Chapter 38

Kinfeng bought a train ticket to Quancheng and, after swaying on the train for more than five hours, arrived at this city that was both familiar and unfamiliar to him.

Without a moment's hesitation, Kinfeng, holding a map, first went to the Quanzhou cargo distribution station, which was the final stop of the train from Cangzhou. It was here that he had fled Quancheng with his sister years ago.

However, after asking many people at the station, Kinfeng did not get any news of his sister. They were very sure they had never seen the Kinfeng they described. After staying there for two whole days, Kinfeng left in disappointment.

On the third day, Kinfeng came to the place where he had lived seven years ago, a university faculty dormitory in Quancheng. Kinfeng had lived here from birth until he left.

Looking at the familiar old men and women and the children running around in the courtyard, Kinfeng seemed to hear his parents' calls. The familiar scenes made his eyes brim with tears.

For a child, seven years can change a lot. At least Kinfeng's appearance had changed significantly from when he was seven. Even without any disguise, no one could recognize him.

After wandering for five years and learning from someone like Zai Shi, who had been around for a long time, Kinfeng was still very adept at dealing with people. In just half a day, he found out the situation at home.

However, the result still disappointed Kinfeng. Those old neighbors, whose appearances had not changed much, did not know what had happened to his family back then.

According to Aunt Wang, one day seven years ago, several cars came and moved all the Kinfeng family's belongings, saying they were moving, but did not say where.

Most of the people living in the courtyard were teachers, and some of them who had a good relationship with Kinfeng's parents had asked the school, but received no answer. They only knew that Kinfeng's parents seemed to have been transferred to work in the capital.

Unwilling to give up, Kinfeng sneaked into the school's archive room at night and read through all the records of job transfers from seven years ago, but to his disappointment, he did not find his parents' names.

Apart from the old neighbors' memories, the traces of the Kinfeng family's life in Quancheng seemed to have been completely erased, leaving no clues behind.

With no choice, Kinfeng boarded the freight train and searched for his sister at each stop along the way, but still ended up disappointed.

Hu Baoguo was also a worldly-wise person. After picking up Kinfeng, he did not ask many questions and directly took him back to the juvenile detention center, finally resolving this matter.

Whether he had given up or believed in his master's divination, Kinfeng, who returned to the juvenile detention center, became much more cheerful and took over tasks like drawing the blackboard newspaper.

With Hu Baoguo's help and Kinfeng's own efforts, he had his sentence reduced twice in three years, totaling eight months. By the time the Spring Festival of 1997 was approaching, Kinfeng had only two months left to serve.

The Spring Festival is a joyous occasion. To prevent the young people in the center from missing home, the center was decorated with red paper couplets, creating a festive atmosphere.

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"Master, we're going to Hu Brother's house for the New Year today. This is the new clothes Hu Brother bought for you. I'll help you put them on!..."

On the 29th of the lunar month, Kinfeng, holding a set of bright red clothes, came to Zai Shi's private residence, pushing aside the thick curtain with a joyful expression.

Everyone in the center knew that Director Hu was good to Kinfeng and had often invited him to his home, even arranging for Kinfeng's household registration to be transferred to his home through the local police station.

Since Hu Baoguo was not on duty during the Spring Festival, he decided to take the old man and Kinfeng to his home for the New Year, as the center lacked a festive atmosphere.

"Heh, Master only wears such festive clothes on his wedding day."

Compared to two years ago, Zai Shi, lying in bed, looked even older. His hair was white, his face was full of age spots, and his hands were as thin as sticks, but his eyes were still bright.

"Master, where's your wife?" Seeing the old man looking well, Kinfeng joked with a smile.

"Your wife? She's probably long dead."

Hearing Kinfeng's words, Zai Shi was taken aback for a moment. Just as he was about to say something, the door was pushed open again, and Hu Baoguo walked in, saying, "Old man, are you ready? Let's go?"

"Alright, let's go. This place is too oppressive. The old man needs a change of scenery!"

Zai Shi, supported by Kinfeng's arm, slowly stood up, then let go of Kinfeng and walked to the door with slow but firm steps.

Seeing Zai Shi's frail figure, Kinfeng felt a lump in his throat. In just a few short years, his master had aged so much, and his life was nearing its end.

Hu Baoguo glanced at Kinfeng and said, "What are you standing there for? Quickly get the old man's coat. Let's go!"

"Right, let's go, it's time for the New Year!"

Kinfeng snapped back to reality and quickly grabbed the fox fur coat that his master usually used to cover his legs, following him out. At the door, he wrapped the old man in the coat without asking if he was willing.

With Hu Baoguo leading the way, Kinfeng did not encounter any difficulties when leaving the prison gate. His sentence was almost over, and everyone knew his relationship with Hu Baoguo, so the guards and police were already used to it.

Hu Baoguo's hometown was in the countryside, and it took more than an hour to get there from the juvenile detention center. As the police car entered the village, a group of children playing with firecrackers immediately gathered around.

Every household in the village was decorated with couplets and the character for "blessing," and the occasional sound of firecrackers and the smell of food from the kitchens created a festive atmosphere.

"Master, take it easy."

When the car pulled into the Hu family courtyard, Kinfeng jumped out first and carefully helped Zai Shi out.

"Old man, are you well? I've brought my son and grandson to pay respects to you!"

As soon as Zai Shi got out of the car, a group of people who had been waiting in the courtyard immediately knelt down, including Hu Baoguo, who had just parked the car.

"Good, good, all good!"

Zai Shi was in high spirits today. After letting go of Kinfeng's hand, he fumbled in his pocket with his trembling right hand and pulled out a handful of red envelopes, handing them to Kinfeng and saying, "I'm about to meet my ancestors, and I get to be a grandpa one last time. Here, take these!"

The word "take" was shouted with a strong voice, as if he had returned to his youth, when people would come to his home to kowtow during the New Year.

Kinfeng distributed the red envelopes one by one, while Zai Shi was welcomed into the inner room by several elderly Hu family members. It was clear that the old man was in high spirits today, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to have diminished.

During dinner, Zai Shi drank several cups of homemade wine from the Hu family, which made Kinfeng very worried. He stayed up all night to watch over his master, fearing something might happen.

"Master, you're awake?" Kinfeng, who had fallen asleep at the foot of the bed, immediately sat up when he heard a noise, just in time to see his master reaching for the clothes on the bedside table.

"I'm awake. When you're old, you can't sleep much."

Perhaps because of the alcohol from the previous night, Z