On the way back on the tractor, Zhong's father several times wanted to say something to Zhong Shi, but each time the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back down.
Zhong Shi's performance at the magistrate's house had made his father look at this youngest son with new eyes. While he felt a great sense of pride, this youngest son also seemed very unfamiliar to him. Ever since Zhong Shi had a serious illness, it was as if he had become a different person. Although Zhong's father had noticed this early on, after hearing Zhong Yi's explanation, he had not paid much attention. However, it now seemed that he had been a bit too careless.
Zhong's father was very curious about what his son had said to the magistrate later. He only knew that after a private conversation with Zhong Shi, the cold-faced magistrate had become all smiles and his attitude toward him had noticeably improved, even showing a hint of flattery in his stiff smile.
What kind of ability did his son have that could cause such a significant change in the magistrate's attitude? On the swaying tractor, Zhong's father pondered this all the way, but by the time they reached the village entrance, he still had no clue.
Zhong's father's behavior did not escape Zhong Shi's notice, but Zhong Shi himself did not know how to explain it. Could he tell his father that his son had become a fool and that the soul inside him now was from the future?
Thus, the father and son returned to the village in silence.
Seeing that the two had returned after only half a day, although Liu Lan was curious, she wisely did not ask when she saw her husband's worried expression.
...
A week later, the Zhong family was having breakfast. In the countryside, there were no formalities, and the early morning of summer was the coolest time of the day. Liu Lan brought the breakfast to the courtyard, and the family gathered around the table, slurping corn porridge.
Zhong Shi's father was named Zhong Jianjun, and his elder brother was named Zhong Jianguo. When they were born, the New China had just been established, and it was fashionable to name children things like Jianguo (build the country), Aiguo (love the country), Jianjun (build the army), and Yuan Chao (aid Korea). Zhong Shi's grandfather, Zhong Fangzhuo, was a well-known private tutor, but after the establishment of New China, such old-school intellectuals had no place.
The Zhong family had once been a scholarly family, but after several movements following the establishment of New China, such families had vanished. In his youth, Zhong Fangzhuo had traveled throughout the country, gaining a deep understanding of various political parties. He had safely navigated several movements and purges, raising two children.
Zhong Shi had an uncle, and he should have had an aunt, but unfortunately, this aunt had died in childhood, and this sad story had long been forgotten.
Just as the family was enjoying a harmonious meal, a commotion came from outside the courtyard wall, followed by a rough voice from beyond the wall.
"Jianjun, are you at home? Come out quickly, someone is looking for you!"
This was followed by a series of urgent knocks on the door.
Zhong Jianjun quickly put down his bowl and opened the door. A tall, flustered middle-aged man appeared before Zhong Shi, who recognized him as his uncle, Zhong Jianguo, with a crowd of onlookers behind him.
"Brother, what's going on? Who's looking for me?" Zhong Jianjun asked, puzzled, seeing his brother's hurried manner and the sweat on his forehead.
He knew his brother's temperament was most like their father's, always calm and collected, so for him to be this anxious, something must have happened.
"Just now, a car stopped at the village entrance. A few officials from the county came out, saying they were from the United Front Work Department, asking where the Zhong Jianjun family lived. Didn't you go to the county town recently? Did you offend someone?" Zhong Jianguo nodded to Zhong Shi and his mother, who had put down their bowls, and then hurriedly said to Zhong Jianjun.
"Ah? County officials?" Zhong Jianjun's heart sank, and he became uneasy.
In those days, government officials were very intimidating to ordinary people. China had a tradition of "the people not fighting with officials," and after several purges, people who had just started to live better lives naturally panicked when they heard officials were coming.
As they were talking, they heard the onlookers part to make way, and Zhong Fangzhuo, leaning on a cane, shakily walked out. The Zhong brothers quickly went to his side, supporting him on either side, and asked in unison:
"Father, why are you here?"
"Second son, what's going on? Did you offend the authorities?" Zhong Fangzhuo pounded his cane twice, anxiously asking.
Zhong Fangzhuo was already in his sixties, with some mobility issues, so he always carried a cane. However, he was still relatively healthy and could take care of himself, so he lived with his wife, not with his two sons.
