Chapter 238: Brothers-in-Law

Most humans have only one swirl on their head; the chance of two swirls is under ten percent, but even so, several hundred out of every ten thousand people have them—Wei Ming is one of them.

The probability of three swirls is under one percent; if both Auntie and He Hua have three swirls, combined with the earlier evidence, it's essentially confirmed.

Unfortunately, according to descriptions from Grandma and Big Aunt, Auntie had no particularly noticeable birthmarks either.

As Wei Ming recalled other traits of Auntie, he spotted a plant at his feet blooming with small white flowers.

Wei Ming immediately thought of a question and asked Song Lian: "This is zhe'ergen, right?"

Song Lian nodded—it was obvious.

Zhe'ergen's scientific name is Houttuynia cordata, also known as fishy herb or pig-nose herb—a dish Wei Ming's mother longed for in Hebei.

But after returning to Sichuan this year, all three Wei family members couldn't swallow it at all; no matter how many times they tried, they never got used to it.

Wei Ming asked again: "Song Teacher, does He Hua like zhe'ergen?"

Song Lian said: "Of course she does. Who doesn't like zhe'ergen?"

Hearing this, Wei Ming shook his head: "Then He Hua probably isn't the person we're looking for."

Seeing her confusion, Wei Ming explained: "My aunt doesn't eat zhe'ergen—not because she dislikes it, but because her body is special; eating it causes vomiting and rashes, basically an allergy. Even during the hardest times, she never touched it."

Just this one fact is enough to rule out He Hua as Auntie Xu Shujie.

Hearing this deduction, Long Xiaoyang felt both disappointed and relieved—he pitied He Hua's plight, but he also hoped his aunt was healthy; otherwise, Grandma would be heartbroken.

Song Lian felt only regret—she desperately wished someone powerful from He Hua's family could help this poor woman.

If He Hua had a famous writer nephew, maybe he could get the little gourd back, maybe she could slowly recover—but alas.

But Wei Ming didn't just leave after eliminating the possibility; he asked: "Who's taking care of He Hua in the village now?"

"She has no relatives left in the village. She usually eats at my place—I send my kids to fetch her, but sometimes they can't find her, so she goes hungry sometimes and eats when she can."

"Song Teacher, you're a good person," Wei Ming said sincerely.

Song Lian shook her head: "My husband doesn't want to deal with someone unrelated—he made a fuss at the brigade several times. Now the brigade shares some responsibility; they give He Hua a bit of grain each year, just enough to keep her from starving."

"That's still remarkable. I truly admire your character." Saying this, Wei Ming pulled out 100 yuan and handed it to Song Lian.

"What are you doing, Writer Wei?"

"When I see something like this, I can't pretend it didn't happen. Song Teacher, take this money—it's meant to help with your household expenses."

"I can't take this—it's too much!" Song Lian felt the money burn in her hand; as a temporary teacher without official status, she barely earned this much in a whole year.

Wei Ming: "Just let me do this good deed. Let me do it for the sake of my aunt still being alive and healthy—can't you accept that?"

Song Teacher's resistance gradually softened.

Wei Ming added: "I have one more request."

"Go ahead."

Wei Ming: "I'd like to take a photo of you and He Hua together—to record this great friendship."

Song Lian immediately ran back to her yard and brought He Hua out; the two stood in front of He Hua's dilapidated house while Wei Ming took the photo.

Of course, He Hua still held her gourd tightly; she beamed excitedly: "This is the first time my little gourd has been photographed! My little gourd has a photo now!"

"Everyone, say 'cheese' with me—yes, little gourd, smile…"

After taking the photo, Wei Ming opened the notebook he used to record clues about Auntie and crossed out "Song Lian from Zigong." There was still "Cui Cuicui from Yunxi" ahead, and many more after—each one would need to be checked by him and his family.

Before Song Lian saw Wei Ming's group off, Wei Ming promised to mail her the photo once it was developed.

"If you have any difficulties—like medical needs—feel free to contact me. I'm willing to help however I can." Wei Ming also asked where He Hua's ex-husband was and what his name was.

"Brother Wei, are you going to write an article condemning that scumbag?" Biaozi asked indignantly on the way back.

Wei Ming snorted: "An article isn't enough."

He wanted to write a script using the real names. These days, ordinary people shouldn't bother with reputation rights—still, he didn't know how many hundreds of millions would watch the film once made; it probably wouldn't be fewer than "Shaolin Temple."

But whether fulfilling Old Wan's dinosaur sci-fi project or writing a script based on the madwoman He Hua, both ranked below Wei Ming's long novel.

"The Right Path of Humanity Is Sorrow" had already reached nearly a hundred thousand words; its flesh and blood were growing fuller, and Wei Ming's heart was now entirely consumed by that grand, turbulent era.

