Mark Shaw hadn’t had time to answer before Hagen grunted, “Mm. I’ll keep watch here.”

“Keep watch? We don’t need to…” Yvonne Quinn replied, “There’s nothing valuable here, and… wait, that’s not right.” She stopped in her tracks, muttering in confusion, “Why aren’t there any dog barks?”

“Dogs? There are dogs here?” Mark Shaw stopped, looking around nervously.

“Strange?” Yvonne Quinn didn’t bother to answer, hurrying forward.

Rounding a sparse grove, a small two-story building came into view. In front of the building lay two Tibetan mastiffs, each the size of a calf. They stared over with eyes as big as cowbells, but when they saw people approaching, they neither barked nor bit. Instead, they wagged their tails vigorously, looking eager to please.

“Oh, I thought someone had poisoned you,” Yvonne Quinn jogged over to the two big dogs. “What’s wrong? Why so listless today? Look, I brought you two new friends. Come on, bark a little to show your welcome!”

The two mastiffs rolled their eyes and looked at the approaching Hagen with fear. A rare smile appeared on Hagen’s usually hard face. He walked up to the mastiffs, gently stroked their soft neck fur, and made a rumbling sound in his throat, as if having a friendly conversation with the dogs.

“Strange,” Yvonne Quinn muttered in confusion, “I’m the one who usually feeds these two, and they’re fierce with strangers—don’t even treat Charles Sutton nicely. How come…”

“Hagen used to work at an abandoned pet shelter. He knows how to communicate with animals,” Mark Shaw explained with a smile, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.

“Mm, alright then. I was worried about how you’d get along with the dogs, but if that’s settled, great.” Yvonne Quinn clapped her hands, pointed at the small building ahead, and said, “Downstairs is the study and the common lounge. Upstairs are three bedrooms—each with its own bathroom and shower. Here are the keys… I’ll have someone fetch your luggage. You two go ahead and rest in your rooms.”

Hagen was still playing with the dogs. Mark Shaw took the keys and said casually, “You go do your thing, we’ll handle the rest. Oh, and let us know when it’s lunchtime.”

After Yvonne Quinn left, neither Mark Shaw nor Hagen seemed in a hurry to go upstairs and rest. Hagen was absorbed in playing with the dogs, while Mark Shaw wanted to remind Hagen about proper etiquette, but didn’t know how to say it. He ended up pacing around the courtyard, half familiarizing himself with the place, half thinking about what to say.

The Chinese-style courtyard was intricately arranged, but not very large. Mark Shaw finished his circuit quickly, explaining things to Hagen with pride in his voice.

“Hagen, look, this is what a Chinese-style courtyard is like—small building, flowerbeds, rockery, winding paths leading to secluded spots… Actually, to call it a Chinese courtyard isn’t quite right; it’s more of a blend of Chinese and Western styles. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, silk merchants from Suzhou and Hangzhou, after coming into contact with the West, loved to build courtyards like this. From the outside, it looks like a deep, secluded garden, but inside, there are always a few small Western-style buildings hidden away.

These small Western-style buildings are actually the main residences, where the head of the household lives. Look, the layout of this small building we’re in now is like this: the center room upstairs is for the master, the rooms on either side are for the maids—the main maids. The downstairs hall is the lounge; move the tables and chairs and it becomes a ballroom. The small rooms on either side are studies or mahjong rooms, or even smoking rooms, places for opium…

Oh, there’s an extra little room here—maybe that’s the porcelain kiln the young lady mentioned. Without this little room, the courtyard would be a typical back garden, and this small building would be the flower house, where the owner’s unmarried daughter would live…

Uh, actually, even with this little room, it’s still a classic layout. The maid serving the young lady would live in a room like this. Hagen, you just happen to get to experience both Chinese style and… Chinese etiquette!”

In fact, while Mark Shaw was wandering around, Hagen was outwardly playing with the dogs, but his eyes were busy. He naturally surveyed the courtyard, his gaze lingering on the rockery for a moment before he casually went back to playing with the dogs.

When Yvonne Quinn left, she had carefully closed the courtyard gate. Now, footsteps could be heard outside, as if the whole courtyard was waking from slumber. However, though many people passed by, it seemed everyone knew the courtyard’s rules—no one paused at the gate, nor did anyone try to peek inside.

“It’s lunchtime. We need to get our luggage settled quickly,” Hagen clapped his hands, and the two dogs obediently lay down. “Your friend runs a bar, and now’s the prep time. If you wait any longer, you won’t be able to find him… Give me the key. See you in half an hour.”

Mark Shaw was still thinking about how to speak up, but Hagen had already taken the key and gone into his room.

The room wasn’t big, but in keeping with the Shu family courtyard’s style, it was simply furnished—so simple it was almost exquisite. After checking the room, Hagen immediately pulled out a palm-sized notebook computer and connected to the internet wirelessly. His fingers flew over the keyboard, and in a blink, a black page popped up on the screen.

Hagen thought for a moment, then typed in the login password letter by letter—“Gaoshan Daiginjo”—murmuring it as he typed.

Meanwhile, the computer in Charles Sutton’s bedroom was flashing the same login screen. He, too, was typing the password while murmuring softly: “Blue crayfish!”

Chapter 4 Finally Caught You