The bodyguards took turns to rest and led the villagers to clear the mud and stones on the road. Yuan Tingchuan supervised the work until the moon was at its zenith. He then walked into the house while talking on the phone.
Du Ruo had fallen asleep. She hadn't felt so tired in a long time. She was not used to such tossing and turning, so she slept very soundly.
Yuan Tingchuan stood at the edge of the kang, staring at the woman lying on the pillow in a daze.
Everyone cleaned up quickly overnight and almost finished by dawn.
Several vehicles drove back on the bumpy dirt road and met up with a fully armed team at noon.
The man in the lead hugged Yuan Tingchuan's neck and waist very affectionately, just like a brother.
Yuan Tingchuan turned around and held Du Ruo in his arms: "This is my woman."
The man looked at Du Ruo, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He laughed and said, "Brother, you are so lucky. When are you going to invite me to your wedding?"
Yuan Tingchuan said, "It's almost there."
The man knew Yuan Tingchuan was serious, so he put away the surprise in his eyes and said seriously, "I am Aung San, Tingchuan's brother. We were in the same trench together. Sister-in-law, don't be polite with me. If you have something to say, just talk to me."
Du Ruo nodded without saying anything more.
Her relationship with Yuan Tingchuan is still very delicate, and nothing she says is appropriate.
At night, Du Ruo was resting in the tent at Aung San's camp. She heard the sound of Yuan Tingchuan and Aung San drinking and chatting in the distance.
Their language is very mixed, some people can understand it, while others can't.
Half guessing, he thought they were probably talking about the jade mine. Du Ruo was astonished. He could even get involved in this. The boss was indeed a boss.
The next day, when we went to the mine, we met up with another group of people, still Yuan Tingchuan's men. They brought several trucks and it seemed that they were here to transport raw materials.
Yuan Tingchuan waved to Du Ruo and whispered to her, "Just let me handle these raw materials. I'll give you one tenth as a reward."
Du Ruo smiled.
I followed Yuan Tingchuan directly to the side of the truck. Next to it was a pile of raw stones like a small hill. From a distance, it looked green.
Two workers followed her. Every time they picked up a stone, they would ask Du Ruo. If Du Ruo nodded, they would load it onto the truck. If Du Ruo shook her head, they would throw it aside.
The speed was not slow. A truck was loaded in an hour or two. Yuan Tingchuan came over to take a look and communicated with Du Ruo with his eyes. Du Ruo said there was no problem. Yuan Tingchuan nodded slightly and went to the front with Aung San.
The raw stones were loaded onto the truck one by one, and the ones thrown away were piled aside. It was not until sunset that all four trucks of raw stones were loaded.
Yuan Tingchuan did not delay. He hugged Aung San Suu Kyi and said goodbye. The group then took a truck back the same way. They were going back to participate in the Myanmar Jade Auction and had to be back by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.
Just when they were halfway there, they encountered a downpour. In order to prevent landslides, everyone dared not go forward. They found an open place, set up a tent in the rain, and went into the tent to shelter from the rain and wait for the weather to clear up.
It is the rainy season in northern Myanmar, and heavy rain is the norm. It does drive away some of the heat, and the refreshing air after the rain also reduces a lot of irritability.
Yuan Tingchuan stood at the door of the tent, his body straight and tall, his hands in his trouser pockets, staring at the heavy rain outside in a daze.
Du Ruo stood beside him, folding his arms, looking at the sky and saying, "Are you still traveling tonight?"
It is not convenient to travel here at night, and there are many potential dangers.
Yuan Tingchuan's resolute face showed a hint of indifference: "We have to rush back before noon tomorrow."
This means to keep going.
He turned his head to glance at Du Ruo, took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his trouser pocket, tapped the bottom of the pack lightly with his fingers, took out a cigarette, put it between the corners of his mouth, tossed the lighter to Du Ruo, put his strong arm around Du Ruo's shoulders, and said jokingly, "Light it up for me."
His voice was frivolous, and his calloused fingers traced Du Ruo's lips. He lowered his head slightly, waiting for Du Ruo to light his cigarette.
Du Ruo lit the lighter, lit the cigarette, spun the lighter on her fingertips, curled her lips slightly, and looked at him with a meaningful look.
The man took a deep drag on the cigarette in his mouth, blew the smoke rings between them, and said vaguely: "Wait until we get back..."
Du Ruo smiled. Waiting to go back? Indeed, the boss wanted to settle the score with her, but she didn't know...
The heavy rain continued until midnight, then it finally stopped. The bodyguard came over and said to Yuan Tingchuan, "It's too dangerous to go on the road now. It seems we have to wait until daybreak."
Yuan Tingchuan nodded: "Except for those on duty, everyone should go to rest. As soon as the sun rises, we will set off."
The bodyguards agreed to disperse and rest. Yuan Tingchuan spread out the sleeping mat, opened his arms, blew a whistle, and signaled Du Ruo to come quickly.
Du Ruo ignored him and went to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Yuan Tingchuan suddenly opened his eyes. He gently placed Du Ruo on the mat, touched the gun bag on his waist, took the weapon in his hand, crouched down and sneaked to the door, slightly poked his head out and made a gesture.
The bodyguards outside the door moved closer to him, all holding weapons, ready to strike.
Du Ruo was sleeping on the ground. The messy footsteps were particularly clear. She was awakened and jumped up from the sleeping mat. She saw everyone holding weapons and gathered at the door of the tent.
Seeing that she woke up, Yuan Tingchuan gestured for her to come over, and gently held Du Ruo in his side. Seeing that she looked nervous, he smiled and said, "It's okay, don't be afraid." The man's lips brushed across the skin behind her ear and left a soothing kiss.
There was a chaotic sound of footsteps outside the tent, at least dozens of people. In the quiet of the night, one could hear the crisp "click" sound of bullets being loaded, and Du Ruo's heart was pounding.
Suddenly, the people outside the tent stopped and shouted something at them. Yuan Tingchuan made a gesture and walked out of the tent with a gun. The flashlight shone on Du Ruo's face, and her head was pressed into Yuan Tingchuan's shoulder.
Out of the corner of his eye, Du Ruo saw a group of soldiers coming, but he didn't know which armed force from northern Myanmar they were.
A bodyguard stepped forward, and the two sides mumbled something to each other. The man who led the soldiers came forward with a laugh, said a few words to Yuan Tingchuan, glanced at Du Ruo, and his tone was teasing.
Yuan Tingchuan's tone was also a bit frivolous. He patted Du Ruo's buttocks twice with his palm. The man laughed, waved his hand, and left with his men.
Yuan Tingchuan took a look at the sky and told everyone to pack up and set off.
The bodyguards scattered to pack up their things. Yuan Tingchuan put away his weapon, kissed Du Ruo's hair gently, and was about to say a few words to comfort her when suddenly, several cars came speeding from the distance.
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