“I’m heading to the fields to work. At noon, we’ll split up and go to Old Li’s house.” The man wiped his mouth proficiently, stood up, and exercised his authority as the head of the family, giving orders. “I’m leaving.”
With that, the man left.
At the dining table, only the mute woman and the two children remained.
Bai Lixin pointed to the spot where the old woman had sat yesterday. “Why isn’t she coming to eat?”
The mute woman put down her chopsticks and raised her index finger.
The older brother then translated in a childish voice, “My grandmother only eats one meal a day. She’s older now and doesn’t have much appetite, so she can’t eat too much.”
Bai Lixin responded with an “Oh” and lowered his head to eat.
The meal was eaten in silence, with only the sound of chopsticks hitting the bowls.
After breakfast, Bai Lixin once again offered to help with cleaning but was declined by the woman.
Bai Lixin merely glanced at the woman and left the house without saying anything further.
The two brothers seemed to play around all the time. They were either eating or entertaining themselves every day.
Seeing that the older brother was about to take the younger one out again, Bai Lixin quickly stopped them with a lollipop in hand.
“Where does your dad usually work?” Bai Lixin asked.
“In the fields,” the older brother replied.
Bai Lixin inquired further, “Which part of the fields?”
The older brother blinked at Bai Lixin with innocently. “The fields are just the fields. My dad goes to work there every day so he can earn money to buy food for us.”
Seeing that he was unable to extract more information, Bai Lixin decided to change the topic. “Is there a school in your village?”
The younger brother repeated, “School, school.”
The older brother added, “Yes, there’s a school. Do you want to go see it? I can take you there!”
After saying that, he fixed his sparkling eyes on Bai Lixin.
Bai Lixin instantly understood the older brother’s meaning and compromised by handing him a lollipop. “Alright, take me there.”
The older brother held his younger sibling with one hand and Bai Lixin with the other. They roamed around the already small village for a while and arrived at a small courtyard not far from the village committee.
The courtyard was surrounded by tall red walls on all sides, and the green iron gate showed signs of rust. Even the chains and locks on the gate had rusted.
It looked like it hadn’t been used in many years.
The older brother patted the large iron gate and said, “This is the school.”
Bai Lixin was momentarily taken aback. Standing in front of the iron gate, he peered through the crack and saw a lush overgrowth of weeds in the courtyard.
The weeds grew wildly, and in the middle of the courtyard, there was a thick pole that was nearly ten meters tall, standing erect. At the top of the pole, a tattered square flag hung limply from the railing.
The houses in rows around the courtyard were in a dilapidated state.
“Is this the only school in your village?” Given the dilapidated condition of this school, it seemed like it hadn’t been used for at least a couple of decades.
“Yes, this is the school,” the boy replied with a smile. “Do you want to go inside? I know a dog hole we can crawl through.”
“But you better not go inside,” he added mysteriously.
Bai Lixin was curious. “Why not?”
The boy suddenly looked at Bai Lixin with a mysterious expression. “Because there are ghosts inside.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘This was getting exciting. Now I definitely want to go inside.
But… a dog hole?
Crawling through a dog hole?
It’s just a dog hole anyway, what’s the big deal?’
“Take me there. I’ll crawl through!”
A few minutes later, Bai Lixin had a whole new appreciation for “dog holes.”
It was a hole that could barely accommodate a child. Even if Bai Lixin were exceptionally slim, there was no way he could fit through.
Bai Lixin: “…”
The dog hole won.
——————————
In the live broadcast room
[Only by using fire can you defeat fire.]
[Now, let’s enjoy the century old puzzle of “Tragedy of the Dog Hole”, brought to you by God Xin.]
[God Xin never expected that what defeated him wouldn’t be a powerful boss in a copy but rather a dog hole.]
————————–
Older Brother: “Big brother, are you really going to crawl through? You probably can’t fit.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Stop talking, I can see it.’
Bai Lixin temporarily abandoned the idea of entering the school and asked, “You mentioned there are ghosts inside the school. Have you seen them?”
“My brother brought us in to play before, when we were playing hide and seek inside, we saw a figure with long hair wearing red clothes.”
