Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Professor Lin massaged his temples as he left the office. Stepping out of the building, he was hit by the dry, biting cold wind of the northwest, making him shiver. He tightened the faded scarf around his neck and hurried toward the external relations office.

Unfortunately, there was no good news.

Communication was slow in this era, especially in a classified base like this, where letters had to go through layers of inspection. He knew in his heart that he'd be lucky to hear anything before the new year. What he feared most was that there would be no trace of the child anywhere, and then ten or twenty years of silence wouldn't be impossible.

He just didn't know if his failing health could hold out until the day they found the child.

“Professor Lin, rest assured, we’ll notify you the moment we hear anything,” a staff member said, unable to hide their pity, offering a hollow consolation.

Professor Lin nodded, forcing a faint smile. “Thank you. I appreciate your hard work.”

He shuffled his feet toward the dormitory, treasuring the brief memories in his mind of the time spent with the child before leaving home... As he aged, memories seemed cruelly diluted by time, many scenes growing blurry. If it weren’t for the two photos of the child as a toddler, he might not even remember what the child looked like.

What if, what if he passed away before the child was found? Who else in this world would even know that child existed?

For the first time in his life, a deep, sorrowful despair rose in the heart of this staunch materialist, who had never feared any difficulty. The northwest wind didn't just chill him to the bone—even the last bit of warmth in his heart seemed to vanish.

His slightly hunched body looked as if it might be blown over by the fierce wind at any moment, yet the next second, he steadied himself and pressed on.

Precisely because he knew no one else in this world would remember that child, he had to grit his teeth and keep going.

Lost in a jumble of thoughts, Professor Lin reached his dormitory door. He fumbled for his keys in his pocket, but just as he was about to unlock it, the door next to his swung open, and Professor Zhai practically burst out. “Old Lin, you’re back! I went to your office and couldn’t find you, and you weren’t in the cafeteria either. Oh, come on, come take a look at this...” He pulled Professor Lin into his room as he spoke.

Professor Lin gave a wry smile. “What are you doing? What’s so urgent?”

The moment he looked up and saw Zhao’s father standing inside, he froze for a second, then quickly realized, “Oh, right, Xiao Zhao, I wanted to ask you about how your kid was found back then...”

Professor Zhai had already dragged him into the room and thrust a newspaper in front of his face. “Look, look at this kid. Isn’t this your Xiao Mian?”

Professor Lin was stunned, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard. For a moment, he couldn’t process it, thinking he’d misheard. “Wh-what?”

“This kid is named Lin Mian. He was also abducted and hasn’t found his biological parents yet. I think he looks a bit like the kid in your photo. Take a close look, quickly, see if it’s your Xiao Mian!” Professor Zhai rattled off like a machine gun, thrusting the newspaper forward.

With trembling hands, Professor Lin pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket, fumbling to put them on his nose. His panicked gaze landed on the mimeographed photo, and in one glance, he spotted the boy standing behind an odd-looking plow.

The photo didn’t take up much space on the page, and since it was a group shot, the people weren’t very clear. Besides, he had left home when the child was very young, so logically, he shouldn’t have been able to recognize him. But this child looked too much like his late daughter-in-law—the look in his eyes and brows was almost exactly the same.

“It’s him, it’s him!”

Professor Lin choked up, tears instantly blurring his vision, his glasses quickly fogging up.

Zhao’s father stared at Professor Lin in shock, his lips moving slightly as if to say, “Are you sure you’re not mistaken?” But he swallowed his words when he saw the tears streaming down the old man’s cheeks. He turned to Professor Zhai and mouthed silently, “Could this be wrong?” How could someone recognize a kid he hadn’t seen in over ten years from a blurry photo?

And wasn’t this too much of a coincidence?

Professor Zhai shook his head and said softly, “We’ll find the kid and ask him, won’t we? I think it’s right. Whose kid could be this smart besides Old Lin’s, being so capable at such a young age?”

Zhao’s father: “...”

As a staunch materialist, don’t you think saying that is a bit off?

—

A few days later.

“You two are busier than the brigade leader every single day.”

Wang Guizhi came out of the kitchen, took a mesh bag from a nail under the eaves, stuffed the lunchbox into it, and handed it to Lin Mian. “Since you’re going to the commune, take these two pancakes to Wendong and the others. The food at school is so watery and bland; I can see those two kids are getting skinnier and skinnier.”

Lin Mian took the bag. “Grandma, they’re just shooting up. Otherwise, with Zhao Xuehai’s pig-like eating habits, he’d have turned himself into a big, dark fatso by now.”

Wang Guizhi lightly patted his back. “You kid, why are you always picking on Xuehai?”

