Chapter 28: Twenty-seven: The Man Searching for the Lost (Two-in-One)

Twenty-seven: The Man Searching for the Lost (Two-in-One)

On the Lihuang National Highway, a man with dark, parched skin was squatting on the emergency shoulder, eating his lunch for the day. He wolfed down his food, his gaze sweeping over the traffic shuttling back and forth. His yellowed, cracked fingers carefully protected the crumbs of steamed cake falling from his mouth; from time to time, he would stop his dry chewing to pour the caught crumbs back into his mouth. For the specks that landed on his clothes, he would lick his fingers to stick them to his skin, sucking them into his mouth, not letting a single bit go to waste.

Halfway through, he choked a little, so the man hurriedly took a water bottle from the old motorcycle beside him and drank slowly, *gulu gulu*. He didn't drink too fast, for he was afraid of wasting the water.

At this moment, the man's bad luck arrived; a black-and-white law enforcement vehicle passed by, and the loud siren of the Enforcer stopped beside him.

Two Enforcers, one older and one younger, stepped out of the vehicle and came to the man's side.

The older Enforcer walked up to the timid and anxious-looking man. He did not rush to speak, his gaze sweeping over the old motorcycle.

The motorcycle was clearly of a type that could not pass inspection or be on the road; yellow earth and dust covered almost its entire body. A pack was strapped to the cargo rack, and several flags were stuck to the front and the pack, the fabric of which was clean and brand new... Seeing this, the experienced older Enforcer immediately understood something, and the look he gave the man held a bit more complexity and sympathy.

Just as the younger Enforcer was about to say something to the man, the older Enforcer raised his hand to signal him to stop, interrupting him. Then, he stepped forward with a serious expression and said to the man, "Sir, you cannot stop or rest here without cause. If you want to eat, you must go to a service station."

The man nodded shyly and said with a dry laugh, "Sorry, comrade, my motorcycle ran out of gas. I got a bit of hypoglycemia while pushing it halfway, so I stopped to eat something."

"What is your name? Please show me your ID card and motorcycle driver's license." The older Enforcer's expression remained unchanged, revealing no emotion, like a stern and impartial bronze statue. He held out his white-gloved hand.

The man nodded repeatedly, saying "okay," then turned back to rummage through his pack, taking out his two documents from the outer zipper pocket and giving them to the other party.

The older Enforcer, having received the documents, had the younger Enforcer check them with the verification machine in his hand. After comparing the man's identity and confirming there were no errors, the older Enforcer returned the documents, and only then did an expression like thawing ice appear on his face: "Where is Mr. Li Jiahong heading?"

"I'm going to Litaishi," Li Jiahong said candidly.

"What are you going there for?"

"To find someone, to find a master," Li Jiahong said, just as candidly.

Hearing this, both Enforcers fell silent. The younger Enforcer pointed to the photos of missing persons on the flags and said, "What are you looking for a master for? To ask him to help you find them?"

Li Jiahong smiled simply, revealing two rows of yellow teeth beneath his cracked lips, and nodded: "Yes, he said he has something that can help me find them."

As he spoke, Li Jiahong suddenly realized something and hurriedly added, "Ah, you don't need to worry about me being scammed. That master said he is very famous locally and wouldn't scam people; scamming people wouldn't do his reputation any good."

After hearing this, the two Enforcers' expressions became even heavier.

Li Jiahong felt the atmosphere was a bit off; he scratched his head and ears, looking somewhat anxious, but he stopped mid-sentence, not knowing how to explain.

"Your motorcycle can't be ridden anymore; it's too dilapidated. Leave the motorcycle on the side of the road; someone will come to tow it away later. Take your luggage and get in the car." However, in the end, the older Enforcer did not pass any judgment on the matter, only saying this calmly.

Li Jiahong was stunned for a moment, but he obediently followed instructions. He took the pack off the motorcycle and finally, like a treasure, carefully held and kept the four flags with the missing person notices on them, saying, "Comrade, are... are you planning to take me to the police station?"

"No, we'll give you a ride for a stretch. We'll drop you off where you get off the highway for Litaishi," the older Enforcer said calmly while getting into the car.

Upon hearing this, ripples appeared in Li Jiahong's eyes. He bowed earnestly to the two Enforcers, then patted his clothes, hugged his pack and flags, and carefully got into the car.

In the car, the two Enforcers chatted with Li Jiahong for a while. Li Jiahong answered every question with great sincerity and without reservation, and the previously somewhat reserved atmosphere slowly became more harmonious.