Watching Yunxi Village shrink and blur behind the car, Wei Ming softly hummed: "Only mother is good in this world; children with mothers are treasures…"

Biaozi exclaimed: "Brother Wei, you wrote a new song?"

Long Xiaoyang wiped his tears: "This song is so beautiful—I miss my mother."

Old Wan, the driver, showed a touch of emotion on his stern face—he already knew the outcome of this search for kin.

After finishing, Wei Ming explained: "This isn't my song—it's an old Hong Kong tune. I just felt moved."

It was a song from over twenty years ago, 1958, when eleven-year-old Xiao Fangfang starred in the film "The Orphan's Journey" and sang it.

Decades later, thanks to the film "Mother, Again I Love You," the song became a sensation across the straits again, and later was paid tribute to in "Fong Sai Yuk."

On the way back, they didn't encounter Comrade Zhao—he'd moved on, letting the expedition team prioritize rescuing the dinosaur fossils.

Old Wan drove them all the way back to Chengdu, saving Wei Ming and the others a lot of trouble.

They went their separate ways in Chengdu: Biaozi returned to the film crew, Old Wan went back to the magazine office, Wei Ming developed the photos, mailed the group picture to Song Lian, bought his ticket, and then returned to the village with his cousin, bringing many gifts for his uncle and aunt.

Grandma, Mother, Uncle, and Aunt all saw the photo Wei Ming took of Song Lian and He Hua, and learned of her tragic story.

In the end, all of them shook their heads—it didn't match their memories of little sister. But Grandma said: "If she recovered, she'd surely be a beautiful, elegant woman."

What a pity, what a tragedy, what a sorrow.

This was Wei Ming and his mother's last day in Baoxing, for Wei Ming had work—both at Peking University and his writing career—so even though Xu Shufen was reluctant, they had to leave.

She and her older brother and sister agreed that when Yunyun married, they'd all go to the capital, and then let Grandma stay with her for a while.

That would be winter, but Beijing had central heating—much easier to endure than Sichuan.

His mother's words reminded Wei Ming—he'd need to install a heating system in the Sihe Academy. Even if he himself might not use it, hiding in the Overseas Chinese Apartment instead, he couldn't leave it out—better safe than sorry.

To avoid missing their flight, Wei Ming and his mother left for Chengdu early the next day, stayed overnight at a guesthouse, then boarded the plane the following day.

As usual, Wei Ming bought the latest copies of the People's Daily and other newspapers.

The biggest recent news was the official meeting confirming Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shan Tou, and Xiamen as economic special zones.

Since last year, these four cities had been singled out as pilot export zones; a few months ago, they were renamed "economic special zones," and this meeting formally approved their establishment—they'd now receive policy support to shed burdens and focus entirely on economic development.

As Wei Ming and his mother prepared to board their flight home, Liu Rulong in Shanghai was also preparing to leave the city.

He'd interned at the Shanghai Animation Studio for nearly two months and felt he'd gained a great deal—he understood the entire process of hand-drawn animation, and even thought of ways to improve efficiency.

But his greatest gain was meeting Gong Ying; they shared many interests, especially drawing. Later, with Ying-jie's help, they completed the entire fourth volume of the comic "Heroes Rise from Youth" during their spare time.

Ying-jie refused to accept payment for the artwork, so Long Ao could only thank her by treating her to meals.

Then, gradually, something strange happened—he couldn't wait to get to her side the moment he got off work.

As they neared separation, they each drew a portrait of the other, and together they leaned on the Lover's Wall watching the river view—the moment was perfect; it only needed one sentence.

But Long Ao was timid—he feared saying anything might cost him their friendship.

Gong Ying said nothing either, because she felt she was much older than Long Ao; perhaps he only saw her as an older sister. Not everyone could find a man as carefree about age as her second sister had.

After leaving Shanghai, Long Ao first returned to Ping'an County to visit his mother and grandfather.

His mother also used the summer vacation to visit Shenzhen and meet his father, Liu Bin—she learned he'd turned his life around and was now running a restaurant; Long Ao was finally at ease.

Even better, his parents had officially reconciled.

They made this decision because Shenzhen's official establishment as an economic special zone showed Liu Bin the state's determination to build its economy—he no longer feared being tainted by overseas connections.

"Your father said if you want to go to Hong Kong, he'll help you apply," Teacher Yang told her son. Actually, her husband hoped she'd go too, but she couldn't leave her old father alone.

Long Ao firmly shook his head: "I might go to Hong Kong—but not to immigrate. Myself and Ah Ming have decided to break into Hong Kong with our comics!"

The comic "Heroes Rise from Youth" had only one volume left to finish, and his team was now well-trained. Wei Ming would give him a new story to face an even greater challenge.

