Chapter 115: Stealing People
Mi Yang was taken aback for a moment, then looked up and whispered, “Which one?”
Shan Jing’s gaze did not move and was still on the person above. She whispered to him, “Of course it’s the old professor who is sitting down. Don’t you think his temperament is very special? He’s the leading figure in our field.” Seeing that Mi Yang was in a daze and had not reacted, she was almost furious. “You don’t even know? Which other Professor Zhang could there be? It’s Professor Zhang from the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University!”
This time, Mi Yang suddenly understood. When Bai Luochuan had shown him the application form before, he had specially mentioned this Professor Zhang. They were taking the college entrance exam a year early, and part of it was because Bai Luochuan wanted to finish his studies early, but more of it was to let him enter university early and join Professor Zhang’s last batch of students.
In the young master Bai’s words, if you’re going to follow a professor, you should follow the best one.
Mi Yang glanced at the stage. Professor Zhang was a very amiable person and greeted everyone with a smile. The people present all knew him. Some stood up and even shook his hand. When Professor Sun, who had been sitting, saw the old man come, he quickly stood up. They looked very familiar, but Professor Sun was a little younger. After a few polite words and a laugh with Professor Zhang, he handed the stage over to the other.
Professor Sun had moved to another seat but had not forgotten to take his teacup—the one with the good tea Professor Sun had brought himself!
When Professor Zhang saw this, he smiled and said something to the young man behind him.
The young man then went out and asked for a white porcelain water cup, and came over with the empty cup to ask for some tea from Professor Sun. Professor Sun wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard, but the meeting room had slowly quieted down, and under the gaze of so many pairs of eyes, he heard the young man bend down and say to him, “…Uncle Sun, I saw it. Can you give us some tea? I’ve been waiting for several days. I even brought my own cup when I heard you were coming.”
Professor Sun: “…”
Thick-skinned, you eat your fill. Professor Sun was obviously not as thick-skinned as this one. He reluctantly gave him a small bag and sent him away, “Go, go. What does this look like!” Although he looked disgusted, his attitude was like that of an elder to a junior in the family.
The young man smiled and thanked him, then went out to get some water to make tea.
The people present all started to laugh, and Shan Jing also laughed.
Mi Yang leaned a little closer and whispered, “Sister Jing, who is that?”
Shan Jing whispered, “That’s Chen Baiwei, Professor Zhang’s new student from last year. He’s very treasured. It’s said that he’s been watching him grow up since he was a child and dotes on him like his own grandson, taking him with him everywhere and teaching him by hand.”
Mi Yang blinked his eyes. “But I just heard him call Professor Sun ‘Uncle’?”
Shan Jing cleared her throat, embarrassed. “Well, our Professor Sun looks old, but he’s actually only in his fifties. Old Zhang is different. He’s almost seventy this year and was re-hired to be the dean. Anyway, we’re all counting on Old Zhang to show us the way. I don’t have high demands. I’ll be satisfied if I can be one-tenth as good as Old Zhang in the future.” After a few sentences, she started to praise her idol again.
Chen Baiwei had made the tea for Professor Zhang and was sitting behind him, listening obediently. When he was so quiet, his side profile was really handsome. His eyes were deep, and the corners of his lips were slightly curled, as if he were smiling. It made a few of the little girls next to him stare—except for Shan Jing. Her gaze was on Old Zhang, and she didn’t even glance at the handsome guy next to her, completely transformed into a fangirl of the archaeology and museology world.
After the preparations were ready, the meeting continued.
Professor Zhang gently tapped the microphone on the small stand in front of him with his hand. “Ahem, then, let me say a few words to everyone first. We’ve been working on this for a while…”
Shan Jing said excitedly, “Quick, write it all down!”
Mi Yang said, “Huh? We’re not recording what Professor Sun said?”
Shan Jing said decisively, “No, we’re not. We’re recording what Professor Zhang said. Don’t miss a single word!”
Shan Jing did as she said and quickly wrote it down, much more seriously than before, her eyes filled with attentive listening and fanaticism.
