1109 Perplexed and Smitten 169 (1/2)
Seeing that An Xiaoning was avoiding the topic, the elderly patriarch decided not to probe any further.
”Before I came in, I overheard you telling your grandchild that your ancestors had found a letter and two portraits in Yin Cun's coffin. Do you still have those things with you?”
”We didn't dare to keep them, lest we bring about unnecessary trouble. I've long burned them into ashes.”
Soon, Yin Shi and his father returned with a thick book of ancestral records.
”Ms. An, you may take this,” the patriarch said, staring at the ancestral records on the table.
She picked it up and flipped through the pages carefully before saying, ”I shall wait for your family to issue a declaration, then. I'm sure you know the reason, Sir. I would then not impose on you any further.”
”Ms. An, did you especially rush here from A Nation?”
”Yes, I'm heading back now.”
”Why don't you stay here for a night? You may leave tomorrow morning.”
”I won't impose on you. Sir… if an anonymous person contacts you after you issue the declaration, please contact me immediately. That's the only way you can survive. Bear that in mind,” said An Xiaoning.
”Got it. Yin Shi, see Ms. An out.”
”Yes, Grandpa.”
Yin Shi left together with An Xiaoning. When their footsteps could no longer be heard, the patriarch took out a pen and a piece of paper on which he wrote a few messages for his son. Astonishment was written all over Yin Shi's father's face the moment he read the words.
—
”Young Madam, what's the matter? Why did you change the plan all of a sudden?” Fan Shixin asked without hesitation the moment he saw An Xiaoning.
An Xiaoning closed the door and handed him the book of records in her hands. She explained, ”I broke the spell that the patriarch had put outside the door. All of a sudden, I realized that there was an easier solution that would save us time and energy. After hearing the conversation between the patriarch and his grandson, I decided to execute my plan.”
”But, Young Madam, aren't you afraid that the patriarch would be a blockhead…”
”Regardless of how dense and senseless he may be, he will understand the need to weigh the pros and cons.”
”However, we've now already alarmed them…”
”They've been alarmed long ago. Before I entered the mansion to meet them, that old fellow already found out that I'd been looking into the information about the Yin family.” An Xiaoning took a seat and continued, ”Fortunately, the owner of this apartment had signed a nondisclosure agreement when I rented it back then. So far, we're the only ones who know about this. The Yin family has no idea that we're monitoring them from here. They thought that I would return to A City after getting this book of records.”
”Could these records have been falsified?”
”I doubt it. Although they were already alarmed before my visit, you must understand that they had no idea that we were after the ancestral records. How could they have possibly prepared a false set beforehand? Besides, the ancestral records aren't that important to them. They wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to prepare an extra set that'd been falsified. There's no need for him to do so either since he doesn't know what I'm planning to do with the records. Am I right?”
Fan Shixin nodded in agreement and said, ”Yes, but, Young Madam, I still can't figure out what you need their ancestral records for.”
She told Fan Shixin about the conversation she had overheard, after which she asked, ”Do you believe the patriarch's words?”
”About finding the portraits of you and Young Sir in Yin Cun's coffin?”
”Yes.”
Fan Shixin speculated, ”I don't think he's lying. If what he said was real, Yin Cun must have instructed his family members to place those items in his coffin with the sole purpose of letting his descendants discover them in the future. What else could his purpose be? Yin Cun had confessed to killing thousands of lives in the letter that he had penned personally. The patriarch has also verified that Yin Cun was indeed the one who wrote it, according to the ink stamp. Since he had written that himself, there was no way they would keep it because it would only bring about disadvantages to the Yin family. On top of that, it was the Yin family's best bet to burn the portraits of you and Young Sir.”
An Xiaoning nodded and continued looking through the ancestral records with him.