Long Ao was eager to see Ah Ming, so after staying just one day in his hometown, he rushed back to Beijing.

Since he took the train and went home first, by the time he arrived in Beijing, Wei Ming had already returned.

The moment he got home, he copied Tan Yonglin's cassette onto several blank tapes and mailed one original to Gong Ying.

Then, with another original cassette and a tape recorder, he found Zhu Lin, and the two went rowing on Yuyuantan Park's lake, where Zhu Lin heard his new song.

They kept away from other boats, avoiding anyone overhearing—no one knew if these unofficial Hong Kong and Taiwan cassettes might get reported.

The first song was "Flower in the Water."

"In cold rain and wind, how many splendors fade like dreams…"

In those days, mainland youth had no resistance to Hong Kong and Taiwan pop music—let alone this classic; even mediocre songs sounded wonderful.

"You really wrote this?"

"Of course I did. I bet Pacific Records will cover it soon." Wei Ming sighed.

Pacific had already released an unauthorized mainland version of the "Liu Liu De Ai" album, and as expected, it sold over a million copies—especially "Liu Liu De Ai" and "Dream Camel Bell," which became wildly popular among the young.

Though credited to "Ah Ming," Wei Ming received not a single cent—even if he had, it'd be only thirty or forty yuan, hardly worth it.

Zhu Lin listened to all ten songs and picked her three favorites—all three were Wei Ming's: "Flower in the Water," "Hard to Let Go," and "Undying Love."

"You've got taste," Wei Ming lightly pinched Zhu Lin's calf—she was wearing a long dress, her smooth legs exposed.

Zhu Lin grew nervous and quickly covered her legs with her handbag—this troublemaker, so reckless.

But thinking she'd soon join a film crew and Peking University would reopen, making meetings harder, she let him be—after all, from this angle, no one could see.

"All your songs are in Mandarin—Hong Kong people listen to Cantonese, right?" Zhu Lin asked. She'd often secretly listened to Hong Kong and Taiwan cassettes. "Will your songs sell there?"

"Of course some will buy them—Hong Kong has many mainland immigrants. But they definitely don't sell as well as Cantonese songs. Still, did you know 'Flower in the Water' has a Cantonese version too?"

"Huh? You wrote that too?"

"Yes. I tried writing a song in Cantonese for the first time. The singer loved the melody so much he begged me to write a version."

"Sing it for me," Zhu Lin tugged his hand, the elegant woman pouting.

"On this late night, sleep is impossible, I gaze at the sky shedding tears, letting the cold wind blow…"

Zhu Lin knew Wei Ming wasn't a good singer and didn't expect perfection—she just wanted to hear how the same song sounded in Cantonese.

After Wei Ming finished, Zhu Lin asked: "Did the lyrics change?"

"It definitely has to be rewritten—it's not just a direct translation from Mandarin to Cantonese; the lyrics' essence should be similar, but it needs fresh creation."

"So your Cantonese is already this good?!" Lin Jie exclaimed.

"Of course—I've been friends with Ah Long for all these years; I've been soaked in it."

"It's probably not just Ah Long—you've got a Hong Kong pen pal too," Zhu Lin reminded.

"Right, and I also owe thanks to that friend—we don't write letters on paper anymore; we record voice messages on empty magnetic tapes. She speaks Cantonese, I speak Mandarin—we learn from each other."

Zhu Lin said sarcastically: "Then you shouldn't call her a pen pal—you should call her a voice pal."

At this moment, Wei Ming's voice pal, A Min, had received Wei Ming's letter. She hadn't expected such a quick reply—and the letter even included the Cantonese version of "Flower in the Water."

A Min had already mastered the Mandarin version of "Flower in the Water," fully internalizing its melody. Now that she had the lyrics, she sang along while playing at home.

The lyric quality exceeded her expectations. She'd assumed that even if Ah Ming wrote it, his first attempt in Cantonese wouldn't be flawless—she'd even prepared to help him revise it.

But after singing it through, she felt not a single word needed changing—perfect!

Ah Lun is so lucky—he's now showing signs of becoming an idol singer; his fans are starting to be students. Many of A Min's classmates are Ah Lun fans.

Although the Mandarin album "Flower in the Water" sold well—even better than "Slippery Her"—and a Gold Record in Taiwan was certain, it even had a shot at Platinum.

But Mandarin songs' influence remains limited. Once this Cantonese version comes out, A Min was sure her classmates would be awed by Ah Ming's talent!

After copying the lyrics, A Min immediately went out to mail them to PolyGram. On her way past a newsstand, she glanced at the headline for free.

"Oh? Has Hsieh Hsien and Di Bo La's son been born?"

