Under Lu Qingjiu's perfunctory, Yin Xun, who always had a big heart, quickly put down the small truck that was bathing in the rain and turned his attention to the meal that Lu Qingjiu was cooking.
"What are we having for dinner tonight?" Yin Xun tilted his head and peeked into the pot.
"Isn't it hot now?" Lu Qingjiu said, "I made some cold noodles, steamed some buns, and cooked a pot of mung bean porridge." The dough for the buns had been fermented yesterday, so they can be eaten fresh after steaming.
Yin Xun said, "Can I eat one first?"
"Eat it." Lu Qingjiu used chopsticks to pick a bun out of the steamer and said, "Send two to them too. They'll be ready soon. Be careful of the heat."
Yin Xun happily hummed, grabbing the buns and leaving. These buns were made with dough Lu Qingjiu had made himself, and since it was his first time making them, the buns didn't look very good; some were large, some were small. But despite the appearance, the taste was spot on. They were chewy and smooth, with a hint of sweetness, and the more you chewed, the more fragrant they became.
The cold noodles were ready, too. They were topped with fresh bean sprouts soaked in their own garden and crisp cucumber shreds. Lu Qingjiu prepared the seasoning, and after mixing it evenly, the noodles were sour, spicy, and refreshing, very appetizing. There was also the pot of mung bean porridge, cooked and cooling. Lu Qingjiu poured the porridge into bowls and called them to eat.
Zhu Miaomiao and Yin Xun helped bring the dishes to the table, and the five of them sat down and started eating.
Zhang Chuyang didn't seem to be very interested in dinner at first, but after taking a bite, his eyes showed surprise and he said, "Sake, your cooking is so delicious?"
Lu Qingjiu smiled and said, “Mr. Zhang, you’re too polite. I just made some.”
Because Bai Yuehu likes to eat meat, Lu Qingjiu specially made garlic pork for Bai Yuehu. The meat was cut by Bai Yuehu himself. He has excellent knife skills. The cut meat is as thin as a cicada's wing. The seasoning is poured on it. The meat is transparent when picked up. It is not greasy at all when put into the mouth. The mouth is full of the delicious taste of meat.
Yin Xun ate five steamed buns in one breath. Although the buns were not big, he was still very full. Lu Qingjiu always knew when to stop eating. He put down his chopsticks when he was about 80% full.
Zhang Chuyang and Zhu Miaomiao had almost finished their meals, so everyone at the table watched Bai Yuehu eat half a steamed bun in one bite, showing no sign of finishing his meal. Zhu Miaomiao's eyes widened as she whispered, "It would be so nice if I were like Mr. Bai." He could eat as much as he wanted without gaining weight.
Bai Yuehu ignored her completely, finished eating everything on the table, and looked up at Lu Qingjiu.
Lu Qingjiu said, "Are you full? There are still a lot of steamed buns in the pot. If you are not full, I will bring you some more."
Bai Yuehu said, "Almost."
Yin Xun said, "Then put the remaining steamed buns in the refrigerator?"
Lu Qingjiu said: “Well, put it in there. You can fry the steamed buns and eat them tomorrow morning, and you can also use it to sandwich cherry jam.”
"Okay." Yin Xun followed Bai Yuehu and went to clean up the kitchen together. Usually, Lu Qingjiu cooked, Yin Xun did odd jobs, and Bai Yuehu washed the dishes. The three of them were very well-distributed.
After eating, it was time to get down to business. Lu Qingjiu already had a plan in mind. He went to the kitchen to find the tea he had bought in town before, and then used hot water to make a cup of tea for Zhang Chuyang.
"Mr. Zhang." Lu Qingjiu placed the tea in front of Zhang Chuyang.
Seeing the atmosphere getting serious, Zhang Chuyang put away the smile on his face and sat upright in front of the table.
"I understand your request, but this requires some rituals, so I'd like to trouble you for your cooperation." Lu Qingjiu's tone was particularly serious. "You must cooperate with me during the ritual. If something goes wrong, there may be some negative consequences."
Zhang Chuyang said, "I know. I just want to ask, is there really no side effect?"
