The shop is closed at noon, since there’s barely any money to be made, and I don’t want to waste air conditioning. I called out a few times for David King, but realized he hadn’t gone to open the door, nor did he answer me. I honestly wondered if he’d suddenly died of a heart attack. Forcing myself to perk up, I went out to check.

As soon as I looked, I saw a familiar figure appear in my shop.

It was an old man, who grinned at me, revealing a mouthful of gold teeth.

I practically gasped, and seeing David King sprawled in front of the computer, sleeping like a dead pig, I immediately went over and slapped him awake.

The old man saw what I was doing and was about to speak, but I shouted at the newly-awakened David King, “Release the dog, chase him out for me!”

It was this bastard who, the moment he walked into my shop a few years ago, changed the course of my life. I absolutely would not allow something like that to happen again.

David King, still groggy from sleep, lifted his head from the computer and glanced at me, seemingly having no idea what I was talking about. Seeing I had nothing more to say, he immediately lay back down and continued sleeping. I couldn’t wait to explain, so I jumped up from behind the counter and said to Goldie, “Get out, leave my sight immediately.”

Goldie chuckled and said, “Hey, little brother, it’s been a long time, how have you been? Your temper hasn’t changed at all, just like a few years ago.”

I said, “Cut the crap. You basically ruined my whole damn life. You know that? Several generations of heroes in my family all died because of you. Before I lose my temper, you’d better get out of my sight.”

Goldie said, “You’re exaggerating. What do your family’s generations of heroes have to do with me?”

I don’t know why, but I was so angry I just wanted to hit him. Seeing I really wasn’t buying it, he quickly waved his hands and said, “Wait, wait, I have important information. I’m only here out of goodwill to bring it to you.”

I said, “I don’t want to know any of your information. I think your appearance is an extremely unlucky thing.” Saying that, I went to push him out.

Goldie held onto the counter, refusing to be pushed, and said, “Wait! Wait! I have a token! Once you see it, you’ll know how important this is.” As he spoke, he pulled a cell phone from his pocket with one hand and handed it to me. I thought, last time he showed me a watch, this time it’s a phone—damn, he’s really gone high-tech. But as soon as I looked, I realized it was the kind of phone Little Grace often used. I took it, flipped it open, and saw a text message inside. It read: “Goldie came because of the newspaper ad, seems to have an important clue. I’ve already listened to him once, can’t tell if it’s true or false. You listen to him for now. Once I finish up here, I’ll come to Hangzhou to discuss with you.”

I closed the phone, thinking, damn, a recommendation from Little Grace is even harder to refuse than one from Rusty.

I couldn’t disrespect Little Grace, so I started thinking about what to do. Looks like I’d have to listen. Goldie really knows how to handle people—he came prepared. But looking at his face, I could barely resist the urge to hit him.

So I let Goldie sit down, and went into the back room to drink some water and calm down. Maybe it was cooler in there, but most of my anger and frustration faded away. After all, a lot of things were my own choices; blaming him wasn’t the answer. In fact, he was one of the victims too.

So when I came out, I asked him, “Old man, if you have a clue, just get to the point. I’m sure Mr. Grace has already paid you handsomely, so I don’t need to pay you again.”

Goldie said, “No need, indeed. I just feel guilty and wanted to make it up to you. Isn’t it that scorpion you put in the newspaper ad for us to see? Oh man, that thing brought back a particularly unforgettable memory for me.”

Looking at Goldie’s face, I thought, “Hurry up and talk, so I can hit you when you’re done.”

Goldie said, “The origin of this scorpion is really strange. I’m guessing your investigation into it must be related to that kid surnamed Zhang, right?”

I didn’t respond, afraid he’d trick me. I thought: I’m interested in anything about the Zhangs, but whether it’s a kid or not, I don’t know.

Goldie continued, “Let me tell you something. I don’t know if I’ve told you before, but I used to make good money at Liulichang, appraising antiques and translating old collectibles for people. Once, I went to a rich man’s house—he was said to be surnamed Ma, from a powerful family in Jiangsu. He showed me his grandfather’s memoir and wanted me to estimate its value. I thought he was loaded, but later found out his family was already broke by then. Now, both his sons are addicts—one is almost done for. He’s relying on this thing to save his life.” Goldie took a deep breath. “When I appraised it, I read the entire memoir of this man called Brian Foster, and in it was this story.”

As he spoke, Goldie told me a story—the same one from “The First Strange Incident.”

After I finished listening, I felt neither joy nor sorrow. I almost immediately realized that the kid in the story was Sam when he was young.