It was fake anyway. If it was gone, it was gone; there was nothing to feel bad about. Still, he kept it in mind as he walked inside as though nothing had happened and went straight to his room.
Lin Xiuqing had eaten dinner early, and the baby was asleep. With nothing to do, she could only rest with her eyes closed.
When she saw him come in, she asked whether he had eaten.
Unexpectedly, he merely said he had not, then climbed onto the bed and took down the basket hanging on the wall.
Lin Xiuqing looked at him in puzzlement. "What's wrong?"
"Checking whether it's still in one piece."
"I lock the room whenever no one's in here, and there are iron bars on the window. It must be fine."
They had previously hung it under the porch to air-dry for a few days, leaving it there during the day and bringing it inside after dark. Later, they had simply hung it on the bedroom wall and opened the window to let it dry, saving themselves the trouble.
Ambergris needed to air-dry for at least three years before use. Nowhere was safer than right under their noses. Besides, country households like theirs had things hanging all over their walls. It was nothing unusual.
"The fake one I made was stolen. I noticed it was gone when I got back just now."
"Huh?" Lin Xiuqing was surprised. "Could someone have taken it when all those people came to listen to the radio today?"
"Possibly. Keep an ear out for any rumors in the village over the next couple of days." As Ye Yaodong spoke, he checked it over. Only after seeing that it was undamaged did he put it back.
"Replace the towel underneath with a clean one when