Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

May 28th, early morning.

She was organizing materials when the phone on her bedside table rang. She answered it, and it was her boss.

"Liu Qing, CCTV's 'Focus Interview' is going to do a special report on the matter of box number 23. They want to interview a representative of the Cang family. Get ready."

Cang Liuqing tightened her grip on the phone.

Whom do they want to interview?

"You. You are a descendant of the Cang family and a legal professional. They think you are the most representative."

Cang Liuqing remained silent for a few seconds.

"I'll think about it."

After hanging up the phone, she sat on the edge of the bed, watching the sky gradually brighten outside the window. Box number 23. That copper coin. The list her great-grandfather had painstakingly written down. The secret her grandfather had kept for forty-eight years. The one Lifeng had almost lost his life in the bank to obtain… Now, it was going to be on CCTV.

She picked up the phone and dialed the number for Xiqiao Village.

It rang a few times before being answered. "Feed?" It was Cang Houde's voice, aged but steady.

"Grandpa, it's me."

"Liu Qing," Cang Houde's voice was tinged with amusement, "calling so early, is something wrong?"

Cang Liuqing took a deep breath. "Grandpa, CCTV's 'Focus Interview' is going to do a special report on box number 23. They want to interview me."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"grandfather?"

"I'm here." Cang Houde's voice changed, becoming somewhat hoarse. "You...you agreed?"

"Not yet. I'd like to hear your opinion."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Cang Liuqing could hear her grandfather's breathing, slow and steady.

"Liu Qing," Cang Houde's voice trembled slightly, "your great-grandfather risked his life to memorize those things. He didn't do it for fame, but to let future generations know where our roots are."

"Um."

"My grandfather kept a secret for his entire life, for forty-eight years. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell, but that he dared not. If he did, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to protect it."

"I know."

"Now..." Cang Houde trembled even more violently, "Now it...it's going to be on TV. The whole country can see it. Your great-grandfather's injustice can be cleared. Your great-grandfather and great-grandmother's lives weren't lost in vain, and what I guarded for forty-eight years wasn't guarded for nothing. I'm going to tell your great-grandfather, but unfortunately, we can no longer find where your great-grandmother is buried..."

Cang Houde's suppressed sobs came from the other end of the phone.

Cang Liuqing's eyes reddened. She took a deep breath and steadied her voice: "Grandpa, do you agree to let me represent the Cang family in this interview?"

"Agreed." Cang Houde's voice suddenly became steady. "Liu Qing, you are the pride of the Cang family. Go in your grandfather's place, go in your great-grandfather's place. Tell those people that our Cang family is not traitors. Your great-grandfather was a hero."

"I will, Grandpa."

After hanging up the phone, she sat by the bed for a long time. Looking at the sky gradually brightening outside the window, she recalled the neat handwriting in her great-grandfather's diary, the image of her grandfather sitting alone in the old house facing the charcoal brazier, the sight of Lifeng covered in blood being carried onto a stretcher in the bank, and Tianci's pale face lying on the hospital bed.

She stood up, washed her face, and changed into the dark gray suit. Looking in the mirror, she tied her hair up and took a deep breath.

"The Cang family has a strong backbone," she said softly.

Go out.

At 2 p.m., in the studio of CCTV's "Focus Interview" reporter station in the provincial capital.

Cang Liuqing sat in front of the camera, wearing a dark gray suit, her hair tied back, her back ramrod straight. The light cast a thin halo around her face.

The host asked, "Ms. Cang, please tell us the story of the Cang family."

Cang Liuqing paused for a second, then spoke:

"My great-grandfather, Cang Yunshan, was an expert in cultural relics appraisal in Beiping. When the Japanese forced him to appraise national treasures, he was outwardly a 'traitor,' but secretly he wrote down where each item was looted from, its name, and its appearance. He even risked his life to replicate a copper coin key—the only tool to open box number 23."

She paused, her voice trembling slightly:

"In August 1945, he handed the diary and the copper coin to my grandfather, Cang Houde, saying, 'This thing is more important than my father's life. Pass it on to the next generation, continue to wait, continue to guard it.'"

