The gnarled locust tree at the mouth of the alley cast dappled shadows. Zhou Mingzhu counted the footsteps she could only hear by holding her breath—one, two... until she was certain the two figures had vanished deep into the alleyway.
Zhou Mingzhu tightened her grip on the basket, her knuckles turning white.
The glass counter of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative reflected a face she forced to remain calm. As she bought the peppercorns and star anise, a memory flashed back to the day before: the hideous, centipede-like scar coiled around Professor Huang's wrist beneath her rolled-up sleeves. When she spoke of "using knowledge to serve the motherland," the light in her eyes had been so bright it felt scorching to witness.
Chapter 121