The western outskirts of Nanpu County were filled with vast vegetable fields, where farmers could be seen carrying loads to work. Here, the paved road gave way to a dusty, potholed dirt road. After driving three or four hundred meters along this dirt road, a low, single-story house came into view.
The house's walls were covered in ivy, and the earthen tiles on the roof were overgrown with moss, giving it a dilapidated appearance. The guard officer in the passenger seat carefully checked the address Guan Weiping had given him on the military navigation equipment twice before turning to Fang Hongda and saying,
"Sir, this is the place you're looking for."
Upon hearing this, Fang Hongda straightened up slightly, a hint of excitement in his eyes as he looked over. He too was shocked by the dilapidated scene before him; the development of this outlying area of the small county was indeed quite backward.
Could it be that Xiaohua had been living in such a place all these years? Fang Hongda found it hard to believe that the once somewhat famous young princess of the Han family in Beijing was living such a poor life in a small town on the southeastern border. What force sustained her?
Fang Hongda thought for a moment and said to the guard officer driving the car:
"Pull over! Let's get out and take a walk!"
"Yes, sir!" The guard officer replied crisply and succinctly.
After the car came to a stop, Fang Hongda opened the door himself without waiting for Guan Weiping to come around and open it.
The four of them walked towards a bungalow not far away. A small vegetable truck drove by, kicking up a cloud of dust. Guan Weiping couldn't help but frown slightly, but Fang Hongda ignored the dust and walked steadily forward.
In a short while, the four of them arrived at the courtyard of the bungalow. At midday, the place was eerily quiet, save for the occasional distant chirping of male crickets and the tireless calls of cicadas in the trees, which only added to the desolate atmosphere.
The dilapidated wooden gate to the courtyard was unlocked. Through the large crack in the gate, one could vaguely see loofah and fruit trees planted in the yard. Lush green loofah vines climbed the trellises, and several baby crickets, led by their mother, were happily pecking at the fruit. A middle-aged woman could also be seen sitting on a low stool, laboriously chopping pig feed.
Fang Hongda stopped and turned to instruct:
"Weiping, you guys wait for me outside. I'll go in by myself."
Guan Weiping hesitated for a moment, then said:
"Yes, Secretary! Please be careful!"
The two guards tacitly surveyed the surrounding terrain and then began to stand guard near the gate. Fang Hongda then gently pushed open the door. Guan Weiping, with his sharp eyes, noticed that Secretary Fang's usually steady hand was trembling slightly today.
Han Xuehua chopped a full basket of pig feed, stood up, wiped her hands on her apron, smoothed her slightly messy bangs, and ignored the sweat on her face from her hard work. She rubbed her aching shoulders and laboriously carried the large basket of pig feed to the pigpen in the corner of the yard to feed the pigs.
Just then, the yard gate was pushed open.
Who would come at this hour? Han Xuehua looked up in confusion, her eyes widening instantly. She froze, the basket of pig feed clattering to the ground. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at her childhood friend, whom she saw every day on the Southeast News Network. Memories flooded back.
Fang Hongda wasn't much better off. The moment Han Xuehua looked up, Fang Hongda immediately recognized her. Although more than twenty years had etched deep marks on Han Xuehua, especially the hardships of those years which had prematurely aged her, making her look like a sixty-year-old, Fang Hongda could still see traces of the spoiled little princess in her eyes.
Especially the way Han Xuehua gently bit her chin—it was exactly the same as when she was a child.
"Xiaohua…" Fang Hongda's usually steady voice trembled slightly.
"Third Brother…you, how did you get here?" Han Xuehua felt like she was dreaming. Fang Hongda had been working in Southeast Province for years, and Han Xuehua saw him on television almost every day, but seeing him in person for the first time still filled her with an overwhelming excitement.
These past years had been so hard…
Fang Hongda walked with the agility of a young man, taking three steps at a time to stand before Han Xuehua, looking her up and down. After more than twenty years apart, Han Xuehua was no longer the youthful and charming woman she once was. The hardships of life had etched the marks of time on Han Xuehua's face. Crow's feet appeared at the corners of her eyes, and her once full head of black hair was now mostly gray. Her hands, calloused from years of labor, and her patched, coarse cloth clothes brought a lump to Fang Hongda's throat.
"Xiaohua…you…you've suffered!" Fang Hongda's eyes reddened as he asked reproachfully, "I've been in the Southeast for over three years, you couldn't possibly not know, why didn't you come to see me?"
Han Xuehua sighed deeply, turned, and moved a plastic stool from the windowsill. She said,
"Third Brother, please sit down for a while! Our home is simple, please don't mind!"
