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Kapitel 64

She looked at Xiaotong, who was fast asleep beside her, and couldn't help but gently stroke her cheek. At that moment, a thousand tender feelings welled up in her heart. Back then, her adoptive father, Ba Rong, had taken her and Xiaotong away from Ma Nan to live in another city. Xiaotong had become almost her only source of comfort. Xiaotong was just over 100 days old then; many years had passed in the blink of an eye. Although she didn't have to worry about her living arrangements—Ba Rong had taken care of everything—her longing for Ma Nan grew stronger and stronger. Fortunately, half a year ago, on that evening, Ma Nan appeared like a weary traveler, catching her completely off guard.

Recalling the past made the woman's thoughts wander, but just then, she suddenly heard some noises outside.

She put on her clothes, got out of bed, and slowly walked to the door. She opened it a crack and saw that the light was on in the study. Ma Nan couldn't possibly be back so soon; Chu Yan was already asleep, and there was a policeman downstairs, but he wouldn't be upstairs so late at night.

Who would come to the study at this time?

Hongmian walked out and slowly approached the study door. The study door wasn't closed tightly, leaving a crack. Hongmian pressed her eyes to the crack and saw Chu Yan inside the study, quietly searching for something.

Hongmian sensed something was amiss, but she couldn't believe her own thoughts—could Chu Yan really have some other purpose in returning this time? What was in Ma Nan's study that she wanted?

After thinking it over, Hongmian decided to ask Chu Yan directly. After all, Chu Yan was her sister, and they had lived together for more than ten years.

Hongmian gently knocked on the door, and Chu Yan inside suddenly turned around, looking somewhat flustered.

Hongmian slowly walked in and stood opposite her: "If you want to find anything, you can tell me."

Chu Yan's face flushed red, her eyes darting around, and she dared not meet Hong Mian's gaze: "Sister Hong Mian, please don't misunderstand."

Hongmian's gaze remained gentle. She smiled and said, "You are my sister, and no matter what you've done, that won't change. So, I hope you'll tell me the truth: is there another reason you came back this time?"

Chu Yan hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Sister Hongmian, believe me, I won't do anything to hurt you or my brother. You don't need to worry about him either, he'll be back soon."

"Really?" Hongmian frowned. "You mean all these recent events are related to you?"

Chu Yan remained silent, seemingly unsure how to respond.

“Although I don’t know what else is hidden behind these things, I believe you,” Hongmian said. “Your older brother just called me, and he’s on his way back.”

“I know my brother will be back soon, which is why I’m so eager to find something tonight.” Chu Yan suddenly looked at Hong Mian. “Sister Hong Mian, I don’t have much time left. I have to leave here tonight with what I’m looking for and go find someone. Please believe me, I really have no other choice but to do this.”

"Why? If you still consider me your sister, you should tell me the truth."

Chu Yan lowered her head in silence, seemingly making a choice. Finally, she stepped forward, unbuttoned her blouse, and revealed her snow-white chest. Hong Mian stared intently and saw faint gray spots among her fair skin.

“I was poisoned. The Ba people gave us some of their poisonous herbs. If I can’t find that thing here as they ask, I will die. I don’t want to die, and what they want me to find isn’t very important to you and my brother, so I agreed to do it.”

“Wait a minute,” Hongmian interrupted her. “You just said that the Ba people made you eat a poisonous herb.”

Chu Yan paused for a moment: "When my older brother comes back, he will naturally tell you about these things."

Hongmian hesitated for a moment, then said, "Since you don't want to talk about it, I won't press you any further. At least I can be sure of one thing now: you never intended to hurt us, and that's enough for me. Now, tell me what you're looking for. Whatever it is, as long as it can save your life, I'll give it to you."

"Sister Hongmian." Chu Yan's voice was choked with emotion, and she felt a little ashamed.

Hongmian stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder: "Chuyan, remember, I am your sister, this is your home, and no matter what happens, that will never change."

Chu Yan nodded heavily.

"Alright, now you should tell me what you want. Your older brother will be back soon, so we need to hurry."

Chu Yan nodded and told Hong Mian that what she was looking for was a wooden doll that Ba Rong had left for Xiao Tong.

The story behind the wooden doll is as follows: When Xiaotong turned 100 days old, Ba Rong visited Ma Nan's home and gave her two gifts: a gold lock symbolizing peace and a sturdy wooden doll. The gold lock had Xiaotong's name engraved in pinyin on it, and it later became the key for Ma Nan to unlock the coded messages on Ba Rong's five jade artifacts. As for the wooden doll, Ma Nan had lost it once. Later, when he and some students at school were playing a code-breaking game, someone cracked the code first and placed the wooden doll under a seat in the school auditorium, allowing Ma Nan to regain it.

