Life in siheyuan era

Unbeknownst to Liu Junling, Zhou Zhiyuan was sitting not far away, sighing softly. He was currently regretting his loose tongue. "What will Lan Yin think if she finds out?"

Then, hearing Zhou Zhiyuan's voice, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This matter couldn't be concealed. Shen Lan Yin's reaction would depend on Zhou Zhiyuan's attitude.

Liu Junling decided to remain silent and still, figuring that it was best to avoid trouble at this moment.

Zhou Zhiyuan staggered over, glanced at Liu Junling, and smiled, "Junling-jie is here. Are you treating us?"

Before Liu Junling could speak, Zhou Zhiyuan looked towards Fang Xiang and immediately said, "So it's Fang Xiang who's treating. If it's not Junling-jie, I won't bother."

His words were a clear affirmation of Liu Junling, indicating that they had a good relationship.

Hearing him speak, Liu Junling raised her head to look at him and asked seriously, "Are you drunk?"

At the same time, Fang Xiang raised his voice and said, "Your brain isn't working properly, and you're just making assumptions."

As they spoke simultaneously, Zhou Zhiyuan prioritized, first addressing Liu Junling, "I only drank six liang of wine, not a drop more. I can still see in all directions and hear everything. You guys were speaking so softly, so far away, but I still heard someone mention my name. I didn't realize I was so famous."

Then, he turned to Fang Xiang and said, "What did you say?"

Fang Xiang angrily said, "I said your brain isn't working properly..."

At the same time, Liu Junling said, "If you're not drunk, why are you unsteady on your feet?"

So, Zhou Zhiyuan spoke to Liu Junling first, "I've been practicing Drunken Fist recently. I may look unsteady, but my feet are firmly rooted."

Then, he turned to Fang Xiang and said, "What did you say again?"

Hearing him ask twice, Fang Xiang decided to remain silent. If he still didn't understand now, he would truly be a fool.

Liu Junling also stopped speaking, still wanting to give Fang Xiang some face.

Since they weren't talking, Zhou Zhiyuan continued, "With my Junling-jie here, I, as a brother, must show my support. Waiter..."

As he called out, Yuan Shi immediately appeared before him. Zhou Zhiyuan asked in surprise, "So fast?"

Yuan Shi replied humbly, "I was often bullied as a child, so I developed a knack for speed."

"Not bad..." Zhou Zhiyuan praised, "In the world of martial arts, speed is paramount. Let me teach you a move."

As he spoke, he thrust out his left palm, seemingly breaking through the air, creating a "pa" sound.

Seeing him attack, Yuan Shi hurriedly retreated, but Zhou Zhiyuan unexpectedly advanced, turning his palm into a claw and grabbing Yuan Shi's right arm. He then released it and laughed, "Speed must also have elements of illusion. Illusion within reality, reality within illusion, all in a single thought."

Yuan Shi took another step back and quickly said, "Comrade, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

"You don't understand?"

Zhou Zhiyuan asked, then raised his voice and said, "Bring a bottle of red wine to this table. Put it on my tab."

Then, turning to Liu Junling, he said, "Junling-jie, do you have any other instructions?"

"Drink less," Liu Junling replied sternly.

"Understood!"

Zhou Zhiyuan sang a line from a Beijing opera, and as he turned to leave, he heard a woman's voice, "What does the Fangshan Exploration Team do?"

Hearing this, Zhou Zhiyuan spun around abruptly and asked in a deep voice, "Who said that?"

Everyone's gaze turned to Liu Junling, and Zhou Zhiyuan also glanced at her before smiling and saying, "That's just a rumor. In reality, it's a group of mountaineering enthusiasts preparing to form a joint team called the 'Fangshan Scenic Area Preliminary Exploration and Confirmation Team'."

"This matter is still in the planning stages and requires approval from the cultural department. Once the approval is obtained, we will conduct a thorough exploration and then publish a 'Fangshan Scenic Area Mountaineering Guide'. Everyone can use the guide to climb the mountains. This is a great service for mountaineering enthusiasts."

The move Zhou Zhiyuan taught Yuan Shi was meant for him to see. An amateur wouldn't understand it, but an expert could see it at a glance. There weren't many martial artists who could perform the Air-Breaking Palm. Hu Dapeng would have to think it over after seeing this move.

Shen Lanbo and he didn't want Hu Dapeng to take action. Such a situation was quite awkward. Regardless of winning or losing, it was difficult to investigate or not investigate.

The best solution now was to use this Air-Breaking Palm to deter the opponent, so that everyone could continue doing what they were doing steadily. Any unnecessary complications could be dealt with later.

