"Dear passengers..."
Shanghai Railway Station.
Lian Youming and his party squeezed through the noisy, bustling crowd.
Even as he walked, he did not forget to scare Lian Shuang.
"Stay close. If you get lost, watch out or a trafficker might snatch you."
The little girl had been looking all around since leaving the station, seemingly curious about everything around her. But at his words, her little face tightened in fright. She hurriedly took Yan Lingyun's hand, then huffed at Lian Youming.
Day had only just broken, morning light piercing the dawn. They had boarded the train the evening before last and spent over thirty hours aboard, arriving just in time for National Day.
Even this early, loudspeakers in every direction were playing military songs, so loudly that they almost drowned out every other sound.
As usual, Lian Youming wore a white shirt and green army trousers, with a pair of leather shoes brought back from Hong Kong on his feet.
There was no helping it. As Yang Qing put it, even the finest clothes were wasted on him. For the previous gathering of the Three Teachings in Hong Kong, his Zhongshan Suit had been custom-made at great expense, yet by the time he returned, it was in tatters.
Besides, young people these days all dressed much the same, and Lian Youming was used to dressing this way.
"Aunt Shen!"
Before they reached the exit, Lian Youming had already spotted Shen Qinghong from afar.
A middle-aged man stood beside her. It was Qin Yuhu.
Neither had noticed them yet. They were squinting, struggling to search through the crowd.
Fortunately, when they heard his voice, their faces lit up, and they turned toward the tall, strapping Lian Youming.
He's grown old.
Back in Tahe in the Northeast, Qin Yuhu had been a