Chapter 10

Wu Di sat on the hand-guided tractor, swaying all the way to Kaoshan Village. Dogzi, who had come to pick him up, had a simple and honest face. Throughout the journey, their communication was mostly in the form of a police interrogation, with Wu Di asking a question or two, and Dogzi responding with just a few words. It was only later that Wu Di learned Dogzi had been cheated several times while working outside and had developed a deep distrust of city people. If it weren't for the lack of young and strong men in the village, he wouldn't have come to pick Wu Di up at all.

Wu Di had the most luggage of everyone, with two large suitcases. His colleagues all joked that he was moving his entire home to the mountain village, but no one delved into what was actually inside. Only Wu Di knew that one suitcase was full of fairy tales, and the other was full of snacks.

When they arrived at Kaoshan Village, it was dinner time. The village party secretary, the village chief, and the accountant, Old Zhang, welcomed Wu Di. He would be staying at Old Zhang's house for the next two days. In the deep mountains of May, the nights were very cold. The party secretary, wearing a worn-out cotton jacket, had a cold expression. Over the past two years, he had seen many people come and go, offering only fleeting charity. He was not fond of this young man, Wu Di, and treated him with a lukewarm attitude. Dinner was steamed buns and pickled vegetables. Out of kindness, Old Zhang's wife cracked two salted eggs and pushed them into Wu Di's bowl.

Seeing Wu Di, who was only wearing a jacket, shivering, Old Zhang's wife kept urging him to open his two large bags and take out some clothes. Wu Di, out of no choice, opened the suitcases and said, "These are for the children, just a small token of my appreciation."

Old Zhang's wife's eyes welled up with tears. She went into the house and brought out a half-new down jacket, shouting, "Old man, I gave you the jacket you wore for the New Year to Xiao Wu."

Old Zhang nodded and looked at Wu Di, saying, "Xiao Wu, you are a good person, different from them."

"Every few months, a group of people comes, bringing their own food, accompanied by leaders who come to harm the livestock, or to give charity money, but none of them are sincere! Xiao Wu, you are a thoughtful person. These children, they are so hard. Born in these mountains, it's their fate!"

Wu Di, who was staying in the west room, tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Kaoshan Village had about thirty households, the largest village in the surrounding area, with an average income of less than a thousand yuan per household. This forced the young people to go out to work, turning it into an empty nest village, a village of left-behind children. Everyone in the village had the surname Zhang. What about Lu Jiefang?

Kaoshan Primary School was a newly built Hope School, with three classes and sixty-two students, mostly two grades combined into one class. There was one principal and two part-time teachers. Wu Di arrived at the school ten minutes early, and all the children had already gathered on the makeshift playground in front of the school. The moment he stepped into the campus, a clear and crisp salute echoed, and sixty-two children, dressed in various clothes and wearing red scarves, saluted him with the Young Pioneers' salute. At that moment, Wu Di's eyes welled up with tears. This was an arrangement by the old party secretary. Apart from the benefactor who had built the Hope School, no one else had ever received such a high honor. Wu Di had achieved this with a suitcase of books and snacks. He never considered himself a noble person, but at that moment, he felt his soul was purified.

Wu Di looked at the children with tearful eyes. He immediately recognized Lu Xingfu, who was standing in the middle of the first row. He looked so much like Minister Ou, almost a carbon copy. He was stunned for a moment but quickly shook off his purpose, as it would be an insult to these children.

The principal was Lu Jiefang, a "stinky old ninth" who had hidden in the village during a special period and stayed there afterward, now in his sixties. The other two teachers were locals with a high school education. When the children saw the neatly arranged children's books and snacks in the suitcases, their cheers almost lifted the roof. A teacher stood in front of the children and shouted, "Shall we have Mr. Wu give us a lesson?"

"Yes!"

The cheers startled the birds in the mountains.

Wu Di handed the books to Lu Jiefang and turned the snack box upside down, asking, "Does the school have a TV? I bought a DVD player and a hundred DVDs, all pirated. Show them to the children when you have the chance. The DVD player is easy to break, so if it breaks, call me, and I'll send two more."

Lu Jiefang patted Wu Di's shoulder firmly, "You are a thoughtful person. The children will remember you. Come, give them a lesson and show them hope."

Wu Di had lunch at the school, and the food was good, comparable to what he had when he was in high school in the county. Lu Jiefang said, "I and the party secretary supervise this money. Whoever dares to embezzle it, I will fight them to the death!"

Wu Di laughed, "I think the township government also keeps a close eye on this money. Even if they indulge in lavish spending, it won't be from this fund."

"Who dares? These hundreds of children rely on this money to grow! Whoever touches this money, I'll beat them so they can't get out of bed!"

The old party secretary's words were firm.

The afternoon classes proceeded as usual. After teaching fairy tales and city stories all morning, Wu Di's throat was parched, and he had to retreat. While walking in the mountains with the old party secretary, they talked about Lu Jiefang.

