After passing the "Reading Shop" service area, the traffic jam gradually improved, but even so, it was still more than 4 hours late compared to the time I had calculated. By the time we arrived in Dali, it was already 6:30 pm.
Yang Sisi parked the car at the south gate of the ancient city and then asked me, "Tonight, shall we stay at the same hotel, or each of us stay in our own?"
"You go stay at a hotel, I'll stay with Tie Nan and Coach Ma... Call me if you need anything."
"Then I won't stay at the hotel, I'll stay at that villa."
Do you have your keys?
"The locks have all been changed to combination locks, so we don't need keys... You should go downstairs now, I need to find a housekeeper to clean the house later."
I didn't move, and asked her again, "Aren't you afraid to live alone in such a big house?"
"This is none of your business... Mind your own business, and don't drink with Coach Ma or Tie Nan... Do you hear me?"
"No, we're just chatting."
As I spoke, I opened the car door and got out. Yang Sisi then drove away... Once the car had disappeared from my sight, I quickly took out my phone from my pocket and called An'an.
While waiting for her to answer, I saw that giant billboard standing outside the ancient city again. Over the years, the content on it has remained unchanged: an important instruction from national leaders: "We must protect Erhai Lake."
In recent years, the local government has been resolutely implementing this directive; I've heard that there are almost no guesthouses within a 100-meter radius of Erhai Lake; this is what I've heard; but I'm not sure whether the water quality of Erhai Lake has actually returned to what it used to be.
...
An'an finally answered my call. Before I could even speak, she whispered, "Have you arrived in Dali?"
"Um, is it convenient for us to meet up now?"
“Not now, I’m out with him for a business dinner… I answered the phone outside, but we can’t talk for too long, or he’ll get suspicious.”
"Okay... then contact me when it's convenient for you... or come find me directly... I live near Tie Nan and Coach Ma."
"Um."
Just as I was about to hang up, An'an said to me again, "By the way, Michael... Ye Zhi is also at our dinner party. Do you want to say hello to her and tell her not to mention our relationship in front of Cao Jinbo?"
This news really surprised me, but considering that Cao Xiaobei is getting married tomorrow, I felt it was inevitable. So I replied to An'an in a relaxed tone, "Don't worry, she's not a gossip, and she doesn't like to meddle in these kinds of things... Besides, you only met once at the hospital, she might not remember you."
"You don't understand women at all. If she truly loves you, she'll remember every woman around you, even those she only met once... You should talk to her about it; I don't want any other trouble to arise at this time... If..."
Cao Jinbo asked me to explain our relationship, but I really didn't know how to explain it so he wouldn't become suspicious.
My instinct was to avoid contacting Ye Zhi, and since I trusted her to be a woman who wouldn't talk too much, I said to An An, "It's okay, she definitely won't say anything... Even if she does, just tell Cao Jinbo the truth... We have a clear conscience."
An'an hesitated for a moment on the other end of the phone, then said in a low voice, "But I feel guilty!"
I remained silent for a longer time than she did before replying, "Then I'll call her right now."
"Okay... I won't say any more. I'll contact you later when it's convenient for me."
"Um."
...
After ending the call with An'an, I sat down on a bench on the street, then took out a cigarette from the pack and put it in my mouth... Although I had already promised An'an, I still felt that calling Ye Zhi was a bit like "protesting too much," so I hesitated.
A while later, a police car stopped beside me, and the passenger window rolled down. The person sitting inside was Wang Xiaoling, the female police officer who had been in charge of the Tie Nan case.
Speaking of Wang Xiaoling, our acquaintance was quite dramatic. Back then, her grandmother was collecting bottles in the old town, and I gave her all the empty bottles in the inn. That's how we met... Although we only met a handful of times and didn't have any special relationship, I have a very deep impression of her. After all, she was the one who got Tie Nan into trouble.
I looked at her, and she smiled and said to me, "Long time no see. Are you still working in Dali?"
"I haven't been to Dali for quite a while... I'm back for a friend's wedding."
"Oh... judging by the time, your friend should be out by now, right?"
“He came out... He said he was very grateful to you... If it weren’t for this lesson, he would never have been able to mature in his life.”
"It's good that he can learn from this lesson... Hopefully, he won't commit any more illegal acts in the future."
"No, it has been completely transformed."
When I say this, I'm not just saying it to Wang Xiaoling. Back then, Tie Nan broke the law because he was too short of money and too eager to settle Tao Zi down. Now that he has money and Tao Zi is no longer around, he has no motivation to break the law. I believe Tie Nan will definitely get back on the right track because, in my eyes, he has truly been transformed.
Wang Xiaoling nodded, and I asked her again, "How is Grandma? Is she feeling alright?"
Wang Xiaoling's face instantly darkened. After a long silence, she whispered to me, "Grandma passed away this winter... esophageal cancer."
Thinking of the old lady who picked up bottles in the cold wind and gave me a sausage, I felt indescribably sad. So, after a long silence, I said to Wang Xiaoling, "Please accept my condolences."
"nothing
"Everyone gets old eventually... I have official business to attend to, let's talk again another time."
"Um."
...
After a brief chat, Wang Xiaoling left in the police car, while I remained seated on the bench... I felt as if I had turned to stone, silently gazing towards Erhai Lake; at that moment, the sky wasn't completely dark, so there was still a faint, dark red light...
I don't know when it will get completely dark, but in that faint light, I saw so much of what I've experienced since coming to Dali.
How things have changed! When I stood on this land again, everything had changed... I would no longer be fighting here; I was here to clean up the mess...
Thinking of all this, I took out my phone from my pocket and dialed Ye Zhi's number... At this moment, I also felt a little bit of crisis. If Ye Zhi brought up my relationship with An An at the dinner party, it would indeed be quite disadvantageous... It's better to be safe than sorry.
(End of this chapter)
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