Bai Hanyan quickly arranged a meeting time with me and his mother.
I initially thought Bi Zhengxiang would accompany us, but he only handed Qin Jing over to Gai Hongkuang to come along.
It seemed the old man truly intended to be a hands-off manager.
He had previously mentioned that investigating Qin Jing was my task, and if I found clarity, I could pick anything from his collection.
Frankly, when he said that, I already knew what I wanted.
Naturally, I desired Qin Jing, though I wasn't sure if he would agree at the time.
However, it was too early to dwell on that; I needed to handle the current matter first before negotiating terms.
The place we met Bai Hanyan's mother, Hu Lan, was not at the research institute but at her home.
She lived in a residential complex that, judging by its condition, appeared to have been built in the 1970s or 1980s.
The house was very tidy, a standard three-bedroom, one-living-room layout. The living room, like any ordinary home, had a sofa, television, and refrigerator.
Of the three rooms, one was Hu Lan's bedroom, and another was likely Bai Hanyan's room.
As for the remaining room, it was where she conducted her research.
Various instruments I hadn't seen before were placed inside, along with some books. It looked somewhat cluttered, but upon closer inspection, all items were arranged according to a specific order.
Hu Lan didn't seem to mind our sudden arrival of three people.
Fatty, still having lingering trauma from Qin Jing, sat in the living room watching television and eating fruit, while Gai Hongkuang and I went into the room.
To prevent the previous accident where Fatty's hand rotted, I asked Hu Lan to wear gloves and explained what had happened to Fatty last time.
After listening, she appeared very interested and placed Qin Jing on the table, examining it closely with a magnifying glass.
“Judging from the rust, it is indeed an item from the Qin Dynasty. The rust is integrated with the body of the artifact, and the variations in depth are very natural…”
As she spoke, she used tweezers to pick off a tiny patch of rust and placed it into a beaker.
She then asked me, “You mentioned last time that when your friend held it, his hand seemed to be corroded by something?”
I nodded, “Yes, and he felt as if he was cut by a sharp object, and it wasn't easy to remove.”
Hu Lan said no more, continuing her examination.
After about ten minutes, she looked at us and said, “You two go to the living room and sit for a while. I need to take a closer look. I'll call you when I have results.”
“Alright, thank you, Auntie,” I said with a smile.
We waited in the living room for a long time, almost an hour, before Hu Lan called us back in.
When we entered, she had a look of helplessness, seemingly having found nothing particularly unusual.
She asked me, “After your friend’s hand was injured, did he have any other symptoms?”
“Other symptoms?” I asked, somewhat confused.
Hu Lan replied, “Yes, did he feel unwell in any way?”
I glanced at Fatty, who was watching television in the living room, hesitated, and then recounted the incident where he couldn't see himself in the mirror.
Upon hearing this, Hu Lan’s brow furrowed.
Seeing her reaction, I quickly added, “It's possible his eyes themselves have a problem…”
After all, even if I believed what Fatty said, others were unlikely to.
Hu Lan took a piece of paper and a pen, wrote down an address, and handed it to me, “I suggest you find this person.”
I looked at her, puzzled, “What does this person do?”
“He used to be a barefoot doctor, but he’s no longer practicing… However, he might be able to help with your friend’s situation.” Hu Lan said.
Hearing this, I was a bit surprised.
Before I could ask more, she added, “I have to go to the institute later.”
Hearing her say that, I felt I shouldn't disturb her further and thanked her.
As she saw us to the door, Hu Lan suddenly called out to me, “Xiang Fei.”
I turned around, “Yes, Auntie?”
“How old are you this year?”
I was a bit baffled, not understanding why she was asking my age. I replied, “Twenty-one by traditional reckoning.”
She nodded and murmured, “Twenty-one, a rather suitable age…”
“Suitable for what?”
Hu Lan smiled, “Nothing really. When I have some free time, you and Bai Hanyan should come over for dinner.”
Before I could even process this, Fatty gave me a knowing smile.
As we walked down the stairs, it dawned on me: did Hu Lan mistake me for Bai Hanyan’s boyfriend?
“Hey, bodyguard Gai,” Fatty said, “Look, our Master Xiang has even invited his own future mother-in-law to help with your Master Bi’s affairs. Isn’t that loyal?”
Gai Hongkuang was slightly taken aback and looked at me.
I glared at Fatty, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Aren’t you and that Miss Bai dating?”
“You silent fatty, no one would think you’re mute if you didn’t speak. If you keep blabbering, do you believe I’ll hang a demon-reflecting mirror around your neck right now?” I threatened.
Startled by my words, Fatty quickly flinched and said, “Master Xiang, I was just joking.”
After getting into the car, I handed the address Hu Lan gave me to Gai Hongkuang, instructing him to go there.
Fatty looked confused and asked, “Where are we going now?”
I deliberately teased him, “Didn’t you say you couldn’t see yourself in the mirror because your soul was snatched away?”
“That was just a guess.”
“I’m taking you to see an expert,” I said mysteriously.
“What kind of expert?”
“Someone who specializes in restoring souls, rumored to be a descendant of Maoshan.”
Fatty’s eyes lit up, “Master Xiang, you know such a person?”
“Behave yourself when we get there,” I advised.
Fatty nodded enthusiastically.
Soon, the car stopped at the entrance of an alley. I asked Gai Hongkuang to wait in the car, and Fatty and I would go in.
We wound our way through alleys until we reached a small courtyard. A birdcage hung at the entrance, housing a mynah bird.
As soon as we arrived, the mynah bird squawked, “Someone’s here! Someone’s here!”
Fatty, amused, reached out to pet the mynah bird. Just as his hand extended, a stick swung down, “Don’t touch!”
Fortunately, Fatty dodged quickly and wasn't hit.
“Is this bird something you can just touch?” a white-haired old man in a diagonally buttoned cloth garment frowned at us, “What do you want?”
“Uncle…”
As soon as I began to speak, the old man interjected, “Who’s your uncle? Can you speak properly?”
Seeing the old man's peculiar personality, I quickly said, “Auntie Hu sent me to find you.”
“Which Auntie Hu?”
“Hu Lan.”
Upon hearing the name, the old man froze and stared at me for a while before asking, “What relation are you to her?”