Toon Chapter 21

The woman was about forty years old, her hair meticulously combed, and she was dressed in a low-key but elegant manner. Her almond-shaped eyes were strikingly similar to Liansheng’s, and even the fingers gripping Liansheng’s wrist were delicate, fair, and smooth.

One look was enough to tell she wasn’t from this mountainside area.

Liansheng’s wrist was tightly held. Staring at the woman’s face, his mind went blank. “You… who are you?”

“I’m your aunt! Xiao Lian.” The woman’s expression was still one of delighted surprise. “Your aunt held you when you were three. You loved playing with a rattle drum back then. Just now, your aunt saw your long hair and wasn’t sure, but the moment you smiled, I knew it had to be you!”

Liansheng stared blankly at the woman, looking confused on the surface but feeling incredibly nervous inside. Finally, he turned a pleading look toward Zhou Lingchun for help.

Zhou Lingchun met Liansheng’s gaze, their hands tightly clasped. Seeing Liansheng’s clean, dependent eyes, he reached out and gently pulled Liansheng’s other hand free from the woman’s grasp.

The woman had rushed over with such a commotion, and a few shouts had already drawn curious onlookers. Zhou Lingchun shielded Liansheng. “Please calm down. You’ve startled him. Let’s talk somewhere else first.”

“Yes, yes.” the woman agreed.

The three of them turned and walked to a secluded, empty alleyway. Zhou Lingchun said, “Are you sure you haven’t mistaken him for someone else?”

The woman scrutinized Zhou Lingchun from head to toe, noting that he seemed decent. “How could I! How could I be wrong.”

She pulled a photograph from the bag slung over her shoulder. The photo showed a boy in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, standing in front of a large flower garden. Two small shovels were carelessly tossed beside his short boots. The boy had short hair, about an inch long, with crescent-shaped eyes and tightly pursed lips, looking a little reserved.

The woman said, “Xiao Lian, you haven’t seen your aunt much. Do you remember this photo? Your aunt specifically had someone take it for you in America before you went missing.”

Despite some differences in temperament from the current Liansheng, it was undeniable that the two bore a ninety percent resemblance.

Liansheng’s eyes widened. “It really is me! Are you really my aunt?”

“Yes.”

Tears suddenly welled up in Cheng Shiyi’s eyes, and she dabbed them with a handkerchief. In all the years Liansheng had been alive, she had seen him no more than five times. Relying on a single photograph sent across the ocean, she had searched for him for too long. Now that she had finally found him, she felt she could face her sister. Thinking about the poor life he must have been leading in this impoverished place, she was eager to take him away from this remote, backward area immediately.

“You’ve suffered these past few years. Your aunt is taking you home right now.”

Liansheng looked panicked. “No, no, I can’t!”

“Why not?” Cheng Shiyi looked down and noticed their hands were still clasped together. “Who is he? Is he hiding you?”

Before Zhou Lingchun could speak, Liansheng rushed to explain. “No, no, he’s my man. We live together. I hit my head a while ago…”

Zhou Lingchun frowned slightly, reaching out to cover Liansheng’s mouth and pulling him a few inches closer with his arm. He wasn’t as easily fooled as Liansheng. Moreover, he knew far more than Liansheng, the amnesiac party involved. He said in a deep voice, “I haven’t hidden him. A single photograph doesn’t prove anything.”

Liansheng’s eyes widened further, and his pearly teeth bit into the flesh of Zhou Lingchun’s palm.

The man felt the pain and his frown deepened, wondering what had upset this little ancestor now.

Cheng Shiyi didn’t notice their subtle interaction. She had grown up pampered and later married well, so she wasn’t necessarily as sharp as Liansheng. She was currently focused only on her urgency. “I am his aunt! I had that photo taken by the cook a few years ago.” She thought carefully, and a flash of inspiration struck her. She added, “Xiao Lian, you have a mole in the web space between your ring finger and middle finger. Check if it’s there. Your aunt used to hold your hand and buy you candied hawthorns.”

She could tell that this man wasn’t unreasonable; if he were, he would have kidnapped Liansheng long ago instead of wasting time talking to her.

She was afraid Liansheng wouldn’t recognize her or agree to leave with her. Liansheng had always been shy and hadn’t been close to her growing up. After all these years, he might even secretly resent her for not finding him sooner.

