**Chapter 1197: Return to Rongcheng**
After nearly half a month away, Rongcheng had been abruptly plunged into winter by a sudden cold front sweeping south.
As Yan Shouyi and the others stepped off the plane, they instinctively tugged at their collars to keep the biting wind out.
Winter in the north and south were different. The north was dry cold—a windproof coat was enough to withstand it. But the south was damp cold—no matter how many layers you wore, it never felt like enough. Netizens joked that the cold in the south was like "magic damage."
After disembarking, Ye Chengfu led a team to pick them up. The group's spirits were low, and they exchanged few words on the road before setting off for home.
Life for ordinary people remained unchanged—they still woke early, worked, ate, clocked out, and reunited with their families.
Gazing at the night scenery outside the car window, Yan Shouyi felt a faint sense of comfort.
People like him could sacrifice themselves countless times and never be known to the public, but that didn’t matter.
As long as he could see the people living peaceful, happy lives, it was all worth it. This was also the core tenet of the *Folk Teachings Canon*.
The convoy entered a special access road by Rongcheng’s West Lake, arriving at the Folk Culture Research Association, now renamed *Minjiao*. From afar, Yan Shouyi spotted his friends waiting at the entrance.
Or rather—they were waiting for **Long Feicheng**.
As the car came to a stop and Yan Shouyi stepped out, the first to approach was Wang Jiwang.
He walked up, patted Yan Shouyi’s shoulder, then let out a soft sigh. Some things needed no words.
Next was Luo Ning. Her lips were pressed tight, her eyes evasive, her hands fidgeting awkwardly.
"Yan Shouyi, Xiao Long, he…"
She finally mustered the courage to face reality.
Silently, Yan Shouyi pulled a small box from his satchel—about the size of a palm. When he opened it, inside was a shallow layer of white powder.
Luo Ning froze. Taking it, she suddenly lost her composure: "**Why is there so little left?!**"
Most people’s ashes filled an urn, but Long Feicheng’s amounted to barely a handful. It showed just how **brutal** his death had been—so much so that even his remains were nearly unrecoverable.
"Ah, this isn’t Xiao Long!"
Realizing the misunderstanding, Yan Shouyi quickly reassured her, "The white stuff is lime—it’s for preserving the jade inside. That jade was something Xiao Long bought on the way. He wanted to give it to you himself."
Luo Ning froze again.
Why would Long Feicheng give her a gift?
She dug through the lime and found the jade—**shaped like a heart**—and was momentarily speechless.
Truthfully, Luo Ning had always harbored a faint fondness for Long Feicheng.
To others, Long Feicheng was just an insignificant sidekick to Yan Shouyi—unreliable, unserious, and often up to no good.
But he also **brought joy** to those around him, and that was what Luo Ning liked about him. That alone was enough.
She never dared confess, afraid that once the words were out, there’d be no turning back. If things didn’t work out, one of them would inevitably have to leave *Minjiao*.
So she kept her feelings buried, content to occasionally bicker with him. Maybe that was enough.
But she never expected Long Feicheng had also held her in his heart.
"This heart-shaped 'jade'… is plastic." Luo Ning laughed through her tears, mocking Long Feicheng for being gullible enough to fall for such a cheap trick.
Yan Shouyi coughed. "I noticed that too."
"Then where are Xiao Long’s ashes?"
Yan Shouyi spread his hands. "**Not a trace left.**"
Luo Ning: "…"
Perhaps because mentioning Long Feicheng instinctively brought joy, even when recounting something so tragic, Yan Shouyi couldn’t help cracking a dark joke.
They knew others might take offense, but Long Feicheng would’ve **loved** it.
Clutching the "jade," Luo Ning stepped aside, reminiscing about the times she’d bickered with Long Feicheng.
As the atmosphere lightened slightly, the others came forward one by one to greet Yan Shouyi.
But the most important person remained where she was, waiting for him.
Yan Shouyi walked through the crowd to Lin Zitong and gently pulled her into an embrace.
Everything that needed saying had been said over the phone. Now, just feeling each other’s warmth was enough.
Lin Zitong softly stroked Yan Shouyi’s back and said sadly,
"I should’ve fought by your side."
"Protecting our children makes you the greatest," Yan Shouyi replied with a smile.
After half a month apart, Lin Zitong’s belly had grown noticeably rounder. Even a strong-willed woman like her had endured her share of hardships during pregnancy.
Thinking about soon becoming a mother, Lin Zitong glanced toward the back of the crowd, where a graceful middle-aged woman stood.
*Is that… my mother-in-law?*
Yan Shouyi took Lin Zitong’s hand, about to lead her over for introductions, but Jiang Qingsue stepped forward first, embracing Lin Zitong.
"I never imagined my daughter-in-law would be this beautiful! That rascal Shouyi got lucky! Zitong, if he ever bullies you, come straight to me. I’ll thrash him for you!"
Despite being middle-aged, Jiang Qingsue carried none of the usual demeanor—instead, she seemed like Lin Zitong’s peer, and the two hit it off effortlessly.
Having lost her mother young, Lin Zitong had grown up starved of maternal love. Now, in Jiang Qingsue, she found what she’d always longed for, filling the void in her heart.
Then—Yan Chou appeared.
No one noticed when he arrived. He simply stood beyond the crowd, silently watching Jiang Qingsue.
When everyone realized he was there, they instinctively stepped aside, clearing a path between the two.
Yan Chou looked at Jiang Qingsue. Jiang Qingsue looked at Yan Chou.
Their eyes spoke volumes—a single glance conveyed a thousand unspoken words.
Yan Shouyi coughed awkwardly and said to Lin Zitong, "Let’s go to the lotus pond to see your sister."
"Okay!"
The others snapped out of their daze. Wang Jiwang smacked his forehead. "Ah! I forgot to close my windows! Gotta hurry back!"
"Is it going to rain? Everyone, go home and bring in your laundry!"
"Suddenly feeling hungry—anyone want to grab food at the canteen?"
The dog Taoist, leaning on his cane, grew frantic. "You heartless brats! Someone help us old folks!"
A Gong and Zhao Yima quickly stepped up, each supporting one elder as they left.
Within a minute, the crowd had dispersed on various pretexts, leaving Yan Chou and Jiang Qingsue to their long-awaited reunion.
By Rongcheng’s West Lake, the two stood wordlessly.
Then—
Yan Chou strode forward, roughly pulling Jiang Qingsue into his arms and kissing her fiercely.
Jiang Qingsue instinctively pounded his chest a few times before melting into the embrace, her arms looping around his neck.
From a distance, Yan Shouyi watched the scene.
Frowning, he muttered to himself,
"**Am I… about to become a big brother?**"