He Lanjin hung up the phone and walked down to the kitchen. Donning casual sportswear, she smelled very fragrant. When she saw the table full of delicacies, she was stunned. "Did you make all these?" she asked Qiao Hanye.
"Try them," he answered, handing her a pair of chopsticks.
He Lanjin took the chopsticks and tried a few bites. "Wow," she said. "Did you really cook all these?"
"What do you think?" Qiao Hanye chuckled softly and asked He Lanjin to sit down. Although it was their first dinner together, they enjoyed it very much.
After the meal, He Lanjin saw Qiao Hanye tidying up with practiced movements. She narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, sizing him up. She still did not know his real identity, but he had a noble aura about him. He seemed to have come from a wealthy family and had a good upbringing and education.
But the children of wealthy families never cooked. They even disliked doing the dishes. Qiao Hanye, on the other hand...
"Qiao Hanye." He Lanjin stood up and walked towards the man. She grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the dishes. She looked at her wristwatch to check the time and said, "You're new to Jiangcheng, right? Today just happens to be Tuesday. Let me take you somewhere."
"Okay." Qiao Hanye said yes, but he pulled her back. "Go and put on your coat first."
"Oh, right." He Lanjin looked at her clothes and realized how thin the material was. She ran upstairs to change into a thick set of clothes. When she came back down, Qiao Hanye was already neatly dressed, waiting for her. He picked up the car keys when he heard He Lanjin coming down.
The two of them drove to the outskirts of the city. From a distance, they could see an old house with two rows of red lanterns hanging outside. It looked particularly pleasing in the dark night.
"I heard from an old man that this house has a history of more than a thousand years," He Lanjin said in a low voice. "You got to see it." She could not wait to go in and unfastened her seatbelt in a hurry.
He Lanjin had brought Qiao Hanye here tonight as an excuse. What she really wanted to do was to ask the old man residing here about the abandoned house on the outskirts of the city. Almost a hundred years old, the man was a storyteller who knew Jiang City of old like the back of his hand.
Some things couldn't be found on the Internet, but that did not necessarily mean nobody knew about these things.
Qiao Hanye looked at the drama house. His eyes darkened slightly. Holding an umbrella, he went in with He Lanjin.
"I need to go to the restroom," He Lanjin said. "Can you find us a seat by the window?" She turned and went to the back hall of the drama house. She easily spotted the hundred-year-old man. He was sitting alone, reading an ancient book.
"Grandpa, sorry to bother you." He Lanjin politely said as she walked over to the old man. "May I ask you something?"
He Lanjin was fully aware of the rules. She exchanged some money for a jade token and put it on the corner of the table to show her sincerity.
"Little girl, what do you want to know?" The old man looked at He Lanjin and liked what he saw. He closed the book and poured a cup of tea for her. His wrinkled face showed a kind smile.
He Lanjin sat down. "There is a deserted house in the west of the city," He Lanjin said softly. "Do you know its origins?"
The old man's hand trembled, and the teacup he was handing He Lanjin fell with a clang. up fell. His kind smile disappeared. "Little girl, you're mistaken. You found the wrong person."
The old man got up, took his book, and left without another word.
He Lanjin was very confused. How could a place that no one knew about exist in Jiang City?
Who exactly was Qiao Hanye? Why did he take her phone and not return it, but deliberately let her discover that he had it? Was he teasing her for another purpose?
"Miss, visiting hours in the back hall is over. Please return to the main hall," said the drama house manager politely as he approached He Lanjin.
He Lanjin nodded and started walking out. She soaked up the beauty of the old house as she walked along the ancient corridor. She heard footsteps and sensed impending danger.