Chapter 13: One Hand Exchanges Money, One Hand Exchanges Goods

Wang Jingsheng's eyes darted around; he believed Ning Weidong's excuse for borrowing money, but did not agree immediately.

Ning Weidong, however, was not in a hurry.

Having reached this point, he had done all he could; whether the matter succeeded or not was not something he could control.

After a moment, Wang Jingsheng pursed his lips and said, "That... Dongzi, all the money in our house is with An Ning; I have to discuss it with her."

Ning Weidong nodded, watching Wang Jingsheng go into the inner room and pull the door shut behind him.

An Ning was sitting on the edge of the kang by the door, holding a copy of *Contemporary Literature* and reading.

Hearing the sound of the door, she looked up and cast an inquiring glance.

Wang Jingsheng sat down, lowered his voice slightly, and gave a quick, concise summary of the situation, then asked, "Xiao Ning, given this situation, what do you think we should do?"

An Ning rubbed the magazine in her hands, frowned slightly in thought, and after a moment said, "How credible do you think his words are?"

Wang Jingsheng said, "If it were before... this guy was a bit of a hothead, but he was the type to speak his mind. But now... I can't really say what he's been like in all these years he spent in the countryside. However, those things of Qi Jiazui's should exist..."

After hearing Wang Jingsheng finish, An Ning raised a hand to rub her chin and mused, "In that case... then agree to it, but don't give the money yet. Tomorrow, find someone to ask around and see if he really works at the Red Star Factory and if his brother is at the Mechanical Bureau. If it's true, then lend him the money; we won't fear him not paying it back, and if it really comes to it, we can just find his brother."

Wang Jingsheng nodded quickly.

An Ning's gaze turned cold, and she continued, "If we find out it's a lie, we don't need to be polite. He's the one who deceived us first; it's not that we aren't being loyal friends."

Wang Jingsheng was quite obedient to this wife of his; although he was a junior high graduate, he actually only had an elementary school level of education, as he hadn't studied properly at all while in middle school.

An Ning, however, had been a proper high school student, and an outstanding one at that; her brain was definitely sharp.

Afterward, the two of them came out of the inner room together.

Previously, An Ning had stayed away to leave them space to talk, but now there was no need to hide in the inner room.

Upon coming out, she smiled first: "Brother Weidong, Jingsheng told me everything just now. You two are brothers; if you've run into trouble, we will certainly help with all our might. We don't have that much cash on hand, so wait until tomorrow, and he will have it delivered to you."

Ning Weidong immediately thanked her: "Sister-in-law, you're a stand-up person."

With the couple having stated their position, Ning Weidong could no longer play dumb, and continued: "Sister-in-law, Old Wang, I'm not borrowing this money for nothing..."

Wang Jingsheng and An Ning were both shrewd people; as soon as they heard this, they knew the real goods were coming.

Ning Weidong said, "Back then, did they go to Brother Qi's house to look for things?"

Saying "they," in fact, included Wang Jingsheng.

Wang Jingsheng nodded quickly.

Ning Weidong smiled: "Actually, near Brother Qi's house, he still has a secret base!"

Wang Jingsheng and An Ning were both slightly moved. It wasn't that no one had suspected such a possibility; everyone knew that a crafty rabbit has three burrows.

But speculation is just speculation; no matter how reasonable the guess, it's useless without a lead.

And now, Ning Weidong was speaking with absolute certainty.

Wang Jingsheng's heart was stirred, and without thinking, he blurted out: "Where?"

An Ning shot him a glare, despising him for asking such a stupid question, though it vanished in a flash.

If Ning Weidong really knew the specific location, would he need to run over here in the dark just to borrow a hundred yuan?

At most, Ning Weidong only knew some clues.

The next moment, Wang Jingsheng realized this, scratched the back of his head, and gave a sheepish smile: "That..."

Ning Weidong looked at the table clock on the high cabinet, stood up, and said, "It's getting late. I have the middle shift tomorrow, and I'm free during the day, so we can talk about it in detail then."

"Hey~ no..." Wang Jingsheng felt an itch in his heart; this guy Ning Weidong was actually leaving, and he almost cursed out loud.

In fact, Wang Jingsheng had money at home, but since An Ning had already said her piece, he had to hold back no matter what.

He put on a coat with a dry laugh and followed Ning Weidong out the door: "Ride slowly."

"Sister-in-law, why are you coming out too~ it's quite cold, hurry back in~" Ning Weidong unlocked his bike and waved to the couple.

"I'll see Dongzi off." Wang Jingsheng followed him out, walking Ning Weidong all the way to the gate of the courtyard, and only turned back after watching him ride away.

Returning home, An Ning was tidying up the peanut shells on the table.

Wang Jingsheng hung his coat on the rack by the door, sat down by the eight-immortal table with a conflicted expression, took a sip of the tea that had already gone cold, and asked An Ning: "What do you think?"

An Ning said indifferently while tidying up: "What's there to think? It's just a matter of a hundred yuan either way."

Wang Jingsheng said: "I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about that Qi Jiazui thing."

An Ning used a dustpan to sweep the peanut shells into it, set it by the door, and clapped her hands: "That's hard to say. Today was my first time meeting this Ning Weidong; I don't know his temperament or character, but... just based on my first impression, I think there's a sixty or seventy percent chance."

Wang Jingsheng frowned: "Oh?"

An Ning said calmly: "First of all, he came today fully prepared; he does things with careful consideration, and his speech is very logical. The rhythm of your conversation and the topics were under his control from beginning to end..."

"Was it?" Wang Jingsheng blinked his eyes.

An Ning glared at him and continued: "There's no point in thinking about this now; we might as well wait until tomorrow to find someone to confirm the situation. If it's true, just send the money over, and we'll see his cards then. If it's a lie..."

At this point, An Ning let out a soft "humph," and a flash of sinister ruthlessness crossed her beautiful almond-shaped eyes.

(End of chapter)