“At that moment, it suddenly chased us, and we were so scared that we crawled out through the dog hole, and no one dared to go back in.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘A female ghost in a red? This copy should be called “The Arrival of Xia Chi.”’
After giving each of the two children a piece of candy, Bai Lixin looked towards the distant green mountains.
The dense clouds that had shrouded the mountains had dissipated, revealing their lush, verdant appearance.
He opened his taskbar and looked at his tasks:
[Task 1: Survive for ten days and ten nights.]
[Task 2: Find out the reason for Pan Pan’s distress (incomplete) and resolve it (incomplete).]
[Task 3: (Undetermined)]
If Pan Pan’s distress was related to finding her brother, the system should have already prompted completion when he discussed it with Sun Ning and Li Cancan last night.
Perhaps due to this being a bonus-type copy, the difficulty of the tasks was indeed much easier than the previous copy.
In the previous copy, each question was followed by a frame, meaning the answer would only be submitted after that blank space was filled in.
But in this copy, it was just marked as (incomplete) or (unfinished) after finding out about the little brother. With this question format, as long as the player answered correctly, the task would be automatically marked as completed, so it could be tried as many times as needed.
Yesterday, after chatting with Sun Ning and the others, he tried entering “Her Brother” when he returned to his room, but the system didn’t give any reaction.
Afterward, he thought of many other possibilities, such as wanting to go to school, wanting to eat, wanting her father, and so on. He tried almost every possibility, possible and impossible alike, but he didn’t get a single correct answer.
‘Hmm.’
Bai Lixin silently closed the system’s taskbar.
‘A girl’s thoughts are impossible to guess.
You can’t guess them at all.’
Around noon, Bai Lixin met up with Li Cancan and the others and went to Old Li’s house together.
They weren’t early, almost everyone in the village had already gathered here before their arrival.
Several dishes were laid out on a table covered with a big red cloth. A young woman in floral clothes held a child in her arms, shuttling back and forth at the banquet.
In the middle of the courtyard, an old man dressed in a red robe sat on a grand chair, his smiling eyes nearly squinted into a line.
“Master Li,” a few young people knelt down to serve him wine. “Congratulations! Your family has another addition.”
“Our eldest grandson’s wife is about to give birth too,” the old man chuckled. “In less than half a year, I reckon you’ll all be coming to our place for another feast.”
“A great-grandchild is on the way? That makes four generations under one roof! Incredible, truly incredible!”
Old Li: “Not at all, enjoy the food and drink, don’t worry about an old man like me. Eat to your heart’s content.”
The young people took the cue and got up from the ground, throwing money into the winnowing basket on the table next to the old man.
In the winnowing basket, there was already a thick stack of money.
Li Cancan whispered, “So, you have to give gifts when attending a feast. What should I do? I don’t have money.”
Sun Ning: “The currency from each copy is different, who has money? I saw some other players have sat down already. Maybe players like us, who are guests, don’t need to give gifts. Come on, let’s go in.”
The players had taken their seats at two tables, conveniently leaving three vacant seats at one table.
When they sat down, the players were engaged in hushed discussions amidst the loud background noise.
Amidst the bustling background, their voices seemed particularly faint.
“Has anyone completed the first question?”
“No, I have no idea why Pan Pan is distressed.”
“I nearly wore out my lips trying to guess the answers last night. Isn’t this too difficult? A seven or eight-year-old girl, what unusual troubles could she have?”
“Does she have any special qualities?”
“Of course, isn’t she the center NPC?”
“But it doesn’t matter, this is a welfare copy. Failing the task won’t have consequences. The system already said that, right? We just need to survive for ten days and nights.”
“Yeah, I know that too, so I don’t feel any pressure. So far, everything in the copy seems normal. It’s probably just a rural copy involving the kidnapping of women and trafficking of children.”
“Do the men in this village attend some kind of training? The men in the house where I’m staying don’t do any work.”
“They don’t work at all, it’s ridiculous. Probably attending the ‘Don’t Work or You’ll Die Training Course.’”
“The family I’m staying with is the same. The wives work hard taking care of children, elderly, and managing the household. Women without financial independence suffer greatly; they have no status at home. I almost couldn’t resist slapping the head of the family yesterday.”
