124 It's her again!
Another outrageous rumor has spread through Ginkgo Hutong: a grave was unearthed during digging, and the hutong is haunted at night!
Aunt Zhao retorted, "I think some people are just jealous that others built toilets, and they're spreading rumors outside!"
But the neighbors were very certain that the rumor was true.
Aunt Zhao wanted to argue, but Aunt Bai pulled her back to Courtyard No. 2 and told her about Chang Zhengyi secretly burning talismans at the gate of the courtyard that night.
"Whenever you guys, with your 'everyday justice' claims of seeing ghosts, there's actually some basis to it..."
The first time they said the public toilet was haunted, they ended up catching an armed fugitive. The second time they said the public toilet was haunted, they ended up digging up a lot of guns and explosives. Now they're saying it's haunted again... I wonder what kind of person or thing this will bring up.
Grandma Bai said calmly, "Your family is righteous, and you do have some principles to uphold."
Aunt Zhao didn't believe it and went home to find out the truth from her youngest son.
"You saw someone floating around near the ginkgo tree?" Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhao became even more certain that Chang Zhengyi couldn't see clearly at night. "Yuehe and Yiku live near the ginkgo tree. Even ghosts would avoid them. What would they be floating around there for?"
Cao Lili couldn't bear to watch either. She truly couldn't understand how Chang Zhengyi could be so afraid of ghosts!
"I'll go to the toilet with you from now on, I'm not afraid of ghosts!"
Aunt Zhao poked Chang Zhengyi's head, "Look at your wife, I really don't want to talk to you, you're a grown man!"
Chang Zhengyi wore a pained expression. He knew that no one would believe him if he said he saw a ghost. But he really did see something floating around near the ginkgo tree!
The police officer, Song, was kind-hearted. After cutting off the power at night, he hung a flashlight outside Guan Yuehe's house wall, shining it clearly on the ginkgo tree. Even a ghost would have to be seen in the dark.
But it's expensive. Who would leave a flashlight on all night for no reason?
"Song Gong'an is beyond reproach; he's a good cadre who truly cares about us ordinary people."
Police Officer Song smiled and waved his hand, too embarrassed to directly accept the compliment.
Every day when Guan Yuehe returned home, the alley was a little different. In order to unclog the sewers, pits had to be dug in the alley, which did cause trouble for the residents of Ginkgo Alley.
But this time there was no uproar because two more courtyards decided to build public toilets, and in the remaining courtyards where public toilets weren't built, some people built their own toilets.
Even Grandpa Li and Grandma Hua needed to make room at home to build a toilet, but their situation was special, and the factory reimbursed them for the cost of building the toilet.
Given Mr. Li and Ms. Hua's situation, they should have moved to an apartment building long ago. However, they couldn't bear to leave their neighbors here and hadn't agreed to move.
Grandpa Li came out with his hands behind his back to check the situation and ran into Lu Changye from the next courtyard standing at the door. He advised him to also build a toilet.
“You two don’t have children. When you get older and have any health problems, you’ll have to travel a long way to a public toilet, which will be inconvenient. Why don’t you build a toilet now?”
Lu Chang twitched the corner of his mouth. "The room is too small. If we add a toilet, there won't be any room to stand."
Grandpa Li stopped trying to persuade him. Seeing that Officer Song had brought back a rib, he joked, "It's rare to see you go to get off work and leave work on time."
“Cai Ying is not feeling well and has asked for leave to rest at home. If I don’t come back, there will be no food at home.”
Song Gong'an nodded to Lu Chang in greeting and strode into the courtyard.
night.
After Guan Yuehe finished her studies, she took out the letters she had received that day from Shenghua and Chunmei to read.
She wrote back to Shenghua last time and couldn't help but ask if Shenghua and that male classmate had been in contact since.
Shenghua replied that several years had passed, and the man might have already gotten married and started a family, so it was inappropriate to contact him again. Besides, she had even forgotten what that male classmate looked like.
Guan Yuehe turned to Lin Yiku and said, "Shenghua said we're a perfect match!"
Of course, she also mentioned that when the other people in her dormitory came to visit her home, they all assumed that she was secretly dating the boy next door. After returning to school, none of them dared to mention the words "dating" again, for fear that she would not be able to graduate smoothly.
What a huge misunderstanding!
