Reborn in the 80s: My Whole Family Secretly Hears My Thoughts and Goes Wild with Success! - Chapter 123

The sky was gloomy and overcast, making the air feel particularly heavy and stifling—much like Ye Zhiqiu’s current state of mind.

Ye Yunlin and Li Shuying were taking the train back to the Great Northern Wilderness today. Ye Zhiqiu and her cousins, Ye Jiawen and Ye Jiawu, saw them off at the railway station.

“Uncle, Aunt, please take good care of yourselves,” Ye Zhiqiu said, hugging Li Shuying tightly as her voice choked with emotion. “I’ll miss you.”

“Silly child, don’t cry. Your uncle and I will come back to see you once we’ve finished our work over there,” Li Shuying reassured her, gently patting Ye Zhiqiu’s back.

She then turned to Ye Jiawen first. “Jiawen, study hard, and remember what I told you.”

Ye Jiawen nodded solemnly. “Mom, don’t worry. I’ve taken your words to heart.”

Li Shuying then looked at Ye Jiawu. “Jiawu, protect your sister and your cousin Zhiqiu. I’m entrusting them to you. Make sure nothing happens to either of them, or I won’t let you off easy!”

Ye Jiawu shook his fist playfully. “Don’t worry, Mom! I’ll definitely protect my sister and Cousin Zhiqiu. If anyone dares to bully them, I’ll punch them so hard they won’t be recognizable!”

“You should focus on learning from your master. Martial arts aren’t meant for picking fights,” Ye Yunlin said, patting Ye Jiawu’s shoulder. “And look after Xiaoxiang too.”

“I will, Dad.”

But all good feasts must come to an end. The train wouldn’t stop running just because of the sorrow of parting.

After seeing their relatives off, the three cousins walked out of the station. Ye Jiawu handed the keys to Fu’an Hutong to Ye Zhiqiu. “Cousin, I’m moving to the martial arts school today.”

His master back in the Great Northern Wilderness had said there was nothing more he could teach him and referred him to his senior fellow apprentice.

Ye Jiawu had loved martial arts since he was a child. He planned to train hard and eventually join the army to serve the country.

“Is Xiaoxiang going with you?”

“Yeah, he’s my junior fellow apprentice now.”

When Shen Xiang learned that Ye Jiawu was going to the sports school, he told He Weijun that he wanted to go too. Although He Weijun was reluctant to let him go, he agreed.

Shen Xiang’s relentless determination won over the master, who made an exception to accept him as a disciple despite his lack of foundational training.

“Alright. When you two have time off, give me a call. I’ll come pick you up and bring you home,” Ye Zhiqiu said, pulling Ye Jiawu into a hug.

Ye Jiawen looked at her brother. “If Cousin Zhiqiu is busy, you can always call me instead, understand?”

“Got it.”

Ye Jiawu patted his chest proudly, glancing at Ye Zhiqiu and then Ye Jiawen. “Cousin, Sis, I’ve grown up now. Can you please stop treating me like a kid?”

In unison, Ye Zhiqiu and Ye Jiawen replied, “No.”

“As long as you’re my brother, you’ll always be a kid to me,” Ye Jiawen said, poking Ye Jiawu playfully.

Ye Zhiqiu nodded in agreement. “That’s right. To us, you’ll always be our little brother.”

“Fine, fine,” Ye Jiawu sighed, waving his hand in mock resignation. “If I’m a kid, then I’m a kid. It’s not so bad—at least I have my sisters to spoil me.”

“In that case, Sis, Cousin, can you buy me some chocolate?”

“We know you love it, so we already got you some.”

Ye Zhiqiu took a small packet of chocolate and milk candies from her bag. “This is meant to last you a month. Only one piece of each per day. If you eat too much, you’ll get cavities, and they hurt like crazy.”

“This is for Xiaoxiang. Please pass it on to him,” she said, handing another packet to Ye Jiawu.

“And I’ll keep this one for myself,” Ye Jiawen joked, pulling out identical packets from her own bag.

