These two individuals, one adorned with a baseball cap, while the other of diminutive stature, exuded a countenance of roguish charm, with sly, darting glances and a visage that spoke volumes.
Adjusting the brim of his baseball cap, the vigilant one cast wary glances to his left and right.
"Miss Bai Er truly lives up to her reputation as a female Zhuge Liang, hiding millions in such a desolate place, remarkable."
The diminutive figure, donning gloves, chimed in agreement, "Miss Bai Er's beauty and wisdom are unparalleled. Whoever marries you is indeed life's victor. Oh, no, I misspoke, it should be said, 'Fortunate enough to have accumulated such blessings in a past life.'"
Women always enjoy hearing praises of their beauty. Bai Ruoxue smiled faintly, then remarked, "Enough with the flattering words, let's get to work."
The trio entered the kiln, with the blackback following behind. However, it swiftly emerged, its mouth carrying a lamb, disappearing under the big ox's head to enjoy its feast.
With swift motions, within half an hour or so, the woven bags were all loaded onto the box truck.
The diminutive figure carried a suitcase into the kiln. According to Liu Zuizi's instructions, this transaction amounted to 300 'da buliu.'
If calculations were correct, the suitcase contained the substantial sum.
Quite audacious, using a suitcase to transport the cash was a first for me.
The one in the baseball cap started the car, waiting for the diminutive figure to emerge.
Several minutes passed, yet the diminutive figure did not emerge. Impatience overtook the one in the baseball cap, who rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, and began to smoke.
After a few more minutes, still no sign of the diminutive figure. The one in the baseball cap glanced at his wrist, checked the time, flicked away the cigarette butt, rolled up the window, and honked the horn a few times.
Startled, the blackback emerged from under the big ox's head and ran into the kiln to find Bai Ruoxue.
"Bark, bark, woof, woof, woof."
Suddenly, the blackback let out a series of frantic barks, resonating loudly and urgently.
Having raised dogs in my childhood, I knew this signaled trouble within the kiln.
In the blink of an eye, another howl, and the blackback came running out, one hind leg completely broken, whimpering with its tail tucked.
Shortly after, the diminutive figure emerged, briskly walking with the suitcase, his attire disheveled, a sense of foreboding looming. Even a novice could deduce that Bai Ruoxue had been both robbed and harmed.
"Thieves fall out, dogs eat dogs."
Seeing the situation, I hesitated no further, raising my hand and firing a shot.
Lacking professional training, my shot veered off, resulting in a loud bang as the glass on the side of the driver's cabin shattered.
The diminutive figure flinched, dropping the suitcase, clutching his head, and hastily boarded the vehicle, which sped away.
Upon inspection, Bai Ruoxue lay on the ground, stripped of her clothes, wearing only a pink lace-edged thong, a sight so tantalizing that I nearly salivated.
Yet, a gentleman must guard against opportunism, refraining from taking advantage of another's misfortune.
"Damned opportunist, nearly letting the prize slip through."
Upon checking, Bai Ruoxue had a swelling on her head, but her breathing and heartbeat were steady, indicating no serious harm. She would soon awaken.
While tidying her clothes, I made a surprising discovery on Bai Ruoxue's phone.
There was an electronic document on the screen, titled "Yongling." Opening it, the contents left me dumbfounded, nearly dropping my jaw.
In fact, from the outset, our every move was under the surveillance of the Bai Gang, thanks to an insider.
The act of scaling walls constitutes betrayal. It was precisely this individual's clandestine collusion with the Bai Gang that led to a series of dire consequences, resulting in heavy losses for our association.
On that day, upon emerging from Yongling, the authorities swiftly sealed off major thoroughfares, subjecting even a passing mosquito to scrutiny.
Had I not concealed myself in the engine compartment of a truck, I would likely have found myself incarcerated.
Bai Ruoxue had previously scouted out a small path, evading the authorities' dragnet, clandestinely transporting the body of Princess Pingyuan and the figurine of Yuwentai Warrior to Tianjin, intending to proceed by sea to Incheon Port in South Korea, where there would be a ship waiting.
To ensure the utmost success, she devised a diversionary tactic, splitting our forces into two groups: one to take the back roads to transport the body and figurine, and the other to take the main road as a decoy.
Subsequent developments confirmed the success of Bai Ruoxue's plan.
I took a photo and then found Bai Ruoshui's phone number, sending a text message: "Sis, come quickly to save me. Dong Village, Feiping County, abandoned brick kiln factory."
In less than a minute, Bai Ruoshui's phone rang. I didn't answer, placing the phone on the ground.
Exiting the kiln, I picked up the suitcase and left. The three million was rightfully ours, returning to its rightful owner.
By the time I returned home, it was already ten in the morning. Shi Jingxia's shoes weren't at the door; she had the day shift today, presumably at work.
I discreetly stashed the suitcase under the bed, went outside to eat, combining breakfast and lunch into a single meal: a bowl of liangpi, a roujiamo, and a bottle of Bingfeng, the standard trio.
Having not slept all night, I was utterly exhausted, collapsing into bed upon returning home.
The next day, I went to the Red Light Welfare Institute. As soon as I entered, Bai Ruoshui emerged from a classroom, gesturing for silence.
"The children just started their afternoon nap, keep your voice down."
"Must be quite challenging."
"No worries, we're used to it. Mr. Du, what can I do for you?"
"Well, I have a friend who owns a bookstore. Business has been tough for the past couple of years, and he needs to offload a batch of books. Are you interested?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Ruoshui was overjoyed, stating that books were the best intellectual nourishment, enabling children to understand the world outside and acquire more knowledge, thereby stimulating their curiosity and fostering them into socially beneficial individuals.
As she was speaking, she received a phone call and hurried off.
I stood nearby, listening in. Bai Ruoxue was out of danger and only needed a few days of observation in the hospital before being discharged.
As for Liu Zuizi, he had been shot and couldn't go to the hospital. However, judging from Bai Ruoshui's reaction, Liu Zuizi should be fine.
Upon returning home, I saw my room door wide open, and my heart skipped a beat. I rushed in, only to be utterly dumbfounded.
What was once as messy as a pigsty had been transformed into a clean and tidy space, reminiscent of a luxury hotel.
My concern wasn't about that. Upon returning yesterday, I counted the money, exactly three million, not a penny more or less.
The suitcase was brand new, with the factory default password, three "0s," which I hadn't changed.
On one knee, I lifted the bedsheet and found the suitcase still there. Pulling it out, I saw the password had been scrambled, clearly tampered with.
The sound of the washing machine from the balcony; Shi Jingxia was rolling up her sleeves, hands pressing down on the lid of the spin dryer, lost in thought.
"Xiao Jing."
"I found the place too messy, so I tidied up a bit for you."
"Well, you, I..."
With no silver to offer, I struggled to find the right words, the atmosphere growing increasingly awkward.
After a minute of silence, she spoke first.
"Duguangting, what exactly do you do?"