Cooking (IV)
Yeah, why wait until a year later? Wouldn't it have been better to just kill her then and there? Why go to Nanfu City all the trouble?
Shen Xingyan: "One more thing, if Yang Pan really knew something, why didn't she call the police?"
"These are all our guesses. We don't know what the situation is. Let's go back and rest first. There are still a few days until the 23rd. We can stay in Qi County for a few more days."
Shen Xingyan went back and went to the front desk to get some hot water. The big sister who told the story was gone, and only the little girl was watching TV.
Shen Xingyan asked the little girl where her elder sister was from and how she knew so much about the Xiao family.
"She is a local. Almost everyone in the local area knows about the Xiao family. Only those of us from other places know about it like a story."
Shen Xingyan smiled, said, "Take your time to read it," and went back to the room. I drank a glass of water and took a hot shower. Just after she fell asleep, her pager rang and Song Xijun asked her where she was.
Shen Xingyan sighed and had to get up and go to the front desk to borrow a phone to reply to her message. She really misses the future, where everything can be done with a mobile phone.
When Song Xijun learned that she was on a business trip, he replied, "I'll talk to you when you come back." Shen Xingyan sent her a phone number and asked her to call back, but Song Xijun still said, "I'll talk to you when you come back."
Shen Xingyan sensitively realized that something might have happened to her, and based on the memory of the original owner, Shen Xingyan called her.
The phone was always silent and no one answered. She confirmed again and again that she was not mistaken and called again, but there was still no signal.
Shen Xingyan left a message for Qi Jiabao, asking him to visit Song Xijun tomorrow, and sent him the address of Song Xijun's home.
Qi Jiabao replied to the message very quickly and said he would go there early tomorrow morning.
Shen Xingyan returned to the room and lay on the bed that smelled of disinfectant. He had a guess, sighed, turned over and closed his eyes.
…
There was a knock on the door and Shen Xingyan got up in a daze. After a while, he realized that he was in a hotel. After putting on clothes and opening the door, Gu Fang handed over breakfast and said, "Go visit after dinner."
Shen Xingyan nodded, took the breakfast, washed up, and walked downstairs while biting a bun.
Gu Fang was already waiting. Seeing her turn around and walk out, Shen Xingyan hurriedly followed.
Gu Fang didn't drive, he just walked around. Shen Xingyan didn't ask, finished his buns, and drank soy milk.
In the park, some people are taking a walk, some are playing with their children, and some are playing chess.
Gu Fang nodded his chin towards the woman with the child. Shen Xingyan understood and walked over.
"Oh, your child is so cute. Is he in kindergarten?"
The woman smiled and said, "Yes, I was sick, so I didn't go today."
"Children are more likely to get sick when the weather is cold. My sister's child has been sick every other day since he started kindergarten."
"There are many children in the kindergarten, so cross-infection is easy. Is your sister's child in the senior class or the junior class?"
"Xiaoban, it's time to buy it."
The woman laughed, "Boys are all naughty."
Seeing that the chat about family matters was almost over, Shen Xingyan changed the subject and said, "I came to Qi County for tourism. I heard that the most famous thing in Qi County is the Xiao family's shadow puppetry. My friend asked me to bring a few sets back. I don't understand them, and I can't find anyone to help me."
"You asked the right question. I make shadow puppets."
"What a coincidence, in the Xiao family's factory?"
"No, the Xiao family has high requirements, I am not qualified."
Shen Xingyan acted surprised and asked, "Does making shadow puppets have such high requirements?"
"Yes, you need to be able to draw and have an education. I heard that they are recruiting college students recently. I barely graduated from elementary school, so there is no way I can get in."
“College students making shadow puppets?”
"It seems you have no experience. What's wrong with college students making shadow puppets? Our Qi County's shadow puppets are famous. Every year the county holds a shadow puppet competition, and the champion shadow puppets are auctioned. Do you know how much this shadow puppet sold for?"
The woman was very proud, and Shen Xingyan followed her words and asked, "How much?"
"It would scare you to death if I told you. Over 300,000 yuan."
"So expensive!" Shen Xingyan smacked her lips. She was really surprised.
"This is not expensive. Last year, no, it should be the year before last, a set of shadow puppets sold for this amount." The woman opened her palms.
"More than half a million?! Who would pay for such an expensive shadow puppet?!"
"That shadow puppet is not an ordinary one. It took the Xiao family a year to make it. Whether it's the workmanship, color matching, or leather, it's all top-notch."
"You mean the Xiao family is the champion every year?"
"Of course, whoever wins the Xiao family."
"Thank you, big sister. You really helped me a lot. I will go buy some shadow puppets from the Xiao family later."
Shen Xingyan went to find Gu Fang. Gu Fang was playing chess with a group of old men, smiling so much that wrinkles appeared on his face. He saw Shen Xingyan, winked at her, and walked over.
Shen Xingyan told Gu Fang what he had found out. Gu Fang said, "It's similar to what I found out. It seems that the Xiao family has monopolized the shadow puppetry in Qi County."
"I am more interested in the shadow play competition, which is held in December every year to celebrate New Year's Day. Unfortunately, we came too late and missed it."
The two returned to the hotel. Jiang Shengyu and his friends also came back. They heard the same news. Jiang Shengyu was complaining, "I can't make this much money in my whole life. I have to spend hundreds of thousands to buy shadow puppets. Shadow puppets are made of gold!"
