A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"Sister...don't go...Father..."

Intermittent murmurs in my sleep, accompanied by painful sobs, came from beside me.

Su Nianci jolted awake and suddenly opened her eyes.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, the rain had stopped, and the scent of fir wood mingled with the fragrance of earth wafted in from the holes of the dilapidated temple, invigorating the spirit.

She looked down and saw Little Stone clutching her clothes tightly, his small body trembling slightly, and a fine layer of cold sweat on his forehead; he was clearly having a nightmare.

Su Nianci reached out and touched his forehead.

The hype has died down considerably!

Although it's still a bit too hot to handle, it has dropped from the 40 degrees Celsius that could have burned you out yesterday to a relatively safe range.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems the herbs she found worked.

The combination of dandelion and violet is indeed a natural anti-inflammatory.

"Hey, wake up." She gently patted Little Stone's face.

Little Stone's long eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes.

When those dark eyes saw Su Nianci's face, a hint of confusion flashed across them at first, then, as if remembering something, they shrank back in fear. But when they saw the treated wounds on their bodies and the piece of Su Nianci's clothing they were clutching tightly in their hands, the fear in their eyes slowly faded, replaced by a complex and indescribable dependence and trust.

He remained silent, only staring intently at Su Nianci with his large eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Su Nianci asked.

Little Stone shook his head, then nodded, seemingly unsure how to express himself.

Seeing his appearance, Su Nianci understood. This child had probably suffered a great shock, leading to stress-induced aphasia. Medication was ineffective for this condition; it could only be treated through subsequent psychological counseling and rebuilding a sense of security.

"Fine, I'm not counting on you to say anything." Su Nianci sighed and struggled to her feet.

After a night's rest and some food, she regained much of her strength, but she was still weak.

She checked the wound on Xiao Shitou's leg. Fortunately, it showed no signs of worsening, and the redness and swelling had subsided somewhat. This was a good sign.

"Don't move here, I'll go find you some food and change your medicine."

Su Nianci gave a brief instruction and turned to leave.

But as soon as she took a step, her clothes were tugged by a small force.

She turned around and met Little Stone's eyes, which were filled with unease and pleading.

He was afraid that she would abandon him like everyone else.

Su Nianci's heart was pierced once again.

"I won't go far, I'll stay right at the entrance." She pointed to a few clumps of plants not far from the temple gate. "See? I'm going there. You can see me from here."

She tried her best to make her expression and tone sound reliable.

Little Stone looked at her, then followed the direction she was pointing, seemingly judging the distance. After hesitating for a long time, he slowly and reluctantly let go of her hand.

Su Nianci shook her head helplessly. This little brother she picked up was really a clingy brat.

She quickly gathered some fresh herbs at the temple entrance and was lucky enough to find a few bird eggs in a crevice in the rocks. This was truly a godsend!

She carefully tapped a small hole in the eggshell with a stone and fed the egg white into the stone's mouth. The raw egg smelled unpleasant, but for two people who were extremely malnourished, it was an unparalleled delicacy and source of energy.

After feeding the little stone, she drank one herself.

The warm egg liquid slid into my stomach, and a warm current instantly spread throughout my body.

After eating and drinking her fill, Su Nianci began to change Xiao Shitou's dressing.

She untied the bandage from yesterday, preparing to clean away the old medicinal mud.

Just then, she noticed a very discreet inner pocket sewn into the chest area of ​​the tattered undershirt that Little Stone was wearing. The stitches on that pocket were noticeably finer than those on the rest of the garment, clearly added later on.

Su Nianci's heart stirred.

This method of hiding things is usually used to store extremely important items.

As she cleaned the little stone's wound, she casually touched the pocket.

In the pocket, there was a hard object with rounded edges.

"What's this?" she asked, pointing to her pocket.

Little Stone followed her finger and his eyes instantly became wary. He instinctively covered the pocket with his little hand and shrank back, looking as if he would fight anyone who touched it.

Why such a strong reaction?

Su Nianci became even more curious.

"Don't be afraid, I'm just looking, I won't take anything from you," she reassured. "You have a high fever, and it will be uncomfortable if there are hard things poking you."

As she spoke, she gently scratched Little Stone's chin with her other hand.

Little Stone felt a little itchy from her tickling, and his wary expression relaxed for a moment.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Su Nianci quickly reached her fingers into the inner pocket and pulled out the contents.

It was a jade pendant.

The moment the jade pendant was fully exposed to the morning light, even Su Nianci couldn't help but gasp.

It was a piece of warm, smooth white jade, clearly not an ordinary item. The jade pendant was carved into a lifelike dragon, its body coiled, its head held high, its five claws powerful and strong, and a round bead in its mouth. The exquisite craftsmanship and majestic presence were so striking that even Su Nianci, who knew little about jade, could tell it was priceless!

Especially in the 1970s when resources were scarce, such a piece of jade was an astonishing existence!

This is something that ordinary families can't afford!

Su Nianci's heart began to pound.

She had seen similar artifacts in museums in her previous life; those were national treasures! Although this jade pendant was small, its quality and craftsmanship were no less than those artifacts!

Especially that dragon—it has five claws!

In ancient times, the five-clawed golden dragon was a symbol of emperors! Although we live in a modern society and don't pay much attention to this anymore, a family that possesses such a pattern as a family heirloom must have an extraordinary background and heritage!

What exactly is this little stone?

Su Nianci held the jade pendant, examining it from all angles.

On the back of the jade pendant, she found a very ancient seal script character carved in relief.

She tried to identify him for a long time—Lu? Or Chen? She couldn't tell!

Su Nianci's mind went blank!

Lu Zhenhua!

The comrade-in-arms her father mentioned in his letter, wasn't his surname Lu?

Could this be a coincidence?

There are countless people in the world with the surname Lu, but at this time and in this place, she found a seriously injured child wearing a dragon-shaped jade pendant with the character "Lu" on it...

All of this was so coincidental, it felt like fate had arranged it!

Su Nianci's heart was beating faster and faster. A bold guess, so audacious that even she found it unbelievable, surfaced in her mind.

Could this little stone... be related to Uncle Lu Zhenhua?

If this conjecture is true, then this jade pendant is not only a priceless treasure, but also a signpost, a key token that can help her find Lu Zhenhua and even uncover the mystery of Xiao Shitou's background!

Just as Su Nianci was in shock, a series of noisy footsteps and rude shouts suddenly came from outside the dilapidated temple.

"Look carefully, everyone! That little bitch can't have gone far!"

"A five-year-old girl, injured, must be hiding in the mountains nearby!"

It's Su Weiqiang's voice!

He actually caught up with us here so quickly!

Su Nianci's face turned deathly pale in an instant!