After Zhu Lin dropped Wei Ming off at home, Xu Shufen told him: "Ah Long just called your place from school—he's back. He asked if you're home tonight and wants to come over. I said you might not be, but someone's definitely there, so he should just come for dinner."

Wei Ming: "So what's for dinner tonight~?"

"I know you love meat—I made twice-cooked pork. But since Ah Long's coming, he can't handle too much spice—I'll make braised pork too. Let me check if I still have rock sugar."

Before Ah Long arrived, Xiao Hong and Yunyun came back.

Xiao Hong starts school tomorrow; today the shop gave Yunyun the day off, and the two sisters went shopping for stationery and dorm supplies.

Xiao Hong sighed: "Starting tomorrow, I won't be living at home anymore, Mom, Yunyun— I'm going to miss you!"

Xu Shufen laughed: "If you miss us, just come back—it's not like you don't have weekends."

Wei Ming cleared his throat twice: "Didn't you just forget someone?"

Wei Hong: "No—I'm at Peking University, you're at Peking University too, and it's the library—probably see each other every day. What's there to miss?"

Wei Ming muttered: "I think you won't see me at all—I'm going into closed-door creation."

After a while, Ah Long arrived, bringing some Shanghai snacks in a metal box.

Xiao Hong took them with a giggle: "Ah Long, you came over—that's enough! Why bring gifts? You're too formal."

Ah Long cleared his throat twice at Wei Ming.

Wei Ming froze, then pulled Ah Long into the study.

"Those are from Gong Rui's sister."

Wei Ming blinked: "No letter inside?"

"Oh, no, there isn't."

Wei Ming: "Then fine—let's eat."

During dinner, Liu Rulong reported the progress on the animation "The Legend of the Heavenly Book." In short: the project hasn't even started yet.

"It might not be finished until the end of next year or early the year after," Ah Long said. Since there are other projects, they can't dedicate the entire studio's manpower like they did for the tribute film "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King," so taking over two years is normal.

Ah Long: "But you should keep an eye on Shanghai TV—'The Toothless Tiger' should air soon."

Xiao Hong quickly turned on the TV—it was the News Broadcast. Everyone watched the nation's thriving progress while eating braised pork and twice-cooked pork.

After dinner, Ah Long prepared to return to school. Wei Ming asked how he got there.

"I took the bus."

"Your school's so far—you have to transfer twice. I'm worried you'll miss the last bus. Just sleep here—there's plenty of room."

Ah Long felt embarrassed, thinking he'd have to share a bed with Wei Ming—but Wei Ming unfolded a fold-out bed in the study, originally meant for Old Wei, and told Ah Long to use it.

But before Ah Long slept, Wei Ming stayed with him in the study. Ah Long lay down; Wei Ming sat, idly picking up a book from the Republican era.

"Ah Ming, will talking to you disturb your reading?"

"No, go ahead," Wei Ming turned a page.

Ah Long: "So what's this new comic story you mentioned before?"

Wei Ming: "I haven't written it yet—just have a concept. But this story demands high historical and cultural literacy from the creator. You need to start reading and studying now."

Ah Long: "What books?"

Wei Ming pulled several books from the shelf—on the Warring States and Pre-Qin period, the Hundred Schools of Thought—and handed them to him.

"I'll find more later. Not just you—your whole team needs to read them. When you've finished, studied, and understood them, I'll be free to start."

Ah Long flipped through them casually—felt quite profound.

Then the two read and chatted together.

"How are things between you and Gong Rui now?"

"Fine—we still exchange letters."

"When she came to Beijing last time, didn't she notice you and Zhu Lin?"

Wei Ming: "Not yet."

"But eventually she will, right?"

"It can't be hidden forever," Wei Ming said gravely, already bracing for a three-way disaster—that's the cost of greed.

Fortunately, he's about to focus entirely on creation and will have little contact with both of them.

"You've got such a good attitude—you're like Wei Xiaobao," Ah Long thought of the Jin Yong character.

"Ah Long, don't talk about me—tell me about you and Gong Ying," Wei Ming smiled, changing the subject.

"Me and Gong Ying? What's there to tell?"

Wei Ming pushed imaginary glasses up his nose, wearing a wise expression: "Don't forget—I still exchange letters with Xue Jie. According to her, you and Gong Ying have been getting close lately—always eating, drinking, and having fun together."

"There's no eating, drinking, or fun—just legitimate artistic exchange!" Ah Long declared solemnly.

"So it's pure friendship? Then no problem—I have a single friend in Shanghai, early twenties. I can introduce Gong Ying to him."

"No! Absolutely not!" Ah Long sat straight up. "I—I like her!"

Wei Ming shook Ah Long's hand: "You can call me brother-in-law from now on."

Ah Long: "What kind of relationship is this? Brothers-in-law?"

…

(Yesterday's minimum)

(End of chapter)