The sky was just beginning to lighten when the tranquility of the courtyard house was shattered by urgent knocking. The squad leader opened the door, saw the car outside and the man standing there, and though he had a good idea of what was happening, he simply stared back expressionlessly.
"You must be new. Open that gate so I can drive in."
The squad leader glanced at the license plate, then swiftly opened the adjacent gate to let the car through.
After parking the car, Ping'an got out. He looked at the squad leader standing nearby and said with a smile, "What's this? You know me?"
"I don't. Your face looks familiar, but I recognize the license plate."
Ping'an snorted with laughter and patted the man's shoulder. "Where did Jin Chen dig you up from? You're quite the talent!" With that, he strode through the ornamental gate into the inner courtyard.