When they reached the agreed-upon destination, Li Jiahong got out of the car and bowed deeply to the two Enforcers once more before shouldering his pack and rolling up his flags to continue walking forward.

"Master, in a situation like this, can they usually be found?" While driving and making a U-turn, the younger Enforcer couldn't help but ask as he glanced at the hunched back in the rearview mirror.

The older Enforcer sighed silently and slowly spat out one word: "Difficult."

"Is it worth it?" the younger Enforcer asked, puzzled.

"For a person like him, from the moment he decided to embark on the journey of searching for someone, he stopped considering value. It's entirely a matter of whether he is willing or not."

"... Damn it, that master must be a scammer. It's clearly such a clumsy trick! Even scamming money from the poor!"

"That's hard to say." Hearing the younger Enforcer's naive sense of justice, the older Enforcer shook his head. "Burning incense and worshipping Buddha—these things are all about seeking peace of mind, and they are also legal. Do you think that Mr. Li hasn't thought about the possibility of encountering a scammer? He stopped caring about whether it's a scam long ago; he's just gambling on that sliver of hope."

After hearing this, the younger Enforcer couldn't help but sigh.

At 8:23 PM, Li Jiahong finally arrived at Yonghu Town in Litaishi. Seeing that it was getting late, he had no choice but to find a cheap inn to stay in for the night and look for that master tomorrow.

After putting away his luggage, he went to a nearby noodle shop downstairs, ordered a bowl of clear broth plain noodles, and ate them with delight. Scallions, minced garlic, and chili served as side dishes, plain water served as the broth, and a bowl of chewy hand-pulled noodles was as good as a feast of meat and fish.

"Closing up soon, brother. There's a serving of vegetables a customer returned today; do you want to eat it? If not, I'm going to dump it." The noodle shop owner, who was cleaning up, stuck out his big belly and asked while holding a plate of oily, steaming stir-fried vegetables with meat.

Li Jiahong was stunned for a moment, but without thinking much, he agreed directly: "Yes, please, thank you, thank you..."

The noodle shop owner gave a simple, honest smile, placed the vegetables in front of Li Jiahong, and turned back to the kitchen to continue cleaning up. What he didn't know was that after he turned back, Li Jiahong took a notebook from his bosom and recorded the address and name of the noodle shop in it. Above this line were the badge numbers of the two Enforcers who had helped him that morning.

This notebook was a thick stack, and nearly three-quarters of the pages had already been used. Recorded on them were all the people and place names Li Jiahong had felt grateful for and missed along his journey of searching for his family.

"Latest report: rescue work for the magnitude 6 earthquake in Tianfu City is still ongoing..." After finishing his entry, Li Jiahong continued eating his noodles with relish. When he heard the most turbulent news in the Shenzhou Region recently, he couldn't help but look up at the television hanging in the corner of the shop. When he saw the words "XX people missing" on the news ticker, a flash of sorrow crossed his eyes.

The noodle shop owner leaned against the serving window, watched the news footage, and sighed, "This year hasn't been peaceful either. I really hope everyone lives well, and then... my noodle shop will have good business."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Jiahong said earnestly, "Boss, the noodles you make are delicious, and the vegetables are delicious too. With such good skills, your business will definitely get better and better!"

The noodle shop owner was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, scratching his face in embarrassment, and said, "Can't say that, can't say that. I don't need the business to be that good; just like it is now, barely enough to support my family, is about enough."

Li Jiahong gave a thumbs up: "I'm serious, it's delicious. Your noodle shop will definitely be a hit."

The noodle shop owner smiled and shook his head.

Without realizing it, the news on the TV had switched to the next segment.

A beautiful and dignified female anchor smiled in front of the camera and said, "Good news: the famous genius musician who has been silent for a long time, the most outstanding violinist of this century, Haimofen, finally posted an update on the online community recently, stating that during these years of silence, he has actually been working on a brand-new masterpiece that will be released soon... Audiences are looking forward to him bringing everyone a perfect musical feast once again."

"Ah, Haimofen is finally returning." When Li Jiahong saw this news, he couldn't help but express his emotion.

The noodle shop owner found it a bit funny after hearing this, but also a bit curious: "You listen to this kind of classical music too?"

Li Jiahong revealed a look of reminiscence and said with a smile, "Back when my wife was pregnant, according to the theory of prenatal education, listening to music with beautiful melodies would be good for the child's growth and development. The prenatal teacher at the time recommended Haimofen's music to us. It left a deep impression, and thanks to him, we had a very healthy child."

