Chapter 55

“Uncle Tan, are you sure it’s Zhu Changyong himself?”

“I can’t be entirely sure, but it’s very likely him. When he applied for the visit, he provided proof of his past employment as a colleague of Zheng Haiyang’s mother, along with a photo.”

“Did the mental hospital keep any records?”

“No.”

Mental hospitals are indeed stricter with internal supervision, but that applies internally, not externally. Furthermore, the frequency of outside visits from patients' families is inherently very low. Many families, after admitting a mentally ill relative, wish to forget about that person.

“Uncle Tan, are you sure it was suicide?”

“Her method of suicide was slitting her throat in public.”

Li Zhuiyuan pulled up his collar.

That would be suicide. After all, if there were other hidden circumstances or a culprit, it wouldn't have been presented this way.

“Uncle Tan, is there any suspicion that Zhu Changyong might have induced or incited it?”

“Legally, there is a basis, but how would one rule? Zheng Haiyang’s mother was already a mental patient. What the local police station could do was bring him in for questioning. He did leave an address and phone number on the application form, but it was for a hotel.”

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at Tan Yunlong and suddenly understood the real reason for Officer Tan's visit.

“Uncle Tan, you're here for Zheng Haiyang.”

Tan Yunlong nodded, feeling a sense of relief. Talking to Xiaoyuan was indeed much simpler than talking to his own foolish son.

“Xiaoyuan, the hotel address Zhu Changyong left is in Shigang, our city.”

Zheng Haiyang walked out of the school gate at this point. He had lunch with Tan Wenbin and Li Zhuiyuan, but since Tan Wenbin wasn't attending evening self-study with Li Zhuiyuan, Zheng Haiyang walked by himself.

“Brother Bin, why are you still here?” Zheng Haiyang saw Tan Wenbin first and walked over to greet him.

Tan Wenbin gestured with his chin in that direction.

“Oh, Uncle is here too.”

Tan Yunlong naturally noticed them. He turned his head, pointed at Tan Wenbin, and called out, “You and Haiyang go eat in the cafeteria, then accompany him to evening self-study.”

“What?” Tan Wenbin was stunned for a moment. Eating with his buddy was fine, but not attending morning or evening self-study was his current pride of being unconventional!

Tan Yunlong glared at him.

Tan Wenbin's knees immediately buckled, and he replied at once:

“Yes!”

A son knows when a tiger is merely pretending to be angry, allowing for playful mischief, and when a tiger is truly about to devour someone. A tiger may not devour its cub, but that's only because the cub has the good sense to know its place.

“Come on, Haiyang, let’s go eat in the cafeteria.”

“Brother Bin, if we go to the cafeteria now, we’ll not only have to queue but there might also be no food left…”

“Stop talking nonsense. If it comes to that, we’ll buy some Tang Monk meat from the school tuck shop. If you don’t come with me now, my dad might pull out his belt and spank me in front of the school gate.”

When Tan Wenbin and Zheng Haiyang entered, two plainclothes police officers also followed them, clearly there to protect the target.

During school entry and exit times, the security guards at the gate didn't stop people who looked like students, but they paid more attention to adults. Thus, the security guards greeted the two plainclothes officers very warmly.

In a small town, everyone knows everyone. Moreover, these two police officers frequently visited the school to conduct legal awareness campaigns. Letting them go in also made it easier to communicate with the teachers, avoiding misunderstandings.

Soon, two school physical education teachers, Luo Jinwen and Luo Wenhui, were also chosen to cooperate with the police operation. These two PE teachers were cousins; one had planned to buy groceries for his wife's birthday after work, and the other had a movie date. Now all those plans were canceled. After the director assigned them the task, he also appeased their emotions, reassuring them that they were the most relied-upon people by the school leadership. This was true; they were the ones the school had sent to Beijing to investigate Li Zhuiyuan’s academic records last time, and they were also the ones who installed curtains and a spring bed in the principal’s office.

“Let's go, Xiaoyuan, we'll check out the hotel.”

“The person hasn't checked out yet?”

“The station called and asked; he checked out this morning, but we still need to go take a look. Also, I've arranged for officers to protect Zheng Haiyang's home.”

