How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

Xu An's eyes were fixed on the phone screen.

The four words Zhao Nian sent seemed to carry a certain burning heat.

Xu An's father.

These five words thundered through Xu An's mind.

He thought his father had died in that accident many years ago.

He thought he would only ever see his father in faded old photographs.

It turns out it's always been there.

Not only in.

She followed in front of him the whole way.

A thermos of hot water was left for him at the weather station in Ludong Mountain.

I renewed my mother's savings account for another ten years at the post office locker.

The words "He has arrived" were carved on the crabapple tree in Qingyun Lane.

Xu An's breathing became extremely heavy.

He suddenly raised his head.

My gaze fell on the half-closed wooden door at the far end of the courtyard.

There was no sound from inside the wooden door.

But he could sense a chilling stillness within.

Xu An took a step forward.

The cloth shoes with the thousand-layered soles that my mother made were worn on the gravel in the yard.

It made a very solid clacking sound.

He walked to the wooden door.

He reached out and pushed open the door.

The old wooden door creaked and groaned.

The room was dimly lit.

But it was enough for Xu An to see everything inside.

There was no sign of the father.

A large wooden table was placed in the center of the room.

A huge map of China was spread out on the table.

The map was covered with countless red dots.

Each dot was accompanied by a tiny annotation.

Geological subsidence zone in the southwestern mountainous area.

Villages on the edge of desertification in Northwest China.

The central region is severely hollowed out.

This map is not an ordinary traffic map.

This is a map of the wounds at the grassroots level of the country that requires countless people to walk on foot and see with their own eyes.

Xu An slowly walked to the table.

A white enamel mug is placed in the very center of the map.

There was a letter under the jar.

There was no name written on the envelope.

Only that familiar circle and cross symbol remains.

Xu An removed the enamel mug.

The number GS-01 is engraved on the outer wall of the tank.

He opened the envelope.

Inside was a stiff sheet of letter paper.

The handwriting is strong and powerful.

With that habitual left-leaning pause in the pen.

"An'an, by the time you read this letter, I will have already set off for the next destination."

"Don't blame Dad for not waiting for you."

"Some roads are meant to be walked together as companions, but walking them alone is a form of spiritual practice."

"I walked half the path your mother didn't finish."

"I originally planned to carry the remaining half on my own."

"But I saw your video online."

"I saw you slaughtering pigs in Xujia Village, I saw you repairing loudspeakers for elderly people left behind in the village, and I saw you mending bowls for others."

"I suddenly realized that my son has grown up."

"He has grown into someone who understands this land better than I do."

"The canvas bag you're carrying on your shoulder is the one I used back then."

"It's now filled with keepsakes that people gave you along the way."

"Those tokens are heavier than any official medal."

"Because that concerns the lives and hearts of ordinary people."

"Dad is getting old. He's missing two fingers on his right hand, so he can't climb mountains as easily as he used to."

"But I'm still moving forward."

"The map on the table is a collection of information that your mother and I have compiled over the past twenty years."

"Those red dots are areas that need attention and repair."

"I'll leave it to you."

"If you feel tired, go back to Xujia Village, get married, have children, and live a peaceful life."

"If you think you can still walk."

"Put on the shoes your mother made for you."

"Keep going at your own pace."

We will meet again on some road ahead.

The letter was not signed.

I only drew a small smiley face.

Xu An looked at that smiling face.

My eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

He didn't shed a tear.

I simply folded the letter paper carefully.

It was placed in the innermost hidden pocket of the canvas bag.

It was placed together with my mother's letter.

He turned around.

I walked to the crabapple tree in the courtyard.

He took his phone out of his pocket.

The live stream room was opened.

The moment the screen lights up.

The number of online users jumped from 4,000 to 40,000.

And it's still growing at a crazy rate of hundreds of people per second.

The comments flooded in like a waterfall.

"An Shen has started airing."

"Where is this? Is this No. 42 Qingyun Lane?"

