Chapter 129: Returning Home

On the train, Grandma asked Zhang Mingyang how he knew they had gone back to their hometown.

Zhang Mingyang replied, "I saw that you weren't home, and since Grandpa rarely goes out, I figured you must have gone back to the village."

Grandpa, while sipping water, asked, "Mingyang, how long has your arm been injured?"

Zhang Mingyang thought for a moment and answered, "Almost two months now. I've been recovering in the hospital."

"Two months?"

Grandma scolded him for not telling her sooner. "Mingyang, how is your wound healing?"

Zhang Mingyang rotated his arm and replied, "Look, it's basically fine. I'm young, so I heal quickly."

Grandma touched the mechanical arm, her face full of heartache. "Mingyang, if I had known, I never would have let you go. What will you do in the future without your arm?"

Seeing that Grandma was about to cry again, Zhang Mingyang quickly stopped her. "Grandma, we're on the train. There are passengers all around us; let's not make a scene with tears."

"Exactly!"

Grandpa told Grandma to hold back her tears. "Mingyang was injured for the sake of the country. When he gets old, the state will definitely take care of him. What are you worried about?"

"Get lost!"

Grandma snapped at Grandpa. "Is this not your grandson? You don't feel bad for him, but I do!"

"Hey, you old woman, who said I don't feel bad for him?"

Grandpa was about to retort, but Zhang Mingyang stopped him. "Can we please talk about this when we get home? It’s embarrassing to be making such a scene in public."

"Exactly!"

Grandpa gave Grandma a sidelong glance and stopped looking at her.

...

Ten minutes later, the train arrived at Jiyang Station. The three of them walked out of the station and hailed a taxi toward their residential compound.

At the security booth, Old Li saw them returning and ran over. "Old Zhang, where have you two been lately? Mingyang was looking all over for you at noon."

Zhang Mingyang quickly replied, "Old Li, my grandparents went back to our hometown for a few days, and I just went to pick them up."

"Oh! So that's how it is."

"Wait?"

Old Li noticed Zhang Mingyang's mechanical arm and hurriedly asked, "Mingyang, what happened to your arm? I didn't notice it at noon—how did it suddenly turn into an iron hand?"

Just as Zhang Mingyang was about to answer, Grandpa stopped him. Grandpa replied, "My grandson was injured for the country, and the state installed this iron hand for him. The country will provide for my grandson for the rest of his life."

"Why are you saying all that?"

Grandma kicked Grandpa, then turned to Old Li with a smile. "Old Brother Li, we’re heading home now. Come by our place for a visit when you have time."

"Alright! Will do!" Old Li agreed readily.

Once they entered the compound, Zhang Mingyang noticed that many people were still gathered around the basketball court; it seemed the commotion from the helicopter earlier that afternoon hadn't quite died down.

To avoid being pestered with questions, Zhang Mingyang led the two elders home along the smaller paths of the compound.

Upon opening the door, Zhang Mingyang found the place had been cleaned up and the furniture moved back into place. It seemed Brother Peng had been very efficient.

After putting down his luggage, Zhang Mingyang dived into his room. He closed the door, lay on his bed, and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the matter involving Jin Yaowen.

What happened today had overturned more than a decade of Zhang Mingyang's perceptions. He couldn't fathom how "Old Man Liu" could possibly be Jin Yaowen—and to have been his neighbor for over ten years? What was his motive?

"Why lure Grandpa and Grandma away without hurting them?"

"And why say it was their last meeting?"

"And why did he surrender voluntarily in the end?"

A series of questions gave Zhang Mingyang a headache.

*Thump...*

There was a knock at the door.

"Mingyang, what do you want for dinner? Grandma is going to the supermarket to buy some things for you."

Zhang Mingyang replied, "Grandma, I'd like some beef."

"Alright, anything else?"

"No, that's enough. Just beef is fine."

"Okay then, rest for a while, and we'll eat once I'm back with the groceries."

"Alright, Grandma."

Once Grandma left, Zhang Mingyang sat up. He opened his laptop and logged into the base's encrypted website to see if there was any news about Jin Yaowen.

However, after checking several times, he found no information on Jin Yaowen. It seemed he didn't know where he was being held.

Although he couldn't find information on Jin Yaowen, one piece of news excited him: the Energy Department’s hadron collider had made a major breakthrough. The output of dark matter had increased by thirty percent. With this production rate, once the *Energy* was completed, they could increase the engine parameters; the *Energy* should be able to reach Beta Canis Majoris ahead of schedule.

But excitement aside, Zhang Mingyang couldn't participate in the project. If he really had to wait until his injuries were fully healed, the *Energy* might have already launched.

"Ugh!"

Zhang Mingyang lay back on the bed and sighed. It seemed he would have to find a way to return to the base early.

*Thump!*

The sound of the door closing came from outside; it seemed Grandma was back.

Zhang Mingyang was idle in his room.

"Wait!"

He suddenly thought of school. Classes had already started, so he had to go back to the lab tomorrow. The skills he had learned at the base couldn't go to waste; he needed to improve the reactor.

He pulled out his phone and dialed his senior's number.

"Beep..."

"Mingyang? You finally remembered to call me?" his senior, Lin, asked in surprise.

Zhang Mingyang replied with a smile, "Senior, will you be at the lab tomorrow? If so, I'll come find you."

"Are you back in Jiyang?"

Zhang Mingyang replied, "I just got back today. I might be resting at home for a while, so I figured I’d go to the lab and modify some of our equipment."

Lin Su immediately replied, "That's great! The project hasn't made much progress since you and the professor went to the capital. I'll wait for you at the lab tomorrow and see what you've learned."

"Alright!" Zhang Mingyang checked the time. "Senior, I'll see you at the lab at ten tomorrow morning."

"Good, I'll be waiting for you."

After setting the time, Zhang Mingyang hung up the phone. He could take advantage of this time off to complete the school project.

"Mingyang, come out and eat!" Grandma called from outside, urging him to come out.

"I'm coming."

Zhang Mingyang put down his phone, changed into a short-sleeved shirt, and walked out of the room.

"Whoa! What a feast tonight!"

Zhang Mingyang drooled as he looked at the table full of hearty dishes.

"Sit down and eat. These are all your favorite dishes."

Grandma handed him his chopsticks, and Zhang Mingyang began to wolf down his food. He had been so tense all day that he hadn't had time to eat, and looking at the spread, he was determined to fill himself up.

Grandma watched him eat and urged him to slow down, promising to make more if it wasn't enough.

"It's fine, Grandma, this is plenty."

Grandpa ate slowly, glancing at Zhang Mingyang's mechanical arm as he asked, "Mingyang, does this iron hand bother you?"

"Not at all!"

Zhang Mingyang was right-handed; he used the mechanical hand to hold his chopsticks and demonstrate for his grandfather. "Look, Grandpa, I can eat with this hand without any problems. I've tested it, and I can handle most fine motor tasks."

Grandpa still felt awkward looking at the hand. "Mingyang, your injury isn't healed yet. If you need to carry anything in the future, just tell Grandpa, and I'll carry it for you."