Chapter 41: The Treasure Chest

Yuan Ye simply smiled, then suddenly shifted the topic and said, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll head to the office to see what’s really going on!”

“Alright, you go. The old man looked deeply preoccupied today—he probably already knows, too,” Lin Chuan nodded, his expression growing grave.

“Okay, you get some sleep. I’m off now,” Yuan Ye sighed heavily, waved, and turned to leave.

Watching the back of his childhood friend, Lin Chuan suddenly realized that Yuan Ye seemed to have matured all at once.

…

The first night home was uneventful.

The next morning, Lin Chuan rose early. As he stepped out of his room, he saw that Yuan Ye and the old man had already tidied up and were about to leave for work.

“Xiao Chuan, you’re up at just the right time. Breakfast is in the kitchen. You and Yangyang eat together later—I have to run to the office,” the old man said, smiling warmly.

“No choice, I have to go in too. You two are on your own,” Yuan Ye shrugged helplessly.

On the surface, they seemed calm, yet each harbored his own concerns.

Lin Chuan smiled, saying little.

This morning, he planned to take Lin Yiyang back to the old house. After all these years, he wondered what it had become.

One thing was certain, though: the old house still stood.

After much effort, he managed to wake Lin Yiyang, and after a brief breakfast, the two hurried out.

They flagged down a cab by the roadside, stated their destination, and the driver took off with a press of the accelerator.

A dozen minutes later, the taxi pulled into a cluster of red-brick walk-up buildings. These three-story blocks were of the old style, and those still living here were mostly elderly people unwilling to leave.

After paying the fare, father and son stepped out.

Gazing at the rows of aging buildings, Lin Yiyang frowned slightly and asked, “Dad, where is this? Where are we going?”

“This is where I lived as a child,” Lin Chuan replied, looking around at the familiar scene, his heart brimming with emotion.

Everything was just as he’d left it, unchanged in the slightest.

The buildings stood in neat rows. From afar, he could see clean laundry and dried vegetables hanging from the balconies. Now and then, an elderly person with a basket, seemingly on their way to the market, would pass by, giving Lin Chuan a curious glance.

It was hardly surprising—nearly everyone here knew each other, and a stranger stood out.

They wandered for quite some time. At every familiar spot, Lin Chuan would pause as if reliving moments from his childhood.

Not far from the buildings, a foul-smelling ditch ran by. In years past, its stench was a constant source of complaints among the residents. Now, although the odor lingered, it was much fainter—one might not notice it at all unless searching for it.

Unwittingly, Lin Chuan led Lin Yiyang to a halt before one of the buildings.

This was where he had once lived.

“It hasn’t changed, just grown older,” Lin Chuan said with a nostalgic smile, his eyes reflecting the memories.

“Dad, you used to live here?” Lin Yiyang asked, peering around with curiosity.

“Yes. Want to go up and see?” Lin Chuan smiled gently.

“Yes,” Lin Yiyang replied decisively.

Together, father and son entered the building. They climbed to the third floor and stopped before a door clad in sheet metal—his old home.

Lin Chuan took out a key, just about to unlock the door, when the neighbor’s door opened. An elderly woman, hair white as snow, holding a metal tray, stepped out. She paused in surprise when she saw Lin Chuan.

“Young man, are you looking for someone?” she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Granny Li, don’t you recognize me?” Lin Chuan smiled as he greeted her.

“You… you’re… Xiao Chuan?” Granny Li’s eyes widened in disbelief, her voice trembling.

Granny Li was known for her kindness. Back when Lin Chuan was in middle school, her husband had passed away, and with her children away, she lived alone. Being neighbors, she and Lin Chuan’s grandmother were close—whenever one had something good to eat, they’d always think of the other.

Now, after so many years, Granny Li was stooped, her face deeply lined, her hair now entirely white.

