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

The wind howled in his ears like knives, and Xu An felt like his lungs were about to explode.

That "wild man" in front of us is running too fast; it's not running at all, it's running for its life.

Grandpa Stone was barefoot.

Those calloused feet trod on the rocky mountain path as if walking on flat ground.

With each step, you could hear the sound of flying rocks.

He was still clutching the hammer tightly in his hand.

It was as if he was going to fight, or as if he was going to snatch back a treasure he had lost forty years ago.

The camera in the live stream shook violently, and the image became a blurry mosaic.

But none of the hundreds of thousands of netizens were willing to leave; everyone held their breath.

Staring at that hunched yet incredibly resolute figure running wildly in the sunset.

[ID Sprint Champion]: Holy crap... this guy must be at least sixty, right? That explosive power?

[ID Medical Student]: That's adrenaline! That's the energy I've been building up for forty years!

【ID Pure Love God of War】: Stop talking nonsense! Hurry up and pursue her! I have a feeling this will be the most amazing real-life meeting on the entire internet!

Xu An glanced at the comments while panting.

He smiled bitterly to himself. Meeting in person? This is more like a "fleeing life" situation!

"Sir...Grandpa!"

"Slow down...slow down!"

"Nobody's going to take it from you!"

Xu An shouted himself hoarse.

But he forgot that the stone couldn't hear; in this silent world, only that fire burned in the stone's heart.

The fire burned his entire body, making him forget the pain in his feet.

……

The atmosphere at the White Rabbit canteen was lively, with the whole village peeling pine nuts.

My second uncle, Xu Qiang, found a few pairs of pliers somewhere and started clamping them down like an assembly line worker.

Fifth Aunt and the women's group were kneading dough, preparing to make glutinous rice balls.

Grandma Flower was still sitting in that corner by the window.

Those cloudy eyes, though they couldn't see anything, always habitually faced the direction of the back mountain.

He stroked the smooth pebble in his hand.

a bit.

Another one.

Suddenly, Granny Hua stopped, and the pebble, which had been rubbed until it was shiny and smooth, rolled to the ground with a "plop".

"What's wrong, Aunt Hua?"

The second uncle sitting next to me asked a question.

Grandma Hua didn't speak; she tilted her ear to the side.

On that wrinkled face, there was an expression that was almost one of terror, yet also one of disbelief.

"Coming...coming."

Grandma Hua's voice trembled.

"Who's here?"

Uncle Erda looked completely bewildered.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

The ground began to shake; it was the sound of bare feet stepping on the paved road.

heavy.

rapid.

It has a kind of reckless, crazy energy.

Only one person in the entire village makes that kind of footstep sound.

Forty years ago.

That's the sound that always comes when the man covered in stone dust comes down from the back mountain to place a wildflower under her window.

Even after forty years, even as he grew old, the youthful, headstrong spirit in his steps remained unchanged.

"Bang!"

The cafeteria door was kicked open, and a gust of cold wind, carrying stone dust, howled in.

The entire room fell silent.

My second uncle, who was peeling pine nuts, almost pinched a piece of meat with the pliers in his hand, while my fifth aunt, who was kneading dough, dropped the basin on the ground with a "bang".

Everyone was stunned.

Doorway.

There stood a "wild man".

His hair was so long it covered his face, and he wore tattered rags. He looked as if he had just been pulled out of a flour vat—it was covered in a thick layer of lime powder.

Only those eyes, behind that messy hair, shone frighteningly bright, like two searchlights.

They fixed their gaze on the red cotton-padded jacket in the corner.

"Stone?!"

The pipe in Third Master's hand fell to the ground, scattering sparks everywhere.

"Why did this madman... come down the mountain?"

"He's holding a hammer!"

"Quick! Stop him! Don't let him hurt anyone!"

Several young men instinctively tried to rush upwards.

"Don't move!!!"

A heart-wrenching roar came from behind.

Xu An finally caught up, leaning against the door frame, panting like a broken bellows.

His lungs felt like they were going to explode, but he dared not stop.

He held up his phone and shouted with his last ounce of strength:

"That's...that's the groom!"

"Get the hell out of the way!"

The groom? The whole village was dumbfounded.

This look? This beggar's outfit?

Groom?

While everyone was still stunned...

The stone moved. He ignored everyone and strode through the crowd, casually tossing the hammer to the ground.

With a clang, as if he had let down his guard for half his life, he walked up to Granny Hua.

Standing still, less than half a meter away, a strong, wild smell of stone powder instantly enveloped Granny Hua.

Grandma Hua didn't move; she just sat there, trembling all over.

Tears streamed down her face like a broken string, flowing from her eyes that had been dry for years.

"Is it...you?"

Granny Hua reached out her hand, trembling, and groped in the dark void.

Stone grabbed those hands; they were rough, covered in calluses and scars.

Stone powder that can never be washed off is still embedded in my fingernails.

But he held on so tightly, as if he had grasped a lifeline. He couldn't hear Granny Hua's voice, but he could feel her hands trembling.

