Always Home

Huan'er finalized her return date—one month later, on July 20th.

This was almost universally welcome news. Though Qi Qi felt a tinge of regret, she still promised to come down from Scotland to see her off at the airport. Mentor Ding Heping had long been eager to assign her tasks but didn’t forget to remind her not to slack off and to wrap up her current work properly. Song Cong and Du Man seemed even happier than Huan’er herself, already planning how everyone could get together that weekend back in Tianhe. As for her parents, their joy went without saying. Chen Ba immediately decided to take time off according to her schedule, and the two of them even brought up a topic they had never mentioned before—"So, Huan’er, what are your plans next with Xiao Jing?"

Huan’er laughed. "I still have to graduate first, don’t I?"

Chen Ma, ever open-minded, said, "You don’t have to wait deliberately. Last year, a Ph.D. who joined our institute brought his wife and kids to his graduation ceremony. You two are already in your mid-twenties—it’s time to start thinking about life’s big milestones."

"You mean marriage?" Chen Ba’s idea of "plans" clearly didn’t include this, his tone dripping with reluctance. "That’s too soon. Don’t rush things—it’s up to the kids."

"Too soon? I was already running around with your daughter at their age." Chen Ma never minced words when it came to her own family. "Qi Chi went to the U.S. specifically for our little treasure—why else would he leave Beijing for no reason? Once Huan’er comes back, things will stabilize. Better to settle things sooner rather than later."

Chen Ba snorted and changed the subject. "Sweetheart, what are your thoughts moving forward?"

"I’ve talked to Lao Ding about staying on at the university." Huan’er paused briefly, then decided to focus on the positive. "It’ll mainly depend on my grades and research progress. There’s still time—we’ll take it step by step."

This year abroad had been far more difficult than she’d anticipated. Her primary advisor, David, followed a hands-off approach, and her relationship with her secondary advisor, Mark, had always been… complicated. For various reasons, her research progress had stalled significantly. If she had to sum it up as simply "good" or "bad," Huan’er would definitely say "bad"—she only had one paper to her name, and though she could claim first authorship by contribution, at the end of the day, it was still a shared first authorship.

There was no turning back now. She refused to dwell on whether things might have gone smoother if she hadn’t left.

"Don’t put too much pressure on yourself," Chen Ma reassured her. "Staying at the university isn’t as easy as it used to be. With your skills, you’ll never be without options. I know you’ll shine wherever you go."

"Your mom’s right. Health comes first—everything else is secondary." Chen Ba stuck to his usual script. "I know my daughter. I have faith in you."

Some things never changed. For as long as she could remember, they had never placed demands on her, only offered boundless understanding.

As the call neared its end, Huan’er cleared her throat and announced brightly, "Lao Chen, happy Father’s Day."

It just so happened to be Father’s Day.

She had expected her usually stoic father to be moved—perhaps even sighing, "My daughter’s all grown up."

Lao Chen did speak up, but his words were clearly directed at his wife. "See? I told you this girl wouldn’t forget. And you wanted to bet against me—did you really think you could outmatch the bond between father and daughter?"

Huan’er instantly realized—the Chen family’s irreverent humor was alive and well. If they ever suddenly turned sentimental, that would truly be cause for alarm.

Qian Yisheng, clearly dissatisfied with this outcome, retorted, "Who’s to say you two weren’t in cahoots from the start?""Losers can't be choosers, stop struggling," Chen Ba told his daughter. "This time when I win, your mom has to agree to change the car. The current one keeps having minor issues. Last time your mom drove back from Sishui, the exhaust pipe was spewing black smoke the whole way, and she didn’t even notice. Thinking about it afterward, how dangerous was that?"

"The car isn’t driven often, just repair it..."

"It’s time for a replacement based on its age," Chen Ba interrupted firmly. "This matter is non-negotiable. It’s my call."

Huan'er didn’t comment, just listened to their bickering with a smile. If you asked her what an affectionate couple should look like, she probably wouldn’t be able to find the right words right away. But if the question were to give an example, Huan'er thought she could write an entire thesis on it.

Of course, not every day or every matter would go smoothly, but from the moment they decided to live together, that person would remain on the list of those she cared about, never once replaced.

Much later, Jing Qichi finally called. First, he asked how long she’d be staying at home before returning to school. Upon hearing Huan'er’s plans, he immediately opened a flight booking website. While searching, he said, "I can fly Friday night, landing at eleven. Monday... the earliest flight is at eight, which won’t work. I have a Monday morning meeting, so I’d have to come back Sunday night."

Huan'er noticed his heavy nasal tone and asked, "Do you have a cold?"

"A little." Jing Qichi couldn’t hold back a sneeze but continued, "I’ll book the tickets first. We’ll figure out how you’ll get here later—I’ll pick you up."

"Maybe don’t bother. We’ll see each other back at school anyway."

He chuckled on the other end. "I’ve missed you like crazy. This is no bother at all."

