It was not uncommon to have melons, fruits, pears, and peaches in winter. After all, science and technology were advanced. Agricultural science and technology, such as greenhouses and soil-less cultivation, had been popularized for a long time. It was a common thing to eat watermelon when the weather was cold. Only the taste of those fruits was poorer. After all, they were fruits that were in season. The fruits Wang Yao brought were different. They were all sweet, delicious, and juicy. They were much more delicious than those seasonal fruits. This was not something that could be achieved with ordinary cultivation techniques. Besides, what kind of people were they? They must have normally had the best food, and even the best foods were not as delicious.

  “I have said that only when you see it with your own eyes can you comprehend how extraordinary Sir’s place is,” Su Xiaoxue said with a smile.

  “Well, I’ve always heard you say that,” Su Xianghua replied. “If I have the time, I’ll have to go see it.”


  He was in high position now, but he did not have the final say in where he could go in that position.

  Wang Yao did not rush back home after getting off the plane in Dao. He went to the Sun family’s house. It could have been considered as a friendly visit before the new year. The Sun family members were very happy. It was nearing the end of the year. Be it Sun Zhengrong or his son, Sun Yunsheng, they were both very busy. At this time, they were visiting people and maintaining their relationships. However, they had taken the time to push off several dinner parties and invited Wang Yao to have a meal at their home.

  Both the guests and the host enjoyed the meal. They had also invited Wang Yao to stay in Dao for another two days.

  “No, thank you. I have to deal with something else at home.” Wang Yao politely refused their kindness. The end of the year was drawing to a close, so everyone was busy.

  The Sun family arranged for a driver to take him back.

  After arriving at the mountain village, Wang Yao thanked the driver. “Thank you for your troubles.”


  Originally, he wanted to hail a cab back.

  “It’s my duty, Mr. Wang.”


  “Here, this is for you.” Wang Yao gave the driver a packet of tea leaves.

  Upon seeing that, the driver hurriedly waved his hands and said, “This, this can’t be done.” He knew a little about the relationship between the young man in front of his eyes and the Sun family. It was very good. If they were to know that he had received gifts from him, his career would be over.

  “It’s alright.” Wang Yao also knew what he was worried about. He put the tea leaves directly in the car.

  “Drive safely on the road.”


  “Oh, yes, thank you. Goodbye.”


  Both his parents were at home.

  “Is it just you?” Zhang Xiuying asked.

  “Ah, yes, Xiaoxue was going to follow me back, but I persuaded her not to,” Wang Yao said. “Her brother is on duty in the army. If she followed me, her house would be very empty. She will come after the Lunar New Year. I will pick her up then.”


  “Well, that’s true,” Zhang Xiuying said.

  Although she felt a little disappointed, she also knew that her son was right. She asked some questions son for a while, which were mainly about her future daughter-in-law’s recent situation, whether she had grown fatter or thinner, how her family had treated Wang Yao, and so on. Wang Yao replied to all of her questions with a smile.

  “Mom, put your heart in your stomach and rest assured. This daughter-in-law of yours can’t run away.”


  “Alright, alright.” Zhang Xiuying smiled and nodded.

  “Before the new year, you should also go out visiting too.”


  “Alright, I got it.”


  It was a custom for Wang Yao to go out and visit his relatives and elders whenever the new year was approaching.

  In Tianjin, thousands of miles away from the mountain village……

  “Officer Lu, Officer Yang, what are you guys doing here?” Miao Chengtang was surprised when he saw the two of them.

  “Isn’t it almost the Lunar New Year?” Yang Guanfeng asked. “We’ve come here to visit you. We’ve been quite busy the past few weeks and haven’t paid attention to you. How is it here? Are you used to living here yet?”


  “It’s OK,” Miao Tianchuan said with a smile. “In the beginning, I was not quite used to it. After a while, I have grown used to it. I’ve got a job as well.”


  “Is that so? What kind of work?”


  Miao Chengtang told them about his job, but he didn’t mention Xu Xinyuan.

  “That’s good.”


  “By the way, I’ve brought you something,” Lu Xiufeng said with a smile. “It’s $1,000. Don’t disdain it for being too little!”


  “Thank you, thank you. Thank you so much.”


