The two children finished eating and quickly left the table to play.
At the dining table, only the mute woman, the old woman, and Bai Lixin remained.
The mute woman had clearly finished her meal. She actually hadn’t eaten much during the meal but had been taking care of the two children.
Setting her chopsticks aside, the mute woman sat quietly at the table, patiently waiting for the old woman to finish her meal.
“I’m full, take your time to clean up,” the old woman said when she finished eating and got up from the table. The mute woman looked at Bai Lixin with some confusion, and gestured and babbled, trying to communicate.
Bai Lixin replied, “I’m full. I’ll sit here and rest for a while. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Only then did the mute woman stand up from the table and skillfully started clearing the dishes.
She showed no dissatisfaction with the situation; it all seemed natural to her.
This was what she should be doing.
Bai Lixin attempted to help, but as soon as he picked up the dishes, the woman immediately pushed his hand away.
She pointed to the dishes, then to herself, and finally to Bai Lixin and the courtyard outside, she indicated that she would handle the table and wanted Bai Lixin to go outside and relax.
Bai Lixin examined the mute woman closely. Despite not grooming herself much, her beauty was not concealed by her cheap coarse linen dress. Unkempt strands of hair framed her face, and she smiled gently at Bai Lixin, resembling daisies blooming in April.
A beautiful and gentle woman.
The mute woman insisted, so Bai Lixin didn’t insist further and stood up to leave.
At this moment, the two children had disappeared to play somewhere. When Bai Lixin walked out of the courtyard, he noticed that the village was dark inside, with no streetlights on the road, except for a guiding light at the village entrance.
After walking on the outside road for a short while, he heard cheers and the sound of playing cards coming from a house.
The courtyard gate was not locked, and the partially closed door was easily pushed open by Bai Lixin.
Inside, he saw a courtyard with a large lamp hanging, illuminating a group of men playing poker.
“Big hand!”
“Flush!”
“Straight!”
“Haha, I won again!”
The men formed several circles, but thanks to Bai Lixin’s height, he could just about see what was happening in the crowd.
In the center of the crowd was a square table, with four men sitting around it, deeply engrossed in the game.
The man who had just claimed victory was the mute woman’s husband.
The men at the table were enjoying themselves, and the onlookers were equally excited.
After one round ended, they showed no intention of stopping and continued with the next one.
The spectators around them didn’t seem to get bored- they kept craning their necks and peering over.
Bai Lixin received a private message notification.
He checked the message and saw that it was from Li Cancan.
Li Cancan: [God Xin, can we meet? I think I’ve discovered a secret about this village.]
Bai Lixin: [Okay, where should I meet you?]
Li Cancan: [Great, just come over.]
As Bai Lixin left, he glanced at the house one more time. A woman was standing behind the door, carrying a baby on her back, quietly cleaning the dishes in the kitchen. Her gaze was lowered, seemingly focused solely on the stove, as if everything outside had no relation to her.
Following his memory, Bai Lixin arrived at Li Cancan and Sun Ning’s residence.
In their home, there was only an elderly person and a child. Since there weren’t many entertainment options in the village, everyone’s routines were quite synchronized. At this time, they had finished dinner, and the elder and child had gone out for a walk. Only Li Cancan and Sun Ning were left.
Once Bai Lixin entered the room, Li Cancan quickly closed the door and said mysteriously, “We suspect that the women in this village might have been abducted. This could be a subplot hidden behind the main storyline.”
Sun Ning added, “As soon as we settled here, we went to see Pan Pan. At the time, I gave her a piece of candy and asked why she seemed so unhappy. Pan Pan said she missed her little brother.”
“She said her little brother was abducted by the mountain ghost from the back mountain.”
“This village has so many children, almost every household has a child. I find it very strange. Having many children is good, but it’s weird to have this many, right?”
“Later, we asked other children, and they all knew the story of the mountain ghost and said many naughty kids had been taken away.”
Sun Ning: “I suspect there is no mountain ghost at all.”
“All those stories were made up by adults to deceive children.”
“The real monsters are the adults. Men buy women from outside, force them to have children continuously, and then sell the babies. If it’s a boy, they sell him while he’s too young to remember, and if it’s a girl, they raise her a bit and then sell her as a bride.”
“I’ve noticed there are hardly any older boys in the village, but there are many older girls.”
“What do you think, Bai Lixin?”