Zhou Lingchun released his hand from Liansheng’s mouth.

He knew the mole was there.

Liansheng, however, wasn’t sure. He spread his fingers and examined them carefully against the sun. The warm midday sunlight filtered through the gaps onto his face. Zhou Lingchun looked down at Liansheng’s beautiful face, gradually becoming lost in thought.

Liansheng didn’t see it. He shook Zhou Lingchun’s arm. “I can’t find it. Maybe she’s talking about someone else.” Only then did Zhou Lingchun seem to snap back, lifting Liansheng’s right hand. “It’s this one.”

“Oh.”

“It really is there!” Liansheng exclaimed, finally believing her.

But… why was it his aunt looking for him? Where were his parents? He didn’t dwell on it; the sudden doubt was immediately swept away by joy.

He had thought about looking for his family several times before. When the motorcycle uncle told him someone was looking for him, he hadn’t taken it too seriously for long. On one hand, Liansheng was playful and easily distracted, so he would naturally stop caring about such complicated matters. On the other hand, he always felt an inexplicable resistance toward the past and a fear of the potential separation the future might bring.

Yet, now that he had truly encountered a relative, he felt an indescribable happiness. This was a page of his life that had been torn out, and now someone was holding the incomplete page, trying to match it to the torn edges. He was filled with excitement and anticipation.

But this Zhou Lingchun…

Liansheng suddenly turned and glared at the man, feeling both wronged and angry.

Zhou Lingchun’s pupils constricted, and his heart felt like it had been slapped. The usually composed man felt panic rising inside, his mind instantly thrown into chaos by Liansheng’s look.

Liansheng was unhappy.

Whenever Liansheng was unhappy, he often threatened that if he ever found his family, he would abandon Zhou Lingchun far away, leaving him to sleep in a cold bed and eat cold food alone.

He didn’t want to separate from Liansheng right now. If Liansheng truly had to leave, he should at least come back with him for one more night, to see the tangerines and Wangcai. If he had to go, he should at least taste the dried persimmon cakes they hadn’t gotten around to eating yet.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Lingchun asked in a low voice, then quickly added, “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll settle the score with you when we get back!” Liansheng hissed quietly.

This meant he was still willing to go back with him.

Zhou Lingchun felt a slight sense of relief.

Cheng Shiyi had been observing the two of them. Less than two months after that photo was taken, something happened to the Lian family. In these two years, Liansheng seemed to have changed somewhat. Although she rarely saw Liansheng, in her memory, he was quiet, lacking vitality, and seemed almost withered. Whenever she thought of this child left behind by her sister, her heart ached with sorrow. But now, Liansheng was vibrant, bold, and lively.

Cheng Shiyi said gently, “Xiao Lian, won’t you come home with your aunt today?”

“I can’t go back today,” Liansheng answered decisively. “Aunt, his family member is sick. Let’s make it another day.”

Cheng Shiyi agreed but remained uneasy. She asked where Liansheng lived and inquired about Zhou Lingchun’s name. Finally, she suddenly pulled a black button-operated phone from her bag and said, “Take this. This is your aunt’s phone. You must answer if I call.”

Liansheng curiously took the phone, and Cheng Shiyi showed him which button to press to answer a call.

After all this, Liansheng no longer had the heart to shop at the market. He bought some tasty food with Zhou Lingchun and took it straight back to Grandma.

The doctor said Grandma was fine and could be discharged in a day or two, but she had to continue taking her medicine.

Just as the sun set, Liansheng and Zhou Lingchun returned to their little home.

All afternoon, Liansheng was upset about the incident at noon, yet Zhou Lingchun hadn’t noticed. Liansheng was too embarrassed to throw a tantrum in front of Grandma. On the way home, he began acting like a cat preparing to scratch, primarily by sitting on the front of the bicycle, clearly angry and refusing to let Zhou Lingchun’s arms touch him.

The moment they arrived home, before Zhou Lingchun’s foot even touched the ground, Liansheng suddenly couldn’t hold it in anymore. He grabbed the man’s arm, tears welling up in his eyes. “What did you mean by cutting me off earlier?”

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Occasionally sensitive Lian