Retired for A Hundred Years: Re-Employment for the Apocalypse Bigshot!-Chapter 251 - 249: This Brother-in-Law Definitely Has Something to Hide

Chapter 251: Chapter 249: This Brother-in-Law Definitely Has Something to Hide

Xiao Kong quickly dodged, and upon closer inspection, it was a large wolfdog with shiny fur.

It was clear it was well-fed.

"Awoo—woof woof woof..."

The large wolfdog, having missed Xiao Kong, turned around and continued to pounce on him.

Xiao Kong dodged with difficulty, noticing Ji Ning watching him leisurely from a distance. He couldn’t help but sigh internally; even the family dog knew how to target him as an easy victim.

"Woof woof woof..."

The dog’s barking startled the people sleeping inside the house.

"Who’s there? Big Head—"

As soon as Xiao Kong heard that voice, he stopped dodging abruptly, and the large wolfdog managed to knock him over.

He thought to himself, oh no...

Unexpectedly, after knocking him to the ground, the large wolfdog didn’t bite him but instead licked his face enthusiastically.

Xiao Kong, with a face full of saliva: ...

"Big Head... what’s going on?"

A small, thin old man appeared, carrying a shovel on his right shoulder and holding a flashlight in his left hand, walking out of the courtyard with a tense expression.

The blinding light made Xiao Kong squint.

"What are you guys doing here? Why are you at my house?" The old man saw two people outside the door and gripped the shovel tightly, shouting in vigilance.

Ji Ning crossed her arms and watched Xiao Kong lying on the ground with great interest.

"Dad..." Xiao Kong’s voice was choked up.

The old man, initially furious, was so surprised upon hearing this that he almost couldn’t hold onto the shovel.

He hurriedly directed the flashlight toward his own dog again.

He saw the dog wagging its tail non-stop, licking a dark silhouette on the ground.

"Big Head..." The old man took two steps forward, then paused, cautiously eyeing Ji Ning, seemingly afraid she might attack him.

Seeing Ji Ning didn’t move, he looked again at the person on the ground.

"Who is it?"

"Dad, it’s me... Ah Jie..." Xiao Kong pushed away the overly enthusiastic wolfdog and raised his voice.

"Clank—"

The shovel fell to the ground.

The old man dropped the flashlight and rushed over, pushing aside the family wolfdog, and sat on Xiao Kong’s stomach, excitedly holding his face, exclaiming, "Ah Jie... it really is Ah Jie... oh my... it really is my son..."

The excited old man even planted several kisses on his face.

Xiao Kong was equally excited, but more embarrassed, especially since his team leader was watching from nearby.

He tried to pry his father’s hands off, "Dad, keep it down, let’s head inside first."

After his initial joy, the old man suddenly remembered his son’s identity and hurriedly covered his mouth, glancing around at the neighbors’ houses.

Lowering his voice, he said, "Alright, alright, let’s quickly go inside."

The old man swiftly got off his son, picked up the flashlight from the ground, and awkwardly shone it at Ji Ning.

"Who is this..."

"Ji Ning, his coworker." Ji Ning quickly replied, cutting off Xiao Kong’s introduction.

"Sorry to have embarrassed you. Hurry inside... Have you eaten yet? I’ll ask the wife to make some dumplings," the old man said, his voice tinged with nervousness.

A colleague of his son, which means she’s a superpower user?

Oh my...

This is the first time he’s seen a superpower user without a mask.

And so young, so attractive...

The old man quickly opened the door, invited Ji Ning into the courtyard, then turned on the big light inside and ran back into the house to call for people.

Fearing the neighbors might overhear, his voice fluctuated in volume.

Xiao Kong, with a blushing face, awkwardly spoke to Ji Ning, "Captain, well... my dad hasn’t seen me in a long time..."

"It’s nice." Ji Ning’s mouth curled slightly, a hint of teasing in her eyes.

Xiao Kong saw his team leader’s face showed no hint of displeasure, and his anxious heart settled.

His team leader was indeed different from others.

The self-built three-story house had a large living room on the first floor.

Bright white tiles glistened from being polished.

The old man walked hurriedly and almost stumbled, grumbling under his breath, "What the heck, why clean it so thoroughly?"

Then he headed to the staircase, shouting upstairs, "Dear, the son is home."

"What? Who’s home?"

"Son, Ah Jie is home."

The old man raised his voice again before shouting.

Just after he spoke, there was a loud "thud" upstairs, followed by a long silence.

The old man was about to ask again, but saw his son’s colleague already surpassing him on the stairs.

"What happened, dear?"

Xiao Kong quickly supported his father, "I’ll go check."

As soon as he hurried upstairs, he saw his team leader crouched at the stairway on the third floor, treating his mother.

"Mom, what’s wrong?"

The old lady looked at him with teary eyes, her lips trembling lightly, unable to speak for a long time.

"Commander... Ji Ning, is my mom okay?"

"Yes." Ji Ning withdrew her hand and stood up, stepping back half a step.

Xiao Kong quickly ran over, crouched down, and helped his mother sit up.

The old lady’s hair is already gray, her face full of wrinkles, and her eyes filled with tears as she looks directly at Xiao Kong. Her body trembles slightly, and her fingers want to touch him but dare not.

"Mom, I’m back." Xiao Kong lifts the old lady from the ground.

The lightness of her weight makes his heart ache deeply.

Regret and guilt come one after another.

