Zhu Yanyi looked helpless. "I will leave early. I have to attend the International Medical Exchange Conference in late February and early March. If I pass the math competition, I’ll stay there until it’s over. I won’t go with Doumiao. I’ll travel with the Huaxia Medical Team. But we might come back together."
Xie Zhong said, "So you’re leaving right after the New Year."
"Probably around the eighth or ninth day. No later than the tenth," Zhu Yanyi sighed. "I could ask for leave normally, but things are special now. It’s hard to get time off."
"Will An’ni and Doumiao go with you?" Xie Zhong asked.
"They can stay two days longer. Their holiday is longer than mine." Zhu Yanyi glared at Zhu Yanli and Zhu Zhibin. She felt only envy and jealousy.
"I think it’s better if you all leave together," Xie Zhong said directly. "First, staying a few extra days doesn’t matter. There’s nothing much to do at home. Visiting relatives is the main thing, but I know you don’t like being watched like exhibits. Second, I saw Zhu Xiangyao from the fourth branch return a few days ago."
Zhu Xiangyao had gone to a southern city after being fired and expelled for abandoning her daughter. Zhu Yanyi hadn’t paid attention to what she did since. Hearing she was back, she was surprised. "Is she here for the New Year?"
"I’m not sure of his purpose. You can assume it’s for the New Year, but I doubt it. He brought people with him," Xie Zhong said. "They look like men who have taken lives. I worry they might target you three siblings."
Zhu Yanyi understood. Xie Zhong wouldn’t make a mistake. She knew face-reading and Feng Shui. If she said those men had blood on their hands, it was likely true.
She became alert. The third branch’s past schemes were still fresh in her mind. A cold smile touched her lips. "It’s fine. I’ll have someone investigate when I get back."
Xie Zhong nodded. She knew Zhu Yanyi had powerful backers, so investigation wouldn’t be hard. "Be careful. You’re safe in Sicheng Town, but if they target you, it’s bad. I’m not looking down on An’ni and Doumiao, but their self-defense skills aren’t as good as yours. It’s safer if they go with you. Even without this issue, it’s better to leave together. There’s nothing important here anyway."
Zhu Yanyi nodded, understanding her concern. "Okay. I’ll tell Dad and Mom. I’ll ask Big Sister and Doumiao to come back with me."
Zhu Xiangyao’s return made Zhu Yanyi feel that undercurrents were rising in Sicheng Town.
"Did Grandpa say anything else?" Zhu Yanyi asked Zhu Shunyao when she got home.
Zhu Shunyao pondered for a moment. "Grandpa knew I went to the Guanyin Temple. He asked if I’d come to the Mingwang Hall consecration ceremony on New Year’s Eve. I told him I promised Uncle Guang. I’ll go after lunch."