"I'm done for."
The moment he got off the train, Lian Youming hurried home without stopping.
There was no other reason: tonight was Lunar New Year's Eve. He had miscalculated the time and nearly missed it.
Train tickets had been impossible to buy. He had run into the Spring Festival travel rush, and the crowds at the station were like thousands of troops trying to cross a single narrow bridge. After he queued for most of the day, the tickets sold out. Left with no choice, Lian Youming had hopped a train midway along its route and changed trains several times, nearly getting lost.
"Brother!"
Lian Shuang had been reading. The sight of Lian Youming instantly had her jumping with joy.
Lian Lei was playing a candy-wrapper blowing game with several children. At the commotion, he darted into the house. "Haha! Mom, my brother's back! Come beat him!"
Sure enough, when Zhao Lanxiang, who had just finished putting up the Spring Festival couplets, saw her son home, she first brightened with delight. Then, without another word, she picked up a feather duster and whacked his backside.
"Didn't you say three to five days? It's been almost a month! If you'd missed New Year's Eve tonight, your dad would've skinned you alive."
Zhao Lanxiang grabbed Lian Youming by his clothes and chased him around the room twice. Only after he grinned and offered a few flattering words did his mother show him mercy. He had originally intended to finish his business and return in three to five days, too, but who could have expected so many complications?
Luckily.
He had made it.
"Where's Dad?"
"Out drinking with friends. He'll be back later."
It was noon. Lian Youming drank some hot water and washed up, then suddenly seemed to remember something. "Right,