After the training ended,

Chen Wen took the high-speed train to attend the reunion of the island brothers.

The gathering went smoothly, and Chen Wen had a lively time with these long-lost brothers.

But after the excitement, everyone still went back to their own homes.

Chen Wen thought about it and decided to go back to his hometown.

Yet, after being away for several years, upon returning, Chen Wen felt as if his hometown had changed.

The familiar houses had almost disappeared, replaced by beautifully built small villas.

The familiar faces had also become quite unfamiliar, with many new ones added.

Many of the neighbors from back then didn't linger their gaze upon seeing Chen Wen.

Instead, it was like seeing a stranger.

Only a few elders gave him a second look, but only after Chen Wen had walked some distance away, they whispered about whose child he was.

He seemed familiar, but they couldn't remember.

Listening to the discussions behind him, Chen Wen tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Sigh, this pair of ears can finally gather secret intel from the village's fifth military intelligence office."

He said powerlessly, and then he saw a familiar house ahead.

Though the house was now dilapidated.

The familiar red iron gate was also rusty.

"Well, this is completely abandoned."

Chen Wen glanced inside the gate, but didn't go in.

The house had already been emptied, and there was nothing inside worth remembering.

Just as Chen Wen was about to leave,

a sneaky little kid came over.

"Hey, where are you from? Are you here to see my dad?"

The kid asked bluntly.

Chen Wen laughed: "Who is your dad? Why would I come to see him?"

The kid pouted: "My dad is a big professor! Every year around this time, young people like you come to give gifts, but you're at the wrong place, my house is over there."

Hearing this, Chen Wen chuckled: "I'm not your dad's student, I live here."

Live here?

The kid looked at Chen Wen as if he had seen a ghost: "You're lying, I've grown up here and have never seen you!"

Chen Wen sat on the steps in front of the door and turned his head to look at the kid: "How old are you?"

"Four!"

"Four... I left six years ago, it's normal that you haven't seen me."

Chen Wen smiled and said: "I left here two years before you were born, so how could you have seen me?"

The kid shook his head: "Then of course I wouldn't see you, but why did you leave home?"

"Why? The home was gone."

Chen Wen suddenly remembered a line: "I once studied a poem in school, called 'Children greet without recognizing...'"

"Smilingly ask where the guest comes from!"

The kid eagerly responded: "I just learned to recite this poem!"

"Do you know what it means?"

Chen Wen asked.

The kid picked at the little mud spots on his shoes, honestly shook his head.

"It means, a poor fellow returns home, only to meet a local child. The child sees him but doesn't recognize him, and smilingly asks him where he is from."

"Hey, wasn't that what I just asked you?"

"Yes, I am that poor fellow, and you are the child in the poem."

"Wow, is this poem about the two of us? That's so cool!"

"It's indeed cool, but I feel like a little kid is about to get a spanking."

Chen Wen laughed and stood up, brushing the dust off his pants.

In the distance, a somewhat familiar, rotund figure was carrying a broom in a menacing way as she approached.

The mud-spotted kid saw the middle-aged woman and shrunk his head, planning to hide behind Chen Wen.

"You unlucky child! Get over here! I already saw you!"

The middle-aged woman shouted fiercely: "I'll count to three! One!"

Before she could reach two, the kid jumped up: "I'm coming out!"

Chen Wen gently picked the kid up and said: "Third Aunt, your temper is still that explosive?"

He used the local dialect, making the middle-aged woman surprised: "Are you... Xiao Wen?"

Chen Wen nodded cheerfully: "Is this kid one you had later? He looks like he'll go far."

The middle-aged woman laughed at his words: "What go far, he's just a naughty boy. Look at his clothes, I just changed them today, and he made them so dirty."

Saying so, she seemed to notice the somewhat dilapidated old house behind Chen Wen.

The middle-aged woman paused: "Xiao Wen, are you planning to stay for a few days this time?"

Chen Wen waved his hand: "Not staying, just came back for a look."

After saying this, he took the kid to the neighbor, the third aunt.

Chen Wen said: "I'm leaving, Third Aunt, teach the kid well, no need for the broom."

The middle-aged woman was a bit anxious: "Hey, Xiao Wen, why are you leaving so quickly? Come to Third Aunt's house to eat something before you go, don't go back hungry."

"No need, no need, a friend invited me out to eat."

Chen Wen waved his hand, bidding farewell to the neighbor of bygone days.

The middle-aged woman watched as Chen Wen's figure grew further away, not knowing what to say.

After a moment, she just sighed: "Xiao Wen suffered a lot back then, but seeing how he's doing now, it seems he's doing well, and that's a relief."

Turning back to see her own mud-spotted child,

The middle-aged woman suddenly felt a burst of anger, and the broom soundly hit the child: "Mischievous! I told you not to be mischievous!"

Accompanied by the child's cries, Chen Wen knew, a complete childhood had been born.

...

Leaving his hometown, Chen Wen took a ride share, planning to return to the city.

The driver seemed to be busy with calls.

They were mostly from his wife, urging him to buy dumpling skins.

The driver replied somewhat impatiently, then apologized with a glance at Chen Wen: "Sigh, women have this flaw, they like to nag, young man going to the city at this time, what are you planning to do?"

Chen Wen listened to the accent and smiled: "Driver, you're from the Central Plains, but what brings you here?"

"Oh, Central Plains people are like dandelions, working everywhere across the country. I found a wife; she's from here, and since there's no one back home, we settled here."

The driver's description made Chen Wen tug slightly at his mouth.

"Well, I suppose I should learn from the wisdom of Central Plains people and see if I can find a place to settle."

Chen Wen said with a smile.

The driver glanced at the spot and smiled: "Youngsters, it's good to move around a lot, I'll drop you off a bit earlier, it's a small New Year, young people like you should save where you can."

Saying this, the driver completed the trip early.

As he got off, the driver cheerfully said: "Young man, happy small New Year!"

"Hmm, happy to you too."

Chen Wen waved and walked toward the pre-booked hotel.

This was the only place he could temporarily settle.

In the regular hotel room, Chen Wen ordered some takeout, looking at the buzz on social media for the small New Year.

There was a constant feeling of annoyance in his heart.

Fortunately, today's society has many ways to distract oneself, and scrolling through Douyin for a while, Chen Wen successfully rid himself of that stifling feeling.

However, after a while, a message suddenly popped up on Chen Wen's phone.

It was from Hua Yun, asking where Chen Wen was.

Chen Wen replied: [I'm near my hometown, what's up?]

Hua Yun replied: [Nothing much, heard from Lin Jiawei that he wanted to invite you to his place for New Year, did you not go?]

[Not in the mood for the fuss, I'll just find a place to spend New Year myself]

[Alright, anyway, the New Year feeling is getting weaker and weaker, whether you celebrate or not, it's just switching places to play with your phone]

Hua Yun complained a bit.

Chen Wen smiled slightly.

In any case, being cared for is a wonderful feeling.

[Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll just go eat]

Chen Wen replied, waiting for the takeout to arrive.

But it wasn't long before a new message popped up on Chen Wen's phone unexpectedly.

It was from a person he hadn't expected.

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