Chapter Fifty-One: Farewell to the Snow Village, Return to the Coastal City

Twenty years—an instant in the lives of Yi Yi and me. Our faces have not changed in the slightest. Yet for Snow Village, twenty years is an entire era.

In the blink of an eye, we have lived in Snow Village for twenty years. The once bustling village is now exceptionally quiet. Granny Sun, Brother Sun, Grandpa Wang, Carpenter Li… the elders who once gathered around our warm kang bed, debating life with us in their simplest words, have, one by one, peacefully come to rest on the southern slope behind the village.

Every year at the Qingming Festival, Yi Yi and I visit the slope, sweep the snow from their gravestones, place a few frozen pears—fruits they loved—by their sides, and share stories of daily life. We have sent off each one, as if bidding farewell to family embarking on a distant journey.

Most of the village’s young people have left. The winters in the Northeast are too long, and the world outside is too enticing. They’ve gone to the capital, to the coastal metropolis, to cities farther south, in pursuit of their own lives. Only during the New Year does the village briefly regain a trace of its former liveliness.

Yi Yi is no longer the little girl who needed my help with her studies. Her mind is now that of a mature, clear-sighted woman. She still looks fifteen or sixteen, but in her eyes is a serenity and detachment far beyond her years. She has seen through life and death, and grown accustomed to farewells.

That day, we said goodbye to the last elder we knew—Granny Li. She passed away peacefully, holding Yi Yi’s hand, her cloudy eyes full of affection. “Good child, Granny is leaving now. From now on… take good care of yourself and your father.”

On our way back from the southern slope, Yi Yi stood at the door of “Guandong Clinic,” gazing at the empty, desolate village. She said softly, “Father, it’s empty here now too.”

I understood what she meant. We stayed because of the people, because of the warmth and bustle of life. Now, the people are gone, the fires have died down—it is time for us to move on as well.

“Yes, it’s time to go,” I nodded. “Twenty years—we should see somewhere else now.”

That evening, we sat together on the still-warm kang bed, the glow of the stove reflecting on our unchanged faces.

“Where do you want to go?” I asked.

Yi Yi was silent for a moment, then took an old photo album from the bookshelf. There were pictures of us in Andu Town, and others in Snow Village. She turned to the very first page—a snapshot from the coastal metropolis, taken with a little girl in pigtails.

“Father, do you remember Grandpa Lin—the one from the coast, Lin Zhen’nan?”

“Of course I remember.”

“I want to go back and see,” Yi Yi’s finger gently traced the girl’s face in the photo. “Lin Qinghan—she must be quite old now. I wonder how she’s been all these years.”

Twenty-seven years ago, we left quietly. Now, it is time to return and see what became of the good seed we once unwittingly planted.

“All right,” I agreed with a smile. “Our next destination will be the coast.”

Once again, we chose to leave quietly. We cleaned the “Guandong Clinic,” filled with laughter and memories, locked the door as if the owners had simply gone on a trip and would return any day. But we both knew that this time, we would never look back.

Twenty-seven years later, the coastal metropolis was no longer as we remembered.

Skyscrapers towered overhead, traffic surged through the streets, elevated highways crisscrossed the sky, and crowds flowed endlessly below. The city’s transformation over these years was far more drastic and complete than what we had witnessed in Snow Village.

We did not disturb anyone, but stayed in a hotel like ordinary travelers. Then, using a bit of spiritual perception, I quickly located Lin Qinghan.

She had not inherited Lin Zhen’nan’s business empire, but had chosen instead to become a lawyer. This surprised me somewhat.

The next day, we went to the city’s most prosperous CBD and found her law firm, “Integrity Law Offices,” on the thirty-fifth floor of a skyscraper.

The name “Integrity” suited her grandfather’s character.

We didn’t go in directly, but watched quietly from a café across the street.

At noon, a middle-aged woman in a sharp business suit and short hair emerged from the building. Though traces of her childhood features remained, they were now overlaid with the sharpness and fatigue of a professional woman.

She was Lin Qinghan.

She appeared deeply troubled, speaking on the phone while striding toward a restaurant. Her voice was rushed and forceful: “President Wang, I’ll say it again, we cannot accept the clauses in this contract… No, this isn’t about money. It’s a matter of principle! If you insist, then we’ll see each other in court!”

After hanging up, she rubbed her brow in exhaustion, her face unable to hide its anxiety.

Yi Yi and I exchanged glances.

“She doesn’t seem very happy,” Yi Yi said softly.

“In the world of adults, true happiness is rare,” I replied calmly.

We did not approach her right away. For someone in her fifties, a sudden reunion with two “old friends” who hadn’t aged in twenty-seven years would be far too shocking.

We needed a more natural opportunity.

In the days that followed, we watched Lin Qinghan’s life like two silent shadows.

She was very busy—constantly in meetings, visiting clients, poring over piles of case files, with hardly a moment to herself. Her firm, “Integrity Law Offices,” was clearly under great financial pressure.

One night, we saw her working late alone at the office. As she finally left the building, visibly exhausted, several men blocked her path.

The leader was a slick-looking young man, flanked by tattooed thugs.

“Well, Counselor Lin, have you made up your mind?” the young man sneered, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. “Our boss said, as long as you drop the case, everything’s negotiable. But if you insist on being difficult, don’t blame us for what happens next.”

A flicker of panic crossed Lin Qinghan’s face, but she quickly composed herself. “What you’re doing is intimidation. It’s illegal. I’ve already called the police!”

“The police?” The young man laughed, snatching her phone and smashing it to the ground. “By the time they get here, it’ll be too late! Boys, invite Miss Lin into the car—our boss wants a word.”

The thugs closed in, grinning menacingly.

At that moment, Yi Yi and I stepped out from the shadows.

“Gentlemen, isn’t it rather uncivil to ‘invite’ a lady into your car at this hour?” My voice wasn’t loud, but it reached every ear clearly.