Secrets of the Secondhand Shop - Chapter 4

When you’re out there hustling, it’s always smart to have a few friends. Thanks to my business, I’ve gotten familiar with managers of high-end brands, antique shop owners, and jewelry store proprietors. They’d sometimes refer clients to me who wanted to get rid of their old stuff. That way, I had reliable sources for my goods, and they got fair returns—win-win.

Since I now knew the watch came from S Department Store, the next day I called a friend I’d worked with there and asked him to check when the watch was purchased and if there was any customer info. Usually, purchases of high-end items like this are registered. I sent over the serial number, and four hours later, he called me back. Sure enough, the purchase record showed the watch was bought on February 14 of last year. February 14, 2014—Valentine’s Day. That seemed to confirm our suspicion that the guy in the plaid shirt and Chen Xiaocheng were a couple.

And that wasn’t all—we got a bonus. Because of the purchase amount, S Department Store had issued the buyer a membership card, so we also got his registered info.

I knew it—blessed people like me are always looked after. Even though I got mixed up in something dangerous, maybe I really can walk away from this unscathed.

My phone dinged, and my friend sent over a photo of the membership form.

I hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. I felt a lot more relaxed.

Zhao Jinsong, male, born in 1986. Mobile number, QQ number, email—all listed. Even the home address.

Looks like we found the real identity of the plaid-shirt guy.

Building 6, Unit 3015, Fengyuan Community, Huilongguan, Changping District.

I pointed at the address. “Let’s go.”

That day was a license plate restriction day, so by the time Bai Yue and I made it to Fengyuan Community, it was already noon—just around lunchtime. Since it was a workday, the odds of someone being home weren’t great, but we figured we’d still try. When we knocked, a woman inside asked who we were. Judging by her voice, she wasn’t young. We figured she might be Zhao Jinsong’s mother, so we told her we were his classmates. Surprisingly, she didn’t question it and opened the door.

The woman looked to be in her fifties. She wore a long green dress and had fair skin. When she saw us, she immediately looked annoyed. “Finally, someone shows up. Hurry up and take Zhao Jinsong’s stuff! If he’s not living here anymore, at least let someone know. You young people these days have no manners!”

Bai Yue and I exchanged a glance. Seems Zhao Jinsong was renting this place.

“Really sorry—we’re late. Zhao Jinsong ran into some trouble… he passed away,” I said hesitantly. It’s never easy to say that kind of thing out loud.

When she heard that, the woman didn’t seem surprised. She just sighed. “So he’s dead… well, I figured it’d come to that. The way he kept dragging things out, death might’ve been a relief.”

She led us to the second bedroom and pointed at a few cardboard boxes. “That’s his stuff. I packed it up. It’s been a month with no word from him. I can’t just keep the room vacant forever, right? I already rented it out. Hurry up and take the boxes. Just for those things, the tenant complained about space, and I lost out on five hundred yuan.”

“What do you mean it was a relief?” I was curious about her choice of words.

She shook her head. “You guys are his classmates—did none of you ever check on him? Poor kid. Don’t know what illness he had, but his complexion was like he’d been poisoned. His body was all swollen, like a radish. He was in and out of the hospital constantly.”

Then she leaned in and said, “First time I saw him, I could tell he wasn’t going to live long. Every night, I could hear him groaning in pain.”

“You live here with the tenants?” I asked, opening one of the boxes. It was full of medicine.

“Yeah, it’s a three-bedroom. My husband passed away early, and my daughter’s living abroad. I rent out the other two rooms for living expenses.”

She was easy to talk to—answered everything we asked. Aunties like her were always chatty. She kept going about Zhao Jinsong. “He lived here for about three years. His condition wasn’t great. At first, it was just shortness of breath—looked weak, but manageable. But in the last few months, he just went downhill. Eventually, he couldn’t even leave the house. Just lay there all day. I was worried he might die here. I was about to tell him to go back to his hometown, but then one day, he just vanished. Never came back.”

“Did Jinsong have a girlfriend? What happened to her?” I asked.

The woman nodded. “Yes, she was a good girl. After he got sick, she came every day to take care of him. In the end, he couldn’t move at all—she cooked, fed him, gave him medicine… really attentive.”

