What is home? Home is that patch of land, that house, those memories, but most importantly, those people. Home is the irreplaceable harbor of the soul—no matter how far you wander, your heart always longs to return.
Night falls, and the sky is full of stars. Yang Qi and her father, Yang Jin, step out of the villa and stroll leisurely on the island. In the distance, the lights of Hong Kong shimmer like a blazing sea of fire. But here on the island, apart from a few necessary lights, everything is peaceful and quiet.
Whoosh, whoosh—the waves lap against the shore, bringing the salty sea breeze. The cries of seagulls circle their ears, and the cool night wind is just the right temperature, seventeen or eighteen degrees. It’s the most comfortable time of day. Yang Qi and her father walk shoulder to shoulder, leaving Auntie and Grandma in the villa—they must have a lot to talk about tonight.
On this side, the conversation between father and daughter is just as warm and delightful.
Yang Qi tells her father how she came to know her cousin, sharing how reliable and brave he is. She talks about all the complicated things that happened in the past, and all the dreams and plans for the future. Yang Qi is always willing to share with her father, to listen to his thoughts and advice.
No matter how beautiful and well-thought-out young people’s ideas may be, they can always gain unexpected inspiration from the older generation.
Her father, in turn, tells her stories from the past—some family secrets and old tales she’s never heard before.
Many things that happened long ago were too heavy to talk about, so parents would rather bury them deep in their hearts than share them with their children. Just like last time—if Yang Qi hadn’t asked, they probably would never have told her she once had a twin sister.
This time, her father tells her about her mother and her mother’s twin sister.
"All these years, I only ever told you that you had an aunt—what was her name again? But I never really explained, never told you how she disappeared. Honestly, there’s a lot about it that’s strange, and a lot I still don’t understand."
"I didn't really know all the details myself, but after you suddenly 'disappeared,' your grandpa dragged me out for cigarettes and drinks. Once he was drunk, the old man finally told me the whole story."
Yang Jin, true to his teacher's reputation, spoke slowly and steadily, spinning the tale.
"You know, your Aunt Joan and your mom, Susan, are twins. They looked exactly alike. Even after starting school, they'd always get the same scores on their tests. At first, your grandparents couldn't tell them apart, and after a while, they couldn't even remember who was older or which name belonged to which girl."
Sometimes they'd boil a kettle of hot water and bathe one of them twice, forgetting the other. Stuff like that happened all the time.
It wasn't until Grandma cut their hair to different lengths that they could finally tell who was who. From then on, the one with the short hair was Joan, the one with the long hair was Susan—Joan was the younger sister, Susan the elder.
There's a legend that twins have a psychic connection. Scientists still argue about whether it's real, but your mom told me straight up that when they were little, she and Joan had it strong.
Even if they were on opposite sides of the village, if one pricked her finger sewing, the other would feel it too. If Grandma took one to the market, the other could tell exactly what tasty treats they'd bought when they got home.
The two sisters were inseparable, always together wherever they went—like left hand and right hand, couldn't do without each other.
Those twins were the treasures of that little mountain village from the day they were born.
But then, the year your mom moved up from elementary to middle school, something happened. Grandma took your mom to the market to buy cloth for new dresses. Everything seemed fine, but halfway through, your mom suddenly fainted—couldn't wake her up no matter what. Grandma rushed her to the hospital, but the doctors couldn't find anything wrong. Just when they were panicking, your mom woke up, crying her eyes out, saying her little sister was in trouble.
Grandma was scared out of her wits and rushed back to the village as fast as she could. When she got there, Joan was nowhere to be found. Joan never played pranks or went anywhere without telling family, so there was no way she'd just run off on her own. Grandma turned pale and called everyone to help search.
You know how that little mountain village is—there aren't many places to go, and only a handful of people coming and going. Any stir, and the whole village knows. But even with everyone searching high and low, they couldn't find Joan anywhere.
They searched every pond, every house, every road, every inch of woods—nothing. She was just gone.
Even the big wolf-dog tried to track her scent, but it was useless. It either stuck to your mom or just wandered around the village, finding nothing.
Grandma sent a telegram to Grandpa right away. He was still an officer in the PLA back then, and when he heard, he risked getting in trouble with military discipline to rush home, bringing the best scouts from his unit. But even those top-notch reconnaissance guys couldn't find a single clue. It was like Joan vanished into thin air while doing homework at home.
At this point, Dad Yang Jin looked deep into Yang Qi's eyes: "Looking back, it was just like what happened to you, except you hadn't been born yet and Joan was already ten or so. But back then, nobody knew any of this—they just thought she'd been kidnapped by traffickers or maybe snatched by some wild animal from the mountains."
