In the 90s, you could acquire max-level skills every 14 days.

As the motorcycle entered Jinsong South Road, Zhang Yong's mind went a little blank.

He'd ridden this road countless times; he knew there were potholes in the ground even without thinking.

Looking at the road ahead, he snapped out of his daze, took a deep breath, and prepared to speed up.

There was a grove of trees in front, and a lot of household garbage around the perimeter. It wasn't cleaned up very quickly, and the smell was so strong that it made people frown.

When I pass by at this time, stray cats are squatting on the garbage heaps, rummaging through them, and sparrows are chirping in the tree branches. It's become a wildlife paradise.

Not right.

There wasn't a single cat or bird around today.

The woods were unusually quiet.

The hairs on the back of Zhang Yong's neck stood on end.

[Driving Lv.6: Environmental Awareness - Anomaly Feedback: A normal ecological niche is vacant, suspected to have been dispersed by recent human activity.]

He didn't speed up.

It is precisely at times like these that we must not panic.

He first steadyed the accelerator, lowered it, relaxed his body, and started humming a little tune, pretending that he wasn't in a hurry to get home.

After passing through that grove, the road narrowed.

On both sides are the back walls of old buildings and a row of crooked bicycle sheds, with only enough space for one car to pass in the middle.

It was at a certain turning point—

Zhang Yong felt as if an invisible thread was tugging at the back of his head.

It was as if someone was watching him.

This isn't the first time I've felt this way.

Last time he was being followed on Guanghua Road, the Lv.6 driver gave him a warning. But this time the system didn't pop up a window; he was the only one who felt uneasy.

Zhang Yong slowed down at the corner and naturally looked back.

The alley was deserted.

There was only a 28-inch bicycle leaning against the wall, with a small bucket hanging on the handlebars.

nobody.

The only sounds were the distant vendors selling candied hawthorns and the crackling of oil from someone's wok cooking nearby.

There was nothing there.

Zhang Yong slowly exhaled and clenched his fist.

Don't be so paranoid. The three thugs are still in the station. Even if Xu Dacheng wasn't arrested, he wouldn't dare to show his face again so soon.

You are no longer the child being chased around in 2026.

You are Zhang Yong in 1990.

An ordinary high school graduate.

He got back on the car, started it, and turned into the gate of Jinsong Community.

Go to the reception room first.

"Uncle Chen, has anyone been looking for me today?"

Grandpa Chen was fanning flies with a banana leaf fan when he heard this, so he flipped through the booklet beside him.

No. There were no phone calls this afternoon.

"Has anyone been at the door?"

Grandpa Chen thought for a moment. "I didn't notice, why?"

"It's nothing, just asking."

Zhang Yong glanced at the edge of the flower bed outside the window of the guardhouse and the wall at the entrance of the unit—there were no marks, no cigarette boxes, and no signs of being scratched.

Once upstairs, he squatted down to examine the keyhole; the lock cylinder was clean and free of scratches.

There were no marks at the entrance.

Row.

Zhang Yong straightened up and let out a long breath.

I hope I'm overthinking it.

……

Dinner was prepared by Li Guilan.

Li Guilan divided the peanuts Zhang Dewang brought from Baoding into two batches. Half of them were boiled in salt water and are still soaking in the pot to slowly absorb the flavor. The other half were left to dry on the balcony, and she said she would fry them in a couple of days to eat as a snack.

I cut two salted duck eggs; the yolks were oily and bright orange-red, and they looked quite appealing.

The main dishes are mustard greens, pig's ears mixed with wood ear mushrooms, and refreshing radish, served with a pot of rice.

Li Guilan also brought back a watermelon, which was perfectly round and weighed at least twenty pounds.

"Three cents a pound, I spent ages picking out this good one." She put the watermelon down on the ground, patted it twice, and said in a deep voice, "Guaranteed ripe."

"Don't throw away the melon rinds after you finish eating them. I'll keep them to peel and make a cold dish, or I can chop them up and use them as dumpling filling," Li Guilan instructed the father and son. "When you two are eating them, make sure they're clean and don't waste anything."

Zhang Defa silently ate his rice without saying a word.

Zhang Yong knew what he was thinking.

"Dad, I went to the police station today."

