Yang Hanxue lived in an old residential compound on the outskirts of the city. The compound looked older than I was.
The walls were mottled, and many places had already peeled. The buildings were only four stories high, and every household had installed security windows, making them look like birdcages at first glance.
The windows in the hallways were all made of wood, many of them in a state of disrepair. Wires dangled everywhere like a spiderweb.
Walking through the compound, I worried that the wires overhead might fall and hit me.
When I reached the entrance of a building, I went up to the top floor and knocked on the security door. After a long while, there was a response.
When the door was opened, Yang Hanxue, wearing a vest, poked his head out to take a look.
Seeing it was me, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes: "I thought you wouldn't come find me!"
As he spoke, he quickly opened the door for me. I noticed he was holding two small pieces of iron in his hand, and I didn't know what they were for.
"My name is Xiang Fei. May I ask your name?" I said.
"Yang Hanxue."
I nodded and entered his home.
The room wasn't large, only about sixty to seventy square meters. In the center of the living room, there was a round folding table. On the table sat a red thermos and a metal tray with several ceramic cups.
In front of the table were two red soft leather folding chairs. Further inside was a desk piled high with things. I glanced at it and found most of them to be tools, like pliers and wrenches, and some I hadn't seen before.
Yang Hanxue gestured for me to sit and poured me a cup of water, smiling, "I'm sorry, my home is a bit humble..."
I smiled back and asked, "Mr. Yang, what is your profession?"
He chuckled, "Unemployed."
"Then what do you do for a living?"
"I help people open locks," Yang Hanxue said, then asked me, "And Mr. Xiang?"
"I'm a turf scalper," I replied.
"Dealing in antiques?"
I nodded.
After a brief chat, I hadn't mentioned the Youxian Pillow, but he seemed restless and directly asked how much I wanted for it.
"Mr. Yang, honestly, I didn't intend to do this business at first, but now..."
I paused deliberately at this point, showing an embarrassed expression.
He frowned, "Did something go wrong?"
I told him about throwing the Youxian Pillow into the fire. After hearing this, he was stunned: "How could you burn it? What if the things inside were damaged?"
He looked at me with a disappointed expression, wanting to say something but holding back.
"What's inside?" I couldn't help but ask.
He hesitated, then after a moment's thought, said, "Did you bring it? Can I have a look?"
I nodded and handed him the plastic bag I was carrying. He took out the sooty Youxian Pillow, his expression filled with distress.
He held it in his hand and looked at it for a long time. His furrowed brow finally relaxed, "Fortunately, fortunately, it's not damaged."
He looked at me and asked, "So, tell me, how much do you really want for it?"
I pursed my lips and smiled, "I can give it to you."
Yang Hanxue was slightly taken aback, "Give it to me? Why?"
"I want to make friends with you."
"Make friends with me?"
He stared at me for a moment, then his eyes darted around. After a moment, he said, "Did you know me before?"
I nodded, "I've heard of your great name before, Mr. Yang, but I never had the chance to meet you."
I decided to tell him the truth: "I'm from Guangling. I came to Beijing this time specifically to find you, Mr. Yang."
"Why are you looking for me?" He became a little vigilant.
I smiled, "I'm looking for you, Mr. Yang, naturally, to open a lock."
"What lock?"
"The Qimen Shuanghe Lock."
When he heard the name, he almost jumped out of his chair, "The Qimen Shuanghe Lock? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
He took a deep breath and slowly said, "I never thought such a lock actually existed in this world!"
I listened, somewhat confused, and couldn't help but ask, "You haven't opened this kind of lock before, Mr. Yang?"
He smiled, "How could I have? This Qimen Shuanghe Lock is said to be made using the principles of Qimen Dunjia. Its structure is extremely complex and is usually used on boxes containing precious items."
"It's called a dual-lock because it has two keys, and they must be opened simultaneously. Otherwise, a mechanism inside the box will be triggered, destroying its contents."
After his explanation, I said, "Then Mr. Yang, are you confident you can open it?"
He pursed his lips and said, "I have a seventy percent chance."
I was delighted. Seventy percent was already quite high.
My father used to tell me that ancient locks were much more complex in structure than modern ones, especially those for valuable items. Their craftsmanship could be considered a work of art.
Not only did they require a large amount of manpower and resources, but the time taken to forge them was measured in years.
After all, those who could craft such locks in ancient times were either wealthy or noble. With their complex structures, the method of making ancient locks gradually became lost.
Modern locks, on the other hand, rely on gears and are very simple to open. As long as one understands the principle, they can be opened with a piece of wire.
This is why many thieves can open locks by inserting a wire and poking around a couple of times.
"As long as you accompany me to Guangling and help me open the lock, this Youxian Pillow will be my见面礼 (meeting gift). I'll provide further compensation after the job is done," I seized the opportunity to say.
It was clear that Yang Hanxue really wanted to go and was eager to try, but for some reason, a look of helplessness soon appeared on his face.
"Alas... if you had come to me sooner, I might have truly been able to go with you. But unfortunately, I cannot leave now."
"Cannot leave?" I frowned and asked.
He nodded, "I have to attend to an urgent matter..."
"What matter?"
He seemed hesitant and didn't elaborate.
I said, "Mr. Yang, if you need any help, please tell me. Perhaps I can help you solve it."
I thought that as long as I could persuade Yang Hanxue to come to Guangling, Wu Tingxiu wouldn't mind if I spent a little more money.
Yang Hanxue gave a wry smile, "You can't help me."
"Oh? Is it something that money can't solve?" I asked.
He smiled, "Money isn't everything. There are very few things in this world that money can solve, and things that can be solved with money aren't considered problems."
I found it amusing and a bit exasperating. This guy didn't seem to have much money, yet he dared to say such things!
Seeing that he was unwilling to disclose what the matter was, I didn't press further.
"Are you really willing to give me this Youxian Pillow?" Yang Hanxue asked uncertainly, "Even if I can't go to Guangling with you?"
I nodded, "As I said, I want to be friends with you, Mr. Yang."
He smiled, "The price of making friends with you is quite high. Giving away something worth tens of thousands of yuan just like that. This is the first time I've encountered someone willing to be friends with me in this way."