"I'll have someone fetch it for you. What do you want?"
"No need. It's only a night's drive from the capital to the seaside. I'll go check it out myself in the summer. I don't know what I need right now."
"Anything is fine, but we might have dried shrimp and shrimp shells at home. We can have Xiao Shun deliver them to you."
“Sure, I also brought winter melon. Dried shrimp and winter melon soup is also good.”
When Zhang Hongmei arrived at Xinyuan, she saw a truck parked at the entrance.
"Brother Zhang, is it really a good idea to make such a big fuss?"
"Hehe, it'll only be a cover-up tonight, it's fine. They won't know what it is."
"So they really are there?"
"Hehe, yes, there are, and a lot of them. Scared?"
"A little, I'll keep my distance from you next time. I'm just a student."
"It's no use. Many people are already paying attention to you. Don't worry, someone is protecting you."
Zhang Hongmei was startled. Whether someone was protecting her or monitoring her, entering the space would be too dangerous in the future.
Zhang Hongmei's smile vanished; this was truly serious. She needed to think things through carefully. From their fragmented conversations, she could roughly deduce that Zhang Aiguo and Cui Lin's deaths were likely due to the storage ring being exposed.
Zhang Shouyi got out of the car and saw that Zhang Hongmei hadn't moved. He opened the car door and saw the girl's deathly pale face. He knew she was frightened by him.
"Don't worry, they're all protecting you from the shadows."
The more this happened, the more uneasy Zhang Hongmei became. "I want to go back to Liujiatun."
"Hongmei, what's wrong? Don't be afraid. I'll withdraw the people who were monitoring you from now on."
"Brother Zhang, I want to go back to Liujiatun."
"Zhang Hongmei, look at me." Zhang Shouyi also got into the car and closed the door.
Zhang Hongmei looked at Zhang Shouyi with a confused expression, her own thoughts a jumbled mess.
"Zhang Hongmei, I'm telling you this solemnly, you'll be fine. I guarantee it with my own life and fortune. Come on, get off the bus. Aren't you reassured by my guarantee?"
Zhang Hongmei was pulled out of the car by Zhang Shouyi and followed into the courtyard.
The two returned to the bedroom, had Zhang Hongmei sit on a stool, and then Zhang Shouyi opened the mechanism before beckoning the four people over.
They carried the boxes in, and then put the silver into the boxes they had brought.
Before long, all five boxes of silver on the top layer were loaded onto the cart.
Zhang Shouyi pulled Zhang Hongmei up and said, "Last time we only looked at the top floor, let's take a look at the bottom floor today."
Zhang Hongmei stood beside Zhang Shouyi, now somewhat calmer.
Zhang Shouyi waited for someone to open it; inside was still silver, nothing new.
The second one was the same, the third one was the same, and the fourth one finally changed; these were all jade jewelry.
This one hasn't been touched, and the fifth one, which is a jade ornament, hasn't been touched either.
Zhang Shouyi waved and they drove away. "Let's go eat."
Zhang Hongmei didn't say a word. Zhang Shouyi was puzzled. Was she so afraid just because someone was watching her?
“Hongmei, relax. It’s not safe for you to go back to Liujiatun now. You’re being watched.”
"Brother Zhang, I'll ride my bicycle over there."
"Xiao Li is here. It's fine if you ride your bike there. I have to go back to work after dinner. Can you go home by yourself?"
"Can."
When the two arrived at the steamed bun shop, it was packed with people eating, and there wasn't a single empty table.
"Brother Zhang, why don't we buy it and take it home? I can just eat it at home."
"Okay, there are too many people, it's not safe. Let Xiao Li go buy it when he gets here, we'll wait for him over there."
Zhang Shouyi drove away, waiting for Xiao Li to come over.
Zhang Shouyi gave Xiao Li a few instructions, and then the two waited in the car.
Where were you when Hongmei met you just now?
"The photo studio, I'm going to pick up the photos."
"Can I take a look at it?"
Zhang Hongmei was unwilling, but Zhang Shouyi just smiled at her without saying a word.
In the end, Zhang Hongmei gave in and took out a paper bag, handing it to Zhang Shouyi.
Zhang Shouyi took out the photos and looked through them one by one. Finally, he picked out ten photos, put them in his pocket, and returned the rest to Zhang Hongmei.
"I kept ten photos, and I'm returning the rest. Where are the negatives?"
“I washed another set. Brother Zhang, this isn’t right. It’s not good for a girl like me to have a photo in a man’s hands. You should give it back to me.”
"It might not work for others, but it'll be fine with me. Is it the photo studio you came from?"
"Yes, I'll pick it up the day after tomorrow."
"You don't need to, I'll go get it."
Zhang Hongmei was furious, thinking to herself, "You're my father! You're an outsider too, aren't you?" But seeing Zhang Shouyi's ambiguous smile, she didn't have the courage to speak.
Dejected, he stuffed the paper bag into his handbag, deciding he would have to be more careful with his words from now on and not speak without thinking.
He was unwilling to accept it. "Brother Zhang, this is really not right. We're not blood siblings, and you're not my father. It's very ungentlemanly of you to take a girl's photo like this."
"When your cheongsam dresses are all finished in the summer, I'll take pictures of you, and I can even wash them myself."
This is a blatant attempt to change the subject: "I don't like taking photos, especially the kind that are artificial and unnatural."
Xiao Li bought steamed buns, all packed in paper bags. "Hongmei, let's eat them in the car before going back, or you can come to my place?"
"No, I'm going home to eat. I'm leaving now." Zhang Hongmei took the steamed bun, but felt it wasn't good to leave it inside, afraid it would leak oil. She thought it would be better to carry it by one hand and hold onto the handlebars so she could get home.
When Zhang Hongmei got home, the steamed buns were cold. Everything was going wrong, so she had no choice but to heat them up over a fire. That turned out alright; they were somewhat like pan-fried buns. She also put a bowl of seaweed soup in the dining room and brought it in for dinner.
After eating my fill, I sat in the dining room lost in thought. It's like living on the edge of a knife. I even regretted going to school. If I had just stayed in the village and toiled in the fields, maybe I wouldn't have had so many problems.
Suddenly remembering the ring from the phoenix crown I bought on the train, I rushed into the bedroom without even washing the dishes.
Find the box, take out the inconspicuous ring, and it really is exactly the same as the one I wear.
With a heavy heart, I pricked a hole with a needle and smeared the smear on the ring. It really was a savings ring. The inside was also filled with boxes.
There's no excitement now, only horror. He put both rings into his spatial storage, sat on the bed in a daze, wondering if this was a good thing or a death knell.
Zhang Hongmei slowly lay down on the bed, and soon became drowsy. She suddenly woke up and quickly got up, as she dared not sleep like this in this temperature.
Clean up the dining room and kitchen. There are still fifteen small steamed buns and two steamed breads left. We'll eat the leftovers for dinner.
If you can't solve something, just leave it be. Things will work themselves out. At worst, you can just live in the mountains for the rest of your life.
Tomorrow's Friday. Should I go climb the Great Wall by myself? After thinking about it, I'll pass. I'll just stay home and read.
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