Finding Gugu's parents was proving to be quite difficult.
First, he searched the missing persons website but found no information about Gugu's whereabouts.
This was understandable, though. Gugu was so young when she was swept away by the great flood. Almost everyone believed she couldn't have survived. Her body was likely carried off by the floodwaters, and there would be no missing persons report. Everyone assumed she had passed away.
Moreover, although Gugu could travel freely through the river of time, she could only traverse timelines she had existed in. She was unable to travel to times she hadn't experienced.
Another possibility was that the trauma from that flood was too profound. Consequently, the longest timeline she could cross was the day of the flood itself.
This meant that Liu Nanfeng could only rely on the clues he gathered at the market that day to locate the town, and then, through the town, find Gugu's parents.
However, Liu Nanfeng hadn't thought of this at the time and hadn't noted much information. He considered asking Gugu to take him back in time again, but he worried about upsetting her, so he decided against it.
Currently, he had the following information:
Time: July, 1992.
Location: Jiangyou area.
The reason for pinpointing the Jiangxi area was Liu Nanfeng's judgment based on the accents of the people he encountered.
With these two pieces of information, the scope had narrowed considerably. A quick online search confirmed that in July 1992, the Qinshan area of northern Jiangxi suffered a severe flood, affecting seventeen townships.
This further narrowed the possibilities. Gugu must have been from one of these seventeen townships.
"This is all the information I could find online."
Dundun packaged the data and sent it all to Liu Nanfeng's phone.
Liu Nanfeng had sought his help. As for Zhan Xiongtian and Zhan Guoliang, they had gone home after meeting Liu Nanfeng.
Although they had agreed to go to the Heavenly Palace, they needed to return and make preparations. They would also invite others. It wasn't as if they would storm the Heavenly Gate immediately.
"Wow, this information is quite comprehensive. Where did you get it?" Liu Nanfeng asked, scrolling through the data, quite surprised.
The information included not only old photographs but also many newly taken ones, making it incredibly complete, which was impressive.
"Some of it I collected using a web crawler, and some I commissioned by posting tasks for netizens to complete and photograph on-site."
"You can do that?"
"Why not? As long as you pay, it's a simple matter. Actually, you don't even need to find netizens. You can change your phone's location, order takeout, and when the delivery person contacts you, ask them to take a few photos. With money and food, anyone would agree, right?"
Liu Nanfeng: ...
Alright, his knowledge was limited. So, this was the kind of 'slick' operation that was possible.
"It seems I'll have to go there myself," Liu Nanfeng said, looking at the photos.
"Are you going to use an arbitrary door?" Zhan Dundun gestured in the air, clearly fascinated by such a mode of travel.
"It's not that easy. I'll have to take a car or a plane," Liu Nanfeng replied with some resignation.
"Why not?" Zhan Dundun was very curious.
"Because there's too little information."
Based on just a few photos, the information was far too scant. Great Xia was vast, and there were too many similar places. Relying on just a few photos could lead him to the wrong location.
Zhan Dundun didn't understand the connection between the amount of information and the travel method, but he didn't press further.
"Do you want me to accompany you?"
"You accompany me?" Liu Nanfeng looked at him, then decided against it.
"You should stay with Wenhui."
"No way..." Zhan Dundun immediately denied it.
Liu Nanfeng rolled his eyes. The information radiating from his body had already exposed everything.
The scent was too strong.
After bidding farewell to Zhan Dundun, Liu Nanfeng went to the Yangtze River Water Mansion.
"Where's Xiao Yu?" Zhu Yin'e asked, looking confused as she didn't see the little carp.
"Xiao Yu didn't come along. I came specifically to see you," Liu Nanfeng said casually.
Hearing this, Zhu Yin'e's face flushed, and she lowered her head, whispering, "Does your wife know you came to see me alone? Will she blame you if she finds out?"
"That..." Liu Nanfeng finally understood her misunderstanding and was at a loss for words, creating an awkward silence.
"Madame, Master Liu," fortunately, Zhu Yuchan's voice rang out, and she walked over.
Zhu Yin'e's expression changed instantly. She became serious and looked at Liu Nanfeng, asking, "May I ask why Master Liu has come?"
"I'm planning to go out for a few days. Xiao Yu probably won't be back for a few more days. I was afraid you might worry, so I came to inform you. If you miss her, I can send her back later."
"No need. I am quite at ease with her being at Master Liu's place," Zhu Yin'e replied calmly.
However, Liu Nanfeng felt her tone was a bit cold.
He quickly said, "In that case, I'll take my leave then."
With that, Liu Nanfeng waved his hand, and an arbitrary door appeared out of thin air. He stepped through it, making a hasty escape.
Watching the arbitrary door disappear before her eyes, Zhu Yin'e's initial expression of surprise turned into a furrowed brow as she fell into thought.
Upon returning home, Liu Nanfeng wasted no time. He bought a plane ticket online for that evening and headed straight to the airport.
As for luggage, he didn't need to bring any. With "Guanshanhai," it was the ultimate travel companion, even eliminating the need to worry about accommodation.
The flight from Jiangcheng to Jiangyou was quick, arriving in just over an hour.
Liu Nanfeng felt as if the plane had barely climbed before it began its descent.
However, reaching Jiangyou wasn't the end. The rest of the journey required ground transportation. For convenience, Liu Nanfeng planned to rent a car himself.
But it was too late by then, so he decided to deal with it the next day. He found a secluded spot and directly entered "Guanshanhai."
Inside "Guanshanhai," Little Carp and Gugu were playing in the flower garden. They held pinwheels and spun around Su Huamei, making the pinwheels whirl.
Su Huamei held Little Jin Hua, who was waving her hands and giggling merrily as she watched the two older girls.
Wisps of smoke curled from the roof not far away, suggesting Su Jinxiu was cooking dinner inside, creating a scene of domestic tranquility.
Liu Nanfeng cherished this feeling. Perhaps this was what he had always wanted to protect.
Upon seeing Liu Nanfeng's figure, Little Carp and Gugu immediately ran towards him, holding their pinwheels high. Su Huamei also walked towards him, carrying Little Jin Hua.
"Daddy's here, we're going to see Daddy."
"Ba...ba..."
"Huh?"
Liu Nanfeng felt a surge of immense joy. Little Jin Hua could say "daddy" now?
"Sweetie, come, say it again, say 'daddy' again."
"Pupu pup..."
"No, no, it's daddy, daddy."
"Here."
Liu Nanfeng: ...
"Pfft," Su Huamei burst into laughter.
"Hehehe..." The little rascal also grinned, delighted.
"Gugu..." Gugu, standing beside them, held up a pinwheel, wanting him to play with them.
"Whoosh."
Liu Nanfeng blew a gentle breath, instantly creating a gust of wind that made the pinwheels in the little ones' hands spin with a whirring sound.
The excited little ones hopped and skipped.
"Abba... Abba..." Little Jin Hua stretched out her hands, wanting a pinwheel too.
"Time to eat," Su Jinxiu called out as she emerged from the house.
"Oh..."
Little Carp and Gugu ran over, their pinwheels held high.
This moment was truly beautiful...