Bai Lixin pursed his lips. “I think you make a valid point, but there’s something odd about everything.”
Li Cancan: “What seems odd to you?”
Bai Lixin: “I can’t put my finger on it, it just feels a bit off. By the way, did this family ask you both to attend the hundred day banquet for the grandson of Old man Li tomorrow?”
Sun Ning: “Yes, they mentioned it. We’ll go take a look tomorrow.”
Bai Lixin remembered something and asked, “How have the people in this family treated you two?”
Sun Ning and Li Cancan exchanged glances, and Li Cancan replied, “They’ve been very kind to us. The elderly lady even cooked a large plate of braised pork for us tonight. But we didn’t eat it. Her grandson is quite skinny, still growing, and he was eyeing the braised pork hungrily. So, we gave it to the old lady’s grandson.”
Bai Lixin: “I remember the village chief mentioned earlier that this family has two sons, both working outside. Whose grandson is this?”
Sun Ning: “He’s the eldest son’s child. The younger son hasn’t married yet. I heard the eldest son’s wife died during childbirth, and their family is poor, and they couldn’t earn much here, so they had to go work elsewhere.”
Bai Lixin: “I see.” He heard footsteps coming from outside the courtyard.
Sun Ning: “Looks like the elderly lady and her grandson are back.”
As she spoke, the courtyard echoed with an elderly, kind voice, carrying a hint of laughter. In Bai Lixin’s mind, the image of a benevolent and amiable face instantly appeared.
“Children, I’m taking my grandson to bed now. You should rest early too.”
“Alright, Grandma,” Li Cancan shouted outside.
Through the gaps in the paper window, Bai Lixin looked outside and saw an elderly person, leaning on a cane with one hand and holding a five or six-year-old child with the other, entering the neighboring room.
Sun Ning: “This village seems to go to bed quite early and there are no entertainment options. After dinner, the men wipe their mouths and go out without a care, while the women are left cleaning the kitchen.”
“These self-righteous men.”
After Sun Ning finished speaking, she glanced at Bai Lixin and smiled with embarrassment, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean you, or all men, just some of the villagers.”
“It’s okay,” Bai Lixin pushed the door open. “I understand because I can’t ignore it either. Since the hosts are going to bed, I’ll head back now. It’s only the first day, there’s no need to rush. See you in the morning. Goodnight.”
Sun Ning: “Alright, goodnight.”
Li Cancan: “Sweet dreams, God Xin.”
After leaving, Bai Lixin didn’t go directly to the mute woman’s house but headed straight to the village entrance.
The village was very quiet, and it was only a little past eight in the evening. There was no one on the road, only the dim guiding light hung at the village entrance.
It was silent and desolate.
Bai Lixin stood at the village entrance for a long time, his gaze fixed on the distant back mountain, which almost merged with the darkness. He could no longer see what lay deeper and farther beyond the mountains.
The towering mountain in front of him was like an imposing wall blocking his path.
After enjoying the cold wind for a while, Bai Lixin finally returned to his residence.
At this moment, the card players had already dispersed, and the entire village was peaceful. Bai Lixin quietly pushed the door open and entered. Upon entering, he noticed that the main house still had the lights on.
The door of the main house was left ajar, providing a view of the interior from here. Under the dim kerosene lamp, the mute woman sat at the table, wrapped in a piece of clothing.
Perhaps she used to be asleep at this time, but now, she was propping up her body with one hand, her shoulders slightly drooping, and her eyelids almost closing into a line.
The woman’s beauty was accentuated in the dim, almost lightless room, exuding a unique charm and serenity. She sat there like a painting, unperturbed by the world’s disturbances and troubles.
After a heavy nodding off, the woman suddenly raised her head and spotted Bai Lixin who had returned.
Her serene expression instantly turned somewhat joyful as she quickly stood up and gestured with her hands, making inarticulate sounds.
Bai Lixin was somewhat stunned. “Were you waiting for me?”
The woman nodded vigorously, then pointed at the dark sky, her wrist, and finally at Bai Lixin’s room.
“Are you saying it’s too late, and I should go to sleep?”
Seeing that Bai Lixin understood her, a smile lit up the woman’s face.
Bai Lixin looked at the gentle woman before him thoughtfully. “I’ll go to sleep now. Thank you. It’s late, and you should get some rest too.”
