Chapter 95: Homecoming (2)

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Homecoming (2)

As the front door swung open, it was already afternoon. John was sitting in the living room as usual, reading the Smallville Daily. The only difference from years ago was that he now wore a pair of reading glasses.

Hearing the door open, he lowered the newspaper slightly, revealing his eyes. Daniel walked in first. Seeing it was Daniel, John casually asked, "What made you decide to come back today?"

There was even a hint of annoyance in his voice. Then his gaze shifted past Daniel, he saw Carol. John completely froze. He slowly lowered the newspaper and walked over to her.

Instinctively, he reached out to pat her head, but halfway there he seemed to realize she wasn’t a little girl anymore. Instead, he gently placed his hand against her cheek, his hand trembled slightly.

"So... you’re home."

His voice was incredibly gentle and full of emotion.

Standing nearby, Daniel immediately felt wronged, this is discrimination. Dad has changed. When I was little, he liked me more! Now Carol comes home and suddenly he’s this emotional?

Normally, Carol was cheerful and carefree, but now she looked strangely shy. She lowered her head slightly and answered in a quiet voice.

"I’m home."

John looked up at his daughter, realizing she had grown taller than him.

"You’ve grown again," he said with a smile. "You’re so much taller than me now."

"Wasn’t she already taller than you when she graduated high school?" Daniel interrupted from the side.

"Oh... was she?"

John laughed.

"I guess I forgot."

He looked back at Carol.

"It’s good that you’re home. That’s all that matters."

John lowered his hand and led Carol over to the sofa.

"Sit here for a while, I’ll go get Mary."

"She’s in town right now. When she finds out you’ve come back, she’ll be so happy."

Then he turned towards Daniel without the slightest bit of politeness.

"Why don’t you get Carol something to drink instead of just standing there?"

Daniel had been about to sit down too. After hearing that, he reluctantly trudged into the kitchen.

...

A few moments later, Daniel returned with a glass of water for Carol. Watching John slowly disappear out the front door, Carol quietly said, "Dad... he looks so much older."

Her eyes had already begun turning red.

"Yeah, it’s been six years."

Daniel sighed softly.

Time really did pass quickly. The last time he’d come home had only been half a year ago. Yet after just six months, both of his parents looked noticeably older.

But who could escape birth, aging, illness, and death?

Some time ago, Daniel had subtly asked John and Mary something. If there were a way to extend their lives, would they want it? Back then, John had simply smiled.

"How could something like that possibly exist?"

"And even if it did..."

"We wouldn’t want it."

"What makes life meaningful is knowing that it won’t last forever."

"If I had to live for several hundred years, I’d go crazy."

John’s answer had convinced Daniel.

After that conversation, Daniel quietly abandoned the idea. He actually had found a possible method. But since they didn’t want it, he let the matter rest, there was still plenty of time.

Every visit home, Daniel secretly checked both John and Mary’s health. Although they were growing older, they remained surprisingly healthy. So, living another twenty or thirty years shouldn’t be a problem.

If one day they changed their minds, he could think about it again then.

Less than half an hour later, Mary came home. Before she even stepped inside, they heard her voice from the yard.

"John!"

"What was so urgent that you had to call me back?"

John gently held her shoulders and guided her towards the front door.

"You’ll know once you’re inside."

He deliberately kept it a surprise.

The moment Mary entered the living room, she saw Carol. Tears instantly streamed down her face. Without saying another word, she hurried over and wrapped Carol tightly in her arms.

"You’re home."

Just like John, those were the very first words she said. Everyone in the family had greeted Carol exactly the same way.

Carol gently patted Mary’s back. She carefully wiped away her tears before softly replying.

"Mhm."

Only after Mary’s emotions finally settled did the whole family sit together again. John had completely forgotten about his newspaper. Instead, he listened intently as Carol told stories about her adventures across the galaxy.

Whenever the stories reached a thrilling point, he would slap his thigh excitedly, completely caught up in the moment.

Daniel was sitting beside him. At first, John kept slapping his own leg, after it started hurting, he casually smacked Daniel’s leg once instead.

