Two days later, just as the Qi family was still at a loss, Qi Taiguo returned to his hometown, dressed lightly. By the time he arrived, dinner was already over, and everyone was both surprised and delighted.
"How did you get so thin?" Mother Qi was heartbroken upon seeing Qi Taiguo.
Cheng Su also felt a pang of sadness; how much hardship had he endured to become so thin? She couldnât help but wipe her tears and was anxious to know about his injuries, but his long shirt and pants revealed nothing.
"Werenât you injured? Where are the injuries?" Mother Qi wiped her tears for a while before asking.
Cheng Su also looked over eagerly.
Qi Taiguo said, "Itâs nothing serious, just on the back, injured by the sparks from bomb fragments. Look, Iâm perfectly fine. Those injuries will heal in a few days!"
"Let me see!"
"Mom, itâs still wrapped in bandages, nothing to see. The doctor advised against airing the wounds. Any mission comes with injuries; itâs fine as long as Iâm okay!" Qi Taiguo refused to show.
Cheng Su felt the injuries were serious; otherwise, why wouldnât he show them? He probably didnât want the elderly to worry, thus deliberately said so.
Looking at him, pale and thin, one could at least feel relieved that he was intact, without broken limbs.
"Alright, the child is back, thatâs good enough. Donât strain yourself and rupture the wound!" Father Qi eased his heart upon seeing Qi Taiguo in good spirits after a while.
In his view, injuries were trivial; the most important thing was to be alive.
Qi Taiguo glanced around and didnât see Qi Fengping, so he asked, "Whereâs Fengping?"
"In the room!" Qi Fenglian pursed her lips, walked to the door, knocked, and said, "Your brotherâs back!"
After a moment, Qi Fengping came out.
Qi Taiguo saw her figure, and instantly, a murderous aura erupted from him, so cold it gave goosebumps.
He took three steps and reached her, raising his hand as if to strike.
Qi Fengping screamed and quickly hid behind Qi Fenglian, trembling and clutching her elder sisterâs shirt hem.
Qi Fenglian was startled and said, "Taiguo, she canât take a slap from you now!"
Qi Taiguo was so angry that veins stood out on his forehead, and through gritted teeth, he cursed, "Shameless disgrace, how could you have learned nothing after all these years of studying?"
Pregnant before marriage, with the father a criminal who now wonât take responsibility; this was his sister, Qi Taiguoâs sister!
Such a disgrace!
"Taiguo, have you eaten? Taiguoâs wife, go make some soup and rice for your man, let him fill his stomach first!" Father Qi was more concerned about Qi Taiguo.
Cheng Su responded and went.
"Make egg soup, add more ginger to ward off the cold." Mother Qi quickly instructed, then thought and added, "Forget it, you canât do it. Iâll make it myself, you sit down!"
Cheng Su watched as Mother Qi rushed to the kitchen, unable to help but smile. In the end, he was her son, and not even her daughter-in-law could be trusted to handle it personally.
Since she didnât have to cook, Cheng Su sat beside Qi Taiguo, smelling the medicine on him and frowning slightly.
Seeing her expression, Qi Taiguo comforted, "Itâs fine, recovering well!" Then, he shifted the topic, "Dad, whatâs the whole story?"
Father Qi looked at his stern face and felt a bit relieved too; the backbone of the family was back, and things could be managed. Indeed, after today, he felt he had aged, and the backbone of the Qi family was Qi Taiguo.