The mute woman nodded, hurriedly took a few steps to close the front door, then turned off the kerosene lamp on the table before bidding a silent farewell to Bai Lixin. She then quietly returned to her own room.
Through the walls, a man’s arrogant and impatient voice could be heard, “I just fell asleep, and you bitch came over to disturb me. If I don’t rest well and can’t work properly tomorrow, see how you’ll eat! Stop dawdling and get to bed.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
The soundproofing here wasn’t very good.
…
The next day, when it was just beginning to dawn, Bai Lixin faintly heard the sound of firecrackers.
He got dressed and walked out of his room, only to find that the mute woman was already awake.
She was still wearing that floral apron and the same clothes. The woman was quietly kneading dough in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for the family.
Perhaps hearing footsteps, the woman raised her head in the midst of her busyness and glanced in Bai Lixin’s direction, smiling gently at him.
Bai Lixin returned a polite smile and quickly walked out of the courtyard.
At this time, the sky was just turning pale, and distant green hills were shrouded in mist. From here, they looked like a fairyland in a painting.
At the foot of the green hills, at the end of this village, a household was setting off firecrackers. Many people gathered at the entrance of that alley, which should be the home of Old Li.
Bai Lixin was not the only one responding to the sound. Almost all the players stood at the entrance of the alley, looking curiously yet warily towards the village entrance.
This was an instinctive reaction developed through long-term experiences of going through copies.
Anything out of the ordinary could be a clue or a fatal danger. Everyone here was a high-level player, alert to all unknowns.
However, unlike these players, none of the other villagers came out except for those who were helping. Those who needed to sleep were sleeping, and those who needed to cook were cooking, as if they were already accustomed to this.
Over an hour later, after the sun had fully risen, the man finally walked out of his room wearing a vest, yawning. He was followed by two lively children.
The woman was like she possessed innate magic- she was kneading dough when Bai Lixin saw her in the morning, but now the unassuming dough had transformed into a variety of noodles and dumplings.
There were noodles specially prepared for the man and dumplings for the two children.
The fragrant breakfast was served on the table, and everyone immediately indulged in it.
The man ate a lot in particular.
His appetite seemed to have always been good, as he easily consumed two large bowls of noodles in the morning.
The two children finished eating and quickly left the table to play.
At the dining table, only the mute woman, the old woman, and Bai Lixin remained.
The mute woman had clearly finished her meal. She actually hadn’t eaten much during the meal but had been taking care of the two children.
Setting her chopsticks aside, the mute woman sat quietly at the table, patiently waiting for the old woman to finish her meal.
“I’m full, take your time to clean up,” the old woman said when she finished eating and got up from the table. The mute woman looked at Bai Lixin with some confusion, and gestured and babbled, trying to communicate.
Bai Lixin replied, “I’m full. I’ll sit here and rest for a while. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Only then did the mute woman stand up from the table and skillfully started clearing the dishes.
She showed no dissatisfaction with the situation; it all seemed natural to her.
This was what she should be doing.
Bai Lixin attempted to help, but as soon as he picked up the dishes, the woman immediately pushed his hand away.
She pointed to the dishes, then to herself, and finally to Bai Lixin and the courtyard outside, she indicated that she would handle the table and wanted Bai Lixin to go outside and relax.
Bai Lixin examined the mute woman closely. Despite not grooming herself much, her beauty was not concealed by her cheap coarse linen dress. Unkempt strands of hair framed her face, and she smiled gently at Bai Lixin, resembling daisies blooming in April.
A beautiful and gentle woman.
The mute woman insisted, so Bai Lixin didn’t insist further and stood up to leave.
At this moment, the two children had disappeared to play somewhere. When Bai Lixin walked out of the courtyard, he noticed that the village was dark inside, with no streetlights on the road, except for a guiding light at the village entrance.
After walking on the outside road for a short while, he heard cheers and the sound of playing cards coming from a house.
The courtyard gate was not locked, and the partially closed door was easily pushed open by Bai Lixin.
Inside, he saw a courtyard with a large lamp hanging, illuminating a group of men playing poker.
“Big hand!”
“Flush!”
“Straight!”
“Haha, I won again!”
The men formed several circles, but thanks to Bai Lixin’s height, he could just about see what was happening in the crowd.
In the center of the crowd was a square table, with four men sitting around it, deeply engrossed in the game.
The man who had just claimed victory was the mute woman’s husband.