The mother and son share a moment of warmth; if it weren’t for Xiao Kong being mindful of business matters, he would not have pacified his mom.

"Mom, this is my colleague, Ji Ning. Please arrange a room. We’ll be staying at home recently."

The old lady hears this, her voice raised with joy, "Really? For how long?"

Xiao Kong turns to Ji Ning, seeing she hasn’t spoken, he vaguely says, "Just a few days."

"Okay. I’ll go make the bed."

The old lady looks at Ji Ning, her eyes less reserved than the old man’s, instead filled with joy, and warmly asks Ji Ning, "Miss, do you prefer soft or hard beds?"

Ji Ning is somewhat surprised, being the first to correctly identify her gender at a glance, responds, "Either is fine."

The old lady’s smile grows broader, asking again, "Have you eaten? I’ll make some dumplings for you."

Xiao Kong was about to say there’s no need but, glancing at Ji Ning, changes his tune, "Mom, make some more, I’m a bit hungry."

"Okay."

The old lady hurriedly goes to find the old man, beginning to busy herself making the bed and cooking dumplings.

Xiao Kong then takes Ji Ning back to the living room, wanting to brew some tea for her, yet he circles several times without finding cups and the tea canister, feeling a bit disoriented.

"How many years have you not returned?" Ji Ning suddenly asks.

Xiao Kong scratches his face, "Since sophomore year, it’s been over ten years."

Ji Ning nods slightly, "Do you have siblings?"

"Yes, a sister."

Ji Ning nods slightly again, without further inquiry.

While climbing the stairs earlier, she heard a sound from a room on the second floor but no one came out.

Xiao Kong appears daft, but he is not dull-minded; he quickly grasps the meaning in Ji Ning’s words, stands up, and heads to the kitchen. Lowering his voice, he asks the old man inside, "Dad, is Ah Ying living at home recently?"

The old man’s body pauses, showing an expression of concern, "Yes, she didn’t know you were coming back. Otherwise, I would have let them leave in advance. Would this affect your work?"

Xiao Kong also worries about affecting Ji Ning’s plans, thinks for a moment, and slightly nods.

"Alright, I’ll talk to Ah Ying tomorrow morning."

"You didn’t tell Ah Ying about my identity, did you?"

"No, your sister always thought you went to a base. Besides, you haven’t met Dajun and Niuniu, have you?"

Of course, Xiao Kong has seen his brother-in-law and niece, but only through photos.

But he shakes his head, and the old man babbles about the family’s affairs.

"Dajun is your brother-in-law, works in the city; Niuniu is your niece, five years old, attends kindergarten in the city..."

Meanwhile.

In a bedroom on the second floor, a man and a woman are also arguing in whispers.

"What are you doing? My brother is back, I can’t even go to see him?" The woman twists her arm forcefully, her face showing some anger.

The man, holding her arm, quickly gestures to hush her, whispering, "Shh, lower your voice. You never thought why your brother is returning so late? And why hasn’t he told mom and dad?"

"Hmph... my brother is a soldier, his work is special, it’s good enough that he can return."

"Aren’t you being foolish? Which base soldier wouldn’t be allowed to return home in over a decade?"

"What do you mean?" The woman is displeased upon seeing the man’s suspicious expression, forcefully shakes off his hand.

The man, seeing her angry, grabs her hand again, comforts her with a few words, and continues, "Don’t be angry, I’m just worried, aren’t I? Mom and dad are old, their health isn’t good..."

"Are you trying to avoid caring for mom and dad, Feng Dajun?"

"No, why would you say that."

"Then what do you mean?"

"Your brother enlisted suddenly in sophomore year, hasn’t returned in all these years, if your mom and dad hadn’t visited him at the base, you would’ve assumed he was dead. Aren’t you at least a little suspicious of this explanation?"

"Suspicious of what?"

"Suspicious that your brother isn’t a soldier."

"Feng Dajun, if my brother isn’t a soldier, what is he? Quit your whispering. The house you’re living in now was built with my brother’s allowance."

The woman is very upset, gets on the bed and turns away from him.

The man is helpless, but a certain suspicion in his heart grows firmer.

This brother-in-law definitely has a problem.

Otherwise, he would not have stayed away for over a decade.

***

a.m.

The old lady suddenly opens her eyes, nudging the snoring old man beside her.

"Hey, wake up. I dreamed our son returned."

The old man rubs his eyes, complains, "What do you mean dreamed? He came back last night."

"Really..."

The old lady bursts with joy, immediately gets up, just in time to see someone in the yard outside the window.

"Oh heck, our son is already up. Get up and make breakfast."

The old lady quickly dresses, hurries downstairs, just in time to see her daughter also coming out of the room.

Remembering what the old man instructed, she rushes to pull her yawning daughter aside, speaking softly, "Ah Ying, you’re staying at home for so long, won’t Dajun mind?"

Ah Ying pauses from yawning, looks at her mom, and frowns slightly, "Dajun doesn’t mind."

"But you can’t always stay at home for ten days or half a month." The old lady’s tone carries some urgency, "Quickly pack up, today you and Dajun go back to the city."

"It’s not... Mom, what are you doing? My brother just came back, you’re chasing us away?" Ah Ying, recalling something her husband said last night, shows a bit of annoyance, even anger, "Mom, what has my brother been doing all these years? Why hasn’t he returned in so long? Is he really a base soldier?"