"Strange, is there a barrier here?" Xu Chen hadn't even left the mountain yet when he bumped into a "transparent glass". He reached out and touched it, but couldn't sense the existence of any restriction.
"Is this the so-called test? Is it to make me break the barrier?" Xu Chen deeply sensed the structure of the barrier and found that there were no restrictions, no formations, and no spiritual power inside. He had no idea where to start.
"Young man, what are you doing... what are you doing?" A passerby heading into the mountains saw Xu Chen reaching out and groping for something. Somewhat puzzled, he quickly walked over to Xu Chen's side, seemingly worried about Xu Chen's mental state.
"No, it's nothing. I just thought of an old movie, 'Zombies in the Deep Mountains.' Have you seen it?" Xu Chen had a sudden inspiration and came up with this excuse.
The timid but truly adventurous were startled. "Are there really zombies in the deep mountains? Dude, don't scare me."
"Yes!" Xu Chen smiled, deliberately trying to scare him.
The adventurer's hands trembled slightly. His girlfriend's test for him was to complete a task in the deep mountains, after which she would forgive him. The adventurer was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
"Why did you come here? Are you here to go on an adventure?" Xu Chen asked curiously, noticing the man carrying a large backpack.
"No, it was my wife's request. She caught me staying up all night online and said she wouldn't forgive me unless I did some kind of 'checking in' deep in the Qinling Mountains."
"Is that your wife?" Xu Chen pointed behind him. The man turned around and looked back. A woman with a child was staring at him blankly.
"Honey, what brings you here? Don't worry, I was just about to go in. I'll be right there after I clock in." The man hurriedly ran to the woman's side and explained in a flustered manner.
"Go home, I forgive you."
"Honey, really?"
"Seriously, are you stupid? I told you to come, and you actually came? How did I end up with such a silly husband? Nannan has to go back to school tomorrow, so come home with me."
"Alright, honey, buddy, I'm off!"
"Goodbye!" Xu Chen found the couple quite interesting. As he thought about it, he took out his phone from his backpack and called Wang Li.
"Lili, what are you doing?"
"Yeah, writing my thesis. Chenchen, where are you?" Wang Li ignored the message from her professor and chatted happily with Xu Chen when she received his call.
"Miss you!"
"How cheesy, Chenchen! If you miss me, come home quickly!" Wang Li said proudly.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to go back anytime soon, Lili, I'm trapped."
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Xu Chen recounted his encounters with the young men and women to Wang Li in detail, omitting the fact that it had been a comfortable three days. Wang Li hurriedly said, "Should we ask Sister Yue to come over?"
"Give it a try, call her and ask."
"Chenchen, I'll be right there once I finish my paper. Wait for me!"
Wang Li quickly hung up the phone and started discussing her thesis with the professor. She decided to finish the thesis as soon as possible and then go find Xu Chen.
Looking at the setting sun, Xu Chen sighed and climbed up a tree with his backpack, intending to make do for the night.
"I'll go see Xiaorou tomorrow, and then..." Xu Chen thought for a moment and found that he had nothing to do. The night passed, and in the early morning, Xu Chen jumped down from the tree, ran around several large trees nearby for a long time, then put on his backpack and went to Wang Hui's house.
"Sister Hui." Xu Chen spotted Wang Hui washing clothes at a glance. She was sitting by a large wooden tub with laundry detergent next to her, rubbing the clothes.
"Xu Chen?" When Wang Hui saw Xu Chen arrive, she quickly went inside to bring out the money Xu Chen had left behind. "Take this, I don't need it."
"Sister Hui, the child needs it!" Xu Chen said seriously, then stuffed the money back into Wang Hui's hand.
"Xu Chen, why are you doing this?" Wang Hui said helplessly when she saw that Xu Chen was determined not to accept the money. Then she carefully put away the several thousand yuan in cash, intending to use it for Xiao Rou's tuition for the next semester.
"Sister Hui, where is my sister?" Xu Chen looked around the room and asked softly.
"I'm at school and will be back around noon. Sorry, I'm too busy. Please make yourself some tea."
"Sister Hui, let me help you." Xu Chen picked up the clothes and started rubbing them like Wang Hui did. As he washed, he noticed that Wang Hui stopped and stared at him blankly.
"Sister Hui, what's wrong?"
"It's alright, thank you. These are clothes from the villagers." Wang Hui turned her head and wiped her tears with her sleeve.
While they were washing, Xiao Rou skipped in with her little schoolbag on her back. The mother and daughter lived in a single-story house with an open space in front of the house enclosed by a fence, which was built by her deceased husband before he died.
"Big brother!" Xiao Rou walked happily to Xu Chen. Xu Chen wiped his hands clean and patted the little girl's head. He rummaged in his bag, and soon, seeing the little girl's expectant eyes, Xu Chen's forehead broke out in sweat because the snacks he had bought had already been given away.
"Xiaorou, your final exams are coming up soon, right? If you do well, I'll give you a really, really big present." Xu Chen tried to get the little girl's attention.
"Big brother, I want..." Xiao Rou was a little disappointed when she didn't see the chocolate she wanted, but when she heard Xu Chen say that, she immediately thought of a lot of delicious food, many of which were popular among her classmates.
"Xiaorou, it's time to do your homework." Seeing that her daughter was being a bit unreasonable, Wang Hui quickly scolded her to divert her attention.
Xiao Rou went into the room with her little schoolbag, looking aggrieved. Xu Chen smiled and said, "Big sister, if the child does well on the test, she should be given a reward. A hug or a kiss is fine."
Wang Hui sighed, "Our family's circumstances don't really allow her to have any other ideas. I'm so tired. I've already exhausted all my efforts just taking care of her food, clothing, and school."
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