Chapter Thirty-Three: The Eavesdropping Journey

“Are you alright?” As soon as Han Duoduo got in the car, Yin Nian asked her.

“I’m fine, better than ever.” Han Duoduo grinned, her face alight with excitement. “He groped me a couple of times, but I expected that. I just didn’t think he’d actually try to drug me—what a scoundrel. He must have done this kind of thing before. Luckily, I was on my guard.”

“He tried to drug you? What kind of drug?”

“He put something in the water—probably some kind of sedative. I pretended to take a couple of sips, and then, while he got out of the car, I installed the bug under his seat.” Han Duoduo wiped her hands, then her legs and ankles, with a wet tissue.

“I can’t believe he’s so bold… To try something like that in broad daylight.” Yin Nian was both shocked and furious.

“Try the bug and see if it works,” Han Duoduo urged.

“I already did—it works. Here, listen.” Yin Nian handed her the earpiece.

Han Duoduo listened for a while, then said, “All I hear is a constant humming, and it keeps cutting out.”

“That’s just the engine and the wind. The interruptions are signal problems—it gets better the closer we get,” explained Yin Nian.

At that moment, they were about four kilometers from the red dot. Yin Nian sped up, closing the distance.

When they were two kilometers away, suddenly voices came through the earpiece. Han Duoduo hurriedly fitted an earbud into Yin Nian’s ear, and the two listened together.

Yang Yongli’s voice came through, mixed with static and the hum of wind: “It’ll be done… There’ll be a lot of money… No problem at all… Tomorrow? Fine… That’s doable… I understand…”

The call ended quickly, and only static and humming remained in the earpiece.

“What does that mean?” Han Duoduo was puzzled.

“He’s probably talking about the money he’s going to get from me. He thinks it’s in the bag. The question is, who called him? He sounded so respectful—”

“And even a bit nervous,” Han Duoduo added.

“Could it be… this money is for someone else?” Yin Nian speculated.

“Or maybe he’s splitting it with someone. Could it be his brother or sister?”

“I doubt it. His brother and sister always listen to him; he’s got absolute authority with them. He’d never be so deferential. From the tone, it’s like someone is holding something over him. Did he say ‘tomorrow’?”

“Yes. The other person set a date, and he had no choice but to agree.”

“It might be connected to the bathhouse incident,” Yin Nian mused. “He seems desperate to get the money, and he’s under a tight deadline.”

“Maybe that’s his motive?”

“It could be one of them,” Yin Nian replied, a flash of insight in her eyes. “You said Granny Yang’s condition suddenly worsened—could Yang Yongli have had a hand in that, just to increase the compensation?”

“It’s very possible,” Han Duoduo said. “After observing him today, I’m even more convinced. He’s got no conscience at all—he’d do anything.”

“I think so too…” Yin Nian pondered the connections between the events. She sensed there was a thread tying everything together, but she couldn’t yet find it.

Just then, the earpiece rang with another phone call. Yang Yongli’s voice came through, jagged with static and wind: “We’ll talk when I get back… What? Impossible! This is bullshit… I’ll talk when I get back… This afternoon… That’s it!”

This time, his tone had completely changed—he was domineering, like he was in control of everything.

“Sounds like something happened,” Han Duoduo remarked.

“Must be something back in the county—maybe at his home, maybe at the hospital,” Yin Nian said.

“Why would he go back to his hometown? Yang Yonggui and Yang Yongfang should be at the county hospital—he ought to be there, not heading home.” Han Duoduo rapped her head, but no answer came.

Yin Nian shook her head; she was just as baffled.

The earpiece filled with a burst of raucous music—Yang Yongli was apparently listening to something, occasionally howling along, his voice hoarse and wolf-like, peppered with curses.

“Is he singing or swearing?” Han Duoduo set the earpiece aside and dug at her ear, thoroughly disgusted.

“Probably blowing off steam. Nothing’s gone right for him since this morning—he must be holding in a lot of anger.”

“Hmph. He was hoping to vent it on me, but I put a stop to that.” Han Duoduo cursed into the earpiece, “Serves you right!”

Yin Nian couldn’t help but laugh. With Han Duoduo at her side, she not only found new perspectives but also felt her spirits lifted, her worries and stress momentarily forgotten. For a fleeting moment, it felt like a road trip. She glanced gratefully at Han Duoduo and gave her hair a gentle ruffle.

At one in the afternoon, Yang Yongli drove into Yangping Village in Jintang Town.

The village was full of single-storey houses and prying eyes. To avoid being noticed, Yin Nian and Han Duoduo parked their car on a slope across the way and observed Yang Yongli’s movements through binoculars.

Yang Yongli went to Granny Yang’s house, took out a key, unlocked the door, and went inside.

The roof blocked their view, so they couldn’t see what happened inside.

About ten minutes later, Yang Yongli emerged, now carrying a black bag, and hurried back to his car.

“He went all the way home just to fetch that thing?” Han Duoduo wondered. “What do you think’s in that black bag—money?”

“Feels more like documents,” Yin Nian observed through the binoculars. “It doesn’t look bulky.”

Once Yang Yongli drove off, Yin Nian and Han Duoduo quickly followed.

He returned to Jintang Town and parked outside a lamb restaurant, where he went in and had a bowl of lamb soup.

Watching him eat with gusto through the binoculars made both Yin Nian and Han Duoduo’s stomachs rumble with hunger.

“Hungry? Keep an eye on him—I’ll go buy something to eat. What do you want?” Yin Nian asked.

“I want a bowl of lamb soup,” Han Duoduo said, licking her lips and giving Yin Nian a playful look.

“Well… we’ll have to wait till he’s finished before we go in.” Yin Nian smiled.

“I’m kidding, bread will do,” Han Duoduo replied, though her eyes still held a trace of longing.

“Actually, I want some too,” Yin Nian admitted, swallowing.

A while later, Yang Yongli finished eating and drove away.

Yin Nian got out of the car and headed straight for the lamb restaurant.

Han Duoduo stayed in the car, keeping an eye on the red dot’s location and watching the surroundings.

As Yin Nian emerged from the restaurant with two meal boxes, Han Duoduo’s phone suddenly vibrated. She glanced at the screen—it was a call from 29916. The number looked like a code, or perhaps a contact name.

Her expression changed slightly as she quickly declined the call and typed out a text: Everything is going smoothly.

The reply came almost immediately: Proceed as agreed.

“What’s wrong?” Yin Nian asked as she opened the car door, noticing Han Duoduo’s odd expression.

“Nothing…” Han Duoduo slipped her phone away, eyeing the lamb soup and licking her lips. “I’m absolutely starving.”