Mi Yang felt that he had only seen this kind of fanaticism in the eyes of little girls at a concert. It was the first time he had seen someone so excited to take meeting minutes that they wished they could cheer on the spot. But since Shan Jing had said so, he also followed suit and wrote it down. He could write fluently without looking at his notebook. Professor Zhang spoke with a slight accent. Mi Yang listened and watched his mouth movements, and the words he wrote flowed from the tip of his pen onto the paper.
Professor Zhang spoke for most of the meeting. The old man looked very energetic, and what he said was all solid stuff. Mi Yang felt that he had benefited a lot just by listening.
After the meeting ended, Professor Zhang and the other professors all left one after another. The young man named Chen Baiwei, who was beside Professor Zhang, bent down to help the old professor and lowered his head to listen to his instructions, nodding and agreeing with a smile. Chen Baiwei turned his head and swept his gaze across the meeting room. His smiling eyes casually passed by and met Mi Yang’s. He was probably also surprised to see someone so young. Chen Baiwei was a little surprised and winked at him as a greeting, then turned and left without lingering.
Shan Jing, on the side, had sorted out the recorded materials and shook her wrist. “So tired. I didn’t expect Old Zhang to say so much today. But it was worth it. I’ve recorded most of it. Mi Yang, how much did you record? We can check and sort it out later and leave a copy for the others to see. This is all first-hand information.”
Mi Yang said, “I’ve recorded it all.”
He said it with certainty. Shan Jing was taken aback for a moment. “All of it?”
Mi Yang nodded, then hesitated. “I haven’t heard some of the words before, so I only recorded the general idea and made a note for Sister Jing to revise later.”
Shan Jing took what he was holding and looked at it. She had been listening carefully just now and had a general idea in her heart. Mi Yang was not bragging. He had basically recorded it all, a human writing machine. Shan Jing was very satisfied, praised him a couple of times, and took it back to sort out herself.
The first day was just meetings and getting to know each other. Mi Yang went to a meal with them and then went back to his accommodation early.
He called his parents to let them know, then, calculating the time school was over, he also called Bai Luochuan.
Bai Luochuan answered quickly and asked him, “You’ve arrived? Have you eaten?”
Mi Yang said, “I have. I had roasted meat. A whole big piece was brought up. I feel like I ate half a sheep.”
Bai Luochuan chuckled. “You’re lying. You can’t even eat a palm-sized piece of stewed mutton at home.”
Mi Yang lay on the bed and said with a smile, “It’s true. It’s not the same as at home. It’s very delicious.”
Bai Luochuan chatted with him for a while and felt that his own appetite had improved a lot. As Mi Yang was speaking, he suddenly heard a knock on the door and said to him, “I’ll call you back tomorrow. Someone is here.”
He opened the door and saw the young man he had met at the meeting before, with a pair of smiling eyes, which made it hard to dislike him. Mi Yang remembered that his name was Chen Baiwei.
Chen Baiwei had brought a bag of dried apricots and handed it to Mi Yang. “Want to try? The dried apricots here are very delicious.”
Mi Yang thanked him and was about to take it, but Chen Baiwei did not let go. “Take a handful. This is all I have. I’ll share it with everyone!”
The other was so frank about being poor that Mi Yang couldn’t help but laugh. He let him into the room and asked, “I also brought some snacks. Do you want some, senior brother?” Mi Yang was the youngest here, so it was always right to call everyone “senior brother” or “senior sister.”
Chen Baiwei smiled and walked in, sitting in a chair to wait. As he chatted with Mi Yang, he was surprised to hear that he was a high school student. “No wonder. I thought you were young! I thought I was miserable enough to be drafted as a freshman. Tsk, there’s even a child laborer here!”
Mi Yang chuckled. “I also signed up myself. It’s a rare opportunity to learn something.”
Chen Baiwei thought this child was very honest and quite interesting. He asked him, “Do you want to study this in university too?”
Mi Yang nodded. “Yes.”
