Chapter 395: New Clues Emerge

In Shijingshan District, inside an abandoned Earth Temple.

A bonfire was burning fiercely, roasting the faces of those sitting in a circle around it until they were bright red.

Hu Yongan, Lin Wanning, Tang Heng, Mei Feng, Sun Li, and Ye Guanying were all holding roasted sweet potatoes, silently gnawing on them.

Hunger made this simple food seem exceptionally sweet and delicious.

They hadn't eaten a single grain of rice since they escaped; this sweet potato had just been bought by Lin Wanning from a local villager nearby.

Hu Yongan carefully broke off a small piece of sweet potato, held it to his mouth, and gently blew on the rising heat before saying, "Everyone, think carefully about our actions over the past few days. At which point exactly did we leave a trail?"

Lin Wanning lowered her head, her voice very soft: "I only went to Xueru Clothing Store, wanting to buy a piece of clothing, but I didn't buy it because I didn't have enough money... No one should have noticed me."

Hu Yongan nodded. "The clothing store might not have their eyes on it. I showed my face at the Small Tavern and signed a contract; if I don't appear for too long, it will definitely arouse suspicion. For the time being, we'll have to lie low in the countryside."

Ye Guanying rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and said hesitantly, "I set up a cigarette stall at the entrance of the alley... Could I have been reported by a neighbor? The main thing is that there was no business at that alley entrance, and I never changed my spot..."

Hu Yongan glanced at him and said, "The problem this time most likely originated with you. A strange face, standing there like a wooden stake all day—it would be strange if you didn't attract attention. I won't punish you this time, but if you commit this mistake again, I will show no mercy!"

"Yes! Siqiang!" Ye Guanying shrank his neck, not daring to say another word.

Silence returned to the Earth Temple, with only the occasional "crackling" sound of the firewood.

Mei Feng finally couldn't help but say, "General, we only have 200,000 left in our hands. If this continues, let alone operations, even eating will become a problem."

Tang Heng hurriedly chimed in, "General, why don't I go into Si Jiu Cheng early tomorrow morning and find my cousin Ji Zhaoxiang to get the money? He should have brought the money back from Tianjin."

"No," Hu Yongan said decisively. "Our opponent is not simple. I have a premonition that he will soon track us down through the bank transfer trail. The New Bridge Trading Company account cannot be used anymore, and don't go back to the porcelain shop either..."

Sun Li looked up, his eyes full of anxiety: "Siqiang, then what about the operation in three days?"

"This operation is temporarily canceled. As long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood." Hu Yongan's voice was low but firm.

Tang Heng was worried: "But in this way, our source of funds is cut off. How will we sustain ourselves going forward?"

"Place an ad, contact Bureau Chief Mao, and have him send someone to bring more money," Hu Yongan said.

"But how long will we have to wait!" Lin Wanning couldn't help but speak up.

Hu Yongan's gaze slowly swept over every face filled with distress, and he said in a deep voice, "I won't hide it from you all: my ancestors were once geomancers. On the way here, I discovered a large tomb; judging by its structure, it should be a Han dynasty tomb. If we can dig this tomb open, the money problem will be solved."

Lin Wanning looked at Siqiang in disbelief: "But we don't have any tools."

"We have Explosive, and we have an Expert," a flash of determination crossed Hu Yongan's eyes. "Grave robbing is not a difficult task."

At dusk, outside the Siheyuan.

Several little girls came back skipping and jumping, their little faces frozen red.

"Dong, dong, dong..." He Yushui pounded on the door hard.

"Come in!" He Yuzhu's voice came from inside.

The little girls swarmed into the living room and immediately gathered around the stove, stretching out their frozen little hands to warm them, hissing as they sucked in air.

He Yushui took out a bulging little cloth bag and dumped a pile of small change onto the carpet.

"Brother! We earned so, so much money!" He Yushui's eyes were bright and full of excitement.