"No." Because he had confirmed it with Bai Yuehu before, Lu Qingjiu could give the answer so calmly.
"Alright then." Zhang Chuyang rubbed his head and sighed, "You tell me what ceremony to go through, and I'll do it."
Lu Qingjiu nodded and explained the ritual to Zhang Chuyang. This ritual was essentially the same one the witch had used back then; Lu Qingjiu had simply copied it all over again. He hadn't intended to make it so elaborate, but after thinking about it, he realized that 100,000 yuan wasn't a small sum. If he could just pray and his hair grew back, it would seem too easy. So, to ensure Zhang Chuyang's money was worth it, Lu Qingjiu decided to go the extra mile.
Zhang Chuyang didn't believe in ghosts and gods, but seeing Lu Qingjiu's serious expression, he felt inexplicably nervous.
"Okay, that's about it for the ceremony. Get some rest today, take a shower and change clothes before going to bed. Tomorrow morning, we'll start the ceremony." Lu Qingjiu said, "Don't go out at night. The security here is not good."
Zhang Chuyang nodded and went back to the house to rest.
After he left, Zhu Miaomiao patted Lu Qingjiu's shoulder with a half-smile and said, "Qingjiu, I didn't realize you were still so naughty."
Lu Qingjiu spread his hands innocently: "I just want him to feel that this money is not thrown away in vain."
Zhu Miaomiao said: "Well... this is good." At least it gave her a reason to grow her hair long.
After Yin Xun finished washing the dishes, he planned to go back by himself. Lu Qingjiu thought about it and decided to give him a ride. Yin Xun wanted to refuse, but seeing Lu Qingjiu's firm attitude, he agreed.
So the two of them walked into the rain holding umbrellas. Despite the heavy rain that continued to fall, Lu Qingjiu sent Yin Xun home.
Yin Xun's home was actually not far from his, only a five or six minute walk away. As a child, Yin Xun was considered a left-behind child. After his parents left for work, they left him alone in Shuifu Village, where he lived with his grandparents. Lu Qingjiu later left the village, but he kept in touch with Yin Xun. It was Yin Xun who notified him when something happened at the old house.
"Yin Xun, have you ever thought about going out?" Lu Qingjiu asked Yin Xun when they got home.
Yin Xun said, "Go out? Where to?" The sound of the rain made Yin Xun's voice a little unclear, but Lu Qingjiu still heard his answer clearly.
"Your parents?" Lu Qingjiu asked, "They..."
"Don't go looking for them." Yin Xun said, "They are all divorced and have their own families. Why should I go there? I might as well stay in the yard of my grandma's favorite house." He walked into the house and waved to Lu Qingjiu, motioning him to go back.
Lu Qingjiu didn't say anything else and turned away.
Everyone has their own destiny, some of which is bestowed by God, while others are the result of one's own choices. Lu Qingjiu vaguely remembered that Yin Xun's parents wanted to take him out of the village, just like Lu Qingjiu's parents did, but in the end Yin Xun refused his parents and insisted on staying in this remote mountain village until he came of age.
The rain was getting heavier, and the road was becoming muddy. Even though he was very careful, Lu Qingjiu still got a lot of mud and water splashed on his trouser legs. Before entering the house, he went to the parking lot again and saw that the originally dirty pickup truck was now brand new. It also saw Lu Qingjiu and flashed its lights.
Lu Qingjiu laughed when he saw it, and reached out to touch its head: “Be good, don’t stand up on the wheels, or people will see you.”
The pickup truck honked twice to indicate it understood.
Lu Qingjiu then entered the house, put the wet umbrella against the wall, took a shower, and went to bed.
The next day, the alarm clock at four in the morning woke Lu Qingjiu from his sleep. He yawned and looked out the window, and found that the rain that had been falling all night had stopped.
Lu Qingjiu got dressed and didn't make breakfast as usual. Instead, he took a bowl of rice to the backyard and placed three incense sticks on the rice. Although he placed the incense sticks, he didn't mean to worship... After all, he didn't lack hair.
Zhang Chuyang also woke up on time, sitting in the room a little nervously, glancing outside from time to time.
