When Wang Dazhong mentioned Old Wu, the sudden turn nearly threw my back out.
That was one hell of a sharp turn!
I knew Old Wu had plenty of secrets, but I never expected one this big!
I had gone all the way from Riverside District to the High-Tech District, crossing the entire city from east to west, and had nearly died at an inn along the way.
All to find the fourth bus driver.
And now he was telling me that driver was someone I saw every day, right back where I had started!
Seeing me standing there stunned, Wang Dazhong continued:
"Brother, I'm the only person in the world who knows about this. If you go asking Old Wu, he'll know for sure that I let it slip, and then I..."
I nodded numbly.
"Don't worry, Brother Wang. I wouldn't do that to you. You've already done me a huge favor by telling me this secret!"
Only then did Wang Dazhong breathe a sigh of relief.
"That route had three accidents ten years ago, and not one person survived. We drivers submitted a joint complaint to the city, but nobody would listen. With no other choice, management had to bite the bullet and keep assigning drivers to the last bus on Route 13."
"Then how long did Old Wu drive it?"
Wang Dazhong looked up, as though struggling to search through his memories from ten years ago.
"As soon as Old Wu was appointed the fourth driver, our whole batch of veteran drivers was forced into retirement for no apparent reason. I really don't know how long he drove it!"
Surprised, I asked:
"Forced into retirement? Since when did our company have a policy like that?"
Wang Dazhong said with a smile:
"That wasn't a policy. It was a power play. So many people had died on that route, and rumors were flying among us coworkers. In the end, we must have offended some big shot. Within a week, every last one of us was removed!"
After saying that, Wang Dazhong patted my shoulder.
"All of us drivers were dismissed. Old Wu was the only one who stayed. Brother, there's more to Old Wu's background than meets the eye. Try not to cross him!"
Wang Dazhong's words gave me plenty of warnings. Although I hadn't gotten the answers I wanted on this trip, at least I had learned something.
After chatting with him a little longer, Old Liu and I prepared to leave.
We had barely stepped out of the courtyard when Wang Dazhong caught up with us.
"Brother, I can't let you come all this way for nothing. I'll tell you a secret. There's a man named Guan Jun in Tangwazi Village. He and Old Wu have been sworn enemies for years. If you want to learn more about Old Wu, he's the best person to ask."
Back at the hotel, Old Liu kept a somber expression, as though trying to recall something.
"Old Liu, what are you thinking about?"
Old Liu shook his head and said:
"I feel like I've heard of that Guan Jun Wang Dazhong mentioned somewhere before. The name just seems familiar!"
I sighed and said to Old Liu:
"Stop thinking about it. Let's just go to Tangwazi Village and find him!"
Old Liu set his stick beside the bed and said gravely:
"We should avoid Tangwazi Village if we can. They don't tolerate outsiders there."
I smiled unconcernedly and said:
"Old Liu, even if they don't, we still have to go. It can't possibly be scarier than Tiger Waist Mountain!"
"All right, we'll go. But I'm warning you, Tangwazi Village is a complicated place. Don't trust people easily!"
With that, Old Liu went to sleep.
I lay in bed, unable to sleep, thinking about Old Wu. Suddenly, I felt that his background really was far from simple.
The deaths caused by the evil bell had thrown the whole city into an uproar. Even the company's nominal head had been dismissed, yet Old Wu, the man who actually held power, had emerged unscathed!
There was quite a lot to his story!
After dawn, Old Liu and I took the earliest bus back to the company. On the way, we agreed to go to Tangwazi Village together the following week to find Guan Jun.
When I reached the company, I happened to run into Old Wu again. He spotted me from a distance with a gloomy expression, but suddenly smiled when he came up to me.
"Brother, back from gallivanting around? I heard you gave yourself another vacation?"
Looking at Old Wu now, I had mixed feelings, but mostly resentment and disgust.
He was the fourth driver, so he should have known how dangerous this route was. Why had he insisted on dragging me into it?
"I went to a wedding!"
The more I looked at him, the more irritated I felt. Not wanting to talk to him, I made up a quick excuse and headed for the dorm.
Seeing my bad attitude, Old Wu followed behind me and hurled a few curses at me.
I hadn't seen Little Six for a few days, and he had gotten even fatter.
When he saw me back, he insisted on treating me to a welcome-back meal, so I called Bai Fan and invited her to dinner with us that evening.
Fortunately, she didn't bring Tang Yao this time, and the three of us enjoyed a cheerful meal together.
On our after-dinner walk, Bai Fan and I walked ahead while Little Six followed behind, lighting the way for us.
Remembering that Bai Fan had grown up in Tang Hollow Village, I thought I would ask her about it.
"Bai Fan, let me ask you about someone. Do you know a man in your village named Guan Jun?"
