Although the program team was full of confidence, they soon encountered setbacks from other villagers. They entered other villagers' courtyards and were rudely kicked out before they could even speak. Some people were less rude, but they didn't lend them anything and didn't even want to talk to them, just waving their hands.
"What's going on with these people?" The celebrity on the show had never encountered such a situation before. He held up his only borrowed rice bag and complained at the village entrance, "I just borrowed some things, why are they so rude?"
"Maybe they live in a remote place, don't watch TV much, and don't know you." The staff member consoled him, "otherwise they wouldn't have this attitude." The man in front of him was a popular young actor in the entertainment industry, named Jiang Buhuan. He was very popular, and there were crowds of fans wherever he went. He originally wanted to go to a remote place to avoid his fans, but who knew that the people here were so unconvinced that he couldn't even continue with his show.
"What should we do, Xiao Huan?" the staff member asked. "How about we go back and talk to the director about changing the venue?"
"Hey, I just won't change it." Jiang Buhuan said, "Don't they have land? Take me to see the land."
The staff nodded.
Then the group went to the fields.
It was the beginning of spring, and most of the crops had just been planted, with only tender sprouts emerging—clearly inedible. However, one plot of land was unusual. Jiang Buhuan even spotted fresh, fist-sized tomatoes there. They were bright red and looked delicious. He said, "How strange! Why are there only tomatoes in this plot?"
The staff member said, "I don't know. Are they using a greenhouse?" He also felt strange. This family's land was out of place with other lands. It was obvious that every vegetable was growing well.
"Let me try one." Jiang Buhuan reached out and picked one, wiped it clean, and put it in his mouth to take a bite. He was amazed after taking a bite. This tomato was so delicious, even better than many special tomatoes. The fruity flavor was very strong, and it was sweet and sour. It could be eaten as a fruit. "It's delicious."
"Is it delicious?" the staff asked curiously.
"It's very delicious." Jiang Buhuan said, "It tastes so good. I have never eaten such delicious tomatoes." As he said that, he picked one for the staff member.
The staff member took it and took a bite, then showed the same surprised expression as Jiang Buhuan. The tomatoes were indeed very delicious.
"Just pick this one," Jiang Buhuan said. "I'll talk to the family later and give them the money for the tomatoes after the show."
"Okay." The staff agreed.
So the group picked a bag of tomatoes and some other vegetables and went back to their residence happily, completely unaware that they had done something irreversible.
Lu Qingjiu originally thought that if they couldn't borrow anything, they would probably come back to find him, but when he didn't see the program crew that night, he thought they had used some method to convince the villagers and they no longer cared about the matter.
Who knew that that night, when the White Moon Fox came back from the field, he exuded a low aura all over his body, and his eyes and expression were extremely gloomy.
"Fox, what's wrong?" As the head of the family, Lu Qingjiu naturally cared about the physical and mental health of his family members. "Why are you so unhappy?"
Bai Yuehu said coldly: "I'm missing twelve tomatoes, a bunch of cabbages, and two cucumbers."
Yin Xun was so frightened by the White Moon Fox's aura that he hid in the house and watched the fun with his eyes wide open.
Lu Qingjiu understood instantly and asked, "Did they go to your land?"
Bai Yuehu said, "Yeah."
Lu Qingjiu frowned. He knew the White Moon Fox's protective nature and felt that these people's actions were inappropriate. He said, "I'll talk to them."
"No need." Bai Yuehu said coldly, "They are about to leave."
Lu Qingjiu: "Are you leaving?"
Bai Yuehu: "If you don't leave, you will die." He was serious.
Lu Qingjiu said: "But..."
Bai Yuehu said, "Hmm?"
Lu Qingjiu said, "They don't look very delicious." Most of the celebrities who came here had dyed hair. Would they be poisoned if they ate it?
Bai Yuehu frowned, seeming to agree with Lu Qingjiu's words. Normally, he would only eat things he liked, such as the plump manta ray, scallion deaf, and the delicious-looking Lu Qingjiu in front of him. Of course, he was a little reluctant to part with the latter, after all, it would be gone once eaten.
"Besides, they are all celebrities. If they die, will the police come to our house? There are such a large group of people." After thinking carefully, Lu Qingjiu felt that it was not appropriate to eat them.
Bai Yuehu said, "Yeah." He naturally had a way to make this group of people disappear without knowing it, but Lu Qingjiu's words also made sense. The main reason was that the group of people did not look very delicious. Now that his living standard had improved, he naturally did not want to eat so much junk food.
I just wonder how Jiang Buhuan, who positions himself as a popular lover, would feel if he found out that he was being called junk food...