“It’s probably a cultural thing. This village might have instilled this mindset from childhood, men are for work outside, women for domestic affairs. Aren’t the men going out to work every day anyway? It might not necessarily involve kidnapping.”
“Alright, alright, you have a point. Anyway, I feel these NPCs don’t deserve those hardworking housewives.”
“Housewives? I feel like these men treat their wives like personal maids, ordering them around as they please. It’s classic male chauvinism.”
As the players discussed, they almost started arguing.
Although there were differences in opinions, most players believed that the background of this village was related to the trafficking of women and children.
Bai Lixin and his two companions did not join in the discussion. Bai Lixin sat quietly in his chair, surveying the courtyard. He noticed there were a lot of children, some held in their mothers’ arms, others running on the ground, and they were all boys.
Bai Lixin quickly identified the mute woman’s family in the crowd. The mute woman had taken off her rough hemp clothes, replaced them with a new yellow outfit, and seemed to have put on some makeup. Her whole demeanor had improved significantly.
However, it wasn’t just the mute woman who was beautiful, almost all the wives at the table were very attractive.
“Look at the looks of these women, you can’t say they weren’t kidnapped.”
“You’re discriminating, do you know that? Are you implying that girls from rural areas aren’t beautiful enough?”
“You clearly know I didn’t mean that, why do you always nitpick me? Are you sick or something?”
“If I had such a beautiful wife, I wouldn’t let her do laundry and cooking every day. These wives have such good temperaments, right?”
“That’s why it’s called the ‘Gentle Village.’ Didn’t the system say it? There is peace and harmony. I think it’s because these wives are too gentle, it’s not really love between couples.”
“So why do they behave so gently? Did they initially want to escape but were beaten into submission, forced to be gentle? This is coercion into prostitution. Those who traffic women and children deserve to die! We’re all humans, composed of the same kind of souls. But these women, because they have a uterus, become commodities for others to sell. Damn it, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. This place is disgusting, I don’t want to stay here for a minute longer.”
As this player spoke, he suddenly became infuriated and stood up, walking away in large strides.
With this player’s departure, the previously heated atmosphere suddenly quieted down.
While the players were arguing, Bai Lixin felt a pair of eyes on him during the commotion.
He turned his head hesitantly, and saw the mute woman looking in his direction, smiling warmly from a distant table.
In rural settings, the cooks have to set up makeshift kitchens in the courtyard and prepare a variety of dishes that are placed on the tables.
Large fish, big chunks of meat, and assorted meats covered the tables.
The guests had already started their meal. While eating, Bai Lixin glanced around, noticing that, just like in their respective homes, the wives rarely touched the meat. They modestly and obediently ate their main dishes, while the men paid no attention to their wives and ate without a care.
“Hey, Old Li, where’s your second son? I haven’t seen him around.”
Someone shouted during the meal.
Old man Li smiled, “The second one went out to work. This mountainous area is poor, and he doesn’t have the money to marry a wife, so he has to work to save up for it.”
“Heh, he’ll need to save up thirty thousand.”
“Some won’t even need that much.”
“That’s right, thirty thousand yuan can get you a beautiful and obedient wife, easy to keep and can bear children. It’s a great deal, Old Li, aim to get two tomorrow.”
“Yeah, thirty thousand, worth more than a pig. So valuable, hahaha.”
Old man Li added, “It’s not as easy as you think; it depends on whether they’re obedient or not. If not, it’s a waste.”
The atmosphere at the players’ tables was starkly different from the harmonious ambiance around them.
They overheard the conversations of these people and stared at their meals, suddenly losing their appetite.
“One person’s freedom and a lifetime are worth thirty thousand.” A female player suddenly stood up, and walked out angrily.
The player who had been talking to the villagers stopped speaking too. His cheeks were burning, and he wished he could find a hole to hide in.
He quickly stood up and left.
“Why did three of them leave?” An unhappy voice slowly emanated from behind the crowd. People turned to see the village chief, who had appeared out of nowhere.
The village chief held a wine cup, and his smiling eyes scanned them one by one. “What’s going on? You all look very unhappy. Is our food not to your taste in this poor place?”
