Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

In a village where mostly the elderly resided, Patrick wandered through the empty streets, hoping to find some answers. "Excuse me, sir, do you know where the Logan family lives?" he asked an elderly man he happened upon.

The old man simply pointed to his ears and gestured, indicating his hearing wasn't what it used to be.

Patrick carried on, undeterred.

After a while, he came across an old woman struggling with a bundle of firewood. "Hello, ma'am," Patrick said politely, "I'm looking for the Logans. Do they live nearby?"

The woman spoke in a local dialect, which Patrick couldn't quite grasp, but her hand movements gave him a rough idea of which direction to head in.

Armed with this new information, Patrick moved on, eventually arriving at a rundown area with an abandoned-looking cottage. Its door was partially buried under dirt, making it seem like no one had lived there for ages. There was no path forward, just this lonely, desolate house.

Sweat trickled down his neck as the sun blazed overhead, leaving him parched.

Continuing his search, Patrick passed some farmland where a few middle-aged folks were busy tending their crops. He approached, his polished shoes sticking out against the dusty backdrop. "Hi there, I'm looking for the Logan family. Do they live around here?"

"And who might you be to Logan?" an older man asked, eyeing Patrick curiously.

Patrick paused, then replied, "...He's my uncle."

"Logan has a nephew?" The man and his wife exchanged a quick glance before turning back to Patrick.

"Yes, my last name's Yan, and my father is Yan Zhiming."

The man frowned for a moment, then recognition dawned on his face. "Oh, Mr. Patrick, your dad? It's you!"

Years ago, Yan Zhiming had visited with Logan, back when they were both young and close friends. Patrick's father had even stayed at this man's home.

As they walked together, the man reminisced, "The day your dad drove into our village was quite a sight. The first car I ever sat in was your dad's."

Patrick hadn't expected to meet someone who remembered his father so fondly. "You probably weren't even born yet. It was when Logan's grandmother passed away, and your dad came over. He mentioned his wife was expecting at the time. We all thought it was their first child until he said they had a daughter already and didn't know the gender of the baby yet. That was you, right?"

Patrick nodded, and the man continued warmly, "You must be about thirty now, right?"

Patrick nodded again. "Yeah, time sure flies."

The man sighed, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "Indeed, half a lifetime's gone by. So, have you gotten married?"

"I have, yeah. My kid just had their first birthday."

"Congratulations! Your dad, watching over from above, would be so proud."

When they reached the old cottage Patrick had visited earlier, the man pointed to it, "This was Logan's place."

Patrick looked around, doubtful. "Did my Uncle Logan really live here?"

The man sighed deeply. "He did. After your dad left, Logan came back acting strange, went days without eating or drinking. Then, one night, some folks took him away. He returned later, looking like he'd seen better days, packed up his things, paid his respects at his grandma's grave, and left. Haven't seen him since, not even the police could track him down."noveldrama

Patrick stood there, surrounded by the desolation, the sun beating down on him. Yet he felt nothing, lost in thought over the empty search.