Reborn in 2006, I met Mr. Zhou from the past.

The next morning, Wen Xiaofen got up early and busied herself in the kitchen preparing a hot breakfast.

After the family finished eating, Su Guoyuan hired a van and hauled all the items he had sent back, along with several large suitcases, back to his rural hometown.

When the villagers heard that Su Guoyuan and his family had returned with large bags and small packages, they all rushed over to see what was going on. The van could only go as far as the village entrance and couldn't enter the house, so Su Guoyuan asked a few familiar villagers to help him move the things. Now the whole village knew about it.

After moving the large packages and suitcases home, Su Guoyuan took out the Zhonghua cigarettes he had bought and gave each person a pack as a thank you. The villagers who received the cigarettes looked at them and joked, "Brother Su, you've really made money! You've even traded your cigarettes for Zhonghua!"

Su Guoyuan waved his hand with a smile: "Not at all, not at all. This was left to me by my boss. I'm not in good health and don't smoke, so I thought I'd bring it back to share with everyone."

Su Guoyuan's words were perfectly tactful, saving face for his fellow villagers while subtly concealing his own family's current prosperity. The men who had helped him all gave him a thumbs-up, praising his honesty.

Seeing this, Wen Xiaofen quickly took out a large bag of fruit candies from her bag and handed them out to everyone: "It's so cold, thank you all for your hard work. We just got back, and the stove is cold and we can't entertain you all right now. We'll ask for leave to come over for a meal and tea after we've cleaned up. These candies aren't worth much, take them back and use them to entertain your children." The villagers didn't stand on ceremony, took the candies and put them in their pockets, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then dispersed, satisfied.

As the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed, the courtyard finally quieted down. Su Fengnan helped her parents push the last few suitcases into the main room, dusted off her hands, and looked at the familiar old furniture in the room and the damp atmosphere in the courtyard. Suddenly, she had the idea of ​​tearing it down and rebuilding it.

"Finally, we've moved everything back." Su Guoyuan wiped the sweat from his brow, looking at the mountain of luggage with a happy expression. "Xiao Nan, you and Xiao Xia clean the house first." Then his gaze fell on Wen Xiaofen, and he said gently, "Xiang, you go tidy up the kitchen, and I'll tidy up the yard. Tonight, our family will have a nice meal cooked over a wood fire!"

"Okay!"

"Okay!"

The three of them agreed in unison, and then got to work.

The long-dormant L-shaped bungalow suddenly came alive. The main room was in the center, with a storage room and kitchen connected to the left, and two spacious bedrooms on the right. At that moment, light footsteps echoed through the house, accompanied by the crisp clinking of pots and pans in the kitchen, instantly bringing the old house to life.

After the house was tidied up, Su Fengnan added spiritual spring water to the water tank, hoping to improve her parents' health.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in Diancheng, in a dark, sunless basement.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and dampness. The dim incandescent light overhead swayed, casting mottled and distorted shadows. A man was tightly bound to a rusty iron frame with rough hemp rope, his body covered in wounds, and his breathing was weak.

Zhou Chenyu stood quietly before him. The light overhead outlined his cold, hard features, and his eyes were devoid of any warmth. He leaned slightly forward, his voice low and deep: "Tell me, where is Brother Kuan?"

The man struggled to lift his heavy eyelids, his vision blurred by congealed blood, barely able to make out a blurry shadow in front of him. He tugged at the corner of his blood-scabbed mouth, forcing out a hoarse, cold snort from his throat: "I don't know... even if you beat me to death, I still won't know!"

"Yeah?"

Zhou Chenyu's expression remained unchanged; he simply took a half-step back unhurriedly, glancing casually at his subordinate beside him.

The subordinate immediately understood, stepped forward, and a cold glint flashed in his hand. Without the slightest hesitation, the blade fell swiftly.

"ah--!"

A piercing scream instantly echoed throughout the basement, sending chills down everyone's spine. Immediately following was a second, even shorter scream.

The man finally broke down when the knife pressed against his flesh for the third time. He trembled violently, tears mingling with blood as they fell onto the concrete floor, his voice shaky and incoherent: "I...I'll talk! I'll talk!"

The subordinate paused, glancing up at Zhou Chenyu. Zhou Chenyu nodded almost imperceptibly, and the subordinate sheathed his sword, silently retreating into the shadows.

Zhou Chenyu took two steps forward again, looking down at the man, his voice still calm and without any inflection: "Speak."

"All I know is... Mr. Kuan is the biggest contact in this area," the man said, his head drooping in defeat, a desperate whimper escaping his throat, pleading like a dying dog, "I really don't know anything else... Please, spare me! I'm just a small fry, I'm really useless to you..."

"How often does he usually show up?" Zhou Chenyu remained unmoved, precisely hitting the nail on the head. "When was the last time he appeared?"

"Three...three months at a time." The man gasped, stammering, "The meeting place is different each time...even when the appointed time arrives, he'll suddenly change locations, he's very secretive..."

"When is the next rendezvous?" Zhou Chenyu stared intently at him, his eyes filled with intense pressure.

"I don't know... I really don't know..." The man shook his head in despair. "It's only been a little over a month since the last time... You think you can catch him so easily? Please, spare me!"

After the man finished speaking, he broke down and sobbed...

Seeing this, Zhou Chenyu realized he couldn't get anything out of him. He glanced at his subordinate beside him and casually said, "Send it to the mine." Then he turned and left.

The subordinate nodded swiftly and dragged the man away.

The hotel suite was dimly lit. Zhou Chenyu was sunken into the leather sofa, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his brows slightly furrowed. This time, he had come up empty-handed. Although he had managed to get the henchman to talk, Brother Kuan was still as slippery as an eel. This feeling of losing control made him extremely agitated.

"jingle--"

A sudden ringtone broke the silence in the room. Zhao Chuan answered the phone, gave a few brief "feeds" before hanging up, and then quickly walked to the sofa, his tone revealing a hint of excitement: "Boss, I just got some news. That guy called Brother Kuan, although his whereabouts are uncertain, has a lover here named A-Lian, who is now the manager of a jade shop."

A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Chenyu's eyes. He casually tossed the cigarette onto the coffee table, abruptly stood up, grabbed the wool coat draped over the back of the chair, and, while straightening his cuffs, coldly instructed, "Keep a close eye on them, don't alert them."

"Understood." Zhao Chuan nodded. The two of them disappeared quickly at the end of the hotel corridor, one after the other.

Half an hour later, a jade shop called "Cuiyuxuan" arrived.

The shop was nicely heated, and a faint scent of sandalwood filled the air. With the Lunar New Year approaching, there weren't many customers; most were there looking for bargains. Behind the counter, a woman in a simple cheongsam, with a gentle demeanor, patiently explained a jade bracelet to an elderly couple. That was A-Lian.