“In this impoverished area, this is the best food we can offer.”
The players looked at the village chief with complex expressions.
One player boldly asked, “Village chief, are you married? Do you have children?”
The village chief was momentarily taken aback, then laughed heartily.
“I’m at this age, how could I not be married? I got married a long time ago, but my wife passed away early, and my son is studying abroad now. So, it’s just me at home. But I’m not lonely, there are plenty of things to keep me busy in the village.”
“When your son comes back to this place after studying, will you also spend thirty thousand to buy him a wife? Thirty thousand yuan, it’s really cheap, even cheaper than a pig.”
The village chief was puzzled, ”What are you talking about, young one? Have you been listening to these coarse people spouting nonsense under the influence of alcohol? They’re just being drunk, don’t listen to their nonsense.”
“It’s normal for men to put on airs when they’re outside, they belittle women to elevate their own social status. The thirty thousand they mentioned is a bride price. In our village, men find wives through matchmakers, and the women they marry are all from respectable families.”
“Oh,” the player didn’t believe him and muttered quietly, “A thief won’t admit he’s a thief until caught with evidence.”
The village chief sighed, “Young one, you have prejudices against our rural life. You’re a college student from the city, why aren’t you as sensible as an old man like me who never had an education? Even I know you shouldn’t falsely accuse people. If you don’t like our village, then leave. Today is a big day for the Li family. If it weren’t for Old Li’s sake, I would have asked you to leave long ago. The Hundred Days Banquet only happens once, once it’s gone, it’s gone. You’re educated, can’t you show some manners?”
The female player’s face turned bright red, and she took several deep breaths. In the end, she didn’t say anything and remained silent.
The players found it uncomfortable to eat at this banquet.
The village culture they were experiencing now was vastly different from the education they had received.
When the banquet was over, the players left the one by one with gloomy expressions.
Halfway through, Bai Lixin was tapped on the shoulder.
He looked back and saw Small Braid from yesterday patting his shoulder and saying mysteriously, “Do you want to visit Pan Pan’s house?”
“I’m heading to the fields to work. At noon, we’ll split up and go to Old Li’s house.” The man wiped his mouth proficiently, stood up, and exercised his authority as the head of the family, giving orders. “I’m leaving.”
With that, the man left.
At the dining table, only the mute woman and the two children remained.
Bai Lixin pointed to the spot where the old woman had sat yesterday. “Why isn’t she coming to eat?”
The mute woman put down her chopsticks and raised her index finger.
The older brother then translated in a childish voice, “My grandmother only eats one meal a day. She’s older now and doesn’t have much appetite, so she can’t eat too much.”
Bai Lixin responded with an “Oh” and lowered his head to eat.
The meal was eaten in silence, with only the sound of chopsticks hitting the bowls.
After breakfast, Bai Lixin once again offered to help with cleaning but was declined by the woman.
Bai Lixin merely glanced at the woman and left the house without saying anything further.
The two brothers seemed to play around all the time. They were either eating or entertaining themselves every day.
Seeing that the older brother was about to take the younger one out again, Bai Lixin quickly stopped them with a lollipop in hand.
“Where does your dad usually work?” Bai Lixin asked.
“In the fields,” the older brother replied.
Bai Lixin inquired further, “Which part of the fields?”
The older brother blinked at Bai Lixin with innocently. “The fields are just the fields. My dad goes to work there every day so he can earn money to buy food for us.”
Seeing that he was unable to extract more information, Bai Lixin decided to change the topic. “Is there a school in your village?”
The younger brother repeated, “School, school.”
The older brother added, “Yes, there’s a school. Do you want to go see it? I can take you there!”
After saying that, he fixed his sparkling eyes on Bai Lixin.
Bai Lixin instantly understood the older brother’s meaning and compromised by handing him a lollipop. “Alright, take me there.”
The older brother held his younger sibling with one hand and Bai Lixin with the other. They roamed around the already small village for a while and arrived at a small courtyard not far from the village committee.
The courtyard was surrounded by tall red walls on all sides, and the green iron gate showed signs of rust. Even the chains and locks on the gate had rusted.
