After returning to Xiaohe Village, Jiang Hongyan made his way toward Chen Fugui’s house.
On the dirt road through the village lay a small rectangular wooden tag with a red cord tied through one end.
Jiang Hongyan stopped for a moment and picked it up.
Looking at it carefully, he noticed the character “Nian” carved into the wood.
The item seemed familiar.
He was certain he had seen Sister in Law Chen carrying it before.
During the days he had spent in the village, she had always worn it hanging from her waist.
Now that it had appeared here, she had probably dropped it by accident while working in the fields.
Jiang Hongyan brought the wooden tag back to the Chen family.
Chen Fugui and his wife were anxiously searching everywhere.
“Where could it have fallen? Why can’t we find it?”
“It was definitely still with me this morning.”
“Did you check the fields? Didn’t you go there to work today? Maybe you dropped it there.”
“That’s possible. Should I go take a look now?”
“Let’s go together. It’ll be faster if we both search.”
Just as the couple was about to head out, they saw Jiang Hongyan returning.
He handed the small wooden tag to them.
“Brother Chen, Sister in Law Chen, is this yours? I found it on the road.”
The moment Chen Fugui saw it, he happily took it and immediately handed it to his wife.
“We found it! We finally found it! Keep it safe this time. Don’t lose it again.”
He then quickly thanked Jiang Hongyan.
“Thank you so much. We were frantic after losing it. Fortunately, you found it.”
Jiang Hongyan could tell how important the little wooden tag was to them.
“It seems this item means a great deal to both of you.”
“Of course it does. It belonged to my son. His mother has carried it with her ever since.”
At those words, the woman beside him lowered her eyes, quietly raising a hand to wipe the corner of her eye.
Jiang Hongyan was puzzled.
He had been staying here for many days but had never seen their child.
“Sister in Law, what happened?”
Chen Fugui sighed heavily.
“Please don’t mind us. Our son was rather mischievous. He ran into the mountains one day and accidentally fell into a ravine… he… he’s gone…”
His voice caught in his throat.
Hearing those words, Jiang Hongyan felt his heart tighten.
He was a father himself. He naturally understood what parents felt.
After losing their child like that, they must have been utterly heartbroken.
“Brother Chen, Sister in Law Chen, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I shouldn’t have asked.”
Chen Fugui waved his hand.
“It has nothing to do with you. The child was too playful and ran into the mountains by himself. We also blame ourselves for not watching him properly.”
He looked down at the wooden tag.
“I carved this little wooden tag for him when he was young. The character ‘Nian’ is from his name. He was born on the first day of the Lunar New Year, so we named him Chen Nian. Now that he’s gone, his mother has kept it with her all this time, just to have something to remember him by. It’s as if he’s still by our side.”
“Brother Chen, Sister in Law Chen, please accept my condolences.”
Chen Fugui slowly composed himself before continuing.
“We will, you’ve been here for quite a few days now, so you’ve probably noticed that every meal we eat is vegetarian. It’s not because we can’t afford chickens or ducks. Raising a few wouldn’t be difficult. It’s just that ever since our son passed away, his mother and I have eaten only vegetarian food and tried to do as many good deeds as we can. We only hope to accumulate some virtue for him, so that in his next life he’ll be born into a good family. It doesn’t matter if he’s no longer our child. As long as he can live a good life, that’s enough for us.”
Hearing those words, Jiang Hongyan felt his eyes redden as he thought of his own daughter.
Once you became a parent, you gained a weakness.
You could not bear to see your child suffer, nor could you bear the thought of anything happening to them.
For any parent, such a tragedy was a devastating blow.
“Kindhearted people like you deserve happiness. I believe Nian Nian will have a wonderful life in the future.”
Chen Fugui forced a faint smile.
“He will, he certainly will. I believe Heaven is watching over us and will surely treat my child kindly.”