Lu Qingjiu noticed that his mood seemed a little off and asked, "Why, didn't you sleep well last night?"
Zhang Chuyang said, "Well... I had a nightmare."
Lu Qingjiu asked, "What did you dream about?"
Zhang Chuyang hesitated for a moment. "I dreamt of a girl knocking on my door. When I opened it, there was no one there. When I closed the door and went back to bed, I felt like there was something extra under my covers..."
Lu Qingjiu said: "Maybe you think too much."
"Maybe." Zhang Chuyang looked hesitant. This dream was too real, so real that he could hardly distinguish between reality and dreams.
Lu Qingjiu looked at the time and said, "Let's go, it's almost time."
Zhang Chuyang nodded and followed Lu Qingjiu to the backyard.
It was still dark, and even though the backyard lights were on, the illumination was limited. In the darkness, the three incense sticks that Lu Qingjiu had lit earlier emitted a faint red glow, and the air was filled with the unique scent of incense and candles. Lu Qingjiu walked in front, holding a rooster in his hand.
Zhang Chuyang glanced at Lu Qingjiu and felt inexplicably frightened for some reason.
Lu Qingjiu's face no longer had the gentle expression it usually had, and was now filled with a cold indifference. He was standing right next to Zhang Chuyang, but Zhang Chuyang felt very far away from him. He wanted to call out Lu Qingjiu's name, but after his throat moved up and down, he swallowed the sound.
Lu Qingjiu walked to the wellhead, raised his knife and chopped off the rooster's head. His movements were so smooth that the rooster didn't even have time to scream before it died under the blade.
As soon as the chicken head fell off, bright red blood gushed out. Lu Qingjiu was prepared and poured the chicken blood into a prepared large bowl.
Then he threw the chicken away, picked up the chicken blood, handed it to Zhang Chuyang, and asked him to drink a sip.
Zhang Chuyang's hands were shaking when he took it, but given the atmosphere, he didn't dare ask why. Instead, he took the bowl and took a sip.
Fresh chicken blood tasted very hard to drink and had a strong fishy smell, so Zhang Chuyang forced himself to swallow it.
Seeing that he had drunk it, Lu Qingjiu nodded and said in a tone without any emotion: “Just bow to the wellhead.”
Zhang Chuyang quickly saluted towards the wellhead.
Lu Qingjiu said: "Okay, you can go back."
Zhang Chuyang breathed a sigh of relief and glanced up at Lu Qingjiu. This glance made his heart skip a beat. He saw a few drops of chicken blood on Lu Qingjiu's cheek. His eyes were half-closed, covering the light in them. The drop of blood under the corner of his eye seemed to have turned into a teardrop, making him look even more inhumanly seductive. Zhang Chuyang didn't dare to look any further and turned to leave, stumbling a few steps and almost falling to the ground.
Lu Qingjiu stood behind him, looking at his almost embarrassed fleeing back with a puzzled expression. He reached out and wiped his face, only then realizing that his face seemed to be stained with blood from when he killed the chicken just now.
Damn, could it be that he killed the chicken so brutally that he scared the sponsor? Lu Qingjiu quickly shouted: "Hey, Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang, don't be afraid, I don't usually kill chickens like this-"
Zhu Miaomiao was woken by the noise outside. Yawning and looking confused, she woke up to see Lu Qingjiu holding a dead chicken and explaining something to Zhang Chuyang. Zhang Chuyang had a very subtle expression. He said he was scared, but there seemed to be something more in that fear...
Seeing Zhu Miaomiao coming, Lu Qingjiu hurriedly said, "Miaomiao, tell Mr. Zhang that I rarely kill chickens, right?"
"What's wrong with killing a chicken?" Zhu Miaomiao was confused by Lu Qingjiu's words and asked doubtfully, "Have you completed the ceremony?"
"It's done." Lu Qingjiu said helplessly.
"Miaomiao, when will my hair grow back?" Zhang Chuyang turned his gaze to Zhu Miaomiao and no longer looked at Lu Qingjiu beside him.
