Chapter 11 - Chapter 11: Chapter 14: Secretly Tracking Traces, Showing Sharpness in Words

The bus rumbled along the road, and my hands were still trembling slightly. I pressed my inner pocket tightly, where the envelope with stamps was tucked, as if holding my last hope. The scenery outside the window passed by in a blur—the green fields, the small villages, and the distant mountains all seemed to be shrouded in a layer of haze, just like my confused and anxious mood. I kept replaying the scene in the old woman's courtyard in my mind: Mr. Li's sharp eyes, the old woman's calm words, and the fear that almost made me lose my breath. I knew that this close call was a warning—Mr. Li was getting closer and closer, and I could no longer hide passively.When I got home, I locked the door tightly, sat on the bed, and took out the stamps one by one. The horse, monkey, rooster, snake, sheep, and rabbit stamps were neatly arranged on the table, their bright colors contrasting sharply with my heavy mood. I stroked each stamp gently, and my heart was filled with mixed emotions. These stamps were the foundation of my counterattack, but they also brought me endless danger. I thought about the old woman's warning—Mr. Li was persistent, and he would definitely come back. I had to find out his movements first, to know myself and my enemy, so that I could win every battle.The next day after school, I didn't go home directly. Instead, I took a detour to the edge of the city's stamp market. I wore a hat and pulled the brim down low, blending into the crowd, pretending to browse the stamps at a stall. My real purpose was to listen to the vendors' conversations and find out any information about Mr. Li."Did you see Mr. Li yesterday? He came to the market again, asking about a teenager who collects rare zodiac stamps," a vendor said to another, while arranging his stamps."Of course I saw him! He looked very anxious, as if he was in a hurry to find that kid. I heard he went to several small towns in a row, but he didn't find anything," the other vendor replied, shaking his head."That kid must have collected some rare stamps, otherwise Mr. Li wouldn't be so persistent. Do you know what that kid looks like?""No one knows. Mr. Li only said he's a teenager, not too tall, and he often goes to small towns to buy old stamps. He even showed a photo, but it was blurry, so no one could recognize him."My heart skipped a beat. Mr. Li had a photo of me? How did he get it? I felt a chill run down my spine, but I forced myself to stay calm and continued to listen quietly."Mr. Li is really desperate this time. I heard he even offered a reward—whoever can tell him the kid's whereabouts will get 1,000 yuan," the first vendor said, his voice lowering slightly."1,000 yuan? That's a lot of money! But I don't want to get involved. Mr. Li is not a good person; if we help him, we might get into trouble later."I quietly turned around and walked away, my hands clenched into fists. A reward of 1,000 yuan—Mr. Li was really willing to spend money to find me. This meant that more people would be looking for me, and my hiding place would become more and more dangerous. I had to act quickly, either find more rare stamps before he found me, or find a way to deal with him head-on.As I walked along the street, I suddenly saw a familiar figure standing at the corner of the road—it was the old man who sold me the rabbit stamps in the small town. He was wearing a gray jacket, carrying a cloth bag, and looking around, as if he was looking for someone.I hesitated for a moment, then walked over quietly and called out softly: "Grandpa, it's me."The old man turned around, and when he saw me, his eyes lit up. "Oh, it's you, young man! I've been looking for you everywhere.""Looking for me? What's the matter, grandpa?" I asked, confused. I looked around nervously, afraid that Mr. Li would be nearby."Don't worry, no one is following us," the old man said, noticing my nervousness. He pulled me to a quiet alley beside the road, then took out a small envelope from his cloth bag and handed it to me. "This is for you. I found these stamps when I was cleaning my shop yesterday. I remember you collect stamps, so I thought I'd give them to you."I took the envelope, opened it carefully, and my eyes lit up instantly. Inside were a set of dragon zodiac stamps—this set was extremely rare, and I remembered that it would be worth more than 3,000 yuan in a few months. "Thank you so much, grandpa! These are amazing. How can I repay you?""You don't need to repay me," the old man said with a smile. "I don't know anything about stamps; they're just old things to me. It's better to give them to you, someone who likes them. But I have to tell you something—yesterday, that man in the black jacket came to my shop again."My heart sank. "Mr. Li? What did he say?""He asked me if I had seen a teenager who buys old stamps, and he showed me a blurry photo. I recognized you at a glance, but I didn't tell him," the old man said, his voice firm. "I could tell that man is not a good person; he has a fierce look in his eyes. I won't help him hurt you."Tears welled up in my eyes. I held the old man's hand tightly and said, "Thank you, grandpa. You're too kind. You and the grandma in the alley have helped me so much.""It's nothing," the old man patted my hand. "We townspeople are simple; we know who is good and who is bad. That man asked me where you might go, and I told him I didn't know. But he didn't believe me; he stared at me for a long time, as if he was trying to see through me. I'm worried that he will go to the small town again and trouble the old woman who gave you stamps."My heart tightened. I hadn't thought about that. Mr. Li was so persistent; if he couldn't find me, he might take his anger out on the old woman and the old man. "Grandpa, what should we do? I don't want to bring trouble to you and grandma."The old man thought for a moment, then said, "Don't worry. I've already told the old woman to be careful. She said she would hide all her old things, so that man won't find anything. But you have to be more careful. Don't go to the small town for a while, and don't show up in the stamp market too often. That man is everywhere."I nodded heavily. "I know, grandpa. I will. I'll lay low for a while and not take any risks.""That's right," the old man said. "By the way, I heard from other vendors that Mr. Li has collected a lot of rare