He didn't speak, he couldn't speak, he just held Grandma Hua's hand.

Slowly, it was placed on his face.

What kind of face was that?

His beard was stubble, and his skin was as rough as tree bark—the marks left by forty years of wind and sun.

Grandma Hua's fingers touched the prickly stubble and the deep wrinkles.

Finally, it stopped on those eyes that were crying uncontrollably.

That outline.

That brow bone.

That stubborn bridge of the nose.

Even if she were reduced to ashes, she would still recognize her.

"Stone……"

"You're such a jerk..."

"Why... are you only arriving now...?"

Grandma Hua burst into tears. Her voice was mournful and aggrieved, yet it also carried a sense of relief at finally being put to rest.

Forty years.

She stood guard at the village entrance, listening to the wind for forty years.

He hid in a cave and carved stones for forty years.

One thought the other person disliked that they were blind.

One thought the other person disliked that they were deaf.

Now, these hands are finally joined together.

Although Stone couldn't hear, he could feel the dampness in his palm.

I saw her tears; she was crying, just like the face he had etched a thousand times.

"Ah...ah..."

The stone opened its mouth and let out a grating roar, like a broken gong.

He wanted to speak; he wanted to tell her that he hadn't changed his mind.

He wanted to tell her that he hadn't received the letter.

But he can only pronounce single syllables.

Xu An, who was standing next to him, had already reddened his eyes. He brought his phone closer.

Under the high-definition lens, those two pairs of aged hands were tightly intertwined, like the roots of two old trees.

[ID: Incontinent]: I can't take it anymore! Get me some tissues! Get me a roll of toilet paper!

[ID Translator]: Although I can't understand it, I feel like he's saying: I'm not leaving, I'm never leaving in this lifetime.

[ID Civil Affairs Bureau]: Move the table over here! Right here! Get married on the spot! Anyone who objects will face my wrath!

Suddenly, Shi Tou let go of his hand, under the gaze of the entire village and the hundreds of thousands of netizens.

He did something that no one expected.

He crouched down and rummaged through the tattered burlap sack-like garment for a long time.

He took out a small cloth bag and opened it layer by layer.

Inside was a stone, only the size of a thumb, crystal clear.

That's not jade; it's just an ordinary piece of quartz.

But on that stone, there was a flower carved, a small flower in full bloom, smiling brightly.

That was the first time he secretly carved it for her when he was an apprentice.

He originally intended to give it to her as a hair clip, but he missed the opportunity, and he kept the stone hidden for forty years.

He had been handling it for forty years, and the sharp edges had long been worn smooth.

It was even coated with a thick layer of glaze, as smooth and lustrous as jade.

Stone took Granny Flower's hand and gently placed the warm stone in her palm.

Then he pointed to the stone, and then to his heart.

That was a silent confession:

You are in my heart.

It's always been there.

Grandma Flower touched the flower.

In that instant, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

That was a promise made forty-eight years ago; she said she wanted a flower that would never wither.

He agreed.

It turns out he hadn't forgotten; he really hadn't forgotten.

"Old man..."

"You stupid old fool..."

Grandma Hua gripped the stone tightly, as if she were grasping the light of her entire life.

She suddenly stood up, I don't know where she got the strength from.

He hugged the dirty and smelly "wild man" in front of him tightly.

She didn't care whether the stone dust covering her would soil her red cotton-padded jacket.

She didn't care whether the big beard would prick her face.

They just held on tightly like that.

"I'm not letting go."

"This time, I'm not letting go no matter what."

"Unless you carve my old bones... into stone too!"

There was a chorus of sobs in the canteen. Aunt Wu was wiping away tears, and Uncle Er was looking up at the ceiling.

Even Xu Qiang, the second uncle who usually loved to argue, silently turned his back, his shoulders shrugging.

Xu An took a deep breath and held the slightly hot phone firmly.

"Family members, did you see that?"

"This is what they call... 'even metal and stone can be moved'."

"He can't hear the wind."

"But he could hear...her heartbeat."

Just then, my second uncle suddenly turned around.

His large beard made him look particularly imposing at that moment, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"What are you all standing there for?!"

"Anzi said it!"

"This is joyous news!"

"Hold it big!"

"Cook all two thousand glutinous rice balls we prepared!"

"today……"

"Let's go to the wedding banquet!"

"besides!"

The second uncle pointed at the group of young men who were still in a daze.

"go!"

"Turn on the village loudspeaker!"

"Play 'Song of the Phoenix'!"

"Play 'Good Days'!"

"I want everyone in the surrounding villages to know!"

"Our White Rabbit canteen in Xujia Village..."

"Today... is a happy occasion!"

In an instant, the White Rabbit canteen was in an uproar.

The crying turned into laughter, and the water in the big iron pot boiled, bubbling away.

That was the warmth of life, and also the fulfillment that was forty years overdue.

Xu An looked at the two elderly people surrounded by the crowd.

One was grinning foolishly, the other was wiping away tears, though one couldn't hear the blessings and the other couldn't see the smiling face.

But at this moment, they must be the most perfect couple in the world.