Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 566 The chirping of birds in the spring breeze, the gentle steps amidst the auspicious snow.

New Year's Eve, 2010, Beijing Capital International Airport.

The terminal was brightly lit, but felt more spacious than usual. Most travelers eager to get home had already arrived at their destinations, leaving only a few latecomers dragging their suitcases and hurrying towards the exit, their faces bearing the unique mix of weariness and anticipation of New Year's Eve.

The loudspeaker played festive New Year's music, which sounded somewhat lonely in the empty hall. Outside the huge glass windows, the northern winter night was thick and oppressive, with the occasional navigation light of an airplane streaking across the sky like a cold star.

Afei and the captain walked side by side on the gleaming floor. Both had the neat short haircuts common in the military and wore crisp woolen overcoats. They stood tall and walked with steady, synchronized steps, attracting some attention in the sparse crowd.

The battalion commander's name was Gao Cheng. He belonged to a special guard regiment of the garrison area and was also one of the military personnel who accompanied Afei on his trip back to Yanbian to find his relatives. He was in charge of coordinating various affairs.

He glanced at the young man beside him. After two months of intensive training, Afei's already cold and stern face had become even more solemn. His skin had darkened, and his eyes had become sharper, like a hawk that was always on alert. But deep in his eyes, there seemed to be an indescribable melancholy compared to when he arrived.

Those were the marks left by hope that had been burned out and then suppressed by an iron will.

Gao Cheng knew that A Fei's situation was special. He was not a formally enlisted active-duty soldier, but was recommended by the General Staff and, after much coordination, was able to enter his command as a "special talent" and receive the most rigorous internal security training.

His regiment, and even his company, were of a very special nature.

Here, you'll hardly see any raw recruits; they're all elite soldiers and prospective elite soldiers, selected from the best of the best in various field units, reconnaissance detachments, and special forces. Their daily training is unrelated to large-scale battlefield combat; their core mission is singular:
Ensuring the absolute safety of important leaders necessitates extremely stringent requirements for individual soldier skills.

Instantaneous reaction and accurate judgment in extreme environments, superior close-range control and counter-attack capabilities, and outstanding reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance skills are all indispensable.

When Afei first arrived, he was naturally behind schedule, but his willpower was astonishing.

It was a primal resilience forged from struggling to survive at the bottom, honed in the blood-soaked boxing ring and perilous situations. Once he set his sights on a goal, he was like a silent lone wolf, making no sound, complaining, just gritting his teeth and pushing towards his limit again and again.

Neither of them were talkative, and they made their way smoothly out of the airport and into the underground parking garage.

"Are you sure you don't need a car to take you?" Gao Cheng asked again, his voice rough but filled with unmistakable concern.

“No need, Captain.” Afei stopped and turned to stand at attention. Even in his civilian clothes, his salute was extremely standard and exuded a sense of style. “I’ll just drive the boss’s old Land Cruiser back. I’ll stay home for a couple of days and return to the unit on the second day of the Lunar New Year.”

His voice was steady, revealing little emotion.

Gao Cheng also knew that the boss he was talking about was the famous Olympic Games director.

The battalion commander's position was special, so he naturally heard more about his deeds than the average person. He had a very good impression of this young tycoon. Whether it was the way the Olympic opening ceremony showcased my country's power or the respect shown to the People's Army in the films, it was hard not to agree with him.

He looked at Afei and said with a smile, "Can you stop pushing yourself so hard? Just wait until the fifth day of the new year to come back. Stay home and work on your physical fitness and combat skills. When you come back, you'll be handling firearms."

Ah Fei merely gave a very slight twitch of the corner of his mouth in response, then saluted again, decisively turned around, and strode towards a designated parking space in the parking lot.

The captain looked at his face, reddened by the cold wind outside the airport but still expressionless, and sighed inwardly.

He personally oversaw the search for his relatives, knowing the hardships and the ultimate failure meant. But this kid was indeed a natural-born lone wolf, with top-notch reaction, endurance, and willpower. He also possessed an almost instinctive sharpness and ferocity honed by harsh environments.

Gao Cheng had led many soldiers and had studied the characteristics of various foreign armies in depth. He knew that Korean soldiers were known for their strong endurance, tenacious style, absolute obedience and ability to survive in extremely harsh conditions, which was evident in this young man with North Korean blood flowing through his veins.

The dark green Toyota Prado LC95 is clean, but the subtle wear and tear and the sense of age are still undeniable.

Afei opened the car door, sat in the driver's seat, and was greeted by a familiar scent inside the car.

There was a faint smell of leather, a lingering smell of cigarettes (the owner was a heavy smoker back then), and the smell seemed to have seeped into the interior. There was also a faint, almost imperceptible smell of engine oil.

