“No wonder he wouldn’t come to stay with us before.” Fang Meili glanced at Yuan Xinkang. “Do you know where to find him?”
Yuan Xinkang shrugged. "Ask me? How would I know?"
Fang Meili pursed her lips and rubbed her temples. Should she wait here? Fang Damiao wouldn't tell the truth when he came back; he'd make up excuses to lie to them. He'd go out again in the future; she had to follow him and see with her own eyes where he went.
"Let's go home first."
"Aren't you going to look for him anymore?" Yuan Xinkang asked.
"Okay, I'm not looking anymore, I'm going home," Fang Meili replied decisively.
They closed the door and went home. After putting their two daughters to bed, Fang Meili tossed and turned, unable to sleep. "Xin Kang, where do you think he'll go?"
"Why do you keep asking me?" Yuan Xinkang said sullenly.
"If I don't ask you, who else should I ask? Dong Qiang?"
"Even if you go to a place like that, you wouldn't go there every few days."
"Yeah. That's what I thought too. The little allowance I give him each month isn't enough for him to go out. So, does he have a girlfriend?"
“Merry,” Yuan Xinkang paused and said, “do you think he might try to take money from us?”
“I’ve thought about it, but we both have one person working at the shop, so it doesn’t seem like we’d have the chance. Besides, I trust him on this point; he probably won’t take it.” Fang Meili turned over, propping her elbows on the pillow, and faced Yuan Xinkang. “We can talk about this privately, but we absolutely can’t say it in front of our family.”
"I know, I'm stupid!"
Fang Meili lay back down and then turned over again. "We can't say this even in our own home. Dongqiang is all grown up now, you know?"
"I know, I know."
"I'll go talk to Mei Hao tomorrow. When you're at the shop tomorrow, don't mention anything to him, so as not to alert him."
"Okay! Okay!" Yuan Xinkang turned around, hugged Fang Meili, and patted her back. "Let's go to sleep. You can go find your sister tomorrow."
“You’re on my side, you can’t be a traitor,” Fang Meihao continued to nag.
The next day, in the shop, Fang Meili deliberately said, "Xin Kang, you watch the shop, I'm going to buy some groceries."
"Go ahead and buy whatever you want, I'll keep an eye on things."
Fang Meili glanced at Yuan Xinkang again, and Yuan Xinkang silently mouthed "I know" to her.
Fang Meili rushed to the tax bureau, and after entering the tax bureau, she looked back again.
She owns a shop, so it's normal for her to come to the tax bureau. Her younger sister works there, so it's also normal for her to come and take a look. But because she had other things on her mind, she acted a little strangely.
Upon seeing Fang Meihao, Fang Meili said, "Meihao, please finish what you're doing first. I have something to tell you."
"Okay, please have a seat."
"I'll wait for you at the other end of the corridor."
"Okay, I'll be right there."
A little while later, Fang Meihao came out, and Fang Meili pulled her to a secluded spot and told her about Fang Damiao.
"Is it possible that we'll play cards or something?" Fang Meihao's guess was different from Fang Meili's.
"Playing cards? Is that what you think of him? He did that to my older sister back then... My guess is different from yours."
“Guessing won’t help. Does he have any other friends in the city? Is it possible that the shop is closed and he’s out meeting up with friends? You just said that when you arrive at the shop shortly after closing time, he’s not there. Maybe he’s just gone out for a while and comes back to sleep later, or maybe he’s out all night. When the shop opens in the morning, he’s still asleep or looks like he’s just come back from outside,” Fang Meihao analyzed.
“Meihao, I should have come to find you. I panicked when I saw he wasn’t there several times, thinking all sorts of bad things. I was thinking of where we would stake out at night and follow him if he went out again to see where he went.”
"Alright, let's see clearly instead of guessing here. So, tonight, you guys close the door, and Wenzhao and I will follow him?"
"If we're going to have him go with him, I think we should let Xin Kang go with him. Xin Kang is more familiar with the area and knows where to hide and keep watch. Mei Hao, what if we really find out he's doing that kind of thing, or that he's having an affair?"
"We haven't figured out what's going on yet, have us figure it out first before we talk about it."
"I have a feeling something's going to happen." Fang Meili's brows furrowed involuntarily.
Fang Meihao put her arm around Fang Meili's shoulder and said, "If something really is wrong, let's see what it is and then we can discuss it."
"Yes, I'm still at work. You can go back now. I'll come find you if anything comes up."
"Alright! Second sister, I'll leave you to worry about him."
"He and Dongqiang are both with me, so I have to take responsibility for anything that happens to them!"
After leaving the tax bureau, Fang Meili went to the market, bought some vegetables, returned to the shop, and then wandered around the vicinity to scout out a few spots to see where Yuan Xinkang would be suitable to wait for her that night.
On a typical day, Fang Meili would think about how to do more business, but today she wished time would pass quickly so she could figure out the reason. She had been so tormented by this matter these past few days that she had no interest in doing anything.
Finally, it was closing time. As usual, Fang Meili and Yuan Xinkang closed the door together. After turning a corner, they stopped. Fang Meili's bicycle was a women's bicycle without a crossbar. "I'll take my daughter home first," Yuan Xinkang said.
"Fangfang, sit in the back, I'll push you, and Tingting, let's walk back together. It's cold, walking will warm you up." Fang Meili called Yuan Tingting down from the back seat.
Yuan Xinkang lifted Yuan Fangfang off the bicycle crossbar and placed her on Fang Meili's back seat.
"Go quickly, and be careful!" Fang Meili urged.
"Mom, where did Dad go?" Yuan Tingting asked.
"Dad has something to do, we'll walk home, Fangfang, put your feet to the sides."
Watching Yuan Xinkang ride away, turn a corner and disappear from sight, Fang Meili looked up at the dark blue night sky, which seemed to have been washed clean, with a few bright stars embedded in it. She sighed, wondering what the outcome would be.
Fang Meili pushed the bicycle, Yuan Fangfang sat behind her, and Yuan Tingting pulled on the back of the bicycle frame as they walked home. "Tingting, Mom doesn't know if Dad will call me over later tonight. My little sister will sleep in your room with you."
"Okay, I'll sleep with my sister!" Yuan Fangfang was so happy that she almost jumped up from the back seat, holding onto the seat cushion.
"Don't make noise, listen to your sister. She has class tomorrow. If you're a good girl, you can sleep with her next time she doesn't have class."
"Okay." Yuan Fangfang nodded obediently.
"Tingting, go wash your face and feet. If you need anything, call your brother. Don't call him unless you need to." When they got home, Fang Meili told the two of them to go to their rooms early.
"Okay!" Yuan Tingting went to wash her face herself.
Fang Meili washed her youngest daughter, and Fang Dongqiang also came back from evening self-study. They all went back to their rooms to sleep, while Fang Meili sat downstairs to wait for Yuan Xinkang to return.
Fang Meili kept checking the time; every second seemed to pass so slowly.
Fang Meili heard the sound of a bicycle arriving at the door. She jumped up, looked out the window, and saw Yuan Xinkang. She quickly opened the door, "He..." she began, then waited for Yuan Xinkang to speak.
"He went out."
"You followed him? Where did he go?" Fang Meili grabbed his arm and asked anxiously.
"You know this person too."
Fang Meili was startled. "Who? Tell me quickly, don't keep me in suspense."
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