As a result, his hand hurt even more, so without saying a word, he quietly went back to slapping his own thigh.

They chatted until a little after five. Then Mary got up and headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner, leaving the three of them on the sofa. John continued asking Carol all sorts of questions, especially about what different alien races looked like.

Dinner was incredibly lavish. The moment Carol tasted Mary’s cooking again, she couldn’t stop eating, the same went for Daniel. If either of them truly let themselves eat as much as they wanted, they could probably keep eating continuously for an entire month without stopping.

On the other hand, they could also go months without eating at all. Neither of them could really be considered normal humans anymore.

Daniel had always loved Mary’s cooking too, so he couldn’t stop either. For a while, it felt like time had turned back. Just like when they were children, the siblings began fighting over every dish on the table.

The difference was Carol wasn’t the same girl she used to be. Back then, she could never beat Daniel in a race to the food. Today, they were evenly matched.

Forks and spoons blurred into afterimages in their hands, especially after John and Mary had finished eating.

Without worrying about anyone else, the siblings completely let loose. Mary had prepared an enormous table full of food and it disappeared in no time.

John and Mary simply sat in their chairs, smiling as they watched their two children compete with each other. The entire house was filled with warmth and laughter.

Seeing every plate emptied, Mary immediately stood up.

"I’ll make a little more."

Daniel quickly stopped her.

"There’s no need."

"We’re just satisfying our cravings. We don’t actually need that much food."

He wiped his mouth with a napkin, Carol hurriedly nodded.

"Really, Mom, don’t worry about it. We’re already full."

Only then did Mary finally give up.

After dinner, they sat together talking for a while longer. By the time it was after ten o’clock, both John and Mary had started yawning. That was their cue to call it a night.

Everyone headed back to their own rooms. Daniel’s and Carol’s bedrooms were both on the second floor, right next to each other.

As soon as Carol opened her bedroom door, she froze. Everything was exactly the way she remembered, nothing had changed.

The room was spotless, every surface had been carefully cleaned. The blankets were neatly folded, the bedding still carried the faint scent of fresh laundry.

Unable to hold herself together any longer, Carol hugged her blanket tightly and burst into tears.

For the past six years, Mary had cleaned Carol’s room every single day. It was an incredibly touching moment. Then...

Click.

The sound of a phone camera completely shattered the atmosphere. Daniel lowered his phone with a deeply satisfied expression.

Fortunately, he’d suggested that Tony develop smartphones early. Otherwise, he would’ve missed such a priceless scene.

Our phones are really fantastic, Daniel thought happily.

Carol almost never cried. He could only remember one or two times from his entire life. Unfortunately, he’d never had any proof.

But now, he had photographic evidence.

"What did you just do?"

Carol quickly wiped away her tears and glared at him. Having just cried, her tone sounded unusually fierce, her eyes burned with fury.

Crying in front of Daniel was unbelievably embarrassing. The last time it had happened was before Daniel turned five. Back then, for some reason, she’d burst into tears.

Daniel had laughed so hard he nearly rolled across the floor. As a result, before his powers had even awakened, Carol had beaten him up on the spot.

If she were still stronger than him today, seeing that smug grin on his face, she would’ve marched over and punched him until his face was completely swollen.

Daniel laughed as he hurried back into his own room.

Photos like this were best appreciated in private. Or maybe, he could print it out later.

Enlarge it, frame it and hang it on his bedroom wall for everyone to admire.

Of course, if he admitted that now, there was a very good chance his phone wouldn’t survive the night.

Late that night, Daniel was still lying in bed, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone. Then, from the room next door, Carol’s voice quietly drifted through the wall.

"Good night."

Hearing those familiar words after so many years, Daniel sat there in silence for a long moment. He slowly put down his phone, his voice softening as he spoke.

"Good night."

After saying that, Daniel quietly made a decision. Tomorrow, he wouldn’t print out the picture of Carol crying after all. He’d spare her the embarrassment.

Sometime later, Daniel drifted off to sleep. He slept peacefully, a faint smile lingering on his face throughout the night.

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