In a twist of fate, your father presided over that archaeological excavation...

"Mom, I'm back." Wen Zichuan entered the house.

"Did you have a smooth journey? Put your things down, wash your hands, and eat soon." Lin Hanzhen smiled, came out of the kitchen to look at him, and then went on with her busy work.

It has been a while since he last came home. Wen Zichuan looked around this small home and found that almost all the furnishings were the same as when he was in school.

Some things are old and will be replaced with new ones, but they are all similar styles and are placed in the same place.

I heard that people who have this habit are sentimental and nostalgic.

Such people are easily trapped in the cocoon of the past by time. Only by biting through the shackles can they catch a glimpse of the light of day.

"Why are you so dazed? Please help bring in the vinegar," Lin Hanzhen shouted again when he didn't move. "Don't throw away the plastic bag. Fold it and put it away for next time."

Wen Zichuan took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and expertly assisted Lin Hanzhen. Soon, four dishes and a soup were served on the table.

Lin Hanzhen picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and handed it to him. "You've worked hard all year round. Now that you're back, take a good rest."

Wen Zichuan was worried, and nothing he ate tasted good. After much thought, he finally asked, "Mom, have you always lived in Fengbo? I mean, before you gave birth to me."

"Yes, your grandparents were here before. We lived in an old house by the river. You've been there."

"You lived with your grandparents when you were little. What happened later? I found your diploma. Did you go to college in Dengyuan?"

"Well, I'm back after college."

"So...you and my dad, were you college classmates?"

Lin Hanzhen put down her chopsticks, and the smile on her face instantly disappeared: "Have you seen her?"

"She? Which she?"

"Your roommate's mistress, Lin Xin."

"Yes, I have."

Wen Zichuan told Lin Hanzhen everything that happened in the hospital, but Lin Hanzhen was not surprised at all. She listened calmly as if she was listening to a story that had nothing to do with her.

"Mom, why did Mrs. Lin say that our family are all murderers?"

"She's talking nonsense, don't pay attention to her."

"You should have heard about the girl kidnapping case in the millennium, right? The girl who was kidnapped and killed was Mrs. Lin's daughter. Is this the incident she was referring to?"

Lin Hanzhen heard it, but said nothing. She just lowered her head and fiddled with the white rice in the bowl.

The sudden silence made Wen Zichuan feel that he had guessed right.

"Could An Yi's death really be related to my father? He was abroad that year, how could it be possible..."

"I told you she's talking nonsense, why don't you believe her?"

"Mom, tell me the truth. I'm grown up now. You don't have to hide it from me anymore."

"I didn't hide it from you. Your father was indeed abroad at the time and had nothing to do with the kidnapping case."

Wen Zichuan knew that he shouldn't be so anxious. He was deeply hurt by the sadness in Lin Hanzhen's eyes, which was exactly the same as every time he asked about his father.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I shouldn't remind you of those bad things, but it's very important to me. Can you tell me, even if it's simple?"

Lin Hanzhen also put down her chopsticks, a faint smile tinged with bitterness: "You've grown up now, I can tell you everything I know, but I must also remind you that everything must be based on evidence, and don't jump to conclusions based on speculation."

"Okay." Wen Zichuan nodded seriously and calmly.

"The story dates back to 1988." Lin Hanzhen looked at the wall clock and fell into distant memories.

In the 1980s, the college entrance examination had been resumed, but college students were still as scarce as Siberian tigers and white-fin dolphins.

Lin Hanzhen was born in a scholarly family in Fengbo. He was best at Chinese and history. After graduating from high school, he was admitted to the Archaeology Department of Dengyuan University.

At that time, if the Archaeology Department of the Northern Imperial University was as long as the history of archaeology in China, then the Archaeology Department of Dengyuan University in the south was on par with it and had considerable influence in the southern provinces.

After graduation, Lin Hanzhen successfully entered the Dengyuan Archaeological Institute, where she met Wen Duo.

Wen Duo is three years older than her and is her senior from the same school and major. The institute has a tradition of old mentoring new, so she was arranged to work and learn with Wen Duo.

"He's a very special person, unlike anyone I've met before." Lin Hanzhen's eyes sparkled with a different light when she mentioned Wen Duo. "He has very unique insights into archaeology and advocates introducing advanced foreign concepts and technologies to China. He admires the great scholars of the Republic of China and enjoys the free academic atmosphere. He was an excellent student and a very capable worker at the research institute."

Listening to her description word by word, it was hard for Wen Zichuan not to think of Cheng Sizhou. He often remembered that when Brother Zhou took him to visit the museum, he talked endlessly about cultural relics, which was different from anyone he had met before.

Maybe he is very much like his mother. Adding a touch of admiration to the secret love has become the cause of her obsession. No matter when or where, she can't let him go.

In 1988, a sudden heavy rain triggered a mountain flood. After the flood receded, a villager picked up a piece of porcelain fragment in Mutao Village at the foot of Longji Mountain.

He handed the fragment over to the local cultural relics unit. The unit saw that it had obvious signs of being unearthed, so they contacted the Dengyuan Archaeological Institute and asked them to come and investigate the situation.