Lin Mian smirked. “He talks too much.”

Wang Guizhi chuckled. “I think you’re turning into him at this rate.”

Shen Banyue came out of the house with her bag slung over her shoulder and chimed in, “No way. Xiao Mian just graduated from being a mute to a normal person. Zhao Xuehai is a blabbermouth, and only Zhao Jie’s loudspeaker can match him.”

Wang Guizhi waved her hand with a smile. “You’re always so protective. Go on, go on. Take the pancakes to Zhao the blabbermouth and Wendong. Tell them to heat them up in the cafeteria tonight before eating. It’s cold, and eating cold food will give them a stomachache.”

“Got it!”

Shen Banyue waved her hand and strode out of the yard first, with Lin Mian following with a grin, holding the mesh bag.

Walking side by side, Shen Banyue sighed. “Let’s buy a bicycle next year. That way, we can bike home every day and live there, and eat a good meal. I really don’t want to stay in that kind of big shared dorm like Brother Wendong’s.” She turned to look at Lin Mian. “I don’t think you’d like it either.”

Lin Mian: “...”

Actually, he’d be fine. Living at home was best, but if not, the big dorm wasn’t a big deal. It was just that some people weren’t clean—couldn’t he just find a way to make them “love” cleanliness?

Still, he nodded without hesitation. “Yeah, I’m not used to the big dorm either.”

Shen Banyue grinned. “Later, let’s stop by the clinic, see Sister Yaoyao, and borrow her bike. She can’t ride it lately anyway. We’ll return it to her on Saturday.”

Lin Mian was used to her making these arrangements, so he just nodded.

“Xiao Yue, are you two going to the commune to fix the tractor?” Auntie Qin met them on the village path, holding a handful of garlic sprouts and picking them as she walked. Seeing the two kids, she started praising them. “The brigade leader now always brings you up when he sees those idle little brats in the village. But he’s right—look at how young you are, already master mechanics fixing tractors for others. Those brats have just wasted all those extra years eating rice.”

Shen Banyue had asked the brigade leader for leave yesterday, but by this morning, the whole village was already buzzing with the news.

The old man used to be quite serious, but lately, he seemed to be heading down the path of being a gossip too.

After exchanging pleasantries with Auntie Qin, Shen Banyue and Lin Mian reached the village entrance just as a group of educated youth were heading to work. An older educated youth asked Xu Zilei, “Why has Zhang Ying been running off to the commune so often lately? She’s off again early this morning. What’s so attractive about the commune? If she keeps this up, she’ll know the consequences when the year-end grain distribution comes.”

Xu Zilei looked dejected. “I don’t know. She told us not to bother her.”

From building the new plow and fixing the tractor to making the Provincial Daily, they had watched the Xiaodun Brigade’s reputation grow, and now they regretted not being more proactive in their work. If they had been more active, they might have gotten their names mentioned in the reports—what an honor that would have been!

But even without being in the newspaper, they already felt the benefits of the brigade’s fame. Sometimes, when they went to the commune market and met educated youth from other brigades, everyone envied their luck, saying that being assigned to Xiaodun meant better chances of returning to the city or attending the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University.

Xu Zilei had even received a letter from home saying the news had spread there, and his family felt very proud.

The report said that Xiaodun Brigade had a good atmosphere, with excellent morale among commune members, educated youth, and sent-down personnel alike... As an educated youth, he was undoubtedly part of that “excellent morale.”

They had all been working much harder lately, trying to fit in with the older educated youth.

Only Zhang Ying seemed possessed, finding fault with everything in the brigade. She couldn’t stand anything, always feeling the brigade had wronged her. Her work had been sloppy before, but now it was even worse, and she took leave frequently.

Xu Zilei had been close to her before, but lately, they had become like “two people with nothing in common.”

The older educated youth sighed. “Forget it. If she runs out of grain, she’ll suffer the consequences herself.”

Just then, the educated youth spotted Shen Banyue and Lin Mian and greeted them with smiles. “Off to fix the tractor at the commune? Go for it! Show them the spirit of our Xiaodun Brigade’s Great Hero!”

“Count the great figures of the day—look to the present! Xiao Yue, Xiao Mian, go for it!”

Shen Banyue: “…”

Lin Mian: “…”

“Great Hero” and such—every time they heard it, it still felt embarrassing, especially when adults said it; it was enough to make you want to dig a hole and crawl into it, like clawing out a whole mountain from under your feet—

Lin Mian had picked up that phrase from Shen Banyue. Though it sounded a bit odd, he always felt it described the situation perfectly every time.