Guan Yuehe quickly wrote back to Shenghua, including some interesting observations from Chunmei's trip to the Autumn Canton Fair. She also included Chunmei's mailing address in the letter.
If her old classmates don't contact her, her position as the communications company commander will become a mere formality!
The next day, on my way to work, I casually dropped my replies to Shenghua and Chunmei into the mailbox.
When the ginkgo leaves at the entrance of the alley were at their most golden, Guan Yuehe's family began digging holes and burying pipes for their future toilet and bathroom.
Jiang Guiying even argued with the staff: "My house and other houses haven't been dug this deep, why are they digging even deeper here?"
Song, who was on leave at home, came over and advised, "They're professionals, just listen to them."
Aunt Er, who had come to watch the commotion, said, "Perhaps Yuehe's house is the outermost, so they have to dig deeper. Doesn't this pipe connect to the sewer system in front?"
This public toilet construction isn't just happening in Ginkgo Hutong; other areas in Changhu Subdistrict are also underway, including nearby hutongs. It's a huge project, with experts coming to plan it and technicians supervising on-site.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Guiying felt that there was some truth to it, and simply said, "As long as the house isn't damaged, it's fine."
Taking advantage of the fact that there weren't many people around, Aunt Bai came over to chat and gossip.
"It's good to dig deeper. I heard that they dug up two big yellow croakers in the next alley! They were buried under a tree in the yard. If it weren't for the fact that they had to move the tree to build a toilet, who would have thought there would be big yellow croakers under the tree?"
"What?! A big yellow croaker?! Whose is this that we dug up?" Auntie Er was shocked. How come we can dig things up everywhere?
“These unclaimed items should be handed over to the authorities if they’re dug up,” Aunt Bai said regretfully. “It would be fine if they were dug up secretly, but this one is different; so many people are watching.”
It's funny how this happened. Because they found something good under the tree in that yard, all the residents locked themselves in at night to dig up their own houses, but they found nothing.
Aunt Er nudged Jiang Guiying's arm and whispered, "Why don't you secretly dig and take a look tonight? Maybe..."
Jiang Guiying didn't take it to heart, and waved her hand with a smile, "I can understand burying good things under trees, but the Niu family used to live here. They've lived here for so many years. If there are any good things, they must have been passed down from their ancestors. How could they not know?"
"Too."
The room was silent for about ten seconds, then the middle-aged women suddenly looked up sharply and spoke almost simultaneously:
"There's a persimmon tree in our yard!"
There's a ginkgo tree at the entrance of the alley!
There's a persimmon tree in the front yard of courtyard number two, a ginkgo tree outside the alley entrance, and courtyard number nine, which also seems to have a persimmon tree in its front yard...
"No, no, digging up the trees in the yard is fine, but you can't dig up the ginkgo tree at the entrance of the alley."
With people coming and going at the entrance of the alley, this is too conspicuous.
Several middle-aged women advised each other not to act impulsively, saying that there were good things buried under the tree, and even if they were dug up, they would have to hand them over anyway, so it was pointless.
But after they got home, they all had a question in their minds: Why not just dig it up quietly?
But it can't be done quietly.
Lin Sitian came all the way from Courtyard No. 3 with a smile on her face. She continued to laugh as soon as she entered the house. Guan Yuehe waited helplessly for her laughter to stop.
Do you know why the factory sends security personnel to work the night shift?
"Didn't we say we were worried someone would fall into the pit we dug at night?" Liu the matchmaker's grandson went out to the toilet at night, didn't see the road clearly, fell into the pit we dug, and howled so loudly that the whole alley could hear him.
She thought that the factory had approved the application to build a public toilet in Ginkgo Hutong, and it was normal for the factory to send security personnel over in case of problems.
"No!" Lin Sitian found the truth amusing. "There's a courtyard in the alley ahead where someone dug up gold bars under a tree, and someone in our alley is planning to sneak over and dig up the tree at night!"
Guan Yuehe: "......"
It was right for Officer Song to hang a flashlight outside her house; someone might actually try to dig up the ginkgo tree at the entrance of the alley.
“Our neighbors in this alley are bold and decisive, the security department made the right decision to come,” Lin Sitian said with a smile.
Before the neighbors in Ginkgo Alley could even start digging up the tree, the entrance to the alley would also need to be dug up in order to connect the pipes, and the area around that ginkgo tree would definitely need to be dug up as well.
