai felt nervous and helplessly bit his knuckles.

Meng Meng Jiusi waved to his younger son.

Meng Guangbai ran over, pattering on his little feet, and hugged his father's leg.

"Meng Jingmo, Meng Guangbai, these are all your father's relatives. Let me introduce them to you..." Meng Meng Jiusi calmly introduced his family to his two sons.

He pointed to Lin Lin Heling and Song Xi: "These are your grandfather and grandmother."

Lin Lin Heling had a gentle, serene aura, warm as a March breeze—non-threatening, easy to approach.

Meng Jingmo and Meng Guangbai stared at him curiously.

"Grandpa?"

Lin Lin Heling borrowed some canned food and biscuits from his daughter as a gift for meeting his grandsons.

He handed them over, his manner gentle and affectionate: "I'm your grandfather. This is what your grandmother and I prepared as a greeting gift—we came in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare well. Next time, we'll bring you something better."

Song Xi smiled but said nothing.

No rush—there's plenty of time ahead.

Meng Jingmo looked at Meng Meng Jiusi; seeing his father nod, he extended his small hand to take the gift.

"Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma."

Meng Guangbai looked blankly at Lin Lin Heling, then quickly looked away, whispering: "Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma."

Lin Lin Heling sat on the straw mat, relaxed in posture, his features softening.

"Meng Jiusi, you've raised the children well." He didn't believe the Yuan family could have raised such children; that these two had turned out this way meant Meng Jiusi had poured immense effort into them.

Meng Meng Jiusi's expression relaxed; he looked at his two sons, his eyes filled with pride: "Meng Jingmo and Meng Guangbai were always well-behaved."

Song Xi noticed her grandsons were hungry for the canned food; she stood up, walked over to the Lin brothers, and twisted open the can lid.

"Go get spoons," she said. "After eating something sweet, don't forget to brush your teeth before bed."

Meng Jingmo and Meng Guangbai hadn't eaten canned food in months; they were starving, swallowing saliva, looking at Meng Meng Jiusi.

Can we eat?

The children's expressions were easy to read.

"Go get them. Listen to your grandmother—don't forget to brush your teeth after eating."

"Yes!" Meng Jingmo's sun-tanned face broke into a wide grin, his eyes—distinctly Lin family—bright as stars. He fetched the spoons and shared the food with his brother.

Tonight was a joyful night for the two brothers.

Lin Zhao, worried about her third brother's leg injury, spoke up: "Fourth brother, third brother's leg is injured. Could you take a look?"

Meng Meng Jiusi had already planned to do so.

He nodded, looking at Lin Lin Shifan: "Go inside and take a look?"

Lin Lin Shifan didn't want his family to see his leg wound; he gave little fourth an approving glance.

See? No wonder he's my twin brother—perfectly in sync.

Old Master Meng sat propped up on his bed reading a medical text. The door creaked; he put down the book and squinted over.

"Grandpa." Meng Meng Jiusi introduced Lin Lin Shifan: "This is my third brother."

Lin Lin Shifan knew this was the man who had raised his little fourth; he bowed respectfully to Old Master Meng: "Hello, Master Meng. I'm Lin Lin Shifan. Call me Lin Shifan or Little Lin—whatever you prefer."

Until now, except for Lin's daughter-in-law, Old Master Meng had met every member of the Lin family.

He held a very good impression of them.

"Good," he smiled.

Meng Meng Jiusi said directly: "Grandpa, my third brother was injured on a mission. He was treated at the military hospital, but the prognosis isn't good. We'd like a TCM doctor to take a look."

Old Master Meng was born into a TCM family; he began absorbing knowledge even as a toddler. His medical skill was unquestionably high.

"For healing, it's still TCM. Western medicine... is just barely adequate, not as effective as our ancestors' methods." The old man was a staunch supporter of TCM—no matter who stood before him, he said this.

Lin Lin Shifan didn't understand, but he didn't argue with the elder.

"Exactly—if it weren't strong, it wouldn't have lasted thousands of years." He truly believed this.

