"Do you have any vacation time?" He Zhilan didn’t press the previous question with He Teng any more, sighed helplessly in her heart, and tactfully changed the topic. "Didn’t you have three months of marriage leave last year? You went back to your post early, so can you make up for it this year? Dad hasn’t seen you in a year, he must miss you. Every time I think about Dad being alone once Dongxue and I go to college, I feel sad and worried. If possible, I’d so love to bring him to live in the capital."
Father He has gotten old this year. Although he still has a robust physique, Zhilan feels an unpleasant sensation in her heart when she thinks about him living alone in their hometown. She is especially keen on studying hard, earning her degree as soon as possible, and making more money so that she can buy a house in the capital. Then, she could bring her father from their rural hometown to live with her and Dongxue in the city, allowing him to enjoy the benefits of city life.
Undoubtedly, as a son, He Teng was not filial. He Zhilan’s words have made him feel guilty as well.
If their mother was still alive, He Teng thought, at least his father would have his mother for company at home. But their mother passed away at an early age, and with Dongxue heading to college, their father would indeed be alone back home.
This topic silenced He Teng and He Zhilan. After a while, He Zhilan sighed, "I don’t know which corner of the world our second brother is in right now. If he was here to accompany Dad, Dad would surely be very happy. To think, Dad has four children, but as of now, not one of us can stay by his side."
The He family has never given up on searching for He Da. All these years, whenever they received any leads, the He family would send someone to investigate. Although their hopes had been dashed time and again, and they had been tricked out of a considerable amount of money, Father He has never given up.
Whenever this happened, Zhilan would think, if only the Gu family had not given up like the He family hadn’t given up on He Da, then perhaps, she would not harbor such resentment against the Gu family. Even if they saw her as a poor, lowly village girl, who didn’t fit their social circle and never acknowledged her, at least, there would not be hatred in her heart.
"Brother, as long as we don’t give up on our search for second brother, and he doesn’t abandon the He family, I believe that we will definitely find him." Even though the search might seem difficult, He Zhilan always believed that good things come to those who persevere.
Even if her past life ended without ever hearing about He Da’s return to the He family, and even though she harbored some dreadful suspicions in her heart, He Zhilan still felt that as long as there was a glimmer of hope in their hearts, maybe, one day, a miracle would really happen.
He Teng didn’t reply, but his heart ached.
He Da was his younger brother. He Da’s disappearance was equally tormenting for him, especially after what happened with He Zhilan. It made him all the more afraid.
He Teng also felt a little guilty. If he as the older brother had been more competent, then He Da wouldn’t have had to leave school and start working as soon as he graduated from junior high school.
Thinking back, He Da had already graduated from junior high school when he left home. He was old enough to remember the way back home, so how could he have disappeared without sending even a single word back home in all these years?
It’s as if he had disappeared from this world without a trace.
With the He family repeatedly commissioning others to search for him and paying them for their efforts, He Teng even felt that this search had become a sort of self-deception, a stubborn belief. They couldn’t give up, and they didn’t dare to either.