When Guan Yuehe returned home from get off work on Saturday, she found that the excavation had reached the vicinity of the alley entrance, and in two more days, it would have reached the base of her house wall.
A group of elderly men and women circled around the ginkgo tree, trying to see if there were any good things underneath.
Guan Yuehe also went over to take a look, but didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
This ginkgo tree is said to be over a hundred years old. Anyway, it was already here when her parents moved to Ginkgo Hutong.
The next day was Sunday, and the work of digging the sewers didn't stop; they came back today to continue working.
Knowing that they were about to start digging up the open space next to the ginkgo tree, people who were resting at home all came out to watch.
Initially, some people suggested moving the ginkgo tree, but this was opposed by most people.
The only ginkgo tree in this alley has been moved. Will this still be Ginkgo Alley?
The people who came out now weren't just there to watch the spectacle; they were there to supervise the construction, afraid that the ginkgo trees would be dug up and moved away without them saying a word.
"Yuehe, let's go see what's going on." A neighbor from the backyard called out to Guan Yuehe as they passed by the front yard.
"No, I still need to pickle sauerkraut."
October is almost over, it's time to start pickling sauerkraut and stock up on food for winter.
Once her second brother and sister-in-law's apple trees bear fruit, she plans to stock up on a large basket of apples at home, enough to eat from before winter until after winter!
Unfortunately, it takes four or five years for apple trees to bear fruit, which is a bit long.
Yuanbao, who was across the street, ran out with some change in his hand. A dozen minutes later, he returned with a bag of candy and a bottle of Beibingyang soda, and sat in the middle of the yard basking in the sun.
This chubby girl is living such a leisurely life; even Guan Yuehe is green with envy.
Someone outside the door called out loudly, "Lu Chang, Lu Yan, where are you two headed?"
"Hey! You guys are going to eat at a restaurant in Cuihua Hutong too? You're way too late. That place is packed. If you go now, you'll be waiting all night and still won't get anything to eat. You might as well go to a state-run restaurant instead."
The greetings outside faded away, and Yuanbao across the street was asking Jin Junwei, who was also making pickled cabbage, "Dad, when are we going to Cuihua Hutong? Jin Jiahe said his brother is treating the whole family to a meal at Cuihua Hutong. Can you give me a brother too?"
Jin Junwei was having a headache. His silly daughter was always coming up with something unexpected. Where was he supposed to find her a brother?
Fortunately, the other children from the courtyard came over and called her to go outside and throw sandbags, so she stopped asking him for a brother.
—
When Jiang Guiying arrived, Guan Yuehe had already neatly arranged the sauerkraut jars against the wall outside the door. A whole row of them—all her family's sauerkraut jars.
Since Guan Jianguo's family of five moved out, the Guan family's living space has become much more spacious, and the sauerkraut jars are no longer kept in her storage room.
Furthermore, everyone in the No. 3 courtyard is doing better now. There are no more troublesome thieves in the courtyard, and everyone puts their sauerkraut jars outside their doors.
"Is everything ready?"
"Okay." Guan Yuehe responded without looking up, taking out her old sweater, which she had worn for several years, to wash and dry, intending to turn it into a cushion. Perfect timing, her old cotton-padded coat, which she had worn for several years, was no longer warm; she could stuff the cotton from the old coat into the cushion.
"Aren't you going out to see what's going on?"
Guan Yuehe looked up and noticed something was wrong. She looked up again, her eyes widening. "You and Aunt Fang got your hair permed today?!"
"How is it? Is it alright?" Jiang Guiying wasn't quite used to her new hairstyle yet. She tugged at her clothes uncomfortably and touched her hair, but didn't dare to scratch it.
"It looks great!" Guan Yuehe said honestly, "I look ten years younger after getting this perm! Guan Aiguo's perming skills are pretty reliable, he deserves a chicken leg."
"Really? I feel weird looking in the mirror."
Jin Junwei, who was sitting across from her, came out to pour water. As soon as he saw Jiang Guiying, he praised her, "Aunt Jiang, your styling is great! You look so much younger."
"Haha, right? I think so too." Jiang Guiying was satisfied. Her little girl's compliments might not be reliable, but Jin Junwei was the most reasonably recognized person in Ginkgo Hutong who made a living based on his looks. If he said he was good-looking, then he really was.
Guan Yuehe clicked her tongue twice. How could her words be so unbelievable? She was a good comrade who loved beauty too!
