Lin Wanqiu knew that asking any further would be pointless. This old Zhao appeared gentle and refined, but in reality, he was meticulous and highly guarded. Getting any information about Shen Tingzhou out of him would be harder than climbing to heaven.
"It's getting late, I have to go to the commune, otherwise the tofu won't sell." Lin Wanqiu picked up the wheelbarrow. "Old Zhao, if you can't find Grandpa Wang's house, you can ask the villagers, everyone knows it."
"Alright, thank you very much, Comrade Lin." Old Zhao nodded with a smile, watching Lin Wanqiu push the wheelbarrow into the distance. The casualness in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a more profound look. He took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a puff, and his gaze fell on the direction where Lin Wanqiu had disappeared, lost in thought.
Lin Wanqiu pushed her wheelbarrow along the road, her mind in turmoil. This Old Zhao was definitely not simple. He seemed to be visiting relatives, but he was more likely there to gather information. He mentioned Grandpa Wang and avoided the topic of Shen Tingzhou. Could he be Shen Tingzhou's comrade-in-arms? Or was he an enemy spy?
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, and she quickened her pace towards the commune. She had to tell Shen Tingzhou about this as soon as possible and warn him to be careful. But Shen Tingzhou's whereabouts were unpredictable; how could she contact him?
Upon arriving at the commune, Lin Wanqiu quickly sold all the tofu. Instead of exchanging it for grain coupons at the supply and marketing cooperative as usual, she headed straight back. She wanted to find Grandpa Wang and see if she could get any information about Old Zhao from him.
Grandpa Wang lived at the east end of the village in a simple mud-brick house. There were a few fruit trees in the yard, and it looked very quiet. Lin Wanqiu walked to the gate of the yard and saw Grandpa Wang chopping firewood in the yard. The sound of the axe falling was very rhythmic.
"Uncle Wang, are you busy?" Lin Wanqiu greeted him with a smile as she walked into the courtyard.
Grandpa Wang stopped what he was doing, saw it was Lin Wanqiu, and smiled: "Wanqiu, what brings you here today? Are you sold out of tofu?"
"I sold out, and I just happened to be passing by, so I stopped by to see you." Lin Wanqiu walked over to Grandpa Wang and helped him pick up the firewood from the ground. "Grandpa Wang, I just met a man surnamed Zhao at the village entrance. He said he's a distant relative of yours and came to visit. Do you know him?"
Grandpa Wang paused, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: "A relative surnamed Zhao? I don't have any distant relatives surnamed Zhao. Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"
Lin Wanqiu's heart sank—there was definitely something wrong! This old Zhao wasn't Wang Daye's relative at all; he was lying!
"Really? He said he was your relative, and even asked me how to get to the commune. I even gave him a piece of tofu." Lin Wanqiu pretended to be surprised. "He was wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, and he looked like he came from the city."
Grandpa Wang put down his axe, his brow furrowing. "I really don't have such a relative. Wanqiu, what did you say to him? Did he ask you any particular questions?"
"He didn't say much, just chatted about tofu, asked if the beans were easy to buy, and asked if I knew you." Lin Wanqiu roughly recounted her conversation with Old Zhao, omitting the part about Shen Tingzhou—she wasn't sure if Grandpa Wang knew about Shen Tingzhou's faked death, so she didn't dare to bring it up rashly.
After hearing this, Grandpa Wang's expression turned serious: "This old Zhao is strange. He's definitely not here to visit relatives. Wanqiu, you should stay away from him in the future and not say much to him, so as not to cause trouble."
Lin Wanqiu nodded: "I understand, Uncle Wang. Don't worry, I'll be careful." She was even more certain that this Old Zhao was definitely not simple, and was very likely after Shen Tingzhou.
Leaving Grandpa Wang's house, Lin Wanqiu's unease grew stronger. She had to find Shen Tingzhou as soon as possible and tell him what had happened. But Shen Tingzhou's whereabouts were unpredictable; how could she contact him? She suddenly remembered the herbal medicine packet Shen Tingzhou had given her last night—could it contain some contact information?
Back home, Shen Nian'an was playing in the mud in the yard. When he saw Lin Wanqiu return, he immediately ran over: "Mom, you're back! Did selling tofu go well today?"
"Successfully, they sold out quickly." Lin Wanqiu picked up her son and kissed him on the cheek. "Nian'an, be good, Mom will go boil some eggs for you."
She went into the house, took out the herbal packet Shen Tingzhou had given her from the drawer, and carefully opened it. Inside, besides some herbs, was a folded note. Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat, and she unfolded the note—it contained only one line: "If you encounter anything unusual, find me under the old pine tree on the back mountain."
It turned out that Shen Tingzhou had anticipated the possibility of an accident and left her his contact information! Lin Wanqiu felt a surge of excitement, and her anxiety finally subsided. She folded the note again, hid it in her inner pocket, and put the herbal packet back in the drawer.
"Mother, are the eggs cooked?" Shen Nian'an's voice came from outside the house.
"Almost done, Nian'an, wait a little longer." Lin Wanqiu replied, walked to the stove, and lit the firewood. The water in the pot gradually boiled, and she put the eggs in, thinking to herself—after Nian'an fell asleep that night, she would go to the old pine tree on the back mountain to find Shen Tingzhou and tell him about meeting Old Zhao.
As the sun set, golden rays bathed the courtyard. Lin Wanqiu peeled a boiled egg for Shen Nian'an, watching his happy face, and secretly vowed: no matter what difficulties she encountered, she would protect Nian'an and this family, until Shen Tingzhou completed his mission and the family was reunited.
That night, after Chen Nian'an had fallen asleep, Lin Wanqiu quietly got up, picked up a flashlight, and headed towards the back mountain. The back mountain was quiet in the night, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind. Following the instructions on the note, Lin Wanqiu quickly found the old pine tree—it was thicker than the surrounding trees, and there was a noticeable scar on its trunk.
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