“Uncle Tan, wait a moment.”

Li Zhuiyuan ran over to Run Sheng’s pedicab and explained the situation to A-Li, who nodded. Except for that one time when the girl decisively left after discovering Li Zhuiyuan had self-harmed his palm, she never complained about anything Li Zhuiyuan wanted to do.

Run Sheng asked if he should take A-Li back first and then bring the equipment, but Li Zhuiyuan declined.

After saying goodbye, Li Zhuiyuan ran back and got onto Tan Yunlong's motorcycle. The two quickly arrived at the hotel.

The hotel had a very common name, "Happiness Hotel." To the left of the entrance was a breakfast shop, and to the right was a hair salon.

An ordinary hair salon would at least have an iron barber chair. This one not only had no chairs, but there wasn't even a pair of scissors or a comb on the counter. Only a simple long sofa was inside, where two heavily made-up women sat with their legs crossed, knitting sweaters. Besides "Haircut, Shampoo," the glass door also advertised "Cupping, Foot Wash, Massage, PSA." Li Zhuiyuan suspected the last one had a misplaced letter.

The hotel entrance was small, with just a small staircase leading up, and the reception desk was also on the second floor.

Tan Yunlong showed his ID and demanded the check-in records. The station had already confirmed Zhu Changyong's stay when they called earlier and had asked that the room not be rented out for the time being.

Led by the owner, they walked deeper into the hotel, opened a door, and stepped inside.

The room was very small, containing only a bed, a bedside table, and a coffee table, with no television. Tan Yunlong began inspecting and noticed many water seepage marks on the floor. “What happened here?”

“I don’t know. Water started seeping in last night. The shops downstairs even complained to me. We knocked and came in to check at the time; the bathroom pipes here were normal, and there was a lot of water on the floor, so we suspected it might be a leak from another pipe seeping in.”

Li Zhuiyuan knelt on the floor to get closer to the water stains. Although they had been cleaned, the residual stains still had a slight stickiness. This was consistent with the characteristics of water oozing from a corpse.

Tan Yunlong looked at the owner and asked, “After he checked in, did anyone else enter this room to look for him, besides when he went out himself?”

Li Zhuiyuan looked up too, at the owner.

The owner waved his hand, “No, no one entered this room to look for him.”

Li Zhuiyuan could tell from the owner’s micro-expressions that he was lying. However, Li Zhuiyuan knew Tan Yunlong would also realize it, because Tan Yunlong had set a trap when asking the question. With a room so far inside and the reception desk outside, how could he be certain no one entered the room? The correct answer should have been “I don’t know,” not a confident “No.”

Tan Yunlong said sternly, “I’m giving you one more chance. Think carefully before you answer. Do you know what he did? If we find out later that you lied today, that would be harboring a criminal, or even being an accomplice to a crime.”

The owner immediately panicked, looking conflicted, but finally made up his mind and said, “A-Mei came in.”

“Who?”

“The one from the hair salon downstairs, she came in.”

“You arranged it?”

“No… not exactly.” The owner’s face turned grim, and he started sweating. At that time, it was almost an unwritten rule for hotels to secretly conduct this kind of business. Some owners would cooperate and share profits, while others were simply pimps themselves.

“Where is she?”

“Downstairs.”

Tan Yunlong and Li Zhuiyuan walked out and went to the adjacent hair salon. A-Mei was one of the two women sitting on the sofa knitting sweaters.

Seeing Tan Yunlong walk in, one of the women naturally went to pull down the rolling shutter door. It wasn't until she saw Li Zhuiyuan following behind that she froze, then couldn't help but smile and say, “Little brother, are you here to play too?”

“He’s with me.”

“Alright, big brother, choose one of us, and the other will stay to watch TV with the kid.”

There was a black and white television in the room, but it seemed to be broken and wasn't plugged in. Li Zhuiyuan was simply too young now; if he were a few years older, he would have been offered their services.

“Which one is A-Mei?”

“Brother, choose me! Isn't this your first time? Did a friend recommend me?”