A lot of people said she was dead, but Grandpa and Grandma never gave up. But now, nearly forty years have passed, and there's been no word from Joan. When you suddenly disappeared, it hit your grandparents like a bolt of lightning. Lifelong atheists, old revolutionaries, they started praying to every god they could find—not for long life, but just for their children to be safe and healthy.
Sigh, I never believed in that stuff either, but now, who knows? Maybe sincerity really does move the heavens. Grandma prayed all her life, and somehow, it actually worked." Dad looked up at the sky, smiling with joy and depth: "I don't know what the White Night means to other people. All I know is, this year, all the kids in our family came home."
Just as he finished, Yang Qi suddenly turned around. Yang Jin sensed something too and looked back—Jonathan was catching up to them through the night. Right now, he seemed steadier and stronger than ever, filled with a new sense of purpose. Like an empty shell suddenly packed full, he looked solid and weighty.
"Uncle." Jonathan bowed deeply to Yang Jin, who helped him up and patted his shoulder, sighing with extra weight in his voice: "Good, good kid. This year, all the kids in the family have come home!"
"No, Dad, there's still one who hasn't come home yet." Yang Qi turned and looked seriously at Jonathan. "Cousin, our family believes in returning to our roots. By the old rules, when a married woman dies, she's buried with her husband's family. But Aunt Joan died under such strange circumstances—I can't accept that, and I don't want to leave her with the Zade family. Especially since we still don't know who the culprit is! You know what I mean."
Jonathan nodded heavily—he knew exactly what Yang Qi meant. That time when Donald spilled the beans, it was unforgettable.
The Zade family isn't simple, but no matter how complicated they are, I won't back down. I will get to the bottom of Aunt Joan's death, but when it comes to moving her grave, it's your call as her son. Cousin, what do you say?
"Isn't it obvious!" Jonathan raised his hand, every word ringing out clear: "Cousin, help me—bring Mom home!"
"Deal! Mom recognizing you is the first step to coming home. Next step is seeing Grandpa and Grandma—that's when the job's done. Start getting things ready; when I get back—" Yang Qi raised her hand too, and with a loud clap, she and Jonathan locked hands tight: "We'll bring Aunt Joan home together, restore our family roots!"
Jonathan nodded with determination, his eyes firm and grateful. Deep down, he swore to himself again—no matter what hell or high water, he'd stick with these people to the end.
Then Yang Qi turned to Dad, scratched her head and said, "Dad, there's something I need to trouble you with, hahaha..."
"Alright, I get it. You want me to convince your mom, right?" Dad Yang Jin sighed helplessly. "But as the saying goes, less is more. As your elder, I say: let the past stay in the past. As long as you kids can live safe and happy—and find someone, have kids—that's what really matters."
"Well..." Yang Qi's face fell instantly. "That's easy for you to say, but the whole 'finding someone and having kids' part..."
"Hear me out." Dad Yang Jin paused, as if convincing himself, then his gaze sharpened: "But things are different now. In this world, even if we want less trouble, trouble comes looking for us. Hiding never solves anything; putting up with it never brings peace. And don't underestimate your mom—you know her temper. She probably won't stop you at all. So do what you need to do. We'll always have your back."
Yang Qi was deeply moved: "Dad!"
"But—wait—" Dad Yang Jin switched gears: "I'm sticking to my guns: everything else is negotiable, but the whole 'finding someone and having kids'—not up for debate!"
Yang Qi was instantly embarrassed: "Uh..."
"You're already twenty-six, and if you count the time spent 'over there,' it's more like twenty-eight. So when are you going to find someone? Your mom and I have the wedding money ready—when are you going to give us the chance to arrange a marriage? If you don't sort this out, you're not going anywhere!"
"Uh..."
Under Dad's rare nagging, Yang Qi finally spilled the beans, confessing about Teacher Yang's official girlfriend, Daisy. Dad realized this was a big deal and immediately called a family meeting. That whole night, Mom Susan Morrow was beside herself with joy, asking questions and unable to sleep, itching to meet her future daughter-in-law.
With her parents settled, Yang Qi could finally relax. Next up: time to rally the troops. She gathered up all the Chosen Ones from the Hong Kong Division and prepared to march north.
Justice Dummy, Loyal Big Bro Sean King—sis is coming to rescue you!
That night, Chainsaw Girl asked in confusion: "Big Sis, aren't we going to Beijing to save someone? Why are we heading to a gay bar in Chengdu?"