"It should be ready tomorrow, right?" Zhu Miaomiao still didn't understand what had happened between Zhang Chuyang and Lu Qingjiu. Why was the atmosphere so strange? She scratched her head and asked, "Mr. Zhang, what happened?"
"It's okay." Zhang Chuyang said firmly.
Lu Qingjiu opened her mouth and wanted to explain something, but seeing Zhang Chuyang's current state, it was obvious that he was not going to listen to anything. So she sighed, looked at the chicken in her hand, and turned away.
Zhang Chuyang finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Lu Qingjiu leave. Zhu Miaomiao quickly asked, "Boss Zhang, what happened?"
"Didn't you say that the White Moon Fox we met yesterday was the most powerful one?" Zhang Chuyang was still frightened. "But I think this Lu Qingjiu is obviously more powerful than that White Moon Fox."
Zhu Miaomiao asked: "How do you say that?"
Then Zhang Chuyang vividly described to Zhu Miaomiao what happened this morning. Zhu Miaomiao looked a little strange after hearing it. She really couldn't connect the weird person in Zhang Chuyang's description with Lu Qingjiu, but seeing Zhang Chuyang's sure look, she still couldn't say the words of persuasion, and just responded casually with a few words.
Lu Qingjiu had no idea why Zhang Chuyang was so frightened of him all of a sudden. He'd just killed a chicken, and while the killing method was a bit brutal, it wasn't terrifying. Looking at Zhang Chuyang's eyes, which looked like he'd seen a ghost, he didn't know what to say to get him to return to his normal attitude.
Forget it, after all, after this deal is done, everyone will go their separate ways, and there shouldn't be much intersection in the future. Lu Qingjiu thought about this, boiled a pot of water, and plucked the feathers of the rooster. He might as well have a chicken pot for lunch today...
According to Zhu Miaomiao's example, after worshiping the well on the first day, their hair should not grow out until the second day. After their hair grows out, they should go back and will not stay here for long. Zhu Miaomiao finished comforting Zhang Chuyang in the house, ran to the front yard, patted Lu Qingjiu on the shoulder, and said, "Jiu'er, Mr. Zhang was scared this time."
Lu Qingjiu said: “Hey, you can’t blame me for this, I just killed a chicken in front of him.”
"No," Zhu Miaomiao said, "I asked carefully, and I think it has something to do with the dream he had last night."
Lu Qingjiu just listened, his hands moving without stopping. With one cut, he cut open the rooster's belly and skillfully took out the internal organs.
Zhu Miaomiao looked at Lu Qingjiu's profile and the neat and nimble movements in his hands, and silently swallowed his saliva: "He bought a ticket for tomorrow and said that he would leave tomorrow morning regardless of whether his hair grows back or not."
Lu Qingjiu asked, "Did he really get scared?"
"I was scared." Zhu Miaomiao nodded.
"Okay." Lu Qingjiu sighed, "I didn't expect him to be so timid."
Zhu Miaomiao tilted her head: "I don't understand either. She was very tough when she came here, and she said she would do anything for her hair." But after seeing a chicken being killed, she suddenly became discouraged.
Lu Qingjiu chopped the chicken in half with another blow. He didn't mention Zhang Chuyang again but asked, "How about a chicken hotpot for lunch?"
"Okay, okay." Zhu Miaomiao nodded happily.
As usual, White Moon Fox finished working in the vegetable patch early and returned to the yard to lie down. It hadn't rained today, but the ground was still wet, and the chicks were running around, getting their feathers dirty. Xiaohua and Xiaohei would escape from the pigpen on nice days to bask in the sun or get a bite to eat, but they weren't too keen on the freshly rained ground today, as it would obviously soil their clean pig trotters.
The chicken hotpot at noon was delicious. The side dishes were potatoes, onions and green peppers, which were cooked together with the chicken until they were soft and tasty. The rich soup was poured over the rice and it became another good dish.
The five people ate the poor rooster clean. The White Moon Fox has a very magical characteristic when eating chicken, that is, it will not spit out the bones. No matter what part of the chicken, it will be stuffed into its mouth in one bite, and then chewed it all with its beautiful white, clean and neat teeth, and swallowed it into its stomach easily.
