Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

The return journey went without a hitch, and was much faster than the way there. Once he got the hang of it, Mao Dazhuang took off running back, and by noon he had already entered the territory of Taiping Town.

Zhou Rui casually bought a few pancakes at the state-run restaurant, stuffed them into his pocket, and hurried home. The whole family was eager to get home and wanted to lie down on their own heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) as soon as possible to get some rest.

Jiang Chuntao was still asking around the city, but she was getting old, and when she finally knocked on the door of a house, her legs gave way and she collapsed forward.

"Grandma, what's wrong?" A pair of slender hands supported Jiang Chuntao, preventing her from falling to the ground.

"No, it's nothing, I'm just a little tired. I'll find a place to sit for a bit." Jiang Chuntao took a couple of breaths before she steadied herself and stopped leaning on the other person.

Upon hearing this, the little girl quickly helped Jiang Chuntao into the courtyard and found her a stool to sit down.

"Grandma, please sit down for a while. I'll go get you a cup of hot water."

Jiang Chuntao sat for a while, and soon the little girl brought over a cup of steaming hot water.

She thanked him before taking the water, drank a couple of sips, and felt a warm sensation rise within her.

"Grandma, why are you knocking on my door in this cold weather?" The little girl sat down next to Jiang Chuntao, her tone gentle.

"Oh, oh, right, right, I'm here to find someone." Jiang Chuntao only came to her senses after being asked a couple of questions by the little girl.

"Just a little girl, about that height, wearing a brand new floral cotton-padded jacket, with big eyes, a round face, and a black iron ring on her hand..."

As Jiang Chuntao spoke, she gestured, her mind replaying the scene she had witnessed in the alley the evening before last, her eyes losing focus.

The little girl listened carefully, glancing at Jiang Chuntao as she listened, and as she looked at her, she felt a sense of familiarity.

"Grandma, are you... are you the grandma who dropped the apple in the alley the day before yesterday?"

"You..." Jiang Chuntao turned around abruptly: "You were there the day before yesterday too?"

Jiang Chuntao carefully examined the little girl.

The girl was pretty and looked like a student; she looked somewhat familiar.

However, all her attention that day was on the little girl with the bracelet, and she didn't pay any attention to the student who helped her pick up the apples.

"Yes, I am. The day before yesterday, you knocked over your basket at the alley entrance, and apples fell all over the ground. I even helped you pick them up."

The little girl nodded, her voice clear and crisp, without the slightest hesitation.

"That's right, that's me. My basket tipped over, and a little girl helped me pick up the apples. You also helped me from behind. You're such a good girl."

Jiang Chuntao suddenly grabbed the girl's hand: "Do you know that girl? You live nearby, you must know her, right?"

The little girl's hand ached slightly from being gripped so tightly, but she didn't pull away; instead, she gently shook her head.

"I don't know her, but I heard someone call her An'an and say she's gone the wrong way and should hurry to the guesthouse."

Jiang Chuntao's fingertips tightened suddenly, her knuckles turning white, and her breathing became erratic.

She searched for two whole days, knocking on the doors of hundreds of households, her hands and feet numb from the cold, and the clue just fell right before her eyes.

"Guesthouse...which guesthouse? Which room are they staying in? Do you know their names?"

"I don't know." The little girl tilted her head and thought for a moment, "But there aren't many guesthouses in the city. There's a forestry bureau guesthouse nearby."

Jiang Chuntao clapped her hands: "That's right, there aren't many guesthouses in the city. I can look for them one by one, and that's how I'll find one."

"Thank you so much, young lady. You're such a kind person, you've helped me a lot. Once I find my granddaughter, I'll definitely bring my son to thank you."

"You are a good comrade. Good people are rewarded. Guanyin Bodhisattva will protect you."

Jiang Chuntao was so excited that she trembled all over and her words were incoherent; she had no idea what she was saying.

Lu Duanshan had just come over from the other side when he saw the mother holding a little girl's hand inside the open courtyard gate, her whole body trembling.

He quickly walked over and took Jiang Chuntao's arm, whispering, "Mom, slow down, don't scare the girl."

Jiang Chuntao acted as if she hadn't heard, her eyes shining brightly as she stared up at Lu Duanshan: "Found them! Duanshan, I found out where they live."

"That girl's name is An'an. She's staying at the guesthouse and might leave tomorrow."

Lu Duanshan's heart skipped a beat.

He had been worried that the old lady would get sick from the stress, but upon hearing this, sweat instantly broke out on his back.

He had been searching for his sister for twenty years, from his youth to middle age, even his own children had grown into teenagers, and he never dared to imagine that the clues could come so quickly.

Lu Duanshan looked up at the little girl, his face pleading, wanting a definite answer.

The little girl nodded to Lu Duanshan: "That's right, I heard it clearly, it's a guesthouse. There happens to be a forestry bureau guesthouse there."

"Okay, Mom, we'll go to the guesthouse and ask right away." He helped Jiang Chuntao up and turned to thank the little girl repeatedly.

He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, thought about it and realized it wasn't appropriate, so he put it back and bowed to the little girl.

"Thank you so much, honey. Thank you so much for this."

The little girl was startled by his bow and quickly stood up, took a half step back, and waved her hands repeatedly.

"No need, no need. This is such a small matter, why would you need to make such a big gesture?"

"The Forestry Bureau Guesthouse is about 200 meters from the alley entrance. Just follow the bluestone path and you'll see it. There's a white sign hanging at the entrance, so it's easy to find."

Jiang Chuntao held her hand tightly, reluctant to let go. Her fingertips were still trembling slightly, and tears welled up in her eyes for a long time before finally rolling down her wrinkles.

"Good child, you were sent by God to help me."

"I've been looking for my daughter for twenty years, from Tianjin to Northeast China. I wore out three pairs of shoes in the process, thinking I'd never see her again. But today I'm finally getting confirmation from you."

Lu Duanshan held his mother's arm, his fingertips taut and white.

He dared not delay even a moment, fearing that if he was a step too late, the girl would be gone. He nodded deeply to the little girl again before turning around and half-supporting, half-carrying Jiang Chuntao towards the courtyard gate.

The little girl stood by the courtyard gate, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, feeling a bit strange. These were both her granddaughter and her daughter; just how many people had they lost?

The two hurried towards the Forestry Bureau's guesthouse through the snow. Jiang Chuntao was walking so fast that she almost tripped on the stones under the snow several times.

Lu Duanshan supported her from the side, and his steps quickened as he walked.

As soon as the two lifted the curtain of the guesthouse, they saw a middle-aged woman giving a key to someone and handing over a thermos.

Lu Duanshan hurriedly took two steps forward and arrived at the counter.

"Hello comrade, I would like to ask you if a family has stayed here in the last two days, and they have a little girl who is about seven or eight years old with them."

The middle-aged woman, who was registering guests, became somewhat impatient upon hearing this: "Who are you? We are...?"

However, before he could finish speaking, his eyes had already caught sight of the pen in Lu Duanshan's pocket and the neat cadre uniform under his cotton-padded jacket, and he immediately changed his mind.

"You have such a daughter, I'll help you look into it."

The middle-aged woman looked through the registration book line by line: "There is a family with a child, five people, staying in a three-bed room, and the registrant is Zhou Rui."

"Zhou Rui? Is there a little girl named An'an in there?" Jiang Chuntao asked anxiously, pawing at the counter.