Hearing Li Jiahong's words, the noodle shop owner couldn't help but examine the other party again. He looked carefully at that face, which had weathered the wind and sun and was even more rustic than a farmer or laborer from the fields, and found that he couldn't find any trace that the other party had ever been wealthy. For a moment, he felt a bit more sympathy for this unknown guest.

This guest, who at this moment revealed such a look of happiness and reminiscence, one could only wonder what kind of trouble he had encountered after the happy times he mentioned, to have been driven to such a state of displacement and become what he was today.

Was he a gambler?

Did his family have an accident?

Or...

The noodle shop owner couldn't help but speculate this way, but he couldn't bear to associate Li Jiahong with anything malicious, because Li Jiahong had a pair of sincere eyes. He liked this guest's sincerity.

It wasn't until the next day that the noodle shop owner finally understood the reason why that guest had fallen into such a destitute state.

Li Jiahong came to the noodle shop just like the night before and ordered the same bowl of clear broth noodles. Only this time, he also brought his pack, and on the pack were stuck several flags with missing person notices. Among them, two of the missing person notices were about children, and one of the children in them had features very similar to Li Jiahong's.

Thinking back to when he mentioned his child yesterday, Li Jiahong had smiled so happily.

The noodle shop owner felt his heart was as sour and bitter as a dishwashing sponge; no matter how much he squeezed, bitter water would always come out.

So it was because the child was lost...

After finishing the plain noodles, which served as both breakfast and lunch for the day, Li Jiahong set off once again; he had to find that master who posted on the forum, and even if it were only a glimmer of hope, he had to find that master.

Stepping onto the narrow stone stairs and walking into the mist-filled woods, Li Jiahong's thoughts were in turmoil.

Come to think of it, he hadn't originally intended to look for that master, nor had that suspicious-looking master sought him out first.

Everything had to be traced back fifteen years; he once had a happy and warm family, coming from a middle-class background with a decent status, a respectable and ideal job, and he had met a wife who was his social equal and of good character; he and his wife treated each other with mutual respect and deep affection... and soon, there was news of a child.

Their whole family was very happy, looking forward to the arrival of the child.

The child was born smoothly, a healthy boy who had never been sick, and he and his wife treated their son like a treasure, protecting him with great care.

Who would have known that on the child's third birthday, a sudden tragedy would strike.

His wife suffered an accident, falling from a height, which left her in a vegetative state, trapped in a deep coma, and their three-year-old child had also gone missing since that day.

Li Jiahong could not understand why anyone would want to harm their family like this, harm his wife, and steal their child.

After a period of depression, Li Jiahong made a major decision: he would find his child; he left all his savings to the elderly on both sides and entrusted them with taking care of his comatose wife, while he would embark on the path of searching for his lost child until he brought him back.

Yet, this search had already lasted fifteen years!

He could not see hope, but he kept hope in his heart; along this journey, he would not only search for his own child but also help others find theirs, and every time he saw someone else's child being found, his confidence in finding his own increased by a few points.

If even other people's children could be found, why couldn't his?

And it was in this fifteenth year that Li Jiahong received the good news that his wife had woken up.

He rushed back to the hospital without stopping to visit her, and incidentally, he wanted to ask about the truth of what happened back then, for which even the Enforcer could not find any clues.

But when he saw his wife again, and she saw what he looked like now, she immediately broke down in hysterical tears, her sobbing filled with a self-reproach and despair that made him uneasy.

He spoke with his wife in private, and through her testimony amidst her chaotic emotions, he finally learned the sequence of events from back then—a truth that was suffocating, maddening, and desperate.

When his wife said that the child had not been snatched by human traffickers, but had been taken away by an Abnormal creature called Huogu, he felt that his wife had gone mad and had become somewhat like a stranger.

Through his wife's confession, he learned that she was not as well-behaved as he had imagined, or rather, she had not always been a sensible and refined person; she had also been reckless in her youth, having accidentally joined a mysterious society with friends and classmates in college, where she and the society members had held a blasphemous forbidden ritual, and unexpectedly, it was precisely because of this ritual that she brought upon herself the catastrophe from fifteen years ago...

Listening to the mysterious and unfathomable truth, Li Jiahong felt lost and desperate, feeling as if he could not see a single glimmer of light.

So it turned out he had never been able to find the child because the child was not in this dimension at all...