Bai Fan shook her head at that and said:
"No. There are only a few families named Guan in our village, and I've never heard of anyone called Guan Jun!"
After saying that, Bai Fan asked:
"Why? Who is he?"
"Nothing much. I have something to take care of, so I'll need to visit Tangwazi in a few days."
Bai Fan's expression visibly changed when she heard I was going to Tangwazi.
"Our village doesn't really welcome outsiders. I'd advise you not to wander around there without a reason!"
Outsiders weren't welcome again?
That was exactly what Old Liu had warned me about.
I deliberately acted unconcerned, then suddenly remembered the girl in the red dress.
"Oh, right. That Tang Yao who ate with us last time-have you stayed in touch since I left?"
Bai Fan said casually:
"Of course. We're best friends. We've always been close."
Alarmed, I hurriedly warned her:
"Bai Fan, there are some things I can't tell you outright, but trust me. During that week you were away on business, this Tang Yao stopped being the Tang Yao she used to be!"
Bai Fan looked bewildered, then said with a laugh:
"What kind of tongue twister is that? Stop being so weird and mysterious. It's annoying!"
I wanted to say more, but Bai Fan was no longer listening and walked ahead by herself.
Little Six had driven for me during the days I spent in the development zone. Holding the steering wheel again that night even felt a little unfamiliar.
As before, plenty of villagers boarded along the way to the paper mill. With the trip to Tangwazi on my mind, I deliberately tried to strike up a friendly conversation with them.
The person nearest my driver's seat was a middle-aged woman carrying a child on her back.
I glanced at him and asked with a smile:
"How did your vegetable sales go today, ma'am?"
The woman stood to one side with a tense expression and said curtly:
"Fine!"
Seeing that she had no interest in talking to me, I stopped making a nuisance of myself and concentrated on driving.
When we reached the terminal at the paper mill and the villagers filed off, I noticed a red embroidered cloth pouch lying where the woman had stood.
The embroidery on the pouch was beautiful, and its opening was tied tightly shut. I didn't open it to see what was inside, but it felt like a short piece of branch.
With Guan Jun constantly on my mind, I drove distractedly, then hurried to find Old Liu and discuss going to Tangwazi ahead of schedule.
Old Liu couldn't talk me out of it, and in the end he set off for Tangwazi Village with me.
Tangwazi Village was famous in our city for vegetable farming. Vast stretches of vegetable greenhouses were everywhere.
Unlike at Tiger Waist Mountain, many villagers greeted me of their own accord as we walked along the village road.
I gave Old Liu a playful shove and said with a smile:
"Old Liu, are you sure you've been to Tangwazi Village? These villagers are so friendly. They don't seem intolerant of outsiders like you said!"
Old Liu's expression remained cold and somber.
"I haven't been here. That's just what I heard!"
Since we had gotten the village chief killed at Tiger Waist Mountain last time, I flatly refused to seek out Tangwazi's village chief this time.
We discussed finding any household with a large house, paying them to let us stay, and asking about Guan Jun while we were there.
At a junction on the edge of the village, we spotted a household with three large tile-roofed houses. We went over and asked about lodging, and to our surprise, the villager readily agreed.
It was a large family, with three generations living together. At mealtimes, they set a large round table in the courtyard, and everyone crowded around it in a lively gathering.
Old Liu and I benefited from their hospitality and squeezed in with them. With guests there, our hosts even added several meat dishes.
During the meal, I suddenly noticed that the woman sitting directly opposite me was the very woman who had ridden my bus and dropped the red pouch a few nights earlier.
Delighted, I greeted her:
"What a coincidence, ma'am! We just met a few nights ago, and now we're eating at the same table!"
The woman looked at me with a smile and said:
"Really? My memory's poor. I don't remember you. Were you working in the fields too?"
I shook my head and said:
"No, ma'am. We met on the bus a few nights ago. Have you forgotten? You were standing right beside me."
As soon as I said that, everyone at the table fell silent. Some even froze with food halfway to their mouths.
Everyone at the table turned to look at me.
A man at the table said:
"You've got the wrong person, brother. My younger sister works in the fields all day. When would she have gone anywhere by bus?"
His words left me completely confused. I might have been forgetful, but I wasn't face-blind. This woman had clearly ridden the bus a few nights ago, so why wouldn't she admit it?
I set down my rice bowl, took out the red pouch, and said:
"Ma'am, weren't you going into the city to sell vegetables? You even dropped this pouch when you got off!"
The woman looked at me blankly, took the red pouch, and said:
"It's a pretty pouch, but it isn't mine!"
As she spoke, she untied the cord around the pouch's opening.
The moment she opened it, the thing inside fell out, and everyone at the table scattered in terror!
A human finger bone!!