A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

After the call ended, the assistant sent Pan Lei's number.

Wei Zhirang didn't care what time it was and made the call directly.

Pan Lei was already in bed when he received the call.

Unlike the city, Lijiapo is quiet as soon as it gets dark, and the villagers go to bed early.

He groggily reached for his phone, glanced at the caller ID—it was a number from the provincial capital.

He hesitated for a moment, then accepted.

All I heard on the other end of the phone was, "Hello, Secretary Pan, this is Wei Zhirang from the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism."

Pan Lei snapped awake. He sat up in bed and instinctively straightened his back: "Director Wei, hello, hello!"

Wei Zhirang's voice was unhurried, with a touch of official politeness: "The proposal for developing a tourist area in your area has been submitted to the meeting. I will visit your area in a few days. We can discuss any difficulties then."

Pan Lei took the phone away from his ear and glanced at the screen.

He heard right. The director of the provincial culture and tourism bureau called him late at night to tell him that his proposal had been approved and that he would come over to provide guidance.

His first reaction was that he had been scammed.

But the voice and tone on the other end of the phone didn't seem fake.

Seeing that Pan Lei remained silent, Wei Zhirang said, "Secretary Pan, are you listening?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Pan Lei quickly replied, "It's our honor that our leader could come here. We are extremely welcome!"

Wei Zhirang paused for a moment on the other end of the phone, then casually mentioned, "By the way, don't you have a young man named Su Fan? Let's invite him along."

Pan Lei was taken aback: "Su Fan?"

"Yes, she looks to be around twenty years old. Do you know her?"

Pan Lei racked his brains. There weren't many people with the surname Su in Lijiapo, and there was only one named Su Fan.

"We have a guy named Su Fan here. He grew up in an orphanage and now makes a living with the village's band."

"That's right." Wei Zhirang's tone carried a hint of barely perceptible satisfaction. "I'll go over when he gets back, and then we'll have a good talk."

……

The phone hangs up.

Pan Lei sat on the bed, staring at his phone screen, not moving for a long time.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

"The director of the Provincial Culture and Tourism Bureau called tonight. I have a feeling it's aimed at Su Fan?"

"When did Xiao Fan get involved with the provincial culture and tourism leaders?"

Can't figure it out.

Pan Lei simply put on his clothes, draped a cotton-padded coat over his shoulders, and went out.

Su Fan's residence is in Lijiapo.

The orphanage is located in a town not far from the village.

The children there will move out of the orphanage when they reach a certain age.

Some went to big cities, while others settled in nearby villages.

Su Fan learned his craft from the village's old musicians from a young age, playing music at funerals. As an adult, he naturally became a member of the music troupe.

Su Fan's place of residence was an old house in the village, which was arranged by him, the brigade secretary.

He was naturally familiar with Su Fan.

Pan Lei, holding a flashlight, trudged towards Su Fan's place, his steps uneven.

I knocked on the door for a long time, but there was no response, and the lights were off inside.

"Is Xiao Fan not home?"

He muttered something to himself, took out his phone, found Su Fan's number, and dialed it.

Su Fan was talking to Fang Cheng when his phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and his heart skipped a beat: "Uncle Pan calling at this hour, could it be that something happened at the orphanage?"

He quickly answered, "Uncle Pan, what's wrong so late?"

"Xiao Fan, you're not home?"

"She's not here, she's outside. What happened?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask you something. Do you know Director Wei of the Provincial Culture and Tourism Bureau?"

Su Fan was taken aback: "Provincial Culture and Tourism Bureau? I don't know them. How could I, an ordinary citizen, possibly know such important figures?"

Pan Lei was silent for a while on the other end of the phone. He also thought it was unlikely. How could Su Fan, a child who grew up in an orphanage, have the opportunity to come into contact with provincial leaders?

But Wei Zhiran's phone call was very specific, specifically asking to see Su Fan by name, so there must be something going on.

Pan Lei explained to himself, "They probably heard that there was such a young man in the troupe and wanted to promote traditional culture."

Having figured that out, Pan Lei said, "Okay, it's alright now. When are you coming back? Let me know when you get back."

"I'll definitely be back before the New Year, and then I'll come to see you."

"Okay, be careful out there."

……

The phone hangs up.

Su Fan held his phone, somewhat bewildered.

"Uncle Pan called late at night, just to ask if I knew any bureau chief? What does that have to do with anything!"

However, he vaguely felt that this matter might be related to what had happened to him in the past few days.

"Never mind that, I'll just focus on my own things. I'll be going back before the New Year anyway, I'll just ask then."

At that moment, Fang Cheng leaned over and asked, "Whose call was that?"

"Uncle Pan's."

Fang Cheng's expression tightened slightly: "Is there a problem at the hospital?"

Su Fan shook his head: "No, he just asked me when I was going back, and said I should go see him when I got back."

Fang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "What does Uncle Pan want with you?"

"I don't know, let's talk about it when we get back." Su Fan changed the subject and said, "By the way, I'm leaving tomorrow."

Fang Cheng paused for a moment, then said, "I'll go back with you during the Chinese New Year."

"I'm not going back to Qin Province."

Fang Cheng frowned and asked, "Then where are you going?"

"I'm planning to go to Longhu Mountain."

Fang Cheng's expression immediately relaxed. He remembered the jade pendant and the old Taoist priest's words from years ago, and nodded: "It's time to go. Let's go after the New Year!"

"I have to go sooner or later, so if I go earlier, I won't have to worry about it."

Fang Cheng patted Su Fan on the shoulder and said, "Okay, let's talk after we close at the store."

……

It was almost 1 a.m. when the guests left.

Fang Cheng arranged for the shop assistants to clean up, and then took Su Fan back to their residence.

Back at their lodgings, Fang Cheng said, "Xiao Fan, I'll give you half the shares of this little tavern."

"Brother Cheng, why are you doing this to us brothers? You're being too polite."

Fang Cheng said, "Don't be so quick to refuse. This little tavern would have closed down long ago if it weren't for you. So, both morally and logically, I should give you half, or even all of it. I have no objection."

Su Fan said firmly, "Brother Cheng, I won't take it."

Fang Cheng also became serious: "You'll need money a lot in the future, so you should think more about the future."

Su Fan laughed: "Brother Cheng, have you forgotten? It was because of this little bar that I came up with three songs. Just with the copyrights to these three songs, I don't have to worry about food and drink."

Fang Cheng opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

Su Fan was right; he knew exactly how popular those three songs would become.

The copyright fees alone would be enough for Su Fan to live comfortably for a long time.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that these three songs are his retirement insurance.