After saying that, he was stunned, "Fuck, no way!"
Gu Fang and Shen Xingyan both looked unhappy, and Qiu Ming also realized it belatedly.
Jiang Shengyu broke out in a cold sweat, "If it's true, it's too cruel. Boss, what should we do next?"
"You and Qiu Ming go find out who bought the shadow puppets from the 1995 competition. Xiao Shen and I will go back to Chengdu first and then meet Zhan Weiyi."
Everyone went their separate ways. On the way back, Shen Xingyan's pager kept ringing, and Gu Fang glanced at her.
Shen Xingyan smiled awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I received Xijun's message last night, but couldn't get through to her home phone number, so I asked Jiabao to go to her house to check."
"Something happened?"
"Her parents divorced, and Song Hongquan was found to have bribed others. The year before last, Song Hongquan's company was in deficit. In order to keep the company going, Song Hongquan gave away a large sum of money and bought a piece of land at a low price. Later, he sold the land and used the money to fill the company's hole, so the company was saved.
After tasting the sweetness, Song Hongquan gave away millions gradually. Now that the matter has been investigated, Song Hongquan has been detained and his property has been seized.
Fortunately, Xijun's mother and father have divorced, and their lives have not been affected for the time being. But Xijun didn't want to study for a master's degree anymore, so he dropped out. ”
Gu Fang: "She doesn't want to face her classmates."
"I don't have the energy to study anymore. Jiabao said Xijun is looking for a job."
"If anyone can help, please feel free to ask."
"Thank you, I guess not for now."
The car was speeding on the highway, and Shen Xingyan's pager finally stopped ringing.
…
Chengdu, Huiming University Auditorium.
The auditorium was full of students, and Gu Fang and Shen Xingyan sat in the corner.
Zhan Weiyi stood on the stage. He was wearing a black coat which was open, revealing a suit of the same color and a blue striped tie. He wore a pair of frameless glasses and his smile sounded a bit like a gentleman.
Some of the female students sitting in the seats had red faces and looked cold, while others smiled unconsciously.
Shen Xingyan admitted that Zhan Weiyi's appearance was indeed attractive to girls, and his speech was also of good quality and would not make people feel bored.
Gu Fang kept frowning and crossed his legs. “Making shadow puppets generally involves eight processes: material selection, processing, drawing, copying, engraving, coloring, sweating and ironing, and stitching. Just this process requires hair removal, scraping, fat removal, and sun drying.
It is so complicated to make, not to mention the engraving with various knives later. The speech only gave a general introduction to these techniques. Apart from praising the great wisdom of our ancestors, we were not prepared to make shadow puppetry our career.
There must have been an opportunity for Yang Pan to start making shadow puppets. ”
At the end of the speech, Zhan Weiyi saw that the atmosphere at the scene was being stimulated, so he took the opportunity to say: "We hope that more young people will promote shadow puppets. I have some shadow puppets here to give to everyone. But the prerequisite is that you have to answer my questions."
Gu Fang snorted, "Little trick."
It turns out that this little trick is the most effective and many students raised their hands. When Shen Xingyan saw that most of the people were girls, she couldn't help but sigh and said, "Don't be fooled by men's appearance."
Zhan Weiyi asked questions on the spot and the students answered them. He gave shadow puppets to those who gave good answers. The girls who received the shadow puppets were very happy.
Gu Fang sneered, "He really knows how to find girls. They are all pretty girls."
Shen Xingyan took a look and found that it was true. She looked Gu Fang up and down and found that men cared most about women's appearance.
Gu Fang glared at her, "Am I as superficial as he is?"
Shen Xingyan said, "That's right, Lili is so beautiful but you are not attracted to her. Are you planning to become a monk?"
"Don't ask about your boss's private affairs." Gu Fang stood up and walked towards the stage, and Shen Xingyan hurriedly followed.
The students left one after another. A few girls surrounded Zhan Weiyi and asked him questions. Zhan Weiyi laughed so hard that his eyes almost disappeared. It was obvious that he was enjoying it.
Gu Fang walked over to him and said, "I really benefited a lot from listening to President Zhan's speech."
Zhan Weiyi didn't expect them to be there, and his expression changed.
The girls looked at Gu Fang in surprise and found that Gu Fang was even more handsome than Zhan Weiyi. A brave girl asked him if he had a girlfriend, but she shut up after seeing Shen Xingyan.
Shen Xingyan kept looking at Zhan Weiyi and caught the flash of disappointment and jealousy in his eyes.
Gu Fang: "That's how Yang Pan was tricked into learning it by you back then, right?"
Zhan Weiyi was immediately annoyed, "Captain Gu, please be careful with your words, Yang Pan joined voluntarily."
“Isn’t there someone in the exhibition hall who is fanning the flames?”
"I don't understand what you are talking about!" Zhan Weiyi turned around, packed up his shadow puppet and was about to leave.
Gu Fang did not let him go, "Does your wife know about you and Yang Pan?"
Zhan Weiyi's hand trembled and the shadow puppet fell to the ground.
Gu Fang chuckled and said to the girls, "Be careful when looking for a man. President Zhan is married."
Shen Xingyan picked up the shadow puppet faster than Zhan Weiyi, "President Zhan, it's time to tell us what you've been hiding from us."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
