Traveling back to 1966, starting by living in a cowshed.

Chapter 178 Lin Zhou's Neighbors

The Crown sedan smoothly entered the territory of Beijing, its wheels rolling over the smooth road surface.

Lin Zhou sat in the passenger seat, his gaze passing by the street scene through the car window, a hint of indescribable emotion hidden in his eyes.

Behind them, Su Wanqing held her son Lin Xiaofeng's hand, while her father-in-law Su Guohua and the other two sat in the back seat. Their eyes were also drawn to the historic cityscape, their gazes through the car window filled with curiosity and exploration.

Several cars stopped at the Beijing Hotel. Lin Zhou personally escorted Zhao Jianjun and his group, along with their two assistants, to their reserved rooms and gave them detailed instructions on the subsequent itinerary.

Then, after asking the hotel staff to prepare tea and snacks and confirming that everything was in order, he left with his family with peace of mind.

Liu Yaolong got into the car and started it smoothly, his hands gripping the steering wheel. He listened to Lin Zhou pointing out the way, and because he was afraid of taking the wrong turn, he pressed the accelerator lightly when starting, afraid of missing a turn and being disliked by the big boss.

As the car drove away from the gate of the Beijing Hotel, the afternoon sun shone through the thin clouds onto Chang'an Avenue, making the wide road dazzling and eye-catching.

Lin Zhou sat in the passenger seat of the Crown sedan, his fingertips lightly resting on the window sill. His gaze swept over the familiar yet unfamiliar street scene outside the window, and a few indescribable emotions welled up in his eyes.

In the back seat behind them, Su Wanqing held her son, while Su Guohua leaned against the car window, looking around the city at the foot of the capital with great interest, occasionally whispering a few words to his daughter, his tone full of novelty.

Liu Yaolong gripped the steering wheel firmly, driving at a slow speed, his eyes fixed intently on the road ahead.

"Xiaofeng, look over there, that's the direction of Tiananmen Square. Walk a little further ahead and you'll see Zhengyangmen. That's the southern gate of old Beijing, built in the Ming Dynasty, with a history of several hundred years." Lin Zhou turned around, reached out and rubbed his son's head, speaking softly as he pointed to the direction not far ahead and introduced it to his family.

Lin Xiaofeng just turned six years old this year. His eyes are just like Lin Zhou's, clear and bright. At this moment, he is curiously peering out of the car window, turning his little head back and forth, finding everything new and interesting.

Hearing his father's words, he nodded quickly, pointing with his little finger to the upturned eaves outside the window: "Dad, the roof of that house is so special, it's different from the ones in Hong Kong, they're all curved, and there are colorful paintings on them."

"Those are glazed tiles and painted decorations. The palaces and courtyards in old Beijing all pay attention to these things. Every part has its own story and significance," Lin Zhou explained with a smile.

He then turned to Su Wanqing and Su Guohua, "Father-in-law, Wanqing, turn the corner ahead and you'll enter the alley. The courtyard house my mother left behind is inside. It's not big, just a single courtyard, but it's quiet and in a good location."

Su Guohua nodded, his gaze falling on the gradually lower buildings along the street. The courtyard houses with blue bricks and gray tiles were arranged in a neat and orderly manner, and an old man was sitting on a small stool in the sun, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan.

Children chased after them, shouting in their clear Beijing accents, creating a lively and down-to-earth atmosphere.

"It's a great place, more bustling and vibrant than Hong Kong's skyscrapers, and it has a much better atmosphere," Su Guohua remarked.

Having lived in Hong Kong for a long time, where the pace of life is fast and people are used to skyscrapers and hurried crowds, this slow-paced, down-to-earth atmosphere made him feel very at ease.

Su Wanqing responded softly, reaching out to straighten Lin Xiaofeng's collar, her eyes full of tenderness.

