Three days later is the day we made an appointment with Professor Su, waiting is always filled with anxiety and unease, if the answer is that there is a general named Shi Gandang, then what should it be? Is it excitement? I think that should be a more appropriate fear.

  The heavy historical documents sealed with dust are the past. Reopening them and walking into them again, people will find that everything is actually a cycle...

  Professor Su told us with certainty that there was indeed such a person in history. On the table lay an old Song Dynasty book, "The Old Book of Tang", which was a printed edition written by the famous literary figure Ouyang Xiu. It recorded many biographies of people from the Tang Dynasty. At this moment, the book was right in front of me. Professor Su pointed with his wooden ruler and said: "It's here, Shi Qing, courtesy name Gandang, a rare talent in the world, able to hold up a stone drum on his shoulders, with the strength of Xiang Yu. Orphaned at a young age, without a clear family background, he joined the army of Li Ji, the Grand Marshal of Liaodong, at the age of 24, and made great contributions in the battles against Goguryeo. In the fourth year of the Qianyuan era, he was appointed as the General of Huaihua, guarding the two passes to pacify the northern desert."

  "Was it during the Gaozong era?"

  Professor Su replied to me: "From the above, it is indeed true that during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, there was a person named Shi Gandang who was stationed in Dunhuang to defend against the invasion of northern nomadic tribes. The 'Old Book of Tang' as a historical document has a high degree of credibility, and as a third-grade military general, it is unlikely that he would be fabricated out of thin air. Adding this unearthed Tang knife, it can basically match."

  "Then is there any record of some other information about him, such as his writings or literature?"

  "There is none, this person's information is only seen in this Tang book. In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, such figures are everywhere. To find the traces of people from a thousand years ago, unless... " He paused and looked at us: "Unless more data about him is unearthed."

  Cha Wenbin said: "I think Professor Su must also be very curious why I have been looking for information about this person all along?"

  Su Qing's face revealed a hint of disdain as she said, "In order to sell for a better price, aren't you people all like this?"

  "I have a friend whose name happens to be the same as the one engraved on this sword, also called Shigandang." Cha Wenbin calmly began telling that somewhat unbelievable story. When he got to the part where he woke up alone in that coffin, I saw his eyes twitch slightly at the corners.

  Su Qing listened and thought it was amazing, but then asked: "Is that Gu Qinghe, the professor from Stanford University?"

  "According to what my friend said, how did Professor Su know him too?"

  Su Qing said excitedly: "He is an internationally renowned sinologist and a frequent visitor to Sino-US cultural exchanges. I once had the good fortune to see him, if what you say is true, I will report it to the organization, this is a very significant discovery!"

  "Stop." I hastily pressed down the old man who was about to rush into the office to make a phone call, and persuaded him: "Professor Su, there are many things that can't be made public. You've been in this line of work for so many years, you must have heard something?"

  But little did I know that Su Qing would turn her face faster than turning a book, and she shook off my arm saying: "A pack of nonsense! How could Gu Qinghe, a university student, do something so shameful? I think it's you few people who are fabricating rumors on purpose. I must report this matter."

  Cha Wenbin walked quietly up to me and said, "Let him hit you."

  Two days ago, Cha Wenbin made a phone call when he was in Nanhu Township. I didn't know who was on the other end of the line, nor did I know what they were talking about. I wondered who this rustic person would be contacting by phone? Soon I had an answer. A few minutes later, Su Qing came out of the house with a bitter expression, constantly sizing up the young man in front of him. He couldn't understand why his respected leader would scold him severely, only to instruct him to cooperate fully with this young man named Cha Wenbin.

  Who is he? What's his background? Su Qing was just a student, but that didn't mean he didn't understand what politics were. He had to start all over again to recognize this matter...

  "Professor Su." It was Cha Wenbin who broke the awkward silence, asking: "Is it possible, I'm just saying it's possible, aside from coincidence, that the original owner of this knife and that friend who mysteriously disappeared are the same person?"

  "Impossible!" Su Qing said resolutely: "Young people must respect and believe in science. If modern people can really go back to ancient times, wouldn't history be all messed up?"

  Zha Wenbin said somewhat discontentedly, "That can only be called a coincidence." After speaking, he wanted to take us away, but Professor Su shouted from behind, "Wait!"

  He turned back and said, "The top has instructed me to support you. I don't care who you are. In short, I advise you not to do anything illegal. Within the scope of policy, you can come to me at any time."

  "Thank you! Goodbye!"