The two kids greeted everyone and quickly ran off. Even after leaving the village, they didn’t slow down, wordlessly agreeing to just keep running the whole way.

Yesterday, the brigade leader had offered to arrange a tractor or an oxcart to take them to the commune, but they’d refused. They worked out every day anyway, so running to the commune doubled as training.

Diesel was hard to get, so they saved it where they could.

The oxen had been busy plowing and breaking new ground lately; it was better to let them rest when possible.

By the time they reached the commune, Shen Banyue wasn't even winded, while Lin Mian was doubled over, panting. Shen Banyue smiled at the flushed-faced boy and said earnestly, “Kid, your stamina's seriously lacking!”

Lin Mian held back for a moment, then couldn’t help retorting, “I can't compete with your freaky natural strength. Among normal people, I’m already pretty good.”

Shen Banyue curled her finger and flicked his forehead. “Quite bold, aren’t you?” She smirked, clearly not really mad.

The two grabbed their net bag and headed for Yunling Middle School.

The sky was gray, with thick clouds—a cold, windy, gloomy day. There were few people on the road. The two kids chatted idly as they walked, seemingly not noticing the footsteps mixed in with the wind.

Not far behind them, around a corner, Qian Tao, Yan Lei, and Jin Liangcai each held a stick, peeking out. They even wore red armbands openly, ready to use the excuse of catching bad guys if anyone saw them.

“Kids always take shortcuts; they'll go down that alley. I know it—there are a few hard-of-hearing elderly folks living there. We'll strike there,” Jin Liangcai squinted.

“First, bag them and knock them out, then drag them to a nearby empty house. After that, do what you want,” Qian Tao laughed. “I'll keep the female educated youth who ratted them out company.”

Yan Lei said flatly, “Just let me blow off some steam.”

Having settled on the plan, the three quickly gave chase.

In their heads, three grown guys taking down two kids would be a piece of cake—bag 'em, whack 'em, done in no time.

But in reality, as they approached with the bag, the two kids seemed to have eyes in the back of their heads, darting apart suddenly. The three tripped and fell into a pile.

Before they could figure out if it was coincidence or if they’d been spotted, there was no turning back. They scrambled up, grabbed their sticks, and charged at the kids again.

At that moment, they were scared the kids would take off and yell for help. But oddly, the two stood still, neither running nor shouting, like they were frozen in fear.

Qian Tao swung his stick at Shen Banyue, thinking even the smartest kid was useless when push came to shove. But the thought barely formed when a blur moved—she kicked him in the stomach with lightning speed.

To Qian Tao, it felt less like being kicked and more like he’d run straight into a hammer. The impact rattled his guts, sweat pouring out as he hit the ground, unable to get up.

Shen Banyue didn't even look at him. She leaped into the air, landing behind Yan Lei, swept his legs out from under him, then stomped on his shin, leaving him howling on the ground.

Lin Mian didn't have her skills or strength, but he had a sharp mind. As Jin Liangcai lunged at him, he scrambled up a nearby wall like a monkey. When Jin followed, Lin jumped down, using gravity to kick Jin in the head and landing on him like a cushion, crushing him into a scream.

The three were lousy fighters anyway—they relied on numbers and their victims being scared. Against these two tough kids, they got completely wrecked.

Shen Banyue nudged the ropes, sacks, and cloth strips they'd dropped, grinning. “You guys came pretty prepared.”

Lin Mian quickly tied them up with the ropes, gagged them with the cloth, and saw each had a big sack. He bagged them too.

Shen Banyue stood there with her arms crossed, offering commentary: “That knot's not tight enough. No need to redo it—someone stronger could break free, but these three can't. Look at their shaky stances, so weak… Tsk, typical Revolutionary Committee types, skimming off the top, huh? This guy's got a little belly—that's rare! The sack barely fits you…”

Once everything was done, she suddenly yelled toward a nearby gate: “Uncle, no need to hide behind the door. Why not open it and watch properly?”

The slightly open door slammed shut.

Shen Banyue didn’t mind. She looked at the ground, then dutifully hoisted two sacks onto her shoulders. “Who knew a run would turn into weightlifting? Are we doing a triathlon or what?”

Lin Mian picked up the last sack. “The towel factory's nearby. Let's go tell them first. We probably won’t have time to fix the tractor this morning.”

They hurried toward the towel factory, dumping the sacks in a patch of dead grass near the entrance. Lin Mian went to find someone at the guardhouse, while Shen Banyue squatted nearby, waiting.

Just as she squatted down, two people came from the other end of the road. They had dark skin, plain faces, and heavily patched cotton jackets—typical commune members from Yunling Commune.

But their expressions were weird—sneaky, looking around.