Fang Hongda noticed that although Han Xuehua was simply dressed, her every gesture revealed the good upbringing of a well-bred lady. She exuded a quiet, gentle, scholarly air, clearly an indelible mark left by her life in a large family in her early years.
"Xiaohua, tell your third brother, what exactly happened back then that made you so resolute in leaving? Why would you rather endure such hardship in the mountains than return to Beijing?" Fang Hongda asked anxiously after sitting down.
Han Xuehua also pulled up a stool and sat down beside Fang Hongda, sighing softly.
"Sigh… Third brother, please don't ask. So many years have passed, I don't want to bring it up again."
"Fine, then I won't ask. Whatever happened between you and the family, that's an internal family matter, I can ignore it. But Xiaohua, are you even avoiding your third brother?" Fang Hongda's tone became somewhat indignant. "If I hadn't met Chen Yang, I would never have imagined that back then…" "My dear Han Xiaomei, whom I've been searching for so long, has actually lived in this small county under my jurisdiction for over twenty years!"
"Yangyang?" Upon hearing this, Han Xuehua's expression changed slightly, and her tone became urgent. She turned and grabbed Fang Hongda's hand, asking anxiously, "Third Brother, has Yangyang gotten into trouble in Rongcheng? Why is he so troublesome!"
Except for the moment Fang Hongda entered the door, Han Xuehua had maintained a calm and composed demeanor, but the mention of her only son immediately caused her to lose her composure, her eyes revealing anxiety. Fang Hongda quickly said,
"Xiaohua, don't worry, Chen Yang hasn't caused any trouble at all. On the contrary, he's actually done a great service!"
"What great service could a little kid like him do? Third Brother, don't try to comfort me!" Hearing Fang Hongda's words, Han Xuehua didn't relax at all; instead, she became even more worried and asked, "Tell me quickly, what trouble has he gotten into? It's even alarmed you, the provincial party secretary!"
Seeing Han Xuehua's expression, Fang Hongda couldn't help but find it amusing. He quickly recounted everything that had happened to Chen Yang recently. He started by seeing Chen Yang participate in a calligraphy and painting competition and being accepted as a disciple by Master Baiyan, including him buying a second-hand house in Rongcheng, and later bravely fighting hijackers and making an emergency landing at an international law forum. Han Xuehua listened, her mouth agape in astonishment. Even after Fang Hongda had finished recounting Chen Yang's recent exploits, his throat dry, Han Xuehua remained stunned. After a long pause, she murmured, "Third Brother, you're joking with me, right...? Don't I know Yangyang? These things you're saying could never happen to him. Third Brother, you must have the wrong person!"
In Han Xuehua's eyes, Chen Yang had always been mediocre, somewhat introverted, timid, and often bullied by other children. He wasn't particularly bright; he didn't speak until he was two years old, and seemed to learn things more slowly than other children.
How could such an ordinary person, easily lost in a crowd, have accomplished so many earth-shattering feats in just a month or two? Especially his bravery in fighting hijackers and even successfully making an emergency landing in a giant passenger plane, saving over two hundred lives—how could Yangyang have done this? Fang Hongda, seeing this, was somewhat amused and exasperated:
"Xiaohua, why do you have so little confidence in your child? Chen Yang is truly a very good child, and having grown up in a large family, his character is bound to be excellent. Take the calligraphy and painting competition, for example! Even Master Baiyan praised Chen Yang's calligraphy skills highly! Xiaohua, you've laid a very good foundation for him!"
"Calligraphy skills?" Han Xuehua was even more confused. "Yangyang did practice calligraphy for a few days when he was little, but he was self-taught. We didn't have the money to send him to any classes."
"That only proves this child is a genius!" Fang Hongda said with a smile. "Alright, Xiaohua, you can ask him directly when he comes back. Do you think I, the provincial party secretary, would mistake someone? Besides, the reason I was able to find you was because Chen Yang told you about your situation!"
"Ah? Yangyang told you!" Han Xuehua immediately became nervous. "Third brother, you didn't tell him about the Han family, did you?"
"No, I think that child knows nothing about your situation. I imagine you must have your reasons for not telling him, so I didn't dare to overstep my bounds," Fang Hongda said.
Han Xuehua let out a long sigh of relief, a relaxed expression on her face. She continued, "Third Brother, I don't want Yangyang to know about this. I hope you'll keep it a secret. Life in a wealthy family isn't always as glamorous as it seems! I just hope Yangyang can live a healthy and peaceful life. I don't need him to achieve great things; I just want him to live an ordinary, down-to-earth life."
Fang Hongda nodded silently, then said meaningfully, "Xiaohua, I think your son is destined for something far from ordinary!"