I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

The lights in the ancestral hall were dim.

Jiang Wanshan sat in the armchair in front of the offering table, holding a yellowed old photograph in his hand.

The corners of the photo are curled up, and there are fine cracks on the surface, as if it has been looked at countless times.

When Jiang Chen pushed the door open and came in, the old man was squinting at the figure in the photo by the light of the old-fashioned incandescent bulb overhead.

He had seen that photo before.

What I found inside the iron box in the life-saving kiln was the only family photo that my second great-grandfather, Jiang Fuhai, had sent back from Southeast Asia.

"Great-Grandpa, what do you need me for?"

Jiang Wanshan didn't look up.

He turned the photo over, and on the back there was a line of traditional Chinese characters written in pen, the ink of which had faded considerably.

"Brother Chen, come and take a look at this."

Jiang Chen walked over, bent down, and looked closer.

The back of the photo reads: "Taken in Kuala Lumpur, Southeast Asia in 1948, by Fuhai and his three sons. Hoping to return within five years. If I cannot return, this photo will serve as proof."

Five years.

That was in 1948.

More than seventy years have passed since then.

Jiang Wanshan's hands were trembling.

"Life is better in the village now, but your second great-grandfather's branch is still drifting in Southeast Asia."

The old man stood up, holding onto the armrest of the chair, pressed the photo to his chest, and looked at Jiang Chen with his cloudy eyes.

"Last time, when I used your bloodline analyzer, I found out that Yaohua is still alive, he's ninety-six. He's in Kuala Lumpur."

He took a breath, his voice trembling slightly.

"Brother Chen, I'm not at ease. What if I close my eyes one day and no one will care about this anymore? While I can still walk, I want to go see him."

Jiang Chen stared at the photo on the old man's chest and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he squatted down and looked the old man in the eye.

"Grandpa, don't worry. Now that we have a lead, we'll go to Southeast Asia tomorrow to pick them up. Leave it to me."

The voice just fell.

[Ding! The A-level mission "Searching for Relatives Overseas" has officially begun.]

[Mission Objective: Travel to Kuala Lumpur and retrieve the Jiang family bloodline.]

[Mission funds have been disbursed: 5 million yuan.]

[Bonus Item Reward: International VIP Pass x1.]

Jiang Chen glanced at the system panel and then closed it.

Five hundred million. That's enough.

The next morning, before it was fully light.

The village committee office was packed with people.

Attorney Zhou, Wang Dagou, Ding Xiu, and several core members of the security team were all present.

A map of Kuala Lumpur lay open on the table, next to a stack of printed visa application materials.

"That's the situation." Jiang Chen recounted his great-grandfather's story and pointed to a point on the map. "The target is Jiang Yaohua, 96 years old, currently residing in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. The system has already located his exact address. We're going there for two reasons: first, to reunite with relatives, and second, to check on the situation there."

"Brother Chen, is the old man going with us?" Wang Dagou scratched his head.

"He has to go. This is his own brother's son; if he doesn't go, who will?"

Wang Dagou was immediately worried upon hearing this.

"That's bad, Brother Chen. Grandpa is seventy-eight years old and has trouble walking. Taking a commercial flight and transferring is too much of a hassle. Just walking to the terminal is enough to make him suffer, then he has to queue for security, wait for his luggage, and then transfer to another vehicle once he gets there..."

Jiang Chen threw down the pen in his hand and picked up his phone to make a call.

"father in law."

Su Tianhao's voice on the other end of the phone still carried the grumpiness of someone just woke up: "What's up so early in the morning?"

"Help me contact the airline. I don't need to buy tickets; I'll charter the plane directly."

Su Tianhao was taken aback: "Charter a plane? How many people are going?"

"Including the doctor, security guards, and my great-grandfather, there are about sixty people. Charter three Boeing passenger planes for me, wide-body planes with plenty of legroom so the elderly can sit comfortably."

There was a three-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Su Tianhao's voice changed: "Three planes? You're going out to find relatives and you need three Boeings? Is this a family reunion or a military parade?"

Jiang Chen leaned back in his chair: "Great-grandfather is getting old. If he gets unwell on the road, we'll need one specifically for carrying medical equipment. The security team and logistics personnel will need one. Great-grandfather, Attorney Zhou, and I will share one. Three isn't too many."

Su Tianhao hissed on the other end, probably calculating the money.

"Okay, I'll get in touch with them for you. But chartering three Boeing aircraft to Kuala Lumpur will still cost tens of millions, even with a discount. You know that."