"An Shen, why are your eyes red? Did you see the person you wanted to see?"

"Is that the same crabapple tree in the photo?"

"I'm so anxious! Have they found it yet?"

Xu An propped his phone up on a branch of the crabapple tree.

The camera was pointed at himself.

He also focused his gaze on the crabapple tree behind him that had already blossomed.

Xu An is now facing a live stream with tens of thousands of viewers.

The unease and panic I felt three months ago in the pigsty of Xujia Village are gone.

His eyes were very clear.

But it also possesses a composure that comes with weathering the storms of life.

Good morning, everyone.

Xu An's voice was very steady.

"This is Mangshi, No. 42 Qingyun Lane."

"I found what my mother left me."

"I also found the letter my dad left for me."

The live stream chat exploded instantly.

"Holy crap, your dad's still alive."

"My God, what an incredible plot twist! Is An Shen's father that GS-01?"

"The whole family are big shots; even novels wouldn't dare to write a plot like this."

"An Shen, where is your dad? Let us see your uncle."

Xu An shook his head.

He's gone.

"Let's go to the next place."

"He left me a map."

Xu An turned the camera around.

I took a picture of the large map in the room.

Although the handwriting is too far away to see clearly.

But the dense red dots on it are enough to shock everyone.

"This map shows all the areas where help is needed."

"There are mountain roads that could collapse at any time, hollow villages with only a few elderly people left, and forgotten traditional craftsmen."

"My dad and mom have spent half their lives doing this."

"Now, it's my turn."

The chat was silent for a moment.

Then an even more intense barrage of comments erupted.

"An Shen, it's your turn to take over."

"This is true inheritance."

"I knew this man was no ordinary person from the moment I saw him slaughtering the pig for the New Year in Xujia Village."

"An Shen, you can go now. We'll stay with you."

"Yes, we'll see you wherever you go."

At that moment, a golden barrage of comments floated by.

It's a very high-level fan club.

"Anshen, you've walked over two thousand kilometers, your shoes are all worn out."

"I've calculated the amount of money you've received in tips and gifts in the backend; it's at least several million."

"Why do you never withdraw cash?"

"Are you out of money for food? I just saw you picking up bottles on the roadside to sell."

"Withdraw the money and buy a car. Don't suffer so much."

This comment appeared.

Many people echoed this sentiment.

"Yes, An Shen, that's what you deserve."

"You've brought so much joy to everyone, what's wrong with spending a little money?"

Don't make yourself suffer.

Xu An looked at the screen.

He took the canvas bag off his shoulder.

It was placed on the bamboo chair under the crabapple tree.

"I definitely didn't touch the money."

It's not that I don't like money.

"My biggest wish used to be to slaughter the two pigs in my family, sell them for a good price, and have a prosperous New Year with my grandfather."

"I dream of getting rich."

Xu An smiled.

He flashed a set of white teeth.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the crabapple tree and fell on his face.

It seemed particularly sincere.

"But after these three months..."

"I've discovered that some things are more important than money."

"If I took those millions from the backer..."

"I'll stay in hotels, eat out, and take taxis."

"Then I'll never meet the old shoemaker who mends my shoes."

"You can't find Old Zhou, who shows movies in half the village."

"I can't find an old man giving out free cool water on the roadside."

"I couldn't find a master to teach me how to mend bowls."

Xu An pointed to the brand-new cloth shoes on his feet.

"These shoes were sewn by my mother stitch by stitch twenty years ago."

"I have to use my own feet to step on the mud."

"I use my own hands to help others carry ginger, fetch water, and forge iron."

"In return, I got a bowl of hot and sour noodles and two hot steamed buns."

"It's only when you eat that you feel truly at ease."

"Let's leave the money from those tips there for now."

"Wait until we encounter someone who truly needs a large sum of money to save their life, or a place that needs bridges and roads repaired."

"I'll take it out and use it again."

"As for my own food expenses."