Of course, in winter, everyone hunched their shoulders a bit. If Shen Banyue hadn’t been bored and looked twice, she might not have noticed.

She instinctively ducked into the tall grass, but before she could pull the sack in, it was too late.

The two farmers spotted the sack and hurried over. Shen Banyue first thought they were trying to steal it, wondering if she should intervene if they found a person inside. Then she heard them mutter: “Dumped out this early?”

“Wasn't it supposed to be two people? Why just one bag?”

Shen Banyue held her breath. She blinked.

The two circled the sack, confused. One squeezed it—inside was Qian Tao, the smallest and thinnest. After a squeeze, he muttered, “A kid this tall?” Then he kicked it; Qian Tao groaned. “It's a guy. Where's the girl? Old Mo's unreliable—did he keep her? How do we explain to Brother Cao?”

The other urged, “Hurry up. If someone sees us, we're screwed.”

The first said, “Old Mo didn't finish the job. He's not out cold yet. Let me finish it.”

He pulled something from his pocket, muttering, “Wonder if this works through the sack,” when he heard a whoosh behind him. A sharp pain hit his neck, and everything went black as he slumped sideways.

Shen Banyue caught him gently, laying him down. Before the other could react, she pounced, pressing the cloth she’d taken from the first man over his face. In seconds, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

She didn’t bother with them anymore. She sprinted toward the towel factory.

The person who’d asked them to fix the tractor was named Mo. Liu Tingting had told them to find “Master Mo” at the factory… Mo wasn’t a common surname. Combined with what those two had said—a boy and a girl, around their age—the target was obvious!

If Old Mo was really “Master Mo,” Lin Mian was in danger!

Shen Banyue raced to the guardhouse. The old guard recognized her and Lin Mian—they were famous in the commune. Seeing her pale face, he thought something serious had happened.

When she asked for Lin Mian, he relaxed, waving a hand. “Master Mo just took him to the back warehouse. Lin Mian said you had business at the commune. Master Mo wanted you to deliver a bundle of towels to Special Commissioner Cao. Don’t worry—nothing happens inside the factory. They’ll be out soon.”

Special Commissioner Cao.

Shen Banyue’s heart sank. Those two had mentioned “Brother Cao.” Could it be the same person?

She frowned, thinking, then said, “Uncle, I also need to find my grand-uncle Shen Zhenhua and my brother Shen Wenyi.”

Anyone else, the guard would’ve refused—calling people out during work hours. But she was a “Little Hero” featured in the provincial paper and praised by the commune. He obliged, broadcasting over the loudspeaker three times: “Shen Zhenhua, Shen Wenyi, someone’s at the gate.”

Before they could arrive, Shen Banyue slipped inside with the guard’s tacit approval. She ran into Shen Zhenhua and Shen Wenyi midway, blurting, “Find Master Mo—Lin Mian’s in danger!” Shen Wenyi nearly jumped out of his skin.

Shen Zhenhua stayed calm, leading her to the back warehouse while sending Shen Wenyi to fetch the security team.

The warehouse was in the northwest corner. When they arrived, the door was ajar, and the attendant was absent.

Shen Banyue pushed the door open silently, slipping inside. Shen Zhenhua hesitated for two seconds at the entrance, then followed—

According to regulations, ordinary workers like them weren’t allowed to just wander into the warehouse—it would be hard to explain if something went wrong, especially with the manager away.

But now, they couldn’t afford to care about that.

The warehouse was huge, split into several sections: one for raw materials, one for finished towels, one for defective towels. Bundles of materials and towels were stacked into little mountains, making it a breeze to hide someone in there.

Shen Banyue’s frown deepened. She forced herself to breathe steadily, straining to pick up even the slightest noise in the whole warehouse.

Soon, she heard a muffled groan. Following the sound, she darted over.

Behind a "mountain" of stacked raw materials, in the dim light, a figure was vaguely visible with their back to her. On the ground before them lay someone else. Shen Banyue’s heart dropped. Without a second thought, she leaped and kicked out.

The figure turned at the noise, and a sliver of light from a narrow high window fell on their face, lighting up the boy’s clean-cut features.

Shen Banyue’s eyes swept over him, but it was too late to pull back her kick. Panicking, she could only twist to the side, landing in a full split.

A sharp "crack" echoed—the sound of a joint popping under strain.

Shen Banyue: "..."

Shen Zhenhua stood there stunned, not sure if he was more shocked by Xiao Yue’s crazy-fast moves or by Xiao Mian having tied up the guy on the floor with strips of cloth.

The man vaguely resembled Master Mo from their factory.

Lin Mian is in danger.

Are you sure?