Chapter 529: Good News Reaches the Family

At dusk in Sijiucheng, the setting sun plated the vermilion lacquered gate of the Lin Family Courtyard with a warm orange glow.

The red lanterns hung early in the courtyard were still unlit; when the wind blew, the silk ribbons swayed lightly, making the newly sprouted buds of the crabapple tree look auspicious.

Qin Jingru had just put the prayer mats away in the side room with her community colleagues, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and turned to see He Yushui carrying a basin of freshly washed red dates, placing them on the Eight Immortals table by the hall doorway.

"He Yushui, haven't you sent that Peace Amulet yet?" Qin Jingru walked over, her fingertip touching the dark‑blue Peace Amulet in the brocade box, the embroidered characters "Peace" glittering with gold powder, "Let the post office comrades send it express tonight; it'll surely reach Xibei by tomorrow."

He Yushui: "No rush, I'll wait for Elder Sister to come back and send them together; she still has to write a letter to Shengli."

As they spoke, a clear bicycle bell rang from outside the gate, followed by the children's chattering.

"The kids are back!"

Qin Jingru had just stepped to the doorway when two figures walked in side by side—Lin Zhengcheng, Lin Qinhua, and two young assistants who had followed them from their research unit.

Lin Zhengcheng is one year younger than the eldest brother; after earning his doctorate he dove straight into the fighter jet avionics R&D.

Lin Qinhua, the same age as Lin Zhengcheng and the family's eldest daughter, also holds a doctorate, specializing in aerospace materials compatibility; the siblings have always worked alongside their father and elder brother, but today, because the flight test was at a critical juncture and the family was holding a prayer ceremony, they had rushed back from the research institute.

Both wore plain research uniforms, their faces showing a hint of travel‑fatigue, yet the anticipation in their eyes could not be concealed.

"Mom, Aunt He, is everything set at home?" Lin Qinhua stepped forward, her voice calm and steady, she brushed the wind‑tousled corner of Qin Jingru's clothing and affectionately linked her arm, "The institute gave us half a day off today so we could come back and wait for news. This morning I spoke briefly with Elder Brother, and he told us to lend a hand around the house."

He Yushui smiled and handed over two clean towels: "Wipe your sweat, you've had a tough trip back. Mom's in the kitchen watching over things; knowing you'd return today, she had Aunt Zhang make the braised spare ribs you loved as kids, saying it's to nourish you."

Just as the courtyard began to liven up, the indoor telephone rang suddenly, its "ding‑ling‑ling" especially sharp in the evening quiet.

Qin Jingru's heart skipped a beat; she exchanged a glance with Lin Zhengcheng and saw tension in his eyes, then she rushed into the hall in two‑step strides and picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is the Lin residence, I'm Qin Jingru……"

From the other end came the voice of the Xibei Flight Test Station communications officer, brimming with restrained excitement.

"Hello, Director Qin! I'm the communications officer at the Flight Test Station, calling with good news! The J‑20 flight test was a complete success—all items went smoothly. General Lin and Engineer Lin asked me to call home and report that all is well!"

"It succeeded?" Qin Jingru's voice trembled instantly, the handset almost slipping from her grip, her eyes reddening at once.

She drew a deep breath and asked again, "Are you telling the truth? Is Shengli—and Zheng Peng—unharmed?"

"They're fine! General Lin and Engineer Lin are doing well, just busy with later data processing; they can't personally call home right now, so they specifically asked me to relay the good news first, to put the family at ease."

The communications officer's voice remained excited.

After hanging up, Qin Jingru stood frozen for a few seconds, tears streaming down her cheeks while she broke into a smile.

Lin Zhengcheng, Lin Qinhua, and He Yushui gathered around; Lin Qinhua tugged at Qin Jingru's sleeve and asked softly:

"Mom, is this the good news from Dad and Elder Brother?"

"It's good news!" Qin Jingru wiped her tears, her voice booming, "Kids, the aircraft your father and elder brother developed has succeeded in its flight test!"

No sooner had she spoken than the courtyard erupted in an uproar.

Lin Zhengcheng clenched his fist, excitedly slapped his palm hard, and shouted loudly, "Great! Now all our hard work hasn't been in vain!"

Lin Qinhua's eyes rimmed red, she gently wiped the corner of her eye and nodded with a smile.

"Dad and Elder Brother have had it rough; at last we've gotten a perfect outcome."

He Yushui's eyes also reddened; she covered her mouth and nodded with a smile.

"Good, good—none of our hard work was for nothing."

The two young assistants also joined the cheers, feeling proud to have taken part in the development of such a National Heavy Weapon.

Han Chunyan happened to be returning from buying groceries outside, a bag of fruit in hand, hearing the courtyard's cheers she hurried inside.

"What's all the commotion? What happened?"

"Chunyan, great news! The J‑20 flight test succeeded! Shengli and Zheng Peng are safe!" Qin Jingru walked over, grabbed her hand, and said excitedly.

Han Chunyan's fruit bag almost slipped to the ground, her eyes lighting up instantly.

"Really? This is truly a joyous occasion! I'll go tell the kitchen to add a few extra hearty dishes tonight so we can celebrate properly!"

Saying that, she turned and ran toward the kitchen, shouting, "Aunt Zhang! Aunt Zhang! There's big news!"

The courtyard's atmosphere grew ever more heated; Lin Zhengcheng took Lin Qinhua's hand and brought out the previously prepared auspicious couplet—the eight large characters "Flight Test Smooth" and "Country and Home at Peace" stood out sharply in the sunset glow.

"Let's straighten the couplet—this will be the best gift for Dad and Elder Brother!" Lin Zhengcheng said, fetching paste and a brush; the siblings worked in perfect sync, Lin Qinhua steadying the couplet for alignment while Lin Zhengcheng carefully applied the paste, his motions steady and neat, the two assistants handing over supplies from the side, and soon the couplet was posted straight and proper.

He Yushui went to the Eight Immortals table, rearranged the red dates she had just set out, then took a few apples from inside, wiped each clean, and arranged them in a circle. Sunlight filtered through the crabapple branches, casting dappled shadows on the table; the red of the dates and apples made the whole courtyard look festive and joyous.

"Ding‑ling‑ling—" another bicycle bell rang, this time more urgent than before.

Qin Jingru looked up—it was Zheng Juan returning.

She rode her bicycle, a briefcase still in the basket, clearly having rushed back after receiving the news.

"Elder Sister!" Qin Jingru hurried forward, helping Zheng Juan steady her bicycle.

Zheng Juan jumped off, beads of fine sweat on her forehead, her breathing a little short—evidently she had hurried too much.

"I got a call from the Flight Test Station at work—are Shengli and Zheng Peng all right? Did the flight test really succeed?"

"They're fine, they're fine!" Qin Jingru took her hand and repeated the communications officer's words: "Rest assured, father and son are both safe; they're just busy collating the data and haven't had time to call personally."

Zheng Juan let out a long sigh, her tense shoulders finally relaxing, her eyes reddening as well.