At exactly 7 PM, the grand Gustav Becker wall clock in the living room struck the hour with its deep, resonant chime.
Several former students had arranged to visit He Zhengren at his home, and he appeared genuinely pleased, instructing the family housekeeper A’Hong to bring out his prized aged Pu’er tea. The entire room filled with Pu’er’s distinctive medicinal fragrance.
A’Hong, a woman of few words but great diligence, arranged several small pastries and a fruit platter of washed red grapes and honeydew melon neatly on the tea table one by one, then headed upstairs to iron clothes.
“Teacher He has nurtured so many talented people — how is it that you didn’t keep your son here in the motherland? What a windfall for the Americans, gaining such a remarkable talent!” All of the students knew that He Zhengren had divorced long ago, so they unanimously avoided mentioning the matter of his wife and spoke only of his son, who was working far away in America.
He Zhengren laughed with a kindly, genial air. “My son has grown up, his wings have hardened. He insists on staying in America — there’s nothing I can do.”
“He earns an annual salary, I hear — one million US dollars!”
“Teacher He truly excels at raising children. My own son attends a top-tier middle school, yet he only places in the middle of the pack on every exam. I hear your son used to rank first or second in his entire grade.”
“Your son is already doing very well — the middle of that school still gets students into top universities! My daughter is the frustrating one — she insists on applying to a drama academy to become a celebrity…”
“Your daughter is so beautiful — why couldn’t she be a celebrity?”
The boasting and complaining of middle-aged and older people always revolved around their children and in-laws; it seemed no one could escape this universal habit.
“When each of you was studying under me, you were all fresh-faced young men and women in the prime of your youth. In the blink of an eye, your sons and daughters are already preparing for university entrance exams… Time truly shows no mercy.” He Zhengren said with great feeling, as though a glimmer of sentimental tears welled up within him. “Come, drink your tea, drink your tea.”
“I’ve heard people say that aged Pu’er always has a moldy smell, but Teacher He’s tea doesn’t have that scent nearly as strongly — it goes down very smoothly.”
He Zhengren waved his hand dismissively. “All of that is hype… In the early days, before Pu’er tea had been driven up in value, I was doing fieldwork in Yunnan and asked several tea farmers about it. The truth is, the climate in Yunnan is warm and humid, so things tend to go moldy naturally — and tea is no exception during transport. Back then, there were no high-speed rail lines or planes. Everything was carried by mule and donkey, and the tea would pick up some mold along the way. So what could they do? They simply declared that aged Pu’er, the finest Pu’er, was supposed to have a moldy taste — and just like that, the tea sold.”
Everyone burst into laughter, and then someone mentioned: “I remember that Xiye was from Yunnan.”
The smile on He Zhengren’s face stalled for half a second before quickly returning to normal. He made no reply, calmly continuing to tend to a purple clay teapot with the remaining tea water.
“Time really does pass so quickly. Even Diao Zhuo has been working for several years now. When Teacher Diao had his accident, he was still in high school. Now he’s carrying on his father’s work. Though geology is truly grueling work. I hear Professor Luyang’s several children — some became doctors, some became civil servants… I really don’t want my son going into that field in the future, always heading out into the field…”
His phone vibrated. He glanced at the caller ID, stood up with a smile, and said, “Help yourselves to some fruit — I need to take a call…”
The students responded, all standing up. After he went upstairs, they settled back down and began talking among themselves in lowered voices:
“I still can’t believe to this day that Xiye would get involved with Teacher Diao… You have to understand, the team leader was Professor Rao, Teacher Diao’s father-in-law! Right under his nose — how could anyone dare?”
“But Teacher Diao was refined and cultured in appearance. Back then, many female students in the department idolized him.”
“Xiye was rather taciturn… she didn’t talk much ordinarily. Come to think of it, she was plain-looking too, not nearly as attractive as Teacher Diao’s wife.”
“I also heard a rumor — I don’t know whether it’s true or not…”
“Let’s hear it.”
“…That one… Ah! They say that when the bodies of Diao Jun and Xiye were found, Xiye was… she was holding onto Diao Jun.”
“What?!”
