Chapter 131: Having you is Uncle Wei's good fortune!

After Zhou Sinian finished speaking, he did not continue immediately, but instead sat on the sofa, lost in his own world of memories.

He felt an inexplicable familiarity with the phrase "little bastard" on the note. In his fragmented memories, someone often called him that. Coupled with the subsequent line, "Your hands are too heavy!", he immediately thought of the man he had seen in the county seat, the man addressed as Mayor Wei. Even now, when he tried to recall that man's face, it remained blurred, but the voice paired with the words "little bastard" felt somewhat familiar.

Ming Dai sat quietly, not rushing him, waiting for him to sort through his thoughts bit by bit. As time slowly slipped away, Zhou Sinian finally looked up.

"Ming Dai, I know the person who sent these things. It’s Mayor Wei, whom I met in the county seat. When I went to the county last time, I visited him in the middle of the night. Uh, I might have been a bit heavy-handed when I knocked him out, so he probably sent these things."

Ming Dai: "???"

"How many things have you done behind my back while I was asleep?! That is a mayor!! Not only did you go to visit him in the middle of the night, you even knocked him unconscious?!!"

Ming Dai took a deep breath and asked bit by bit, "How are you so sure it was him? Ever since you came to the countryside, you've been invincible in the Red Flag Commune."

Zhou Sinian bit his lower lip and shook his head slowly. "It’s him. I’m familiar with his voice; he used to call me 'little bastard'."

Ming Dai asked, "Is 'little bastard' your childhood nickname?" *No way, right? How desperate would his parents have to be to give him such a nickname?*

Zhou Sinian rolled his eyes at her. "My childhood nickname is Niannian. My mother called me Niannian."

Ming Dai's eyes widened. "You even remembered your mother?!"

Zhou Sinian shook his head slowly. "I don't have a clear impression, but I vaguely remember someone calling me that—a very gentle female voice."

Ming Dai felt a pang of disappointment but comforted him, "It's okay, maybe you'll remember more later."

Zhou Sinian nodded at her with trust. "Mm, Ming Dai, I believe you can cure me!"

Ming Dai’s heart melted. There was no helping it; the "Mother Ming" filter was impossible to shake off.

Zhou Sinian picked up the envelope. "I should call Mayor Wei 'Uncle Wei'."

"Your biological uncle? Is your grandfather's surname Wei?"

Zhou Sinian struggled to think. "I don't think so. I remember it wasn't Wei, but I can't recall the specifics. I just remember there was a large courtyard with many people—adults and children. Mayor Wei was there too. I called him Uncle Wei, and he even took me horseback riding. It’s just..."

Zhou Sinian looked at Ming Dai uncertainly. "I remember he was wearing a military uniform back then. Why is he a mayor now?"

Ming Dai spread her hands. "I have even less of an idea."

Zhou Sinian picked at the envelope. "Before you arrived, I think I used to receive a package like this every year, mostly cooked food. It was probably him as well. Maybe this year, because you're here, he sent other things along with money and ration coupons."

Ming Dai took the letter paper from his hand and unfolded it. "He probably wants me to look after you. But if he cares about you, why doesn't he come to see you directly? Why write a letter, and use characters cut out from a newspaper at that?"

Zhou Sinian thought for a moment. "He’s probably afraid of exposure. If the package were intercepted, someone might trace the font back to him." He bit his lip. "He must be under surveillance. Contacting me might bring trouble to both of us."

Ming Dai looked at Zhou Sinian, feeling that the secrets surrounding him were deepening the more she dug. "Do you remember anything else? About your parents, your family, or the tiger bones?"

At the mention of tiger bones, Zhou Sinian’s face turned pale again. He shook his head in silence. "No, nothing else. I only remember Uncle Wei because I saw him in the county seat last time. I heard his voice and felt it was very familiar, so I went to see him again in the middle of the night. Even though I didn't recognize him then, he felt very dear to me."

