Chapter 84: Xiongchun Town

On the way home, the night was beautiful. Zhang Ye found an excuse to slip away from his parents and headed to the bushes in the park, where he lay down with his hands behind his head. Whenever he was deep in thought, he instinctively sought to relax, letting his mind wander freely, as if only in such a state could he truly unravel his worries and think more broadly and deeply.

“In my past life, it took the police five years to find Zheng Fan, but by then, the money he had cheated from my uncle was already long gone…”

“But I vaguely remember hearing that he had an accomplice…”

“Unfortunately, although I asked about it back then, my family didn’t seem to want me to know. They dodged the question and quickly changed the subject…”

Lying there, Zhang Ye pondered for a long time before deciding to take the initiative to approach Zheng Fan and probe further. There was, of course, a simpler and more effective method: to catch him just as he was about to succeed. But that carried too much risk and there was always the chance he might slip away. After all, being reborn didn’t mean he held total control; many changes lay beyond his foresight.

Although in this life he’d solved many problems with his foreknowledge, there were still unforeseen events—the incident at the swimming pool, Aunt Wang’s sudden journey, the pressure from Li Yulong and his gang—all of them outside his calculations.

He was just a small person, utterly insignificant compared to the vast world. The force of his own fluttering wings might just as easily sweep him away.

The next morning, Zhang Ye got up, tidied himself, and noticed an electronic device on the table. After a moment’s thought, he slipped it into his bag, then took the bus straight to Xiongchun Town.

By chance, the driver and conductor were the same two from before. Seeing Zhang Ye, they greeted him warmly, refused his money, and handed him a ticket instead. Unable to change their minds, Zhang Ye accepted with a wry smile.

Other passengers, curious, asked about him. Upon learning he was the young hero who had confronted the criminal and saved the hostage last time, they became enthusiastic. A little girl even shyly came over, took his hand, and declared she wanted to be a hero like him, drawing hearty laughter from everyone on the bus.

Xiongchun Town was a small place, with one old street and one new. On market days—every third, sixth, and ninth day—the streets were especially lively as villagers from the surrounding countryside gathered to shop for groceries and vegetables to last three days before heading home.

Today happened to be market day. As Zhang Ye stepped off the bus, he saw the street lined with stalls selling vegetables, chickens, ducks, geese, peppers, ginger, scallions, snakes, rabbits, fish, and shrimp… Of course, there were also farm tools, brooms, hoes, sickles, and bamboo baskets.

Zhang Ye jumped down and headed into a small alley. At the entrance stood a motorcycle dealer who also repaired bikes; across the street was a small shop. Zhang Ye remembered coming here as a child to visit his grandmother, buying those spicy snacks for a few coins.

At the repair shop, three or five men were gathered, holding white nets. Zhang Ye walked over to see they were selling snakes—mostly flower snakes, along with a few black-striped and viper snakes.

Snakes fetched a good price here, and many people caught them to sell. Nearby were a few mountain rabbits, a wild piglet, and one or two animals Zhang Ye couldn’t even name.

After a few moments of curiosity, Zhang Ye entered the alley, following a path just wide enough for a car. The houses here were old, many built of timber, bearing the deep marks of time, their exposed wood now blackened. Some families, perhaps having made some money, were tearing down the old structures to build new homes.

Zhang Ye’s maternal grandparents lived here, together with his youngest uncle.

His grandfather’s family had once been wealthy, landlords who owned hundreds of acres of land. But in those turbulent times, disaster struck: all their property was confiscated, and they were subjected to endless public criticism. Fortunately, his grandfather was strong and clever; he took the initiative to turn over their possessions, and so managed to survive, clinging to this old house.

In Xiongchun Town, Zhang Ye naturally wanted to visit his grandparents. Standing at the door, he called out with a smile, seeing his grandparents for the first time since his return.

They had always doted on him as a child, playing with him, taking him out to have fun, sometimes to the envy of his older cousin, Liu Qianqian. Remembering how, in his previous life, he had been far away and never saw them one last time, Zhang Ye’s eyes grew moist.

“Grandma…” Zhang Ye walked in with a smile and saw his grandmother hanging laundry. He hurried over to help.

“You’re here! How many days will you stay this time?” Grandmother, now stooped with age, wore an old-fashioned, dark-colored buttoned jacket, her face beaming with joy. Zhang Ye’s visit made her especially happy.

“Didn’t your uncle say he was coming too? Why didn’t you all come together?” His eldest uncle had just returned from out of town yesterday, so naturally, he’d want to visit his parents. He must have called ahead.

“Oh, I came alone. I’ll be leaving this afternoon—I’m here to see a classmate who asked me to bring something for him.” Zhang Ye smiled, a little embarrassed.

He hadn’t told his parents he was coming. They wouldn’t have forbidden him from visiting his grandmother, but sneaking off like this could earn him a scolding.

“I see. Well, you must stay for lunch. I’ll make you something good. Your youngest uncle found a rabbit with his truck this morning—just in time for you to have a treat.” His youngest uncle drove a truck, earning a living hauling dirt, bricks, and goods.

“Really? That’s wonderful!” Zhang Ye helped finish hanging the clothes, poured out the water from the bucket, and chatted with his grandmother.

He learned that his youngest uncle, while delivering goods on a mountain road, startled some wild rabbits playing on a hollowed-out cliff above. One of the rabbits, frightened by the truck’s noise, tumbled straight down into his path.

Zhang Ye then found his grandfather in the vegetable garden. Perhaps because of years of early-morning exercise, Grandfather Liu Sansheng, though his hair was white, was still hale and hearty.

Gardening was his grandfather’s hobby. Whenever he had free time, he’d be in the garden pulling weeds and fertilizing, so their vegetables always looked fresher and greener than anyone else’s.

After an hour or so, Zhang Ye went to the nearby textile mill to greet his youngest aunt, then left.

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