It looked like it hadn’t been used in many years.
The older brother patted the large iron gate and said, “This is the school.”
Bai Lixin was momentarily taken aback. Standing in front of the iron gate, he peered through the crack and saw a lush overgrowth of weeds in the courtyard.
The weeds grew wildly, and in the middle of the courtyard, there was a thick pole that was nearly ten meters tall, standing erect. At the top of the pole, a tattered square flag hung limply from the railing.
The houses in rows around the courtyard were in a dilapidated state.
“Is this the only school in your village?” Given the dilapidated condition of this school, it seemed like it hadn’t been used for at least a couple of decades.
“Yes, this is the school,” the boy replied with a smile. “Do you want to go inside? I know a dog hole we can crawl through.”
“But you better not go inside,” he added mysteriously.
Bai Lixin was curious. “Why not?”
The boy suddenly looked at Bai Lixin with a mysterious expression. “Because there are ghosts inside.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘This was getting exciting. Now I definitely want to go inside.
But… a dog hole?
Crawling through a dog hole?
It’s just a dog hole anyway, what’s the big deal?’
“Take me there. I’ll crawl through!”
A few minutes later, Bai Lixin had a whole new appreciation for “dog holes.”
It was a hole that could barely accommodate a child. Even if Bai Lixin were exceptionally slim, there was no way he could fit through.
Bai Lixin: “…”
The dog hole won.
——————————
In the live broadcast room
[Only by using fire can you defeat fire.]
[Now, let’s enjoy the century old puzzle of “Tragedy of the Dog Hole”, brought to you by God Xin.]
[God Xin never expected that what defeated him wouldn’t be a powerful boss in a copy but rather a dog hole.]
————————–
Older Brother: “Big brother, are you really going to crawl through? You probably can’t fit.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Stop talking, I can see it.’
Bai Lixin temporarily abandoned the idea of entering the school and asked, “You mentioned there are ghosts inside the school. Have you seen them?”
“My brother brought us in to play before, when we were playing hide and seek inside, we saw a figure with long hair wearing red clothes.”
“At that moment, it suddenly chased us, and we were so scared that we crawled out through the dog hole, and no one dared to go back in.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘A female ghost in a red? This copy should be called “The Arrival of Xia Chi.”’
After giving each of the two children a piece of candy, Bai Lixin looked towards the distant green mountains.
The dense clouds that had shrouded the mountains had dissipated, revealing their lush, verdant appearance.
He opened his taskbar and looked at his tasks:
[Task 1: Survive for ten days and ten nights.]
[Task 2: Find out the reason for Pan Pan’s distress (incomplete) and resolve it (incomplete).]
[Task 3: (Undetermined)]
If Pan Pan’s distress was related to finding her brother, the system should have already prompted completion when he discussed it with Sun Ning and Li Cancan last night.
Perhaps due to this being a bonus-type copy, the difficulty of the tasks was indeed much easier than the previous copy.
In the previous copy, each question was followed by a frame, meaning the answer would only be submitted after that blank space was filled in.
But in this copy, it was just marked as (incomplete) or (unfinished) after finding out about the little brother. With this question format, as long as the player answered correctly, the task would be automatically marked as completed, so it could be tried as many times as needed.
Yesterday, after chatting with Sun Ning and the others, he tried entering “Her Brother” when he returned to his room, but the system didn’t give any reaction.
Afterward, he thought of many other possibilities, such as wanting to go to school, wanting to eat, wanting her father, and so on. He tried almost every possibility, possible and impossible alike, but he didn’t get a single correct answer.
‘Hmm.’
Bai Lixin silently closed the system’s taskbar.
‘A girl’s thoughts are impossible to guess.
You can’t guess them at all.’
Around noon, Bai Lixin met up with Li Cancan and the others and went to Old Li’s house together.
They weren’t early, almost everyone in the village had already gathered here before their arrival.
Several dishes were laid out on a table covered with a big red cloth. A young woman in floral clothes held a child in her arms, shuttling back and forth at the banquet.
In the middle of the courtyard, an old man dressed in a red robe sat on a grand chair, his smiling eyes nearly squinted into a line.