Old Master Meng was pleased.

His eyes showed approval.

"You're a sensible lad."

Lin Lin Shifan grinned, unapologetically saying: "Our family has no fools—we're all sensible."

Utterly unapologetic—he spoke exactly as he thought.

Old Master Meng found his demeanor refreshingly open; being around him was comfortable.

He gestured for Lin Lin Shifan to come closer: "Extend your arm."

Lin Lin Shifan obediently extended his arm, cooperating fully.

Old Master Meng first took his pulse, stroking his beard as he nodded: "You've been well cared for."

"My parents went to the military base specifically to look after me—they even gave me their own personal ginseng to eat!" Lin Lin Shifan was deeply moved; he planned to send his parents ten yuan every month as a form of filial support—couldn't let their care go unacknowledged just because the family had no material needs.

Old Master Meng was surprised to learn the Lin family even had ginseng.

He said nothing, focusing entirely on treating the patient.

"Roll up your pant legs."

Both people in the room were doctors—they'd seen every kind of injury. Lin Shi didn't worry about scaring them, and rolled up his pant legs.

A grotesque, earthworm-like scar stretched across his knee, extending downward—the longest part reaching his ankle. The wound hadn't fully healed; it was red and swollen now.

"Your injury's serious," Meng Gu Laoyezi said.

Meng Jiu's pupils contracted slightly.

He stared in shock at his twin brother.

He'd seen Lin Shi walking easily and assumed his injury wasn't bad—but he hadn't expected…

It wasn't just bad—it was the worst possible.

With this injury, whether Third Brother can even stay in the military is uncertain.

Meng Jiu was the first to examine him, and realized he was powerless to help.

His eyes dimmed slightly, but he showed nothing on his face.

He remained perfectly calm.

He said: "Grandpa, my medical skills are inadequate. Please take a look."

Hearing this, Meng Gu Laoyezi knew the situation was bad.

Meng Jiu's medical knowledge came from him. His experience didn't match his, but he had talent and worked hard—his skills were quite good, nothing like "inadequate."

He sighed inwardly, crouched halfway down, and began the examination.

…Lin Shi's leg injury was severe: not only had the tendons been damaged, but the shinbone was slightly deformed from pressure, with faint traces of fragmentation.

"Third boy, you know how serious this injury is, don't you?"

Lin Shi heard it—he realized even traditional medicine couldn't help.

He nodded, calm as ever, showing no trace of sorrow or grief. "Yeah, I probably can't stay in the military."

He knew it already, but still hoped for rehabilitation results, clinging to the hope of a miracle.

Meng Jiu had heard Lin Zhao say Lin Shi loved military life—he took pride in his profession.

He felt deep pity, looking at Meng Gu Laoyezi. "Grandpa, is there really no hope?"

Meng Gu Laoyezi, accustomed to life and death, showed no emotion. "At least Third Boy can walk normally. He's lucky. You can see—he almost lost his leg entirely."

So, be grateful.

Lin Shi had never held much hope to begin with.

He patted his little brother's shoulder, deeply touched. "It's fine. Life isn't just about being a soldier. When I retire and go back home, I'll get a job at a factory—I'm still contributing to the country."

He grinned, slinging an arm around Meng Jiu's shoulders, treating him like a child.

"Don't look so down. It's not the end of the world. Going home isn't all bad—I can visit you often. We'll build more of a bond. Look at Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao—those twins have such a great relationship. We're twins too, and elders at that. We can't be worse than two kids."

Meng Jiu was torn between laughter and tears.

"Third Brother, we're both adults. Why compare ourselves to Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao?"

He said seriously: "Even if we don't build a bond, you're still my brother. I'll always care about you."

Lin Shi sighed. "So this is what it feels like to have a younger brother? Wow, Big Brother and Second Brother must be living heaven."

Meng Jiu: "..."

The door opened, and the three inside stepped into the courtyard.

