Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 973 - 969: A Belated Visit

The camper drove off the highway, heading along the country road toward Mayang Town.

The roadside scenery gradually transformed from expansive farmland to scattered residential houses, with a few old locust trees interspersed among the white walls and red tiles. The leaves on the branches rustled in the wind, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and crops.

Mayang Town was indeed not large. As soon as the vehicle entered the town area, the sign at its end could be seen. The whole town was built against the mountain, with a main street running through from north to south. On each side were a variety of small shops, some selling daily goods, some running small restaurants, and others displaying stalls of fresh fruits and vegetables. Occasionally, residents riding electric scooters whizzed by, exuding a lively and bustling ambience.

Gao Jianjun sat on the sofa next to the co-driver’s seat, his gaze fixed on the outside, his murky eyes filled with exploration and bewilderment.

After decades of absence, the changes in the town had long gone beyond his memory.

The dirt roads he once knew had turned into smooth cement roads, the low adobe houses had been replaced with brand-new buildings, and even the old locust trees along the street had changed locations. He tried hard to find traces of the past in his mind but felt everything in front of him was both unfamiliar and distant.

The changes were too great. Gao Jianjun had long forgotten the exact location of his comrade Ma Sanpao’s house.

Seeing this, Shen Siyuan said, "It’s okay, the town isn’t big, we can just ask someone. Your comrade’s name is Ma Sanpao, right? Considering your age, he’s been living here for over eighty years, surely the elders in town know him."

As they spoke, the vehicle passed by a grocery shop with its door open. An old man was sitting at the entrance, basking in the sun.

Shen Siyuan asked Ruan Hongzhuang to stop the car, opened the door, and walked over with a smile, asking, "Sir, may I ask about someone? Do you know Ma Sanpao? Do you know where his house is?"

The old man lifted his head, glanced at Shen Siyuan, and answered casually, "Ma Sanpao, yes, I know him, an old acquaintance! But you’ll have to go to the old town to find him, the current Mayang Town is newly built. The old town is to the west, just two miles out of town, his house is at the innermost part of the old town, with a stone mill at the entrance."

"Thank you, sir!"

Shen Siyuan quickly thanked him, turned back to the car, and shared the information with everyone.

Upon hearing this, Gao Jianjun’s eyes lit up: "Yes, yes, there is a stone mill at the entrance! How could I forget that!"

Ruan Hongzhuang smiled: "Then let’s go to the old town, we’ll make sure to get you to his doorstep."

The vehicle turned around and headed toward the old town outside Mayang.

Just after leaving the newly built Mayang Town, a row of low old houses appeared by the roadside, with green-tiled earthen walls, corn, and chilies hanging under the eaves, exuding a rustic charm.

At this moment, Gao Jianjun suddenly widened his eyes and excitedly pointed to a middle-aged man riding a tricycle by the roadside, his voice trembling slightly: "San Dunzi, is that Ma Sanpao’s third son?"

The middle-aged man was wearing a gray jacket, riding a tricycle, pedaling slowly forward.

But the RV’s soundproofing was too good, Gao Jianjun’s shouts couldn’t be heard outside.

He was too anxious and stood up abruptly, trying to move toward the car door: "Miss, could you stop the car for a moment? That’s Ma Sanpao’s third son, I’ve seen him."

Sitting behind Gao Jianjun, Taozi quickly supported him, fearing he might fall accidentally, while also swiftly rolling down the window, shouting to the middle-aged man outside: "Sir, wait a moment! Please stop for a second!"

The middle-aged man heard the shout, stopped his tricycle in confusion, turned his head, and looked at Taozi, who was poking her head out of the luxury RV, with a puzzled expression.

He really couldn’t understand why such a pretty young lady would call out to him when he didn’t even know her.

Luckily, by this time, Ruan Hongzhuang had already parked the vehicle steadily by the roadside, and turned on the hazard lights.