Lu Qingjiu knew Bai Yuehu's identity, and Yin Xun was used to it, so the two of them didn't think it was a big deal. However, Zhang Chuyang, who had been frightened this morning, felt a little uncomfortable when he heard Bai Yuehu chewing bones. He whispered to Zhu Miaomiao, "Can you chew this bone?"
Zhu Miaomiao paused for a moment, took out a chicken leg bone from his mouth, and said, "Mr. Zhang... I'm a normal person."
Zhang Chuyang: “…”
Lu Qingjiu wanted to laugh for some reason when he heard this.
Bai Yuehu obviously heard the conversation between Zhang Chuyang and Zhu Miaomiao, but he had no intention of changing his mind. He picked up a chicken neck with his chopsticks and swallowed it all in a few crunches, making Zhang Chuyang shiver as he watched.
Zhang Chuyang spent the whole day in fear, and Lu Qingjiu completely gave up trying to change his mind about her.
As a result, the next morning, Lu Qingjiu, who was lying in bed, heard a familiar cry. This sound was not a scream, but a cry full of surprise and hope.
"My hair has grown!!! My hair has grown!!!" Once upon a time, in the early morning of such a day, Zhu Miaomiao also made such an excited cry, but this time, the person shouting became Zhang Chuyang.
When Lu Qingjiu came out of the house, she saw Zhang Chuyang happily spinning around in the yard. However, after seeing him, her originally excited eyes froze for a moment, as if a basin of ice water was poured on a red-hot iron block.
"Mr. Lu." Zhang Chuyang's smile froze on his face, replaced by an indescribable cautiousness. "You're awake."
Lu Qingjiu found it difficult to describe Zhang Chuyang's expression for a moment. If he had to describe it, it would be that Zhang Chuyang was looking at him with eyes that looked at a non-human, and at this moment Zhang Chuyang was full of awe and a hint of fear towards this non-human.
"Yeah." Lu Qingjiu said, "Mr. Zhang..."
"Don't call me Mr. Zhang! Just call me Chu Yang." Zhang Chuyang interrupted Lu Qingjiu and said hurriedly, "You don't have to be so polite!"
Lu Qingjiu looked at Zhang Chuyang. Zhang Chuyang in front of him took off his hat, revealing a head of black and shiny hair. Except for being a little longer, this hair was no different from other hair. If there must be something unusual, it might be that Zhang Chuyang's original worldview of rejecting superstition suffered a devastating blow at this time.
In just one night, my hair really grew back.
Facing Zhang Chuyang's extremely admiring eyes, Lu Qingjiu felt that it was a bit difficult to communicate with him, so he coughed twice and found an excuse to slip into the kitchen to make breakfast.
Lu Qingjiu was not the only one woken up by Zhang Chuyang's shouting. Zhu Miaomiao and Bai Yuehu also woke up one after another. Bai Yuehu went out to plant vegetables without saying a word. Zhu Miaomiao yawned and was forced to sit next to Zhang Chaoyang to listen to him describe his magical experience last night.
It was called a magical experience, but in fact he just dreamed of the well in the backyard and a faceless woman in the well... The originally terrifying dream became as beautiful as a fairy tale against the backdrop of the longed-for hair.
"But have you seen her face and you say she is beautiful?" Zhu Miaomiao looked at Zhang Chuyang with a strange look.
"I didn't see it." Zhang Chuyang said, "But I saw the back of her head. There was a lot of hair on the back of her head."
Zhu Miaomiao was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Then how do you know you're looking at the back of her head, not her face? What if both sides are like this..."
Zhang Chuyang's smile froze: "No...right?"
Zhu Miaomiao shrugged.
Zhang Chuyang smiled again and said gently, "It's okay. Even if I encounter a ghost, Mr. Lu will protect me."
Zhu Miaomiao: "..." So what kind of weird image did you conjure up for Lu Qingjiu? A ghost hunter hidden in a small mountain village?!
The author has something to say: Zhang Chuyang looked at Lu Qingjiu and trembled: Great... Master...
Lu Qingjiu: I’m not, I didn’t, I’m obviously the most normal one (grieved
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