Zhou Jiang sat in the middle of the room, his face filled with anger. Years of battle had forged his iron-like temperament, which couldn’t help but make others feel intimidated.
"Younger brother, why have you suddenly come back?" Zhou Hai cautiously glanced at his younger brother, seeming somewhat lacking in confidence.
"If I hadn’t come back suddenly, would I have known that my son and daughter are already gone?" Zhou Jiang slammed the table fiercely. Before he went to the battlefield, he had entrusted the care of his two children to his older brother and sister-in-law, promising to return after three months. But due to an injury, his return had been delayed by half a year. However, upon returning, all he found were two small memorial tablets. How could he ever accept that?
Zhou Hai jumped in fright, but quickly made a mournful face and, with a thump, knelt on the ground, sobbing, "Little brother, I’m too ashamed to face you. These past six months, my life has been worse than death..."
"Second Uncle, it’s my fault..." At that moment, a woman rushed in from outside and threw herself on the ground, crying and sobbing, "I failed to look after Xiao Ge’er and Ying Jie’er. It’s my fault, you can kill me..."
"Shut up! Why didn’t you notify me immediately?" Zhou Jiang’s face turned even more unsightly, and his voice grew louder, "Do you realize that you’re killing me?"
"Little brother..." At this, Zhou Hai and his wife stopped their wailing at once, exchanged a glance with his wife from the Huang Family, "It’s not that we didn’t want to tell you, we were just too scared. You said you were on the battlefield, and if you got distracted, it could cost your life. Moreover, where could we have sent a message to you?"
"Second Uncle, when the children had their accident, we were heartbroken, but..." The Huang Family woman started beating her chest and stamping her feet, sobbing as if she was in unbearable pain and wanted to die, "Second Uncle, you can kill me, it’s my fault, I’ve let you and your wife down..." Yet despite sobbing for so long, she didn’t shed a single tear, but since she kept her head lowered the whole time, crying, no one could see it.
"Little brother, I’ve failed as a big brother to take care of the family," sighed Zhou Hai. "Now that it’s happened, nothing we say can change anything. The only thing I can do now is die to apologize..."
"Father..." At this point, Zhou Hai’s ten-year-old son, Zhou Chun, hugged Zhou Hai, "Don’t die, it wasn’t your fault that brother and sister died—it was done by those hooligans...". Then looking up at Zhou Jiang, "Second Uncle, you should go catch those scoundrels and avenge them, don’t blame my parents... there were so many people at the temple fair..."
"My child..." The Huang Family woman simply pulled her son into her arms and began to cry.
Zhou Jiang closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, there was a serene clarity. He suddenly stood up, "Make sure you do what’s right for yourselves." Then he got up and walked outside.
"Little brother..." Zhou Hai was taken aback for a moment and then got up to follow, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival; let’s celebrate it at home..." But how could he catch up with someone who practiced martial arts all year round? He could only watch as Zhou Jiang strode away from the house.
The Huang Family woman sighed in relief and let go of her son, "It’s all right now."
"Mother, does this mean that this big house will really be mine in the future?" Zhou Chun’s eyes widened as he looked at the Huang Family woman.
"Of course." She nodded, "As long as that little wretch Zhou Xiao is gone, then you will be the Zhou Family’s only male grandson. In the future, even your Second Uncle will have to rely on you to hold up the ancestral banners and beat the mourning drums..."
"So my brother is really dead?" Zhou Chun’s eyes widened suddenly.