NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8
Chapter 8: A Secret
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The next day, the siblings woke up early in the morning. They were up around 5 a.m. before the sun had even risen.
Poor kids did not have the habit of sleeping in.
Both of them made breakfast together. After they ate, Xia Ning packed her sketchpad, bracket, colors, and paper into a bag. Xia Ping’an also carried a heavy backpack full of stuff like oilcloths, balloons, and a pump.
The siblings brought along 25,000 dollars in cash and stashed away the remaining 15,000 dollars in the house before they left.
After leaving the neighborhood, the two of them first went to the ATM vestibule of a bank near the police station. They deposited 25,000 dollars in the ATM and then went to a nearby bus stop. After waiting for a while, they got on a bus and went out of the city.
1
Today was Sunday. In an open field near General Temple in the southern suburbs of Xianghe City, there was a festival organized every weekend by the citizens.
At such gatherings, many businesses would bring various snacks and street foods as well as entertainment facilities to the place. The citizens who went there could buy the stuff they wanted such as old records, old furniture, various secondhand items, and some handicrafts.
The festival at General Temple was a lively place. It was started by the immigrants from Huaxia in the Great Flame Republic. It was said to be a tradition dating back a couple hundred years.
Around eight o’clock, the sun was already up in the sky. The siblings had transferred buses twice and had finally arrived at the open field near General Temple.
Many people had already arrived before them. Most of them drove their own cars and pickup trucks. They parked their vehicles in one spot, opened up the trunks of their vehicles, and began selling their stuff.
Xia Ping’an and Xia Ning found an empty spot that was 5 to 6 square meters large and began to set up shop.
Xia Ning took out her sketchpad, bracket, colors, and paper and hung up two portraits that had already been completed. She then waited for people to show up to be drawn.
Xia Ning charged 30 dollars for a portrait. It was not considered expensive, and she could already draw very well. Many people could not help but sit for a portrait when they saw such a beautiful and talented young maiden selling portraits.
Xia Ping’an took out the oilcloths and a folding table from his backpack. He put on a wig and a smiling clown mask. He then took out a pile of long balloons and a pump, and began to fill them with air.
The filled-up balloons were as long as cucumbers in Xia Ping’an’s hand. Then, using these balloons, Xia Ping’an deftly twisted and tied the balloons into the shapes of small knickknacks like dogs, flowers, and swords. He sold each of them for two dollars.
Many children came here. As long as one of the children bought one, the others would also want one when they saw it.
Xia Ping’an had been running this business for many years. This business had a low startup cost and saw quick returns. There was no real danger of losing money. The technical skill required for the job was not high, and it did not draw attention to themselves. He only needed to buy some balloons, a pump, a folding table, and some oilcloth to start his business.
The clown mask and wig were to draw the children over. In total, a few hundred dollars was enough to be in business. The business had small profits but high turnovers. It was also not eye-catching. A day’s work, and he could earn 300 to 400 dollars. Even on bad days, he could make a hundred or two.
It was mainly because there were another two stalls selling balloons that were competing with Xia Ping’an. Hence, all of them could not earn much.
“Elder Brother, let’s put aside some money to buy a pickup truck. In the future, you can drive here, and we can go wherever we want. Aside from setting up shop, we can also go on vacation!” Xia Ning suggested. She could not help but envy the convenience of the pickup trucks to the side.
The Great Flame Republic, which covered the entire Northern Light Continent, had a very sparse population. Pickup trucks that could be used for agriculture, business, and transportation were especially welcome in ordinary families. Right now, in the marketplace of the festival, more than 70% of the people here drove pickup trucks.
“Sure. You should go get a driver’s license. When you do, we can buy a secondhand pickup and drive it together.”
Xia Ning was very happy when she heard her brother’s response. She was suddenly motivated. “Then, let’s establish our second family fund now. We will call it the Secondhand Pickup Truck Fund. Oh, right, how much does a secondhand pickup truck roughly cost?”
