The nights in late July of the lunar calendar were still hot enough in Beijing to make you want to swim, but in the remote place of Zhangjia Village, the weather had begun to cool down.

Walking on the country road, without the high temperature under the scorching sun during the day, the breeze blows by, allowing people to ignore the harassment of mosquitoes in comfort.

Under the big banyan tree at the bridgehead at the entrance of the village, men of all ages gathered, smoking dry tobacco in long pipes and chatting. From time to time, they would burst into hearty laughter when they told a funny story, which attracted a few hunting dogs to bark.

Zhang Guoqing could see the old captain among them from afar, and of course his father was there too. Such a lively atmosphere was something the county town didn't have, so it was no wonder his father often wanted to return home.

Looking around, he couldn't find where his son had gone to play with the other boys. After thinking for a moment, he went over to say hello to everyone.

Seeing his eldest son coming over, Zhang's father pointed in a direction and said, "Ping An, go play with the team next door..."

Before he finished speaking, several uncles next to him burst into laughter.

"Xiaowu, your son is truly not to be underestimated. He has such short legs, but he insists on walking on his own. He runs really fast."

"Exactly. I thought growing up in the city was different from growing up in the village. I didn't expect him to be good at everything. He climbed the tree really fast. I just told him to slow down, and whoosh, he was up."

The old captain at the side laughed and said, "Don't you see whose son he is? Xiaowu was this age when he was young, and he was just as naughty. It all comes down to his roots."

The old man beside him nodded repeatedly, "That's right. Xiaowu was so naughty back then. I still remember he was about this age back then. This wild boy blocked my chimney."

"What's that? Every time the jujube tree in my yard bears fruit, he lies to my little grandson and says it's not sweet. That silly boy gets so angry that he insists he make him taste it."

Everyone burst into laughter. This kid was truly capable of doing this.

Zhang Guoqing quickly begged for mercy, "Grandpa Li, Third Uncle, please be kind and leave me some money."

"Okay, you've been eating my dates for so many years, so you should treat me to a drink, right?"

"Yes. We all know that our Xiaowu is a capable person. In recent years, he even forgot what the taste of wine is. It doesn't need to be much, just give us a high fever of ten kilograms."

"Everyone who sees it gets a share. It doesn't have to be sorghum liquor, just wine."

Zhang Guoqing was truly impressed by these old men. Glancing at his father smiling and nodding slightly, he said, "Alright. Since you elders have asked, I, a junior, will go to the city tomorrow and ask for ten kilograms of wine. I'll even bring you snacks here tomorrow night."

"That's great. Xiaowu, go find Old Man Wang. He has plenty of wine at home. He might even have some meat."

Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded repeatedly when the old captain spoke. "That's reliable. Third Uncle, you've been waiting. I won't discuss this with him. I'll grab it even if I have to."

Li Qinglin's voice was heard from the front, "Xiao Wu... Xiao Wu..."

Zhang Guoqing responded after hearing this and smiled at everyone, "My buddy is looking for me, I have to excuse myself. Dad, I'm going over first."

Father Zhang smiled and nodded, "Go ahead. The kid will be here waiting for you soon."

Watching Zhang Guoqing walk away with a smile on his face, Old Man Li praised him enviously: "Old Second's life is worth it."

"Look at what you said, Uncle Li. My cousin is so filial to you."

"It's different. It's different."

Everyone knew what he meant and smiled but said nothing. Of course it was different. Zhang Dayou's three sons were all more filial than the other, and even his grandchildren were affectionate and respectful to him.

Everyone knows that even though Zhang Dayou had his sons split up early, his words carry more weight than anyone else's! He still has the final say over his three sons' families. Filial children do exist, but it's rare to find someone who coaxes an old man this way.

The old captain smiled and said, "Contentment brings happiness. Let's not compare ourselves with others, lest we disappoint our children."

Zhang Guoqing quickly walked over to Li Qinglin and punched him. "Why didn't you wake me up? Where's the condom?"

"I just got home today and didn't go to the condom. Xiaowu, I need your help."

Zhang Guoqing put his arm around his shoulder and asked as they walked, "Do you want to come to my house and talk?"

"No, I have to rush home after this."

"Stay at my house tonight."

"Forget it, there's still a long way to go. I'll stay with my parents for two days, and then we'll get together when Taozi and the others come back."

"Okay. You have to have a good talk with your aunt as soon as you come back. Tell me, what do you want me to do?" Zhang Guoqing said as he took him in his arms and walked towards a remote place.

Li Qinglin saw that there was no shelter and looked at him gratefully. "You know a lot of people. I can only ask you for help. Please help me find someone."

Zhang Guoqing nodded in understanding. She must be a girl, the one Lin Zi had been thinking about. He was also curious about why Lin Zi hadn't come back during the summer vacation. No wonder!

"...After much hard work, I finally managed to get her new address. As soon as summer vacation came, I went to Guangdong Province. The address was there, but she wasn't the one.

I tried everything I could think of, but in the end, I had no choice but to call your house. I called several times but no one answered. I called Dayi's house, and Dayi said you had just run back to your hometown, so I rushed back overnight and only got home today.

Zhang Guoqing nodded. He didn't ask why Dayi couldn't just help directly. That was nonsense! The relationship wasn't there yet, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

"Xiao Wu, this is not easy. Please try your best to help me find her. If you can't find her, I will wait until she shows up."

"Let me try first. Do you have a photo of the other person? And since you're always calling her her, you have to let me know her name, age, and height."

Li Qinglin sighed softly and said slowly, "There's no photo of her in the school archives. Do you think she planned this all along? The more I investigate, the more things seem off. Her name is Hu Xiaohui, she's 1.58 meters tall, with the typical Jiangnan girl's figure. She's quite steady, but privately quite childish..."

Zhang Guoqing always felt that this name was familiar, but he really couldn't think of it. Besides, there were many people with the same name. Hmm, it must be an illusion.

"...She has a small black mole at the corner of her right eye. She often says her mother says it's an ominous teardrop mole and keeps asking her to remove it. She acts very casually, but deep down she's very stubborn..."

Zhang Guoqing quickly waved his hand to stop him from continuing, "Wait, you said she has a teardrop mole?"

"Yes. Why?"

Zhang Guoqing had already recalled the companions Zhou Jiao had mentioned about their trip abroad, but this was a difficult matter to resolve. Regardless of whether they were the same person, even if they were, he knew the confidentiality rules. If he wasn't careful, Zhou Jiao would be implicated.

"Nothing much. This feature makes it easier to find her. Did she leave any messages when you separated? Like, something she mentioned unintentionally?"

Li Qinglin looked up at the twinkling stars in the sky. "At first she said she would show up after I graduated. Later she left a note asking me to forget her."

After saying that, he took out a folded envelope from his pocket. "Inside is the note she left and her personal information. Don't throw it away."