“What’s up?” Liang Yingwu asked with a smile.
“It’s nothing special, just wanted to catch up with you since it’s been so long. Isn’t that okay?” I also responded with a smile, pouring him a cup of tea. “Anything interesting happening lately?” I asked Liang Yingwu. He sometimes shares amusing anecdotes from their outdated research subjects with me, knowing I won’t make a big fuss about it. After all, I’ve had my share of extraordinary experiences, and we’ve been through thick and thin together. “Nothing much,” he replied, which was no surprise to me. So, I casually chatted with him about some interesting things I heard at the newspaper. After a while, feeling the time was right, I casually brought up Ruan Xiwen, but I didn’t mention that I had interviewed him. I just asked, “Are university professors earning a lot these days?”
“Why would you think that?” he hadn’t caught on yet. “We live quite modestly.”
“Really? I just saw your colleague, who’s about your age, driving a Honda.”
“Well… that’s because he’s quite the up-and-comer.”
“Oh!” I feigned a look of sudden realization. “I almost forgot, he might be your… colleague, right? I totally forgot for a moment.”
“No problem. You’ve guessed right.”
“Really? Is he from your institution?”
“Oh,” he seemed unaware of my probing. “Kind of.”
“Ha, I could tell, you two have a similar vibe!” This was actually true. The first time I met Ruan Xiwen, I felt an immediate kinship, partly because there was something in his demeanor that reminded me of Liang Yingwu. However, Ruan Xiwen’s knowledge in archaeology was extensive, and he hadn’t shown any suspicious behavior. I continued to test Liang Yingwu: “But he seems richer than you, and he has a nice car too.”
“Of course,” Liang Yingwu laughed. “He’s got quite the background; I can’t compare.”
“Oh?” I showed an expression of disbelief. “Do you know his surname?”
“How would I know?” I replied without a hint of guilt.
“His surname is Ruan. You might not know, but the Ruan surname has a big history, not just ordinary.”
“Is that so? I only know of the three Ruan brothers from ‘Water Margin,'” I said jokingly, though I was secretly shocked.