Tan Yunlong showed his ID. “I’m a police officer. I’m here to ask you something. Sit down.”

The two women were startled, but the other one reacted quickly, a charming expression reappearing on her face, only to immediately vanish under Tan Yunlong’s gaze.

“Did you work at Happiness Hotel last night? Do you remember room 8025?”

“No… I don’t remember.”

“Think carefully before you answer. I’m not here for a prostitution crackdown this time.”

The woman next to her nudged A-Mei’s arm. “Quick, tell him! Tell the truth, cooperate with their work.”

A-Mei also became anxious and said, “I had several clients last night. I don’t know which one was that room.”

The woman next to her immediately changed expression, saying, “You actually secretly…” It was clear that A-Mei had a better relationship with the hotel owner. Generally, in such establishments, unless a customer specifically requested someone, new clients were served on a rotating basis. Guests staying at the hotel wouldn't be regular clients, as the hair salon itself had small private rooms with beds.

Li Zhuiyuan reminded her, “His room floor was very wet, with a lot of water, and the room was very damp.”

“Ah, I remember now, it was him. But I didn't 'do anything' with him. He paid me, but only to go to the front desk to get a rapid water heater for him to boil water to drink. He said he was very thirsty. I boiled a lot of water for him, and then he just let me leave.”

“Are there any other details, like his accent?”

“It sounded like a northern accent. Also, he had a black briefcase. As for anything else, I don’t know; we didn’t take off our clothes.”

“Facial details, recall them again.”

“He was quite tall, about 1.8 meters, very thin but with muscles. He wore a baseball cap, and his skin was rather dark, like he was tanned. There was peeling skin on the back of his hands, and I even asked him if he had a sunburn.”

Tan Yunlong nodded. Although there was no direct photograph, the description matched the person who visited Zheng Haiyang’s mother at the mental hospital.

“If he contacts you again, remember to find an opportunity to call the police. He’s very dangerous.”

“Phew… phew…” A-Mei was so scared that she kept patting her chest. Getting caught in a prostitution crackdown usually only meant detention. People in their line of work indeed feared the police, but they feared dangerous criminals even more.

Tan Yunlong pulled up the rolling shutter, led Li Zhuiyuan out, and they got back on the motorcycle.

After driving quite a distance, Tan Yunlong suddenly said, “Xiaoyuan, some things can never be completely cleaned away.”

“Huh?” Li Zhuiyuan was momentarily surprised, thinking Tan Yunlong was talking about the case. He quickly understood and replied, “Uncle Tan, I understand.”

“A room can’t stay clean forever, so you have to clean it diligently.”

“Understood, Uncle Tan.”

Retired elders in the family compound also liked to say similar things to him, which meant they truly saw him as a promising junior and hoped to pass on the right values.

The next stop was Zheng Haiyang’s home.

Zheng Haiyang’s home was a very new two-story self-built house; Li Zhuiyuan had been there on the day of the funeral. Originally, Zheng Haiyang’s family was quite poor, but his father was resourceful, and over the years, working as a sailor with his wife, he indeed earned a lot of money, and they built a new house.

There were two plainclothes police officers outside the house. After Tan Yunlong greeted them, he led them inside.

The two elderly people were still wiping away tears, likely having heard the news from the mental hospital. In truth, their greater worry was their grandson, who had lost both his father and mother in a short time. What would they do next? The only consolation was that the family house was built, and their son and daughter-in-law had sent a lot of money home over the years, all of which had been saved.

Tan Yunlong explained their purpose and asked if any strangers had approached the house recently. The two elders replied no. But this was clearly impossible, because if Zhu Changyong chose to stay in Shigang, his only objective could be this place.

During the questioning, Tan Yunlong specifically highlighted that this person might pose a danger to Zheng Haiyang. Upon hearing this, the two elders became very frightened and earnestly begged the police to catch the bad guy. This was a test to see if the two elders had indeed not been in contact with Zhu Changyong. Sometimes, cases encounter very strange twists, and the strangeness comes not from the case itself, but from the people involved. However, regarding their grandson, the two elders' behavior was normal, which proved that Zhu Changyong came alone for his own purposes.

