After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Luo Wenwu revealed his identity. Lu Jiao was somewhat surprised to learn that the person before him was the one with the full beard.
However, Hu Jia offered an explanation, and Lu Jiao understood.
"Then you still have to get the mink coat back. It's not worth it to give it to a pawnshop," Lu Jiao reminded him kindly.
"Don't worry, I'll get it back when the time comes. That's real Northeast mink. I'm not willing to lose it like this," Luo Wenwu chuckled. "I'll save it for my wife later."
Lu Jiao rested his forehead. The thought of him pawning something meant for his wife for a charade was truly bold.
After they got acquainted, Hu Jia got straight to the point. "Do you still have it?"
"I do. I keep it with me wherever I go. It's at home now," Lu Jiao said excitedly. He was deeply grateful for Hu Jia's help and cherished the item his benefactor had left him. How could he possibly discard it carelessly?
Thinking that Hu Jia needed the item urgently, Lu Jiao abandoned the idea of going to the pawnshop and headed home with Hu Jia.
It was a pear wood box, about the size of a fist, with a lock. Lu Jiao kept it at the very back of a drawer, clearly well-protected.
"Benefactor, look. This is what you gave me back then," Lu Jiao said, knowing Hu Jia might not remember, and specially introduced it to him.
Hu Jia examined the box from left to right for a moment, his gaze finally settling on the lock.
"Boss, that key..." Luo Wenwu sounded a little anxious. They had never known the purpose of the key to the secret garden in Huayan Village. Now, they finally understood it was to open this.
"Yes. I didn't know the key's purpose before, but it seems it's time to get it back," Hu Jia said.
Hu Jia handed the box to Luo Wenwu, who also inspected it. "Boss, what did you put inside back then? You said this box couldn't prevent theft, nor could it withstand chopping. Why did you even lock it?"
If he hadn't known the importance of this box, Luo Wenwu could have easily ripped the lock off.
A lock? This thing could be opened with a smash!
"Perhaps the box itself is important," Hu Jia mused, also finding it strange. Why would he have put a lock on this box? It offered no protection at all.
Could there be a hidden secret about this box? Perhaps some words were carved on it? A drawing inside? If the box was destroyed, the drawing would be lost?
Lu Jiao, standing nearby, listened with bewilderment. What were they talking about?
"Benefactor, are you discussing the lock?"
"Yes. It's a shame the key is lost. We can't open it now," Hu Jia said.
"Excuse me for interrupting," Lu Jiao said, rubbing his hands sheepishly. "I was the one who put the key on it."
Huh?
Hu Jia and Luo Wenwu were stunned. "You were the one who put the key on it?"
Luo Wenwu thought he had done something wrong. "Should I not have locked it? I just feared the contents would be lost, so I secured it."
"No, no," Hu Jia said, overjoyed. It was best if they could open the box now.
Soon, Lu Jiao found the key and opened the box. As the lock was removed, Hu Jia and Luo Wenwu's eyes shone with anticipation. They were eager to know what was inside.
Er...
As the box opened, what was this?
The contents inside were almost unrecognizable. In simple terms, it looked like some kind of dried-up black charcoal.
Hu Jia cautiously reached out. The moment his fingers touched the object, it crumbled into dust like ash.
"What is this?" Luo Wenwu asked, completely bewildered.
"Wood? Charcoal?" Hu Jia wasn't sure, rubbing his fingers. They were blackened.
"Um, well..." Lu Jiao spoke up again at this critical moment.
Hu Jia and Luo Wenwu looked at Lu Jiao, sensing another surprise was imminent.
"What was inside was a fruit pit, black and round," Lu Jiao said.
"A fruit pit?"
Luo Wenwu almost bit his tongue. Lu Jiao, Lu Jiao, did you know what you were saying? The boss had entrusted something to you so solemnly, and you said it was just a fruit pit?
Hu Jia was also stunned for a long time. He had imagined all sorts of items: a gem? A clue? A bullet? An address? A name? A photograph?
But he had never thought of a fruit pit.
Who would think of a fruit pit? It was absurd.
"Is this the fruit pit?" Hu Jia asked, pointing at the dark object in the box.
"I think so," Lu Jiao replied, also puzzled. He remembered how solemn, how anxious, how careful Hu Jia had been when he handed the item to him. Yet, it turned out to be just a fruit pit.
"No, no, wait. My mind is a bit jumbled. Help me sort it out," Hu Jia said, shaking his head. "Yang Yuegu told me that she had given you something important. Was it this fruit pit?"
"It was indeed a fruit pit," Lu Jiao nodded, then quickly explained, "Benefactor, I didn't eat the flesh inside. When I opened it, only the pit remained."
Hu Jia gave a wry smile. "Of course, I believe you. But I just don't understand why I would give you a fruit pit. Describe the situation back then."
Seeing that his benefactor wasn't suspecting him, Lu Jiao finally felt at ease.
He recounted that one afternoon, he was working at the pawnshop. Hu Jia suddenly ran in from outside, covered in dirt, his beard unshaven, his hair disheveled.
At first, Lu Jiao thought someone was here to pawn a treasure. But as soon as the person spoke, he recognized him.
Hu Jia told him he was being chased and wanted to hide a box. If Yuegu was present, the box could be given to her.
Furthermore, if he himself did not come to retrieve the box, another man would. If that man could utter the second half of 'Pearl Prefect Can Also Be Foolish,' which was 'Ten Years Bearing Fruit in the Courtyard,' then the box could be given to him.
"Pearl Prefect Can Also Be Foolish, Ten Years Bearing Fruit in the Courtyard." Hu Jia mused. This suggested that the man he mentioned was likely Mou Jixuan.
"Then why wasn't this box given to Yuegu?" Hu Jia asked.
"I intended to, but the shopkeeper was absent during that period, and the proprietress didn't come either. By the time they reappeared, the boss was critically ill, and the proprietress was busy with his affairs, so this matter was delayed," Lu Jiao explained. Later, when Yang Yuegu sold the pawnshop, Lu Jiao took the box with him, intending to go to Chongqing.
"Yuegu gave me an address, but when I went there, there was only a woman at home, no one else," Lu Jiao recalled. "Ah, yes, that woman's name was Mu Chung Ya."
...
After parting ways with Lu Jiao, Hu Jia was still in a state of confusion. He then went to find Mu Chung Ya, but she had no recollection of Lu Jiao having visited her.
After all, it had been too long ago.
In the evening, a group of people sat around a table, staring at each other, their eyes darting from each other to the fruit pit, all of them utterly baffled by its meaning.
Logically, a fruit pit shouldn't warrant such careful preservation from Hu Jia.
"Could it be some immortal elixir or divine fruit? Like in Sun Wukong's havoc in the Peach Garden, eating it grants immortality?" Li Yang asked, full of doubt.
"Immortality, your head! Come on, try eating it. See if you become immortal or a ghost," Yu Yue scolded.
Li Yang stuck out his tongue. Fine, if you don't have the ability, speak less, lest you be forcefully sent away.
"This fruit pit must have special significance. Unfortunately, it's dried out and impossible to identify now," Guan Jinsong said, picking up the box to examine it closely, but eventually shook his head in resignation.
Forget it, let's count ourselves unlucky!