News from Taiwan

Chapter 71 Return to China Immediately
On the third day, the news quickly reached Shen Huaizhou. He didn't read it but held the envelope that represented everything and waited for Jiang Guier downstairs at the hotel. Jiang Guier got up early and saw the message from Shen Huaizhou. She didn't even have time to dress up and went downstairs with her face bare.

When she came downstairs, she realized that she was wearing hotel slippers. She didn't care and ran to the lobby bar to find Shen Huaizhou and sit down opposite him.

"I'm here! Let me see you quickly."

Shen Huaizhou sat opposite her, gently pushing a file bag towards her with his fingertips. The dark blue cover had a subtle organizational logo printed on it, and the edges were neat, clearly indicating that it had just been handed over by a specialist.

A subtle, almost imperceptible observation flickered in his eyes. "You should prepare yourself mentally."

Jiang Guier's fingertips trembled slightly, and her fingertips were icy cold. She even lost her grip on the coffee cup, and the warm liquid splashed onto the back of her hand without her noticing.

After days of waiting, from initial elation and worry to later wariness, all emotions were clenched in this moment, turning into stiffness in her fingertips. She took a deep breath and clumsily opened the file bag. Inside was only a printed page of her identity information and an old, laminated photograph, its edges slightly yellowed, yet so clear that every line was clearly visible.

The first thing that caught her eye was her identity information. When she saw her name, her eyes widened. There was also a household registration document on it, with the date of relocation marked as fifteen years ago, the year she was ten years old. Jiang Guier's heart skipped a beat. She pressed her fingertips hard on the paper, her fingertips brushing against the words "relocation date." The ink was clearly visible, but it made her feel cold all over.

She slowly picked up the old photograph, her fingertips gently tracing the image of the old man. His temples were gray, and his eyes and brows showed the vicissitudes of time. But the contours of his face, the curve of his eyebrows and eyes, and the slight upturn of his lips struck her like a thunderbolt, and her blood seemed to freeze instantly.

She had seen the person in the photo countless times. "No... impossible..." Jiang Guier's voice trembled, filled with disbelief and despair. The photo slipped from her fingertips and fell onto the table with a soft sound, but it felt like a heavy hammer hitting her heart.

Her eyes widened suddenly, her pupils contracted sharply, and her eyes were filled with shock and confusion. Her nose stung, and her breathing became rapid and disordered. It felt as if a huge rock was pressing on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

She subconsciously raised her hand to cover her mouth, her fingertips were icy cold, and the trembling of her fingertips traveled through her skin to her cheeks, causing even the curls at her temples to sway slightly.

How could it be him?
He was actually the great-grandfather she had been searching for for so long, the one her family had been longing for for generations.
He returned to China fifteen years ago, not far from her. Why won't he acknowledge her?
Countless questions surged in my mind, mixed with shock, grievance, confusion, and a touch of indescribable bitterness.

She stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound, drawing stares from the surrounding guests, but she paid no heed. Grabbing the file folder and handbag from the table, her voice urgent and firm, carrying an unyielding resolve: "I'm going back to China, right now. I must find him and find out what really happened."

Her movements were somewhat flustered; the zipper of her handbag wasn't properly closed, and her tablet and phone slipped out. Shen Huaizhou stood up, bent down, and picked them up one by one. His fingertips inadvertently touched the back of her hand, feeling the coldness and trembling of her fingers. "I'll go back with you."

His voice was soft, yet carried a resolute strength. He handed the things he had picked up back to her, his eyes filled with an unreadable emotion. "I just booked the plane ticket."

"what?"

“I guessed you’d want to go back after seeing what I read, so I booked the earliest flight before you came down. It’s a noon flight, so you still have time to pack.” Shen Huaizhou’s words flowed into Jiang Guier’s heart like a clear spring.

"Thank you."

Jiang Guier did not refuse. She nodded, haphazardly stuffing her things into her handbag, forgetting even to take the coffee. She turned and hurried upstairs, her skirt fluttering slightly in the wind, her back view filled with urgency and confusion.

She couldn't understand why her family, who were so close to her, would deliberately hide their identities and avoid her for fifteen years.

She suddenly began to suspect that her family members... might know, like her grandmother...

She had seen that old man countless times; how could her grandmother not recognize him as her own father?

She has to go back and find out.

The two drove to Taoyuan International Airport in silence.

Shen Huaizhou focused on driving, occasionally glancing at her in the rearview mirror, hesitating to speak, but ultimately remained silent, only quietly increasing his speed.

After checking in and going through security, the two had just reached the boarding gate when a clear, lively voice called out, "Gui'er? It really is you! What are you doing here?"

Jiang Guier looked up abruptly and saw Han Jianing wearing a casual white sweatshirt, with her hair tied in a high ponytail, holding a camera in her hand, followed by the tall and upright Gu Xiayang, who was carrying a large backpack. This was a new friend she had met at the intangible cultural heritage event last time. Both of them were accomplished intangible cultural heritage inheritors.

The unexpected encounter eased Jiang Guier's tense nerves a little, and the confusion in her eyes faded somewhat. She stepped forward, forced a smile, and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Jia Ning, Xia Yang, what brings you to Taiwan?"