"If you go to pick up Guyu tomorrow at noon, you'll probably give her a big scare."
Jiang Guiying chuckled, "Why are you exaggerating? It's still the same old face."
Just as she finished speaking, Aunt Hu returned from outside and, seeing Jiang Guiying's new look, came over to look at it for a long time. Having heard that several older women in courtyard number three had gotten their hair permed, she was now considering doing the same.
Guan Yuehe smiled. Besides her two mothers, Aunt Xie, Aunt Xu, Sister-in-law Xu, and Sister-in-law Zhang had all gone to the hair salon with Guan Aiguo this morning and gotten their hair permed. The No. 3 courtyard was now quite fashionable.
The older women in Yinxing Hutong love to join in the fun, and she can imagine that before long, Yinxing Hutong will be full of fashionable older women with permed hair.
"Holy crap! Chang Zhengyi, you son of a bitch! You almost scared me into falling into a pit!"
No one knew who was outside, but they were so frightened that their screams were shattered. However, Guan Yuehe, inside the No. 1 courtyard, could clearly hear the three words "Chang Zhengyi".
As the noise outside grew louder, Jiang Guiying couldn't sit still any longer and got up to go out and see what was going on.
Guan Yuehe followed them out, but the area was packed with people, three or four deep. The security department and Officer Song were trying to maintain order and disperse the crowd, but no one was willing to leave.
"It's just digging sewers, what's so interesting about that?" Guan Yuehe really couldn't understand it. They were just bored and couldn't stand missing any excitement.
Zhang Quanbin, who was still trying to peek inside on tiptoe, replied, "I heard they dug up a grave, and a corner of the coffin lid is sticking out."
Guan Yuehe was shocked, "We dug up a grave here?"
If this were in the suburbs, it would be normal, but this is the city! People have lived here for at least several hundred years, so the tombs that have been dug up must be hundreds of years old.
Guan Yuehe also wanted to stand on tiptoe to look inside, but even though she was tall, there was nothing she could do, as the crowd had blocked the entrance to Courtyard No. 1.
After thinking for a moment, she turned back and tried to open the window at the back of the small room to look out, but found that there were also people outside the window, so she could only see heads.
He turned around and went outside, borrowed the ladder from Aunt Hu's house, and climbed up to the roof in a few moments. Sitting on the roof, he could see everything clearly.
Looking into the pit they were digging, there was no coffin at all! It was just an ordinary black box!
She should have realized this sooner; the more exaggerated the rumors circulating in the alley, the less believable they are.
Wow, so many police officers here today?
Police officer Song and his colleagues cordoned off the pit, while others continued digging, and neighbors kept crowding in, as if to see what was inside.
Chang Zhengyi was the closest to the pit. He was scared but still wanted to see. The person next to him glared at him and told him not to make such a fuss. He wasn't scared by what was dug out of the pit, but he was startled by Chang Zhengyi's voice.
As more and more people crowded in, the security personnel from the car factory, having somehow acquired a loudspeaker, began urging people to leave: "Danger! Danger! Party members and cadres, come and evacuate the crowd!"
Before long, people from each courtyard stepped forward to persuade others to leave.
"Let's go. What if there are guns and explosives buried inside? It would be too dangerous to stay here, wouldn't it?"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately thought of what was buried behind the public toilet. They pulled each other along, and finally managed to back up quite a distance. Some people didn't want to leave, so the head of the security department took out a notebook and said he wanted to write down their names, and then immediately ran away.
The head of the security department breathed a sigh of relief; the families in Ginkgo Alley were really hard to persuade!
Suddenly looking up, he saw Guan Yuehe sitting on the roof looking down. "...Comrade, the roof is dangerous, come down quickly!"
"It's alright, I'll come up and change the tiles." Guan Yuehe pretended to be busy changing the tiles, but she was still sitting on the roof watching.
"Get down, get down!" the head of the security department said sternly.
Guan Yuehe went downstairs and then ran to the small room to open the window. Without the crowd blocking the way, she could see everything clearly.
Soon, several neighbors arrived at Guan Yuehe's small room, all there to continue watching the excitement.
"Wow! This box is huge, it would be a struggle for several people to lift it. Is it full of big yellow croakers?"
"Don't pull my hair!" Aunt Bai slapped the hand on her shoulder and continued looking. "We dug up another box! Good heavens, what kind of feng shui is this Ginkgo Alley? Why do they all bury things here?"
