“Aiya! Xiuyao is back! Hubby, come out quickly!”

Kong’s mother ran out of the kitchen with an apron around her waist. Her rough hands were shiny, and she seemed to be cooking.

“Mom, I’m back!” Kong Xiuyao went forward and hugged his mother.

In the past ten years, because the two places were too far apart, his parents could be counted on one hand when they came to visit him at Yongmen Mountain. However, they would always carry big and small bags to eat, afraid that they would starve outside.

At first, Kong Xiuyao was a little awkward. After all, he had transmigrated. However, he did feel his parents’ concern, so he gladly accepted it.

“Ouch, ouch, your apron is dirty. Don’t dirty your clothes.” His mother pushed him away with heartache and turned around to enter the house to call for help. “You’re still sleeping! You didn’t even know that your son was back!”

“What? Xiuyao is back? Why didn’t you say so earlier!”

A middle-aged man in a white vest lifted the curtain and came out. When he saw Kong Xiuyao, he was stunned at first, as if he couldn’t recognize him. Then he wiped the corners of his eyes and said happily, “You must be tired from the journey. Come in quickly! Have you eaten? Let your mother cook a few dishes for you!”

The two old men were overjoyed. They welcomed Kong Xiuyao into the house on both sides. This courtyard was neither big nor small. There were only the two of them and a lazy dog. It was usually cold and cheerless, but today, it was finally lively.

Mrs. Kong rushed into the kitchen again and started the stove. Soon, she remembered the sizzling sound of cooking.

Kong Xiuyao placed his luggage by the door and sized up this home that he had never returned to.

The room was simply furnished. An eight-seater table was placed in the middle of the living room, surrounded by benches on all sides. There were two small folding stools in front of the door and a yellowed painting on the wall.

Even though it was monotonous, it was very neat. The furniture might not be complete but their daily lives were not affected. Their parents’ lives were considered passable.

He sat close to the camp stool. The yellow dog, who was sleeping at the door, finally sensed that someone had come into the house. It walked over and surrounded him to smell him, as if confirming his identity. Its tail wagged like a propeller.

“Xiuyao, sit at the table and drink some water to moisten your throat.” Father Kong poured a large jar of tea and placed it on the table.

Kong Xiuyao obediently shifted his position. There was a huge ‘happiness’ character on the enamel jar, and the tea inside was so thick that it was black.

The father and son had been separated for many years, and Mr. Kong’s stomach was filled with many things he wanted to say. When chatting, he wiped the corners of his eyes excitedly. Kong Xiuyao didn’t feel good, and his heart ached.

After a while, Kong’s mother served the dishes. There were chili stir-fried leaves, green pepper shredded pork, dried bean paste, and a few home-cooked dishes. However, she felt that it was not enough and wanted to go to the kitchen again. Kong Xiuyao tried to stop her.

He knew that his parents might not be able to bear to eat these three plates of meat usually. Today, they took them all out for him.

“Mom, don’t be busy. The three of us haven’t eaten together for a long time. Sit down!” Kong Xiuyao placed the bowl on the table for his mother and pulled her to sit down.

The three of them ate and laughed and chatted happily for a long time. Kong Xiuyao recalled the scene he saw on the way back to the village and asked curiously, “What’s wrong with the village? Why are everyone building houses?”

Speaking of this, Mrs. Kong said, “It’s all because of the demolition. The developer is a good person and gives a lot of money. Every family wants to get more money, so they hurry up and build a house. Uncle Zhao next door even built a small shack on the crops.”

Kong Xiuyao joked, “Then Dad, Mom, why didn’t you build it?”

“Your father’s waist isn’t good, so he can’t do heavy work. I can’t be bothered to snatch it from them.” Kong’s mother whispered, “Xiuyao, I’ve calculated it. Our family can be compensated with 400,000 yuan! It’s enough for us to buy a small house in the county city. You can also use the rest to do a small business!”

Based on the current economic situation, 10,000 yuan was a rare existence. 300,000 yuan was indeed a lot. Pingxu Village was not a place with good feng shui either. The demolition benefit was actually twice the average price of the market.

Kong Xiuyao couldn’t help but be curious. “Which boss developed our village? Why is he so generous?”

“I think it’s called the Wonda Group.”

“Oh—” Kong Xiuyao dragged his voice meaningfully.

Wang Jianglin was indeed his eldest disciple. He always wanted to be filial to his master. Even the treatment of the entire village had increased a lot. He was worthy of praise.

At this moment, there was a commotion outside the house. The sound of vulgarities mixed with the dull sound of sticks hitting each other could be heard. Kong Xiuyao turned his ear and asked, “What’s that sound outside?”

Mrs. Kong hurriedly picked up a large piece of meat for him. “It’s nothing. It’s most likely that your Uncle Lu and Grandpa Jiang are fighting again. Their families are just separated by a wall. In order to get more demolition money, they fight every few days.”

Logically speaking, no matter if there were people scolding or fighting in the village, it would be a huge commotion. The villagers would all watch with their bowls of rice. However, Kong’s parents looked used to it. It was obvious that fighting over territory was no longer new.

His parents were the only ones at home, so Kong Xiuyao couldn’t help but worry. “No one came to snatch our family’s land, right?”

“Of course not.” Kong’s father laughed and said, “It’s strange. The village is already in a mess, but no one came to rob our house. The neighbors on both sides built new nests to avoid our house. Look at the big yellow dog at the door. It doesn’t use it to guard the house. It only eats and sleeps. It’s almost as fat as a pig.”

Kong’s mother added, “That’s right. There were a few times when your Uncle Lu couldn’t defeat others and ran to our house to take refuge. Our house is the quietest in the entire village. You can have a good sleep at night.”

“Hahaha, that’s good.”

Kong Xiuyao slapped his forehead and felt that his memory was too bad. He actually forgot that eight years ago, when his first disciple left the mountain, he had instructed him to take care of his parents on his behalf and not let the unruly people in the village bully them.

As for the Mafia, mercenaries, and martial arts masters that were later nurtured, he gave the same explanation before he left the mountain.

These disciples were very capable and had ten thousand ways to warn the villagers without exposing their identities. Those villagers wanted money and their lives, so they definitely wouldn’t dare to provoke them.

However, it had been a long time since he had nurtured a barbaric disciple, so Kong Xiuyao did not remember for a moment.

“Dad, Mom, I’m really sorry. I haven’t been home for so many years. Now that I’m back..”

Before he could finish speaking, Kong’s father interrupted him. “Stop talking, Xiuyao. We’re already very happy that you’re back. You must be exhausted from the journey, right? Go to sleep after eating. Your mother unpacks your room every day. The bedsheets and bedding are all ready.”

Kong Xiuyao originally wanted to fantasize about the future with his parents, but his parents did not give him a chance at all. Seeing that he no longer ate, the two of them cleaned up the dishes and went to the kitchen together, avoiding this topic.

Kong Xiuyao was confused. Why didn’t his parents want to hear about his son’s future? Did he have something to hide?