Seeing this, Ye Jiawu reached out to grab them. “Sis, since you’ve already bought them, why not give them to me?”

“I’ll give them to you, but you have to share them with your fellow apprentices—no hoarding! If you want more, Cousin Zhiqiu and I will buy more for you.”

“From now on, you’ll be living and training with your martial arts brothers. It’s important to build good relationships with them.”

“I know, Sis.”

Ye Jiawu took the packets, beaming as if he were holding gold bars.

Ye Jiawen couldn’t help but ruffle his hair affectionately. “You silly goose.”

Ye Jiawu’s luggage had already been dropped off at He Weijun’s place. Ye Zhiqiu decided to take him there and check on Shen Xiang while she was at it.

“Sis!”

Shen Xiang was tidying up the house when he saw Ye Zhiqiu. His eyes lit up instantly.

“Xiaoxiang, how are you settling in?” Ye Zhiqiu asked about how he was adjusting.

Shen Xiang smiled. “It’s great. Uncle He is so much better—he doesn’t drink or smoke, never curses, and never loses his temper over nothing.”

“He loves reading. Look, Sis, he has so many books!”

Shen Xiang pointed to a bookcase at the far end of the room. “I’ve been reading these past few days too. I never knew books could be so interesting. There are just a lot of characters I don’t recognize, but Uncle He taught me how to use a dictionary.”

“Oh, and I dreamed about my birth mother. She was just as Uncle He described—a really good person. Her smile was so gentle. It’s a shame I couldn’t touch her, and she left without saying a word to me.”

Shen Xiang turned to look at the photo of Gao Xiu on the table, his expression tinged with sadness.

“Sis, I think I understand your pain a little better now.”

He took Ye Zhiqiu’s hand. “Sis, if there’s ever anything you need help with, I’m here for you.”

“I’m sorry… I’ve known for a long time that Shen Liya is my biological sister—well, not exactly, but before she…”

Shen Xiang stumbled over his words, unsure how to explain. “Anyway, I knew about it but never told you.”

“Xiaoxiang, it’s okay. It wasn’t an important secret to keep.”

Not wanting him to dwell on guilt, Ye Zhiqiu changed the subject. “Have you warmed up to Uncle He?”

Shen Xiang nodded. “Yes, but I still can’t bring myself to call him ‘Dad.’ It feels awkward.”

“That’s completely normal. Take your time. Uncle He said he’s willing to wait for you.” Ye Zhiqiu looked at him gently. “Do you want to change your name?”

“Yes!” Shen Xiang said firmly. He shook his head softly. “From now on, I’m He Bin—not Shen Xiang anymore.”

He was always meant to be He Bin. The years as Shen Xiang felt like an absurd dream.

Now that the dream was over, it was time to return to the life he was supposed to live.

“Nice to meet you, He Bin. I’m Ye Zhiqiu, and from today onward, I’m your sister,” Ye Zhiqiu said, extending her hand.

Ye Jiawu, following her example, chimed in playfully, “Ahem, nice to meet you, He Bin. I’m Ye Jiawu, and from today onward, I’m your senior fellow apprentice.”

“Oh, shut up,” Shen Xiang said, shoving Ye Jiawu lightly. But when he turned to Ye Zhiqiu, his expression was shy yet touched. He gently placed his hand in hers, his eyes glistening with tears. “Sis.”

“Are you all packed? I’ll take you and Jiawu to the school,” Ye Zhiqiu said, ruffling Shen Xiang’s hair.

“Sis, you don’t have to. Jiawu and I can go on our own. We don’t have much luggage, and it’s not far,” Shen Xiang insisted.

Ye Jiawu nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Sis. We’re old enough to know which bus to take.”

“It’s on my way anyway.”

They couldn’t argue with that, so they reluctantly let Ye Zhiqiu accompany them.

Back at the compound, Ye Zhiqiu received a call from Tian Man, who said she had learned a new embroidery technique and asked if Ye Zhiqiu wanted to come see it.

Although they hadn’t discussed it beforehand, Ye Zhiqiu could tell Tian Man had something else she wanted to talk about.