Huan'er didn’t argue further, murmuring softly, "Me too."

She heard the sound of keyboard clicks, guessing Jing Qichi was entering his booking details, and asked, "Are the tickets expensive?"

"Not too bad."

"I’ll reimburse you."

The man laughed again. "I got a raise. I can support you for a while, no problem."

"For a while?"

"If you’re willing, of course I can support you forever." Jing Qichi put the call on speaker and set the phone aside, typing in the details as the webpage instructed while chatting casually with her. "Had a headache today, fell asleep as soon as I got home. Woke up to complete silence, then saw your message. I thought, in a month, it won’t be like this anymore. So nice."

Huan'er snorted. "Who said I’m living with you?"

"Right, right, up to you. I’m ready whenever." He scanned the QR code to pay, closed the speaker once the booking confirmation appeared, and brought the phone back to his ear. "Last weekend, I went with colleagues to check out a property. Good location and layout, and they said the price was reasonable. The complex has a kindergarten, great greenery, and it’s those red houses you like." Jing Qichi gazed at the city lights outside his window, pausing before telling her, "Huan'er, I want to settle down with you."

He was talking about their future.

In the time she hadn’t known, he had already sketched out—not just in his heart, but in tangible form—a vision of their life ahead.

They would have a home.

At that moment, Huan'er suddenly felt an overwhelming calm. Whether Mark would give a bad review, whether she could stay at the school, how to tackle her research topic or when to publish her paper to graduate early—all of it became as light as a feather. It was as if she could see Jing Qichi opening his arms, and she was running toward him with all her might."Okay." Huan'er answered solemnly. Hearing another series of sneezes from the other end, she quickly asked, "Haven't you eaten yet?"

"About to go downstairs to grab something. Should we hang up first?"

"Don't." Huan'er couldn't bear to end the call. "Just go like this, I want to listen."

Jing Qichi smiled slightly, holding the phone as he changed his shoes by the entrance before grabbing his keys and leaving. His current place was close to the office, with a commercial street right outside the neighborhood, offering everything from food to entertainment. Summer had already arrived in the south, and the streets were bustling with people. The light clothing made everything seem livelier.

After ordering food, Jing Qichi waited outside the restaurant. The two chatted about Song Cong and Du Man, with Huan'er telling him how nervous the girl had been when meeting the parents, even preparing multiple outfits. "Actually, Lao Song is Manman's first love. It's no surprise she was nervous with zero experience. If they ever argue in the future, I'm definitely siding with Manman, no questions asked..."

Jing Qichi didn't respond, and Huan'er grew puzzled until she heard background noise from the other end—someone was singing:

"Time, time, slow down, don't let you grow old anymore.

I'd give everything to keep your years from fading.

My strong-willed father, what can I do for you?

Please accept this small gesture of care."

During the interlude, the singer began speaking, "Today is Father's Day. This song, 'Father,' is for all of you. Wishing every father good health, and hoping children visit home more often."

"Qi Chi?" Huan'er called out.

"Oh, I'm here." Jing Qichi snapped back to attention. "Uh... there's a big shopping center downstairs. Seems like they're celebrating an anniversary with performances. Lots of people watching, and there's even a mascot—must be sweltering in that full-body costume in this weather. Probably drenched in sweat within minutes..."

He fell back into his old habit, masking his emotions with trivial details.

Huan'er stayed silent, and Jing Qichi eventually ran out of things to say, the line going quiet.

The song hadn't ended yet, the singer pouring his heart into it.

"I..." Jing Qichi tightened his grip on the phone, looking up at the sky. "I know everything now. About my mom."

Huan'er, worried, couldn't help but ask, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess." Jing Qichi replied. "You and Lao Song kept hinting at things, so I just asked my mom directly. It's been so long—she, me, we should all move on. I'm happy for her."

"Qi Chi." The lighter his tone, the heavier Huan'er's heart felt, twisting into knots.

It suddenly struck her that moving on wasn't a right or an obligation—it was just a choice, willing or unwilling. And everyone around him had been pushing him to look ahead, listing all the future benefits to convince him to cut ties with the past and start anew. Unintentionally, they had overlooked his own wishes.

Some wounds, perhaps, never fully heal.

And that's okay. It really is.

The singer began the final verse—

"Time, time, slow down, don't let you grow old anymore.

I'd give everything to keep your years from fading.

Am I your pride? Do you still worry for me?

Your beloved child has grown up."

Jing Qichi glanced at the crowd in the distance before speaking into the phone, "I want to move forward too, but I'm afraid he'd blame me. We can be happy, we can live well, but he's all alone over there, Huan'er. He's just by himself."Huan'er sometimes felt as if she were Jing Qichi. Whatever he longed for, struggled with, or hesitated over—whether his joys or dilemmas—she was like an organ within his body, a rib in his chest. If he ached, she ached with him.

Just like now.

"Take it slow," Huan'er murmured softly. "Qi Chi, let's take it slow."