After obtaining the elders' permission, the two officers were assigned to check the house.

Tan Yunlong walked to the courtyard, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep puff.

“Uncle Tan, you’ve worked hard.” This wasn't a case Tan Yunlong should have been handling, and it might not even be considered a case at all.

“Xiaoyuan, what are you saying? We can’t just ignore a potential danger, can we? Also, Xiaoyuan, what are your thoughts?” As he asked this question, Tan Yunlong’s gaze, like a hawk’s, slowly swept the surroundings. He had a feeling Zhu Changyong might be hiding nearby.

“Uncle Tan, is it possible that Zhu Changyong came here not to target people, but for a specific item?”

“An item?”

“Yes, he might not have come to kill anyone.” This was Li Zhuiyuan’s guess. The person who truly held Zhu Changyong’s real identity information was Li Lan’s secretary, Xu Wen. However, from what he heard in the restroom about Xu Wen’s attitude toward Zhu Changyong, their relationship was not hostile; it might even be somewhat intimate. "To see the living, to see the dead"… if not referring to enemies, it could be another extreme. This also indirectly suggested that Zhu Changyong’s identity was different; although he also snuck onto that ship, he was not like Honda or Ashley’s groups. Even if something bad happened at sea, he wouldn’t necessarily target the crew members' families once ashore.

“Then I’ll go ask again.”

Tan Yunlong went to ask again.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't follow. Instead, he emulated Tan Yunlong's earlier actions, scanning his surroundings. However, Tan Yunlong was looking for a person, while he was looking for traces of a death. But the result was the same: he found nothing.

Li Zhuiyuan took out talismans from his pocket, sticking one on the courtyard ground and another on the door. He always carried many in his pocket, and this time he put them all up.

Tan Yunlong came out. “I asked, there’s nothing special, but this time they might be lying.”

Since it was clear they were lying, it would be easy to get the truth by bringing them back to the station and using that environment, but they couldn’t do that now.

“Uncle Tan, you can tell Zheng Haiyang and have him come back to ask.”

“Hmm, good idea.”

Tan Yunlong rode his motorcycle, carrying Li Zhuiyuan back to the school gate, and ordered two bowls of noodles at a small shop outside.

“Xiaoyuan, what toppings would you like?”

“I’m fine, Uncle Tan.”

After they finished their noodles, the senior year evening self-study session also ended. The noodle shop would close after serving its last customers for the day.

Tan Wenbin and Zheng Haiyang walked out side-by-side. With a father-son bond, Tan Wenbin immediately sensed his father’s location.

Tan Yunlong spoke with Zheng Haiyang. He didn't presumptuously tell him about his mother, but simply clarified the stakes: a bad person was after something in his family's home, and his grandparents knew but deliberately didn't tell the police, which could bring danger to the family.

Zheng Haiyang immediately promised to go back and ask his grandparents for clarification.

Then, Zheng Haiyang pursed his lips and asked, “Uncle, is my mother also gone?” As both his parents were sailors, with his father confirmed dead and his mother completely out of contact and not returning for the funeral, Zheng Haiyang had actually had a premonition for a long time.

“You’ll have to ask your grandparents about that yourself. Uncle doesn’t know.”

“Okay, I understand, Uncle.”

After saying this, Tan Wenbin put his arm around Zheng Haiyang’s shoulder and pulled him aside for a brotherly talk:

“Brother, look, my dad is standing with Brother Xiaoyuan. You need to be obedient, trust me. You can choose not to listen to my dad, but you must listen to our Brother Xiaoyuan. Not listening to my dad might only land you in jail, but not listening to my Brother Yuan might land you in a coffin.”

“Brother Bin, I understand. I only have my grandparents left, and I want my family to be well. Also… I actually feel quite guilty.”

“What’s wrong?”

“My dad’s gone, and my mom might be gone too, but as their son, I don’t feel particularly sad. I feel like I’m a terrible person.”

“Oh, what nonsense are you thinking? Your parents weren't home all year round; you only saw them once a year. It's normal for your feelings to be a bit distant.”

“But they went out to work hard for me too.”

