Chapter 8: Shi Xiaonan

Ning Weidong quickened his pace as he walked back, his mind rapidly sorting through his memories.

Before the original owner went to the Northeast to join the production teams, around '71 or '72, he was in middle school.

Back then, they didn't really attend classes, just followed along and caused trouble.

In Qiantang Hutong, there was someone named Qi Jiazui who was a prominent figure at 35 Middle School at the time.

He made quite a name for himself.

Because the original owner lived nearby, and because Ning Weiguo and his wife were not in Beijing due to being implicated by Wang Yuzhen's father, he followed by Qi Jiazui's side, cheering him on; relying on his hot-headed nature, even though he was young, he truly fought when it came down to it, struck ruthlessly, and disregarded the consequences, so he could be considered a capable lieutenant.

It wasn't until he graduated from middle school at the end of '73 and went to the Northeast to join the production teams that he stopped.

In his memories, the original owner still wanted to come back and continue "doing big things" with Qi Jiazui right after he left.

But he never got to wait for Qi Jiazui; the following year, he was ambushed and stabbed.

By the time people found him, he was already a bloody mess, and he breathed his last before reaching the hospital.

Yet there was one thing: Qi Jiazui saw things more clearly than his peers, and even those older than him.

At the time, everyone else was just messing around, not considering the future at all.

Qi Jiazui was different; he truly had some ideas and took the opportunity to secure quite a few tangible benefits.

If he hadn't died, based on his methods, he would definitely have been among the first to get rich.

Unfortunately, there are no "ifs"; dead is dead.

For Ning Weidong, what mattered was not the person Qi Jiazui, but whether the things he had hidden back then were still there.

Thinking of this, Ning Weidong's lips pressed tightly together.

He didn't have this thought just because he assumed so, but rather it was a judgment based on the original owner's memories.

Qi Jiazui died very suddenly, with no time to arrange his affairs.

His parents had passed away early, and he had two older brothers and one older sister, but their relationship was not good.

Qi Jiazui would not have put his valuables, or at least not all of them, in their hands.

Most importantly, the original owner knew that Qi Jiazui had a "secret base" near Minkang Hutong, but he didn't know exactly which courtyard or which room...

Ning Weidong pondered all the way back to the Dazayuan.

As he stepped up and just entered the gate, someone came out from inside.

Ning Weidong sidestepped to lean to the side and called out with a smile: "Sister Shi, just getting off work today?"

The other person crossed paths with Ning Weidong; her eyes were slightly red, clearly having just cried, and she forced a smile at Ning Weidong: "Weidong, that... I was delayed by something."

The woman was named Shi Xiaonan, the one Wang Yuzhen had mentioned before, the one even prettier than Bai Fengyu.

But to be honest, Shi Xiaonan and Bai Fengyu were not the same style; it was hard to say who was better looking.

Shi Xiaonan performed Peking Opera and had studied under a famous master of the Zhang school since she was a child. A few years ago, her master got into trouble, she was implicated, and in the end, through a series of coincidences, she married the second son of the old Wang family who lived in the front courtyard.

It wasn't until last year, when policies changed, that she joined a "small collective" style troupe and had the chance to perform on stage again.

The problem lay right there.

Shi Xiaonan's husband, Wang Kai, had strong objections to her returning to the stage to perform, and the two of them often bickered over this.

At first, it was fine; Shi Xiaonan went to work, and there was an extra income for the family.

But as time went on, Wang Kai inevitably started to feel uneasy.

It was mainly because Shi Xiaonan was beautiful, while Wang Kai was plain-looking and under 1.7 meters tall; if not for those special times, they would never have ended up together.

Plus, Shi Xiaonan performed at night, and it was already eight or nine o'clock by the time she returned after the show ended.

People didn't have much nightlife back then, especially manual laborers, many of whom were already asleep by nine o'clock.

The two of them had just had another argument.

Letting Shi Xiaonan go out first, Ning Weidong continued walking into the courtyard.

At this time, the women in each household who didn't work were busy cooking; the men had been at work all day, and they certainly needed a hot meal when they got back.

Ning Weidong entered the East Cross Courtyard through the Moon Gate.

The lights were on in other houses in the courtyard, only the Ning Family's was dark.

All three adults in the Ning Family worked, which was actually quite rare.

Most families had one person working to support the whole household.

Ning Weidong was just about to go into the north room to turn on the light when Bai Fengyu came out of the room carrying an enamel basin; her hair was coiled in a bun on top of her head, and she was wearing an apron, likely cooking and planning to go to the Cellar to get some pickled vegetables.

Seeing Ning Weidong, she beamed and said: "Weidong, off work?"

Ning Weidong said "Hey," having long guessed that this woman wouldn't let him off easily.

Bai Fengyu could feel that Ning Weidong was indifferent toward her, and it didn't sit well with her.

It clearly hadn't been like this before; she used to have the original owner easily under her thumb, so how had Ning Weidong changed like a different person overnight?

But for only a moment, she adjusted her mood: "Weidong, wait a second, I'm going to get something."

As she spoke, she placed the enamel basin in her hand on the waist-high coal shed nearby, turned around, and went back into the room.

When she came out again, she reached Ning Weidong, grabbed his right hand, and placed her other hand, which was clenched into a fist, onto Ning Weidong's palm.

Bai Fengyu's hand was clenched tightly, the veins on the back of her hand bulging.

Feeling what was in her hand, Ning Weidong couldn't help but be a little surprised.

(End of this chapter)