As soon as the door opened, Gao Jianjun couldn’t wait to stride out, his mood overly excited and due to the RV’s height, he stumbled when getting off, his body pitching forward, about to fall.

Following right behind him, Shen Siyuan reached out to hold Gao Jianjun’s arm steadily, and said with concern, "Sir, take it easy, no rush!"

But Gao Jianjun couldn’t care less about this at the moment; he forcefully broke free of Shen Siyuan’s hold and walked quickly toward the middle-aged man, his steps a bit wobbly but with an urgency that couldn’t be stopped.

He approached the middle-aged man, looking him over from head to toe, his gaze full of hope, his voice carrying a slight tremor as he asked, "You are Ma Sanpao’s third son, San Dunzi, right?"

The middle-aged man froze for a moment, carefully observing the elderly man in front of him.

The elderly man was white-haired, with a face full of wrinkles, and a thin figure, but the expression in his eyes seemed eerily familiar.

After pondering slightly for a moment, his memory seemed to awaken, and an expression of surprise appeared on his face: "Are you... Uncle Gao?"

"Ah! It’s me! It’s me!" As soon as Gao Jianjun heard that the man recognized him, his face broke into a radiant smile, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out, making him appear several years younger.

"San Dunzi, it’s really you! It’s been so many years, but you haven’t changed a bit."

Ma Sandun also smiled, scratching his head: "Uncle Gao, you really know how to jest, I’m nearly fifty now, no longer a young man, have aged so much. But you, it’s been so many years, still so vigorous, walking with such energy!"

Gao Jianjun waved his hand, his smile gradually waning, with a tone of sentiment: "No, I’m getting old, each year worse than the last. I heard from people back home that he was ill, I’d meant to visit him earlier but never found the time until now when I can still move around, I rushed to see him, afraid there won’t be another chance..."

As he spoke, he instinctively patted the plastic bag he was holding, which contained special gifts he brought for his old comrade. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Ma Sandun, hearing this, responded in a somewhat somber tone: "Uncle Gao, my dad has already passed away."

Gao Jianjun’s smile froze instantly, his whole being standing there like he had been cast with an immobilization spell, his eyes wide open, unable to believe his ears.

His body trembled slightly, his lips moved, but he couldn’t utter a single word, his once lively eyes turning empty and bewildered, as if all his essence energy had been drained out.

"Uncle Gao..."

Seeing him like this, Ma Sandun also felt uncomfortable, softly calling out, jumping off his tricycle, and approaching Gao Jianjun, intending to support him.

The call of "Uncle Gao" jolted Gao Jianjun out of his shock.

He suddenly came back to his senses, his eyes fixed on Ma Sandun, his voice trembling: "Wh... when did he pass? How could he just go like that?"

"The year before last." Ma Sanpao said.

"I... I heard he was ill, did he not pull through?" Gao Jianjun asked.

"Yeah, he passed within just a few months," Ma Sandun said.

Upon hearing this, Gao Jianjun sighed deeply, his eyes filled with loss: "Then... then I’ll go pay my respects at his grave, at least... at least I can say I’ve come to see him."

"Alright, I’ll lead the way in front, you follow my tricycle." Ma Sandun said.

He assumed Shen Siyuan and the others were Gao Jianjun’s juniors.

At this moment, Gao Jianjun also snapped out of it, hurriedly explaining to Ma Sandun: "These are kind people we met along the way, thanks to them, I’ve saved a lot of effort."

Shen Siyuan appropriately explained the series of events, and Ma Sandun, having understood, expressed his gratitude to Shen Siyuan, then assisted Gao Jianjun onto his tricycle.

"Young man, thank you." As Gao Jianjun boarded, he once again thanked Shen Siyuan.

"You’re welcome, just on the way." Shen Siyuan replied.

"Goodbye."

Gao Jianjun waved to Shen Siyuan, and to those in the vehicle, and by this time, Ma Sandun was already cycling ahead, yet Gao Jianjun’s arm remained raised.

For some reason, Shen Siyuan felt a trace of sadness in the air.