Many elderly people in the vicinity wandered around curiously, occasionally coming over to ask a few questions, claiming that his prices were too high. However, a few believed in this thing, aware that a high price might come with its advantages. Amidst the scornful looks of others who saw them as fools, they bought a few talisman papers, happily covering their empty coffers as they returned home.
Some later came back with their children to ask for a refund. Lin Ya accepted the talisman papers and returned their money without hesitation, inadvertently making some people feel less confident, wondering if he might actually have some talent.
“It’s comfortable now, but wait until summer when you’re outside; you’ll be sweating to death.” Zhou Ying, who had just come out of the police station, handed him a cup of water and shook his head at Lin Ya’s relaxed demeanor.
Lin Ya thanked him and smiled, saying, “Not at all. By then, I might be even more comfortable than you guys sitting inside with fans.”
“By the way, are you going out?” Lin Ya noticed him pulling out his car keys and reminded him, “You and your master better not leave the station today.”
Zhou Ying, about to ride his bike back, paused at his words. “How do you know?”
“Ah?” Zhou Ying shivered involuntarily at the reminder, feeling a bit nervous as he squatted down beside him. “Why? Did you foresee that going out would be dangerous for me?”
“Not just you.” Lin Ya looked at him and sighed, “Forget it, if you want to go out, take this.”
Zhou Ying received the two yellow talisman papers that Lin Ya handed over, each adorned with drawn symbols outlined in red ink and folded into triangular shapes.
“This…” Zhou Ying subconsciously glanced at the price list on the table, which clearly stated 100 per piece. He felt suddenly uneasy, hesitating as he fumbled in his pocket with a conflicted expression.
“I won’t charge you. You and Officer Li can each take one.” Lin Ya could tell what he was thinking and waved his hand dismissively. “Consider it a small gift for a friend.”
“Thank you.” Zhou Ying felt a little moved. Throughout his upbringing, he hadn’t had many friends beyond his master, and very few colleagues were close to him.
“You’re welcome.”
“But now that you have these talisman papers, you still need to be careful.” Lin Ya took a sip of hot water while preparing to pack up and head home, glancing at the dimming sky.
“Tell your master to keep an eye on those he once helped. I’m leaving.”
“Oh… okay.” Watching him walk away, Zhou Ying held the two safety talismans, glancing at the keys he held. After some contemplation, he returned to the police station.
Forget it, since he said so, he’d just go home tomorrow.
Zhou Ying relayed Lin Ya’s warning to his master. Later, Li Ping An took the talismans and ventured out for a quick check. Zhou Ying and a few others secretly followed him. That evening, they apprehended a man armed with a knife, intending to commit murder.
The offender had just gotten out of prison and harbored a deep resentment towards Li Ping An for revenge. He not only targeted Li Ping An but also Zhou Ying.
Without proper precautions, both men could have died at his hands, and he would have seized their guns, starting a series of shocking police murder cases that would echo nationwide half a month later.
—
After two consecutive days of rain, Lin Ya didn’t set up his stall and instead took a few thousand yuan to buy a house. He also registered the two children at a nearby school.
The house they purchased was quite nice. Lin Ya consulted Lin Yumei for her opinion and ultimately bought it under her name.
During this time, Lin Yumei managed to get a small cart and bought a steamer for making buns. She planned to start making and selling buns once the two children began school.
So, for the past few days, there were all kinds of meat buns at home. Following Lin Ya’s suggestion, she even made custard buns and red bean paste buns, which the children loved.
Lin Yumei specifically selected a few neighborly households to share some buns, and within a few days, people began asking when she would start selling them, stating their children loved the buns and wanted to buy some. This delighted her greatly.
The buns were indeed excellent, with thin skins and generous fillings. The custard and red bean buns were sweet and fragrant—a rarity to find for sale these days, as most breakfast shops predominantly sold meat buns, cabbage buns, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and tea eggs.
Thus, they were quite a novelty.
When people got busy, they wouldn’t have time for idle thoughts. Recently, Lin Yumei had shed tears over Lin Ya’s decision to sleep separately, worrying if he was unhappy with her or if there was someone else outside. This had led to awkward explanations from Lin Ya.
He could only say he had been assaulted in prison and discovered some health issues, subtly implying a problem with a certain part of his body.
That left Lin Yumei dumbfounded, and she wiped her tears, turning to comfort him. Her guilt-ridden expression nearly made Lin Ya crack.
Lin Ya also reassured her that his condition wouldn’t affect her; if she wanted a divorce, he was fine with that, and she could find someone else. He had also bought the house for her.
He had no idea what she was thinking; in any case, she never brought up the subject again.
From that point onward, they lived in peace.
Yet, after more than ten days passed, Li Ping An finally made a decisive resolution.
Lin Ya flipped through the case file in his hands, reading it thoroughly under the calm and steady gaze of the person opposite him. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, “Do you want to reopen this case?”
“Yes. However, if we restart the investigation, I can’t interfere. So I wanted to ask you if you could give me a hint, and… are my son and daughter still alive?”
For the first time, Lin Ya saw the typically stern and unsmiling face of Li Ping An reveal such a mixture of hope and intense sorrow.
He sighed, falling silent for a while.
Li Ping An couldn’t see his expression behind the dark sunglasses and assumed he was calculating something. So he remained silent as well, waiting for an answer that was uncertain whether it would bring joy or sorrow.
He still remembered what his son and daughter looked like when they were born; he remembered their cute smiles.
His daughter’s eyes were slender phoenix eyes, resembling his own. His wife always said she hoped their daughter wouldn’t take after him; otherwise, she would probably resent him when she grew up.
His son resembled his wife, with beautiful double eyelids and a small brown mole under his eyes. He was quiet, always watching him with wide-open eyes without crying or fussing, smiling at him.