Chapter 104: Honey, Let’s Go Home

Chapter 104: Honey, Let's Go Home

Back at 207, Chu Lanting still looked a little dazed.

He'd only been in this world for half a year, but it felt like he'd lived here his whole life.

His life before jumping into the book now felt like a dream.

Unlike the main star, the air here was thick, and the land was a lifeless yellow-brown.

They got to 207 just as evening was setting in.

The second the airship hatch opened, a kid outside let out a startled yell.

"Teacher Chu's back!!!"

The town was tiny, with only a few hundred people living there.

That shout landed like a fireball dropping from the sky.

The second it hit the ground, it exploded, spreading to every corner of town in an instant.

Everyone stuck their heads out their doors.

When they spotted the familiar airship, word spread fast—Teacher Chu was back.

In just over ten minutes, Chu Lanting, who'd barely stepped off the airship, was mobbed by the townsfolk.

People shoved and crowded in, all trying to see if their eyes were playing tricks on them.

When Chu Lanting left 207, he'd said he'd only be gone for two weeks, but hardly anyone really believed it.

They were all locals, just waiting for the sun to come up and go down, their lives slipping away like water through their fingers.

There was no hope here—just a dead quiet.

Chu Lanting going to the main star was the right call.

That way, more people could see how kind and talented he was.

Instead of staying here, living the same day on repeat.

They were grateful he'd come, relieved he'd left, but still held onto a faint hope he might come back.

Chu Lanting leaving was his right; coming back was a gift.

No one could hold him back—only he could do that.

Now that he'd actually come back, the townsfolk's plain faces lit up with excitement and joy.

"Teacher Chu, why're you back so soon? Aren't you gonna stay on the main star?"

"Is the main star fun? Is it really as big and pretty as what Grandpa He's TV shows?"

"Teacher Chu, I missed you so much. I thought you were never coming back."

"..."

Chu Lanting liked his peace and quiet.

This loud, chattering scene would've given him a headache before.

But now, he didn't seem annoyed at all—instead, he felt like... he was coming home.

It was like coming home.

Ever since his parents and grandma died, he'd been like a piece of driftwood, floating along, not knowing where he was headed or where he should go.

But now it was different. He had family and friends who cared about him, and a lover...

A bright smile tugged at the corners of his lips as his gaze landed on Uncle Tian and the others, who'd just shown up.

"Yeah, I'm home."

"You're not leaving again this time? No, you still gotta go to the main star. There's nothing good here—it suits you better."

At the dinner table, Uncle Tian was clutching an empty bottle, his face all red from drinking.

He squinted, laughing one second and sighing the next as he talked.

He said Chu Lanting used to be a quiet kid, barely talking, hunched over, hardly ever looking up.

He said he didn't know what got into him, but Chu Lanting had become a whole different person—gentle and kind, even starting to teach the kids.

As he talked, his eyes got all teary: "Life here's too hard. You should go to the main star with A Du."

Only Chu Lanting and Pei Du at the table knew why he'd changed.

The two shared a quiet look, not saying a word, just passing food to the younger ones.

"Xiaoyi, don't just eat bread—eat some veggies and meat too."

In just two weeks, Xiaoyi and Xiaoyuan had clearly lost weight.

The two kids were closest to Chu Lanting, especially Xiaoyi, who he'd worked so hard to bring out of his shell.

But it hadn't been long, and when he came back, the kid had gone quiet again.

"Teacher, Grandpa Tian's right. You shouldn't have come back."

Xiaoyuan was holding a bread so hard it was tough to chew, her cheeks all puffed out, her words a bit muffled.

She missed Teacher Chu too, but what she thought about more was that he shouldn't come back.

Ever since Teacher Chu left with A Du last time, word had spread to the nearby towns.

Everyone knew there was a great Teacher Chu here, and that he'd gone to the main star.

The townsfolk were grateful to him, but what about folks in other towns?

People's hearts are hard to figure out.

That's something Teacher Chu taught them.

Chu Lanting had been talked into two glasses of strong liquor. Since he wasn't much of a drinker, his pale cheeks were now flushed pink, his eyes all watery, making him look even softer and more adorable than usual.

Hearing what Uncle Tian and Xiaoyuan said, he blinked a little late, then spoke slowly.

"I'll be back. This is my home, too."

There wasn't much he could do, but the family and friends here had given him so much warmth.

When he was on the main star, with no one at home to keep him company, he'd think of this place.

He'd picture how happy they'd be when he came back, and a smile would sneak onto his face.

It was the same now.

Seeing familiar faces and familiar scenes, the weight in his heart slowly lifted.

What could be happier than being with family and friends who love you?

Probably nothing, he thought.

That night, Chu Lanting was plied with drinks, and Pei Du naturally couldn't escape either.

By the time dinner was over, the two kids, Xiaoyi and Xiaoyuan, were already nodding off.

The adults cleaned up the mess.

Chu Lanting, tipsy from the drinks, was left sitting in his seat. Through blurry, drunken eyes, he thought he saw Uncle He pull Pei Du aside into a corner.

The two of them talked about something he couldn't quite make out.

When he blinked again, he saw Pei Du bend down in front of him and drape his coat over his shoulders.

"Babe, time to go home."

The term he hadn't heard in ages suddenly rang in his ears.

Chu Lanting froze for a long moment, then a smile crept into his watery eyes.

"Carry me."

Pei Du was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist from years on the battlefield—his proportions were impeccable.

Chu Lanting lay on his back, legs swinging at his waist. "A Du."

"Yeah, I'm here."

Burying half his face in the crook of Pei Du's neck, breathing in his steady, woody scent, Chu Lanting felt himself getting even drunker.

"I have a home. This is my home."

Guided by the moonlight overhead, Pei Du carried him step by step toward the little home they'd shared for so long.

Hearing the voice from his back, he paused mid-step, then answered in a low voice.

Chu Lanting had only told him about where he came from.

But he'd never talked about what his life was like before he came here.

Even so, Pei Du could still pick up on his emotional shifts from the smallest details.

It was a strange feeling.

He used to not get why people's emotions could change so much, but when it came to Chu Lanting, it was so easy to read.

Hoisting the person on his back up a bit, Pei Du said softly.

"This is your home. And wherever you are, that's my home."