While I was chatting with the auntie, Bai Yue wandered around the room. The second bedroom had a bed, a wardrobe, and a small table. Simple setup, but neat. Now that there was a new tenant, it was hard to imagine what the room looked like when Zhao Jinsong lived here. While we talked, Bai Yue suddenly lifted the mattress.

“Hey! What are you doing?!” the woman cried out.

I quickly stepped in to calm her. “Auntie, don’t be upset. The thing is, our classmate’s death was a little suspicious, so some of us wanted to help his family figure out what happened. Let us have a closer look—maybe we’ll find some clues.”

“No way! This room’s already rented out. If you mess it up, the tenant’s gonna be mad!” She rushed over to fix the mattress.

I figured Bai Yue must have had a reason for doing that, so I tried to convince her. But no matter how hard I tried, she wouldn’t listen. I was just about to scold Bai Yue for not helping when he calmly pulled out his wallet and took out a 100 yuan bill. Smiling, he held the woman’s hand and slipped her the money. “We’ll tidy everything up afterward. No one will even know. Just a little token of appreciation.”

She looked at the bill, gave an awkward smile, and slowly tucked it away. “Uh… well, if you’re going to help clean up, I guess it’s okay…”

“Do you know what Jinsong’s girlfriend’s name is? What she looks like? Any idea where she is now?” Bai Yue asked while crouching to examine the bed more closely.

“She was surnamed Chen. I just called her Xiao Chen. Her full name… I never asked. I only know Zhao Jinsong’s name because of the rental contract. His girlfriend’s name? No clue. She had big eyes, though, and her looks were decent. Why? You think his death had something to do with her?” The woman’s eyes lit up mid-sentence as she stared at the two of us.

“Not exactly, but the circumstances of his death… she might be the only one who knows the truth. We can’t find her, so we’re hoping to find a lead here,” I explained.

She nodded in understanding. “Got it. Let me think… I don’t know where she lived, but that girl didn’t seem to have a regular job. She was always home during the day taking care of Zhao Jinsong, and at night, after he fell asleep, she’d dress up in the bathroom—really dolled up—and head out. Every morning when she came back, she reeked of alcohol. Then she’d nap a bit before getting back to taking care of him. Like a night creature… not normal…”

“But she was a nice girl. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let her stick around. She often brought me fruit and such,” she added.

“Did Zhao Jinsong ever mention where she worked?” Bai Yue asked as he finished putting the mattress back and started inspecting the corners.

“Nope. You should check his stuff—maybe there’s something in there,” she said, pointing at the boxes.

“Thanks, we will. Wu Qi, let’s go,” Bai Yue said, picking up a box and signaling me to help carry them out.

I nodded and stepped in.

Before we left, the auntie repeatedly asked us not to tell anyone that Zhao Jinsong had died. She was worried it’d affect her ability to rent out the place.

It was too much to haul back by subway, so we found a nearby hotel, booked a twin room, and started digging through the boxes. Other than the meds, most of it was just daily essentials and clothes—nothing useful. I hadn’t looked closely at the medicine before, but now I dumped everything out. There were three outpatient record books, and four kinds of medication: Bosentan, Isosorbide dinitrate, Furosemide, and Digoxin.

The record books tracked two years of treatment. Besides outpatient visits, there were also a few hospitalizations. I flipped through the pages, trying to decipher the doctor’s messy handwriting. Finally, I made it out: Primary pulmonary hypertension.

What the hell is that…?

“Wu Qi, I’ve got good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?” Bai Yue interrupted, his expression strangely grim.

Just hearing that made my hair stand on end. “Don’t be dramatic. Bad news first.”

Bai Yue nodded. “The bad news is—we walked right into a trap. You might not make it through the night…”

I froze. He didn’t look like he was joking. But I still couldn’t believe it. “Heh… seriously?”

He patted my shoulder, his face deadly serious. “It’s complicated, and we don’t have time. Just accept it for now. What matters most is finding that woman. I checked Zhao Jinsong’s bed—someone tampered with it. I underestimated the situation. If I’d known earlier, I wouldn’t have let you meet Zhao Jinsong’s soul. What was supposed to be just a one-hour delay per day—now the Sky Well has been opened. If we don’t get that thing out before midnight, it’ll come for you.”

Sh1t! This messed up? I instinctively glanced at my watch. 14:46. Beijing’s huge—how the hell are we supposed to find that woman?

Then, like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, Bai Yue held up a business card. “Which brings us to the good news—this.”