“They usually cost around 20,000 to 30,000 dollars. If the condition is slightly better, they may cost around 70,000 to 80,000 dollars.”
1
Xia Ping’an made two small dogs and immediately opened for business. A young boy who came here dragged his mother over and bought a purple balloon dog from Xia Ping’an.
After Xia Ping’an sold five balloons, Xia Ning also welcomed her first customer. She was a young girl wearing a pink dress who was about seven or eight years old. When she arrived, she was drawn over by Xia Ning’s portraits. She could not resist asking Xia Ning to draw her portrait.
Today, there were fewer people at the festival compared to the usual. Business was not going so well. It seemed that the effects of the dimensional invasion had yet to completely pass. After a day’s work, Xia Ping’an sold 106 balloons and earned 212 dollars.
Xia Ning drew six portraits and made 180 dollars.
The siblings had two bowls of vermicelli, two sets of spring rolls, two bottles of carbonated drinks, and a fruit platter. Xia Ning also went for a go on the merry-go-round, the mini rollercoaster, and the shooting game. In total, they spent 86 dollars. By evening, when they packed their things and went home, after working for the whole day, they only earned 306 dollars.
However, Xia Ning was extremely happy. Ever since she started middle school, Xia Ping’an would usually bring her here on weekends. Every time she came here, it was something that made her very happy. She could play, draw, and even eat good food.
The next day, the two of them stayed home and rested. They watched television, tidied up the house, did the laundry, ate good food, read books, and daydreamed.
Xia Ping’an gave the boss of the car shop a call in the morning. He told the boss that he was resigning. He said that he could not work so hard anymore and that he was preparing to find a less stressful job.
“Ping’an, you are still young. I will not stop you from venturing out. It is normal for young people like you to want to see more of the world. You are very talented in this field. If you still wish to work as a mechanic, feel free to come back to me. I will add another 2,000 dollars on top of your current monthly salary. You will not find higher pay at any other car shop.”
The boss of the shop tried to keep him from leaving over the phone. He felt that Xia Ping’an leaving was a pity. It was hard to find a young man like Xia Ping’an, who had such good technical skills and was so hardworking.
Xia Ping’an politely declined the offer.
He needed to report to the National Order Council tomorrow. He still did not know what awaited him over there. However, with his clairvoyance, it would be impossible for the other party to let him go.
…
While Xia Ping’an was having a phone call with his boss from the car shop, at the building where the National Order Council Xianghe City branch was stationed, a man walked down a long corridor and came to the office of Mo Yanshao. The man was in his 30s. He wore a pair of thick spectacles. He appeared unkempt, with stubble on his chin and flip-flops on his feet. He was wearing a floral pattern shirt that would only be worn by ostentatious middle-aged men. He put his hands in his pockets and whistled along.
Mo Yanshao’s office door was opened. The short-haired beauty and the bald guy, who went on a mission with Xia Ping’an previously, came out from inside.
When the man with a flashy floral pattern shirt saw the short-haired beauty, his eyes lit up with excitement. He was close to drooling in front of her. After he gulped down his saliva, he immediately approached the beauty, saying, “Shanshan, are you going out for a mission again? Are you free tonight? Do you want to come to my place and listen to my Hi-Fi system? I just spent four million to get a new set. The sound quality is terrific. My house is spacious and comfy.”
The short-haired beauty didn’t even bat an eyelid. She merely cast a glance at the flashy guy as she coldly uttered two words, “Get lost!”
The flashy guy looked upset, but he didn’t back off. He said, “I should have been more direct with you and asked whether you want to have sex with me.”
Before her long black boot could hit the flashy guy’s buttocks, he emitted a weird laugh and hopped forward. He was as nimble as a monkey and evaded the kick of the short-haired beauty. He pushed open the door of Mo Yanshao’s office and dashed in.