Judging from Bai Wenming's attitude, he also didn't want any unnecessary complications. The embroidered ball of enticing Zhou Zhiyuan to appraise antiques had already been thrown to Zhou Zhiyuan, and he would earnestly help Bai Wenming.

As for making a move on Yuan Shi, it served another purpose. Yuan Shi's identity as a thief couldn't be concealed from those who were interested. Since it couldn't be concealed, he would show Yuan Shi some suspicion, allowing them to utilize Yuan Shi, which would help Yuan Shi gain a foothold.

As for the Fangshan Exploration Team, it wasn't really a secret. A troop was stationed in that mountain forest, which couldn't be hidden from people. He could only leave it vague and let everyone guess.

But Bai Wenming didn't want to guess. Given their relationship, he could quietly ask, "Don't tell us there's a 'Fangshan Scenic Area Preliminary Exploration and Confirmation Team'."

Zhou Zhiyuan smiled wryly and replied, "The name of the team is exactly 'Fangshan Scenic Area Preliminary Exploration and Confirmation Team', not a single word off. And I am one of the team members, ready to rush to Fangshan upon receiving orders."

"The specific mission really can't be said. I can't tell my parents or my wife and children. That young woman is my girlfriend's good friend. My girlfriend only knows about the team. She understands the rules and won't ask about the details. Several leaders are watching closely. Why do you think my comrades give me face? Isn't it because..."

At this point, Zhou Zhiyuan quickly shut his mouth and said, "Can't say. Let's drink."

They were drinking at the Modi Western Restaurant, while Han Xue was at home, carefully studying the notes from today's interview.

She interviewed Wang Dali, then took Wang Dali's bus away from the bus company, got off in the city, and took Wang Daji's bus. After a conversation, she had another exchange with Wang Jianli.

The Wang family, father and sons, were all men of few words. There was no problem with secrecy. If it weren't for using Zhou Zhiyuan's name, they wouldn't have said so much.

And she couldn't directly ask about Yan Wen's situation. After going around in circles, she realized she had found the right people.

These three men didn't like to talk, but they were the kind of people some people liked to use. Yan Wen had once asked them to help.

Han Xue selected these words and reorganized them, discovering two clues.

Yan Wen liked to grow flowers and had gone to Tianjing Hutong three times in April to get flowers. The house number of that small courtyard was number thirty-five.

The second clue was that Yan Wen had taken Wang Dali's bus to J County twice, saying he was going to visit relatives.

Finding these two clues, Han Xue began to hesitate whether to investigate along these two lines.

She wanted to go, but remembering Zhou Zhiyuan's words, she hesitated.

Zhou Zhiyuan was currently prohibited from acting, indicating that the bait had been set, just waiting for the big fish to take the hook. In this situation, her actions might scare away the big fish, and that would be a big mistake.

After hesitating for a while, she suddenly remembered Zhou Zhiyuan's words: "Through this action, fully demonstrate your investigative abilities."

Thinking of these words, she knew what to do. She picked up her notebook and walked out the door, saying in a low voice to Han Yuanzhi and Liu Lanying, "Dad, Mom, I need to make a phone call. Go inside and don't eavesdrop. This is a work requirement."

She spoke seriously. Han Yuanzhi and Liu Lanying looked at each other and stood up together, walking towards the bedroom.

Han Xue walked to the outer door and closed the inner door tightly. She returned to the sofa, picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said softly, "Reporting to Deputy Director Zhang, I have an important matter to report to you."

She reported in detail on the investigation situation this afternoon and the two clues she had discovered.

Then, she listened to the serious voice coming from the other end, "Zhou Zhiyuan is reckless, undisciplined, and I will settle accounts with him."

Hearing his voice, Han Xue quickly said, "He also has a public heart..."

A cold laugh interrupted her, followed by Zhang Limin's question, "A public heart?"

Then he said, "Let's not talk about him. Your performance was very good. If you hadn't called me tonight, I would have sent someone to invite you over tomorrow morning."

Hearing this, Han Xue was startled, knowing that her investigation activities had been exposed. Zhou Zhiyuan was right, there were experts watching near the bus company.

Fortunately, Zhang Limin affirmed her investigation, "The two clues you discovered are very good. The mission is perfectly completed and can be stopped. I'll give you another mission: stay at home tomorrow and don't go out. End of call."

Zhang Limin praised her but also placed her under house arrest.

This order let Han Xue know that she was fine. She put down the phone and breathed a sigh of relief, then thought of a question, "How will Deputy Director Zhang deal with Zhou Zhiyuan?"

She could hear from Zhang Limin's tone that he was very angry. It was certain that Zhou Zhiyuan would be punished, but she didn't know if the outcome would be light or heavy. She was very worried.