The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

The train emitted a deep rumble, sounded its whistle, and roared northward.

It passed through tunnel after tunnel and over bridge after bridge.

From the long night to the dawn, from the vibrant spring to the snow-covered landscape.

The further north we drove, the whiter the scenery outside the window became.

Xu Nian leaned against the window, quietly watching the mighty Yangtze River and the turbulent Yellow River recede into view, eventually disappearing into the horizon.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the next stop on the train is Shanhaiguan Station."

"Please gather your belongings and prepare to disembark in advance."

Xu Nian turned her head and looked out the car window.

The earth is white, and the mountain peaks are covered with snow.

I'm home. I saw heavy snow falling, so I knew I was home.

A long-lost memory flooded his heart.

Black waters and white mountains, corn and sorghum.

Hot and sticky rice cakes, hawthorns covered with rock sugar.

Dilapidated walls, and the boundless Songhua River.

The roar of machines, the collapsed factory buildings.

The old-fashioned bicycles on the street, and the upright spines of countless workers.

The setting sun in the northern frontier casts a golden glow, and ice flowers bloom all over the window.

Canned yellow peaches, dumpling soup.

Once you cross the Shanhaiguan Pass, you'll be home.

......

The train began to slow down and slowly came to a stop at platform 5 of Taoxian Station.

The train, which had traveled more than two thousand miles, arrived at its final destination.

Xu Nian dragged her suitcase and followed the crowd off the train.

The cold wind, sharp as a knife, blew across his cheeks.

It flowed into his nasal cavity and turned into puffs of white mist when he exhaled.

That's it, everything's right.

Xu Nian gazed at the platform, weathered by time, her vision blurred.

Twenty years ago, he boarded the train to Yuncheng at this very platform.

He wouldn't mistake this for his hometown.

Following the direction in his memory, he boarded a bus and, after a bumpy ride, arrived at a village.

The crooked tree at the village entrance, after all these years, still stands tall and majestic.

It looked as if a child, still innocent and childlike, was sitting under the tree, gazing towards the road leading into the village, hoping to see his parents return home.

The man walked to the tree, wiped the snow off the stone bench, and slowly sat down.

He reached out his hand, trying to catch the snowflakes falling from the treetops.

The next moment, the hand suddenly turned into a small, tender hand, trying hard to reach the fruit candy in the mother's hand.

Xu Nian rubbed her eyes, pulling herself out of her thoughts.

The wind carries the afterglow of the setting sun, staining the dust; red bricks and green tiles, and wisps of smoke rise from chimneys.

The child from back then is nowhere to be seen.

The dirt road was only wide enough for one vehicle to pass, and along the roadside were brick and tile houses with their doors hung with cured meat and corn cobs.

Xu Nian arrived at a ruin, squatted down, and gently scooped up the snow from under the stone wall.

"Young man, where did you come from? I've never seen you before!"

An elderly man with white hair, leaning on a cane, came to Xu Nian's side.

"I was traveling and just happened to be passing through here."

Xu Nian patted the snowflakes off her hands, stood up, and forced a smile.

The old man looked at Xu Nian's unfamiliar face and sighed softly.

"Young man, you can wander around anywhere in our village, but don't come near this area."

Why?

"No one has lived in this house for over twenty years, and every now and then a couple of pieces fall down."

The old man pointed to the rickety ceiling.

"Look at this, how dangerous! If you were to bump or scrape yourself, wouldn't you be suffering for nothing?"

"It's getting dark. If you don't have anywhere to stay, I'll take you to a hotel in the village."

Xu Nian nodded and followed the old man away from the ruins.

"Sigh, it's really upsetting to talk about this."

Along the way, the old man kept shaking his head and sighing.

"That house used to be home to a family of three."

"We used to live a pretty good life, but then the man was laid off. Instead of trying to find other work, he got into gambling."

"This gamble cost them everything, and the debt collectors come to the village every few days looking for them."

"Then, to avoid their debts, the family moved away. Nobody knows where they went, and the house has been abandoned ever since."

"Seriously, I've said it before, never get involved in gambling, it's a harmful thing."

Xu Nian listened silently, without saying a word.

"Okay, this is it."

The old man stopped in front of a hotel.

"Our village isn't like the city. It's freezing cold outside at night, so you have to warm yourself up on the kang (heated brick bed), otherwise you'll definitely catch a cold the next day."

"Okay, thank you."

Xu Nian looked at the old man's back and waited until he was far away before uttering three words.

"Uncle Li..."

......

Next to the hotel was a small restaurant.

Xu Nian, who had been starving all day, went inside.

Upon seeing a customer, the owner greeted him with a smile and handed him the restaurant's menu.

Xu Nian breathed on her palm, took the menu, and began to order.

"Give me a serving of sweet and sour pork, pork and vermicelli, and..."

"Young man, are any of your friends coming?"

"Just me."

The owner retrieved the menu and frowned.

"Don't order anymore. You can't even finish two dishes by yourself. Ordering more is a waste of money."

Xu Nian was slightly taken aback, then nodded.

The boss poured Xu Nian a cup of hot tea and went back to the kitchen to get busy.

After a while, he brought two bowls of vegetables and a large bowl of rice to the table.

"If you don't have enough rice, we can give you more. See if you can finish all the dishes, and if you still want more, order more."

Xu Nian stared at the two dishes on the table, her jaw dropping in astonishment.

He finally understood why the boss wouldn't let him order any more food.

This was the first time he had ever seen food served in a bowl.

This portion is at least three or four times the size of what you'd get at the Yuncheng Hotel.

He couldn't eat; he could barely finish even a whole bowl.

Xu Nian took out her chopsticks, picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork, and chewed it.

The pork tenderloin is deep-fried until golden brown and then coated with bright red tomato sauce.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a sweet, sour, and savory flavor.

One bite, and your mouth is filled with the taste of happiness.

This is the taste of my memories, a delicacy that can only be enjoyed during the Chinese New Year, a unique symbol of my hometown.

As he ate, a single tear silently slid down the man's cheek.

"Boss, do you have any alcohol?"

"Hey young man, do you want baijiu or beer?"

"White, I guess."

The biting wind made the lanterns outside the door sway precariously.

Heavy snowflakes drifted down with the wind, covering the black soil, quietly awaiting the arrival of spring to nourish all things.

As he watched the heavy snow falling outside the window, the man in the restaurant wept uncontrollably.

After a life of wandering, I finally return to my roots.

The north wind howled, and the cracks in the windows rattled.

The restaurant door was gently pushed open, and a woman wrapped up like a dumpling brushed the fine snow off her body and scurried into the restaurant, feeling the chill.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh... It's so cold! So cold!"

She took off her gloves, darted over to the boiler in a few steps, and stretched out her hands to absorb the warm temperature.

"Here you are, girl! Same as always."

"No, uncle, let's change things up and have something else. How about a plate of braised pork slices?"

"Wow, the sun has risen in the west! You're not eating stewed goose in an iron pot anymore?"

"No, no, I can't stay for more than a few days. Once I'm done with this busy period, I'll go back to the South. I need to try a few more dishes before I leave."

"Haha, okay!"

After warming herself up, the woman sat down at the dining table.

She saw the man at the next table holding a wine glass by himself, and her pupils suddenly contracted.

She rubbed her eyes, walked up to the man in disbelief, stared at his face, and tentatively asked.

"Brother Xu Nian?"