Xinyan heard this and felt a pang in her heart. She sensed that Granny Zhang was not just an ordinary village woman; it seemed she was someone with a story.
Otherwise, how could she have responded to her words so quickly?
Xinyanâs senses were now very keen. She felt that someone over there was looking in their direction, and it wasnât just one personâs gaze. Afraid those people would remember them, she leaned closer to Granny Zhang and whispered, "Donât look over there, theyâre looking at us."
Granny Zhang heard Xinyanâs words and quickly withdrew her gaze, leaning her eyes closed against Xinyanâs shoulder.
The people saw Granny Zhangâs movement and thought she was in poor health, so they paid no further attention.
Xinyan vaguely heard one of them say, "What do we do next? When does that batch of goods leave port?"
When Xinyan heard this, she thought of the movies made later on. These people didnât seem like good people. If the person who resembled Granny Zhangâs eldest son was indeed Shanzi, he might have infiltrated those people as an undercover agent.
But then she thought, even if he were undercover, how could there be no result after all these years?
Unable to understand it, she decided not to dwell on it.
At that moment, she heard someone among them say, "This batch of goods canât be delayed. It must be arranged to leave quickly; someone has already set their eyes on us. We canât afford any mistakes at this last moment."
Xinyan listened and grew increasingly alarmed; from their conversation, it wasnât hard to realize they planned to transport domestic items overseas. With such an elaborate scheme, the goods they referred to were certainly no ordinary items.
Then she heard someone among them whisper, "What about Brother Hei?"
Someone answered, "He was pushed down from a high place by those people, severely injured, might not be able to leave the hospital anytime soon. Arrange for someone to take care of him, and itâs perfect timing for us to work together these days to get things done."
The few of them echoed, saying, "Alright, weâll listen to Second Brother."
Then she heard one of them speak in a normal tone, "Alright, disperse, hurry up and focus on your tasks. No one is allowed to drop the ball."
After a while, she heard the footsteps of those people leaving.
Only then did Xinyan turn around to look. She didnât expect the last person leaving to glance back at them. Not only did he see them, but Granny Zhang also got to see clearly; that man indeed looked very much like Granny Zhangâs eldest son.
Granny Zhang covered her mouth directly, tears filling her eyes, and she softly murmured, "Shanzi, heâs alive, heâs alive."
Xinyan, hugging Granny Zhang, watched the man disappear at the doorway, "Granny Zhang, letâs talk when we get back home, itâs better to be cautious."
Granny Zhang understood Xinyanâs meaning, pulled out her handkerchief to dry her tears, and gritted her teeth, "Youâre right. If it truly is him, then there might be more of his people around."
Xinyan reconfirmed in her heart that Granny Zhang was not a simple person.
Once they returned home, Xinyan spent quite some time settling Granny Zhang down. She originally wanted to call her dad after leaving the room, but considering that the phone still needed to be transferred, she gave up the idea.
After finally waiting for him to come back, Xinyan hurriedly dashed up, "Dad, I need to talk to you."
Han Jingchen looked at his daughter, flustered and anxious, "Whatâs the matter?"
Xinyan clung to his sleeve and wouldnât let go, "Yes, itâs very important, I need to tell you."
Though Han Jingchen hadnât interacted with Granny Zhangâs eldest son, Zhang Yueshan, he was indeed a comrade-in-arms with Zhang Yueshan; they were just not in the same brigade. Moreover, Han Jingchen had also conducted investigations back then, so naturally, he was aware of Zhang Yueshanâs surface situation. Thus, she wanted to confirm her thoughts with Han Jingchen.