Chen Kai's number was the first contact he saved in my phone. When I asked him for Zhang Ying's phone number, he readily provided it.
However, when I called Zhang Ying, her mother answered. Hearing that it was a man on the line, she immediately became suspicious and asked who I was.
For a second or two, I was caught off guard. It felt like getting caught sneaking around on a date by the girl's parents.
Fortunately, I was married, so I calmed myself down quickly. I cleared my throat and said seriously, "Mrs. Zhang, this is Li Yang. I'd like to inquire about Zhang Ying's situation. Could you please pass the phone to her?"
When it came to her daughter, Mrs. Zhang quickly handed the phone to Zhang Ying.
I had expected her mood to be sour after the awkward conversation, but when she picked up, she sounded curious and excited, constantly asking what had happened to her that night.
Seeing her curiosity, I took the opportunity to ask her to come to the shop. To avoid her parents stopping her from leaving, I even told her it was for a health checkup.
After hanging up the phone, I turned around and saw Huang Jiu sneaking around eavesdropping with his big teeth showing.
When I caught him, he wasn't at all flustered, pretending nothing had happened.
I was speechless. Was this his ingrained hobby?
While waiting for Zhang Ying to come, I closed the shop and went home for a shower, changing into fresh clothes. When I returned to the shop, a middle-aged man was standing at the door. He was dressed in a Zhongshan suit, built like a bulldozer, and exuded an intimidating presence without saying a word. However, his face was filled with anger.
When I used my spiritual vision to check, my heart skipped a beat. I quickly turned and entered the nearby steamed bun shop.
Huang Jiu, puzzled, whispered from the bag, "What's going on? Why are you running away when business is coming to the door?"
I peered through the window and asked, "Do you know who he is?"
Huang Jiu rolled his eyes at me. "I don't know how to read people's auras, so how would I know?"
I whispered back, "His energy feels like that of Su Yimei's husband. I think he's Su Dazhuang, my second uncle's father-in-law. He's furious right now, and I'm afraid he'll take out his anger on me, the big nephew!"
I shrank my neck and quickly ordered a basket of buns to calm myself.
I thought Su Dazhuang might leave after waiting a while, but he was persistent and waited until Zhang Ying's car arrived. At this point, I couldn't stay hidden any longer.
Zhang Ying got out of the car and froze for a moment when she saw Su Dazhuang. She politely greeted, "Uncle Su."
Su Dazhuang, still seething, forced a smile.
Zhang Ying adjusted her hair and, noticing Su Dazhuang's cold expression, seemed awkward and didn't know what to say.
Su Dazhuang asked, "Zhang girl, what are you doing here?"
Zhang Ying quickly responded, "I'm here to see Master Li Yang!"
"Master Li Yang, my foot! Playing tricks!" Su Dazhuang scolded, then asked, "You're talking about Li San's nephew, right?"
Zhang Ying nodded and, turning away to hide her face, stuck out her tongue. She then saw me walking out of the bun shop and breathed a sigh of relief, waving at me.
I gathered my courage and walked over, greeting him with, "Grandfather."
He shot me a glance and snorted.
Under the pressure of the elder's authority, I felt awkward and quickly opened the door to invite them inside.
Once inside, I opened the cat bag to let Huang Jiu out. Zhang Ying, no longer so reserved, took out some snacks to feed Huang Jiu.
Su Dazhuang, still frowning, silently inspected every corner of the shop.
I relaxed when he didn't speak. It seemed like he was just here to check on my second uncle's situation. If an elder is willing to understand you, it usually means they have recognized something about you. This was a good sign for my second uncle.
However, Su Dazhuang's presence was so overwhelming that it felt like I was facing an old soldier. It was really intimidating.
I poured him a glass of water and politely said, "Grandfather, please have a seat. I need to discuss something with Miss Zhang."
As I said this, I motioned for Zhang Ying to join me in the back room, while I told Su Dazhuang he could stay out here if he wanted.
The shop had two rooms: a storage room where we kept supplies, and a VIP room for discussing private or important business. Su Dazhuang, however, followed us into the VIP room without a word, like it was his own house, and even went to check the storage room.
His silence made me uncomfortable, but since the shop belonged to my second uncle, and my second uncle was so close with Su Yimei, who was like family now, I couldn't say anything.
Once we were in the VIP room, Huang Jiu was about to speak, but when he saw Su Dazhuang sitting in the corner, he immediately covered his mouth.
I steeled myself and said, "Grandfather, we solved the ghost house issue a few days ago, but my second uncle was injured. He won't be coming to the shop for a few days. Would you like to come back another time?"
I had nothing to do with this visit since he was looking for his future son-in-law, but I couldn't be rude.
Su Dazhuang finally spoke after hearing my hint to send him away. He said, "You continue your work, I'm just here to watch."
"Alright," I sighed and gave up. I then used my spiritual vision to check on Zhang Ying's health. She was mostly fine, with just a slight imbalance between her yin and yang energies.
I cleared my throat and said, "Your health is alright, just make sure you get some sunlight and eat well. By the way, is Chen Zihao your classmate? Can you help me ask him to come out? I have some questions for him."
At the mention of Chen Zihao, Zhang Ying grimaced and said, "I really don't like that guy. I don't want to ask him."
With Su Dazhuang present, I felt a bit constrained, but I couldn't let my worries about He Xiaolong go unresolved. I hurriedly added, "Please, just consider it a favor for me. When you ask him, don't mention I'm involved. If you don't like him, you can leave after he arrives. I'll cover the bill."
Fearing she wouldn't agree, I handed her a talisman and said, "This is a reward, how about it?"
Zhang Ying grabbed the talisman and, treating it like a treasure, asked if I really wouldn't take any payment.
I nodded.
With that, she happily agreed.
After Zhang Ying left, Su Dazhuang extended his hand toward me.
I looked at him confusedly.
Su Dazhuang said, "Give me a talisman too."
I quickly stood up and went to the storage room to get him a low-quality talisman.
Of course, the talisman I gave Zhang Ying was a real one—one I had gotten from Liu Changxuan's disciple. This was a gesture of goodwill considering she had paid 10,000 yuan earlier, and her father had contributed millions.
Though Su Dazhuang was soon to be my grandfather-in-law, he hadn't promised anything! And judging by his skeptical attitude, even a good talisman would be a waste for him.