  Miao Chengtang took the gift and money and asked, “By the way, is there any news about Miao Tianchuan?”


  “No. Why. Do you have news of him?”


  “No, how can I have any news of him? I’m just worried,” Miao Chengtang replied.

  “Don’t worry. He won’t know you’re here.”


  “Yes, yes.”


  Lu Xiufeng and Yang Guanfeng spent less than two hours there. On the one hand, they were there to ask him if he needed help with his life here. On the other hand, they wanted to ask if he had any news about Miao Tianchuan, but they didn’t get the information they wanted.

  “OK, that’s it then. We’ll go back now. If there’s anything, please call us right away.”


  “Yes, noted. Thank you for your concern.”


  The two of them didn’t rush to leave Tianjin. They stayed there for a couple more days. As Lu Xiufeng had said, since they were already here, they should take the opportunity to tour play and have some fun and relaxation. They had been too on guard and tired because of the investigation for a long time.

  “Where do you think Miao Tianchuan is at?”


  “He’s probably still in southern Yunnan, close the Valley of Thousands of Medicine.” Lu Xiufeng had a cigarette in his mouth as he spoke.

  “Are you sure about that?”


  “Analyzing it from a psychological point, he won’t leave that place,” Lu Xiufeng said. “Unfortunately, our strength is limited, and that guy is too dangerous. Otherwise, we should launch a large-scale investigation.”


  In a southern Yunnan town, thousands of miles away but only hundreds of miles from the Valley of Thousands of Medicine……

  In a roadside tavern, two people were sitting opposite each other. There several dishes of food on the table and a pot of wine.

  “What else do you want to do?”


  Miao Tianchuan, who had his face changed, drank a glass of wine before saying, “The new year is arriving.”


  “Yes, it’s almost the new year.”


  The new year was about to happen. The Spring Festival was just a few days away. Now, no matter where they went, they could feel the thick spirit of the Spring Festival. For example, in the town where they were, many people who were work outside the town had returned. The town, which had been relatively bleak back then, was a lot more lively. They, as two foreigners, were sticking out like a sore thumb.

  Many restaurants were closed during this period as well.

  Because they were the only ones eating there, the owner of the tavern chatted with them after serving them. “You guys are not local, are you?”


  “Ah, not really.”


  “Still outside at this time. Are you guys not going back this year?”


  “Yes, we have something going on this year, so we’re not going back,” Miao Tianchuan said.

  “Well.” The shopkeeper nodded and went to the back kitchen. He soon came out with two piping hot dishes.

  “These two are my treat.”


  “Thank you.”


  “Eat up. It’s not easy trying to survive outside,” the man said.

  Miao Tianchuan stared at the two hot dishes in front of him and didn’t speak for a long time.

  In the Valley of Thousands of Medicine……

  “Miao Chengtang’s location has been confirmed.” Miao Qingfeng reported to Miao Xihe as soon as he received the news.

  “Is he living well in Tianjin?”


  “He rented a house and found a job,” Miao Qingfeng replied. “It seems like he’s doing fine.”


  Out of nowhere, Miao Xihe suddenly sighed and said, “Yes, it’s almost the new year.”


  “Alright, let the man stay there for now. Don’t hurry to come back.”


  “Yes.”


  As the lunar new year approached, the days were going by faster. In the blink of an eye, it was the 28th of the lunar month. The Lunar New Year was two days away.

  In Tianjin, Miao Chengtang pasted a big Chinese character representing happiness and spring couplets on the doors of his rented houses.

  He was alone in a foreign land.

  Sigh!

  He sighed softly. When he was pasting those things, his heart was filled with a little bitterness and loneliness. When he was in the stockade, he was also alone but was surrounded by neighbors he knew. He also relatives and friends there. Here, he was all alone. There was no one to ask how he was, and no one to love him.

  This is all because of that damned Miao Xihe!

  Cough! Cough! Cough! He suddenly began coughing. He soon tasted a salty metallic tang in his mouth.

  Bah! He spat out a mouthful of phlegm. There were some traces of blood in it.

  He had come down with a cold the past two days. He had taken some medicine and gotten better. That morning, he had suddenly developed a racking cough.

  After fixing the Spring Festival couplet in place, he felt a little sleepy and weak. He went in and had a drink of water. He laid on the sofa and watched some television.