In the courtyard, everyone is afraid of the little boy who is so smart!

The cold wind in the Great Northern Wilderness cuts on the face like a knife, making the dead grass on the roadside rustle, as if humming the bleakness of winter.

Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo's moods were just like the gloomy weather. They walked quickly towards the guard room with a lot on their minds.

Along the way, Zhao Shuzhuo tightened his cotton coat, frowned, and muttered:

"Where has Uncle Zhang been these days? Normally he never runs around, he just guards our little piece of land in the Great Northern Wilderness. Now he's nowhere to be found, maybe something has happened to him."

Wang Jianguo also looked worried, and he walked faster, saying:

"Yeah, I'm also worried. Uncle Zhang has been here for decades. He suddenly disappeared. There must be something fishy. We must go to the guard room and ask Zhang Lei."

Soon, the two arrived at the door of the guard room. The door of the guard room was half-open, swaying gently with the whistling cold wind, making a "creaking" sound.

The two of them pushed the door open and entered, and the scene inside the house came into view:

I saw Zhang Lei sitting alone in front of the somewhat worn wooden table. The room was dimly lit, with only a small window letting in some light, as if a weak lamp was lit in this cold space.

Zhang Lei held his cheek with one hand and flipped through a slightly yellowed newspaper with the other hand out of boredom.

The paper of the newspaper has become brittle under the erosion of time. Every time a page is turned, a slight rustling sound is made, as if telling the vicissitudes and stories of time.

Hearing the noise outside, Zhang Lei stood up instinctively as if a spring had been triggered, quickly straightened his back, and raised his hand to salute in a standard military salute.

The movements were crisp and clear, and it was obvious that they were habits developed through long-term rigorous training. Even in this cold and lonely guard room, his military demeanor was not diminished at all.

Just as he was about to speak, he looked closely through the dim light and a smile of surprise instantly broke out on his face. It was Wang Jianguo!

"Comrade Jianguo, Comrade Shuzhuo, it's you!"

Zhang Lei said excitedly, his voice revealing undisguised joy, and strode forward to meet him.

"You left after the Chinese New Year. It was a long time ago. Comrade Cheng Hai and the other two comrades are back."

"I asked them, and they said it would take a few days for you to come back. I waited here every day, and I thought you would never come back."

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Wang Jianguo's shoulder vigorously, his eyes full of joy of reunion, as if the dim guard room was brighter because of his enthusiasm.

Wang Jianguo was slightly stunned by Zhang Lei's sudden enthusiasm, then he smiled and responded:

"Zhang Lei, long time no see, we are back!"

But as soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to have caught a key word in Zhang Lei's words, frowned slightly, and asked in confusion:

"Also? Who else isn't coming back?"

When Zhang Lei heard Wang Jianguo's question, the smile on his face instantly disappeared like an eggplant hit by frost, and was replaced by a look of depression and helplessness.

He lowered his head slightly and was silent for a moment, as if trying to organize his words, and then he slowly said:

"Yes... it's Uncle Zhang."

Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo looked at each other, their hearts tightened, and Wang Jianguo asked anxiously:

"What happened to Uncle Zhang? Did something happen to him?"

Zhang Lei's voice was a little hoarse, with a hint of unspeakable sadness.

"A few days before the Chinese New Year, Uncle Zhang received a letter from his son. You may not know that Uncle Zhang's hands were shaking violently when he opened the letter."

"The letter said that his grandson was sick, with a high fever that wouldn't go away. He was confused and talking nonsense from time to time. Grandpa Zhang was so distressed that his eyes suddenly turned red. That was his sweetheart."

"That night, he didn't even have time to pack his luggage properly, and he left in a hurry."

Zhao Shuzhuo couldn't help but interject, "What happened next? How was Mr. Zhang's situation after he returned?"

Zhang Lei paused for a moment, raised his head, looked at the gray sky outside the window, and continued:

"We all thought that since Uncle Zhang did this every year, he would definitely come back after the Chinese New Year. After all, the Great Northern Wilderness was where he had stayed for decades."

"He has deep feelings for this place. As a result, a few days ago, we received a letter from Uncle Zhang. Sigh..."

Having said that, Zhang Lei sighed deeply, his eyes full of regret and sympathy.

"The letter said that his son and daughter-in-law quarreled every day because no one was looking after the child. The quarrels were so intense that they were even about to get a divorce."

"Uncle Zhang is caught in the middle, in a dilemma. He has no choice but to stay at home to look after his grandson, so... he won't come anymore."

Zhao Shuzhuo said in surprise:

"What? Why is it so sudden? Why is Mr. Zhang's son like this? He didn't even give us a chance to say goodbye. We didn't even say goodbye to Mr. Zhang properly. Before the New Year, we had agreed to come visit Mr. Zhang after the New Year."

His eyes were slightly red, and his voice was filled with deep loss and reluctance. Thinking of how Uncle Zhang cared for everyone on weekdays, those warm scenes flashed in his mind like a movie:

In the cold winter, Uncle Zhang would bring everyone hot roasted sweet potatoes to warm their hands and stomachs; during the busy farming season, he was always the first to appear in the fields, teaching young people how to do farm work and passing on his experience.

Now, Uncle Zhang has passed away suddenly because of family changes. How can we not feel empty inside?

Wang Jianguo heard what Zhang Lei said, and combined it with what Uncle Zhang had said before, that his son wanted him to return home.

Wang Jianguo guessed that Uncle Zhang’s son didn’t want Uncle Zhang to stay here any longer, but no matter what the reason was, it was someone else’s family affair and they had no right to interfere.

Wang Jianguo pulled the corner of Zhao Shuzhuo's clothes and said softly:

"Brother Shuzhuo, Grandpa Zhang is old, and his son is worried about him. After all, he is alone here, and if he has a headache or fever, there is no family around. Besides, it is right for him to go home to see his grandson, and we have no right to interfere."

"Zhang Lei, do you have the address of Uncle Zhang's hometown? When I went to the city, I bought him some local specialties and tea. I wanted to give them to him, but now I can't. If you have the address, I can send it to him."

Wang Jianguo's eyes revealed helplessness and regret, and his hand unconsciously touched the bag of local specialties beside him.

Zhang Lei quickly replied:

"Yes, yes. When Master Zhang wrote to me, there was an address on the envelope. Wait, I'll get it for you."

Having said that, Zhang Lei turned and walked to the table, starting to rummage through the drawer.