“Master Li,” a few young people knelt down to serve him wine. “Congratulations! Your family has another addition.”
“Our eldest grandson’s wife is about to give birth too,” the old man chuckled. “In less than half a year, I reckon you’ll all be coming to our place for another feast.”
“A great-grandchild is on the way? That makes four generations under one roof! Incredible, truly incredible!”
Old Li: “Not at all, enjoy the food and drink, don’t worry about an old man like me. Eat to your heart’s content.”
The young people took the cue and got up from the ground, throwing money into the winnowing basket on the table next to the old man.
In the winnowing basket, there was already a thick stack of money.
Li Cancan whispered, “So, you have to give gifts when attending a feast. What should I do? I don’t have money.”
Sun Ning: “The currency from each copy is different, who has money? I saw some other players have sat down already. Maybe players like us, who are guests, don’t need to give gifts. Come on, let’s go in.”
The players had taken their seats at two tables, conveniently leaving three vacant seats at one table.
When they sat down, the players were engaged in hushed discussions amidst the loud background noise.
Amidst the bustling background, their voices seemed particularly faint.
“Has anyone completed the first question?”
“No, I have no idea why Pan Pan is distressed.”
“I nearly wore out my lips trying to guess the answers last night. Isn’t this too difficult? A seven or eight-year-old girl, what unusual troubles could she have?”
“Does she have any special qualities?”
“Of course, isn’t she the center NPC?”
“But it doesn’t matter, this is a welfare copy. Failing the task won’t have consequences. The system already said that, right? We just need to survive for ten days and nights.”
“Yeah, I know that too, so I don’t feel any pressure. So far, everything in the copy seems normal. It’s probably just a rural copy involving the kidnapping of women and trafficking of children.”
“Do the men in this village attend some kind of training? The men in the house where I’m staying don’t do any work.”
“They don’t work at all, it’s ridiculous. Probably attending the ‘Don’t Work or You’ll Die Training Course.’”
“The family I’m staying with is the same. The wives work hard taking care of children, elderly, and managing the household. Women without financial independence suffer greatly; they have no status at home. I almost couldn’t resist slapping the head of the family yesterday.”
“It’s probably a cultural thing. This village might have instilled this mindset from childhood, men are for work outside, women for domestic affairs. Aren’t the men going out to work every day anyway? It might not necessarily involve kidnapping.”
“Alright, alright, you have a point. Anyway, I feel these NPCs don’t deserve those hardworking housewives.”
“Housewives? I feel like these men treat their wives like personal maids, ordering them around as they please. It’s classic male chauvinism.”
As the players discussed, they almost started arguing.
Although there were differences in opinions, most players believed that the background of this village was related to the trafficking of women and children.
Bai Lixin and his two companions did not join in the discussion. Bai Lixin sat quietly in his chair, surveying the courtyard. He noticed there were a lot of children, some held in their mothers’ arms, others running on the ground, and they were all boys.
Bai Lixin quickly identified the mute woman’s family in the crowd. The mute woman had taken off her rough hemp clothes, replaced them with a new yellow outfit, and seemed to have put on some makeup. Her whole demeanor had improved significantly.
However, it wasn’t just the mute woman who was beautiful, almost all the wives at the table were very attractive.
“Look at the looks of these women, you can’t say they weren’t kidnapped.”
“You’re discriminating, do you know that? Are you implying that girls from rural areas aren’t beautiful enough?”
“You clearly know I didn’t mean that, why do you always nitpick me? Are you sick or something?”
“If I had such a beautiful wife, I wouldn’t let her do laundry and cooking every day. These wives have such good temperaments, right?”
“That’s why it’s called the ‘Gentle Village.’ Didn’t the system say it? There is peace and harmony. I think it’s because these wives are too gentle, it’s not really love between couples.”
“So why do they behave so gently? Did they initially want to escape but were beaten into submission, forced to be gentle? This is coercion into prostitution. Those who traffic women and children deserve to die! We’re all humans, composed of the same kind of souls. But these women, because they have a uterus, become commodities for others to sell. Damn it, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. This place is disgusting, I don’t want to stay here for a minute longer.”