stamps recently, and he's planning to hold a stamp exhibition next month. He wants to show off his collection and attract more collectors to sell him rare stamps."A stamp exhibition? My eyes lit up. This was a good opportunity. If I could go to the exhibition, I could not only see Mr. Li's collection and find out his strength, but also maybe find a chance to buy more rare stamps. But at the same time, it was also very dangerous—Mr. Li would definitely be at the exhibition, and he might recognize me."Grandpa, do you know when and where the exhibition will be held?" I asked, trying to keep my tone casual."It will be held at the city's cultural center next Saturday morning. I heard that admission is free, but you have to register. Mr. Li will be there in person, and he will also bring his most precious stamps," the old man replied."Thank you, grandpa. You've helped me a lot," I said. "I'll think about it carefully. I won't act recklessly."We said goodbye, and I watched the old man leave. I stood in the alley, holding the envelope with the dragon stamps tightly, my mind racing. The stamp exhibition was a double-edged sword—danger and opportunity coexisted. If I could seize this opportunity, I might be able to take a big step forward in my counterattack; but if I made a mistake, I would fall into Mr. Li's trap.When I got home, I locked myself in my room and thought about it for a long time. I took out all my stamps and counted them—now I had seven sets of rare zodiac stamps, including the newly obtained dragon stamps. If I could get a few more sets, I would have a complete collection of zodiac stamps, which would be worth a fortune in the future. But Mr. Li's strength was also growing, and he had more resources and connections than me.Just as I was deep in thought, there was a knock on the door. "Son, are you in there? Someone is looking for you." It was my mother's voice.My heart skipped a beat. Who would come to look for me? Could it be Mr. Li? I quickly put the stamps away, hid them in the floorboard, and then opened the door carefully. Standing at the door was a boy about my age, wearing a school uniform, with a pair of bright eyes."Who are you?" I asked, suspiciously."My name is Lin Hao. I'm your classmate from the next class," the boy said with a smile. "I heard you like collecting stamps, and I also like it. I have a set of old stamps at home, and I want to ask you if you're interested in them."A classmate who also collects stamps? I was a little confused. I had never heard of Lin Hao before, and I didn't know if he was sent by Mr. Li. I looked at him carefully, trying to see if he was lying. His expression was natural, and his eyes were sincere, not like someone who was up to no good."What kind of stamps do you have?" I asked, keeping my guard up."It's a set of dog zodiac stamps. My grandfather gave them to me. I don't know if they're valuable, but I think they're very beautiful. I heard you know a lot about stamps, so I want to ask you to help me take a look," Lin Hao said, taking out a small notebook from his schoolbag and handing it to me.I took the notebook, opened it, and my eyes lit up. It was indeed a set of dog zodiac stamps, and it was a rare version that I didn't have yet. This set would be worth more than 800 yuan in a few months. "This set is very good, very rare," I said, trying to hide my excitement."Really? That's great!" Lin Hao's eyes lit up. "I don't want to sell them, but I want to exchange them with you. I heard you have a set of rabbit zodiac stamps. I've always wanted that set. Can we exchange them?"Exchange stamps? I was a little surprised. The rabbit stamps were not as rare as the dog stamps, but they were still valuable. Exchanging them would be a good deal for me. But I still couldn't let my guard down. "Why do you want the rabbit stamps so much?" I asked."Because my grandmother was born in the Year of the Rabbit, and she likes rabbit-themed things very much. I want to give the rabbit stamps to her as a birthday gift," Lin Hao said, his voice sincere. "I promise, I'm not lying. If you don't believe me, you can ask my grandmother. She lives in the neighborhood nearby."I looked at him, and his eyes were full of sincerity. I thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, I agree to exchange. But I have one condition—you can't tell anyone that I collect stamps, especially not a man in a black jacket who asks about rare stamps."Lin Hao frowned, confused. "A man in a black jacket? Who is he? Is he bothering you?""You don't need to know who he is, just promise me not to tell him anything," I said seriously."Okay, I promise you," Lin Hao nodded firmly. "I won't tell anyone. I just want to exchange stamps with you, and I don't want to get involved in any trouble."I smiled and nodded. "Thank you. Let's exchange now." I took out the rabbit stamps from the drawer and handed them to Lin Hao, then took the dog stamps from him. The two sets of stamps were neatly placed in my hand, and I felt a surge of joy. This was another unexpected harvest.After Lin Hao left, I locked the door again and took out the dog stamps. I put them together with the other stamps, and now I had eight sets of rare zodiac stamps. I looked at them, and my confidence grew stronger. The stamp exhibition next Saturday was a crucial opportunity. I decided to go—even if it was dangerous, I had to take the risk. I would disguise myself, hide my identity, and use this opportunity to find out more about Mr. Li and collect more information. This was my chance to turn the tables, and I couldn't miss it.That night, I lay in bed, making a detailed plan for the stamp exhibition. I would wear a hat and a mask, dress in plain clothes, and not talk to anyone casually. I would focus on observing Mr. Li's collection and his movements, and try to avoid attracting his attention. If I found any rare stamps that I didn't have, I would try to buy them quietly. I also thought about the old woman and the old man— I would go to the small town to see them after the exhibition, to make sure they were safe.I knew that the road ahead was still full of dangers, but I was no longer afraid. I had my stamps, my new friend Lin Hao, and the kindness of the old woman and the old man. These were my strengths, and they would help me move forward bravely. I would use the stamp exhibition to lay the foundation for my counterattack, and I would definitely defeat Mr. Li and change my fate.