Mo Yanshao was behind his desk. He was just about to keep a document away.
“Head, Xia Ping’an’s data, which you requested, is ready.” The flashy guy ceased smiling and put on a serious face. He pulled out a black USB drive from his pocket and extended his hand out. “That fellow is not simple. He’s interesting.”
Not simple? Interesting?
Mo Yanshao raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. He glanced at the black USB and was hesitant as to whether he should take it. There seemed to be some suspicious stuff stuck on it. It looked filthy.
1
In the end, Mo Yanshao’s mysophobia triumphed over his curiosity. After hesitating for a few seconds, he did not take the USB. Instead, he said, “Tell me about it.”
“After his parents passed away, he rejected the foster families arranged for him and his sister by the social welfare group. He dropped out of school right away. He has been working to support his sister to attend college.”
“Hmm, I’m aware of this.” Mo Yanshao nodded.
The flashy guy continued, “I’m sure you are not aware of some other matters. His first job was selling balloons near a school. He did this for a living for a while. Since selling balloons didn’t garner a stable income, he went to become a car mechanic in a shop after he turned 16.”
“Since he was 16, it was not considered child labor anymore. What’s wrong with that?” Mo Yanshan asked.
“Here comes the interesting part. According to the intel that I gathered, prior to becoming a mechanic, he had never fixed a car before. He had only finished middle school and had not received any training related to repairing cars. However, can you guess what happened after he got hired at the car shop? In less than two months, he became one of the main mechanics there. He could repair all sorts of cars at ease and handle all sorts of situations. Normally, an inexperienced young man would take three years of apprenticeship before he could become a seasoned mechanic. Based on what Xia Ping’an told the car shop, he learned all the skills himself!”
Mo Yanshao’s eyes brightened up, then urged, “What else? Continue your story.”
“And about his parents…,” the flashy guy licked his lip and continued, “his parents were victims of the 819 major car accident that happened in Xianghe City five years ago.”
“Hmm…” Mo Yanshao’s eyebrows furrowed.
There were dozens of casualties involved in the 819 major car accident. Eleven of them passed away. It was a case that shocked the entire Xianghe City at that time. A racecar sped in the city street at 150 kilometers/hour. Then, it crashed towards a group of pedestrians that were waiting for the traffic light at a junction and left behind a bloody trail.
Mo Yanshao remembered this case. At that time, the first group of authorities that was in charge of investigating the case was the National Order Council. After they discovered that the case was an ordinary traffic accident that was neither related to dimensional invasions nor supernatural powers, the council passed the case to other civil departments to follow-up and stopped handling it.
“It has been five years since the 819 major car accident happened. If it wasn’t because you asked me to investigate Xia Ping’an, I would’ve forgotten about it. So, my hands got itchy, and I did a little check on the current situation of the few people involved in the 819 accident. Can you guess what I found?”
The flashy guy initially wanted to keep the suspense going for a while, but he saw Mo Yanshao glaring at him with an unkind gaze. He laughed wryly and revealed the answer right away, “Zhao Yuan, the young master of Dashang Conglomerate, passed away in Germany four years ago. His body was discovered in his villa. According to the autopsy report of German authorities, he was a drug addict and died of excessive drug use. The possibility of homicide was excluded. Zhao Jincheng, the father of Zhao Yuan and the CEO of Dashang Conglomerate, suffered from a myocardial infarction three months later. He died too.”
1
“Judging from their causes of death, there seems to be no problem,” Mo Yanshao ed as his fingers gently tapped the table.
“There’s no problem when we look at their causes of death separately. However, the doctor that conducted the psychological assessment on Zhao Yuan and assisted him in escaping legal sanctions also died. Four months after the death of Zhao Yuan, the doctor was accidentally electrocuted while he was taking a bath at home. Seven months after the death of Zhao Yuan, the judge that was in charge of the trial of the 819 accident died too. His car went out of control while he was driving on a highway. He died when his car fell off a cliff. Nine months after the death of Zhao Yuan, the chief prosecutor of the 819 accident was discovered by the husband of the woman he was cheating with. The husband stabbed him to death right away. The probability of all these being coincidences is less than one in 10 million.”