“It must be good feng shui! I had someone calculate it, and our Ginkgo Alley is a good place. Look, it produces both college graduates and high-ranking officials. You want me to move to a new place with my spouse? I won’t.”
The person behind him sneered, "You're kidding me! You clearly just wanted to move to a different apartment but didn't get the chance!"
Aunt Bai turned around and glared at the people behind her, "If you make any more noise, you're out."
Other people soon arrived, but the small room had limited space, and there wasn't enough room for everyone by the window. The last people to arrive could only ask from behind, "So? What did you dig up?"
"We've dug up two boxes already, and it looks like there are more underneath."
What's in the box?
"We can't see it. The security guards covered it with a cloth, so now we can't even see what the box looks like."
"What a pity, why didn't we think of digging for things next to the ginkgo tree?" someone said, slapping their thigh in frustration.
Guan Yuehe glanced at the depth of the box, which was less than half a meter deep. If someone suddenly had the idea to dig a hole next to the ginkgo tree, they might actually find the box.
But nobody would think of digging a hole next to a tree!
"Oh dear! They've dug all the way down to the base of your wall, Yuehe." Aunt Bai muttered, "Why didn't you bury it further forward? If you had, this thing would have been yours."
Guan Yuehe shook her head, "Even if it's dug up in my house, I still have to hand it over."
Regardless of whether it contains guns, explosives, or gold and silver jewelry, if it doesn't belong to her family, she would feel guilty hiding it away.
However, she was very curious, "When exactly was this buried? It must have been buried for at least thirty years, right?"
"I think it was probably buried by capitalists from the past. They couldn't take it with them, so they buried it here and left it there, waiting for a chance to dig it up later," Aunt Bai guessed.
When it was time to cook dinner, the neighbors reluctantly left Guan Yuehe's house, and Guan Yuehe began to prepare the meal.
When Lin Sitian got home from get off work, she was so angry she wanted to slam her fist on the table. "Why was I assigned to be on duty today?!"
The two ate while discussing what they had dug up next to the ginkgo tree.
Not only the two of them, but everyone in Ginkgo Hutong was talking about it. People outside who heard the news also came around to see the big pit that had been dug, and even asked people in Ginkgo Hutong for information.
As a result, the news that more than a dozen boxes of guns and explosives had been unearthed in Ginkgo Hutong spread throughout half of Beijing the very next day.
While having lunch at the company cafeteria, her colleagues were actually discussing that "magical" Ginkgo Alley.
"This is the third time, isn't it? My home is in Changhu Street, in this Ginkgo Alley. There's always a lot of trouble here. Ten years ago, we were even in the Daily News for catching a fugitive."
Gao Zhiyuan returned to his office from the cafeteria and suddenly remembered that Guan Yuehe's house seemed to be in Ginkgo Hutong.
"Director Guan, did they really dig up so many good things in the alley where your house is?"
Guan Yuehe smiled and said, "Don't listen to the rumors outside. At first, they were saying that a coffin was dug up."
"Huh?" Gao Zhiyuan was stunned. Could such an outrageous rumor really exist?
Guan Yuehe wasn't very concerned about what those dozen or so boxes contained. Lin Yiku hadn't gone home last night, nor had he called the neighborhood office to relay a message to her. She wondered what task he had been assigned this time.
When I got home that day, the big news in the alley had changed again.
Guan Yuehe wondered if she had misheard, and asked the neighbors gathered in front of Lu Chang and Lu Yan's house again to confirm: "They're missing? What do you mean? They shouldn't be home from get off work by now."
"Oh no! It's gone!"
The aunt explained, "The two of them didn't go to work this morning. We couldn't find them in the workshop, so the factory security called the neighborhood committee. When they came, they found their house locked. The security team came in the afternoon, picked the lock, and found that most of their belongings were missing. The couple had disappeared, and their major items were gone too..."
Aunt Er glanced around, then leaned close to Guan Yuehe's ear and whispered, "Now everyone suspects that the two of them are involved. They're either spies or bad elements hiding among the people! Maybe those dozen or so boxes of stuff that were dug up yesterday are related to them!"
The second aunt listed out all the analyses from the older men and women.
"Why did they start running now, instead of earlier or later? There's definitely something fishy going on!"