“How should I put it, buddy, try to see the bigger picture. Don’t be stubborn with yourself. The dead cannot be brought back to life. If your parents could see you, they certainly wouldn't want you to cry endlessly and not be able to move on. They would definitely prefer you to live healthily and happily. Eat well, drink well, study hard, get into a university. You still have your grandparents to take care of in the future.”

“Thank you, Brother Bin.”

Li Zhuiyuan walked over at this point. “Brother Binbin, do you still have talismans in your pocket?”

“Of course, these are our anti-counterfeit marks.”

“Give them to Haiyang. Haiyang, I've put some talismans outside your house. When you go back, check if they've changed color. Then, put some at the entrance of your and your grandparents' bedrooms. Don't tell anyone I gave them to you.”

“I understand, Brother Xiaoyuan. I’ll just say they are peace talismans.”

The next day, after morning self-study, just as Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin walked into the classroom, Zheng Haiyang came over and whispered:

“Last night I asked my grandparents, and they told me that my parents did bring something back when they last came home.”

Tan Wenbin quickly asked, “What kind of thing?”

“Uh, I can’t describe it. Let me draw it.” Zheng Haiyang picked up a pen, turned to a page in Tan Wenbin’s notebook, and began to draw.

Tan Wenbin frowned, “What the hell is this thing?”

“I haven’t seen it myself; I drew it based on my grandparents’ description.”

Li Zhuiyuan said calmly, “A ding.”

“Holy crap, a national treasure.” As a senior high school student, he naturally understood what a "ding" represented.

Li Zhuiyuan recalled that Zheng Haiyang’s mother had said it was her first time going in there, but her husband’s wasn’t. So, when her husband went in for the first time, he brought something out.

“But my grandparents said it was very small…”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Not all dings are large; some are small. What color is it?”

“Blackish-green.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Then it really might be a cultural relic.”

It was no wonder Zheng Haiyang's grandparents chose to conceal it when Tan Yunlong questioned them for the second time yesterday. After losing their son and daughter-in-law, the elders clearly valued this item even more.

Tan Wenbin asked, “Did you bring it?”

Zheng Haiyang shook his head. “At the time, my parents hid this thing in the well in our courtyard. Last night, my grandpa and I tried to retrieve it, but we couldn’t.”

Tan Wenbin: “Then tonight, let Run Sheng go to your house to retrieve it. Run Sheng is a professional.”

Li Zhuiyuan asked, “Have the talismans changed?”

“I checked when I got back last night, and again when I came to school this morning. They haven’t changed color.”

Tan Wenbin breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, he didn’t come.”

Li Zhuiyuan corrected him, “He hasn’t come yet.”

“Will something happen to our family because of this?” Zheng Haiyang asked worriedly.

Li Zhuiyuan said, “There are police officers outside your house.”

Tan Wenbin replied, “They can’t stay too long, at most for these two days. Otherwise, the lower-ranking officers will be unhappy, since no case has been filed yet.”

“Brother Xiaoyuan, Brother Bin, then I…”

“We’ll go to your house tonight,” Li Zhuiyuan said calmly. “Once we retrieve the item from the well, your family will be fine.”

Tan Wenbin asked curiously, “What do we do with it after we get it out? This thing looks like a hot potato now.”

Li Zhuiyuan leaned on the table, preparing to catch up on some sleep. He had been drawing little orioles for half the night. However, the boy still replied casually:

“Hand it over to the state.”

Tan Wenbin cautiously asked, “If it’s a cultural relic found in international waters, it doesn’t have to be handed over to the state, right?”

The boy had already adjusted his arm-pillow posture and, with his eyes closed, retorted, “Then take it home yourself.”

“No, no, no!” Tan Wenbin immediately shook his head in fright. “It’s better to hand it over to the state, give it to the country.”

At noon, the three went out to eat. After the meal, Tan Wenbin called Aunt Zhang's tuck shop and told Run Sheng not to bring A-Li tonight, but to come with his equipment ready.

Just as they walked back to the school gate, they saw Wu Xinhan leaving in his car. The driver was focused on driving, while Wu Xinhan sat in the back, waving enthusiastically and talking animatedly. He was on his way to a meeting, not forgetting to give himself a final rehearsal en route.