"My grandfather led the whole family south. My great-grandmother died on the road, and they didn't even dare to erect a tombstone. To this day, we still can't find a place to bury her. My grandfather guarded the place for forty-eight years, not daring to speak of it, not daring to hand it over, for fear that he couldn't protect her."

Her eyes reddened, but her voice remained steady:

"That night, another comrade was ordered to sneak into the warehouse to steal box number 23. However, when he took out the copper coin to open box number 23, the patrol came. In the rush, the copper coin was dropped and fell into the darkness and could not be found again. In the critical moment, my great-grandfather smashed the glass to distract the pursuers and bought time for the comrade with his life. The comrade carried box number 23 and escaped through the ventilation duct."

She took a deep breath:

"My great-grandfather was seriously wounded and fled south with the whole family. When they reached Xiqiao Village, he fell seriously ill. Before he died, he held my grandfather's hand and said, 'Be strong and keep your mouth shut. Remember, I am not a traitor.'"

There was a moment of silence in the studio.

"Last year on the eve of the Lunar New Year, someone broke into my old house with a gun, trying to steal copper coins and a diary. My younger brother, Cang Tianci, who was fourteen years old, risked his life to protect them and dodged two sniper bullets. Later, he practiced too hard and collapsed on the provincial competition stage. He hasn't woken up yet."

Her voice finally choked up a little, but her back remained ramrod straight:

"My other younger brother, Cang Lifeng, risked his life to stop the thugs at the South City Bank. Later, someone falsely accused him of shoddy workmanship and called him a heartless contractor. Why did they want to harm him? Because he was in their way—those who wanted to steal the copper coins and prevent the national treasure from returning home."

She looked up at the camera:

"Now, box number 23 has been opened, and the national treasure has returned home. My great-grandfather's injustice has been cleared. The comrade who guarded it for forty-eight years has also waited until today."

She paused, remaining silent for two seconds:

"The Cang family are tough and upright. Some things are more important than life itself."

The host asked, "Is there anything you'd like to say to your family?"

Cang Liuqing looked at the camera, her voice softening:

"Tianci, wake up quickly. Your sister is waiting for you, your family is waiting for you. Lifeng, you haven't been wronged."

Meanwhile, in a ward at Nancheng People's Hospital.

The TV was on, tuned to CCTV-1. "Focus Interview" had started.

The scene first cuts to an archaeological site. The host says, "After nearly four months of excavation, a cave containing a large number of precious cultural relics has recently been completely unearthed. The discovery of these relics is thanks to a notebook that had been sealed for nearly fifty years; and thanks to the four generations of the Cang family who risked their lives to protect it... Now, we have invited Comrade Cang Liuqing, a descendant of the Cang family and a national security cadre, to tell us this story that spans half a century."

The scene shifts again. Cang Liuqing sits in front of the camera, wearing a dark gray suit, his hair tied back like a newly drawn sword.

Cang Lifeng sat on the edge of the bed, staring intently at the screen. Cang Xiangyang stood at the foot of the bed, his hands in his pockets, his fists clenched tightly. Cang Xiaohua sat on a chair against the wall, her expression excited. Su Yumei sat on the other side of the bed, holding Tianci's hand, her head turned to watch the television.

"My great-grandfather, Cang Yunshan, risked his life to remember things back in Beiping..." Cang Liuqing spoke eloquently on the television screen.

Cang Lifeng's hands began to tremble, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"My other younger brother, Cang Tianci, is fourteen years old. He risked his life to protect the copper coin and is still in a coma," Cang Liuqing continued in the video.

Tears streamed down Su Yumei's cheeks. She lowered her head, looking at Tianci's pale face, her lips trembling, unable to speak.

Cang Xiangyang and Cang Xiaohua were already covered in tears.

As Cang Liuqing looked at the camera, she softly said, "Tianci, wake up soon. Your sister is waiting for you, your family is waiting for you. Lifeng, you haven't been wronged."

Cang Lifeng could no longer hold back his tears, which flowed freely down his face.

Su Yumei held Tianci's hand and suddenly felt it move. She lowered her head and stared at the hand for a long time.

Maybe he heard it. He heard his sister calling his name on TV.

The monitor continued its regular beeping. But she felt the sound was a little more steady than before.