Chen Baiwei said, “No wonder. How were you chosen? Do you have some skills? What’s your specialty?”
Mi Yang said, “I’ve been learning to restore books from my grandfather for ten years. I can also restore a little of other things. I’m learning to restore silk, and I can only do the simplest restorations for gold, silver, and porcelain.”
Chen Baiwei’s eyes lit up. “You’re an expert!”
Mi Yang quickly said, “No, no. I’m just learning a craft to make a living.”
Chen Baiwei chuckled, then turned to look at a map on his desk. “Oh, you have this map too?”
Mi Yang glanced at it. “Oh, yes. Sister Jing got it for me. It seems to be a topographical map of this area.”
Chen Baiwei opened it with one hand and looked at it, then nodded. “Yes. The teacher was afraid that it would be inconvenient for everyone without a map, so he had the local cultural relics bureau make a special copy. The places marked on it are the few places he’s going to see during this time.”
His finger tapped a spot on the map. Mi Yang looked up and saw it. “It’s not easy to get a car in here, right? The terrain is too low, and the road marked on it is also quite narrow.”
Chen Baiwei asked him, “You can read it?”
Mi Yang nodded. “My dad was a soldier before, in the field army. I used to look at maps with him when I was a child. It’s about the same as this.”
Chen Baiwei’s eyes darted around, and when he looked at Mi Yang again, his smile was even wider.
He watched as Mi Yang opened his suitcase and took things out one by one, then immediately interrupted, “Hey, you don’t have to unpack so much. We’re leaving tomorrow. Just leave everything in the suitcase. Don’t take them out, so you don’t forget them tomorrow.”
Mi Yang agreed and took out two bags of beef jerky for him. “I bought these at the supermarket. I’ll treat you to my mom’s beef jerky when I have the chance. It’s very delicious.”
Chen Baiwei took a bag, opened it, and ate it. His little white teeth were very sharp, and his eyes narrowed as he ate. “Thanks. I’ll treat you to a meal later.”
Chen Baiwei was just like he was visiting. He took his bag of dried apricots and went to the other few people’s rooms. This time, there were twelve or thirteen people. Chen Baiwei had managed to get to know everyone with that half a bag of dried apricots.
The next day, when Mi Yang and the others were having breakfast together, everyone was talking about this. Two of them scratched their heads. “Huh? Didn’t Chen Baiwei tell you he would treat you to a meal later? He told us.”
Mi Yang also looked up. A circle of people around him were all shaking their heads. He was curious. Chen Baiwei had also said that to him yesterday.
A little fatty sitting next to Shan Jing said angrily, “You’re new this year. Don’t be fooled by that smiling fox! I’ve known him for so long, and I’ve never seen him treat anyone to a meal! Sister Jing, am I right?”
Shan Jing was a little hesitant. The little fatty immediately said with a heartache, “He didn’t tell you too, did he? Sister Jing, don’t believe him. That pretty boy is just all talk. What did he share yesterday? A bag of dried apricots, for three people, my god. Sister Jing, you have to be clear-headed. There’s no future with him! He’s so stingy!”
Shan Jing said, “Who said I want to be with him? He’s good-looking, but he’s not my type. I like the scholarly and polite type.”
The little fatty beat his chest. “Mi Yang is not okay either!”
Mi Yang almost spat out a mouthful of fried rice and coughed several times. Shan Jing was already holding the little fatty’s ear and teaching him a lesson, “Don’t you dare ruin my reputation. And, what pretty boy? In terms of seniority, you should call him ‘senior uncle’! He’s Professor Zhang’s disciple. You’re not allowed to call him that in the future. And, if he’s a pretty boy, what are you? A big white face?”
Besides being a little plump, the little fatty was also quite good-looking, fair and clean. He had been a handsome little guy when he was thin. He was still giving Shan Jing a life-and-death advice and was taught a lesson by Shan Jing, and he became honest.