Upon entering the school, a celebratory banner was already hung: "Heartfelt congratulations to Li Zhuiyuan for winning first place in the City Math Olympiad!" What was peculiar was that the last three characters, originally "First Prize," were crossed out with a slash and "First Place" was temporarily added. This was because the competition awarded prizes by ranking, and while there were several "First Prize" winners, only one achieved a perfect score. The banner had been made in advance, and Principal Wu had specifically requested the change in wording. There was no need to replace the banner; this one looked even more imposing! The middle school, accustomed to being suppressed in such a difficult competition region, finally seized an opportunity and naturally had to celebrate and release some pent-up excitement.

Li Zhuiyuan merely glanced at it, then lowered his head and continued walking.

Tan Wenbin, however, slapped his thigh, then dashed back to the classroom and called out to the students receiving poverty aid: “What are you still standing around for? Time to work! Volumes 2, 3, and 4 are being sold as a bundle. Students receiving school poverty assistance get a discount, but for everyone else, no bargaining whatsoever!”

Li Zhuiyuan returned to find the classroom and its surroundings resembling a massive publishing distribution site. Inside, people jostled, and even more crowded the corridor outside. As soon as the Math Olympiad announcement was posted, the entire school market erupted. Students buying the exercise books weren't just from the senior year; many from grades 10 and 11, and even quite a few from junior high, rushed to buy them. For the younger students, they would be useful eventually anyway; more importantly, by the time they reached high school, the award winner would have gone off to university, so they seized the chance to buy them while he was still around, hoping to absorb some good luck. Many, after buying the exercise sets, immediately pulled out a talisman, kissed it, and then carefully and solemnly put it back. One person's exercise set slipped as they passed Li Zhuiyuan, falling to the ground.

Li Zhuiyuan looked down at the cover and saw that Tan Wenbin had given the exercise set a name: "Zhuiyuan's Secret Scrolls."

The hot sales atmosphere did not dissipate even after the bell for afternoon self-study rang. Finally, the vice principal and class teacher Sun Qing came over together. Only after Tan Wenbin was called out did the crowd disperse.

An hour later, Tan Wenbin returned, beaming, and sat back down: “Brother, it’ll be easier to sell exercise sets from now on. You just keep creating problems, and the school will help us print and sell them.”

“Then why were you gone for so long?”

“Are you kidding? I obviously had to negotiate the copyright share with the school. Even with the school, we need to settle accounts clearly!”

“Hmm?”

“It's not just for this round of sales. In the future, when we sell to other schools in the city, or even other schools in the province, we'll collect licensing or copyright fees. We need to negotiate the revenue sharing well, so we can continue to receive payments even after we graduate and go to university.”

“Brother Binbin, you really have a business mind.”

“What am I? It's mainly because of you, my brother; you're the true rare commodity. So, after school tonight, will you go and sign the contract with the school? We have a school-run enterprise that was half-dead, but now it can be put to good use.”

“I authorize you. You go.”

“Brother, you trust me that much?”

“Yes.”

Li Zhuiyuan had no obsession with making money. In this regard, he was very much like Brother Liangliang; their attitude towards money had always been that enough was sufficient, primarily pursuing things on another level.

Tan Wenbin spent the afternoon class tinkering with his business plan. Li Zhuiyuan glanced at it and noticed he was doing phased planning, somewhat like a gambling agreement. For instance, winning at the provincial Math Olympiad, national Math Olympiad, and international Math Olympiad, with corresponding profit-sharing ratios that would increase incrementally.

Although Tan Wenbin himself had no chance in the Math Olympiad, he understood the competition process very clearly. In addition, Gaokao (college entrance exam) results were also included.

“Brother Binbin.”

“What is it?”

“What does your mother do?”

“My mom? She’s an accountant.”

Because he had to go to Zheng Haiyang’s house after school, he went to the infirmary before the fourth-period math class, used a small trick to register a fever, got a leave slip, and after handing it to Teacher Yan in the office, he went to negotiate. During the fourth period, Teacher Yan handed out exam papers for everyone to work on because he had been called by the school leadership to help calculate contract accounts, resulting in a teacher-student "chance encounter" with Tan Wenbin.