The engine roared in a deep rumble, its sound still reliable.

He knew this car very well. He had just come from Hong Kong not long ago, and the ferocity he had developed from fighting in the underground boxing ring had not yet completely faded. This car carried Boss Lu through the early storms and also witnessed him gradually becoming a part of this family.

Eight years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The car drove out of the airport and merged into the sparse traffic on New Year's Eve.

The dense residential buildings lining both sides of the road were brightly lit, with many windows decorated with colorful paper-cut window decorations and strings of red lanterns hanging from the balconies, exuding a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Through some of the curtains that weren't fully drawn, one could glimpse a lively silhouette of a family gathered around the television, clinking glasses, laughing and chatting.

In the past, Afei was indifferent to such scenes, even somewhat apathetic.

His world consisted of hazy memories of life-and-death escapes, the Hong Kong Walled City, bloody boxing rings, and cold weapons, all the way to his later days traveling around the country with his boss.

But this time, perhaps it was the journey to find his family that completely severed that illusory bond. Looking at those windows radiating warm light, he felt a strange and subtle pang of sadness for the first time. He knew that behind that light and liveliness lay a tangible existence called "home."

But his own roots, like a kite with a broken string, drifted across the frozen Tumen River and disappeared behind those unreachable, isolated, dark mountains, never to be found again.

He instinctively gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles taut, suppressing this inappropriate, weak emotion deep within his heart.

It was nearly 10 p.m. when the car entered the manor on the banks of the Wenyu River. The copper-plated gate, which recognized the license plate, slid open silently. He drove back to his quiet little villa first, quickly put down his simple luggage, and then walked towards the main villa in the center.

Just after getting off the plane, Afei sent a message, so I knew he must have left me some food. Now that my stomach was empty, I quickened my pace.

Two large red lanterns under the main building's porch emitted a warm glow. Ah Fei looked up and saw that brand-new Spring Festival couplets had been pasted on the lintel. In previous years, this was a task that he and his boss would do together, climbing ladders on New Year's Eve.

He couldn't help but stop and look closer; the red paper bore black characters, written with vigorous strokes:
First line: The chirping of birds in the spring breeze harmonizes with the sounds of zither and lute.

Second line: Walking smoothly amidst auspicious snow, the rhythm harmonizes with orchids and magnolias.

Horizontal scroll: May you be safe and healthy.

The first line incorporates the girl's name "Lu Youyou," using the poem "Deer Cry" to describe her cleverness and loveliness, while the harmonious sounds of the zither and lute also imply a harmonious family.

The second line contains the boy's name "Lu Ping," which means "bamboo brings peace and prosperity" and "rising to great heights." The auspicious snow and orchids further highlight his noble character.

This was written by Tiedan after he was weaned and had some minor indigestion and diarrhea. Yesterday, when the couple took their baby to see Old Man Xia in Gongjian Hutong, they asked him to write it. As a family of former imperial physicians, their couplet and calligraphy are naturally excellent.

However, the baby's symptoms were mild, so they only prescribed some roasted hawthorn and roasted malt, taught them some abdominal massage techniques, and then sent them away.

The horizontal inscription "You're safe and sound" is written in a robust clerical script. The ink appears even more serene and warm against the backdrop of white snow and lantern light. When Afei thought of Tie Dan's tiger-like face and Youyou's dimples, the cold lines of his lips softened imperceptibly.

He took a deep breath to compose himself, pushed open the heavy front door, and was instantly enveloped by a great deal of warmth and bright light.

The Spring Festival Gala was playing on the TV in the living room, and it looked very lively, but the volume was turned down very low, obviously to avoid disturbing the baby sleeping soundly in the crib next to the living room.

My aunt and Aunt Qiao naturally went back home for New Year's Eve. Since the baby needs to be in the sight of adults 24 hours a day, this is how we spent the Spring Festival with Dad, Mom, and Grandma and watched the Spring Festival Gala.

The two little ones had a blast playing when there were lots of people in the morning, and now they couldn't resist the power of their biological clocks. Even the sound of firecrackers outside the glass partition couldn't wake them up.

"Ah Fei is back!" Liu Xiaoli, who was the first to hear the noise, stood up from the sofa. The loving smile on her face warmed the heart of the cold-faced bodyguard.

Lu Kuan spat out the sunflower seed shells in his mouth with a "pui" sound, looked at his travel-worn younger brother and laughed, "I've eaten a bellyful of peanuts and sunflower seeds, and if I had two cups of strong tea in my stomach, I would have been full if you hadn't come back soon."

