Chapter 2 The Taste of Memory
The evening of the second day, Lin Yan tasted the flavor she remembered.
It was a pastry specially improved for her by the Lin family's cook. Even with the same recipe, each person made it differently. Therefore, Lin Yan was certain that this pastry was made by the cook from the old house.
This meant her father had indeed sent someone to contact her.
"It's this taste, Sister Wang. Thank you for your trouble." Lin Yan nodded after tasting a piece of the pastry.
"Miss Lin, I'm glad you like it. The other pastries from that shop also look good. I'll bring you some more tomorrow," Sister Wang replied, also pleased that Lin Yan enjoyed the pastry.
"Yes, Sister Wang, please pack the pastries in a clean box for me tomorrow morning. I'll take them to the laboratory to eat. Lunch there isn't as delicious as your cooking."
"Alright, I'll pack them for you and bring them tomorrow."
"Thank you for your trouble."
After speaking, Lin Yan prepared to go back and rest. Sister Wang had already prepared a bath for her in advance.
As Lin Yan began to bathe, Sister Wang tidied up her clothes and placed her clean clothes by the bathroom door.
It seemed Miss Lin quite enjoyed that family's pastries. But then again, the cook was from the same place as Miss Lin, so it was normal for the taste to suit her preferences.
"Old Fan, I've already asked Shuanzi. That woman got off the car on Hua Zhang Road. It's a two-story Western-style house. I've remembered the address and will go take a look tomorrow."
Xiao Peng said excitedly after closing the door, sharing the information he had obtained.
After escorting the woman out in the morning, he had asked a familiar rickshaw puller to take her, which allowed him to know where she alighted.
It was a wealthy district, where people traveled by car, and many government officials resided there. It seemed their target was likely living there.
"You shouldn't go. That woman has seen you. If you run into her there, it will be difficult to explain. We've finally made contact; don't mess it up like this."
Old Fan, who was the shopkeeper, disagreed with Xiao Peng going. After all, he was the one who greeted and saw off customers, and many people had seen his face, making it too risky.
"Then I'll go. I've been in the backyard, and not many people have seen me. Xiao Peng, give me the address, and I'll go check it out." said the middle-aged man in a long gown.
"Alright, I'll write down the address for you. Be careful then." Xiao Peng, though a bit reluctant, knew Old Fan was right.
"Then I'll trouble Xiu Wen to make the trip. Be very careful and don't get discovered." Old Fan cautioned.
"Don't worry, I have this level of alertness." He had been in this line of work for many years and considered himself quite cautious.
"Xiao Peng, you also need to talk more with that woman. Try to see if you can arrange for delivery. I saw her carrying a lot of groceries today; she probably bought them before coming here.
If she's coming from that area, there's only one place to buy vegetables, but it's not close. If you can save her some trouble, she should agree."
Old Fan could tell from the woman's attitude that she wasn't lacking money and already felt a bit superior to them.
She wasn't a professional nanny, and moreover, her steps were light, and she walked easily with her basket. It seemed she had some skills.
Therefore, she might be one of the people sent by the government to monitor Hong Yan. As such, she wouldn't want to waste time on these trivial matters. If delivery could be arranged, she might be able to contact Hong Yan more quickly.
"Okay, then I'll sweeten my words further. I'll definitely coax her well!"
"But if we only deliver to her, won't it seem a bit too deliberate?"
After all, there were other wealthy families buying pastries, so singling them out might raise suspicion.
"Meng Xian is right. Fortunately, our business isn't booming right now, or we wouldn't be able to manage. Once business picks up, we'll probably need to hire more people!" Xiu Wen said with a smile.
"If we hire, leave it to Xiao Peng. You know a lot of people, so if we hire, we should hire those we know well," Meng Xian also said. However, he didn't think they would hire too many people.
After all, their pastries weren't very famous, nor were they particularly outstanding, and they couldn't compare to Western cakes.
"If business really improves, I'll call my good brothers over. They will definitely be trustworthy people," Xiao Peng pledged, patting his chest.
The days passed with different pastries each day, and Xiao Peng finally became quite familiar with Sister Wang. He began making deliveries, and he was discreet, never inquiring about their affairs.
He would simply deliver the ordered pastries, exchange pleasantries with Sister Wang, and then leave. Sometimes, he would also bring Sister Wang things she needed.
As long as Sister Wang gave him a list the day before, he would bring the items the next day.
However, after half a month of deliveries, he still hadn't seen their target.
But under the persuasion of Old Fan and the others, he didn't get anxious. After all, he had already infiltrated, and seeing the person was only a matter of time.
He hadn't expected that on the very morning after he complained about not seeing the person, he would encounter their target.
That morning, as he carried the food box to the entrance of the Western-style house, before he could even knock, the door opened from the inside.
He instinctively took a step back and saw a woman in a cashmere coat standing behind the open door, with Sister Wang beside her, opening it for her.
Xiao Peng was stunned as he looked at the woman. He knew this must be their target, but no one had told him their target was so beautiful.
A long cashmere coat reached her ankles. While such coats often made people appear shorter, on her, it accentuated her tall and graceful figure. Her palm-sized face seemed even smaller under the hat.
Her exquisite features were stunning without any makeup. However, no one would underestimate her because of her beauty. The confident aura she exuded made it impossible to look away.
The honking of a car brought him back to his senses. He quickly took two more steps back, making way for the entrance.
Lin Yan walked out of the house, glanced at the food box he was carrying, nodded at him, and then walked outside. Sister Wang also followed to the car and opened the car door for her.
After the car drove away, she returned.
"Snap out of it!" Sister Wang waved her hand in front of Xiao Peng's eyes.
"Sister Wang!" Xiao Peng blushed in embarrassment and turned away to avoid Sister Wang's teasing gaze.
"Alright, give me the food box! It's normal to be stunned if you haven't seen Miss Lin before." Sister Wang took the food box from Xiao Peng.
"Is this Miss Lin? The one who orders pastries every day?" Xiao Peng couldn't help but ask.
"Ask fewer questions. It's better for you not to know some things. Originally, you weren't supposed to see Miss Lin. If she hadn't forgotten something today and needed to come back for it, you wouldn't have seen her.
But let me give you a piece of advice: it's best not to be curious about her affairs!" Sister Wang looked at Xiao Peng with great seriousness.
"Does this Miss Lin have a significant background?" Xiao Peng probed cautiously.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask!" Sister Wang left him with these words, then took the food box inside and closed the door directly.