"Also, do you remember around the time of the earthquake? That couple insisted on staying next to the ginkgo tree, and they even argued with others about it. Now that I think about it, they must have known all along that there was something buried underneath!"
"And your house! Why do they insist on buying your house? They probably want to secretly dig a tunnel through the house to move the things under the tree away!"
Despite calling it an analysis, the second aunt became increasingly certain as she spoke, having already judged Lu Chang and Lu Yan as bad elements.
I must say, the analysis makes a lot of sense.
Guan Yuehe believed half of it.
She squeezed to the front of the crowd and peeked into the room. Inside, there were two kerosene lamps and security guards searching for things with flashlights. Everything in the room was clearly visible.
Sure enough, all the big items were gone, even the open wardrobe was empty, not a single old piece of clothing was left.
You really can't judge a book by its cover! These two were hiding their true nature so well!
"Sigh, bad people don't write 'bad person' on their foreheads. It's precisely because of people like them that they can hide for so many years!"
At this point, some hindsight experts chimed in: "I knew something was off about them a long time ago! Don't let their seemingly invisible nature fool you; who else lives like that, not interacting with their neighbors, spending money lavishly, and yet still managing to buy a house for over six thousand! You can tell they're not good people at first glance!"
"Yes, yes, you figured it out a long time ago. Why didn't you send a message to the security department to have him arrested sooner?"
"Even if I report something without any evidence, the security department is unlikely to believe me!"
The security guards inside sighed; they were getting really annoyed by the noise from the workers' families on this side of Ginkgo Alley.
She kept going on and on, never stopping.
Guan Yuehe remembered what she had heard yesterday and quickly provided the information to the security department: "Around 10 a.m. yesterday, I heard a neighbor greeting Lu Chang and Lu Yan. I heard that they were going to eat at a restaurant in Cuihua Hutong."
“It’s me!” A round-faced middle-aged woman squeezed to the front and raised her hand. “I’ve already reported this to the security department.”
Then, others chimed in, "I told them that the couple had been carrying things on the back of their bicycles to work a few days ago, saying they were going to take the TV and radio to be repaired. I never expected they were just moving their belongings ahead of time!"
The security department sent two people to ask the off-duty workers for clues, while the others planned to dig inside the house to see if anything was hidden underground.
But all the belongings inside the house have been cleared out, so it's unlikely that anything can be dug up from below.
Guan Yuehe didn't cook at home; instead, she went directly to Courtyard No. 3 for a free meal and to listen to gossip.
The neighbors of Courtyard No. 3 tacitly brought their bowls and chopsticks out and formed a large circle in the front yard, each sitting on a small stool, eating and chatting about the interesting things that had happened in the alley over the past two days.
Lin Sitian sat down next to Guan Yuehe. "Is my brother not coming back today either?"
"Probably. No phone call." She figured it was inconvenient for him to contact his family, and worrying wouldn't help; she'd just have to wait.
She always felt that Lin Yiku's sudden absence might be related to Lu Chang and Lu Yan's escape.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring courtyard number two, everyone gathered in the backyard. After Officer Song escorted those boxes to the police station yesterday, he hadn't returned, and everyone was wondering if he had been sent to arrest someone.
From that day on, Lin Yiku and Song Gong'an had not returned home for three days, nor had they informed their families.
Lu Chang and Lu Yan are also wanted by the police. The neighborhood committee came to hold a meeting with the residents of Ginkgo Hutong and asked everyone to report any news as soon as possible to help the police catch the fugitives as soon as possible!
I heard that Lu Yan was arrested, and after interrogation, they finally got Lu Chang's background out of her.
It was at this time that everyone learned that Lu Chang was actually a descendant of a traitor, and that he had stayed here to transfer the valuables hidden in Ginkgo Alley.
This news sparked a wave of discussion in Ginkgo Hutong: Oh my god! There's a dirty thing mixed in with us!
"I knew it! Where did they get so much money to squander? Turns out they're just keeping their family heirlooms!"
"What ancestral inheritance? They're all descendants of traitors, probably all victims of the people's ill-gotten gains!"
While everyone else was concerned about when Lu Chang would be caught and what valuables were in those dozen or so boxes, only Lin Yiku and Song Gong's family were worried about when he would return.
Aunt Fang was so worried at home that she couldn't help but curse: "Wait till he gets back, I'll teach him a lesson! He's driving me crazy!"
