"Father, Wen'er has been found!"
In Fengjia Village, a slightly overweight young man pushed open the door with a joyful expression, looked at his father lying on the bed with graying temples, and congratulated the old man who had been anxious and exhausted in recent days.
"What? Wen'er has been found? Where is she?"
Upon hearing his son's words, the old man, whose body reeked of herbs, suddenly felt a surge of strength within his increasingly emaciated body. He sat up in bed, staggered out of bed, and prepared to leave.
“Hey, Dad, don’t get up. Just lie down. I’m not lying to you, Wen’er has been found. He’s in the county government office now and will be back soon. I’ve already seen him. I was just thinking that you’ve been worrying about him all the time, so I came back ahead of time to congratulate you.”
The young man patiently persuaded the old man, who had suffered a double blow to his mind and body, to go back to bed and rest properly.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
Hearing his son's words, the old man, though somewhat anxious, sat back down on the bed, not trying to be brave. Even so, the deep wrinkles on his face had smoothed out somewhat, and his complexion had noticeably improved.
"You're really not lying to me, are you?"
Although the old man knew his son was honest and simple, and not good at speaking, he was still worried and asked one more question.
"Dad, you're joking. When have I ever lied to you? Besides, what's there to lie about? It won't be long before it's proven. If I've lied to you, you can break my legs with a stick later."
The young man reluctantly assured him.
"You're a grown man, married with children. Why would I break your legs? That's outrageous!"
The old man chuckled and cursed, his mood visibly brightening. But soon he noticed something unusual.
"By the way, now that my grandson has been found, let's go straight home. What's the point of staying in the yamen?"
"I don't know about that, but I've heard some unreliable rumors."
"What rumor? Why are you keeping me in suspense? I'll whip you with a stick."
The old man was getting impatient.
"Then I'll tell you, but please don't scold me."
The young man hesitated for a moment before recounting what he considered somewhat outrageous rumors.
"I heard that when the group that kidnapped Wen'er was committing their evil deeds, they happened to run into the daily patrol officer of Jinhua County. The patrol officer reported this heinous act to his superior, the City God of Jinhua County. The City God was furious and led his men overnight to raze the kidnappers' hideout. Then he appeared in a dream to inform the local government..."
"absurd!"
Before his son could finish speaking, the old man lying on the bed couldn't help but interrupt.
"Zichuan, although you don't study hard, you still have the title of a student. Why do you keep asking about these strange and supernatural things?"
"Dad, I already said something outrageous that I didn't want to tell you, but you forced me to say it. Now that I've told you, you're scolding me. That's so unreasonable."
The young man looked aggrieved, once again experiencing the difficulties of being a son.
"How dare you! Before sunset today, copy the teachings of the sages ten times and present them to me."
After disciplining his son, the old man offered an explanation.
"Before you listen to these ridiculous rumors next time, think about it with your own brain first. Yin and Yang have their order. Even if ghosts and gods exist, they must follow the rules. If they discover human traffickers, they should inform the government in a dream, not eliminate them themselves and then inform the government. That order is wrong."
"However, I also heard that the faces of the statues in the City God Temple in Jinhua County have weathered away."
The young man muttered something under his breath.
"What did you say?"
The old man frowned.
"I heard it from the street vendors. They said that the paint on the City God statue in Jinhua County peeled off overnight, turning it into a faceless statue. The temple keeper wanted to ask someone to repaint the face of the City God, but he couldn't."
"..."
The old man fell silent this time, neither arguing nor denying.
"grandfather!"
Just then, a cheerful and energetic voice rang out from outside, and a short but rather sturdy figure ran into the side room.
"My good grandson!"
The old man, lying on his bed, saw the figure he had been longing for day and night, and his eyes crinkled with a smile, his wrinkles folding together.
Feng Bingwen, who had rushed back from the county town, embraced the old man's body and felt a clear difference. He was too thin, so thin that he seemed to be nothing but skin and bones.
Feng Bingwen looked up from the old man's arms and examined his face. In just a few days, the old man, who had seemed serious and old-fashioned in his memory, looked like he had aged ten years. His hair was completely white, with almost no black hair left, and the wrinkles on his face were so dense that they made Feng Bingwen feel sorry for him.
Not only his grandfather and grandmother, but also his parents who rushed back after hearing that he had been abducted, looked much older and more haggard than he remembered in just a few days.
He felt like the woodcutter who accidentally stumbled upon immortals playing chess while chopping wood on the mountain. The time on the mountain was only the duration of a single game of chess, but upon descending, everything had changed.
He didn't feel that way, but the sight of his parents and elders made him feel heartbroken, and at the same time, he had an indescribable feeling.
There is nothing more cause for celebration than the safe return of abducted children.
Mr. Feng Lingjun, a teacher at the county school, was very generous. On the day his grandson returned home, he held a grand banquet to entertain guests from all directions, to cleanse his grandson of his impurities and to celebrate in a grand manner.
Feng Bingwen also readily accepted the congratulations and blessings from the guests, displaying a maturity beyond his years.
This time, however, no guests were surprised. On the contrary, they thought it was quite normal. After such a great ordeal, it would be surprising if things were still the same as before.
After the celebration, the entire Fengjia Village was enveloped in joy. If passersby didn't know better, they would think that there had been weddings in the village for several days in a row.
After everything calmed down, in the quiet of the night, Feng Bingwen lay in bed, sharing a bed with his parents who had returned home. He closed his eyes and meditated, calling upon the celestial book that had remained unresponsive for days.
Amidst countless rays of light, the Heavenly Book appeared. As the book was opened, a dazzling flame erupted. Although it didn't possess the brilliance of when it covered an entire page, the remaining flame was still dazzling.
"This is way too long!"
Looking at the still-burning flame, Feng Bingwen couldn't help but mutter to himself.
However, given the unprecedented amount of good deeds he has performed this time, it is understandable that the Heavenly Book took longer to prepare.
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