She seemed deeply moved, blinking back tears as she nodded repeatedly. After a while, she managed to say, “Good, so good—it’s wonderful that you’ve come home…”

Then her gaze fell on Lin Yiyang, and she paused in astonishment.

Lin Yiyang, ever polite, grinned and called, “Hello, Granny!”

“Xiao Chuan, this child… is he yours?” Granny Li asked incredulously.

To her, Lin Chuan himself was still a child, and yet, suddenly, he was a father. Time had slipped by, life had changed, all without anyone noticing.

Overcome with emotion, Granny Li grabbed Lin Chuan and Lin Yiyang, trying to usher them into her home. Only after much persuasion did Lin Chuan manage to decline.

He felt he ought to see his own old home before anything else.

He unlocked the door, and a musty dampness greeted him—a house long uninhabited.

The entrance was a small kitchen, not large, with pots and pans still sitting on the counter, exactly as before.

Beyond was a narrow corridor, barely wide enough for one person, with a bathroom to the side.

At the end of the hallway was the bedroom, with a small adjoining room that had been Lin Chuan’s.

Nothing inside had changed—the furnishings were just as he’d left them, not a single item moved. Though a thin layer of dust covered everything, it was clear someone had been cleaning regularly. That someone could only be Yuan Ye.

Seeing these familiar things, Lin Chuan’s eyes reddened. In this moment, the image of his grandmother seemed to reappear in the room.

When Lin Chuan was still an infant, his parents died in an accident, leaving his grandmother to raise him alone. The old woman had little education, barely literate. In her younger days, to earn a bit more, she’d done men’s work in the factory, earning the respect even of the burliest men.

When she grew older and could no longer handle heavy labor, she took in mending, sewing for the neighbors to earn a little for groceries.

When Lin Chuan was in high school, for reasons unknown, she began to learn to read. He often saw her then, wearing her reading glasses, sitting by the window, book in hand, laboriously pronouncing each word with great concentration.

Scenes like this flashed through Lin Chuan’s mind like a movie. So many memories came back vividly; tears streamed down his cheeks.

“Dad!” Lin Yiyang, not understanding why, saw his father crying for the first time in his memory. Instinctively, his own eyes filled with tears.

Lin Chuan quickly wiped his face, forced a smile, and said, “Come on, let’s see Dad’s old room.”

Lin Yiyang, though uncertain, nodded and held back his tears.

They entered Lin Chuan’s childhood room—small, containing little more than a single bed. Posters of cartoon characters and pop stars covered the walls.

Lin Chuan looked around, then crouched and pulled out a square wooden box from under the bed.

This had once been his treasured “treasure chest.”

Lin Yiyang stared at the box, transfixed.

With a mysterious smile, Lin Chuan blew the dust off the lid and opened it. Inside were all the toys of his childhood, along with trophies won from others—like a plastic toy gun, crude by today’s standards, but once his most prized possession. There was also a hoard of marbles, won through countless games.

Lin Chuan took out each item, recalling the pride each had once brought him.

As a little boy, Lin Yiyang was captivated by these “treasures,” turning them over and over in his hands.

“Dad, can I have these?” he asked.

“Of course. This was Dad’s treasure chest as a child. From today on, it’s yours. You must pass it down, to your son, your grandson, your great-grandson—keep it safe, understand?” Lin Chuan said with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll keep them safe,” Lin Yiyang replied, hugging the treasure chest solemnly to his chest.

After looking around the room once more, just as Lin Chuan was about to leave, his phone rang. It was Yuan Ye.

“Hey, Xiao Chuan, where are you? Never mind, wherever you are, get to the TV station right now—we need your help!” Yuan Ye blurted out before Lin Chuan could speak.

“What’s happened? Calm down and tell me,” Lin Chuan said, frowning.

“There’s no time to explain. Oh, and the old man has gone home. Take Yangyang back, then come over as soon as you can. Hurry!”

With that, Yuan Ye hung up.

Listening to the busy signal, Lin Chuan could only shake his head helplessly and smile wryly.