Shanquan introduced Caihong to Qiuzhen. Qiuzhen had never met Caihong. When Shanquan and the others first met Caihong, Qiuzhen had already left for another city to work there. After Qiuzhen moved, Shanquan and friends had always told him on the phone about things that had happened in their lives. The acquaintance with Caihong was one of the many things they recounted.

After making small talk with Caihong, Qiuzhen walked to his bedroom with his backpack. Only about five minutes he was in the bedroom. He came out again with firm steps.

Zhengyi laughed at Qiuzhen. "Is that a new outfit?"

I can understand why Zhengyi is laughing. The clothes are pretty cool, but something was off.

Qiuzhen, who had already changed into more casual clothes, shook his head. "It's been quite a while. But you've never actually seen one."

"Have you had dinner?" Yixiong patted Qiuzhen's shoulder.

"Not yet," replied Qiuzhen curtly.

Yiren asked Qiuzhen to sit in the dining room. There was still food on the table. When they finished eating, they had no time to clear the table.

"We just had our second dinner," Yiren said with a laugh.

Qiuzhen chuckled. "Second dinner? Did you two celebrate something recently?"

"We didn't celebrate anything," said Yiren. "But indeed, something has happened in our lives."

Qiuzhen raised his eyebrows. "Besides the high probability that we'll soon be homeless, is there anything else spectacular I should know?"

Yiren laughed. "You eat first. After that, we have important things to tell you."

Without waiting to be asked twice, Qiuzhen sat down on one chair in the dining room. He began to fill his bowls and plates with food without further ado. While shoving rice into his mouth, he looked at the faces of his friends.

I don't know if Qiuzhen can afford to pretend, as he promised. He should have looked so shaken after hearing the bad news we are about to share. If the expression on his face remains like that, everyone will definitely suspect.

"You just eat calmly first. Don't think about anything," said Zhengyi.

Qiuzhen smiled. He ate in a relaxed manner. Although relaxed, he seemed to be trying to eat as fast as possible. Even though his friends told him to eat without rushing, Qiuzhen seemed to realize that his friends were waiting for him.

It turned out that Shanquan's guess was not at all wrong. Qiuzhen was ready to listen to their stories.

"I'm done eating!" Qiuzhen gently hit the table's surface not long after he started eating.

"So fast!" Shanquan shook his head.

After that, everyone present, including Caihong, took turns telling the series of events that had occurred over the past few days. Qiuzhen listened to their story with a very serious expression.

"I don't know what to say," Qiuzhen said as soon as they all finished. His countenance wasn't too different from the time before he heard their story.

"That's fine. At least we've added one more thing that will make our memoirs thicker," Yixiong smiled.

They all had promised that one day they would write a memoir containing the unforgettable moments that had happened in their lives. For Shanquan, the experiences he had gained over the past two years were far more varied than what had happened during the decades of living in his hometown. The memoirs he was about to write would likely not be a disappointment.

"What about our landlord? Does he already know? If this matter can't be resolved quickly, we still have to stay here a little longer," said Qiuzhen.

"He doesn't know yet. But I think we better let the police tell him," said Shanquan.

"Did the police know that our rental period had expired?" asked Qiuzhen.

Everyone presented there looked at each other.

"I didn't tell the police about it," Yixiong said. "They didn't ask about it at all."

"Okay! Tomorrow morning I will tell this to the police," said Shanquan.

"According to Biaoshu, will our landlord let us stay here any longer?" asked Qiuzhen.

"It's an emergency. I think he'll understand. Besides, as far as I know, no one else has rented this house for immediate occupancy."

"I hope Biaoshu is right," Qiuzhen said.

Shanquan nodded gently. At the time, he wasn't too sure. But he must not discourage his friends.

"So the kidnappers asked Biaoshu to meet them at eight at night?" asked Qiuzhen.

"They didn't ask me to see them. But they asked me to hand over the things that Songfei left us tomorrow night at eight o'clock. I don't know the details yet. They said they will call us again," Shanquan said.

"Why did they decide that the ransom handover had to be at eight o'clock in the evening?" asked Qiuzhen.

"I don't know," replied Shanquan. "Maybe it's because they think eight o'clock must be dark so they can escape more easily if something goes wrong."

"Or they have some other reason we don't know yet," Yixiong added Shanquan's words.

Yixiong's words made sense. But right now, they had no way of confirming that. Shanquan pondered for a while. He still had doubts about the motivation behind Shinnshiow's abduction. Was it simply because he wanted to get the things that Songfei had left, or was there something else, as Yixiong had just stated?

Suddenly, a high-pitched sound was heard again. It turned out that Caihong's pager beeped again. After seeing the contents of the news received, Caihong said, "It's getting late, Uncle! I think I have to say goodbye first."

"You don't intend to stay here?" Yiren's voice sounded surprised.

Caihong smiled. "No, Uncle! I'm going back to the exhibition hall. I'm going to rest there. Early in the morning, I'll give instructions to my assistants there. After that, I'll be right here."

"Are the other painters also sleeping in the exhibition hall?" Zhengyi asked.

"There are some who sleep in the exhibition building. Especially painters who come from other cities. Usually, this is because of the limited funds they have," replied Caihong.

"Which part of the building do they sleep in?" Yixiong asked.

"It's an extensive building. Upstairs there are lots of empty spaces," replied Caihong.

"Are there many painters sleeping there with all their assistants?" Yiren asked.

A weird question! The answer is obvious!

Caihong laughed. "Of course not, Uncle. Apart from me, only two other painters brought their assistants with them. Each of them only had one assistant. I have several assistants. But the person I asked to stay there at night is only one person. Then there is another assistant I asked to come over early in the morning. There are also several people who don't need to come early in the morning. I only asked them to be present during exhibition opening hours."

"Is your assistant who has to stay the night always the same person?" Yixiong asked.

"They take turns, Uncle. So my assistant who stays there tonight is not the same as the one who stayed there last night," replied Caihong.

They all nodded at Caihong's explanation.

Caihong rose from his chair. "Do you want me to bring you something tomorrow morning?"

"No need. We can't bother you any further," Shanquan said.

"It's okay, Uncle! I'm delighted if I can be of use to others."

They all laughed at Caihong's words. Although it sounded naïve, it seemed the young man said it sincerely.

"Thank you very much, Caihong. See you tomorrow morning," Shanquan said.