1
Mo Yanshao’s face gradually turned serious as he asked, “What else is there?”
“The greatest coincidence is that the only record of Xia Ping’an ever having left the country was one week before Zhao Yuan died. He used a travel visa and bought a plane ticket to France. I could not find any information about his movements in France. He did not board any planes, make any phone calls, or make any transaction with a credit card. The only record he left was when he checked in at a hotel in Strasbourg.”
“I recall that Strasbourg is very close to Germany. It is near the border,” Mo Yanshao remarked as he frowned.
3
“Yes. From Strasbourg to Offenburg, Germany is only an hour’s journey by car. It is very convenient to cross between the two countries. Mannheim, where Zhao Yuan died, is also not far from Offenburg. It is just a few hours away. On the fourth day after Zhao Yuan died, Xia Ping’an returned from France,” the flashy guy continued as he smacked his lips. He seemed unsatisfied. “F*ck, Xia Ping’an was only 17 at the time. It is hard to believe.”
“Don’t speculate without evidence. Don’t try to imply anything. I will make my own call,” Mo Yanshao said with a stern look.
“Of course. I did not say anything. I was merely stating some facts. They were all scum. Good riddance that they have died. It is none of my business,” the flashy guy said as he shrugged his shoulders with an indifferent look.
“Is there anything else?”
“The day after the chief prosecutor of the 819 accident died, Xia Ping’an brought his sister to pay their respects at their parents’ grave. Head, you would have never imagined it. Half a month after he visited their graves, Xia Ping’an went to the Thousand Dragons Temple alone and spent three days there. After Xia Ping’an left the temple, Master Yungu declared that he would stop tattooing and would never tattoo another person again.”
2
“How is Xia Ping’an related to Master Yungu deciding to stop tattooing people?” Mo Yanshao was truly surprised. He knew Master Yungu. Master Yungu had a hand in his fire lion tattoo. In the entire Yizhou Province, Master Yungu was the top tattoo artist.
“This is my analysis using statistics and data. The GPS coordinates of Xia Ping’an’s phone did not move from the Thousand Dragons Temple for three days. Three days was exactly the amount of time Master Yungu needed to complete a tattoo. Just as Xia Ping’an left the temple, they announced that Master Yungu would be going into seclusion.
3
“Ever since then, all those who sought tattoos from the Thousand Dragons Temple were handled by the disciples of Master Yungu. When Big Tu went to the Thousand Dragons Temple for a tattoo, he had not met Master Yungu. One of the disciples had done it on his behalf. Master Yungu had actually stopped tattooing people after Xia Ping’an left the temple. Why he had done so was unknown. The possibility of these two events being related was very high!”
“Alright, I know. We will end this here. You were never here today,” Mo Yanshao directed. He remained silent for a moment. He then held the USB drive in his hand, and it instantly burst into flame in the blink of an eye, melting into a pile.
The eyes of the flashy guy twitched. He slapped the back of his head. In a trance, he muttered, “Head, why did you call me here? Look at me and my goldfish memory. I forgot why I am here again…”
“Yup. You’re sleepwalking again. Go back and have a good rest.” Mo Yanshao smiled.
“It seems like I really need some sleep. The girls in my dream were too needy…” The flashy guy yawned, turning around and leaving. When he reached the door, he seemed to have recalled something. He slapped his head, turned around, and said, “Head, one more thing. Zhao Jincheng has another son. Zhao Yuan has a younger brother named Zhao Jian. Zhao Jian has been studying in a prestigious school in France. It is said that he became a summoner two years ago.”
Mo Yanshao’s brows furrowed as he said, “Noted.”
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