When school ended that evening, Li Zhuiyuan saw the principal’s car return. The principal opened the car door and stepped out, enthusiastically greeting everyone he saw, looking exceptionally vibrant and full of spirit. He was like a long-oppressed daughter-in-law who had finally outlasted her wicked mother-in-law.

Before the principal’s gaze could fall on them, Li Zhuiyuan and Zheng Haiyang ran out of the school gate and found Run Sheng.

Tan Wenbin was already waiting there, his left ear red and swollen, like Maitreya's.

“Brother Xiaoyuan, the contract is settled! From now on, just keep creating problems, and then wait to count your money.”

“Brother Binbin, your ear…”

“Teacher Yan initially just scolded me a couple of times when he saw me. But when I suggested including the problems you created for the Olympiad group in the Math Olympiad exercise sets, Teacher Yan got so angry that he started pulling my ear and settled the score with me about taking fake sick leave.”

“You worked hard, Brother Binbin.”

“It’s no hardship! We absolutely cannot let the school take advantage of us!”

The three got into the pedicab, and Run Sheng cycled to Zheng Haiyang’s house.

After arriving at the courtyard, Run Sheng began the salvage operation, but he still couldn't retrieve anything. Finally, he just went down into the well himself, diving in, but still couldn’t find the ding.

Tan Wenbin: “The ding isn’t in there. Could Zhu Changyong have already come and taken it?”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded. “That’s possible.”

Zhu Changyong had checked out that morning, and Tan Yunlong’s station only received the assistance request in the afternoon. Theoretically, Zhu Changyong could have even come the night before, taken the item, and left Shigang early the next morning.

Zheng Haiyang asked anxiously, “What if the item isn’t there anymore?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “If he’s already taken the item, then your family will definitely be safe.”

Zheng Haiyang patted his chest. “Yes, yes, Brother Xiaoyuan, you’re right.”

It was already dark.

Zheng Haiyang’s grandparents warmly invited the students to stay for dinner before leaving. Everyone sat at the table, and Run Sheng lit a cigarette before the meal.

Zheng Haiyang’s grandparents were happily busy in the kitchen, continuously remarking that Haiyang had never brought any classmates home to play before. Then, they kept chiding Zheng Haiyang for not telling them earlier so they could have prepared more dishes from the market that morning.

Tan Wenbin skillfully mediated, keeping the atmosphere lively, but didn’t forget to remind them to “cook more rice.”

After several dishes were served, everyone began to eat.

Zheng Haiyang’s grandmother smiled, “There’s still a main dish coming right up.”

Tan Wenbin raised his chopsticks. “Great, great! I love main dishes the most.” "Tou Cai," also known as Tongcheng Mixed Three Delicacies or Big Stew, contained ingredients like fish balls, pork rind, fungus, egg skin, and quail eggs. It was considered a semi-soup dish and was indispensable at local celebratory and funeral banquets.

As they ate, the lamp overhead began to flicker, and then, with a "pop," it went out.

“Old man, see if the circuit breaker tripped.”

“Coming, coming! Old woman, please step aside. Everyone, don’t move! I’ll bring the main dish first; don’t get burned.”

“Ding-dong…” It must have been the muffled sound of a large bowl being placed on the table.

“Everyone, eat freely, as if you’re at home. There’s plenty of food.”

“Old man, hurry and check if the circuit breaker tripped. I see the neighbors’ lights are still on outside; it’s not a village-wide power outage.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going now.”

A moment later, the grandfather’s voice came from outside: “Old woman, it was a tripped circuit. I’m putting it back on now.”

The power came back on, and the lights illuminated the room.

At the table, everyone who was holding chopsticks, ready to pick up food, froze. Because placed right in the center of the table, used to serve the main dish… was a ding.

Although the lights were on, the faces of the two elderly people darkened. Standing by the table, they kept waving their hands, saying, “Eat, quickly, eat! Don’t be shy, hehehehe…”