She followed Lin Zhou back from Hong Kong. Although she felt a little apprehensive about the unfamiliar environment, she was more curious about Lin Zhou's past and longed for the city that held Lin Zhou's childhood and teenage memories.

She wanted to see what the place where Lin Zhou grew up was like, and she wanted to see what kind of courtyard the old woman she had never met had left behind.

The car gradually drove away from the bustling main street and turned into a winding alley.

The alley is narrow, just wide enough for a car to pass through. On both sides are blue brick walls, with a few red maple branches peeking out from the top of the walls, or a few strings of dried corn and red peppers hanging there, exuding a strong sense of daily life.

The wheels slowly rolled over the blue brick road in the alley, making a soft "creak" sound that was particularly clear in the quiet alley.

There weren't many pedestrians in the alley; most were long-time residents from the neighborhood. When they saw a brand-new black Crown sedan drive into the alley, they couldn't help but cast curious glances and stand in twos and threes at their doorways, whispering among themselves.

In these alleys filled with bicycles and pedestrians, such a car is a rare sight, seldom seen on ordinary days.

Liu Yaolong slowed down and drove carefully. Lin Zhou leaned out and glanced at the courtyard walls on both sides. Scenes from his memory gradually surfaced and overlapped with the scene before him.

The familiar alleyways and courtyard walls are now much older, thanks to the passage of time. The bricks on the walls have aged considerably, and the old locust trees by the roadside are much thicker than I remember.

"We're here, this is it." Lin Zhou's voice rang out softly, pointing to a vermilion gate not far ahead.

Liu Yaolong slowly stepped on the brake, and the car came to a steady stop in front of the vermilion gate.

The main gate wasn't particularly grand. After Zhou Jianming hired someone to renovate it, the two wooden doors now had simple carvings on them, and the door knockers, made of copper, had turned a bright orange after being polished and refurbished by craftsmen.

Lin Zhou pushed open the car door and stepped out first. The afternoon sun shone on him, casting a long, slender shadow.

He stood in front of the door, his gaze lingering on the vermilion gate. He looked at the carvings on the door, reached out and touched it, his heart filled with a myriad of emotions.

This is the courtyard his mother left him; it is his only root in this city. The last time he left here was in 1966, when he was only a teenager. He fled in haste, and more than ten years passed. Now that he has returned, everything has changed.

Su Wanqing and Su Guohua also got out of the car. Lin Xiaofeng broke free from his mother's hand, ran to Lin Zhou's side, and looked up at the gate with his little head: "Dad, is this the house that Grandma left behind?"

Lin Zhou looked down into his son's clear eyes, reached out and patted his head, his voice gentle: "Yes, this is the home that Grandma left us."

As soon as he finished speaking, several old neighbors gathered around. They were all elderly men and women who lived nearby. They had come over out of curiosity when they saw the car parked at the door. Now they were looking at Lin Zhou and his group with curious eyes.

"Whose relative is this? Hey! Why did they park their car in front of this house?"

"Could it be that those three families have moved back? Didn't they move away last year? They've been occupying this yard for years."

"Judging by their clothes and appearance, they don't seem to be locals; they look like they're from out of town. Perhaps they're here to rent a place?"

A murmur of conversation reached his ears. Lin Zhou looked up, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the old neighbors who had gathered around. Most were unfamiliar faces, presumably new neighbors who had moved in over the years. Only a few elderly men and women looked somewhat familiar, their features slowly becoming clearer in his memory.

Lin Zhou smiled gently, stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to the familiar elderly women, and said sincerely, "Uncle Wang, Aunt Zhang, Aunt Liu, it's been so many years! How have you been?"

Upon hearing this form of address, the elderly men were taken aback, staring blankly at Lin Zhou with puzzled expressions.

Clearly, they did not immediately recognize that the well-dressed, composed man before them was the same naive young man from back then.

Seeing this, Lin Zhou smiled and said, "I used to be your neighbor, Lin Zhou, Wang Guilan's son. Do you remember me?"