When Simazi woke up, it was already broad daylight.
He sat up in surprise, his brow furrowing deeply. He got out of bed to look out the window, and the coffin in the yard remained unchanged.
I've never been a good sleeper, so why did I suddenly sleep for so long last night?
Thinking to himself, Simazi picked up his pipe and left the room, still wearing the same coarse linen clothes he had worn yesterday.
The daylight made the courtyard seem less eerie and terrifying, but Simazi didn't like it so bright. He had A Wu lower the black sunshade cloth covering the courtyard, and it immediately became dark again. Simazi was satisfied then and sat down next to a coffin to smoke his pipe.
"Was there any noise from that house last night?" he asked A Wu.
A Wu was sweeping the floor with his back to him. "I didn't hear anything. There was no noise last night."
"What happened...?"
Simazi still couldn't figure it out when he heard the wooden door creak open, and Jiang Nuo and the other two came out of the room.
Song Zheng, still in his diplomatic role, greeted him with a smile, "Good morning, brother."
Simazi looked him over; his energetic appearance didn't seem like he'd done anything wrong last night. Could it really be a coincidence?
He stood up with a forced smile, poking the ground a few times with the butt of his pipe. "There's no food here. Can you handle noodles?"
Song Zheng sighed, then opened a pack of cigarettes for Simazi and stuffed it all into his hand.
"When you're out doing business, what does it matter if you're not used to the food? As long as we can fill our stomachs, we're satisfied."
Simazi finally chuckled, dispelling his suspicions, and casually went to the kitchen to cook a few bowls of plain noodles.
After breakfast, Simazi urged them to set off up the mountain as soon as possible.
"The road up the mountain is very long. If we go up now, we won't be able to come down until the sun sets, otherwise we'll have to spend the night on the mountain."
As soon as Simazi finished speaking, Song Zheng grabbed his car keys and stood up. "Let's go!"
Spending the night in the mountains is terrifying just to think about! Who knows, the person next to you might turn into a ghost while you're sleeping.
A Wu was also dragged along by Simazi. He seemed to behave no differently than yesterday, being unusually obedient in front of Simazi, but he wasn't as lively as last night. He was like a puppet who dared not make a mistake, doing whatever Simazi said without uttering a single complaint.
This further contradicts his story that Simazi was willing to fake a birthmark on his face so that he wouldn't feel inferior when he was a child.
Jiang Nuo took in everything and got into the car at the same time as Si Yan.
Once everyone was on the bus, Song Zheng finally understood why Wang Laoliu always drove this bus when he came to pick up goods: it was spacious with plenty of seats and wouldn't easily attract attention.
Simazi habitually sat in the passenger seat, naturally placed the scaled-up kettle down, put his legs up on it, and started smoking.
Having encountered many different kinds of suspects, Song Zheng had long since developed the ability to interact naturally with anyone. In order to lower Simazi's guard and make it easier to extract information later, Song Zheng also lit a cigarette, resting his elbow on the steering wheel as he turned it, a typical action of someone who often drives a truck.
There were two more rows of space behind them. Si Yan and Jiang Nuo sat in the first row of the back seat. Si Yan, who hadn't had enough sleep the night before, leaned against Jiang Nuo to catch up on her sleep. They were very close and relied on each other.
A Wu sat alone in the last row, which was specially arranged by Song Zheng to completely prevent him from talking to Simazi. After all, he was still a teenager, and even if he wanted to keep it to himself, the micro-expressions on his face could still reveal a lot of information.
People who frequently commit murder are very sensitive to such micro-expressions.
A Wu still remembered Jiang Nuo's threat from yesterday. Afraid that he would give himself away if he opened his mouth, he simply decided to remain silent and looked out the car window at the mountain road that he was already very familiar with.
Simazi chatted idly with Song Zheng while glancing at the person sitting in the back in the rearview mirror.
"Are you two related?" He always spoke with an unchangeable accent, which was easy for listeners to understand from his words.
Jiang Nuo looked up, a smile playing on her lips, taking advantage of the fact that Si Yan was already fast asleep.
She's my wife!
Simazi gave an "oh," squinted his eyes and thought for a while, then asked, "You two look like celebrities, how come you're doing hauling goods?"
Jiang Nuo started making up stories and immediately burst into tears.
"Brother, we actually have our own difficulties! You don't know, I used to be a gangster, and I was always being chased by those cops!"
"There's no other way but to do these lowly jobs; I dare not go out and show my face in public."
Song Zheng the reporter): "..."
He gritted his teeth, thinking that when he got back he would give Jiang Nuo a proper lesson in respecting the police!
Upon hearing this, Simazi's doubts lessened considerably. "Your wife is also involved in the underworld?"
"No," Jiang Nuo said seriously, "He was the mistress of a gang leader, and I kidnapped him."
Simazi: "..."
Wow, that's amazing!
"He's a real man!" he praised Jiang Nuo, completely relaxing as he smoked.
Seeing that the time was right, Song Zheng began to probe for information.
"Brother, I can tell you're a man of honor. Why would you run a coffin shop in this place? If you went out into business, you'd probably be rich by now."
Simazi chuckled, his calloused hands holding the cigarette Song Zheng had given him, not throwing it away even after he'd finished smoking the butt.
"There's nothing I can do. It's a family business passed down through generations. I'm not destined for great wealth and status!"
Song Zheng frowned slightly and glanced at Jiang Nuo discreetly through the rearview mirror.
When most people say this, it's usually as self-deprecation or a way of expressing their disdain for the unfairness of fate, but Simazi says it with such certainty.
Jiang Nuo shifted his gaze, signaling him to continue asking questions.
Song Zheng continued to probe for information, and soon Simazi started talking about his family.
"You don't understand, this damned God just can't stand the people in my house!" Simazi took another puff of his cigarette, the smoke blurring his weathered face. "With so many people dying in the house, I might as well keep running the coffin shop and earn some more money."
"What do you mean by 'many dead'?" Song Zheng asked.
Simazi glanced at him and laughed, "My mother was crushed to death by my father's coffin lid, my brother went out to work, and died tragically in a car accident as soon as he arrived in the city, and my sister-in-law and nephew went to look for him and were struck dead by lightning!"
"I might die someday too."
When Simazi spoke his last words, his cloudy eyes trembled, his eyebrows drooped, and he spoke with intense resentment.
"Dead, good riddance, serves him right." He suddenly lowered his voice and muttered a curse.
Knowing he couldn't press the matter further, Song Zheng quickly patted him on the shoulder, "Don't say such discouraging things, brother. I'll treat you to drinks after we finish hauling the goods! What's with all this talk of dying?"
After that, he changed the subject, asking what kind of treasures were hidden among the goods on Simazi Mountain.