Grandpa Han told Lin Xiaoxiao everything he could.

I wasn't just talking about this refined and dignified man; I was also talking about the other people who came over with him.

These individuals all wield considerable power; some work in less important units, while others hold significant and authoritative positions. In any case, their ranks are not low.

Few people have achieved their current status by relying on their families; they have all worked their way up step by step. These people don't participate much in power struggles, but sometimes the situation is beyond their control. People with the same ideas and beliefs form their own faction.

Those who can get along are people who share the same temperament and ideas; the group and Grandpa Han are all in the same boat.

The refined and powerful man's name is Zhao Jiu. In his youth, he worked as an undercover agent, and his life was always tense. The higher-ups wanted to give him a more important position because of his abilities.

Zhao Jiu refused immediately. He had finally managed to calm down and wanted to enjoy a more leisurely life. He was indifferent to the power struggles and his own position was not very prominent. However, his children were quite successful and held important positions.

As Lin Xiaoxiao listened, she felt that this person was very contradictory. Zhao Jiu could be said to have grown up and survived under the pressure of a difficult life, so how could he allow her brand of clothes to be worn?

She didn't understand, but she had to admit that people's thoughts change after such a long time. A lot of compassion and empathy, after being exposed to power, slowly become numb and disappear, and one only wants to grasp what can be grasped in front of them.

The Zhao family lived not far from the Han family. The elderly people there had a habit of taking a nap after meals. Lin Xiaoxiao wanted to go to the Zhao family while everyone was sleeping, but she was too sleepy and could only go to the room that Bai Hehua had prepared to doze off for a while.

When I woke up, I saw that Bai Hehua had also woken up from her afternoon nap, listening to the radio and drinking tea to refresh herself.

Grandpa Han had already gone out for a walk with the group of big shots from this morning. Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoxiao made an excuse to go to Zhao's Restaurant.

The distance wasn't far, and we arrived at the place quickly. After concealing ourselves, we walked openly through the gate. As soon as we entered the courtyard, we saw a wall full of flowers and a small vegetable garden. When we got to the house, we could faintly smell the aroma of coffee. We saw a very elegant old lady enjoying her coffee.

Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't help but raise her eyebrows when she saw this. No wonder she could take such good care of Zhao Jiu; it turns out there was a woman with aspirations and elegance behind her.

These days, very few people can get used to drinking coffee, and even fewer have this mindset. Many people are still struggling to survive and have enough to eat. With these questions in mind, Lin Xiaoxiao began to wander around the house.

After walking around, she chose the study in her home. She saw that the walls of the study were covered with books, as well as various inconspicuous little ornaments. Those ornaments were obviously not antiques, but small pieces of furniture such as broken bowls and teacups.

They were all placed in such a conspicuous place. Lin Xiaoxiao glanced at them, and that strange feeling welled up in her heart again. She couldn't help but think to herself, "Are they placed here to constantly remind me of the kind of hard life I used to live?"

Doing this during wartime would be a constant reminder not to forget those who oppressed you. But now, so much time has passed. While the pain may not be healed, most people don't want to think about it all the time, since these things are both physically and emotionally damaging.

Bad memories constantly surround you and can affect your normal life.

One person had old, worn-out things in their study, while the other was enjoying a trendy afternoon tea. Lin Xiaoxiao really couldn't understand this family.

She shook her head. Her mission this time was simply to install cameras, not to analyze other people's psychology.

Despite being from the same faction, Lin Xiaoxiao's methods were the same as in the morning. She opened each cabinet in the study and looked inside, only to find that they contained ordinary work items, nothing special.

After examining the cabinet, she began to look around for any secret rooms. Just as she started to explore, she heard voices outside.

It turned out that Zhao Jiu had returned. It seemed that she had run into her son-in-law on the way. The two of them didn't look too good when they came in.

"You two bumped into each other outside? Are you having dinner at home tonight?" the old lady asked, staring at her son-in-law.

"Yes, we'll eat at home. I've already told Xiao Xiang." The son-in-law forced a smile onto his stiff face.

After he finished speaking, he heard Zhao Jiu leading her son-in-law into the study.

Lin Xiaoxiao quickly found a place where they wouldn't move and stood there.

"Sit down. What brings you here at this hour?" Zhao Jiu casually gestured, then sat down and began to prepare tea.

“Okay.” Mingzhu appeared slightly reserved and cautious when facing Zhao Jiu.

“Those things can’t be moved now. Because of the problems with the previous items, the higher-ups are keeping a very tight watch on the cultural relics. Not only has the General Administration increased its manpower, but the various departments outside have also increased their manpower. Our people simply don’t know where to start.”

"Not only that, some of our subordinates are starting to panic."

Mingzhu had barely finished speaking when Lin Xiaoxiao noticed that Zhao Jiu, who appeared refined and amiable in front of outsiders, instantly changed his expression, especially his eyes, which shifted from gentle to sharp in an extremely rapid manner.

Lin Xiaoxiao was taken aback. Her intuition told her that this person was unfathomable. Without hesitation, she carefully turned on the recorder in the space.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!