Ming Dai thought, *You went in the middle of the night—you’re lucky you didn't scare him to death!*

Zhou Sinian pointed to the words at the bottom. "Also, I remember that when I was sent to the countryside, I was escorted by several people. I didn't want to go, so I fought back and even jumped off the train a few times. One of them kept calling me a 'little bastard' and saying my hands were too heavy. I was very sick at the time and couldn't recognize anyone, but I remember the voice; it seems it was Uncle Wei."

He paused. "I think I did knock him out a few times and even twisted his arm."

Ming Dai’s mouth twitched. "Having you as a nephew is truly a blessing for Uncle Wei!"

Zhou Sinian sighed as he looked at the letter. "I can't remember anything else for now. My head hurts if I try any harder."

Ming Dai stopped him. "Don't think about it. You've barely gotten better; what if you become a fool again from the overexertion?"

Zhou Sinian frowned and corrected her, "I’m not a fool, I’m crazy!"

Ming Dai replied dismissively, "Yes, yes, yes. Get ready for acupuncture."

Zhou Sinian was dissatisfied, but given the gleaming gold needles in Ming Dai's hand, he dared not argue. As she inserted the needles, Ming Dai asked, "Did your Uncle Wei come here to serve as mayor because of you?"

Zhou Sinian winced in pain as the needles went in, gasping as he replied, "I don't know, but he seems to have served at the border cavalry camp in Heilongjiang Province before. He held a high rank. I think I could only see him twice a year. He liked me a lot and took me horseback riding every time. Later, I remember he was going to give me a little horse." He looked lost in thought. "I forgot if he ever gave it to me."

"Ming Dai, let’s go find him! He must know about my situation. We can ask him for the little horse while we're at it—I want to raise a horse too!"

Ming Dai’s hand shook, and she nearly misaligned a needle. Steadying herself, she finished the last one, turning him into a pincushion. After admiring her masterpiece with satisfaction, she nodded. "Sure, but we have to wait until spring. The heavy snow has blocked all the roads; we can't go anywhere right now."

Zhou Sinian looked dejected. "Alright then."

Ming Dai remembered the instructions she had given Aunt Huang. "Take advantage of this time to see if we can eliminate your fear of the tiger bones. If we can, you might be able to remember more."

Zhou Sinian shrank back. "How do I eliminate it?"

Ming Dai smiled comfortingly. "I promise I won't use needles on you this time, and it won't hurt. But the tools aren't ready yet; we have to wait a little longer."

Zhou Sinian nodded obediently, completely unaware of what kind of "little monster" he would be facing later.

With the clue of Uncle Wei, Zhou Sinian became much more cheerful. His health improved, and he returned to his energetic self. Once he felt better, he couldn't sit still.

"Ming Dai, I'm going out to play for a while. Tiedan has already come to call me twice. Wouldn't it be rude if I didn't go?"

Ming Dai, focused on rolling her medicinal pills, said, "Didn't you say you didn't like playing with those little potatoes? That they aren't clean and love to cry?"

Zhou Sinian said with disdain, "Well, they call me 'Big Brother,' so I have to give them some face!"

Ming Dai was speechless. "You can go out and play, but you are not allowed to bully the other children again! Think about the candied haws you gave away last time—if any more children come complaining to me, I’ll give away all the remaining candied haws you have!"

Zhou Sinian shook his head quickly. "I won't, I won't! I definitely won't this time!"

Ming Dai looked at him suspiciously. "Are you serious this time?"

Zhou Sinian nodded affirmatively. "Don't worry, I'm not a child; I won't bully them!" He rubbed his hands together and asked sheepishly, "Ming Dai, Tiedan is asking me to go set off firecrackers. Can I take a few with me?"

Ming Dai knew about this. "You can, but be careful. You are not allowed to lead them to blow up the ice holes."

Zhou Sinian, happy to be able to go out, agreed immediately. He went to the storage room to get the firecrackers. After Ming Dai saw him off, she returned to her work. However, she didn't know that Zhou Sinian had taken far more than just a few firecrackers.