Zhang Defa raised his head.

"Xiao Li asked me to tell you that your uncle has finished questioning them and has been identified as someone suspected of being involved in the production and sale of counterfeit and shoddy goods, which is related to fraud. The case will be handled by Baoding later."

Zhang Defa remained silent for a while before nodding.

"Regarding the remittance slip, Xiao Li said the office has a civil mediation process. You should bring your bankbook and remittance slip to the office sometime, and go over each transaction with your uncle in person, signing and keeping a record. The money owed should be recovered through the proper channels."

Zhang Defa put down the bowl and placed both hands on his knees.

"well."

"Also, my uncle has now been formally detained, and his immediate family members can go and deliver daily necessities to him."

Zhang Yong glanced at Li Guilan. "Mom just said she'd give you twenty yuan. Tomorrow, when you go to the police station, just buy some toothbrush and towel from the convenience store and take them with you."

Li Guilan chimed in, "No matter what, he's still your uncle. He can't be left with nothing while he's inside. Go check on him first, and come back and ask me for anything you need."

When she said this, her tone softened, as if she had let the matter go.

Zhang Defa nodded. "...Okay, I'll listen to my wife."

After finishing the meal, I washed the dishes.

Li Guilan cuts a watermelon.

With a slicing motion, the knife split the fruit in half, and with a crackling sound, the red flesh and black seeds were revealed, the juice flowing directly onto the cutting board.

"Good melon!" Zhang Defa finally perked up.

The three people were sitting in the living room, the TV was on, and the news was playing.

Zhang Yong, munching on a melon, glanced at the television and suddenly laughed.

"Mom, where did you hide the TV? I didn't see it when Uncle came last time."

Li Guilan curled her lips slightly and gestured with her chin toward the inner room.

"I stuffed it into the wardrobe and covered it with a blanket."

"You're really something." Zhang Yong took a bite. "Your acting skills are definitely commendable!"

Just as Li Guilan was about to feel smug, Zhang Yong's next words shocked her.

"There's something that Xiao Li told me at the office today, and I've been holding it in all the way here."

Zhang Defa and Li Guilan looked over at the same time.

"My eldest uncle had a mistress in Baoding County."

The living room fell silent, save for the sound of the weather forecast on the television.

"Pfft?" Zhang Defa's melon seeds popped out of his mouth.

"Raising...raising a mistress?" Li Guilan's voice rose. "Raising a woman?!"

"Hmm." Zhang Yong's tone was as calm as if he were giving a weather forecast.

"My uncle confessed it himself. He kept a woman in the suburbs of our hometown and even built her a two-story house."

"Two floors!" Zhang Defa jumped up.

"Dad, sit down." Zhang Yong pressed his father's shoulder. "Let me finish."

"Xiao Li said that his uncle has spent most of the money he's made over the years on that woman. The money spent on building houses and supporting her adds up to a considerable sum."

"The expenses were too high, so I resorted to all sorts of crooked means, running errands for Ma Degui, and borrowing money from you, all to fill that hole."

Zhang Defa refused to eat any more melons; he was so angry his face turned red.

Li Guilan also stood up, rushed to the balcony in a few steps, and slammed the window shut.

"This is so embarrassing! We can't let anyone overhear us." She said in a low voice, her voice trembling.

"If word gets out, the whole neighborhood will be talking about our family!"

Zhang Yong nodded. "Okay, let's all keep our voices down."

Li Guilan sat down in the chair, her chest heaving several times before she calmed down.

"She's fifty years old!" She slammed her hand on the table, making the sunflower seeds jump.

"He has elderly parents to care for, young children to raise, and three sons. Your aunt manages his large family in the village, while he keeps a mistress outside!"

"What have you done?!"

Zhang Defa remained silent.

He sat there hunched over, his hands clasped behind his head, and remained silent for about a minute.

"Does...does your sister-in-law know?"

"I don't know," Zhang Yong shook his head. "My uncle kept it a secret from the whole family. The younger one lives in the suburbs, and my aunt lives in the village, dozens of miles apart. We rarely see each other."

"This absolutely cannot be allowed to be known by my sister-in-law!" Zhang Defa suddenly stood up, gritting his teeth!

......