Money makes the world go 'round. After a 'ding' sound and the swipe of a card, the shop owner informed Zhang Dabiao that they would need to wait about half an hour. He explained that some of the items they needed were not in stock and were stored in the warehouse, so it would take time to retrieve them.
"Then please hurry, we're in a rush to get into the mountains."
While waiting, the tomb raider who had come to find us also said he needed to leave. He reasoned that it wouldn't be feasible for just the three of us to enter the mountains, as the supplies alone would be too much for us to carry, not to mention the equipment.
"Be careful, and come back soon."
"Okay!"
After the tomb raider left, the two of us got into the car. It was then that I asked, "Brother Zhang, why the sudden change in you? Is there some secret in this photo?"
I took the photo out of my bag and examined it again, then handed it to Zhang Dabiao, hoping for an explanation.
He didn't take the photo and replied without turning his head, "The photo is fine. It's the people in it who have a problem."
"The people have a problem? How come I can't see it?" I pulled my hand back and looked again, but I couldn't see anything wrong.
If there was anything slightly odd, it was Zhao Defu, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Perhaps their relationship was very good.
"Look at my father's hand, the little finger of his right hand is pressed inward, the thumb points to the left, and the middle three fingers are extended forward..."
I looked closely and indeed, that was the case. My father was making the same gesture, but with his left hand. Both their hands were pointing towards Zhao Defu in the middle.
"What's the problem with that?"
"This hand gesture means to protect him, and there's important news."
"..."
Just then, the screech of brakes sounded in my ears. In the dim setting sun, I could see six off-road vehicles parked outside the car window, blocking us from both front and back.
Then, the rear door of the car blocking our path was opened by the driver. A person I least wanted to see, and most wished to avoid, stepped out of the car, nodded to the driver, and walked into a nearby tea house.
"Why is she here?"
The driver who had opened the door for Fang Huixin walked up to the window and tapped lightly, signaling Zhang Dabiao to roll it down.
Rolling down the window, the driver's voice came from outside, "Our boss would like to invite you two to get out and have a chat. We hope you'll do us the honor." The words were polite, but the tone sounded somewhat stiff, giving me an uncomfortable feeling. Sudan Novel Network
"Are you planning to force us if we don't get out?"
The driver shrugged and said nothing, merely making a gesture to invite us.
As we entered, we were stopped by two bodyguards.
I glanced at the driver following behind and asked, "What's the meaning of this?"
"Please don't misunderstand, you two are quite famous in Molu Village now. For our boss's safety, we need to search you."
Zhang Dabiao's eyes narrowed, ready to act, but I quickly grabbed him. Our situation was delicate, and we didn't know the current state of Molu Village, so we couldn't afford to make an enemy of Fang Huixin now.
We had already offended Li Zuquan. If we offended her now, we would be unable to move an inch in Molu Village.
I spread my arms, allowing the bodyguards to search me. Besides a wooden ruler, I had nothing else. When the bodyguard touched Zhang Dabiao's waist, where his Pishan Saber was, Zhang Dabiao seized his hand and pinned him to the ground.
"The saber stays with the person. It's not something you can touch."
I slapped my forehead. How could I forget this? Zhang Dabiao valued that Pishan Saber more than his own life. I had never seen him without it since I met him.
I quickly explained, "I'm sorry, everyone. This saber is my elder brother's life. He never leaves it. Would you like to tell your boss Fang about it?"
The driver first looked me up and down, then glanced at the grim-faced Zhang Dabiao. He then instructed someone beside him to "keep an eye on these two" and hurried into the tea house.
A moment later, the driver came out again, a red mark on his left cheek. It was easy to guess that Fang Huixin had hit him.
"Boss Fang invites you in. I apologize for my earlier behavior, please forgive us."
Seeing the red mark on his face, I let out a strange laugh and then strode into the tea house, where the driver led us to a private room on the second floor.
"Knock, knock..."
After knocking a few times, the driver announced, "Boss, they're here."
"Hmm, let them in!"
Upon entering, I saw Fang Huixin sitting like an empress on a recliner. Wisps of steam rose from a porcelain teacup beside her, and a refreshing tea aroma filled my nostrils.
"Serve tea!"
After we sat down, Fang Huixin had tea poured for both of us. She didn't speak but savored the tea.
I was used to this. I didn't understand why rich people liked to put on airs; it was a strange habit.
Putting down her teacup, Fang Huixin raised an eyebrow and said, "You two have made me search quite a bit. I didn't expect you to go to the county town. If Zhao Defu's tomb raiders weren't somewhat capable, I wouldn't have found you."
I frowned, secretly cursing. It seemed that tomb raider had sold us out. But seeing the grim-faced Zhang Dabiao, I couldn't say anything further.
I turned my gaze to Fang Huixin and asked in a deep voice, "Boss Fang, what do you mean by that? We didn't intentionally hide. Besides, what do you need us for? It seems we have no connection anymore."
"I just want to ask you about something."
"Ask me about something? What do you mean?"
I'm not a feng shui master. I have no connections in Molu Village, and I'm an outsider. Asking me about something is like a blind man lighting a lamp – a wasted effort.
"I want to know what happened on Qingfeng Mountain ten days ago?"
What happened? I frowned, looking at Fang Huixin. Why was she suddenly interested in this?
Seeing her staring at me without blinking, it was clear she wouldn't give up until she got something useful from me.
"If I say I don't know what happened, will you believe me?"
Fang Huixin smiled after hearing this, took another sip of tea leisurely, and said, "I'll believe whatever you say. But do you think the Li family will believe you? Especially Li Rui..."