“We’re here for a field trip.” Han Jianing smiled and took her arm, her fingertips touching her cold hand. She frowned slightly. “What’s wrong? You look terrible and you seem to be in such a hurry. Where are you going?” Gu Xiayang also stepped forward, her gaze falling on the file bag in her hand. Her tone was gentle: “What happened? Do you need any help?”

Jiang Guier shook her head, not intending to mention her great-grandfather's affair for the time being. The matter was too bizarre, and she hadn't yet sorted out her thoughts, so she didn't want to bring it up rashly. "It's nothing, just some urgent business; I need to return to China immediately." She paused, her gaze falling on the box in Gu Xiayang's hand. "What's this...?"

“Oh, we went to the old wood carving street in Taiwan to learn and collect information on intangible cultural heritage wood carving. We plan to promote and pass it on when we get back.” Gu Xiayang opened the cardboard box, which contained several small wood carvings with exquisite craftsmanship and delicate patterns. “As you know, it’s very difficult to pass on intangible cultural heritage skills now. Most young people are not interested. We want to collect more materials to see if we can find a better way to promote it.”

"I remember you are a successor of the qipao craftsmanship, how come you are interested in wood carving?"

“They make good peripheral products and have a market, but cheongsams are still a niche product.” Gu Xiayang said humbly.

Han Jianing picked up the thread, her tone tinged with emotion: "That's right, many traditional crafts are almost lost. We've taken a lot of photos and videos, wanting to post them online to see if we can attract more attention. By the way, Gui'er, aren't you a live streamer? You have quite a few fans. Tell me, is the influencer economy a good thing or a bad thing for the preservation of intangible cultural heritage?"

Mentioning her identity as a livestreamer, Jiang Guier's emotions calmed down a bit. She gently stroked the photo in her hand and slowly began to speak, her tone thoughtful: "There are definitely good things to come." She paused, her gaze becoming serious. "The influencer economy is spreading rapidly and has a wide reach. Filming intangible cultural heritage skills into short videos and livestreaming them can allow more young people to see them, breaking geographical limitations. It can even boost the sales of related handicrafts, allowing veteran artisans to monetize their skills and attracting more young people to learn and inherit them."

"But the downsides are also obvious." Shen Huaizhou had appeared beside them at some point, his hands in his suit pockets, his tone calm yet insightful. "Many people, in pursuit of traffic, over-exploit intangible cultural heritage, simplifying and trivializing its techniques, even altering traditional crafts, focusing only on visual effects while ignoring the cultural connotations and craftsmanship behind it. Some internet celebrities are just a flash in the pan; once the hype dies down, the intangible cultural heritage techniques will still be forgotten, making it difficult to establish a long-term mechanism for its transmission."

Gu Xiayang nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing: "Mr. Shen is right. I encountered this in Taiwan this time. Some internet celebrities just picked up wood carving tools and posed for videos without even knowing the basic techniques, yet they claimed to be inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, misleading many people."

Han Jianing also frowned, "Moreover, many veteran artists are resistant to the influencer economy, feeling it is too superficial and unwilling to cooperate with filming, worried that their skills will be misinterpreted."

"How do you two know each other?" Jiang Guier asked before she could introduce them, having heard Gu Xiayang call out Shen Huaizhou's surname.

“We’re alumni, so of course we know each other.” Han Jianing smiled. “When Xia Yang encountered a problem with restoring old-fashioned blueprints, I immediately thought of Senior Shen and introduced them to each other.”

"What a small world." Jiang Guier couldn't help but laugh.

Shen Huaizhou said with a deep expression, "The inheritance of a craft is not about fanfare, but about sincerity; it is not about how widely it is spread, but about whether someone is truly willing to settle down and learn it."

“Actually, the key is balance,” Jiang Guier continued. “As livestreamers, we can select high-quality content, authentically showcase the production process of intangible cultural heritage techniques, and explain the cultural stories behind them, without deliberately sensationalizing or distorting them. This will both attract attention and preserve the essence of intangible cultural heritage. We can also communicate more with veteran artists, helping them understand the advantages of the influencer economy and find suitable promotional methods for them.”

"You said a lot."

"Indeed, it's like being in a completely different field; we should ask professionals for answers to these questions."

As the group was discussing, the boarding announcement slowly came on, reminding passengers traveling to the mainland to begin boarding. Jiang Guier pulled herself together, "Are we on the same flight?"

"I guess so. We'll go to Shanghai first and then go back to Suzhou."

Jiang Guier and Han Jianing looked at their boarding passes together and realized that the disappointment wasn't about one flight, but rather two adjacent flights. "Then we'll see you in China," they said.

See you in China.

"Don't rush back to Suzhou after landing in Shanghai. Let's get together." Shen Huaizhou extended an invitation to get together, which Han Jianing and Gu Xiayang gladly accepted.

The four people boarded the plane separately.

The plane slowly taxied, broke through the clouds, and flew towards the inland areas.

Jiang Guier leaned against the window, looking at the azure sky and white clouds outside, clutching the photograph tightly in her hand, her questions growing deeper.

Why did Taigong change his name?

Why did they refuse to acknowledge each other after returning to China?

What exactly has he gone through all these years?
A series of mysteries lingered in my mind, making this journey home full of unknowns and ups and downs.

The answer will come when you get back.