Hong Yunpeng accompanied me to the shop and was also taken aback by its state.
"Wait here, I'll go call Sister Ying," he said.
With that, Hong Yunpeng rushed out to find a public phone.
Back in '99, mobile phones were still a luxury, and Sister Ying used a Nokia 6150.
Seeing the mess in the shop, I felt a pang of unease.
As I gradually calmed down, I found something strange.
Sister Ying's shop, though it had a few decent Zisha teapots, wasn't particularly valuable. Many were imitations from the Republic of China era.
Why would these thieves target this place to steal?
Moreover, even if they were stealing, why would they wreck the shop like this?
At this thought, an idea suddenly struck me: the thieves who came to the shop weren't after money!
To confirm my suspicion, I went to the counter and found the cash drawer open, with most of the money untouched.
With this confirmation, my imagination began to run wild.
If they weren't after money, what were they after?
As I pondered, Hong Yunpeng returned.
"I've already called Sister Ying. She'll be here soon."
I tentatively asked, "Brother Hong, shouldn't we call the police?"
"Call the police?" Hong Yunpeng shook his head. "Don't rush. Let's wait until Sister Ying arrives."
He helped a chair up from the floor, sat down, and then took out his pager, fiddling with it.
I thought for a moment, then didn't dare to tidy up, instead going to the doorway to wait.
About ten minutes later, Sister Ying arrived alone.
Entering the shop and seeing the situation, her brow furrowed.
"Sister Ying, should we call the police?" I asked.
Sister Ying didn't answer me but seemed to be lost in thought. After a moment, she said, "Yunpeng, find a few people to help clean up. Xiao Fei, you go to your place first."
Hong Yunpeng nodded, "Alright."
"Xiao Fei," Sister Ying called me. "You go with Yunpeng to his place. You don't need to worry about the shop's affairs for these few days."
I nodded, not asking any further questions.
I couldn't quite figure out why Sister Ying wasn't calling the police.
Could it be that there was something illicit in the shop?
But I had been here for months; I knew what was in the shop better than anyone.
There was nothing illicit in the shop, nor anything particularly valuable, so what were the people who came to the shop looking for?
Thinking about it, I increasingly felt that Sister Ying was not simple. As for her true identity, I still couldn't guess.
However, I felt that no matter what Sister Ying did, she was at least not a bad person.
Of that, I was certain.
After all, our interactions during this time, while not allowing me to fully understand Sister Ying, had convinced me of her good character.
Getting into Hong Yunpeng's car, he sped off with me to a warehouse in the suburbs.
When we arrived, a large truck was unloading.
Looking at the sign hanging at the warehouse entrance, I asked, "Brother Hong, is this logistics company yours?"
Hong Yunpeng smiled at me and said, "If only it were mine. This is Sister Ying's company. I'm just in charge of managing it."
I nodded.
Sister Ying was indeed quite wealthy. The farm stay was hers, and this logistics company was also hers.
No wonder she hadn't paid much attention to the shop in Hongyuan before; it turned out that place was just where she went to relax.
Going to the very back of the warehouse, Hong Yunpeng led me into a room.
The room wasn't large, only about thirty square meters.
Inside, there was a bunk bed. Beside the bed was a desk with a television and a DVD player on it.
DVD discs were scattered on the table. I glanced at them and found many were Hong Kong films.
"Are you afraid of heights?" Hong Yunpeng asked me.
I didn't understand his meaning and replied, "I'm not afraid of heights."
"That's good. You sleep on the top bunk later, and I'll take the bottom," Hong Yunpeng said, sitting on the bed. He took off his leather shoes and pointed to the washbasin stand by the door. "The red basin is unused. There are towels and a toothbrush in the drawer, and the faucet is by the door."
He changed into a pair of flip-flops, opened the wardrobe, and took out a shirt and a pair of trousers. "I haven't worn these yet. You're about my size, so they should fit. You can wear these later. When I have time, I'll take you to buy some more clothes."
"Thanks, Brother Hong."
"What's there to thank? Sister Ying said you're one of us, so don't be polite with me," Hong Yunpeng said.
After speaking, he lit a cigarette and walked towards the door. Halfway there, he seemed to remember something and turned back. "I'm going out to make a call. You can watch a DVD yourself."
I nodded, not really in the mood to watch DVDs.
My mind was still on the Zisha teapot shop.
What exactly were those people who went to the shop looking for?
Did Sister Ying not call the police because she knew who did it?
If she knew, did that mean she also knew what the other party was looking for?
Could it be that Xuan De stove?
But wasn't the Xuan De stove acquired by Sister Ying?
And it was a fake. Why would the other party go to such great lengths to find a fake?
Too many questions swirled in my mind, but what I was most curious about was what Sister Ying actually did.
After washing up, I climbed onto the top bunk.
Leaning on the pillow, I thought distractedly, and soon fell asleep.
The next day, after waking up, Hong Yunpeng took me to breakfast and then left me alone at the warehouse.
With nothing to do during the day, I watched DVDs in the room.
These days passed. After five days, Hong Yunpeng told me that the shop in Hongyuan was ready and Sister Ying wanted me to move back to the shop.
When I returned to the shop, it had been tidied up and restored to its original state.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Hong Yunpeng didn't stay long after dropping me off. Around noon, when I was about to go out for lunch, Sister Ying arrived.
She was wearing a white dress with a belt at the waist, accentuating her perfect figure.
When she entered, she was carrying several lunchboxes, clearly brought for me.
"Sister Ying," I greeted her, taking the lunchboxes from her hands.
"Xiao Fei, did you get used to staying at Yunpeng's place these past few days?" Sister Ying asked, sitting on a nearby chair.
I put the lunchboxes aside, boiled water for her, and made a cup of tea. "I got used to it. Brother Hong took good care of me."
Sister Ying nodded. "I forgot to ask you last time, you said the Xuan De stove needed to 'absorb earthly energy.' Where did you bury it?"
"By the pond behind the farm stay's mountain," I replied.
Sister Ying nodded. "Does Old Xu know about this?"
I shook my head. "I haven't told Brother Xu. Why, Sister Ying?"
"It's nothing, I was just asking," Sister Ying said with a smile, a hint of complexity flashing in her eyes.