Si Beichen asked Jiang Ci, "Is the girl who said hello to you the one living in 1103?"
"Yes, that's her." Jiang Ci moved the generator and air cooler into the living room, then brought a bag of sunflower seeds out of her room and set it on the rug.
"I'd seen her before. Back then, she struck me as a quiet, introverted, shy girl. She seems to have gotten a boyfriend recently, and she's become a lot more confident."
At this point, Jiang Ci paused in cracking her sunflower seeds. "Going from an introvert to a social butterfly just like that. That's pretty strange."
Wen Qianyue put away her yarn and asked Jiang Ci, "What do you want for lunch?"
Jiang Ci gave her mother a puzzled look. "Mom, why do you always ask what I want to eat? Why don't you ask Dad Si or Si Beichen?"
Wen Qianyue rolled her eyes at her. "Because you're picky and know your food. Your dad Si and Beichen aren't picky eaters."
As she spoke, she made a show of swatting her and scolded, "Mind your manners. Is Si Beichen what you should be calling him? Call him your big brother!"
Ever since she had reconciled with her mother, she had realized her mother was actually a paper tiger. Every time, her bark was worse than her bite, and in the end, Jiang Ci still had the final say.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Ci said, "How about fish with pickled mustard greens for lunch?"
Wen Qianyue made as if to hit her again. "Where am I supposed to get fish? Are you deliberately making things difficult for your mother?"
Jiang Ci easily dodged Wen Qianyue's halfhearted swat, dropped the sunflower seeds in her hand back into the bag, clapped her hands clean, and stood.
"Just wait. I'll go conjure some up for you!"
With that, she went into the kitchen. When she came back out, she was carrying a black plastic bag.
She fetched a metal basin and, in front of all three of them, opened the black plastic bag and tipped a whole cleaned grass carp and a bag of pickled mustard greens into it.
"Ta-da! Ms. Wen, here's the fish you wanted."
Si Jianhua and Si Beichen looked solemn, while Wen Qianyue looked even more nervous.
Jiang Ci discreetly swept her gaze over her family's expressions. With no intention of explaining, she shrugged unconcernedly and urged:
"It's all yours, Ms. Wen. If you put off cooking any longer, the sun will be up, and you probably won't be able to stand it. I've already changed the gas cylinder for you."
Wen Qianyue remained seated. Si Jianhua asked Jiang Ci, "Who else knows about this?"
"No one."
"You absolutely can't let anyone find out. You need to be careful from now on, understand, sweetheart?"
"I understand."
Jiang Ci sat back down to eat sunflower seeds, grabbing a handful as she casually asked, "Do you want to know exactly what's going on?"
Si Beichen grabbed a handful too and said firmly, "No."
Si Jianhua shook his head as well. "It's enough that you know. You don't need to tell us either. None of us wants to know."
Wen Qianyue relaxed a little and warned her seriously, "Don't let anyone find out. Be careful, or someone might capture you and study you like a monster!"
Jiang Ci felt warm inside, but she still curled her lips dismissively. "I'm not an idiot. I get it. Now go make the fish, my dear Ms. Wen."
Only then did Wen Qianyue feel reassured enough to go cook the fish.
That afternoon, Jiang Ci also took out four apples, exactly one for each of them.
Si Jianhua couldn't help remarking, "We're reaping the benefits of having a daughter. I never thought we'd still get to eat apples this fresh."
Si Beichen was generous with his praise too. "Impressive indeed. Thank you, little sister Xiao Ci."
Jiang Ci proudly lifted her chin, looking as though she was the most amazing person in the world.
She made the whole family laugh.
That evening, Si Beichen put on a hiking backpack and prepared to head out.
Jiang Ci asked curiously, "Where are you going?"
Si Beichen didn't hide it. He unzipped the backpack to show Jiang Ci. It was actually full of cash.
"I'm going to the government supermarket to buy some supplies. There's no point keeping this money. Better to exchange it for supplies."
"Wait for me. I'm coming too."
Jiang Ci went back to her room and came out with a hiking backpack as well. They put on their masks and headed out together.
Downstairs, they unexpectedly ran into Tian Jiakai from the fifteenth floor and his wife, Yuan Jiaojiao.
The couple stood downstairs holding fans, seemingly waiting for someone.
When they saw Jiang Ci and Si Beichen, they instinctively edged aside.
They looked exactly like people who had done too many bad things.
Jiang Ci and Si Beichen pretended not to see them, but Tian Jiakai and Yuan Jiaojiao approached them of their own accord.
Fanning themselves, the couple blocked Jiang Ci and Si Beichen's path, looking every bit like friendly neighbors.
"Where are you two youngsters going with such big bags?"
Up close, the stench of sweat and body odor hit her nose. Jiang Ci instinctively took a step back.
She said irritably, "What does where we're going have to do with you?"
Yuan Jiaojiao's face was wreathed in smiles, her little eyes narrowing into slits.
"Come now, little sister. We're all neighbors in the same building. If you have anything good, you should know to share."
"That's right, little sister. Your sister-in-law has a point. If you have good things, you should help others out. When your big brother and sister-in-law get anything good, naturally, we'll think of you first too."
Si Beichen said, "And if we don't want to?"
Tian Jiakai sneered. "Just try it!"
Jiang Ci suddenly smiled and said gently, "Don't be angry, big brother, sister-in-law. You just want to know where we're going, right? Come on, let's go together."
Only when Tian Jiakai and Yuan Jiaojiao saw Jiang Ci soften her attitude did their expressions ease.
Tian Jiakai smiled too. "You know how to get along with people, little sister. How about waiting a little longer? I've got two buddies who want to come along too."
Jiang Ci said unhappily, "If you two want to come, we're leaving now. We don't know those two buddies of yours. It's hot as hell. I'm not waiting around."
Although Si Beichen didn't know why Jiang Ci had agreed to bring the couple along, he said nothing more, acting as though whatever Jiang Ci said went.
Tian Jiakai and Yuan Jiaojiao simply thought the girl was still young and easy to fool, though a little willful. Seeing that the brothers Zhang Qiang and Zhang Shuai still hadn't come down, they lost patience too.
His home had been robbed, and he had originally wanted to take the Zhang brothers along to get another haul of supplies.
These two young people seemed to have their own sources too. They might as well follow them and take a look. Whatever extra they could get, they would take.
Tian Jiakai waved his large palm-leaf fan. "No more waiting. Come on, let's go first."
Jiang Ci and Si Beichen walked ahead, with Tian Jiakai and Yuan Jiaojiao following behind.
Afraid Si Beichen would take the wrong route, Jiang Ci held his wrist and led the way. Si Beichen followed obediently.
After leaving their residential complex and making several turns, Jiang Ci led the three of them into an old residential complex.
The more Tian Jiakai and Yuan Jiaojiao looked at their surroundings, the more familiar they seemed. They exchanged a glance, both somewhat startled.
Wasn't this precisely the residential complex where they had come to gather supplies?
How did these two know about it too?
Jiang Ci pretended not to notice the startled expressions of the two behind her and continued leading the three of them farther inside.
When they reached a building at the very back, she led the three of them straight up to the fifth floor.
If the Tian couple had been surprised earlier, now they were terrified.
Because they were all too familiar with one of the households on the fifth floor of this building.
That was where they had killed someone for the first time in their lives.