Just then, Li Wenhe's voice called out to her from outside the window.
Mingzhuo seemed to snap out of that strange atmosphere and quickly responded.
Then he said to Gu Xu in a haphazard way, "Ah Xu, dinner's served outside, let's go eat."
After saying that, she fled the room as if she were escaping.
Li Wenhe, not seeing anyone, had already gone up the stairs. When he saw her come out, he was stunned for a moment.
Why is your face red?
Mingzhuo: "I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"
Li Wenhe frowned; the fact that the denial was too quick made him overthink things.
He looked up at the top of the stairs.
Gu Xu stood there and glanced at him from afar.
After their eyes met for a second, Gu Xu looked away.
Li Wenhe's pupils suddenly contracted; he clearly sensed the sharp edge and hostility in Gu Xu's eyes.
In his memory, Gu Xu had always been very gentle. Although he liked Ming Zhuo, he was not the type to take the initiative.
After all, he was a few years older, a young master raised in a wealthy family, and now the head of a large corporation, so Gu Xu mostly kept a low profile.
This was the first time he had ever felt such sharpness and hostility.
It's like he's become a completely different person.
But then, Gu Xu lowered his long hair, his expression returning to its gentle and composed state, as if the scene just now was his illusion.
Li Wenhe turned and chased after Ming Zhuo with a sullen face.
On the steps, Gu Xu raised his hand and rubbed his temples, his long, slender, fair fingers concealing the dark and unfathomable emotions in his eyes.
For some reason, after entering the village, he felt that something was about to burst forth from his grasp.
It was as if something deep in the mountains was influencing him and calling to him.
——
Dinner was arranged in the ancestral hall at the entrance of the village. The weather in the mountains was cold, and the ancestral hall provided some shelter from the wind and rain.
He Wangyao has a psychological aversion to the ancestral hall, always feeling that something is hidden in the places where the light doesn't reach, which makes her feel uneasy.
Lan Jing—the young man on the motorcycle—couldn't help but burst into laughter after hearing He Wangyao's words.
"How can you cultivators be so timid? But don't be afraid, we don't enshrine ancestral tablets in our ancestral hall."
As he spoke, he got up and turned on all the lights in the inner room.
The lights poured in, revealing the entire room.
Several mahjong machines were neatly arranged.
Lan Jing enthusiastically invited, "Master, do you play mahjong? We're free tonight, how about we play a few rounds?"
He Wangyao: "..."
This village was truly unremarkable, despite his constant anxiety and fear that something was hidden there.
When Mingzhuo and Li Wenhe entered the ancestral hall, they heard a loud bang from inside.
Luo Wenxin excitedly pushed over the mahjong tiles in front of her and said with a smile, "Sorry, I won by self-draw."
Then came the loud shuffling of the cards, quite a lively scene.
Mingzhuo: "I didn't realize that the people in this village were so good at business. They've even turned the ancestral hall into a small restaurant and a leisure chess and card room."
Li Wenhe hadn't expected this place to be so down-to-earth; it eased the heaviness weighing on his heart.
However, he still had a question: "If ancestral tablets aren't enshrined in the ancestral hall, then where are they enshrined? At home?"
He went to check out the place he was staying at, but he didn't see any memorial tablets or anything like that.
We didn't even see a single portrait of him, yet the family clearly stated that Grandpa passed away from illness three months later.
He Wangyao walked over and said, "Perhaps it's because the people in their village don't believe in these things. I think that's great; it's very materialistic."
“If that’s the case, then Huang Gu wouldn’t be so famous.” Someone walked out of the darkness; it was Gu Xu.
Mingzhuo glanced at him a few times, and she wondered if it was because it was cold in the mountains at night, but she felt that Axu's face was unusually pale.
Lan Jing was sitting on a small stool, excitedly counting her money, when she saw Gu Xu come in, she jumped up.
He rushed to Gu Xu's side and eagerly led the group to another small room, saying, "Mr. Gu, the meal is ready, please enjoy."
This was considered a private room. Mingzhuo glanced at the dishes on the table; they were clearly better than those served outside.
Li Wenhe asked casually, "The old man I'm staying with has passed away. Where should I go to pay my respects?"
Lan Jing's expression changed slightly, and she said with an awkward smile, "It's cold at night, would you like to drink?"
It's obvious they're trying to change the subject.
The aunties serving the dishes also looked at them warily, clearly reluctant to discuss the topic.
As Lan Jing was about to step out after the aunties left, Gu Xu suddenly called out to him.
He repeated the question that Li Wenhe had asked.
Li Wenhe snorted coldly. Was there any need to ask the same question again? If they didn't want to say it, they still wouldn't.
This time, Lan Jing didn't change the subject. After hesitating for a moment, she said in a low voice, "Since Mr. Gu wants to know, then I will tell you. If you want to pay your respects, you can bring incense and candles and go to the cliff on the west side to pay your respects. Cremation is the custom here, and there are no graves."
After Lan Jing left, Ming Zhuo couldn't help but sigh, "A Xu, how much money did you spend to make him so obedient to you?"
Gu Xu hesitated for a moment: "It wasn't much money, I just helped him out."
Simply spending money might not achieve the same effect, but Gu Xu has his own methods and approaches.
Just then, Lan Jing needed something, and he happened to have the connections and resources to help her resolve the matter.
After understanding the whole story, He Wangyao sighed: "At first I was lamenting the evils of capitalism, but it turns out it's not that; it's about winning hearts and minds."
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