Whether it was my predecessor or the elder brother, neither inherited Host’s hunting skills very well. Being a Hunter doesn’t seem complicated, but it’s actually a skill that requires talent.
Moreover, two years ago, there was a drought, and the harvests were much worse than before.
Perhaps, it was under such circumstances that Gauss went out to explore.
Realizing this, Gauss stopped in his tracks in front of the courtyard.
"What’s wrong? Aren’t you going in?" Aaliyah looked at him and blinked.
"It’s nothing."
Gauss took a deep breath, mentally prepared himself, and pushed open the loosely-hung courtyard gate.
"Creak creak!!!"
The wooden door, tied to the pillars with a few vines, creaked loudly as it was pushed, as if a little more force would topple the entire gate.
He led the way into the courtyard.
"Father, Mother, I’m back!"
He had thought saying such familiar yet estranged words would be difficult, but in fact, it was much simpler than he imagined, as effortless as breathing.
In the courtyard, a young woman and an elderly lady were sitting on stools, chatting and weaving straw sandals.
Suddenly, they heard the sound coming from the entrance.
They looked up.
They saw a tall man in a luxurious black robe standing at the entrance.
His stature was imposing, standing there like a solid wall.
Although Gauss had changed a lot over the past year, almost two years, Rosa immediately recognized him by his facial features.
She stood up in disbelief, her cheeks filled with excitement.
"You...you...you’re Gauss! My son!"
At the sight of Gauss’s handsome face, tears instantly rolled down her cheeks.
Gauss quickly stepped forward.
Seeing his closest kin, all the fear, guilt, and uncertainty about how to interact vanished suddenly, and he trembled all over.
This was his road home, and the people before him were his flesh and blood.
"Mom, I’m back."
Gauss bent down slightly and initiated a hug with the lady.
A year ago, leaving home, it was his mother Rosa who was the most opposed, just like tens of thousands of other mothers, deeply loving her child and unwilling to see him wander far away.
In the simple thoughts of the lady, no matter how difficult, as long as the family gritted their teeth and lived frugally, they could always get through it.
"Why didn’t you listen to your mother and come back to visit these past two years?" Seeing her youngest son again, Rosa was overwhelmed with emotion.
"..."
He was at a loss for words.
Fully integrated with the predecessor’s memories and emotions, he was indeed Gauss, inseparable.
Neither the predecessor’s desire to succeed before returning gloriously nor his own complex emotions that subconsciously kept him from returning was a good reason.
"I’m sorry."
"You’ve surely endured a lot these past two years." However, his mother’s next words filled Gauss’s heart with more guilt.
Behind him, the young woman Maylin stood awkwardly, looking at her brother-in-law, her face full of confusion.
Her time with Gauss was short; less than a year after she married into the family, Gauss left to seek a livelihood.
But the Gauss in her memory was a not-so-tall, slender boy, vastly different from the tall, handsome, obviously affluent man in front of her.
Only those beautiful cold emerald eyes faintly reflected glimpses of the past him.
"... These past two years, I’ve been an Adventurer." Gauss briefly narrated his experiences to Rosa and then waved towards the door.
"Mother, Maylin, let me introduce my teammates to you."
Aaliyah and Serdur entered upon hearing his voice.
"Aaliyah and Serdur."
Aaliyah and Serdur both smiled simultaneously.
Yet Serdur’s smile made Rosa and Maylin step back half a step unconsciously just as they were about to welcome them.
It was an instinctive fear from the physiological level in ordinary people.
Fortunately, Gauss had forewarned them. After learning his identity, they weren’t overly panicked, quickly masking their unease and forcing a smile.
"Dad, where are my elder brother and little sister?"
"Your father is sleeping inside, your elder brother took your little sister to the fields."
"I’ll go get Dad out." Maylin hurried to the inner room.
When father Host came out limping, they embraced each other lightly.
It was evident that Host was quite excited about his return, but as the head of the family, he still maintained a degree of restraint.
Moreover, there was a faint sense of guilt in his heart.
They only chatted briefly before falling into inexplicable silence. Fortunately, Rosa kept asking about some of his experiences over the past two years, avoiding awkwardness.
Before long, elder brother Hawke, holding the hand of eight or nine-year-old little sister Cicero, and the caller Maylin ran in from outside.
"Brother, you finally came back!" Cicero remembered him, jumping and clinging to his leg, her feet still muddy.
"Yeah." Gauss patted her on the head.
When he left, his little sister was only six or seven.
At the time, he had tricked her, saying he was just going out to play for a few days, but unexpectedly, two years had passed.
This little girl had grown quite a bit.
"Gauss, are you hungry? I picked some melons in the field." Hawke’s character was quiet and honest, dressed in coarse linen full of patches.
Like father Host, he also avoided Gauss’s gaze slightly.