"I remember that the deputy director was supposed to lead the team, but he suddenly fell ill just before departure. So your father went to the director and offered to lead the team."

"My dad? Can he do it?"

"At that time, everyone hoped to participate in or lead a significant excavation and produce some research results, which would lead to better development. Your father wanted this opportunity more than anyone else."

The leaders of the institute took into consideration that although Wen Duo was very motivated, he lacked experience. He could participate but might not be able to lead a team.

However, no large city has been built in the Longji Mountain area since ancient times. Judging from the texture of the porcelain fragment, it does not seem to be particularly exquisite. It is estimated that there is only an ordinary porcelain kiln site underneath, which has relatively little research value and is suitable for young people to practice.

Finally, the institute appointed an experienced but mild-mannered researcher, Na Zhaohao, as team leader, Wen Duo as deputy team leader, and eight other team members, and they set off.

Lin Hanzhen is also among the eight team members.

At that time, Wen Duo was arrogant. Among all his companions, he only looked up to the team leader, Zhao Huan, and two technicians who were particularly outstanding in certain abilities. He regarded the others as people who came to gain experience and qualifications.

What he didn't know was that Lin Hanzhen also recommended herself after he did.

The leader advised her, "As a girl, why do you have to go to the fields? It's dirty and hard work. It's better for you to stay in the institute and do research or learn restoration. You can also switch to the field of cultural relics protection in the future."

But Lin Hanzhen doesn't think so. She believes that anything men can do, women can do too.

Longji Mountain is a pristine mountainous area stretching for thousands of miles. The road conditions were even worse back then. We had to set off by car in the morning and it would take us a whole day of shaking to reach the nearby town.

After staying in the town for one night, we had to borrow three ox carts the next day to transport people, luggage and tools to Mutao Village.

Na Zhao also found the villager who handed over the porcelain fragments. Under his leadership, they came to the west end of the village and saw a muddy area washed away by mountain torrents. So they rented a few bungalows in the village, hired dozens of villagers to help, and prepared to start work.

"Maybe it was really due to lack of experience. We dug for over a year and found nothing of value. At most, we found some porcelain fragments. After piecing them together, we could only make porcelain bottles and cups of different styles. By then, half of the funds had been spent."

"So, you gave up?"

"The captain didn't want to continue digging, but your father was very persistent."

"My dad is such a proud person, he definitely wouldn't be able to accept going back home in disgrace without finding anything. That would be too embarrassing."

"You, you never think well of your father."

"How can I think well of him? He cheated on me, left you and me, and ran away to a foreign country where he hasn't been seen for over a decade. Is that what you call good?"

Lin Hanzhen knew that her son was unwilling to accept this and spoke up for her.

But what he didn't know was that she and his father didn't even have a marriage certificate. So if his father found another woman, would it still be considered cheating?

The debate lasted for a whole month. Wen Duo privately met with all the team members and lobbied them one by one. Finally, he let everyone vote to decide whether the team should stay or go.

Lin Hanzhen naturally supported him. She read a lot of notes by archaeologists and used them as examples to persuade the team members that only persistence can lead to victory.

Everyone was inspired by her and voted to stay and continue exploring.

In desperation, Na Zhao gave up the leadership of the archaeological team. Although he was the team leader in name, all work plans and progress were handed over to Wen Duo to control.

The more Wen Duo dug, the more he felt that they had made a misjudgment.

There have been cases in the past where floods washed the ground and carried away the soil, exposing some traces. By exploring and excavating along the traces, it is possible to find ruins or tombs.

But what the villagers and they discovered later were basically scattered porcelain fragments. Ceramics are made of clay and are very light. It is entirely possible that they were washed here by the flood rather than being buried here.

Wen Duo went to the local hydrological bureau and invited a local hydrological expert to take a look. He couldn't say that he came to a definite conclusion, but he could infer that what he was looking for was on the mountain, not at the foot of the mountain.

After making up his mind, he returned to his residence and asked everyone to pack up and follow him into the mountains. Half of the people immediately refused.

The slope of the southern foot of Longji Mountain is relatively gentle, and there are barely a few small villages at the foot of the mountain. Going further into the mountain, not only is there no road in or out, there are no people, and there are high cliffs and steep terrain, which is a vast primeval forest.

Not to mention that mountain archaeology is far more difficult than plain archaeology, if just a few of them rashly barged in, they wouldn't be enough to feed the wild beasts in the mountains.

Wen Duo agreed that they could go into the mountains or leave according to their own wishes. Lin Hanzhen stayed, and to her surprise, Na Zhao also stayed.

"I later asked the captain why he decided to stay after arguing with your father for a month. He said that at first he thought your father's radicalism was driven by fame and fortune, and he was disgusted. But then he saw that your father never shied away from difficulties, always trying every possible way to solve them, and was always persistent and determined to get things done. He felt that if such a person didn't succeed, it would be God's fault."

"Did you go into the mountains later?"

"We got in, but we were stranded in the mountains for three years."

Lin Hanzhen never mentioned the following period to anyone. Three years was neither short nor long, but what happened changed the course of their destiny.