As they were having breakfast, Chen Baiwei strolled over, still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. When he saw everyone, he greeted them with a smile, showing his little white teeth. “You’re eating. Is it to your liking?”
It sounded as if he had contracted the entire canteen and was treating everyone to breakfast.
The corner of the little fatty’s mouth twitched, and he looked at him with anger but didn’t dare to speak.
Chen Baiwei just stood by and watched everyone eat. A few of them were under a lot of pressure and sped up. When Chen Baiwei saw everyone put down their chopsticks, he asked again, “Are you done eating? Then I have something to trouble a few of the new friends to help with. It’s just a matter of lending a hand. It’ll be over soon.” He smiled and called out a few names. It was the two boys he had said he would treat to a meal yesterday and Mi Yang. After he finished speaking, he looked up at Shan Jing. “Sister Jing, are you going?”
Shan Jing said, “You guys go first. I’ll be there in a bit.”
Chen Baiwei then led the three new people away with a grin. There was also a tall guy beside him, who honestly asked him if they were going to do physical labor, and that he had brought tools in his bag. Chen Baiwei touched his chin and nodded. “That’s fine too. Mi Yang also brought tools, right? You guys go first. I’ll have someone bring your things over later.”
Mi Yang felt that something was not right. This person’s smile was too sly, more and more like a big-tailed fox.
After they had left their accommodation, they were taken by Chen Baiwei to a jeep and were bumped around for over an hour. They were about to throw up their breakfast when the two brothers also realized. They said with a trembling voice, “Excuse me, where are you taking us?”
Chen Baiwei sat in the front seat, wrapped in his overcoat, and smiled sideways. “It’s fine. We’re just going to help with a small matter.”
The tall boy was a little afraid of him and said, trembling, “No, how about we go back? Professor Sun will be looking for us in a bit.”
Chen Baiwei waved his hand. “Aiyo, we’re all family. Really. Uncle Sun is very close to us. You didn’t go to the meeting yesterday, did you? What a pity. You didn’t see. As soon as our Old Zhang came, Uncle Sun immediately got him some tea. He was so enthusiastic!”
Mi Yang: “…”
Another one also whispered, “Then we should also tell Professor Sun. It seems we’re taking a car to Hami today.”
Chen Baiwei showed a set of neat and white teeth and smiled. “Is that so?”
But he did not continue.
Chen Baiwei had brought three people back and had arrived at another camp a hundred kilometers away. After waiting at the entrance for a while, he saw another car send Shan Jing over, and at the same time, it also brought the luggage of the few of them.
Mi Yang looked at his suitcase and backpack and was not surprised at all. He had guessed it halfway.
The two boys had just reacted and looked at the luggage and then at Chen Baiwei in surprise. “What’s going on? We’re not going to Hami?”
Chen Baiwei said, “Hami, huh? That’s a good place, but we can go in a few days. Hey, let me tell you the truth. Actually, our Old Zhang’s side has always been short of hands, and a new object has just come out recently, a whole set of thangkas—you tell me, can the documents in Hami compare with thangkas? This will be too helpful for the future research of the local art, humanities, and religion. I did a preliminary understanding of everyone last night. You, you’ve studied oil painting for four years. We need a talent like you to control the color mixing. And the other little brother, don’t be afraid. You’re a science and engineering student, and you’re also familiar with the operation and maintenance of various equipment. The equipment we’ve brought needs a talent like you. And Mi Yang, aiyo, you’re so proficient in miscellaneous studies, you can repair a little of everything. Sister Jing is in charge of logistics and coordination. You’re just what we need. It’s not that I’m saying, but this job is really too suitable for you!”
After he finished praising, he patted his chest. “Don’t you worry. Old Zhang will personally ask for credit for you later. If there’s anything, Old Zhang will take care of it. I guarantee that Uncle Sun won’t make things difficult for you at all!”
The few boys stood in front of the thief’s den, holding back their words. Shan Jing had defected on her own and was also too embarrassed to say anything.
Mi Yang looked at him and thought, So this guy was casing the joint yesterday, and he was specially stealing people.