The men at the table were enjoying themselves, and the onlookers were equally excited.
After one round ended, they showed no intention of stopping and continued with the next one.
The spectators around them didn’t seem to get bored- they kept craning their necks and peering over.
Bai Lixin received a private message notification.
He checked the message and saw that it was from Li Cancan.
Li Cancan: [God Xin, can we meet? I think I’ve discovered a secret about this village.]
Bai Lixin: [Okay, where should I meet you?]
Li Cancan: [Great, just come over.]
As Bai Lixin left, he glanced at the house one more time. A woman was standing behind the door, carrying a baby on her back, quietly cleaning the dishes in the kitchen. Her gaze was lowered, seemingly focused solely on the stove, as if everything outside had no relation to her.
Following his memory, Bai Lixin arrived at Li Cancan and Sun Ning’s residence.
In their home, there was only an elderly person and a child. Since there weren’t many entertainment options in the village, everyone’s routines were quite synchronized. At this time, they had finished dinner, and the elder and child had gone out for a walk. Only Li Cancan and Sun Ning were left.
Once Bai Lixin entered the room, Li Cancan quickly closed the door and said mysteriously, “We suspect that the women in this village might have been abducted. This could be a subplot hidden behind the main storyline.”
Sun Ning added, “As soon as we settled here, we went to see Pan Pan. At the time, I gave her a piece of candy and asked why she seemed so unhappy. Pan Pan said she missed her little brother.”
“She said her little brother was abducted by the mountain ghost from the back mountain.”
“This village has so many children, almost every household has a child. I find it very strange. Having many children is good, but it’s weird to have this many, right?”
“Later, we asked other children, and they all knew the story of the mountain ghost and said many naughty kids had been taken away.”
Sun Ning: “I suspect there is no mountain ghost at all.”
“All those stories were made up by adults to deceive children.”
“The real monsters are the adults. Men buy women from outside, force them to have children continuously, and then sell the babies. If it’s a boy, they sell him while he’s too young to remember, and if it’s a girl, they raise her a bit and then sell her as a bride.”
“I’ve noticed there are hardly any older boys in the village, but there are many older girls.”
“What do you think, Bai Lixin?”
Bai Lixin pursed his lips. “I think you make a valid point, but there’s something odd about everything.”
Li Cancan: “What seems odd to you?”
Bai Lixin: “I can’t put my finger on it, it just feels a bit off. By the way, did this family ask you both to attend the hundred day banquet for the grandson of Old man Li tomorrow?”
Sun Ning: “Yes, they mentioned it. We’ll go take a look tomorrow.”
Bai Lixin remembered something and asked, “How have the people in this family treated you two?”
Sun Ning and Li Cancan exchanged glances, and Li Cancan replied, “They’ve been very kind to us. The elderly lady even cooked a large plate of braised pork for us tonight. But we didn’t eat it. Her grandson is quite skinny, still growing, and he was eyeing the braised pork hungrily. So, we gave it to the old lady’s grandson.”
Bai Lixin: “I remember the village chief mentioned earlier that this family has two sons, both working outside. Whose grandson is this?”
Sun Ning: “He’s the eldest son’s child. The younger son hasn’t married yet. I heard the eldest son’s wife died during childbirth, and their family is poor, and they couldn’t earn much here, so they had to go work elsewhere.”
Bai Lixin: “I see.” He heard footsteps coming from outside the courtyard.
Sun Ning: “Looks like the elderly lady and her grandson are back.”
As she spoke, the courtyard echoed with an elderly, kind voice, carrying a hint of laughter. In Bai Lixin’s mind, the image of a benevolent and amiable face instantly appeared.
“Children, I’m taking my grandson to bed now. You should rest early too.”
“Alright, Grandma,” Li Cancan shouted outside.
Through the gaps in the paper window, Bai Lixin looked outside and saw an elderly person, leaning on a cane with one hand and holding a five or six-year-old child with the other, entering the neighboring room.
Sun Ning: “This village seems to go to bed quite early and there are no entertainment options. After dinner, the men wipe their mouths and go out without a care, while the women are left cleaning the kitchen.”
“These self-righteous men.”
After Sun Ning finished speaking, she glanced at Bai Lixin and smiled with embarrassment, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean you, or all men, just some of the villagers.”