Lin Shi sat down, a quiet, lifeless calm settling over him. "Father, Mother, I'm afraid I'll be coming home to care for you. Don't find me a burden from now on."

"Never," Lin Lin Heling patted his son's spiky head.

Song Xi said softly: "It's good you're coming home. Military life is hard and dangerous—we've all worried. When you retire, you can live peacefully. We won't have to worry about you anymore."

"Mother, your son-in-law is also a soldier," Lin Shi reminded her. "Can you really stop worrying?"

"It's different," Song Xi replied coolly.

"What? You're playing favorites?"

Song Xi looked at him. "Gu Chenghuai is married with four children—he has responsibilities. When he goes on missions, he's careful. You're different. When you're on duty, you're like a wild dog—reckless, no thought for anything..."

And then.

Her son-in-law was calm and sharp-minded. As Lin Heling said, he had a hundred and fifty clever tricks up his sleeve.

Third son? He's just a reckless, impulsive brute with a fiery temper. All these years he's been in the military, your father and I have always feared he'd die far from home.

Lin Shi's face turned green.

He knew "wild dog" was what his comrades called him—he didn't need to ask.

How could they blab everything?

While her parents and Third Brother talked, Lin Zhao approached Meng Jiu. "Fourth Brother, where's the Tiegují? I want to see it."

Meng Jiu took his sister to see it.

Worried someone might break in and search their place, Meng Jiu had decided not to keep the pottery pot inside the house—he'd placed it against the wall instead.

He explained this to Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao gave him a thumbs-up. "Fourth Brother, you're thorough!"

Meng Jiu smiled faintly.

As they spoke, the siblings reached the pottery pot where the Tiegují seeds had been planted.

Lin Zhao crouched down, studying it intently. Her eyes ached from staring, but she saw no sprouts.

She frowned slightly.

It really hadn't grown.

What should she do?

Why hadn't it grown…?

The prize description had been just a few lines—so lazy, so useless. No helpful hints at all. Lin Zhao was baffled.

When desperate, people grasp at straws. A sudden thought struck her: maybe it needed nutrients?

Once the thought came, she couldn't shake it.

Lin Zhao clutched her stomach, pretending to have a stomachache. "Fourth Brother, where's the outhouse?"

"That shed over there," Meng Jiu pointed.

A figure dashed off.

"..."

So urgent?

Everyone living in the thatched huts at the mountain's foot valued cleanliness. The Meng family knew medicine—they easily made insect repellent. The outhouse was sprayed twice daily; the smell was mild, no nasty bugs.

Lin Zhao, afraid of the stench, covered her nose and mouth. Seeing the outhouse was clean, she lowered her hands and swiftly summoned her prize wheel.

It had been so long!

The total points in the upper right corner… 3,850.

So rich!

Time was tight. Lin Zhao made an instant decision and spent 1,000 points.

The wheel spun rapidly.

After about ten seconds, the pointer stopped.

"Basic Prescription ×10

Hemostatic Wound Healing Powder (Prescription): Sprinkle on gunshot or knife wounds to stop bleeding immediately; scab forms in three days.

Night Vision Pills (Prescription): Treats eye diseases. Night-blind patients take one daily for a week—see clearly at night as if it were daytime.

Tiger Bone Health Wine (Prescription): Strengthens tendons and bones, relieves fatigue. One small cup daily—within days, energy returns, legs and waist grow strong, fatigue fades.

Folk Doctor's Fever Reducer (Prescription): Miraculous for children with persistent high fever.

Essence-Strengthening Hair Growth Ointment (Prescription): Cures "ghost baldness." After one month, fine black hair grows back; after another month, hair becomes thick as before.

Child's Shock Powder (Prescription): Treats children's night crying from fright and convulsions from high fever.

..."

They seemed ordinary, but all were useful and valuable—because their ingredients were extremely cheap.

Lin Zhao was fairly satisfied.

But what she really wanted was a cure for Third Brother's leg injury.

She spun again—still 1,000 points.

When she saw the prize description under the pointer, Lin Zhao's expression lit up with delight.