Chapter 73

"Wow... Wow wow..."

Returning to the place where he had grown up, Da Huang seemed a bit excited. After running around the front and back of the house, he came to Qin Feng's side with his ears drooping, as if he too felt that something was missing.

After saying goodbye to the Liu family, Qin Feng came to the place where he and his sister had lived for five years.

Looking at the dilapidated bungalow, Qin Feng felt many emotions. According to Ma Si, no one, not even the later scavengers, dared to live here after the murder case.

The railway tracks on both sides were overgrown with weeds as tall as a person, making the area look even more desolate. The shepherds he used to see frequently were nowhere to be found. Even though it was midday, the place gave off a creepy feeling.

Qin Feng stood in front of the house for a long time. Around three in the afternoon, a train roared past. He wasn't sure if it was because of the murder case, but the water supply point here had been abandoned.

"Da Huang, where do you think Xia Jia went?"

Qin Feng's voice was bitter. He picked up the backpack at his feet and muttered to himself, "Da Huang, let's go. I'll walk this railway with my feet, no matter what!"

In the sunset, the railway tracks stretched forward, and a man and a dog cast long shadows. The young man with the backpack kept talking to the big yellow dog, occasionally getting a "wow wow" in response.

---

Half a month later, the wind-worn Qin Feng arrived at a freight yard thirty kilometers outside of Jintian City.

The Jintian City freight station was the largest railway transfer yard for goods from Beijing to Tianjin, with hundreds of freight trains being reallocated and changing locomotives here every day before heading to various parts of the country.

"Jintian, I wonder if I can get any news about my sister."

Qin Feng, who had walked along the railway, now looked like he did four or five years ago. His clothes, though not as tattered, were dirty, and his travel bag was covered in dust.

Qin Feng's young face was filled with fatigue. His once soft beard had turned black and hard, making him look several years older.

The freight train had started from Cangzhou but first detoured to Quancheng, then returned to Jintian. The route was very complex, and Qin Feng had to take many detours.

Having walked hundreds of kilometers on foot, Qin Feng had not missed a single train stop or any place with signs of human activity, but to his disappointment, he still had not found any news about his sister.

"Da Huang, let's eat..."

Qin Feng sat on a stone step by the railway tracks, took out a plastic bag from his backpack, which contained five or six steamed buns and two pounds of cooked beef. During his years in prison, Da Huang had been spoiled by the Liu family and now refused to eat without meat.

After putting beef between three buns and feeding them to Da Huang, Qin Feng wolfed down the remaining two. He was still growing and naturally wouldn't neglect himself.

Taking out a tin cup, Qin Feng poured the last bit of water from his water bottle into it for Da Huang. He then stood up and looked around. On both sides of such a freight yard, there were usually some small factories or shops.

"Da Huang, don't run around!"

Patting Da Huang, who was drinking water, Qin Feng walked toward a large courtyard a few dozen meters away. However, as soon as he turned, Da Huang picked up the cup with his mouth and followed him.

"Is anyone here?" Qin Feng shouted loudly in front of the guardhouse. He remembered coming to this freight yard a few years ago, but the factory seemed to be closed at that time.

"Who is it?"

A man in his sixties came out of the guardhouse, looked at Qin Feng, and frowned, saying irritably, "If you're begging, get lost. You're so tall, can't you find a way to earn a living?"

In the 1980s and 1990s, there was a well-known group called "mangliu," which referred to people who blindly flowed from rural areas into cities.

The term "mangliu" can be traced back to the nationwide famine at the end of the 1950s, when almost all non-urban residents had experienced begging.

Later, anyone without an urban hukou (household registration) was included in this group. Beggars were the main force in the "mangliu" army, and their mobility fit the characteristics of "mangliu."

The author has no prejudice against this group, but it is undeniable that this mobility led to many crimes. Petty theft aside, many serious violent crimes also occurred within this group.

By the late 1990s, many people would instinctively be cautious when they saw scavengers or homeless people.

The small factory had recently lost some steel, so the old guard naturally had no good attitude toward Qin Feng. It was already good that he didn't chase him away with a broom.

"Sir, I'm not begging."

Although he and his sister had begged for a while at the beginning, Qin Feng did not accept this label. He corrected the old man seriously, took out a pack of cigarettes, and offered one to him, saying, "Sir, I'm really not begging. I just passed by and wanted to ask for some water."

"Oh, Hongtashan? Did you steal it?"

Seeing the cigarette in Qin Feng's hand, the old guard was stunned for a moment, then became furious, picked up the broom at the door, and seemed ready to hit him.

"Wow..."

Just as the old man raised the broom, Da Huang suddenly darted out from behind Qin Feng, bit the broom, and scared the old man into dropping it and retreating several steps.

"Da Huang, come back."

Qin Feng called Da Huang and threw the pack of Hongtashan to him, saying with a bitter smile, "Sir, I'm not begging. If you don't give me water, that's fine. Can I ask you something?"

"Kid, if you're not begging, why are you dressed like this?"

In 1997, a pack of Hongtashan cost about nine yuan, while the old man's monthly salary for guarding the gate was only about 200 yuan. He usually smoked Daqianmen, which cost a few jiao per pack.

Seeing Qin Feng throw the whole pack of cigarettes without hesitation and hearing his Tianjin accent, the old man began to believe Qin Feng.

"Sir, I walked all the way from Cangzhou. How could I be clean?"

Qin Feng put the cigarette in the old man's hand, took out a disposable lighter, and lit it for him, saying, "Sir, can you give me some water? It's so hot today..."

Since the 1990s, summers had been getting earlier each year.

It was only May, but the sun was already scorching. Walking on the gravel by the railway tracks, the ground felt like it was steaming. After eating the beef and steamed buns, Qin Feng's throat was parched.

"Alright, come inside. Don't let the dog in; look how dirty it is."

The old man enjoyed Qin Feng's full-service, took a satisfying puff of the cigarette, and his expression softened. He then said, "There's a water tank over there for washing cars. Go wash your dog; it smells terrible."

"Da Huang, go wash yourself."

Qin Feng shouted at Da Huang, took the glass of cold boiled water from the old man, drank it in one gulp, and said with a bitter smile, "I don't even have water to drink, how can I have time to wash him?"

"Kid, tell me, how did you end up like this?"

Because of the pack of Hongtashan, the old man handed Qin Feng a wet towel after he finished drinking water and asked, "Where are you from? Why did you walk all the way from Cangzhou here?"

Most people who came to the freight yard were migrant workers trying to save money on travel expenses or "mangliu" looking for a new city to live in. It was rare to see someone like Qin Feng, who had walked all the way with a big dog.

"Sir, it's like this."

Qin Feng had already said this many times on his journey. "My sister and I used to play on the railway. One day, she climbed onto a flatcar, and the train suddenly started. She couldn't get off, and I... I've been looking for her for years..."

Qin Feng had repeated this story many times, but each time, the response disappointed him. This time, he didn't have high hopes either.

However, after hearing Qin Feng's story, the old man hesitated and said, "Your sister? How old is she? Every year, many homeless children end up in the freight yard. I can't say for sure..."

"My sister was about eight or nine years old four years ago. She had very fair skin, big eyes, and a smile like a crescent moon. Oh, and she had a bob haircut."

Hearing the old man's words, Qin Feng's eyes suddenly lit up. He grabbed the old man's arm and asked urgently, "Sir, have you... have you seen my sister?"