Chapter 210: The Escape

Qian Deli hesitated for a second after listening to me. He looked around cautiously and leaned forward. He Yu and I leaned in with him, and then Qian Deli whispered, “You two are smart people. You should understand the situation you’re in, right?”

He Yu and I exchanged a knowing look.

Just as I was about to speak, Qian Deli shifted the conversation. “Getting a vehicle isn’t much of a problem for me. The real issue is how to get to the train station in the city. There’s no guarantee people won’t try to stop us on the road. If it comes down to a real confrontation… heh, I’m honestly not sure I could get you all out.”

His words left He Yu and me lost in thought. We truly hadn’t considered that particular problem before.

It was about a thirty-minute drive from the county to the city’s train station. Even if we drove at top speed, Gan Rong’s people were sharp enough that they would realize what was happening in that amount of time. If we were intercepted halfway, our hopes of escape would be virtually non-existent.

“However,” Qian Deli took a drag of his cigarette and gave us a sly grin, “I have a clever plan that could break this stalemate for you, Young Master. It’s just that it might be a bit undignified for someone of your status.”

Hearing this, I asked hurriedly, “I don’t mind. What’s the plan? Let’s hear it.”

Qian Deli switched his cigarette to his other hand. “To be honest, I just collected some porcelain. There are several large crates on the truck outside that are just the right size to hold you all. Once I empty them out, you can say you’re picking out a few good pieces from the shop to sell to me. Then, you’ll slip into the crates unnoticed, and my workers will load them onto the truck. Wouldn’t that do the trick?”

He Yu clearly approved of the idea. I thought it over for a few seconds. Though risky, as long as the initial arrangements were handled properly, the chance of being caught was minimal. If we prepared well enough, we might even be out of the province before the workers realized anything was wrong.

Seeing a worker coming over to refill our tea, we made our decision immediately.

Qian Deli and I exchanged phone numbers, and then he left ostentatiously in his beat-up van. What followed was an incredibly long process of buying supplies. For the most part, I stayed home and made lists while Xiao Yao went out alone to make the purchases, as he was the only one who could shake off the tails.

I worried that his frequent trips might arouse suspicion, so I had He Yu go out a few times as well. He went to the supermarket to buy bottled water and compressed rations, along with three large bottles of high-proof liquor, something I had specifically instructed him to get. The three of us stayed inside and waited for the signal.

Qian Deli was efficient. By evening, he sent me a short text: “Vehicle in place. I’ll come to pick up the goods tomorrow morning at six.”

As soon as the message arrived, we put our plan into motion. Xiao Yao stayed in my room watching over the three packed hiking backpacks. I went out to instruct the workers, casually mentioning that Qian Deli would be coming to the warehouse tomorrow to collect the packed porcelain and telling them to assist him. He Yu acted as if nothing was wrong, cooking a massive spread for dinner and bringing out the three large bottles of liquor, loudly claiming he was going to drink me under the table.

We traded stories and drinks, glass after glass, pouring back and forth while barely touching the food. The meal dragged on from dusk until past ten o’clock. Later, He Yu and I put on a show of pouring more drinks for Lu Ayao. He didn’t play along with any pretense, though, downing five or six glasses in one go until I nudged his leg under the table to warn him not to be so honest. If he got dead drunk, tomorrow would be a mess.

Near midnight, the three large bottles of liquor were drained. Arms over shoulders, the three of us stumbled up to the second floor. When a worker tried to help us, I snapped at him until he left. The hand towels He Yu and I held smelled so strongly of alcohol you couldn’t even get close to them.

Once back inside the room, we shut the door and instantly snapped back to complete sobriety. He Yu headed straight for the bathroom to wash his face while I turned off the lights and listened for movement at the door. Lu Ayao pulled back the bedsheets and dragged out all the hidden hiking backpacks from under the bed.

Hearing no further sound outside, I gestured to them. After locking the door from the inside, I walked over to the desk, opened the drawer, and pulled out three coils of rope, handing one to each of them.

The Yinggan Tang warehouse sat directly beneath my window. I had prepared an extra thin cord with a special knot fastened to the window frame before tossing the main rope out. Then the three of us took turns throwing our ropes out the window, rappelling down the wall into the backyard.

After gathering all the ropes back, I gave the thin cord a sharp tug to pull the window shut, then yanked it hard in the opposite direction. The knot gave way and fell right into my hand.

“Not bad, Xiao Yao. This way they won’t find out we’ve bolted,” He Yu said, giving me a thumbs-up.

Under cover of night, we crept to the warehouse entrance. Our family’s warehouse doors were secured with horizontal padlocks. I had one key, and the manager had the other. I inserted my key into the lock. Once the door was open, I reset the lock mechanism and lay flat on the ground to thread the red string attached to the key through the gap under the door.

“Quick, tie the rope to the door bolt using the method I just showed you, then toss it through the bars above the door,” I instructed He Yu.

He Yu was quick on the uptake. He copied my technique to tie a knot on the bolt, swung the rope a few times in his hand, and tossed the knotted end over the top bars into the interior. Finally, the three of us stepped inside one by one and pulled the door shut behind us.

I crouched down and yanked the red string at my feet, dragging the key back inside through the bottom gap after it fell. Above, He Yu pulled on the rope knot, and the outer bolt slid home instantly. Several large crates stood in the middle of the warehouse, already packed full of porcelain.

“Whoa, Xiao Yao, these crates Qian Deli brought are pretty small. Looks like I’ll have to curl up a bit,” He Yu said, stepping over the jars and pots as he walked deeper into the warehouse.

A smell of dust mixed with rust filled my nose, the scent of something old. I waved my hand to clear the air, but inhaling the dust still irritated my lungs. I had no choice but to pick a relatively clean corner to lean against the wall, coughing quietly.

Lu Ayao handed me his canteen. “Want some water?”

I coughed a few more times, took the canteen from him, and gulped down several mouthfuls. Then I pulled out my phone to check the time. We had been at it for hours, and outside, the sky was already beginning to turn the pale grey of dawn. It wouldn’t be long before Qian Deli arrived with his men.

In the blink of an eye, He Yu had finished emptying one of the crates. I motioned for Lu Ayao to help, and we began moving the porcelain pieces from the crates to the shelves at the back of the room.

The three of us were drenched in sweat by the time we finished emptying the third crate. Just then, voices drifted over from the backyard. “My apologies, our Young Master drank a bit too much last night and hasn’t woken up yet. Please excuse our lack of hospitality.”

“No, no, don’t say that. I’m just here to pick up the goods. Let my workers handle the heavy lifting and dirty work. There’s no need to trouble the Young Master further.”

He Yu frantically gestured to us. “Quick, quick! Hide!”

I immediately stepped into one of the empty crates, curling my body tight before pulling the lid shut. Less than half a minute later, I heard the lock on the warehouse door click open. Qian Deli was still chatting with someone at the entrance while a group of workers moved in to carry the crates. I pressed my ear against the wood, listening as they picked up He Yu’s crate first, then Lu Ayao’s.

After waiting for less than three minutes, I felt a sudden sensation of weightlessness. I realized that the crate I was in was being lifted as well.