Since they had nothing else to do, the two of them casually unfolded the newspaper and read it as they walked back.
Xie Mingzhu doesn't know many characters yet, so Shu Ying reads them to her.
"Spread the word! Overseas Chinese returning to China to invest, establish funds, and are anxiously searching for their lost family members..."
This is a set of public service announcements on the front page, occupying the most prominent and largest portion of the entire newspaper.
The content is basically summarized in the title: an overseas Chinese who has returned to China to invest has even set up a fund specifically to help find lost holidays.
Shu Ying had initially only admired the overseas Chinese man's thoughtfulness and lamented the many families torn apart during the war, but as she spoke, her gaze inadvertently swept downwards and suddenly caught sight of a familiar phrase—
Again, the phoenix flowers fall in the old courtyard, the willow branches heavy with dew in the clear morning breeze. To whom can I send my tender letters? The clouds and mist accompany the wild geese in their flight.
Shu Ying was startled when she glanced at it.
This is a poem containing hidden characters.
Hidden within these four lines is her name, Shu Ying, and her mother's name, Yang Wan.
And this wasn't the first time she'd seen this poem; it was clearly the poem her father had always liked to mention when he was still alive.
Because the poem contained her and his mother's names, the three of them used it as a secret code.
We once jokingly agreed that if we ever lost each other, we could recognize each other based on this poem.
Now, this poem has actually appeared in the newspaper, and in the missing persons section...
how so?
Shu Ying's heart started pounding uncontrollably. She gripped the newspaper tightly in her hand, and her arm trembled involuntarily.
The meaningful words reflected in her pupils, and she felt a buzzing in her ears as images of her family together from the past came flooding back.
Shu Ying quickly flipped through the newspaper, searching for the names of the missing persons.
If this is indeed a signal left by the father, there must be other traces, at the very least, a name.
Xie Mingzhu noticed Shu Ying's mood in time. She hesitated for a moment and gently patted her shoulder. "Yingying, you don't look well. Have you been too tired lately?"
She looked at the newspaper with some suspicion, following Shu Ying's gaze. Xie Mingzhu had made great progress this week and could basically recognize all the basic Chinese characters. There was nothing special about the content of the newspaper, and none of the names on it were ones they recognized. She didn't understand why Shu Ying's emotions had suddenly fluctuated so much.
Shu Ying's eyes were red, and when she finally found the words "Lan Yin" again, she began to sob uncontrollably.
This is a secret code unique to their family. It was indeed placed in the newspaper by the father, which means they are still alive, just in an unknown corner. Their family still has a chance to reunite, which is undoubtedly great news.
Shu Ying suppressed her excitement, pointed to the name on the paper with one finger, and said in a low voice, "Sister, my parents are still alive. You see, the name 'Lan Yin' is the pen name my mother used to give herself. She loved reading articles and would always write down her thoughts."
Shu Ying burst into tears, unable to speak, her tears falling first.
She looked at the newspaper repeatedly, her lips trembling slightly as she suppressed her intense emotions.
“When I was still in school, my mother said that if I ever had the chance to publish an article, I should use the name ‘Lanyin’. I didn’t know what it meant before, I just thought the name sounded really nice and had an indescribable scholarly air. Sister, this article was definitely published with the help of my father. Some of the codes in it match our family’s perfectly. I’m about to find my family.”
Xie Mingzhu was initially bewildered, but after receiving all the information from Shu Ying, she became happy. Her nose tingled with emotion, knowing that her parents were Shu Ying's obsession. She held Shu Ying's hand tightly, "So what should we do now?"
The elderly couple are now living in different places and have been forced to use coded messages to find each other, which means that at least one of them is in danger. The sooner they are found, the less danger they will be in.
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