“But how did you know I was coming back on this train?”

“Wasn’t it you who sent the telegram?” Emily Clark asked, waving a telegram in her hand.

“It wasn’t me… but I get it now, it was a friend of mine who sent it.” David Clark said. He only had this one younger sister, so he never thought of asking Emily Clark to pick him up. He guessed it must have been Henry Foster, who, seeing he had too much luggage, kindly sent the telegram to his sister on his behalf.

“Brother, why do you have so much luggage? Are you moving?” Emily Clark asked in surprise as she looked at David Clark’s luggage.

“Well, it’s a long story. Little Emily, how did you get here?”

“I came with Grace Thompson by bicycle.”

“Grace Thompson?” David Clark turned his head and saw a tall, pretty girl standing not far away, watching the two of them. The expression on her face was a mix of a smile and shyness, with both joy and a hint of embarrassment.

Of course, David Clark recognized her. Two years ago, when David Clark left Han Hua Machinery Factory, Grace Thompson was still a shy little girl, but now she had grown into a graceful young woman.

Grace Thompson’s father was named Charles Thompson, and her mother was Susan Cooper. Both were workers at the factory and were very close to David Clark’s parents. After David Clark’s parents passed away, the The Thompson Family family took great care of the siblings, often inviting them over for meals, so David Clark and Grace Thompson became quite familiar with each other. Grace Thompson was two years younger than David Clark, the same age as Emily Clark. When David Clark left to join the army, Grace Thompson was still in middle school. At that time, boys and girls at school didn’t talk to each other, so even though David Clark often ate at Grace Thompson’s house and Grace Thompson and Emily Clark were as close as sisters, David Clark and Grace Thompson hardly spoke, and most of the time, they just looked at each other from a distance like now.

“Grace Thompson, thank you for coming with Little Emily to pick me up.” David Clark walked over confidently and greeted Grace Thompson. He was no longer the half-grown boy he used to be. Whether as the battle-hardened veteran David Clark, or the graduate student who had crossed over, David Clark was now an adult, no longer bound by the “no talking” rule at school.

“Little David… you’re back.” Grace Thompson replied in a low voice, her face already tinged with a blush before she finished speaking.

“Three people, two suitcases, one backpack, two bicycles—how are we going to manage?” Emily Clark asked David Clark in distress.

“How about we put the luggage on the bikes and push them along?” Grace Thompson suggested to Emily Clark, but her tone was actually seeking David Clark’s opinion.

Chapter 007 The Thompson Family

Of course, David Clark wouldn’t let the two girls walk five kilometers with him. He got on Emily Clark’s bicycle himself, tied the backpack to the front, and let Emily Clark sit on the back rack holding the box of porcelain. As for Grace Thompson, she only needed to carry a cardboard box on the back of her own bike. Back then, everyone on Earth knew one thing: Chinese people, regardless of age or gender, were all bicycle experts. A seemingly delicate girl like Grace Thompson had no trouble at all riding a bike with a box on the back.

On the way from the train station to Han Hua Machinery Factory, Grace Thompson remained silent, while Emily Clark kept asking her brother about his time in the army and his return to civilian life. After a few days, David Clark had basically digested the memories of his previous body, so he spoke fluently and naturally. When the stories became moving, Emily Clark couldn’t help but shed tears, which made David Clark deeply realize that, despite her seemingly carefree attitude, his sister’s feelings for him ran very deep.

David Clark had been away from Fenghua County for two years, but the town hadn’t changed much. The roads were still the same, and the way people spoke was still the familiar local dialect.

Entering Han Hua Factory, David Clark began to see some familiar faces—some were workers at the factory, others were kids he’d grown up with. People greeted David Clark in various ways: some simply said “You’re back,” while others warmly insisted that David Clark must visit their homes when he had time.

“Auntie Cooper said you should go to her house for dinner first,” Emily Clark reminded him.

“Oh.” David Clark agreed and rode his bike toward Charles Thompson’s house. He knew that the Auntie Cooper Emily Clark mentioned was Grace Thompson’s mother, Susan Cooper.

When they arrived at the The Thompson Family’s door, they saw Susan Cooper already waiting outside. As soon as she saw David Clark, she called out joyfully, “Little David is back!”

David Clark jumped off the bike, parked it, and walked up to Susan Cooper. She grabbed his hand and looked him up and down. “Oh my, you’ve grown taller and sturdier. I heard you went to the front lines. Old Thompson and I were so worried, and Little Emily cried every day, afraid something might happen to you.”

“Auntie, I didn’t…” Emily Clark said shyly from the side, but David Clark could see a glimmer of tears in her eyes. It seemed his sister really had worried about him a lot.

“Auntie, sorry to have made you worry. And I heard that Little Emily has been staying at your house all this time. Thank you so much,” David Clark said sincerely to Susan Cooper.