The grandmother, after watching Lin Mai and Cui Qiao make spicy fermented tofu, and with Jia Hui and Jia Yao having had their fill of the spectacle, was about to lead everyone, including the children, back to the courtyard to play as they had done days before.
Teacher Zhou arrived at that moment. He said to the grandmother, "Auntie, I've contacted them, and everything is arranged! They'll send people to the valley tomorrow morning to move the goods. Should we organize everything today? We can sew the mouths of the bags shut with strong twine, and then nothing will spill out. This way, it won't be inconvenient for them, and they won't risk spilling things as they carry them over the mountains."
The grandmother quickly replied, "Good! Good! It's good that you found them! I was worried we wouldn't be able to find anyone for the past couple of days. All these good things we prepared would have been wasted. Now that we've found someone, great! I'll go find everyone to get to work right away."
With that, she hurried off.
Teacher Zhou didn't follow but stayed behind, appearing as if he had something to say.
Chen Lan, seeing that Teacher Zhou seemed to have something on his mind, asked, "Teacher Zhou, is there something you need? Please, just tell me. We're old friends now, not like we just met. Whatever it is, just say it! If I can help, I'll do my best, and if I can't, I hope you'll understand."
Teacher Zhou waved his hands repeatedly upon hearing Chen Lan's words, saying, "No, no, I don't need your help with anything."
He then faltered.
Chen Lan, noticing this, asked, "Teacher Zhou, is there something that's troubling you? Or is there something that's making things difficult for you?"
Teacher Zhou lowered his head in thought for a moment, then seemed to make a decision and said, "Xiao Lan, I want to explain things to you about my connection with them."
Upon hearing this, Chen Lan quickly stopped Teacher Zhou from continuing.
Chen Lan said, "Teacher Zhou, since we've reached this point, I'll be honest with you. Of course, whether you believe me or not is up to you."
Teacher Zhou quickly interrupted, "Wait, Xiao Lan, you don't need to say anything. I have no interest in prying into other people's private lives!"
Ever since Chen Lan suspected Teacher Zhou's potential background, she had decided to take the initiative and find an opportunity to confront him.
Today was a perfect chance, so she immediately decided to approach Teacher Zhou. She wasn't afraid of him not believing her, but rather of him not asking.
So Chen Lan smiled and said, "Teacher Zhou, actually, I've really wanted to talk to someone about this incredible matter. To be honest, I still don't understand what's going on myself. You probably won't believe me when I say this, and I can understand that."
Teacher Zhou quickly explained, "Xiao Lan, I really don't mean to pry into your family matters! When I agreed to come here with you all, I was just curious about what country produced such advanced equipment. But you made it clear when you were at home that such advanced equipment and materials were beyond the production capabilities of any country at present. This made me even more curious."
Chen Lan thought to herself that after all this circling, they had finally gotten to the main point. She chuckled and continued, "Teacher Zhou, I can completely understand your curiosity about this matter. To be frank, even now, I'm curious, and I want to know how all these things came about. You might think I'm being evasive, trying to fob you off, or making excuses, but I genuinely can't explain it myself. It's like, it's like, how should I put it? You could call it superpowers!"
Hearing this, Teacher Zhou immediately became excited and repeatedly said, "Yes, yes, yes, superpowers! Our country has many talented individuals like you."
Chen Lan saw that Teacher Zhou was genuinely interested and immediately followed up, "No, Teacher Zhou, you might have misunderstood. It's not that I have superpowers, it's my father-in-law who does."
This time, Teacher Zhou was bewildered. His eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed loudly, "Your, your father-in-law? Wasn't he, wasn't he sacrificed in battle?"
Chen Lan nodded affirmatively and said, "Yes! My father-in-law. That's why I said that even if I told the truth, no one would believe me."
Teacher Zhou was even more unsettled now.
Chen Lan ignored his agitation and continued, "How should I put it? This is what happened. I assume you've investigated. It was back in February when I was home in the capital. I got caught in the rain one day and developed a high fever that night. It was my father-in-law who found me. You should have investigated thoroughly; my father-in-law had already sacrificed his life by the time I married into the Xu family, so I never met him."
After speaking, Chen Lan took a breath and calmly looked at Teacher Zhou. She noticed him subtly touch his nose, a hint of unnaturalness on his face.
Seeing that she had achieved the desired effect, Chen Lan continued, "My father-in-law and my biological father were classmates. There's no doubt that my biological father and elder brother both sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, right? You must have investigated this, so I won't elaborate further. He, my father-in-law, is the one who wanted our entire family to move to Changbai Mountain and settle here. Do you believe me?"
Teacher Zhou involuntarily nodded. He said, "I believe you. According to our investigation, you've never left the capital in your life, except to marry into the Xu family. However, you never even left the Xu family, let alone traveled to Changbai Mountain, and certainly not to this valley. Therefore, I believe you."
Chen Lan continued, "So, I told my mother-in-law that my father-in-law wanted our whole family to move to Changbai Mountain."
Teacher Zhou asked with disbelief, "Auntie, she just agreed to donate her family fortune and move without asking any questions?"
Chen Lan quickly replied, "How could she agree? I only relayed one sentence that my father-in-law wanted me to tell my mother-in-law, and immediately my mother-in-law agreed to donate all their family assets and come to Changbai Mountain to farm."
Teacher Zhou eagerly asked, "What did he say?"
Chen Lan saw that she had his attention and said, "My father-in-law said that if she didn't want her children to grow up without a future, she should donate all their family assets and move."
Teacher Zhou didn't know what to say now. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Did he say anything else? Did he always come to find you, or could you find him?"
Chen Lan shook her head and said, "He always came to find me; I could never find him. When I asked, my father-in-law wouldn't say anything, only that the secrets of heaven must not be revealed, or he would face divine retribution, and it would bring calamity upon his descendants."
Watching Teacher Zhou's retreating figure grow smaller and smaller, Chen Lan smiled, not entirely without a hint of mischief, and turned to walk towards her own home.