As this player spoke, he suddenly became infuriated and stood up, walking away in large strides.
With this player’s departure, the previously heated atmosphere suddenly quieted down.
While the players were arguing, Bai Lixin felt a pair of eyes on him during the commotion.
He turned his head hesitantly, and saw the mute woman looking in his direction, smiling warmly from a distant table.
In rural settings, the cooks have to set up makeshift kitchens in the courtyard and prepare a variety of dishes that are placed on the tables.
Large fish, big chunks of meat, and assorted meats covered the tables.
The guests had already started their meal. While eating, Bai Lixin glanced around, noticing that, just like in their respective homes, the wives rarely touched the meat. They modestly and obediently ate their main dishes, while the men paid no attention to their wives and ate without a care.
“Hey, Old Li, where’s your second son? I haven’t seen him around.”
Someone shouted during the meal.
Old man Li smiled, “The second one went out to work. This mountainous area is poor, and he doesn’t have the money to marry a wife, so he has to work to save up for it.”
“Heh, he’ll need to save up thirty thousand.”
“Some won’t even need that much.”
“That’s right, thirty thousand yuan can get you a beautiful and obedient wife, easy to keep and can bear children. It’s a great deal, Old Li, aim to get two tomorrow.”
“Yeah, thirty thousand, worth more than a pig. So valuable, hahaha.”
Old man Li added, “It’s not as easy as you think; it depends on whether they’re obedient or not. If not, it’s a waste.”
The atmosphere at the players’ tables was starkly different from the harmonious ambiance around them.
They overheard the conversations of these people and stared at their meals, suddenly losing their appetite.
“One person’s freedom and a lifetime are worth thirty thousand.” A female player suddenly stood up, and walked out angrily.
The player who had been talking to the villagers stopped speaking too. His cheeks were burning, and he wished he could find a hole to hide in.
He quickly stood up and left.
“Why did three of them leave?” An unhappy voice slowly emanated from behind the crowd. People turned to see the village chief, who had appeared out of nowhere.
The village chief held a wine cup, and his smiling eyes scanned them one by one. “What’s going on? You all look very unhappy. Is our food not to your taste in this poor place?”
“In this impoverished area, this is the best food we can offer.”
The players looked at the village chief with complex expressions.
One player boldly asked, “Village chief, are you married? Do you have children?”
The village chief was momentarily taken aback, then laughed heartily.
“I’m at this age, how could I not be married? I got married a long time ago, but my wife passed away early, and my son is studying abroad now. So, it’s just me at home. But I’m not lonely, there are plenty of things to keep me busy in the village.”
“When your son comes back to this place after studying, will you also spend thirty thousand to buy him a wife? Thirty thousand yuan, it’s really cheap, even cheaper than a pig.”
The village chief was puzzled, ”What are you talking about, young one? Have you been listening to these coarse people spouting nonsense under the influence of alcohol? They’re just being drunk, don’t listen to their nonsense.”
“It’s normal for men to put on airs when they’re outside, they belittle women to elevate their own social status. The thirty thousand they mentioned is a bride price. In our village, men find wives through matchmakers, and the women they marry are all from respectable families.”
“Oh,” the player didn’t believe him and muttered quietly, “A thief won’t admit he’s a thief until caught with evidence.”
The village chief sighed, “Young one, you have prejudices against our rural life. You’re a college student from the city, why aren’t you as sensible as an old man like me who never had an education? Even I know you shouldn’t falsely accuse people. If you don’t like our village, then leave. Today is a big day for the Li family. If it weren’t for Old Li’s sake, I would have asked you to leave long ago. The Hundred Days Banquet only happens once, once it’s gone, it’s gone. You’re educated, can’t you show some manners?”
The female player’s face turned bright red, and she took several deep breaths. In the end, she didn’t say anything and remained silent.
The players found it uncomfortable to eat at this banquet.
The village culture they were experiencing now was vastly different from the education they had received.
When the banquet was over, the players left the one by one with gloomy expressions.
Halfway through, Bai Lixin was tapped on the shoulder.
He looked back and saw Small Braid from yesterday patting his shoulder and saying mysteriously, “Do you want to visit Pan Pan’s house?”