“It’s okay,” Bai Lixin pushed the door open. “I understand because I can’t ignore it either. Since the hosts are going to bed, I’ll head back now. It’s only the first day, there’s no need to rush. See you in the morning. Goodnight.”
Sun Ning: “Alright, goodnight.”
Li Cancan: “Sweet dreams, God Xin.”
After leaving, Bai Lixin didn’t go directly to the mute woman’s house but headed straight to the village entrance.
The village was very quiet, and it was only a little past eight in the evening. There was no one on the road, only the dim guiding light hung at the village entrance.
It was silent and desolate.
Bai Lixin stood at the village entrance for a long time, his gaze fixed on the distant back mountain, which almost merged with the darkness. He could no longer see what lay deeper and farther beyond the mountains.
The towering mountain in front of him was like an imposing wall blocking his path.
After enjoying the cold wind for a while, Bai Lixin finally returned to his residence.
At this moment, the card players had already dispersed, and the entire village was peaceful. Bai Lixin quietly pushed the door open and entered. Upon entering, he noticed that the main house still had the lights on.
The door of the main house was left ajar, providing a view of the interior from here. Under the dim kerosene lamp, the mute woman sat at the table, wrapped in a piece of clothing.
Perhaps she used to be asleep at this time, but now, she was propping up her body with one hand, her shoulders slightly drooping, and her eyelids almost closing into a line.
The woman’s beauty was accentuated in the dim, almost lightless room, exuding a unique charm and serenity. She sat there like a painting, unperturbed by the world’s disturbances and troubles.
After a heavy nodding off, the woman suddenly raised her head and spotted Bai Lixin who had returned.
Her serene expression instantly turned somewhat joyful as she quickly stood up and gestured with her hands, making inarticulate sounds.
Bai Lixin was somewhat stunned. “Were you waiting for me?”
The woman nodded vigorously, then pointed at the dark sky, her wrist, and finally at Bai Lixin’s room.
“Are you saying it’s too late, and I should go to sleep?”
Seeing that Bai Lixin understood her, a smile lit up the woman’s face.
Bai Lixin looked at the gentle woman before him thoughtfully. “I’ll go to sleep now. Thank you. It’s late, and you should get some rest too.”
The mute woman nodded, hurriedly took a few steps to close the front door, then turned off the kerosene lamp on the table before bidding a silent farewell to Bai Lixin. She then quietly returned to her own room.
Through the walls, a man’s arrogant and impatient voice could be heard, “I just fell asleep, and you bitch came over to disturb me. If I don’t rest well and can’t work properly tomorrow, see how you’ll eat! Stop dawdling and get to bed.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
The soundproofing here wasn’t very good.
…
The next day, when it was just beginning to dawn, Bai Lixin faintly heard the sound of firecrackers.
He got dressed and walked out of his room, only to find that the mute woman was already awake.
She was still wearing that floral apron and the same clothes. The woman was quietly kneading dough in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for the family.
Perhaps hearing footsteps, the woman raised her head in the midst of her busyness and glanced in Bai Lixin’s direction, smiling gently at him.
Bai Lixin returned a polite smile and quickly walked out of the courtyard.
At this time, the sky was just turning pale, and distant green hills were shrouded in mist. From here, they looked like a fairyland in a painting.
At the foot of the green hills, at the end of this village, a household was setting off firecrackers. Many people gathered at the entrance of that alley, which should be the home of Old Li.
Bai Lixin was not the only one responding to the sound. Almost all the players stood at the entrance of the alley, looking curiously yet warily towards the village entrance.
This was an instinctive reaction developed through long-term experiences of going through copies.
Anything out of the ordinary could be a clue or a fatal danger. Everyone here was a high-level player, alert to all unknowns.
However, unlike these players, none of the other villagers came out except for those who were helping. Those who needed to sleep were sleeping, and those who needed to cook were cooking, as if they were already accustomed to this.
Over an hour later, after the sun had fully risen, the man finally walked out of his room wearing a vest, yawning. He was followed by two lively children.
The woman was like she possessed innate magic- she was kneading dough when Bai Lixin saw her in the morning, but now the unassuming dough had transformed into a variety of noodles and dumplings.
There were noodles specially prepared for the man and dumplings for the two children.
The fragrant breakfast was served on the table, and everyone immediately indulged in it.
The man ate a lot in particular.
His appetite seemed to have always been good, as he easily consumed two large bowls of noodles in the morning.
