The next morning, Nan Xian woke up to the loud crowing of roosters.

The village was shrouded in a thin mist, and the air was filled with cool, moist vapor. Opening the window, one could see only hazy greenery.

She stood on the veranda, wrapped in a thin blanket, gazing absently at the overlapping mountains in the distance, when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

She turned her head and her eyes met He Mingxiao's.

He Mingxiao stopped two steps behind her, his gaze falling on her shoulder.

"It's cold in the morning, don't catch a cold."

She pulled the thin blanket that had slipped down to her arms, turned her head, and said nothing.

There was a momentary pause in the atmosphere, which was then interrupted by the sound of footsteps going upstairs.

Ding He appeared carrying a thermos. When she looked up and saw He Mingxiao, she quickly slowed down and said, "Hello, Mr. He." Then she placed the thermos on the small table under the corridor and ladled out a bowl of steaming red bean soup.

Nan Xian sat down at the table, scooped a spoonful of soup into her mouth, and then pursed her lips almost imperceptibly.

He Mingxiao suddenly spoke up: "Add two more spoonfuls of sugar."

Ding He paused for a moment, then subconsciously answered "okay," and added two spoonfuls of white sugar to the soup.

Nan Xian's lips twitched slightly, but she pretended not to hear and continued drinking her soup.

However, the next second, with a "creak," He Mingxiao sat down on another rattan chair opposite her, stretching out his limbs relaxed and looking at her with a smile.

Nan Xian took a deep breath and forced a smile, "Mr. He, is there something you need?"

He Mingxiao blinked. "I'll have breakfast too."

As soon as he finished speaking, Assistant Jiang appeared carrying large and small boxes, neatly and quickly placing the breakfast in front of He Mingxiao.

Nan Xian glanced up and saw crab roe buns, delicate shrimp dumplings, spare ribs with black bean sauce, and a small bowl of fish porridge.

They are all things she likes.

This guy... he definitely did it on purpose! Nan Xian gritted her teeth silently.

"Mr. He, there's another table over there." She gestured towards the end of the corridor.

He Mingxiao glanced at it and answered honestly, "Eating is more enjoyable with two people, and the view from here is better."

Nan Xian: ...Really? I don't believe it.

"I ordered a lot, would you like to try some?" He picked up a shrimp dumpling and pretended to put it in her bowl.

Nan Xian was startled and quickly got up to leave, clutching her red bean soup. "No, I'm full. Mr. He, please enjoy your meal!"

He Mingxiao withdrew his hand, put the shrimp dumpling into his mouth, chewed it slowly and swallowed it. As if thinking of something, a pleasant smile appeared on his lips.

**

After a frustrating breakfast, Nan Xian couldn't stop thinking about the glistening shrimp dumpling and the long, beautiful hands holding the chopsticks all morning.

"Gurgle—" Her stomach suddenly rumbled, and Yu Lin, who was walking next to her, subconsciously turned his head to look at her.

Nan Xian met his gaze and couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed.

Yu Lin coughed lightly, pressing his fist to his lips. "It seems like it's almost noon. I'm a little hungry too. How about we go get something to eat?"

The child was perceptive and knew how to offer a way out, so Nan Xian readily agreed.

The two met by chance. Nan Xian was aimlessly searching for clues when she bumped into Yu Lin, who had just woken up, and the two formed a temporary alliance.

Yu Lin led her to a small stilted house.

An elderly woman, nearing sixty, lived in the building. She was incredibly hospitable, inviting them to sit down and have some tea, and then serving them a steaming pot of sour fish soup.

The fish is a local specialty, rice paddy fish, which is not fishy at all. The meat is so tender that it melts in your mouth. Paired with a sour and spicy soup, it's so delicious that you'll want to swallow your tongue.

Nan Xian ate half a bowl more rice than usual while eating this pot of fish.

As they chatted after dinner to digest their food, Nan Xian was wondering where the production team would hide the clues when she suddenly noticed an old woman looking at them.

"Little girl, are you looking for Gu poison? Perfect, I have something related to Gu poison right here!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the two women turned to look at her. Nan Xian's eyes lit up, and she moved a small stool to sit next to the old woman. "Grandma, really? Can we take a look?"

The old woman readily agreed and got up to go to the bedroom.

Yu Lin let out a soft cheer, "Sister, you're amazing! Grandma didn't mention anything about Gu when I came over for dinner yesterday!"

Nan Xian chuckled, "You were so busy eating yesterday that you didn't have a chance to give anyone a clue."

Yu Lin blushed slightly, then suddenly leaned closer, his bright eyes looking up at her expectantly: "So... does this count as something we found together?"

A 19-year-old boy still carries the immaturity and naivety of youth. This kind of coquettish behavior with the intention of pleasing others is like a watermelon just pulled from the well water in the middle of summer, with the sweetness and coolness filling the entire mouth.

Nan Xian stared at him for a while, then subtly looked away. "Of course, we're allies."

As they were talking, the old woman brought over a clue—a book with the title "Travels in the Village" on the cover.

"Huh, what's this?" Yu Lin exclaimed in surprise, "A travelogue?"

Nan Xian opened it, and on the title page was a string of incomprehensible characters, which seemed to be names. The main text was on the second page, which recorded the strange and wonderful stories about Gu magic that the traveler had heard while living in this village.

"On May 13, 1950, I encountered two young people who came to this place seeking help. The two were engaged, but the man claimed to be under a 'love spell,' deeply in love with the woman's best friend, a love that seemed to last a lifetime... The woman was heartbroken and came here seeking a way to break the spell. However, judging from the man's expression, it did not seem like he was under a spell, but rather that his words came from the bottom of his heart..."

Upon seeing that last sentence, Yu Lin immediately slammed his fist on the table in anger, "Scumbag! He's clearly fallen for someone else, yet he claims to be under a spell, pshaw!"

"Don't get excited, don't get excited, it's all just a story."

Nan Xian turned to the next page—

"On December 4, 1951, an old man with white hair came to the village. His neck was wrapped in a thick strip of cloth, and he looked sickly. The old man claimed that he had a feud with someone who had put a 'throat-locking curse' on him, causing his throat to swell and making it difficult for him to breathe. It felt as if someone was tightly locking his throat. In severe cases, he could not even eat and was in great pain."

Yu Lin subconsciously touched his neck. "Sister, what do you think?"

Nan Xian's gaze lingered on the line "swollen throat, difficulty breathing," and a guess flashed through her mind, but she couldn't be sure, so she just shook her head.

"Then let's continue looking for other clues."

The two said goodbye to the old woman, but unexpectedly, they ran into Gu Changlin as soon as they stepped out the door.

The three of them stopped in their tracks and looked at each other through a wooden fence gate.