“But wasn’t the accident caused by the two of them coming to blows, and the crowd trying to pull them apart, which caused the vehicle to lose control?!”
He Zhengren went to his bedroom, locked the door, and only then answered the call.
“Isn’t the signal very poor where you are? How are you calling me now?… What’s happened?”
The voice on the phone said: “It seems like Master Ba and Diao Zhuo have found a way to locate the thermos flask. You still won’t tell me — what exactly did Zhang Chenguang go to trade? What’s hidden inside that thermos flask?”
He Zhengren remained silent for a long while, still not speaking.
The person on the other end grew agitated. “If that thing gets found by the two of them and handed over to the police, will it implicate me or not?”
“Don’t worry, it won’t implicate you — after all, you were only a messenger.” He Zhengren spoke with a faint trace of arrogance and coldness in his eyes. “What he went to trade, only the supplier and the seller know. But he did indeed hide the memory chip inside the thermos flask. If you get the chance to get your hands on it before they do — or, better yet, simply destroy it for me — you’d save me a great deal of trouble, and our business can continue smoothly. After all, our line of work pays far more than what you’re doing now, doesn’t it? Ha — a five-yuan memory chip that sells for over a million. I really shouldn’t say this, but even drug trafficking isn’t as profitable as what we do.”
“The profits all go to you,” the other party said with contempt.
“You’re still young, you haven’t weathered great storms yet. I climbed my way up step by step too. When the time is right, I’ll arrange for you to do more. If Zhang Chenguang’s death is confirmed, you can step into his position — and his cut of the earnings will all be yours from then on.”
The other party snorted, as though about to hang up.
“One more thing…” He Zhengren called after him. “The photograph of Yuzhu Peak — have there been any new leads?”
“I hear Diao Zhuo wants to find the exact location where that photograph was taken. Wait until he finds it before saying anything.”
“Zhang Chenguang tried several times and never found it.”
“Then pray that Diao Zhuo doesn’t find it either.”
He Zhengren hung up the phone and rubbed his thighs with his palms in agitation. By now, Diao Zhuo and Ba Yunye had located nearly all three of the photographed sites one by one, and he truly could not fathom what significance this held — nor could he for the life of him recall why Ba Xiye had inexplicably left three photographs in her wallet.
He felt his head growing rather dizzy, hastily shook two pills out of a drawer and swallowed them, drew several deep breaths, then returned to the living room to continue laughing and reminiscing with his former students.
“What good food did you pick up?”
The moment River Horse stepped out of the car, he saw Ba Yunye standing at the parking area with her arms folded, smiling at him. The night cold was biting, and she was bundled in a thick scarf covering the collar of her fleece jacket. The surroundings were pitch dark, and she alone wore a headlamp, looking like a lighthouse.
He grinned with exaggerated roguishness. “A spring night is worth its weight in gold — on a moonless, windy night like this, how could you bear to leave Diao Zhuo to come wait for me?”
Ba Yunye recalled the exchange she’d had with Diao Zhuo after he’d finished reading Long Ge’s text message —
“Damn it, let’s follow him and see what he’s trying to do!”
“Don’t be impulsive.” Diao Zhuo held her back. “There are no trees here, no corners to hide behind. At two or three hundred meters, the car in front can still spot a car trailing it. He definitely won’t do what he intends to do.”
“Then I’ll stand right here and wait for him, and ask him what exactly he’s hiding from me and Long Ge!” Ba Yunye was as restless as an ant on a hot pan. She could brush off the scheming and machinations of strangers, but she placed enormous weight on the loyalty and integrity of those close to her. She was like the heroic wanderers one often finds in martial arts novels — a villain’s evil deeds wouldn’t affect her in the slightest, but the betrayal of a close friend or brother was like touching the reverse scale of a dragon.
“Whether you ask or not is up to you; whether he answers or not is up to him. Why do you assume that just because you asked, he’ll definitely tell you?” Diao Zhuo countered.
“Saying that is like mocking my emotional intelligence.”
“Remove the word ‘like.'”
She shot him a glare. Her overheated mind seemed to cool down a little in the cold wind. She turned away, spread both hands, and said quietly, “Fine. You tell me what to do.”
