"Be careful of Gu Yunqing?" Feng Yushu cast a wary glance at the two corpses lying by the riverbank, then met Ye Miaozhu's eyes. The two exchanged uneasy looks.
Ye Miaozhu felt a surge of anger in her chest. "Yunqing died right in front of me—how could I be careful?"
"Sining died too. She even called Aunt on the phone. What do you think 'be careful' means?" Ning Zhe lifted Feng Yushu's phone and said, "Two minutes. Prove you're Zhang Yangxu, and not some imposter. No extensions."
Silence answered him.
Gu Yunqing's body still lay on the river's laundry slope. The wristwatch she wore hadn't stopped ticking despite the water; its second hand labored forward in uneven jumps, as if each tick measured the fall of transparent drops of time.
"One minute," Ning Zhe said.
Still no response on the line—just the rustle of evening breeze tugging at sleeves. Ning Zhe checked his watch. "One minute and twenty seconds."
"Ning Zhe, the demolition contracts given to residents on the land where your family's old manor stands come in three versions."
At one minute forty-seven seconds, a voice finally crackled through the speaker: Zhang Yangxu.
"Version A: After demolition, residents receive new housing at roughly three times the original area in a designated development, with preferential compensation for any leftover space.
Version B: A fixed lump-sum cash payout.
Version C: Residents may choose a unit close in size to their original home within the developer's offerings, plus a cash supplement."
Ning Zhe nodded. "That's right. I went home to review the compensation terms—my grandparents are illiterate; I'm making sure they're not cheated."
But then he added, "Still doesn't prove you're Zhang Yangxu. Tell me something I don't know."
In fact, what Zhang Yangxu had just detailed was enough to confirm his identity, but Ning Zhe wanted to test a theory.
"You won't get the Version B contract," Zhang Yangxu said calmly. "The lump-sum cash plan is hardest to secure of the three, so it was almost all allocated before bidding began. You had no chance."
"Wow, you bank robbers hadn't even bought your masks before you divvied up the loot," Ning Zhe applauded. "So tell me, Mr. Zhang—why be careful of Gu Yunqing?"
"We'll discuss that in person."
"OK."
The meeting spot remained the street outside the clan ancestral hall. After witnessing two bizarre deaths, Feng Yushu and Ning Zhe were on high alert; only Ye Miaozhu seemed unfazed.
"If we don't go now, we'll have to anyway," she said. "After today, tomorrow's taboos change—are you going to stop checking the almanac at the hall?"
Her nonchalance surprised Ning Zhe; if someone wasn't even afraid of death, what was left to fear?
It was the 23rd day of the fourth lunar month, 2:33 a.m.
Ning Zhe arrived at South Street in Hejia Village, where the clan hall honoring the Snake God stood. Zhang Yangxu was already waiting at the gate.
Feng Yushu trailed behind unwillingly. Her timid nature and the knowledge that Xie Sining was dead had shattered her courage; she refused to reenter the hall at any cost.
Ning Zhe didn't force her. After a brief "good luck to you," he and Ye Miaozhu proceeded together, leaving Feng Yushu to fall back a few paces.
As the three approached the hall, a tense Feng Yushu finally exhaled—only Zhang Yangxu stood at the door.
"Hey, where's Xie Sining?" Ning Zhe waved.
Zhang Yangxu gave a wry smile. "That was rhetorical."
"Of course. Well, congratulations on surviving," Ning Zhe quipped. "How did you get away from that thing?"
They confirmed their identities, then Zhang Yangxu spoke first: "Madam Bai called me earlier. She said you saw something by the river…was it Sining?"
"Yes," Ning Zhe replied. "We found her body in the water."
Zhang Yangxu visibly relaxed, closed his eyes, and said, "Alright. Let's exchange information. I'll start."
Outside the hall, he recounted everything from leaving with Xie Sining until now:
After Feng Yushu's warning call cut off, Zhang Yangxu was puzzled.
At 12:30 a.m., he and Sining left the hall and followed the river upstream. The silent road showed no anomalies—only red confetti from firecrackers scattered at doorsteps; Hejia Village had set off many yesterday.
After some distance, Sining looked uncomfortable and told him she needed to use the restroom. He supported himself against a riverside willow and gave her privacy. Once she was done, they continued northward.
The further they walked, the denser the red confetti became—petals of crimson carpeting the road, as if in farewell or celebration.
In the distance, Zhang Yangxu spotted an elegant old mansion with a three-meter-high gate and a five-meter wall. His estimations of its dimensions were precise. The gate bore a black plaque with yellow characters: "He Mansion."
Seeing half the agreed meeting time had passed, he opted to return to the hall to meet Ning Zhe and plan together.
They retraced their steps along the confetti-strewn street, conversing casually.
Then Feng Yushu's call came through. In a terrified voice, she warned him to watch out for Sining, claiming she and Ning Zhe had seen something by the river…before the line went dead.
"After the call dropped, I realized that if she wasn't joking, something must have happened to Sining while I waited by the river. Whatever it was led to her death and something else assuming her identity."
"That river is definitely strange," Zhang Yangxu concluded.
"No—it isn't. There may be other reasons Xie Sining died by the river, but the water itself isn't directly to blame," Ning Zhe said, spreading his hands. "Gu Yunqing and Ye Miaozhu tested that with their lives."
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild
Reference Glossary
23rd day of the fourth lunar month – Date according to the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, often used to determine festivals and auspicious days.