Xinxiu froze for a moment in front of their fence. He was so tense. Yesterday's experience still left a lingering trauma within him.

"Don't worry! No one seems to be watching us." Zhengyi patted Xinxiu's shoulder gently. He seemed to notice the anxiety that plagued Xinxiu.

"I hope you're right." Xinxiu nodded doubtfully.

I hope this is just an exaggerated fear.

Zhengyi was carrying a medium-sized backpack. Xinxiu brought nothing. The street in front of their house was empty. Quickly, Xinxiu and Zhengyi walked to the left. The direction led to the highway in front of their housing complex.

Yige is so great. In the slightest, he didn't seem nervous or panicked.

They had only walked a few steps when someone rebuked them from behind. "Good morning!"

Simultaneously, they both looked back. It turned out that behind them stood Hongxi Gaochi, their neighbor who occupied the house to the right of their house. The man's face brightened.

"Good morning Mr. Hongxi." Xinxiu smiled kindly. "Do you want to go somewhere too?"

"Absolutely not," Hongxi replied with an equally friendly smile. "I just want to walk around this housing complex."

That's not a strange thing. As Xinxiu recalled, Hongxi Gaochi walked around their housing complex almost every morning. The time was uncertain. Sometimes early in the morning. Sometimes around eight o'clock. In fact, not infrequently, Xinxiu saw the person at ten or eleven in the morning.

Hongxi was a man who was roughly in his mid-sixties. Xinxiu actually didn't know how old Hongxi Gaochi was. He was only guessing based on the person's appearance.

The three of them then walked together.

"You are very diligent in exercising." Zhengyi opened his mouth.

"Not really," said Hongxi. "Sometimes, I'm too lazy to move. Just like most other people."

"But I always see you walking around this housing complex." Zhengyi turned to Hongxi. "Did you really like to walk every morning since you were young?"

"Not like that." Hongxi chuckled. "Back then, I was too lazy to get up in the morning. I started getting a bit of a routine in the morning recently. It was since about twelve or thirteen years ago."

"Yeah, that's been a long time too, Sir!" Xinxiu laughed. Hongxi Gaochi reminded himself of one of his father's cousins. From behind, the two of them were so similar.

Xinxiu noticed the clothes that Hongxi was wearing. Because he saw the old man walking almost every day, he almost memorized the clothes that person always wore. The man always wore the same clothes. Not that every day he always wore the exact same clothes. But, it seemed that the old man only had five or six sets of clothes. The coat he wore, also never changed. However, at that time, he looked different.

This old man can also appear different than usual.

"I've never seen this coat. Did you just buy it?" The curious Xinxiu finally let out the question.

Hongxi Gaochi laughed. "No! Yesterday a friend gave me this coat as a gift. I almost never buy clothes myself. All my clothes are gifts from other people."

Xinxiu and Zhengyi laughed. Xinxiu thought of Shanquan. Their dage also seldom bought clothes. As far as Xinxiu knew, the clothes Shanquan had were gifts from his younger sisters.

"Your friend is very kind. Maybe because he knows that you rarely buy clothes, he buys them for you," said Xinxiu.

"Not really. I've been friends with him for a long time, but this is the first time he's given me an outfit."

"Or maybe it's a birthday present?" Zhengyi asked.

"My birthday was a few months ago," Hongxi laughed heartily. "Usually, he never buys me a birthday present either."

Maybe Mr. Hongxi's friend wants to ask Mr. Hongxi for help. It's possible, a few days from now, he will come and ask Mr. Hongxi to do something for him!

A small child about five years old ran up to them. After getting close, the boy stopped in front of them.

"How are you today?" Hongxi smiled.

"Very good! Grandpa Hongxi, I can write my name, parents' names, and home address fluently!" The little boy handed a piece of paper to Hongxi.

The man happily accepted the paper. He read it aloud.

The way he reads is so funny.

"Nothing's wrong, right?" The little boy's face was so bright.

"Everything is correct! Smart boy!"

The little boy laughed. He raised his hand to Hongxi Gaochi. "Now I want the prize!"

Apparently, Hongxi promised the boy a reward if he could write his name, home address, and the names of his parents. Xinxiu nodded. He agreed that young children should know their parents' names and home addresses. So, if at any time they get lost, people who find them would easily contact the family.

Hongxi laughed out loud. The boy's style of speaking was indeed funny. The old man reached into the dark green coat he was wearing. From his coat pocket, he took some candy. After giving the sweets to the boy, Hongxi Gaochi reached into his trouser pocket. He took out some banknotes. He also gave the money to the little boy.

"Wow! That's a lot!" The little boy was jumping for joy.

"Now you go home."

"Okay, Grandpa Hongxi." The little boy ran home right away.

Xinxiu and Zhengyi laughed at the boy's antics.

It was great being a kid. Especially if around their house there are people who are like Mr. Hongxi!

Since Hongxi Gaochi was walking with them, Xinxiu and Zhengyi couldn't walk too fast. Unlike them, that person was walking at a reasonable pace. They are also reluctant to leave the old man. Xinxiu and Zhengyi could only wait until the person left them.

"Okay! I'll go around the complex. You guys want to go to the station, right?"

"That's right, Sir!" Zhengyi's face turned even brighter.

"See you later!" Hongxi Gaochi waved to them. He continued what he was doing, walking around their housing complex.

Finally, the old man left!

Zhengyi laughed. "Your prayer have been answered!"

Xinxiu wasn't too surprised that Zhengyi, once again, seemed to be able to read his mind. The expression on his face was probably clear enough for Zhengyi.

Because they could walk freely, they had arrived at the highway in an instant. The bus stop where Zhengyi and Xinxiu had started their adventure yesterday was still standing tall. It's like Déjà vu. Xinxiu felt restless again after getting there. He wanted to look in all directions, but for some reason, his neck felt so stiff. Xinxiu's neck seemed to have a mind of its own. The neck resisted orders from Xinxiu's brain.

"Don't worry. Things are still the same as before. No one is following us." Zhengyi put his ass at the stop.

"In that case, good!" Xinxiu took a deep breath. Zhengyi's words somewhat relieved him.

Xinxiu waited until the bus that would take Zhengyi arrived. While sitting at the bus stop, they were silent. Six other people at the stop were also waiting for the bus. The two of them were engaged in an exciting conversation.

"What do you think caused the fire?" One of the two turned to the other.

"I don't know. But according to the news I heard, last night there was a party at the house that was thought to be the source of the fire!" His friend answered in a tone that sounded absolutely certain. He was a man in his late thirties. He wore a white shirt. Looked in contrast in his light blue trousers.

"Where did you get the news?"

"My cousin work in a catering company. Yesterday, they delivered orders to that house," said the man in the white shirt.

"Which cousin?"

"Son of my father's younger sister."

"The one you invited to our friend's birthday party?"

"That's right! That younger cousin."

"What did he see there?"

"That's where the problem lies! My cousin didn't dare to say too much. He and the other people who deliver the food there had to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement."

"What kind of party is that? It's like a secret meeting!"

"Looked like it was a closed party. The people who came were all wearing masks. Even my younger cousin and other coworkers were required to wear masks."

"It looks very mysterious. Could it be some kind of meeting held by a secret society?"

Xinxiu and Zhengyi looked at each other after overhearing the conversation. Xinxiu was eager to hear the continuation of the man's story, but the bus that would take Zhengyi had arrived. Zhengyi promptly got on the bus. The two people who had been conversing next to them also boarded the bus.