“Everyone has things they don’t want others to know. What is his reason for concealing it? Does what he’s hiding from you have any real, direct harm to you? Obviously, Long Ge isn’t sure. So he only told you the facts as they stand. What you can do for now is restrain the urge to press for a full explanation — and at the same time, sort out what can and cannot be said going forward. After coming down from the mountain, ask Long Ge privately about the full story.”
Ba Yunye tried calling Long Ge, but due to poor signal, every attempt showed a failed call. She sighed. “When something is left hanging in mid-air like this, it’s really hard to let it go without getting to the bottom of it.”
“Which is why Long Ge’s words carry more weight with you than mine.” Diao Zhuo suddenly said.
“Long Ge is Long Ge, you’re you — they’re different,” she replied.
Hearing this, Diao Zhuo’s expression seemed to darken further. Being told you’re the same as another unattached man — or different — neither version was pleasant to hear. Master Ba was through and through a woman of iron temperament: she could flirt, and she could infuriate with a single sentence.
Ba Yunye didn’t notice his expression. “I’ve been thinking — if one of the two of them definitely has ulterior motives, I’d rather it be River Horse than Long Ge. After all, I’ve known Long Ge for a very long time. Without him, there would be no me today…”
Diao Zhuo decided he’d said what needed to be said. He patted her shoulder and turned to leave. Ba Yunye stood there deliberating for a long while, and eventually felt that Diao Zhuo’s words made considerable sense — she let go of the idea of driving after River Horse.
Thinking back on all this, she returned to her usual tone and grinned as she scolded River Horse: “Spring night my foot.”
“Here.” He hauled a bulging plastic bag out of the back seat and handed it to her.
Ba Yunye looked through the bag — inside were several packets of instant noodles, small bread rolls, chocolate, chips and other snacks, along with a large bag of glucose tablets. She was direct by nature, and the words of reproach lodged in her throat were making her deeply uncomfortable. She looked at River Horse’s face, always wearing that clownish grin, moved her lips, then pressed them tightly shut again.
River Horse crooked a finger. “Right, Master Ba — there’s something I need to tell you.”
“…Hm?” She startled, and leaned in.
“Take a look at this.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small white bottle with a label on it, like some kind of medication.
Ba Yunye took it and looked — the label bore five large characters in bold: Glibenclamide Tablets. She gave it a shake; there were still a few tablets rattling inside. “This… what is this thing? Some kind of… urea tablet?”
“When I was out shopping, the hotel staff called out to me. She said someone from our group of mountaineers had accidentally left it behind on the floor by the bed. She saw it was medicine and worried it might be someone’s regular medication, so she asked me to bring it back. Heh heh…” River Horse grinned smugly, presenting it like a treasure. “Guess whose room the housekeeper found it in?”
She blurted out — “Diao Zhuo?!”
“Are you blind? Didn’t you see the label says it’s for diabetes?” River Horse gave her a withering look. “You’re cursing him with an illness — the cruelty of a woman’s heart!”
“I’ll beat you to death!” Ba Yunye grabbed River Horse by the collar, furious enough to nearly forget Long Ge’s warning.
“It was found in the couple’s room!” River Horse said quickly, afraid of getting hit.
“How would those two young people have diabetes?”
“And they were eating quite a bit of chocolate during the drills too — not watching what they ate at all.” River Horse added.
“Could it be that Old Fu has this condition?”
River Horse shook his head. “Doesn’t seem like it either. He eats rice, cake — especially that cake, which was sickeningly sweet, I couldn’t even eat it myself, but he went right ahead. As far as I can tell, he doesn’t eat chocolate but doesn’t avoid anything else that’s sweet.”
“You’ve been keeping a pretty close eye on them…” Ba Yunye remarked in surprise.
He tapped his nose. “I was the first one to notice Jiang Ao’hang harboring ill intentions — of course I’ve been watching them more carefully.”
Ba Yunye teased him as they walked back. “Oh my, with such sharp powers of observation, why didn’t you become a police officer?”
River Horse sneered. “People who couldn’t even get into university have no right to ask me that question!”
“As if you ever went to university!”
“Hmph, I’m from the China People’s Public Security University!”
“And I’m from Tsinghua!”