"You haven't eaten yet?" Afei was taken aback. His voice was a little hoarse as he quickly glanced at the dining table in the living room, where four sets of bowls and chopsticks were neatly arranged.

"Of course I want to eat first." Boss Lu rubbed his stomach and glanced at his wife and mother-in-law with feigned complaint: "It was your sister Qianqian and Aunt Liu who insisted on waiting, what could I do?"

As Afei's face, frozen stiff by the cold wind in Yanbian, slowly thawed, he realized that the man in front of him, whom he called "boss" and regarded as an older brother, was just like him—someone who didn't like to express his feelings directly.

I was just thinking that I would be content to go home, have a hot meal, and tell everyone the details of this search for my family, but I never expected this...

Liu Yifei rolled her eyes at her husband, who had "good intentions but no kind words," and stood up, saying gently, "This is the Spring Festival, the most important day for Chinese people. Of course, the whole family should eat together."

"Oh, right." She pointed to the two handbags on the coffee table. "The watch your brother Zhuang Xu brought you this morning is an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore sports mechanical watch. I don't really understand the parameters like water resistance and flyback chronograph."

Then, she excitedly showed off another bag: "These are the new clothes we bought for you. You need to wear new clothes for the New Year, haha!"

Giving gifts has been a tradition for years, and the value of these gifts is nothing compared to their wealth. However, in Afei's eyes right now, this scene always makes his eyes well up with tears.

He was momentarily overwhelmed by this surge of warmth. Accustomed to commands, combat, and silent protection, he rarely had the opportunity to deal with such straightforward and trivial tenderness.

Urged by Liu Xiaoli, Afei sat down at the table. Remembering what Liu Yifei had just said about "the most important day for Chinese people," he said with a hint of helplessness, "I feel like I'm Korean..."

"Does it really matter whether you're called Qiao Feng or Xiao Feng?" Lu Kuan said with a smile, pouring wine for both of them. "Speaking Chinese and doing Chinese things makes you Chinese."

Liu Yifei and her companion kept bringing out the prepared New Year's Eve dinner from the kitchen. Most of it was prepared by Chef Qiao in the afternoon, and some was made by the young cook who hadn't cooked in a long time.

Hearing the conversation between the two at the dinner table, Liu Xiaoli thought of the background story she had heard about Afei that afternoon, and her eyes were filled with affection and a barely perceptible heartache: "Don't think so much. On a day like today, just eat well, drink well, and sleep well."

"Well, I see."

At this moment, the sporadic sounds of firecrackers outside the window began to become more frequent and faint, as if urging the people who were staying up all night to welcome the New Year.
The house became a warm and quiet little world of its own. The family sat around the table, and the two little ones drooled and slept soundly not far away. Only then did it truly feel like the New Year.

"Mom, let's start with a drink." Lu Kuan raised his glass and looked at his mother-in-law.

Liu Xiaoli knew her son-in-law was a thoughtful person, and he would always ask her this question first at any banquet she was present. She smiled and waved her hand, saying, "I can't drink today because I'm taking care of the baby, so you can do it!" The washing machine then jokingly teased his wife, "Ms. Liu, why don't you host the event?"

"No, no, you're the head of the household, how could I dare to overstep my bounds?" Little Liu held a vinegar dish in his hand, smiling as he distributed it to everyone, to be used later as a dipping sauce for eating sashimi.

"Alright, everyone's hungry, so I'll get straight to the point," Boss Lu said cheerfully. "Everyone's worked hard this year."

"Sisi endured ten months of pregnancy and childbirth, the hardships of which are indescribable. For the past six months or so after giving birth, she has been breastfeeding without leaving her side. This toast is for her."

He then turned to Liu Xiaoli and said, "Mom, you've worked even harder than her. From the moment your two little ones were born, you've put in double the effort and taken double the care. This toast is even more fitting."

"And then there's me and Afei." Lu Kuan gestured to the two of them drinking baijiu, "It hasn't been easy for the two of us this year, traveling back and forth between China and abroad, but we've still managed to accomplish some solid things."

“This is the first year that the baby has come to our home.” He smiled and raised his glass: “How about this, Ah Fei and I will toast you two great mothers together.”

"Cheers!" "Cheers~"

The crisp clinking of glasses set the stage for this belated New Year's Eve dinner. The atmosphere was relaxed and warm as the family ate the steaming food and chatted about everyday things. The conversation naturally turned to the two children's growth and anecdotes over the past year and their hopes for the future.