"And I feel like their coming to Shuifu Village is a bit strange." Lu Qingjiu said, "It's as if someone brought them here on purpose."
Bai Yuehu remained silent, but Yin Xun, who was standing to the side, said, "It's very strange. They didn't contact anyone in the village before coming, but they all act like they know the village very well. Could it be that the Liu family told them?"
Lu Qingjiu felt that something was wrong.
"And many people died in that Liu family house," Yin Xun said. "Of the four brothers in their family, three died in there. Later, the only remaining child, the youngest, also died in an accident. We all said it was bad feng shui..."
Lu Qingjiu vaguely remembered this incident. He was very young at that time. The eldest brother of that family had an accident. It seemed that he accidentally fell from the second floor while repairing the house. The height was not high, and if he jumped down directly, he would at most sprain his ankle, but the man actually broke his neck.
"It sounds like a ghost story." Lu Qingjiu said.
"Yeah, it's pretty scary." Yin Xun, the mountain god, was also very useless. "Later, the Liu family moved away, and the house became empty. Not many people went in."
In fact, there are quite a lot of such empty old houses in Shuifu Village. The young people have gone out to work, and most of the people left in Shuifu Village are elderly. There are very few people like Lu Qingjiu who have lived here since childhood and finally choose to come back.
Lu Qingjiu said, "I hope nothing happens." Although he didn't like the noisy production crew very much, he didn't hate them so much that he wanted them to kill someone. He planned to find a time to talk to that group of people and ask them not to pick the vegetables of the White Moon Fox, otherwise his vixen would get really angry and he wouldn't be able to stop her.
With the arrival of spring, it doesn't get dark so early. At around seven o'clock, the sun still hangs high in the sky, casting a brilliant crimson glow. Insects, having disappeared for the entire winter, begin chirping again in the roadside grass piles.
Lu Qingjiu took Yin Xun to Liu's house and saw that the house was brightly lit. Various filming equipment were set up in the yard. Several celebrities were eating together, and staff were standing around taking pictures.
Lu Qingjiu knocked on the door, and everyone's eyes fell on him.
"Sorry, you can't come in here casually." Seeing that it was a villager, someone immediately stepped forward to stop him.
Lu Qingjiu had no intention of going in, and just said: "I didn't plan to come in, I just wanted to ask, did you pick the cucumbers and tomatoes from my field?"
"Yes, we picked some," someone answered immediately. "But we didn't pick much. How much is it per pound? We'll exchange it for RMB and give it to you."
"No need." Lu Qingjiu said, "Forget it this time. Please don't pick it next time."
"Can you eat all the tomatoes you have at home?" someone complained. "Can't we buy them at the market price? Or even a little higher than the market price."
Lu Qingjiu smiled and didn't get angry: "I grow tomatoes for my family to eat." With the income from the hair growth water this year, he didn't plan to sell vegetables. The extra tomatoes could be used to make tomato sauce and dried tomatoes. There were many ways to eat them. Plus, Bai Yuehu had a bottomless stomach, so he didn't have to worry about not being able to finish them.
"Then sell us some." The person who spoke was obviously very interested in the tomatoes grown by Bai Yuehu and was still trying to persuade him, "We don't need many."
"No." Lu Qingjiu refused firmly. He said, "Tomatoes are not for sale. If you want to eat them, please go to town and buy them."
"Why are you so arrogant? It's just a few tomatoes." Seeing that Lu Qingjiu was not moved by his persuasion, the man seemed a little angry and embarrassed, and his tone became a little angry. He wanted to say something else, but someone held his shoulders.
"Sorry, I picked them." The celebrity who came to ask for rice during the day showed half of his face from behind. It was Jiang Buhuan. "I didn't know they belonged to you. I was thinking of paying you after the show. Since you don't want to pay, forget it. I'll pay you first."
Lu Qingjiu said, "No need, just consider this as a treat for you." He raised his hand and pointed to the old building behind them, "Do you know the history of this house?"
"History?" Jiang Buhuan was stunned.
"Five or six people have died in this house before." Yin Xun said, "They all died in accidents. It can be considered a haunted house. Who contacted you and asked you to live here?"
Jiang Buhuan was a little surprised when he heard this: "I don't know, these are all done by the logistics department."
"I suggest you move out as soon as possible." Lu Qingjiu said, "This house is really unlucky." After he said that, he and Yin Xun left, leaving behind the staff and celebrities with subtle expressions.
"What are they talking about?" Another female celebrity who was on the show with Jiang Buhuan also came over. Her name was Wu Ya, and she was a singer who came from a talent show. She was usually very spoiled. If she hadn't known that Jiang Buhuan was coming this time, she would never have come to this remote village to do this show.