Before going to bed that night, Guan Yuehe couldn't help but punch his pillow twice, and then smoothed out the pillowcase.
He sighed deeply into the darkness of the room, tossed and turned a few times, and finally managed to fall asleep.
—
"See you tomorrow, Director Guan."
"See you tomorrow, sir!"
The gatekeeper shook his head in confusion and muttered to himself, "That's strange. Has something happened to Guan?"
He's usually full of energy, but these past two days he seems to be radiating anger.
"Comrade Yuehe, do you also live on this road?" Li Xuelian turned around and saw Guan Yuehe from the next office. She greeted her and said, "I live in the coal mine family compound in Changhu Street."
"What a coincidence! I live in Ginkgo Alley in Changhu Subdistrict, we're going the same way." Guan Yuehe asked, "Are you also working overtime this late?"
"Yes, there's a lot going on. The year-end foreign investment conference is a major focus for our office right now. You must be having a tough time too, right? I see people waiting outside your office every day, knocking on the door."
"Yes, we've received quite a few joint venture projects, but our office is short-staffed."
Actually, the main reason is that the Sino-foreign joint venture project has only been running for a short time, and a lot of work is still being explored.
Li Xuelian suddenly remembered the matter of Ginkgo Alley and hurriedly asked Guan Yuehe for details, but Guan Yuehe knew that there wasn't much to say, so she told her what she could.
“If we both have to work overtime in the future, I’ll wait for you to leave together. It gets dark late now, and it’s not safe for you to go home alone,” Li Xuelian said.
"Okay." Guan Yuehe felt that things hadn't been peaceful lately. She had heard that the police station had arrested a lot of petty thieves, so having more people around would make things safer.
Halfway through the journey, just as we were about to pass the chemical factory, someone in front of me shouted, "Stop right there! Don't run! I'll shoot if you run again!"
Startled, Li Xuelian swerved the car around, her face turning pale. "Yuehe, quick, quick, quick! Let's move to the side!"
What bad luck she had today! How did she end up running into someone who was shooting?
Guan Yuehe remained relatively calm. Just as she was about to turn her bicycle around, the flashlight attached to the front of the handlebars shone in the face of the person running in front. The person was startled when he saw her.
They were almost ahead of her.
Hey! What a coincidence!
"You'd better get to the side quickly," Guan Yuehe reminded Li Xuelian, then hurled a flashlight at the person in front of her, hitting him right on the forehead. While the person was clutching his head in pain, Guan Yuehe spurred her bicycle and kicked him hard.
Lu Chang, covered in filth, was so angry he wanted to kill someone, but when the kick landed, he felt as if his ribs had been broken.
Guan Yuehe!
It's her again!
She's everywhere!
Lu Chang had just gotten up when Guan Yuehe got off the car, picked up her bicycle, and smashed it down on him with a loud bang.
The bicycle crashed with a loud bang. Normally, Guan Yuehe would never have dared to crash her bicycle like that, but having learned from her experience ten years ago, she was afraid that Lu Chang was carrying a gun and dared not go up to beat him up.
Fortunately, the police had caught up with them. Several officers stepped forward and restrained Lu Chang, while the remaining officer stared at Guan Yuehe, scrutinizing her with a look of apprehension, going over all the possibilities in his mind.
"Do you know him? Which organization do you work for? What's your name?"
“He is my neighbor, we both live in Ginkgo Hutong. My name is Guan Yuehe, and I work at the Ministry of Foreign Trade.”
Lu Chang was tied up and his mouth was stuffed with a cloth. When he was lifted up, he stared intently at Guan Yuehe, wishing he could stare two holes through her. His body ached, and his heart ached with anger.
Why didn't he think of killing Guan Yuehe before! He always ruins his plans!
"What are you looking at?" Guan Yuehe glared back.
I really want to slap him across the face! First he tried to take her house, and now he's running around everywhere, causing so many people to follow him and not even have time to go home!
If the police hadn't been there, she would have already passed out.
The police officer questioning them: "..."
One of the police officers recognized Guan Yuehe and was filled with mixed feelings. He had been transferred from the Changhu Street Police Station to the Municipal Bureau and never expected to see this female comrade catching a fugitive again!
Seeing that everything was alright, Li Xuelian turned back. She had witnessed the whole thing from the sidelines, and her feelings were quite mixed.
She now feels that it's quite safe for Yuehe to go home alone.
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