Chapter 112: Father and Daughter Reunion

After He Daqing finished eating, He Yuzhu took a bath at Li Qiang's house, then found a set of his own clothes and let him change first. After He Daqing finished washing up and came out, he clearly seemed like a different person.

"Uncle He, rest a while; tonight I'll give you a welcome," Li Qiang said with a smile.

"Fine, then I'll trouble you," He Daqing said without ceremony.

He Yuzhu brought He Daqing back to his own home, let him rest first in He Xiao's room. He Daqing was indeed tired; upon reaching He Xiao's room he lay down and fell asleep immediately.

While He Daqing was resting, He Yuzhu rode his bicycle to He Yushui's home.

"Brother, why did you come?" He Yushui was very surprised by He Yuzhu's arrival, because He Yuzhu hardly ever went to her home.

"Yushui, I have something to tell you," He Yuzhu said in a low voice.

"What's wrong, brother? Did something happen?" He Yushui felt a jolt in her heart seeing He Yuzhu's expression, thinking something had happened at home.

"He Daqing has returned," He Yuzhu said. Even now he still couldn't forgive He Daqing, and refused to call him "dad."

"Brother, who did you say returned?" He Yushui could hardly believe her ears.

"He Daqing has returned," He Yuzhu said again.

"Brother, what are you thinking?" This time He Yushui finally heard clearly. As a child, He Yushui depended heavily on He Daqing, often dreaming he had returned; each time she woke to find it was just a dream. Over time she gave up hope, but now hearing he had come back left her feeling torn.

After all, her long-held dream had finally come true, yet when she needed him most he never showed up; now her life with her brother had improved, and he returns—how could she not feel conflicted?

"I don't know what to do either; tonight take the kids back to see him. After all, he gave birth to us—if he stays this time, I will still support him in his old age and see him through to the end, after all he is my father." Saying this, He Yuzhu felt as if she had made a major decision.

"Okay, I'll listen to you," He Yushui said, now truly having no opinion of her own.

"Alright, I'm heading back," He Yuzhu said, and without lingering she rode her bicycle back to the siheyuan.

Upon learning that He Daqing had returned, Yi Zhonghai was unable to sit or stand still at home.

"What's wrong with you?" First Aunt asked, seeing Yi Zhonghai absent-minded.

"He Daqing has returned," Yi Zhonghai muttered.

"I've heard; after all, back then he ran off with a widow, he didn't die, so returning now is normal," First Aunt said.

"Ah, what do you know?" Yi Zhonghai gave First Aunt a sideways glance and said.

"I know what you're worried about—you're afraid that after he returns, Zhuzi won't support us in our old age, right?" First Aunt said.

"That's just one of the reasons."

"And what else?"

"Ah, I'm not telling you; let me think first," Yi Zhonghai said, then sat down in a chair and began to ponder deeply.

First Aunt never understood why Yi Zhonghai reacted so strongly to He Daqing's return.

"Old man, you said He Daqing has returned—Old Yi is thinking of getting Sha Zhu to support him in his old age; that's bound to come to nothing," Third Aunt said to Yan Butgui.

"You don't need to say that; although He Daqing hasn't looked after Sha Zhu and his sister these years, after all he is their father—blood is thicker than water—now that He Daqing has returned, could Sha Zhu possibly ignore him? Besides, Old Yi originally focused all his thoughts on Jia Dongxu; only after falling out with him did he think of reconciling with Sha Zhu, and there's probably also the deaf old lady's opinion in this." Yan Butgui, though fond of taking advantage, is also one of the few clear-headed people in the siheyuan.

"Looks like Old Yi won't be able to sleep this time," Third Aunt said with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Then it's not something we need to worry about," Yan Butgui said indifferently.

He Daqing slept until evening before waking; when he came out of He Xiao's room and entered He Yuzhu's room, he stared at the people inside for a long time.

"Yushui?" He Daqing asked He Yushui tentatively. When he left, she was seven; now she is over thirty. Though they hadn't seen each other for over twenty years, he could still faintly recognize her, though he dared not be certain.

"Dad," He Yushui called, and tears immediately streamed down uncontrollably. After not seeing each other for over twenty years, He Daqing had gone from a young man to an old man, but his signature paralyzed face remained unchanged, so she recognized him at a glance.

"Ah, you've grown up, you've grown up," He Daqing said, choking up, tears likewise flowing involuntarily.

"Dad," seeing him like this, He Yushui could hold back no longer, she flung herself into his arms and burst into tears.

"It's okay, don't cry, don't cry; it's father who's sorry to you," He Daqing held He Yushui, constantly comforting her, but his own tears kept flowing nonstop.

After crying for a while, He Yushui finally composed herself and quickly called her two children over.

"Guoqing, Guomei, quickly call maternal grandfather," He Yushui told her two children.

"Maternal grandfather," the two children said timidly.

"Good, good, remember when I left, Yushui was about this little girl's size; in the blink of an eye her children are this big." He Daqing looked at Zhuang Guomei, as if he could see the young Yushui in her.

"Enough, you still have the nerve to bring up the past—if it weren't for Second Brother and them, I and Yushui might have starved to death back then." He Yuzhu retorted, showing she still holds a grudge about those events.

"How could that be? I've been sending you money every month—how could you possibly have gone hungry?" He Daqing asked He Yuzhu, raising his head.

"Who did you send it to? Ask Yushui—did we see even a cent of it?" He Yuzhu said angrily.

"Yushui, tell Father the truth—did you really receive no money?" He Daqing asked He Yushui.

"Dad, we really got nothing. At first my older brother went out doing odd jobs to support me; when there was no work he took me to pick up trash to sell. Later Second Brother switched jobs, came back home to do repairs, and had my brother cook for the Repair Team's masters. Only then did my brother and I manage to eat our fill. After Second Brother started work at the steel mill, he got my brother a job there, and only then did our lives stabilize." He Yushui said, holding back tears.