"He said this is a haunted house." Jiang Buhuan said.
"Haunted house?" Wu Ya's eyes widened. "Is this true? I wonder if they are trying to scare us on purpose."
Jiang Buhuan said, "If it's true, just ask the director and you'll know."
The two of them quickly asked the director about Lu Qingjiu's words, but the director looked confused and said he had no idea about it.
Jiang Buhuan asked, "Director Yan, then who did you rent this house from?"
"I didn't see him," the director said, startlingly. "The logistics team found this house. We've never met. The owner just mailed the key to me."
Jiang Buhuan asked, "What about the person who found the house?"
The director said, "He was a temporary worker and has already resigned. This happened two months ago. What happened?"
"Don't you think this is a bit strange?" Wu Ya was also a little scared. When she entered the village, she felt that this place was not the kind of rural life she had imagined. All the villagers looked at them, outsiders, as if they were monsters. No one was willing to let them into the house. Even if they entered the house, the villagers turned a blind eye to their questions.
It was as if in Shuifu Village, they were all transparent...
"Yeah, it's strange. Apart from that young man, no one else in the village paid any attention to us," Jiang Buhuan said. "Why don't we go somewhere else? Besides, weren't there two policemen stopping us when we got here?"
"It's too late for the schedule," the director said. "Don't worry, you two. There are no ghosts in this world. Even if there are ghosts, with so many of us here, they'll be scared away."
Wu Yaqiang smiled: "That's right..."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade the director, Jiang Buhuan had to give up. They had to stay in this village for a month. They had just moved in, and the atmosphere was so strange. He didn't know if he could continue with the next show.
After everyone finished their meal, they cleaned up briefly and prepared to go to bed.
Jiang Buhuan slept in a master bedroom on the second floor, off the hallway. Although the building was old, it had one good thing: there were so many rooms, and almost every staff member had their own. Although the room had been cleaned, it still had a dusty smell that was unpleasant.
There is a window on the left of Jiang Buhuan, through which you can see the courtyard on the first floor.
The yard had not been cleaned yet and was covered with overgrown weeds. This was originally the task assigned to them by the director tomorrow, but now the whole house looked terribly desolate.
Jiang Buhuan felt a little uncomfortable and wrapped the quilt tighter around him.
Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun returned home and made the most of the evening to stir-fry some spicy shredded beef to comfort the sulking vixen in his house. This dish is meant to be eaten as a snack, with shredded beef and dried chili peppers stir-fried together. The beef becomes dry, fragrant, and chewy, while the chili peppers are edible, not very spicy but exceptionally fragrant. Sprinkled with a thick layer of white sesame seeds, it's a perfect side dish for drinking.
After eating, Bai Yuehu seemed to feel better and went to sleep.
Lu Qingjiu was also a little sleepy. After washing up, he went to bed and reached out to touch the wooden box at the head of his bed. His birthday was just a few days away. He didn't know what would happen to the wooden box by then...
Lu Qingjiu’s night is the end of the day, but Jiang Buhuan and the program crew’s night is just the beginning.
Night fell over the entire village. The last light in Liu's house was extinguished, and the village returned to its former silence and darkness.
Jiang Buhuan felt a little cold in the middle of the night. The thick quilt on him was of no use at all. The whole quilt was like an ice cellar, making him feel cold and uneasy.
He opened his eyes and saw the old walls of the room.
The village was very backward, with walls made of just rough stones, not even coated.
Jiang Buhuan couldn't stand it any longer, so he sat up from the bed. He wanted to find some more clothes to wear to keep warm, but when he walked to the door, he heard an incredible sound... the sound of water, the sound of waves hitting the sea.
Jiang Buhuan was stunned. He even thought he was hallucinating, but the voice was so real, so real that he couldn't deceive himself.
What on earth was that sound? Confused, Jiang Buhuan slowly moved to the window. When he saw the scene outside through the window, he froze in his tracks.
Without the dilapidated corridors and deserted courtyards, an endless sea appeared before his eyes.
The waves were surging, hitting the dark reefs hard. A thin layer of mist floated above the black sea water, and in this mist, something seemed to be moving slowly.
Jiang Buhuan looked at this scene and his body began to tremble. He twisted his arm hard and felt severe pain, but this pain did not wake him up from this illusion. The sea water was still in front of his eyes, and the sound of the waves still kept pouring into his ear canal.
Above the sea, the vague thing gradually appeared in front of Jiang Buhuan's eyes. He saw a large ship with many people standing on it. Their bodies seemed very stiff, and their faces were shrouded in mist, making them completely invisible.
