“Xiao Yu’s mother’s house?” Zhang Yuqiu turned around, her eyes filled with confusion. “How did you know this was his mother’s house?”

“That’s a long story. Wang Jue should remember, right?” Seeing Zhang Yuqiu was curious, Hou Dayong deliberately played coy, exchanging silent cues with Wang Jue.

Wang Jue glanced at Hou Dayong’s bright eyes, instantly understanding: “That’s right, it is indeed his mother’s house. There’s a well in the courtyard.” He didn't explain why he knew, playing along with Hou Dayong’s act.

“Fine, I know what game you two are playing. I won't ask anything more.” Zhang Yuqiu handed Hou Dayong and Wang Jue each a wei sheng qiu [sanitary ball/sachet], and marched forward to push the main hall door. However, after pushing for a long time, the door didn't budge an inch, looking nothing like the dilapidated state it appeared to be from the outside. The three of them gathered around the door, clicking their tongues in wonder.

Wang Jue: “Do you think this door is actually locked?”

Hou Dayong: “Obviously, from the outside, it looked ajar. It should have opened with one push.”

Zhang Yuqiu: “But I really can’t push it open. Maybe we should knock first? Pushing the door open so brazenly seems a bit impolite.”

“Then why didn’t you knock just now?” Wang Jue and Hou Dayong said in unison.

Zhang Yuqiu looked helplessly up at the sky and stepped forward to gently tap twice. There was no response from inside; the entire courtyard was eerily silent, so quiet that even the sounds of the villagers walking and talking from earlier had vanished. The group felt as if they had stepped into another world. Suddenly, the three of them turned their heads in unison toward Wenshu. Zhang Yuqiu’s face darkened. “I think this question should be directed at the person who brought us here. Why did you bring us here? Where is Ming Xiao Yu?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the door suddenly creaked open by itself. The three flinched backward simultaneously, but Wenshu, with her hands bound behind her back, walked in alone. Just as Zhang Yuqiu was about to follow, the door slammed shut with a pa sound, firmly shutting her out.

Zhang Yuqiu rubbed her nose and looked back at Wang Jue and Hou Dayong. Both were covering their mouths, stifling laughter. Seeing that she noticed, they barely managed to stop, clamping their mouths shut tightly.

“You’re actually laughing at me! She got in, and we didn’t. Where is this place? Can we still find Xiao Shu? All the leads are broken now, and you two still have the leisure to laugh at me!” Zhang Yuqiu cried out hysterically.

Wang Jue glanced at Hou Dayong, his expression turning serious. “I don’t think Xiao Yu would joke with us; we’re brothers who have faced life and death together.” With that, he stepped forward and knocked on the door. Indeed, after his heartfelt declaration, the door seemed ‘moved’ and opened automatically. Everyone grew serious. Wang Jue took the lead, Hou Dayong brought up the rear, and one by one, they slipped silently inside.

The room was pitch black, containing only a table and four simple stools, devoid of any other furniture. A man was slumped over the table. Wang Jue walked over and gently nudged him, but the person remained motionless and lifeless. Zhang Yuqiu simply grasped his shoulder and helped him sit up. Under the dim light, she gasped in shock and shouted, “Li Taiming!”

Wang Jue didn’t recognize Li Taiming. Hou Dayong swiftly jumped onto the table in two or three bounds and leaned in for a closer look, telling Wang Jue, “He really is Xiao Shu’s uncle.”

“When we parted ways, he was driving that car. The blood in that car should have been his, right?” Zhang Yuqiu took a deep breath, unable to accept the reality before her.

Wang Jue placed his fingers on Li Taiming’s neck, carefully checked for a pulse, and frowned. “The pulse is extremely faint. Though not dead, he’s not far from it!”