"Old Lu is a good person. In the 1970s, during the special period, he hid in our village. He was so young back then. Unfortunately, his wife's health was ruined, and she was pregnant when they came. The child died in her womb. If it weren't for my wife's mother, even she wouldn't have survived. Her health has never been good since. After the special period ended, Old Lu was too scared to leave. He heard that his parents passed away during that time. He opened up and has been teaching here for half his life. He adopted a child in his fifties. Good people have hard lives."

Wu Di's heart trembled. Why was fate so cruel? Why did one family's happiness have to come at the expense of another's? What should he do? Lu Jiefang and his family had nothing but this child. Could he really bear to break everything apart? But what about Minister Ou and his family? This damn human trafficker!

He could only stay in the village for two days and needed to make a decision quickly. Wu Di planned to visit Lu Jiefang's house that night.

At dinner, Lu Jiefang invited Wu Di to his home, and Wu Di readily accepted. As soon as he entered the courtyard, a kind old lady with white hair greeted him, "Xiao Wu, how are you? Are you getting used to it?"

"Yes, I grew up in the mountains too. Where is Principal Lu?"

"He's cooking. My health isn't good, and I can't do this kind of work. I've been troubling Uncle Lu for so many years."

"Where is Little Xingfu?"

"He's helping in the kitchen. Old Lu's health isn't good either."

"You should go to the city for a check-up. You were strong when you were young, but now you're older. Take care of yourself."

"Hehe, we country people, our lives are cheap. We can endure. Let's not stand at the door. Come in and sit down."

After dinner, Lu Xingfu said hello and ran back to the school to watch TV. With a hundred DVDs, they would have enough to watch for years. Wu Di watched Lu Xingfu run away, opened his mouth, but then fell silent.

"Xiao Wu, is something on your mind?"

Wu Di repeatedly questioned his own motives, whether there was a hint of flattery toward Minister Ou. The answer was both yes and no. He would use the connections when needed, but he would never sell his dignity for them. Both families were unfortunate, and he didn't want to hurt either side. But the issue needed to be resolved, so he decided to follow his heart.

"Uncle, Auntie, is Xingfu not your real grandson?"

Lu Jiefang's body trembled, and he stared at Wu Di like a protective tiger. Auntie Song, standing beside him, tightly grabbed his hand, trembling all over.

"The party secretary told me, but I think I might know Xingfu's parents."

The first sentence relaxed the two elders, but the next one was like a bolt of lightning!

Wu Di was about to continue, but Auntie Song raised her hand to stop him. The two elders stood up, trembling, and tears streamed down their weathered faces. After a moment, they supported each other and turned to go into the inner room.

Wu Di stood there, his hands unconsciously fidgeting, unsure whether to leave or stay.

"Xiao Wu, come in."

Wu Di stood up abruptly, a bit too quickly, feeling dizzy. He steadied himself and walked into the inner room.

Principal Lu lay on the bed, facing the wall. Auntie Song stood on a chair. When she saw Wu Di come in, she shakily got down and pointed to a corner where a box was, saying, "Xiao Wu, help Auntie bring that box down."

The box was a wooden one, painted red, over half a meter long, and very heavy, its contents unknown.

When the box was opened, Wu Di saw that it was full of clothes. He was puzzled by its weight until the old lady, with trembling hands, took out a package from the bottom of the box and said, "When we met Dou Dou, he was about three or four years old, brought by a woman in her thirties, who said she couldn't raise all her children. The child looked so pitiful, clinging to the woman's clothes and softly calling, 'Grandma, Grandma.' We felt sorry for him and decided to keep him. Later, when we changed his clothes, we found that he was covered in bruises. We realized he had been kidnapped. He wouldn't say anything, probably because he had been beaten too much. He could only say 'Nuan Nuan.' We misheard it as 'Grandma.' After two years, when he could speak, he had forgotten most of his early life, except for the memory of a grassy area and a leather swing. At seven, he remembered someone mentioning Beijing, which left a strong impression on him. This is the clothes he wore when he came. The outer clothes were definitely not the ones he was wearing when he was taken, but the long johns were not changed, and they had his name embroidered on them, 'Ou Dou Dou,' very delicate. We should have gone to Beijing earlier, but Auntie was too selfish and selfish, delaying the child for so many years. Watching him grow up and become more understanding, but trapped in these mountains, we feel guilty to him and his parents."

"Auntie, please don't say that, please don't..."

"Xiao Wu, I once had a child and know the pain of losing one. We were selfish for five years, and the child has been with us for five years. It's enough, really enough. Don't say anything more. Take Dou Dou with you when you leave. Lu Xingfu, Lu Xingfu, stolen happiness."

The old lady collapsed onto the chair, weakly saying, "For the past two years, we've been discussing whether to go to Beijing to find his parents, but we kept making excuses and delaying it for years. If we keep delaying, the child will be ruined. Take him with you!"

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