Lin Fang explained, “I can’t confirm if you know her, but when I was in high school, there was a female classmate named Pi Xinhong. I don’t know if she’s the same Pi Xinhong you’re referring to.”
“How old was the Pi Xinhong in your class? What did she look like?” Xiao Fei asked.
Xiao Fei found it strange that Lin Fang had overheard his conversation with Qin Yi. They had spoken very softly when discussing the case, so it shouldn’t have been audible to someone who had just entered from outside. Moreover, their tone and vocabulary had clearly been that of two men discussing a woman. Yet, from Lin Fang’s words, it seemed she knew they were talking about a case.
Lin Fang recalled, “The Pi Xinhong in our class was the same age as me, nineteen, just a few months older. She was very tall, about 1.75 meters, with big eyes, a long face, and a pointed chin. She had a distinctive feature—a scar running from her lips to her chin, left from a fight.”
Glancing at Qin Yi, Xiao Fei asked, “Would you be willing to go to the hospital to identify her?”
“Sure,” Lin Fang replied. She was also curious to know if this Pi Xinhong was the one she knew and what had happened to her.
“No rush. We can go to the hospital after finishing our business here,” Qin Yi interjected. He wasn’t surprised that Lin Fang had overheard their conversation. His only concern now was what to do if Lin Fang became involved in the case.
Xiao Fei had no objections to Qin Yi’s decision. As the team leader, Qin Yi had nearly lost his life over this case and had spent the past two years relentlessly pursuing it. If he didn’t want Lin Fang to identify the body now, he must have his reasons.
Lin Fang also didn’t object. Her own matters were more pressing at the moment. Soon, they arrived at the shop that was up for transfer.
It was a noodle restaurant, located in the city center but tucked deep inside an alley about 300 meters long. Though not particularly remote, the shop wasn’t street-facing, so business wasn’t great.
Compared to street-facing properties, the noodle shop looked old. The building was a traditional single-story structure with a large frontage and both front and back doors. The back door opened into a spacious courtyard of about 200 square meters, with three small rooms opposite—the owner’s family residence.
The noodle shop was run by a middle-aged couple. They explained that they came from a remote mountain village where schools were scarce, and literacy was uncommon.
To give their child an education, the couple had left home when their child was just learning to walk. By chance, they acquired this small property, tore down the wall facing the alley, built a simple structure, and opened the noodle shop. After bringing their child to the city and spending their savings on school fees, they enrolled him in a nearby elementary school.
However, due to cultural differences and their heavy dialect, the child struggled to adapt. He was often bullied by classmates, and teachers, unable to understand him, largely ignored him. Gradually, the child refused to go to school or even leave the house. Fearing this would ruin their child, the couple decided to return home and find another way to educate him later.
From a purely commercial perspective, the shop’s location wasn’t ideal. But with urban development, the city center would transform, and this unassuming property’s value could skyrocket—possibly multiplying several times over. If Lin Fang bought it, she was sure to profit.
Yet, seeing the couple’s distress, Lin Fang felt conflicted.
If they had managed to acquire property in such a prime location in just a few years, they were clearly shrewd. They might have foreseen the property’s future value but chose to prioritize their child’s well-being over potential wealth.
Moved by their parental sacrifice—much like her own family’s sacrifices for her—Lin Fang felt compelled to help.
“Boss, with all the redevelopment happening, your shop’s location is excellent. The government might redevelop this area someday and offer compensation far higher than what you’d get selling now. Wouldn’t it be a shame to sell?” Lin Fang cautioned.
The owner sighed. “We’ve thought about that, but who knows how long it’ll take? Our child can’t wait.”
Having studied in a southern city in her past life, Lin Fang remembered its development trajectory. But she wasn’t as familiar with the provincial capital’s plans. So, she proposed an alternative:
“Boss, here’s an idea. My family runs a school, and I’ve been tutoring kids since high school. Let me teach your child. You don’t have to sell the property—just rent it to me. You two can work for me instead of running the noodle shop. What do you think?”
“Lin Fang, what do you plan to do with this place?” Guo Hongping, who had been quietly observing, sensed Lin Fang had a plan and spoke up.
Lin Fang replied, “Continue the same line—run a tutoring center. But I won’t teach; my classmates will. I’ll provide the space, and they’ll pay me a percentage of their earnings.”
Guo Hongping frowned. “If you’re just collecting a small cut, and their earnings are low, you might not even cover the rent. Isn’t that a loss?”
She still wanted Lin Fang to buy the property and let her manage it.
“Don’t worry. Art school students doing this will earn plenty,” Lin Fang said. If not for her tight schedule—trying to complete four years of coursework in two—she’d have taught herself.
“Are you sure you can teach their child?” Guo Hongping pressed, hoping to sway Lin Fang toward buying.
“Won’t know until we try,” Lin Fang replied before turning back to the owner. “Boss, where’s your child? Can I meet him?”
As Lin Fang and Guo Hongping spoke, the couple had been quietly discussing her proposal. When Lin Fang suddenly switched to their dialect, they were stunned. Guo Hongping was equally surprised.
Xiao Fei, confused, glanced around, unsure what had happened. Only Qin Yi, who had just returned from a phone call, remained expressionless.
“Are you from my hometown?” the landlady asked excitedly.
Lin Fang smiled. “No, I’m just mimicking your accent. It’ll make it easier to communicate with your child.”
“Wonderful! I’ll bring him out right away,” the boss said eagerly, hurrying out the back door.
While waiting, Guo Hongping asked, “Since when could you do that? The imitation was spot-on.”
Lin Fang explained, “Our school has students from all over, with all kinds of accents. Some speak heavily accented Mandarin, some barely any at all. To communicate, many of us learn to mimic different dialects. It’s not unusual at our school.”
Xiao Fei chimed in, “So all your classmates are that skilled?”
“Not all. Some, like the boss’s child, struggle with language and cultural barriers and end up dropping out. It’s a shame,” Lin Fang sighed.
Soon, the boss returned, carrying a crying, thrashing little boy. Despite their coaxing and threats, the boy refused to stay, bolting for the backyard the moment he was set down.
Noticing the homemade toy that had slipped from the boy’s hand, Lin Fang had an idea. From the couple’s words of comforting the child, she learned his name was Tongtong and spoke to him in their local dialect:
“Wow, Tongtong, your spinning top is so cool! But I wonder how well you can play with it. I can play too—let’s compete! If I lose, I’ll give your top a fancy new string. If you lose, you show me your other toys. Deal?”
The boy quieted, eyeing Lin Fang warily from his mother’s arms.
“You go first, then me. This chubby sister will time us. Whoever’s top spins longer wins. Okay?” Lin Fang pressed.
Tongtong hesitated, glancing between Lin Fang and his grubby toy.
“If you win, this chubby sister’s watch is yours too. Look how pretty it is!” Lin Fang added, snatching Guo Hongping’s pink digital watch off her wrist.
“I don’t want a pink watch! That’s for girls. I want one the color of the sky—our hometown’s sky, not this gray city sky,” Tongtong retorted before hiding his face again.
“Deal! Just like you said,” Lin Fang agreed. Once the child spoke, she could work with him.
In the end, Lin Fang “lost,” rewarding Tongtong with a sky-blue string for his top and promising him a matching watch.
With no need to sell the property, their son getting a tutor, and steady income from rent and wages for maintaining the space and cooking for the tutoring center, the couple eagerly agreed.
In gratitude, they shared valuable contacts—other migrants in the city who knew of properties for sale, their owners’ reputations, and neighborhood conditions. For Lin Fang, this was an unexpected bonus.
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