Just as I was thinking about the Water Moon Guanyin, Yang Hanxue suddenly called me, "Brother Xiang, I have something I need to trouble you with."
"What is it?" I asked, looking at him.
"I need to go to Bianhai for a while to handle some matters..."
He paused and continued, "You are familiar with Guangling, so I want you to help me find someone."
"Lei Guan's daughter?" I asked.
"Yes."
Yang Hanxue opened his drawer again and took out a file, handing it to me. "This is Lei Shuangshuang's personal information. Take a look."
I took the file and read it carefully.
It was more of a general overview than detailed information.
There were a few photos, along with some introductions to Lei Shuangshuang.
From the photos, this Lei Shuangshuang seemed to be a rather rebellious girl.
With her golden hair and avant-garde fashion sense, she looked like a young delinquent.
Her introduction also listed the places she frequented and the people she knew.
After reading, I put the file away and said, "I can't guarantee I can find her..."
Yang Hanxue smiled. "Don't worry, you just need to find one person, and he'll tell you where Lei Shuangshuang is."
"Who?"
Yang Hanxue handed me a piece of paper with a phone number on it. "When the time comes, call him and just mention my name. You might need to cover some expenses..."
I took the note and said, "Alright, I'll take care of this."
"Thank you, then," Yang Hanxue said.
"It's nothing. Brother Yang, is something happening that requires you to go to Bianhai so urgently?" I asked curiously.
Yang Hanxue sighed. "The matter with the stolen ship needs to be dealt with now."
Hearing him say that, I didn't ask any further questions.
That evening, when I returned to Hong Yunpeng's place, Fatty had apparently bought a lot of items from somewhere, and Hong Yunpeng was sitting on the sofa with him, examining them.
"Master Xiang, you're finally back!" Fatty pulled me over when he saw me. "Please take a look for me. These are all things I found today."
I glanced over and saw a pile of bottles and jars on the table, as well as some gold ingots.
"How much did all this cost you?" I asked.
Fatty grinned and said, "Not much, just two thousand yuan."
"Two thousand yuan?" I was taken aback.
He nodded, and I immediately stood up with a helpless expression. "Whatever you bought these from, take them back. If you can't return them, find a place to throw them away."
"Ah?" Fatty's face fell. "Are these all fakes?"
"Isn't that obvious? Look at what you've bought. Gold ingots? Silver ingots? If these were real, they'd be worth more sold to a gold shop than to you," I said, somewhat exasperated.
"No... Master Xiang, these few things were just a whim." Fatty grabbed me, stopping me from leaving, and pulled me back. "Listen to me, this is called a feint. I bought all these other things just to get this one."
As he spoke, he took a flute about twenty centimeters long from Hong Yunpeng. "Master Xiang, take a look at this."
I took it and examined it. The material of the flute was very unusual; it wasn't like wood or bamboo, and it felt slightly cold in my hand.
"What is this made of?" I asked.
Fatty replied, "I just thought it was special, so I spent a lot of effort to buy it... Master Xiang, doesn't this look like some kind of jade?"
I looked closely and weighed it in my hand. "Jade wouldn't be this light..."
Hong Yunpeng said, "This material does resemble something."
"What something?" Fatty and I both turned to look at him.
He said, "Don't you think it looks a bit like an animal bone?"
Hearing this, I was startled and instinctively thought of human bones, and immediately threw the flute back to Fatty. "You guy, where did you get such strange things? It's truly unlucky!"
Fatty said, "Yunpeng, don't talk nonsense! How can this look like it's made of bone?"
"This flute is so light, and it's white. It's neither bamboo nor wood. If it's not bone, what else could it be?" Hong Yunpeng said.
Fatty was also quite scared by this. He placed the flute on the table and kept cursing the person who sold it to him.
I found it somewhat amusing and said to Fatty, "What's the use of cursing? If you really want to know what it's made of, why don't you take this flute and Brother Hong to get it analyzed tomorrow?"
Hong Yunpeng's eyes lit up. "I happen to know a doctor who specializes in this field, we can ask him for help."
Fatty's spirits rose again, and the two of them started discussing animatedly.
I couldn't stand it any longer, so I returned to my room.
The next day, when I woke up early, Fatty also got up quickly, clearly intending to go out with Hong Yunpeng.
Fearing he wouldn't have enough money, I gave him a thousand yuan.
He didn't stand on ceremony at all, taking it and putting it in his pocket.
The three of us went out together. Fatty got into Hong Yunpeng's car, while I took a taxi to a certain location.
Last night, I had already contacted the person Yang Hanxue asked me to find, and we had arranged to meet today.
I followed the agreed-upon location to a tea stall in the old district.
In this era, tea stalls were becoming increasingly rare. Apart from the old district, you could hardly see any in Guangling.
When I arrived, I found a seat. Shortly after, an old man wearing a floral shirt, a skullcap, and black round sunglasses came and sat beside me.
He was also holding a white cane, which puzzled me.
Before I could speak, the old man said, "Mr. Xiang, right?"
I was taken aback. How did he know it was me? Wasn't this person supposed to be blind?
Just as I was wondering, he shifted his sunglasses downwards, and I realized he wasn't blind at all; his eyes were sharp and bright.
Before I could look further, he put his sunglasses back on.
"You brought the money, didn't you?" he asked.
I took out the prepared envelope and handed it over.
He took the envelope, opened it, glanced at it, and then put it away. He then handed me a piece of paper with an address written on it. "The person you're looking for will be here tonight. You can meet them then."
"Nanhu Road, Xihai Garden View?"
I knew this place; it was a rather prestigious villa area in Guangling. Hong Yunpeng had even recommended houses here to me before.
However, the place was too expensive, and not worth it.
I noted down the address, and the old man ordered a pot of tea and poured himself a cup. "Mr. Xiang, it's our first meeting. Allow me to introduce myself. You can call me Old Bao, or Bao Dating. If you need my help in the future, don't hesitate to ask."
Bao Dating?
The name was quite direct, as if the words were written on his face.
"You are a friend of Master Yang, so I will charge you the lowest price..." the old man smiled.
I nodded and said, "Then thank you."
"You're welcome."
After taking a sip of tea, I stood up to leave. The old man suddenly stopped me. "Mr. Xiang, please remember to pay for the tea beforehand."