Chapter 019: The Feeling of Home

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Rebirth: Fulfilling a Dream Life – No pop-ups. Today’s third update, aiming for the rankings—please recommend! There will be more updates tonight, so please show your support. Thank you!

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“Brother, you’re back! Mom and Dad said you’d be home today, so I’ve been waiting for you here! Huh, what’s wrong with Sister Juan?” As night fell, Yang Tian helped Huang Juan to the entrance of Big Willow Tree Village. There, Yang Xueling was squatting at the base of a maple tree by the village entrance, her eyes fixed on the direction from which they would return. The moment she saw them, she joyfully ran to greet them.

It had only been half a month, but she seemed to have grown taller. Her floral blouse looked new, fitting her just right and making her round little face even more adorable.

“She’s carsick. Let’s take her home first.” Yang Tian gently patted Yang Xueling’s head, then looked at Huang Juan with concern.

Coming home was indeed exciting, but Huang Juan had always been frail since childhood and suffered from severe motion sickness. The distance from Victory Middle School to Big Willow Tree Village was only about twenty miles, and the bus ride took just over half an hour, but even so, she had thrown up twice.

Yang Tian felt a pang in his heart. He ached for Huang Juan, but also felt regret. Before his rebirth, back in junior high, he used to take the bus home with Huang Juan as well. But whenever he saw her getting carsick and vomiting, he would be annoyed, disgusted, and embarrassed, always keeping his distance, afraid others would see that they knew each other.

Looking back now, he realized how selfish and callous he had been. No wonder Huang Juan eventually refused to ride home with him, their relationship growing colder over time. It had all been his fault, not hers.

“I’m fine. You two go home first—I can manage on my own! You haven’t seen each other in a while, you must have a lot to talk about, right? Go on home!” Forcing herself to perk up, Huang Juan smiled, though her face was pale.

“No way, Sister Juan! My brother and I will take you home together!” Yang Xueling quickly linked her left arm with Huang Juan’s, so she and Yang Tian supported her on either side.

“It’s really fine! I’m good! I need to go home and watch ‘Black Cat Detective’ tonight anyway. Xueling, which episode is on tonight? …Eyes wide as copper bells, flashing with shrewd lightning, ears standing like antennas, listening for any suspicious sound… Ah ha ha… Black Cat Detective…” As she spoke, Huang Juan began to sing the theme song from “Black Cat Detective.”

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“Ah ha ha… Black Cat Detective, the citizens of the forest salute you, salute you, salute you!” Yang Xueling joined in the singing, but still held onto Huang Juan as she and Yang Tian walked on.

The three of them walked beneath the dusk-darkening sky, the tall maples by the roadside rustling in the wind as if playing accompaniment. Yang Tian felt content; warmth suffused his heart.

He’d already made up his mind: within a few months, he would change this situation and never let Huang Juan suffer from carsickness again.

He’d planned to take Yang Xueling along to escort Huang Juan home, but to his surprise, Huang Juan’s parents had already come out to meet them at the village entrance. After fussing over Yang Tian and asking after his well-being, they took Huang Juan home, having already bought oranges and prepared congee to help ease her carsickness.

Meanwhile, Yang Bao and his wife had slaughtered a chicken and boiled three salted duck eggs to nourish Yang Tian—aware that school life was tough, but this was the best they could do to provide for their beloved son in the countryside.

“Brother, I heard from Uncle Xiaoyang next door that kids who leave home for the first time get really homesick and even cry. Did you miss home at school? Did you cry?” That evening, as Yang Tian watched “Black Cat Detective” with Yang Xueling, she sat beside him barefoot, her clear eyes wide with curiosity.

“I missed home, but I didn’t cry.” Yang Tian smiled, then pulled a pencil box decorated with Black Cat Detective from his backpack and handed it to Yang Xueling.

“Wow, Black Cat Detective! Brother, I love it! All my classmates have pencil boxes like this—I was so jealous, and now I have one too!” Yang Xueling couldn’t be bothered to put on her shoes, leaping off the wooden stool and dashing around the room with joy, pulling faces at Yang Tian—she was even happier than she was at New Year.

For children, tears come easily, but so does happiness. Seeing Yang Xueling so delighted, Yang Tian’s heart was comforted.

He had scrimped and saved to buy it for her. He didn’t expect his sister to understand, he only wanted her to be happy.

The next morning, Huang Juan was feeling better. At dawn, she ran over to Yang Tian’s house to play badminton with Yang Tian and Yang Xueling, bringing along fresh dates from the jujube tree in her yard for the three of them to share.

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The old jujube tree at the entrance of the Huang family’s house had been there for years; it was a winter jujube, usually ripening fully in early October, but by mid-September, the fruit was already turning white and some could be picked and eaten.

Seeing Huang Juan arrive, Yang Bao and his wife made a special trip to buy two pounds of pork, planning to have her stay for lunch and help her and Yang Tian build up their strength.

Since Yang Tian and Huang Biao had become close, Huang Juan had grown increasingly dear to Yang Tian’s mother, Li Xiuying. She quietly shared with Li Xiuying the news that Yang Tian had placed first in his class in the preliminary exams, which delighted Li Xiuying to no end. She told Yang Bao in secret, and he was so happy he drank an extra half a jin of rice wine at lunch.

When Yang Tian was younger, he’d been eccentric and timid. Everyone said he’d amount to nothing when he grew up. Though Yang Bao and his wife never said so aloud, they were inwardly discouraged and guilty, worried they wouldn’t be able to raise the child they’d taken in. That’s why every bit of good news about Yang Tian brought them joy for days, even half a month.

Happy times always pass quickly. Soon it was Sunday afternoon, and Yang Tian and Huang Juan had to return to school. When it was time to leave, Yang Xueling burst into tears, and it took a long time for Yang Tian to comfort her.

Yang Bao and his wife packed a bottle of salted pork for Yang Tian to take to school and share with Huang Juan. The Huang family sent along salted duck and pickled radish, asking Yang Tian to carry them to school as well, so the two of them could have something tasty with their meals.

Huang Juan didn’t cry when they left, but once on the bus, she quietly shed tears, turning her face to the window so Yang Tian wouldn’t see. Yang Tian didn’t disturb her—he simply slipped the dried jujube blossom she had given him into her hand. Upon seeing it, she stopped crying and broke into a smile.

“What’s wrong, don’t want it anymore?” Wiping her tears, Huang Juan pretended to be upset. She’d given him the jujube blossom three years ago, when Yang Tian had skipped from kindergarten to third grade. She never imagined he would keep it all this time. A wave of emotion and a flutter of innocent excitement welled up in her heart.

“No, I just want you to know I’ll always be here for you, to give you a sense of home.” With a sincere smile, Yang Tian took the jujube blossom from her hand and carefully placed it back in his beautiful notebook, then tucked it away in his backpack.

Seeing this, Huang Juan smiled sweetly. She instinctively took Yang Tian’s hand. Strangely, this time she didn’t get carsick on the way back. Despite some discomfort, she held tightly to Yang Tian’s hand, pressed an orange peel to her nose, and made it all the way to school with a smile on her face.