The next day, Sunday afternoon.
Chen Shouyi stood by the high-speed rail station exit, waiting and checking his watch from time to time.
Not long after he'd gotten home the night before, Mother Chen called to say they'd arrive that afternoon. As soon as he finished lunch, he hurried to the station.
After waiting nearly two hours, his parents and Chen Xingyue finally came out, carrying bags upon bags.
"Dad, Mom, Xingyue!" Chen Shouyi called out at once.
"Big brother!"
They'd all tanned considerably, but looked more lively for it.
Chen Dawei refused Chen Shouyi's offer to help with the luggage and said with a grin, "Go help your mother. Didn't I tell you not to come pick us up?"
"I had nothing to do at home anyway."
Mother Chen tried to refuse too, but Chen Shouyi took the bag from her hand. "Mom, what's in here? It's so heavy."
"Local snacks and specialties from all over," Mother Chen said, then complained, "Sigh, I've walked so much these past few days my legs have gone thin. I really paid money to suffer!"
But with her glowing complexion, she clearly hadn't suffered as much as she claimed.
"Big brother, why aren't you helping me with mine? My luggage is the heaviest, you know," Chen Xingyue said indignantly.
"You're a Martial Apprentice. You can't even carry a bag?" Chen Shouyi shot his sister a sidelong glance.
The trip had made her noticeably more lively. She'd clearly moved on from the gloom she'd been trapped in before.
"Even as a Martial Apprentice, I'm still a girl! No wonder you can't find a girlfriend!" Chen Xingyue huffed.
"Who says I can't?" Chen Shouyi scoffed. "I just haven't looked."
"All right, you two, stop arguing and settle down," Mother Chen said. Seeing Chen Shouyi head