"I have a lot of strength."

"We won't starve to death."

In the live stream room.

Tens of thousands of spectators listened to what this 23-year-old had to say.

A brief blank appeared on the screen.

No one posted any comments.

Because I don't know what words to use to describe my feelings right now.

In this restless era where traffic and money reign supreme.

A young man who has received millions in tips.

Wearing faded old clothes.

She was wearing cloth shoes made by her mother.

Standing in a small courtyard in Yunnan.

He calmly said, "I have plenty of strength; I won't starve."

This ultimate purity.

This sincerity borders on faith.

Like a heavy hammer blow.

It struck a heavy blow to everyone's heart.

Thirty seconds later.

The barrage of comments exploded like never before.

"Peace be with you, accept my bow."

"I'm convinced. I've never been convinced by any internet celebrity in my life, but today I'm completely convinced."

"This is a true idol, this is the kind of star we should be following."

"The man who scared the Culture and Tourism Bureau to tears has now made the entire internet cry."

"This is the true nature of China's backbone."

Just then.

Above the screen in the live stream room.

Suddenly, a series of special bullet comments with official certification flashed by.

"Henan Culture and Tourism: Xu An, your hometown will always be your support. Go forward with confidence."

Yunnan Culture and Tourism: Thank you Xu An for letting the world see the warmth of Yunnan.

"China Geological Survey: Salute to GS-01, Salute to GS-03, Salute to everyone who silently dedicates themselves at the grassroots level."

"The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League: Pure love, solely for China. Xu An, well done."

Official status.

They all left the field.

The live stream's popularity instantly skyrocketed.

The number of online users immediately exceeded 100,000.

Xu An looked at the official comments.

He was not flattered.

He simply bowed deeply to the camera.

Thank you everyone.

"The road ahead is still long."

"I'm about to leave."

He turned off the live stream.

Put your phone in your pocket.

Turn around and face the large map.

He took out his phone from his pocket and took a high-resolution photo.

I memorized all the red dots.

then.

He shouldered the heavy green canvas bag.

Inside the canvas bag.

There are my father's notes.

There were my mother's cloth shoes and a letter.

There is Grandpa Zeng's wire ring.

I have Lao Han's pliers.

There are copper nails from the old man who mends bowls.

There were peanuts given by the old man who was distributing water.

This is his luggage.

That was also his world of martial arts.

Xu An walked out of the wooden door of No. 42 Qingyun Lane.

He gently closed the door behind him.

The time is the summer of 2026, in June.

The sun in Mangshi is intense and dazzling.

Xu An walked out of the alley.

His steps were more resolute than ever before.

Walk through the old street.

Walk through the bustling city.

He headed towards the provincial highway leading to the next city.

He is no longer that socially awkward teenager who hides in Xujia Village, afraid to see anyone.

He is Xu An.

May Xu An be safe and well.

He will use his own two feet.

Go and measure this vast land.

Go and mend those forgotten corners.

Go listen to the stories of ordinary people.

roadside.

A tricycle loaded with watermelons was parked under the shade of a tree.

The car owner, a man in his fifties, was sweating profusely as he tried to put the broken chain back on.

But because my hands were covered in engine oil, I couldn't get it right no matter what I did.

Xu An walked over.

He put down his canvas bag.

Squatting next to the tricycle.

"Uncle, let me help you."

The man paused for a moment.

Looking at this young man dressed in old clothes and carrying a large bag.

"Young man, aren't you afraid of getting your hands dirty?"

Xu An smiled.

He flashed a bright white smile.

"I'm not afraid."

"I'm strong."

"Um...it's all done. Can I have a slice of watermelon?"

"I'm quite thirsty."

The uncle burst into laughter.

"middle."

"Enough is enough."

Xu An skillfully gripped the oil-stained chain.

With a strong pull, it hooks.

Click.

The chain meshed securely with the gears.

The gears are turning.

Endless life.

Just like this road that never ends.

(End of the book)