Brother, just how powerful is our family?

At six o'clock in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, the roller shutter door of Qin's convenience store was pushed open.

Qin Feng's father, Qin Jianguo, was dressed in dark clothes and carrying a bamboo basket containing paper money, firecrackers, incense, candles, and other offerings.

His expression was much more serious than usual, a sign of the solemnity of visiting a grave.

"Dad, so early?" Qin Feng came downstairs, having also changed into a plain-colored outfit.

"You should go to the graves early," Qin Jianguo said.

Qin Yang rubbed his eyes and came downstairs: "Dad, I'm going too."

"Everyone go." Qin Jianguo nodded. "Your mother and Yao Yao are preparing breakfast at home, the three of us will go."

Outside, a black Mercedes-Benz G-Class was already running.

A security guard was in the driver's seat. When he saw Qin Feng come out, he immediately got out of the car and opened the back door.

"I'll drive it myself," Qin Feng said.

The guard hesitated for a moment, then looked at the bamboo basket and firecrackers Qin Jianguo was carrying, both of which were flammable items.

"Don't worry, I'll drive carefully." Qin Feng took the keys. "You guys just follow behind."

"Yes."

Qin Feng was driving the G-Class, his father was in the passenger seat, and Qin Yang was in the back.

Following behind was another G-Class, carrying four security guards who maintained a proper distance.

The car drove out of the county town and headed east along the county road.

There were few vehicles on the road in the early morning, and occasionally you could see an elderly person riding an electric tricycle.

On both sides of the road are vast cornfields, the corn stalks already taller than a person, swaying gently in the morning breeze.

"I've walked this road for decades," Qin Jianguo said softly, looking out the window. "When I was a child, it took two hours to walk to school in the county town. Later, when we got bicycles, it still took an hour. Now, it only takes twenty minutes by car."

"What a big change," Qin Feng said.

"Yes, things have changed a lot," Qin Jianguo remarked, "but some things haven't changed."

He pointed to a village in the distance: "That's Qin Family Village. Your grandfather's generation lived there, and your father and I grew up there too."

Qin Feng looked at the village.

As dawn breaks, the village's outline gradually becomes clear—rows of two-story buildings with white walls and gray tiles, and solar water heaters on the roofs.

The village is surrounded by farmland, and several cement roads extend from the village, connecting to the county road.

It looks like an ordinary northern village.

But that's his root.

The car turned onto a village road. The road conditions were good; it was a paved cement road.

Occasionally, you can see elderly people who get up early sweeping the ground in front of their doors or sitting on stone benches smoking on both sides of the road.

"That's your third grandfather." Qin Jianguo pointed to an old man sitting in front of the door. "He doted on you the most when you were little and often gave you candy."

Qin Feng slowed down the car and rolled down the window: "Good morning, Third Grandfather."

The old man squinted at him, and it took him a while to recognize Qin Jianguo: "Jianguo? You're back?"

"You're back. You brought the kids to pay respects at the graves." Qin Jianguo got out of the car and offered a cigarette.

Third Grandfather took the cigarette, looking at the car and Qin Feng and Qin Yang inside: "This is... Xiao Feng? Xiao Yang? They've grown so much!"

"Hello, Third Grandfather." Qin Feng and Qin Yang also got out of the car to greet him.

"Okay, okay..." Third Grandfather looked at Qin Feng, his eyes somewhat dazed. "You've grown into a grown man. The last time I saw you was when you were in college. You were so thin. Now... you're strong."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qin Feng and the others continued on their way.

The car drove into the village. The village was quiet in the early morning, with only a few roosters crowing and dogs barking.

The buildings on both sides of the road are two-story buildings, which don't look new, but they're not dilapidated either.

Some houses have electric vehicles parked in front of them, while others have flowers and plants planted in front of them.

"There aren't many young people left in the village now," Qin Jianguo said. "They've all gone out to work. Those who remain in the village are mostly people of my generation or your grandfather's generation."

"Where's the child?" Qin Yang asked.

"There are few children." Qin Jianguo shook his head. "Young people go out to work, so they either take their children with them or leave them at home to be cared for by the elderly. During summer vacation, some children go to the cities where their parents work, making the village even emptier."

Qin Feng drove silently.

The village looked very clean and tidy. Cement roads led to the door of every house, and there were streetlights along the roadside. Some houses even had cars parked in front of them.

But from those tightly closed doors, from those elderly people sitting alone in front of them, he could sense a kind of... loneliness.

The car drove through the village and finally stopped in front of an open space at the west end of the village.

Next to the open space was a cemetery with dozens of graves, some with tombstones and some just mounds of earth.

"We've arrived." Qin Jianguo got out of the car carrying a bamboo basket.

The cemetery is located on the edge of a field outside the village, surrounded by farmland.

The morning dew dampened the grass, and the air was filled with the scent of earth and grass.

Qin Feng followed his father to the two graves side by side.

The tomb is not large, with a simple stone tablet in front of it inscribed with "Tomb of Duke Qin XX" and "Tomb of Mother Qin XX".

These are his grandparents.

He never met his grandmother; she passed away before he was born.

My grandfather passed away when I was in elementary school. In my memory, he was a taciturn old man who always sat in the yard smoking.

"Dad, Mom, I've brought the children to see you." Qin Jianguo knelt before the grave, lit incense and candles, and placed offerings.

Qin Feng and Qin Yang also knelt down.

According to the customs of my hometown, when visiting graves, one must kowtow, burn paper money, and "talk" to the deceased relatives.

As Qin Jianguo burned paper money, he whispered, "Dad, Mom, Xiaofeng is back. He's doing well out there, he's made something of himself. Don't worry over there, we're all doing fine..."

The paper money slowly turned to ashes in the fire, and wisps of smoke rose and drifted away in the morning breeze.

Looking at his grandfather's name on the tombstone, Qin Feng recalled many memories—his grandfather stroking his head with his rough hands, his grandfather telling him stories of their hometown, and how heartbroken he was when his grandfather passed away...

Time flies. In the blink of an eye, Grandpa has been gone for more than ten years.

And he himself has transformed from that crybaby into what he is today.

"Grandpa, Grandma," Qin Feng said softly, "I'm back. I'm doing very well out there. Don't worry, I'll take good care of Mom and Dad, and my younger brother and sister."

He spoke simply, but sincerely.

No matter how much he achieves outside, here he is just a descendant of the Qin family, a person who has come back to visit his ancestors.

After burning the paper money, Qin Jianguo took out firecrackers. According to tradition, firecrackers are set off when visiting graves to inform ancestors and descendants that they have arrived, and also to drive away "unclean things".

"Firecrackers are no longer allowed." Qin Jianguo hesitated for a moment. "There are regulations in the county..."

"Let it go," Qin Feng said. "It's alright."

He stepped forward, took the firecracker, and lit it.

"Crackling and popping—"

The sound of firecrackers was particularly loud in the village in the early morning.

Soon, the doors of several houses opened, and people peeked out.

But upon seeing that it was Qin Feng and his group, they all shrank back—clearly, news of Qin Feng's return had already spread throughout the village.

After the firecrackers were set off, Qin Jianguo and his two sons stood in front of the grave for a while before packing up and leaving.