Occasionally, there are also sporadic comments on the Spring Festival Gala programs. For example, after last year's "fart incident," Lao Zhao, whether due to ideological differences or health reasons, has not returned to this grand stage. (Chapter 510)
The sound of firecrackers outside the window continued sporadically, while the warmth and joy of reunion inside the house, along with the background images of the Spring Festival Gala on TV, created a typical Chinese New Year's Eve.

It wasn't until Ah Fei finished another glass of clear, strong liquor, the fiery liquid burning his way into his stomach, that they began to talk about the results of their search for relatives.

He began his narration calmly, as if reporting a mission briefing, without any emotional fluctuation: "The troops and the battalion commander have done their best to help with the investigation, but the leads completely dried up once they reached North Korea. We only know that my parents should still have relatives there, but we don't know their names or what they do. The situation in North Korea... is special, the channels are blocked, and it's not easy to go there. Never mind."

The blood and tears filled with the mystery of his origins seemed to be swallowed down with a single word, accompanied by wine, in his case.

"Do you know your parents' names?" Lu Kuan asked softly, his voice softening.

The situation in North Korea is complex, but it's not entirely hopeless. If we have names to trace, it won't be like searching for a needle in a haystack, considering how many North Korean defectors went through the "Hardship March" back then.

Afei shook his head, his eyes momentarily blank, his focus seemingly on the distant past: "I was too young then, I can't remember anything. Later, my uncle from the same village took me away. He himself was confused, he only knew how to escape, and he didn't know any details."

He was silent for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing, as if searching for a faint glimmer of light in the ruins of his memory. "It was that retired border guard we mentioned before who recalled some fragments. It was even earlier than the Great Famine, probably at the end of '93. The snow was particularly heavy, and the river wind was like knives. My mother..."

When Afei mentioned those two words, his eyes held an indescribable meaning. "It must be my mother. She was so cold and hungry that she couldn't run anymore and was being held captive by the veteran."

"She abandoned me with a fellow countryman she had fled with, even though she didn't know him at all, and then..."

Afei paused, picked up the wine bottle, and poured himself a glass of wine with trembling hands. "Then she turned around and lunged forward, grabbing the pursuer's legs tightly, kneeling in the snow, her head pounding against the ground, shouting with all her might, probably begging them to spare the child, saying that the adults couldn't go in anymore, and that the child should live..."

"The veteran said he felt a tightness in his chest, like a block of ice was stuck inside him. In the end... in the end, he turned a blind eye and let him go, so I was able to escape in with him." Afei's voice remained calm, but his single fist under the table was clenched tightly, as if he were silently denouncing that messed-up world.

The dinner table fell silent, with only the enthusiastic New Year's greetings from the Spring Festival Gala hosts on TV faintly visible, creating a peculiar background sound.

“Before I left, I went to see that old soldier,” Afei said, raising his eyes and glancing at every concerned face on the table before finally settling on his wine glass. “I left him ten thousand yuan and then came back.”

Outside the window, the New Year's Eve sky was once again illuminated by a huge cluster of fireworks. The brilliant colors briefly painted the cold glass window before extinguishing, leaving behind a deeper darkness.

Inside, the steam from the food filled the air as the family sat together in silence, yet close and intimate, temporarily shutting out all their regrets and past pain from this warm space.

Afei lowered his head, silently picked up a piece of still-steaming food with his chopsticks, and greedily savored the warmth that contrasted so sharply with the chill of the Tumen River.

“If you want to find a solution, we can think of another way,” Lu Kuan said in a deep voice. “There will always be a way.”

He didn't know what to say. Even with his current power, he couldn't penetrate the iron curtain leading to North Korea in a short time, let alone have any clues at all.

But there always needs to be a glimmer of hope in this world.

Fueled by alcohol, Afei recounted his past, and now seemed relieved and enlightened. "It wasn't that I necessarily wanted to find them; it was just a coincidence. The military found some clues..."

"I just wanted to see her, even if it was just to know what she looks like or what her name is." The cold-faced bodyguard's expression softened slightly. "Right now... never mind, we'll deal with that later!"

Lu Kuan suddenly picked up the wine bottle and refilled the two empty small pots. The clear wine splashed against the glass.

“Your roots are in North Korea, but your home is here,” he said slowly. “Just don’t get stuck on things.”

“That’s right.” Xiao Liu laughed, “Youyou and Tiedan are waiting for you, their uncle, to take them to exercise. That’s your job.”

"My Richest Dad", "My Movie Queen and Federation of Literary and Art Circles Chairwoman Mom", "My King of Soldiers Uncle"...

Afei subconsciously turned to the corner of the living room, where two small cribs were placed side by side under the soft light, like two warm and secure nests, dispelling the chill from his body, just like the white wine in his glass.

His roots in North Korea are vague and distant, but this home is much more tangible.