"No!" Zhong Jianjun was now a bit suspicious of himself, wondering if he had done something in the county town that he had forgotten.
Seeing her father-in-law and brother-in-law come one after another, Liu Lan quickly tidied up and welcomed them into the main room, serving them two bowls of hot water, then pulled Zhong Shi out. In the countryside, it was customary for women and children to leave when men were discussing serious matters.
The three men were deliberating inside, while the crowd outside the Zhong family's house was pointing and discussing. However, before the men in the main room could reach a decision, a small car honked and drove up to the Zhong family's door.
It was a white Volkswagen Santana, a car that only the rich or officials could afford at the time, as ordinary people could not buy it. The crowd around the Zhong family's house quickly moved aside, forming a large circle. Parents with children held them tightly, afraid they might run around and accidentally damage the car.
Three people got out of the car. One was a driver in his thirties with a short haircut. As soon as he got out, he ran to the other side, opened the door, and took a leather bag from another man who looked like a leader.
The leader was about forty, wearing large black-rimmed glasses and a leather jacket, despite the scorching summer heat.
The last person to get out was of indeterminate age but wore gold-rimmed glasses and a well-fitted suit. His neatly combed hair and shiny shoes reflected the light.
"Hey, is this Zhong Jianjun's house? Call him out quickly, there are foreign guests at your house!" The leader shouted at the crowd.
The onlookers burst into laughter, then stepped back, but no one responded.
Embarrassed by the laughter of these country people, the leader shouted angrily:
"Who is Zhong Jianjun? Come out quickly!"
"I am Zhong Jianjun's family. What do you want with him?" Liu Lan, pulling Zhong Shi, timidly asked the man.
"You are his family?" The leader looked at Liu Lan, sneered, and pointed to the man in the suit behind him. "This is Mr. Liao from Hong Kong. He has some business with Zhong Jianjun. Call him out quickly!"
With no way to avoid the situation, Liu Lan led the group into her house.
"Creating such a commotion, these days having a foreign guest is really something. Even a small Hong Kong businessman can command the attention of officials!" Zhong Shi, following his mother, thought maliciously.
However, he was wrong. Mr. Liao was a man of some means, having accumulated a considerable fortune by trading antiques between Hong Kong and the mainland over the years. This allowed him to set up factories in two provinces and one city, earning the favor of local governments.
From the 1950s to the 1980s, due to the continuous unrest in China, many people fled to Hong Kong. Among them were many who later became famous figures, such as Liu Mengxiong, Jin Yong, and Ni Kuang. In 1957, 1962, 1972, and 1979, there were four large-scale waves of people fleeing to Hong Kong, totaling 500,000 people. This is considered the longest and largest group exodus since World War II, known as the "Great Escape to Hong Kong."
Liao Chengde fled to Hong Kong from Shenzhen in 1962. He witnessed a fellow villager being shot by border guards, his head exploding like a watermelon, and dying right before his eyes. He was so terrified that he vowed never to return to the mainland. However, the world changed, and 20 years later, he became a highly welcomed foreign investor by local governments.
Looking at the crowd around him, Liao Chengde felt a great deal of emotion. If he had not risked his life to escape to Hong Kong, he would probably be like them, struggling just to have enough to eat.
"What are you thinking about? Don't you know that trading antiques is a serious crime?" Liao Chengde, lost in thought, was suddenly interrupted by Zhong Shi, who spoke in Cantonese, meaning, "What are you thinking about? Don't you know that trading antiques is a serious crime?" Zhong Shi had lived in Hong Kong for many years and spoke Cantonese fluently.
"What are you talking about? What trading? I just like antiques, I buy them for my own collection!" Liao Chengde was startled and paused in his steps.
"Don't be so afraid, I have something to sell to you!" Zhong Shi smiled slightly and walked past the stunned Liao Chengde, entering the main room on his own.
"Mr. Liao, what's wrong? Is this place too simple for you?" The leader, seeing Mr. Liao stop and speak in Cantonese, became curious. He was thinking the same thing, but he never imagined that the wealthy Hong Kong businessman before him had once lived in a house even more dilapidated than this one.
"Of course not, I was just thinking about other things, looking for investment opportunities here! Sorry, let's go in!" Liao Chengde apologized and explained in broken Mandarin.