Chapter 72: Zhou Qinglang Writes a Letter and Leaves

In the cellar, the light was dim and tranquil.

Zhou Qinglang opened an old wooden chest and reached inside, searching by touch. At last, he drew out a luminous, crystal-clear night pearl that glowed softly in his palm. He stroked the pearl thoughtfully for a moment, then plunged his hand into the chest again and retrieved a second dazzling night pearl.

He turned and walked over to several other wooden chests nearby. With practiced ease, he opened them and quickly grabbed two smooth, lustrous jade bead bracelets, tossing them into a vegetable basket at his side.

“These should be enough to cover today’s meal,” Zhou Qinglang murmured to himself, a faint smile playing at his lips. His mood always brightened whenever he thought of that mischievous girl. The memory of her joyful laughter brought an involuntary smile to his face.

“Little rascal, tell her for me that I’d like to have pickled fish again today, and even heavier on the flavor,” he said.

During these days of living off her hospitality, Zhou Qinglang had gradually come to understand Lin Xiaodou’s tastes. The two of them, surprisingly alike, both favored that unique, tangy and spicy flavor—the hotter, the more satisfying. This discovery amused Zhou Qinglang greatly.

The girl was remarkable, too, seeming to understand animals as if she spoke their language. Whenever he asked the little golden monkey to relay a message, she always responded perfectly, as if she had heard him directly. Zhou Qinglang no longer bothered to write notes; he entrusted his requests to the monkey instead.

Thinking back, many things suddenly made sense—for instance, how Lin Xiaodou had a pet jumping spider and had tamed a little brown bear with such ease. Brown bears weren’t creatures just anyone could tame. They looked slow-witted, but in truth, they were clever—and very difficult to catch. Though the little bear seemed small now, it would grow to an imposing size, as powerful as a tiger or lion—one of the strongest beasts on land. With such a pet, Lin Xiaodou’s safety was assured, and Zhou Qinglang felt more at ease.

He didn’t know the extent of Lin Xiaodou’s strength. If he had known she could uproot a tree single-handedly, he would have thought differently.

At his instructions, the little golden monkey nodded obediently, grabbed the vegetable basket, and hopped away. But before long, it came dashing back, anxiety written all over its face.

“It shrieked in distress, its cries urgent and agitated—clearly something was wrong.

“Lin Zhiqing is in trouble?!” Zhou Qinglang sprang to his feet. The little creature only made such a fuss when something was truly urgent.

The monkey, arms waving wildly, chattered on. When it had reached Lin Xiaodou, it had seen her being led away by two people in police uniforms. The scene had reminded it of that struggle with the guards over a month ago. Terrified, the monkey tugged at Zhou Qinglang’s clothes, urging him to hurry outside. Its meaning was clear: Master, go save Xiaodou, quickly!

“Don’t worry, we’ll go right now!” Zhou Qinglang scooped up the monkey, grabbed a wooden stick for guidance, and made his way toward the stairs.

Emerging from the cellar and cave, he headed for the edge of the forest. He had seldom left the cellar in recent days, wary of discovery; but for Lin Xiaodou’s sake, he would risk anything. Even if it meant exposing himself, he had to try.

With the monkey in his arms, Zhou Qinglang soon reached the edge of the woods. As he was about to head toward the village, two loud voices drifted up ahead. Instantly, he tensed and ducked behind a large tree.

“Did you hear? Zhang Lian, who married that scoundrel San Laizi, is dead. They say some fishermen found her in the river this morning.”

“Heavens! How could such a thing happen? Did San Laizi torment her so much that she threw herself in?”

“Who knows? The police came just now, and they took Lin Zhiqing away with them—I saw it myself.”

“What? You mean that girl Lin Xiaodou? She’s a good kid—what could this have to do with her?”

“I heard there was a gathering at the Zhiqing dormitory last night, and Lin Zhiqing argued with Zhang Lian and even beat her up. Zhang Lian must have been so upset she drowned herself.”

“Poor Lin Zhiqing, how unlucky to get mixed up in this!”