"Got it." Afei breathed a sigh of relief. He had drunk seven or eight ounces of liquor today, and he was obviously more talkative in this situation: "Although I call you boss, in my heart I call you 'big boss' (daai lou)."

"Boss, I salute you."

"Come."

He said a Cantonese word that is synonymous with "brother," and the two clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp. His drinking capacity really does seem to suggest he has some Korean ancestry.

After all, the peninsula has long, cold winters, and drinking strong liquor is a traditional and effective way to keep warm. This habit has been passed down from generation to generation, and people generally have a high tolerance for alcohol.

The two toasted each other, sharing the two jin of wine equally.

The fiery liquid burned down his throat and into his stomach, thawing and melting away the frozen Tumen River in Afei's heart, the resolute figure of his mother in the old soldier's words, and the clues that ultimately ended on the other side of the border.

Just minutes before the countdown to midnight for the Spring Festival Gala, the two babies seemed to sense something and started crying prematurely.

"It's good that you're awake now, you can still watch the fireworks for a while, otherwise you'd be woken up later." Xiao Liu stood up with a smile, revealing the familiarity and gentleness of a mother.

"She must be hungry," Liu Xiaoli judged with her experience. She bent down and carefully picked up her granddaughter, gently bouncing her around. "Don't cry, don't cry, Grandma's here," she said softly as she walked toward the kitchen to prepare warm milk.

Despite having drunk quite a bit, Lu Kuan, his eyes still bright, patted A Fei on the shoulder and said, "Let's go! Let's set off fireworks! It's the little brat's first time seeing fireworks, a memorable occasion."

Afei responded and got up. The two put on their coats and strode to the open space outside the villa. The crisp, fresh air rushed towards them, invigorating them.

In the distance, sporadic fireworks were already rising into the sky, exploding briefly in a dazzling display against the dark blue sky.

Lu Kuan carried out several boxes of large fireworks that had been prepared in advance from the warehouse. A Fei tacitly stepped forward to help unpack and set them up. The two of them were busy in the cold wind, and the white breath they exhaled almost blended into the smoke of the fuse that was about to be lit.

The floor-to-ceiling window of the master bedroom on the second floor of the villa was pulled open with a "whoosh," and Liu Yifei held Tiedan, who had stopped crying and was looking around curiously with his big, dark eyes.
Liu Xiaoli appeared at the window, carrying Youyou, who was wrapped up tightly and holding a baby bottle in her hand.

The warm indoor lighting outlined their figures, like two cozy silhouettes.

"The countdown has begun!" Liu Yifei shouted downstairs.

As if in response to her words, a deafening collective countdown erupted from the television: "Ten, nine, eight..."

Lu Kuan smiled and waved to the second floor, then bent down and precisely lit the fuse of the largest tube of "Prosperous Flowers".

"Sizzle—" The fuse sparked and quickly shortened.

"Three, two, one! Happy New Year!"

“Swoosh—Bang!!!”

Almost simultaneously with the cheers of millions of families across the country, a huge golden beam of light shot into the sky, bursting into a magnificent, layered bouquet of light at its highest point, instantly illuminating the entire manor and bringing a clear and warm glow to the faces of the mother, daughter, and children in front of the second-floor window.

"How beautiful!" Liu Yifei held her son's little hand and pointed to the sky.

Then more fireworks were lit, "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" soared into the sky with a clear cry, and "Milky Way Waterfall" cascaded down thousands of silver threads of light that lingered for a long time.

The sounds of explosions, flashes of light, and the faint smell of gunpowder in the air intertwined to create the most exciting symphony of New Year's Eve.

Standing beneath the dazzling sky, Afei looked up at the fleeting yet magnificent beauty of the scene. He could hear the booming of fireworks and the distant cheers from countless homes. Before him were the curious faces of children looking up in the warm glow of the sky.

Lu Kuan also smiled as he watched the two little children waving their arms around the adults. The sense of security they felt made them unafraid of the explosion, and their eyes were filled with longing for the changing colors.

The echoes of the midnight bells seem to still resonate in the air, while the regrets and searches of the past have been sealed away in the depths of time.

The scroll of the New Year is slowly unfolding, and on it are the babbling words of children;

It is the journey of Chinese science fiction, including "Ball Lightning," "The Wandering Earth," and many more born from the changes brought about by policies and time travel, that shines across the world.
The wisdom and calligraphy of the Taiping Book, carrying a thousand years of history, are about to set sail and knock on the door of dialogue between world civilizations.
It is also the ordinary yet passionate daily life under this very roof.

Hope, like fireworks that rise and bloom in the dark night, is everlasting.

(End of this chapter)