  In that era, the street stall literature mostly told stories of Jianghu like Seven Heroes and Five Gallants, it was the world of Gu Long and Jin Yong, far from having as many elements as modern fast food literature, let alone things like time travel. So, both Cha Wenbin and I thought this might just be a coincidence, Cha Wenbin is a Taoist but also believes in science, he also knows that time cannot be reversed, so even if the fat kid disappeared, it's absolutely impossible for him to return to the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago, it's better to say that this is just a miraculous coincidence.

  There have been some developments in the matter of Jiang's family, after all, Zhu Zihao returned as a Hong Kong businessman under the pretext of visiting relatives, and the local government attaches great importance to it, so with the cooperation of several departments, there is finally a clue.

  That afternoon, when we returned to Nanhu, there were already people waiting in the countryside. As soon as we got off the car, we were pulled into the house by Director Xu. Inside the house was an old man with white hair, whose protruding cheekbones and sunken cheeks told me that he was nearly 70 years old, but his eyes were particularly bright.

  As soon as they entered the house, Xu Xiangzhang eagerly began to introduce: "Hu Genglin is 91 years old this year. He knows some things about Mr. Zhu's hometown."

  Zhu Zihao stepped forward and shook hands with him, saying: "Old sir, hello!"

  The old man saw Zhu Zihao and choked with sobs, holding Zhu Zihao's hand and trembling: "Young master? Are you the young master?"

  Zhu Zihao was also confused by this sudden call, and he turned his head to look at Xu Xiangzhang with some bewilderment: "What's going on?"

  "Come, let me introduce him. He was the servant of the Jiang family back then. When your grandmother got married, he was only 7 or 8 years old and was a shepherd boy for the Jiang family. Now he lives in Guojia Bao Township."

  The old man excitedly asked while pulling Zhu Zihao: "Young master, are you really the grandson of the young lady?"

  "I am..." Zhu Zihao turned around to look at Cha Wenbin, who gestured for him to continue. He said: "I am Jiang Yu's grandson, do you know my grandmother?"

  Who would have thought that old man Hu actually burst into tears and knelt down on the ground, fortunately Zhu Zihao pulled him up in time.

  "Oh dear, young master, you've finally returned! I'm ashamed of not fulfilling the old master's entrustment!"

  Although Old Hu is advanced in years, his mind and speech are still clear. It turned out that after Jiang Yu got married and left home for no more than three years, the Japanese came to attack, and this area of Gansu was also plagued by bandits. The Jiang family was considered a wealthy household at the time, with grain and money, and naturally became the target of looting. After several rounds of resistance, Old Man Jiang decided to take his family to flee and avoid disaster, leaving only a few servants in charge of taking care of the family business. Hu Genglin was just a ten-year-old boy at the time, who had been herding for the Jiang family for a living, and was one of the people left behind.

  Mr. Jiang had originally planned to take his family to Taiyuan first, but unexpectedly encountered a group of bandits halfway, and the Jiang family members were either dead or injured. By the time Mr. Jiang returned home, he was barely clinging to life.

  In the six months that the family fled, the few remaining servants of the Jiang family also colluded to sell off all the valuable things in the Jiang family and ran away with the money. Only Hu Genglin felt that his master had treated him well and insisted on not leaving. So when Old Master Jiang returned, only he was left as company.

  Less than half a year later, Old Man Jiang passed away. On his deathbed, he entrusted Hu Genglin to bury him properly and tell Miss when she returned where his grave was. However, another year went by, the civil war broke out, and Hu Genglin was conscripted by the Nationalist Party, drifting outside for many years, narrowly escaping death several times. When he finally returned, the Jiang family's old mansion had been razed to the ground, and even Old Man Jiang's grave had been dug up, all because of rumors that the wealthy Jiang family still had valuable treasures buried with them, as the saying goes, "a dead camel is bigger than a horse".

  "Not even a complete skeleton was found!" Speaking to the painful spot, Hu Ganglin burst into tears again, holding Zhu Zihao's hand and saying: "I owe it to my father, now you can finally come back, I also have an account for him."

  At the foot of that Longshou Mountain, on that day we camped just a few hundred meters away from here. At the foot of the mountain, there was an inconspicuous small mound, and in front of the mound, there was a wooden board-like tombstone. The inscription on the tombstone had long been unclear, and it was difficult to make out only the character "姜" (Jiang). Hu Genglin said that this was the burial site of Old Man Jiang, who had collected some scattered bones and reburied them at the original site.

  Zhu Zihao knelt down and kowtowed, burning incense and offering wine. A round of inexplicable wailing was considered a recognition of their relationship. County Magistrate Xu was also delighted, thinking that this merchant's wish had been fulfilled and he would no longer run away.

  Back in the countryside, Zhu Zihao insisted on treating everyone to dinner that night. Several people came to a restaurant on the street and treated Hu Genglin as an honored guest. Now that they had found the person, the real purpose of this trip to visit relatives had just begun...