“Exactly. I doubt she’ll get out of this easily… who knows if she’ll ever come back…”

Their voices faded into the distance, heading off toward the wild vegetable patches behind the hill.

Zhou Qinglang emerged from behind the tree, holding the little golden monkey, a complicated expression on his face. He knew little of the people at the Zhiqing dormitory; Lin Xiaodou rarely spoke of them. He had once asked her why she moved to the cabin in the back hills, and she’d said the dorm was too crowded and noisy—she preferred peace and quiet. Now, it seemed she’d moved to avoid trouble with certain people.

He understood the situation now, but felt at a loss—the damned affliction of his eyes made everything so inconvenient. For the first time, Zhou Qinglang felt utterly useless, a wave of self-loathing washing over him.

After composing himself, he decided to head into the village. When they had gone treasure hunting in the forest, Lin Xiaodou had mentioned that the brigade leader took good care of her. Zhou Qinglang thought he’d talk to the brigade leader first, to see if there was any way to get her released.

The police station was a place most people didn’t dare go near. Though Lin Xiaodou was bold, she was still young and had never faced anything like this. Worried that she might be frightened, Zhou Qinglang quickened his pace.

He hadn’t yet reached the village when a group of people suddenly came running over the hillside ahead. At their head was a sunny, exuberant young man, who called out excitedly: “Boss! I finally found you!!”

At the familiar voice, Zhou Qinglang stopped in his tracks. “Kaile?”

“Boss! I’ve missed you so much!!” Xiao Kaile flung himself forward, catching Zhou Qinglang in a bear hug.

The two had grown up together in the same compound and later both worked at the research institute—brothers through thick and thin. When Zhou Qinglang got into trouble, Xiao Kaile had been sent away on assignment; otherwise, he would have followed Zhou Qinglang without hesitation.

“You have no idea how worried I’ve been since you disappeared!” Xiao Kaile’s eyes were red and his voice choked with emotion.

“All right, look at me—I’m fine, aren’t I?” Zhou Qinglang laughed, gently pushing him away. “We’re grown men, don’t cry.”

“Heh… I was just worried about you, that’s all…” Xiao Kaile scratched his head sheepishly.

Once he’d calmed down, he noticed something odd about Zhou Qinglang’s eyes, and his face changed at once. “Boss! Your eyes…”

Half an hour later.

After listening to Zhou Qinglang recount all he had endured, Xiao Kaile swung his fist at a nearby tree, gritting his teeth.

“Damn that Wang Fei! He was the traitor all along, and yet he framed you…”

Wang Fei had been a friend at the research institute; their relationship had always seemed good. No one had suspected that he was the enemy agent. When he was nearly caught stealing confidential documents, he had diverted suspicion by accusing Zhou Qinglang.

At that time, the leadership had assigned Zhou Qinglang a secret mission to transfer confidential files. Through a twist of fate, everyone misunderstood, and after a scuffle, Zhou Qinglang escaped.

It had been over a month. By now, the truth had been uncovered and Wang Fei had been secretly executed. Xiao Kaile had volunteered to search for Zhou Qinglang, spending nearly half a month before finally finding him.

“Boss, your eyes have been left untreated for too long—you need to get to a hospital right away. Let’s go now!”

“No, I still have something to take care of…” Zhou Qinglang explained Lin Xiaodou’s predicament, omitting their deeper connection for the sake of her reputation. He simply described her as a kindhearted young woman who often sent him food through the little monkey.

One of the men in their group said, “That’s easy. I have a relative who works in the town police—I’ll give him a call and ask him to look after Lin Zhiqing. As long as she’s innocent, I’m sure she’ll be released soon.”

Zhou Qinglang hesitated, but Xiao Kaile pressed him, “Boss, we really can’t wait! Headquarters has ordered an emergency evacuation—we have to leave by this afternoon!”

Zhou Qinglang relented. “All right, do you have pen and paper? I’ll write a letter…”

Since he couldn’t say goodbye in person, he would leave Lin Xiaodou a letter. He decided to let the little golden monkey deliver it, and while he was at it, take her to the cellar.

He’d decided not to turn in the treasures hidden there—they would all go to her, in gratitude for her care and… for saving his life.