You are the familiar face in my dreams and the greatest gentleness I have waited for. Even if the sky falls and the earth splits, I am still waiting for you at home, hoping you know that there is still a home here for you.

Zhang Zhentian heard these words from his daughter-in-law, and it was only then that he realized the things he had done over the years were not worthy of forgiveness. What right did he have to expect his family to forgive him for abandoning them, for the hurt he caused, for sacrificing the whole family’s interests for his own happiness and freedom? Ultimately, he fell the higher he climbed, and in the end, he found himself with nowhere to go but back home.

"Zhihan, Dad knows you have always held a grudge against me for this, but there are some things I still wish to explain. I’m not the heartless person you think I am. I understand that everyone in this family needed me during those years, yet I chose to evade the responsibilities one should assume.

It’s normal for you to resent me, but do you know? When I decided to return to this family and mustered the courage to come back and admit my mistakes, it proved that deep down, I sincerely wished to return to this home. I can’t bear to have everyone suffer with me. I want to see my son, and I want to live openly and rightfully in this family. I want the world to know that I’m not irredeemable, and I hope that one day, everyone in the family will forgive me, support me, and no longer dwell on the mistakes I made. Those mistakes are a sharp blade that constantly pierces my heart, keeping me from breathing.

No one can understand the excitement and happiness of a father returning home after being away from his son for so many years. Do you know how much I’ve longed to return here one day? Now I have, and while some choose to forgive me, others still harbor prejudice. I know such biases can’t be easily erased, and the hurt I’ve caused over the years can’t be avoided. But do you know? I also want to live joyfully and sincerely wish to make it up to you all!

I am fully aware that the pain I’ve caused is irreparable, and I will do my utmost to compensate and care for each family member here so that everyone can live comfortably, happily, and joyfully, as long as you will give me this chance!"

Ran Zhihan was merely standing up for her husband, but she never expected her father to humble himself this much before the younger generation. She felt a bit embarrassed and awkward inside. Did her actions ultimately lead everyone to misunderstand her good intentions? All she wanted was for them to truly recognize her husband’s dependence on them and sincerely come back to love him properly, instead of abandoning their family as easily as before, which is a pain for everyone!

"Dad, I am at fault in this matter. I shouldn’t have been this selfish or spoken to you in this way. I hope you can also understand my intentions as a wife. I can’t bear to see my husband so deeply hurt. He has already lived too hard, keeping all his pain to himself time and time again just to keep his family happy and thriving. How could I bear seeing such a good man hurt?

No one knows how hard he has lived alone all these years. The understanding you claim to have is mostly based on hearsay or investigations, and those results might not be true. The only real result is what I have witnessed: him overcoming numerous hardships step by step to create his current success. His remarkable life has attracted much envy and spite, with people stabbing him in the back.

Yet he never gave up, continuing to persevere because he believes that someday he can live truly happily, never finding himself in a passive position again. All he wants is a peaceful heart and for his family to be happy, because throughout these years, he has never abandoned any family member.

In truth, there’s no difference between people. The biggest difference between him and you is that he bears all hardship alone to protect and not abandon his family!

But you chose to discard your world for your freedom, abandoning kinship, which you deem insignificant, whereas for him, kinship means everything.

Well, perhaps that’s the difference. No one can fully grasp what rests at the depths of others’ hearts or what motives reside there. Only one’s own heart can truly be known.

I envy the tacit understanding between you as partners. That connection cannot be understood or experienced by anyone, yet the one thing I do not envy is that my husband is stronger than you. He never thought of abandoning us, whether he loves me more or loves the family more. At least for him, kinship comes above everything else. He can give up money, freedom, and personal happiness, but he could never abandon his family!

Dad, I am not trying to say you are wrong. I just want you to realize that you have given up not only your family, but all the kinship. I have thought a lot about this these past few days. Regardless, you are our parents, and we can’t shut you out forever. I sincerely welcome you back to be part of this family, hoping that this big family will improve and everyone will live happily, keeping those past sorrows forgotten.

Mom and Dad, you don’t need to blame yourselves anymore. Some things are past, and no one needs to bring them up again. Today, we’ve said all there is, so living peacefully from now on is enough. If we keep dwelling on past things, no one can be happy, right?"

"You’re right, child, but having done so many things wrong, how can peace truly rest in our hearts? We have souls, too, and don’t wish for our family to be hurt, yet our actions have caused you such grief!"

The deepest emotions shared between us are those most deeply etched in memory. No matter how much pain we endured or how many dark nights we struggled through, I firmly believe time will prove everything!