Ding Li curled her lip to the side and squatted down to organize the messy small-denomination banknotes: "Yushui, we haven't even counted the money yet; how do you know we earned anything?"

"We just earned it! If you don't believe me, count it!" He Yushui puffed out her cheeks in defiance.

Xiaoqi was the most serious; she had already sat down cross-legged and was separating the money into piles by denomination.

Seeing this, the other little girls also gathered around, chattering as they began to count: "Ten yuan, one hundred yuan... one thousand yuan, ten thousand yuan..."

About ten minutes later, Ding Li looked up, wrote the calculated figure on a piece of paper, and her little face fell: "Brother Zhuzi, we didn't make money... we actually lost five thousand."

The atmosphere froze instantly.

The little girls looked at one another; the excitement from just a moment ago vanished instantly, and their little shoulders all slumped.

Ershuan scratched his head and honestly tried to smooth things over: "Sister Yushui gave away more than twenty strings... I saw it. Some kids were watching, and they were really pitiful, so she just shoved them to them. To be able to sell this much is actually quite good."

He Yushui lowered her head, her voice becoming smaller: "There was a kid licking a stick someone else had thrown away... I couldn't stand it. And there was a little brother clutching a one-yuan note, which was far from enough, looking at me with such longing, so I gave it to him too... and there was another one..."

He Yuzhu spoke gently: "As the saying goes: 'When one is successful, one helps the world; when one is poor, one tends to one's own virtue.' Student He Yushui has participated in many performances over the past half-year and has also earned back quite a bit of food, so I approve of her doing this."

The children applauded one after another, and only then did a smile return to He Yushui's face.

He Yuzhu continued: "Actually, I let you go sell Gourd today not to see how much money you could earn, but to let you know that earning money is not easy."

Xiaomi nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice: "It's so cold outside! If we hadn't bought thick cotton-padded clothes yesterday, we would have surely frozen stiff!"

Looking at the few dejected yet expectant little faces, He Yuzhu's heart softened, and he laughed: "Actually, I deliberately quoted the cost high today. Those materials are only worth twenty thousand in reality. So, not only did you not lose money, you actually cleared a profit of twenty-five thousand!"

"Really?!"

"We earned money! We earned money!"

The dark clouds dispersed instantly, and happy cheers exploded in the room.

The little girls jumped around, their laughter almost lifting the roof.

He Yushui handed the twenty thousand to He Yuzhu. As for the remaining money, the six "little partners" sat cross-legged on the spot and divided it up, one bill at a time; each person actually received over six thousand.

He Yushui clutched her stack of bills tightly, and her eyes lit up again: "Brother! We'll go sell again tomorrow!"

"Deal," He Yuzhu replied readily. "I'll teach you how to make some better-looking ones tonight."

He Yuzhu had already prepared the molds during the day, so he called the children over to start. The materials were all ready, and they quickly learned to make spherical fruit skewers—the fruit wrapped in a crystal-clear sugar shell, like tempting jewels.

Public Security Bureau, First Division office.

Tian Dan was sitting at her desk reading documents when the telephone rang suddenly.

"Who is this?" She picked up the receiver.

"Director Tian, this is Director Sun from Tianjin."

"Hello, Director Sun. Is there a lead on the matter?"

"We have screened three suspicious accounts, and only one fits the criteria you proposed. Beijing New Bridge Trading Company, a person named Ji Ailin; her company opened an account at a private bank on Heilongjiang Road here. When we went to the bank to investigate, the other party was quite cooperative. This account has received multiple transfers from the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in Hong Kong over the past few months."

"That's great!" Tian Dan straightened her back and quickly picked up a pen. "Please tell me the detailed situation of this company."

"New Bridge Trading Company deals in porcelain import and export, and its location is right in Liulichang," Director Sun added.

"Many thanks! I will immediately follow up on the investigation of this company." After Tian Dan finished speaking, she hung up the phone and said, "Xiao Tian, call all the team captains in!"