Silence fell over the room. The people watching from the doorway scarcely dared breathe as they looked at the three inside.
Puston's face seemed suffused with light. His expression made him look ten years younger. He struggled to rise and did his best to sit upright, but his legs were still too weak for him to get out of bed.
There was a slight discord between Gitton's eyes and the corners of his mouth. Those at the door could not see it, but it did not escape Zeng Mu. It was a rare expression of mingled shock and fear.
"Come here, Arthur," Puston called, beckoning.
Zeng Mu stepped closer. As Puston touched his face, the old man spoke in a voice still filled with disbelief. "Oh, Arthur, my grandson. Have you really come back?"
He touched Puston's hand and nodded. "Yes, Grandpa. It's me. I'm back."
"You finally came back." Puston let out a mournful murmur, his throat tightening as his voice broke with tears.
"My dear nephew, why don't you tell us how you made it back?" Gitton said, patting his shoulder.
Zeng Mu glanced at him without answering, then turned toward the people at the door. Homanlis, the oldest among them, spoke to Puston. "Village chief, according to this young lady, Arthur suffered postwar brain trauma. Simply put, he's lost his memory."
With that, he waved everyone back, giving both sides some privacy and time to take it all in.
Those who withdrew into the courtyard had no idea how the conversation inside was going. Kanni and Ma Linya took the opportunity to ask Uncle Mode, Pabojin, Homanlis, and the others about Nameless.
They told the pair everything truthfully, from Arthur's birth and coming of age to his family circumstances. The two reacted differently to what they learned.