The wooden doll was hard and heavy, like metal.

According to his father, Ba Rong, this wooden doll was extraordinary; it was carved from "Jianmu" (建木). Jianmu, according to legend, grows in the wilderness of Duguang in the southwest, the center of heaven and earth. Its slender trunk rises straight into the clouds, with no branches on either side, only at the top where winding branches grow, coiling like an umbrella. Jianmu is very famous in ancient Chinese mythology because it is the ladder connecting heaven and earth, through which some deities travel between the two realms. Legend has it that Fuxi once climbed this tree, and he may even have been the first person to do so.

There's no need to verify the legend's authenticity here, nor is it relevant whether the wooden doll was actually made of Jianmu wood. It was merely a gift left to Xiaotong by Ba Rong; possessing or losing it wouldn't significantly impact the Hongmian family's life. But why would the Ba people go to such lengths to send Chu Yan to find the doll? There must be a hidden story behind it.

Hongmian didn't hesitate at all. She immediately returned to her bedroom, took the doll out of a drawer, and handed it to Chu Yan.

“If it can save your life, then I will give it to you,” Hongmian said.

Chu Yan left with the Jianmu doll, and Hongmian personally escorted her downstairs quietly, without disturbing the policeman sleeping on the living room sofa. Hongmian returned to her bedroom, calculating that Ma Nan should be home soon. Suddenly, she felt uneasy, unsure if she had done the right thing. Ma Nan wouldn't be stingy with the doll from Chu Yan; perhaps she should wait for his return before making a decision. Now, Chu Yan was taking it alone to meet the Ba people—wouldn't something else happen?

A car was approaching outside the window. Hongmian stood by the window and saw the car stop in front of the door. Ma Nan opened the car door and got out.

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① Huainanzi, Topography Chapter: "The Jianmu tree...is where all the emperors ascend and descend."

②The Classic of Mountains and Seas, Book of the Seas Within: "The Jianmu tree...the great Hao passed by."

Chapter 39

Everything seemed to be over, and the Manan family returned to their peaceful life. But Manan still felt uneasy, as if something else might happen. Even though those things might not necessarily have anything to do with him, he was still worried.

When he got home that night and didn't see Chu Yan, he knew that things had changed again.

Hongmian hesitated for a long time before telling him about Chu Yan—Chu Yan had taken away the Jianmu doll.

Ma Nan immediately became alert. His first thought was of the Fuxi Ram Horn Pillar in Ba Qi's possession. The Ba tribesman who killed his people had taken it in the chaos, surely because it had some other use besides being a ritual object for summoning souls and exorcising demons. Meanwhile, Chu Yan had taken the Jianmu Doll around the same time. Was there any connection between these two events?

Despite having so many questions, Ma Nan kept them to himself.

This is the first Spring Festival he's spent with Hongmian and her daughter since Xiaotong was born, and so many things have happened so quickly. Now, he's going to take Hongmian and her daughter to fully enjoy the holiday.

They took Xiaotong to a scenic spot in a neighboring province and didn't return until a week later.

When I got home, I had just turned on my phone when I received a call from Qin Ge.

Qin Ge's voice was dejected, clearly indicating that the investigation had encountered obstacles. The Duguang Building belonged to a company called Duguang Group, whose legal representative was Li Qinglin. Through the company's registration information, this person was quickly located. Li Qinglin was 45 years old and lived in a detached house in the eastern part of the city. Li Qinglin knew he was the legal representative of Duguang Group, but knew nothing about the company's affairs.

"More than ten years ago, Li Qinglin was among the first batch of laid-off workers in China. His wife died in a car accident, and his only son was diagnosed with leukemia. This was undoubtedly a double blow to him. His son's treatment required a large sum of money, and his family was so poor that even selling himself wouldn't raise the necessary funds. At that time, someone approached him, willing to sponsor his son's medical treatment and cover all of his son's future education expenses. Li Qinglin was already at his wit's end, so he was naturally overjoyed to receive such a offer, but he was a little worried about whether it was true," Qin Ge said.

"In fact, the person who was willing to sponsor him really kept his promise, and without any strings attached. Because of timely treatment, his son's condition quickly stabilized, and he was able to live and study like a normal person. Li Qinglin and his son were extremely grateful to the person who helped them, so when that person later said he wanted to register a company in Li Qinglin's name, Li Qinglin agreed without hesitation."