"A deposit of 100 million will be transferred first, and the rest will be settled when it arrives."

Su Tianhao hung up the phone.

The people in the office looked at each other in bewilderment.

Wang Dagou was the first to react, leaning close to Jiang Chen and whispering, "Brother Chen, we're chartering three planes, where will we stay when we get there? Not in a hostel, are we?"

What do you think?

"I don't think it's appropriate."

"Then let Attorney Zhou book a hotel in advance. The most expensive one in Kuala Lumpur, two floors."

Attorney Zhou adjusted his glasses and began operating the tablet.

"Mr. Jiang, the most expensive hotel in Kuala Lumpur is the Four Seasons Hotel, where the presidential suite costs US$80,000 per night. And if you book two floors..."

"order."

The news quickly spread throughout the village.

That afternoon, three luxury buses pulled up at the village entrance. Their bodies were gleaming, and their curtains were made of dark blue velvet.

Old Master Jiang Wanshan changed into a brand-new navy blue Tang suit, the brass buttons gleaming. On his feet were a pair of new cloth shoes, which Su Qing had bought in town overnight.

The old man tucked his copper pipe into his inner pocket, straightened his back, and walked step by step toward the bus.

The villagers all gathered on both sides of the road to see him off.

"May you have a safe journey, sir!"

"Brother Chen, you've brought our Jiang family member back!"

Third Grandfather Jiang Wanhai also came. He stood at the front of the crowd, watching his eldest brother get into the car. His lips moved, but in the end he only said one sentence.

"Brother, take care of yourself on the road. Bring the person back."

Jiang Wanshan stood at the car door, glanced back at him, and nodded.

The bus started moving.

Wang Dagou was sitting in the second row, with the window open, leaning half his body out and shouting to the security guards on the roadside.

"Keep an eye on the house! I'll bring you coconut candy when I get back!"

Ding Xiu sat in the last row, eyes closed, leaning back in his seat, a thermos on the armrest, filled with goji berries and red dates as usual.

The convoy drove along the newly paved asphalt road out of Jiangjia Village, met up with two lead cars at the highway exit, and headed straight for the provincial capital airport.

Provincial capital airport.

VIP access.

Three white Boeing 737s were parked on a private tarmac, with their gangways already down.

A red banner was temporarily affixed to the fuselage—"Jiangjia Village Overseas Family Search Special Plane."

Wang Dagou's calligraphy is crooked and uneven, but full of vigor.

The old man stood at the bottom of the gangway, looking up at the huge fuselage, his copper pipe in his hand, not moving for a long time.

"Great-grandfather?" Jiang Chen asked softly from the side.

"I've hardly ever ridden a train in my entire life," the old man said in a low voice, his tone somewhat muffled.

"Today I took a plane to pick up my uncle's son... I never dreamed this day would come."

Jiang Chen didn't say anything, but reached out and firmly supported the old man's arm.

One step. Two steps. Three steps.

A 78-year-old man stepped onto the gangway of a Boeing passenger plane.

The hatch closed.

The engine roared.

The three planes taxied onto the runway in turn, accelerated, pitched up, and took off.

The plane's wings sliced ​​across the provincial capital's skyline as it flew south.

Wang Dagou leaned against the porthole, looking down at the city and fields below that were getting smaller and smaller, his face flushed with excitement.

He turned his head and gloated at the security guard next to him.

"See that? We don't take buses anymore, we charter planes now! Even the county magistrate has never enjoyed this kind of treatment!"

Ding Xiu opened one eye in the back row and said calmly, "Sit still. Don't sway. Don't embarrass yourself."

Wang Dagou immediately pulled his neck back and obediently fastened his seatbelt.

A few hours later.

The captain's announcement rang out in the cabin.

"Dear passengers, the plane is about to land at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The local temperature is 32 degrees Celsius. Please prepare accordingly."

Grandpa Jiang Wanshan sat in the spacious first-class seat, clutching that old photograph tightly.

He turned his head to look out the window—under the blue sky and white clouds, an unfamiliar tropical city was approaching.

His hand tightened again.

More than seventy years have passed.

When his second great-grandfather passed away, he was just a little boy.

Today, he wants to find the person on behalf of his father's generation.

The plane hit the ground with a thud, and the fuselage shuddered slightly.

Wang Dagou was the first to stand up: "We're here! Brother Chen, we're here!"

Jiang Chen looked calmly at the ground support vehicles waiting on the tarmac outside the window.

We've arrived.

But he had a feeling that this trip wouldn't go too smoothly.