Chapter 5: Going Home
"Good brother."
Chen Pingan sat next to Zhang Yong and said with emotion.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Yong asked in surprise.
"Nothing, I was just reflecting on our friendship," Chen Pingan said with a smile.
"Of course, we're like real brothers," Zhang Yong also said cheerfully.
Speaking of which, the two could indeed be considered real brothers, as they had grown up together.
Moreover, both of their families had only one child, with no siblings, so the two had called each other brothers since childhood.
"Class is starting, the teacher is here," Zhang Yong reminded.
This was English class, and Chen Pingan had already opened his textbook and started reading.
After reading, his expression relaxed considerably.
In his previous life, he had passed CET-4 in English, and his studies were relatively solid, with a deep memory.
Now looking at the English textbook, he basically recognized all the content.
Learning English was not difficult for him; he just needed to review it.
Chen Pingan also wanted to get into a good university in this life, so he was quite serious in class.
Chen Pingan was serious in all the afternoon classes.
Zhang Yong was somewhat surprised by Chen Pingan's diligent attitude towards studying.
The old Chen Pingan was not like this.
"Old Chen, did you take the wrong medicine? You're studying so seriously today?" Zhang Yong asked softly.
"I want to get into a good university, and since there's still time, I'll try harder," Chen Pingan said with a smile.
"Uh, alright then." Zhang Yong shook his head, not understanding Chen Pingan's thoughts, but he wouldn't try to influence Chen Pingan.
In short, he supported Chen Pingan's willingness to study.
However, Zhang Yong himself had already given up, because he knew he wasn't cut out for studying, and even if he wanted to, it was already too late.
Evening self-study ended at 6:30 PM, and then school was dismissed.
Chen Pingan's home was local, so he didn't board at school; he commuted by bicycle every day.
Zhang Yong was the same; they went to and from school together.
At the school gate, Chen Pingan turned to look at the rooftop, a smile playing on his lips, then turned his head and cycled away.
"What were you looking at just now?" Zhang Yong asked with a strange expression.
He had noticed Chen Pingan turning his head to look at the school earlier.
"Nothing, just wanted to look at the school," Chen Pingan said with a smile.
"What's so good about the school? I'm tired of seeing it," Zhang Yong muttered.
Chen Pingan smiled and didn't explain.
How could Zhang Yong know that on the school rooftop, four students were shivering in the night wind?
It wouldn't be until midnight that the acupoints on Zhang Lei's four bodies would automatically unlock, allowing them to move freely.
However, during that long period, the four of them would not have an easy time.
After a ten-minute bike ride, Chen Pingan finally arrived at Xingfu Community, where his home was located.
Zhang Yong's home was in the old alley diagonally opposite.
The two parted ways at the community entrance, and Chen Pingan cycled back into the community.
Seeing the familiar scenery of the community made Chen Pingan a little excited.
After parking his bicycle, Chen Pingan, with a surge of excitement, quickly walked towards his home.
Chen Pingan's home was on the third floor, and there was no elevator; their building had stairs.
Upon reaching his doorstep, Chen Pingan didn't knock but directly used his key to open the door.
This was his habit, which he had always maintained.
The door opened directly into the living room, which also served as the dining room.
The whole family ate here.
Chen Pingan's first glance caught a middle-aged couple watching TV in the living room.
They were Chen Pingan's father and mother.
His father, Chen Guoqing, and his mother, Yu Xiuying.
His parents smiled and greeted Chen Pingan when they saw him return.
"Son, you're back. You must be hungry, Mom will get you some rice," Yu Xiuying said with a smile.
"Mom, I'll do it myself," Chen Pingan quickly said.
As he spoke, Chen Pingan glanced at his parents, but he dared not show too much emotion.
He didn't want his parents to notice anything unusual about him.
"Alright, then you can serve yourself," Yu Xiuying said.
Chen Pingan served himself a bowl of rice and then came to the dining table to eat.
"Dad, Mom, have you eaten?" Chen Pingan asked.
As he spoke, he also took the opportunity to observe his parents.
His parents were truly young now; his father seemed to be under forty, and his mother looked to be only in her thirties.
Because his parents married early and had children early, Chen Pingan was already eighteen, but his father was still under forty.
The father in Chen Pingan's memory was an old man with white hair and a face full of wrinkles.
His mother looked much the same.
But at this moment, his parents were excessively young.
Seeing his parents in their youth, Chen Pingan felt a little emotional.
Unfortunately, facing his parents now, Chen Pingan dared not express his emotions, otherwise, there would be no way to explain it to them.
He couldn't possibly tell his parents that he came from twenty years in the future, could he?
If he explained it that way, he would probably be considered insane by his parents.
Chen Pingan ate while various thoughts popped up in his mind.
In his previous life, because his own situation was not good, he owed his parents a great deal and never had the chance to repay them.
Now that heaven had given him a chance to start over, he must seize this opportunity.
He must ensure his parents live a good life.
In his previous life, his parents' lives were not easy either.
Both parents were laid-off workers, having lost their jobs five or six years ago.
After being laid off, his mother found a job as a hotel waitress, and his father, who had car repair skills, also went to work at a private auto repair shop after being laid off.
Neither of his parents' jobs were good, and they both earned their money through hard labor.
But thankfully, the family had enough to eat and wear; they just didn't have the opportunity to get rich.
Lin Feng ate very slowly today, carefully savoring his mother's cooking.
His mother had always prepared the family meals.
"Why are you eating so slowly today?" Father Chen Guoqing asked with a strange expression.
"I feel it's too delicious, so I'm reluctant to eat too fast," Chen Pingan said with a grin.
His mother also smiled knowingly upon hearing this.
After a while, Chen Pingan finally felt full.
If it were the old Chen Pingan, he would have left after eating, but the current Chen Pingan even washed the dishes after finishing his meal.
Seeing this, both parents exchanged knowing smiles.
"Have you done your homework? Why are you sitting over here?"
Seeing Chen Pingan sit next to him, Father Chen Guoqing asked with some confusion.
"I don't have much homework. I'll rest for a bit; mainly, I want to spend some time talking with you, Mom and Dad," Chen Pingan said with a smile.
"Did you take the wrong medicine today? Why do I feel like you're different?" Yu Xiuying also asked with a strange expression.
Normally, Chen Pingan would just eat when he came home, then go back to his room after eating, never washing dishes.
Tonight, Chen Pingan not only washed the dishes but also didn't go back to his room afterward, instead coming to watch TV with them.
"There's nothing strange about me. I just suddenly felt a bit sentimental. I've grown up, but I haven't spent much time with you, Mom and Dad. In a few more years, you'll both be old."
Chen Pingan said with emotion.
"No, I still feel like you're quite strange today," Chen Guoqing said with a frown.
Chen Pingan smiled bitterly inwardly. Sure enough, as soon as he acted even a little unusually, his parents had already noticed his abnormality.