Jiang Buhuan felt fear for the first time. He froze in front of the window, watching the big ship sail away into the distance.
Something seemed to be lurking in the center of the ocean, but the fog was too thick and the sky too dark for Jiang Buhuan to see clearly. All he could see was the large ship and the surging waves below. A salty, cold sea breeze lashed his face, and Jiang Buhuan heard a high-pitched cry from the sea. He had never heard such a cry before. If he had to describe it, it would be somewhat like the low cry of a blue whale, ethereal and distant, evoking both beauty and a certain fear.
The sound must have come from a gigantic animal, perhaps a fish, a whale, or something else entirely… Jiang Buhuan was just thinking this when he saw a massive black figure leap out of the sea. He couldn't describe its sheer size, but he knew its fins alone obscured the entire sky. The massive ship looked like a toy against the backdrop of the beast. It leaped from the black ocean and then plummeted back down, sending waves swamping the ship and its crew members vanishing.
Where on earth was he, and what was that scene outside the window? Jiang Buhuan fell into a great confusion. He picked up his watch and saw that the hour hand, minute hand, and second hand on the watch face had all stopped at the number 12 and would not move forward.
The night was silent, filled only with the clamor of the waves. It was also noisy, and besides the waves, there were all sorts of terrifying noises. There were roars, hisses, huge crashes, and even the pitiful cries of humans for help. Jiang Buhuan felt as if he had entered another world, with sights he had never seen before and sounds he had never heard before.
The cold made him curl up into a ball, and the fear consumed most of his strength. His consciousness gradually became blurred, and he huddled in the corner, closing his eyes in despair.
At that moment, Jiang Buhuan really thought he would not be able to get through this long night. Until the next day, a loud knock on the door and shouting woke him up from his sleep. He opened his eyes in a daze and found that he had slept on the cold, hard wooden floor.
"Jiang Buhuan, are you okay?" Someone called his name outside the door and knocked on it. "Are you in there?"
Jiang Buhuan struggled to get up from the ground, feeling as if his body was falling apart. The first thing he did after getting up was to look towards the window, only to see the familiar courtyard. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and there was no trace of the huge waves.
Jiang Buhuan breathed a sigh of relief after confirming he was back to where he was. He walked to the door and opened it, only to see his agent standing there, staring at him in surprise. "Are you okay? Why do you look so bad?"
"I want to leave here." Jiang Buhuan said directly, "I don't want to do this show anymore."
The agent was stunned: "What do you mean? Why do you say that suddenly?" He reacted, "What happened last night?"
Jiang Buhuan shook his head and said nothing. He couldn't tell his agent that he had a horrible dream. But was it really a dream? Could such a realistic dream really exist? Jiang Buhuan couldn't answer this question, but he didn't want to know the answer. He just knew that he had to leave the village.
The agent was still knocking on the door outside, but Jiang Buhuan ignored him and started packing his luggage.
"Jiang Buhuan, what are you doing? Do you know how much compensation you have to pay for breaking the contract? Why don't you do it now?" The agent thought that his artist was angry because of the harsh environment. He was getting angry when he heard a noise coming from the first floor.
He looked down and saw that Wu Ya had already packed her luggage and was about to leave despite others' dissuasion. Her face was frighteningly pale, with dark circles under her eyes. Her expression was as if she was possessed by an evil spirit, which made people feel creepy.
"I want to leave!" Wu Ya's voice was extremely sharp. She had lost her usual sweetness and shyness and became a little neurotic. "If I stay here any longer, I will die! Let me go!"
The agent looked at her and suddenly panicked. Could there really be something wrong with this village? Otherwise, why would Jiang Buhuan and Wu Ya end up like this after spending a night here?!
Wu Ya's attitude was even more resolute than Jiang Buhuan's. With her frail body, she managed to break free from the obstruction of several people, pushed open the door and left without looking back. The director stood there with a sullen face.
But what he didn't expect was that Wu Ya was just the beginning. Several artists in the program team expressed their intention to withdraw from the program.
"You have to give me a reason!" asked the furious director.
"I had a dream yesterday," replied a good-natured entertainer. "I dreamed that all the dead people crawled out of the cemetery at the end of the village."
"You've watched too many horror movies!" The director didn't believe it.
"That's how I wanted to comfort myself." The artist laughed as if he was crying, "But this is clearly my first time in this village. How could I have known in my dream that there was a cemetery at the end of this village?"
The director's face turned pale instantly.
The author has something to say: Lu Qingjiu: In order to keep them alive, I can only make them sound a little unpalatable...
Shuifu Village Local Fox: ...
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