A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

Su Fan drove directly to the orphanage.

Several children were playing at the door when they saw the white SUV drive by and looked around curiously.

Su Fan honked the horn, rolled down the window, and shouted to them, "Come help me move these things!"

Once the children could see who was in the car, they immediately gathered around.

"Brother Fan!"

"Brother Fan is back!"

……

When Aunt Liu came out of the house, her apron was covered in flour.

She stood at the door, squinted at the car, and then looked at Su Fan getting out of it.

The expression on his face changed from confusion to surprise.

"Xiao Fan, where did you get this car?"

"I bought it."

Aunt Liu frowned immediately, walked over quickly, and asked in a low voice, "Did you buy it with a loan? If so, I have some money here. Take it and pay off the loan. How can you be so young and burdened with so much debt?"

Su Fan smiled and said, "Aunt Liu, don't worry, I bought it in full, no loan."

Aunt Liu still asked suspiciously, "Where did you get so much money?"

At this moment, Yuan Shanshan took Aunt Liu's arm and said with a smile, "Aunt Liu, don't worry about him. He has enough money to buy a car, so don't fret about it."

As she spoke, she took Aunt Liu's arm and walked into the yard, changing the subject as they went: "Aunt Liu, what are we having for lunch? I didn't eat properly on the train, I'm starving."

Aunt Liu was pulled along by her, glanced back at Su Fan, and muttered, "This child."

Su Fan followed behind, carrying the remaining items, and smiled as he watched Aunt Liu and Yuan Shanshan's backs.

We ate lunch in the courtyard.

Aunt Liu cooked a few dishes and made a pot of soup.

Yuan Shanshan helped serve the dishes and set the table, while Su Fan was responsible for settling the children in.

The older children sat around the table, while the younger ones ate at a small table next to it.

After lunch, the children went for their afternoon nap, while the adults sat in the yard basking in the sun.

Su Fan leaned back in his chair and suddenly said, "Brother Cheng and Sister Hong should be back in the next few days. I'll pick them up then."

Aunt Liu opened her mouth, about to say that the postage was too expensive and that it was unnecessary to bother.

Before she could even speak, Yuan Shanshan blurted out, "I'll go with you then. I haven't seen them in so long, I really miss them."

"You guys really know how to make a fuss." After saying that, Aunt Liu suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, Ah Jie called and said he'd be back."

"Really, Brother Jie is coming back, that's great!"

Su Fan and Yuan Shanshan were both very happy.

The "Brother Jie" they were talking about was named Zhao Jie, and he was the oldest kid in the compound.

I'm over thirty and still not married.

He started working in his teens, working on construction sites, and sent most of the money he saved back to his family.

In Su Fan's memory, every time he saw Zhao Jie, he was darker and more silent than the last time.

Aunt Liu's eyes would redden every time she mentioned Zhao Jie.

The phrase she most often said was, "Ah Jie, that child, has been held back by the hospital."

Su Fan thought for a moment and said, "Aunt Liu, after Brother Jie comes back, don't let him go out. It's better for him to do some chores at home than to be outside."

"I don't want him to go out either. He works on construction sites, it's too hard." Aunt Liu sighed as she said this. "But Ah Jie is so stubborn, I can't persuade him. Every time I tell him to come back, he says he'll work for another two years."

Su Fan said, "I'll talk to Brother Jie. The village is going to implement a company + farmer business model. There will be many opportunities. Let Brother Jie do something in the village. It's better than him being out in the wind and sun."

Aunt Liu asked, "Is there a lot of work?"

"There are plenty, don't worry."

Yuan Shanshan interjected, "Wait, what's this 'company + farmer' business model? What big project is your village planning?"

So, Su Fan briefly explained how the village reformed its tourism model, with villagers investing in shares, and implementing unified planning and management.

Finally, he concluded: "In short, in the future, people in the village will not need to go out to make a living; they can earn money right at their doorstep."

After hearing this, Aunt Liu said excitedly, "If only that were true, Ah Jie wouldn't have to suffer outside."

Yuan Shanshan joked, "Xiao Fan, I want to stay here because of everything you said."

Su Fan smiled and said, "Sure, as long as you and your brother-in-law are willing to come back, I'll make the arrangements."

Yuan Shanshan was amused: "Do you think you're the village chief? You can just arrange things as you please?"

Su Fan said seriously, "When I become the village chief someday, I will rebuild the orphanage."

Yuan Shanshan chuckled and patted him on the shoulder: "You're getting cocky now that I'm saying you're fat? Village chief? Go wash up and go to bed."

……

These past two days, Su Fan has been working as a full-time driver.

Fang Cheng and Xiang Hong have also returned.

But Zhao Jie has not returned yet.

Therefore, on Lunar New Year's Eve, the orphanage was so deserted that it didn't feel like the New Year at all.

The couplets have been pasted up, the paper-cut window decorations have been made, and the red lanterns have been hung up.

But that feeling of warmth just wouldn't come through.

The children weren't running around the yard like they usually do.

The adults couldn't sit still either.

After a while, someone stood up and went to the door to look around.

Fang Cheng leaned against the door frame, dialing Zhao Jie's number again and again.

The same message always came through the receiver: "The number you dialed is currently switched off..."

He put down his phone, looked at Su Fan, and Su Fan shook his head, indicating that he had no solution either.

Xiang Hong sat among the children, clutching a scarf in her hand, which she had knitted for Zhao Jie.

Yuan Shanshan stood by the window, looking at the dark night outside, without saying a word.

The Spring Festival Gala has begun.

The TV was on and the sound was on, but no one was watching.

Xuanxuan asked softly, "Brother Fan, is Brother Jie not coming back?"

Su Fan patted his head and said, "Brother Jie is on his way and will be here soon. When Brother Jie arrives, we'll eat dumplings."

The clock on the wall struck 8:30.

"Knock knock knock..."

There was a knock on the door.

Everyone in the room stood up at the same time and walked out in unison.

When the door opened, a middle-aged man was standing in the doorway.

This person was none other than Zhao Jie.

Aunt Liu burst into tears: "What's wrong with you? You didn't even call! Do you know how worried we were?"

Zhao Jie forced a smile and said, "I'm sorry, Aunt Liu, my phone and wallet were stolen at the train station. I've looked everywhere but can't find them..."

Fang Cheng then asked, "Did you walk back?"

Zhao Jie didn't answer, he just smiled.

That smile seemed inexplicably heartbreaking to everyone.

It's at least fifty or sixty miles from the train station to the orphanage.

How long did he walk alone?

No one asked, and no one dared to ask.

Xiang Hong was the first to come to her senses. She wiped her eyes and reached for the luggage on Zhao Jie's right: "Come on in, we're waiting for you to eat."

Yuan Shanshan also came over and took Zhao Jie's left arm, saying, "Brother Jie, Aunt Liu made dumplings today, your favorite..."

Before he could finish speaking, his voice was cut off as if by something.

Yuan Shanshan stood there, stunned.

The expression on her face changed from welcoming to doubt, then from doubt to disbelief, and then tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't stop them.

The people walking in front stopped and turned around, wondering what had happened.

Su Fan walked over and looked down. Zhao Jie's left arm, from the elbow down, was completely gone.

Yuan Shanshan held the empty sleeve in her hand.

"Brother Jie, your hand..."

Zhao Jie forced a smile: "It's nothing."