Chapter 193 Jinjiang
Yan Shixun was always thinking about what happened in the small wooden building next door, so he ate lunch absent-mindedly. Only when Lu Xingxing saw that he hadn't moved his chopsticks halfway and insisted on holding the sweet potato in front of him did he casually take two bites.
Whether it was the chrysanthemum patterns carved everywhere or the old woman with a strange disability in the lower body, they all made him vaguely feel that something was wrong.
But what was even stranger was himself.
Yan Shixun thought he was not a forgetful person, but during the short lunch break, he clearly remembered to go next door and ask the old woman again to find out what she had not said, but he forgot the idea in the blink of an eye.
He could clearly and calmly feel that his whole body was as if soaked in hot water. The steam opened every pore of his body, and all the fatigue and negative emotions accumulated in his body were completely removed.
Only happiness and pleasure remain.
What is a person like when he is in bliss?
The brain stops working, and the originally vigilant guard becomes slack. Apart from lazily letting time pass by, no thoughts that would make the brain tired will come to mind.
Yan Shixun could realize that he was in this state at the moment.
But it was precisely this kind of emotion that made him laugh.
There are very few places where he can truly let down his guard, and so far the only place is that small courtyard in Binhai City.
After Li Chengyun's death, he has been holding up his own world, and his steel-like spine has never been bent by the burden on his shoulders.
But correspondingly... he has never let down his guard against humans, gods and ghosts.
While Yan Shixun was on guard because of his condition, he also found that he seemed unable to remember the things that made him alert.
Even though it is normal to forget what you wanted to take after entering the kitchen, it is still unreasonable to happen more than a dozen times in a short period of time.
It was as if he was constantly inputting data into his mind, while an invisible hand was constantly deleting the corresponding data.
Yan Shixun raised his eyes and looked at the people around him calmly.
The guests were still happily discussing everything they had just seen, the scenery of the village and those kind old people. They were so excited when they talked about it that no one seemed to notice anything was wrong.
Because the guests had to be filmed, they had the same food as the staff, but ate separately on both sides.
The guests here continued to marvel at the pure sweet green color of the crops, but over there, the staff seemed unenthusiastic when faced with the same food.
I don’t know if it’s because they are too tired today, but several staff members have been drinking water.
Some people even scratch their necks while drinking. The skin has turned red with red spots and looks severely damaged. If they continue scratching, the skin will definitely break.
Yan Shixun originally wanted to see if anyone else had similar feelings besides himself, but he didn't expect that the staff over there attracted his attention first.
He stood up and walked over and asked, "Are you allergic?"
The staff member was scratching his neck in annoyance, not realizing that he had hurt himself.
Hearing Yan Shixun's question at this time, he looked up in surprise, and when Yan Shixun tapped his neck in the air, he looked over and found something wrong with his neck.
When he raised his hand, he saw some blood between his nails, which was caused by the scratched skin tissue.
The staff member was startled and came to his senses. He didn't know what he had just done to cause this. He was a little slow to realize that his entire skin seemed to be itchy.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Yan."
Seeing Yan Shixun coming over during filming, the staff was worried that it would affect the normal filming of the program, so they smiled apologetically and said, "I am indeed allergic to pollen. I must have accidentally touched it somewhere."
pollen?
People who are allergic to pollen have the hardest time in spring and autumn, especially in spring. But winter is relatively comfortable among the four seasons.
This person can get pollen in winter...
Yan Shixun thought of the chrysanthemums that bloomed all over the yard of the small wooden building next door.
However, Yan Shixun was aware of the staff's movements. Although he did not care about what they did specifically, when he was checking the strange patterns in his room, he also paid attention to the safety of the staff.
He remembered clearly that the staff had a lot of work to complete before dark, so they stayed in the living room of the small building the whole time. A few of them went to shoot outdoor scenes, which would be used for later editing of the tourism promotional video.
But the person who was allergic had been in the living room the whole time, so logically speaking, he should not have had the chance to touch the chrysanthemums.
But now is not the time to talk about this.
Yan Shixun raised his hand and grasped the man's arm, lifted him up from his seat, and looked closely at the skin on his neck.
"You know you're allergic, so did you bring your medicine?"
Yan Shixun frowned and asked, "Don't scratch it, the broken skin is hard to treat."
In the wild, the most feared thing is open wounds.
If the skin is not broken, the protection of the skin can avoid most bacteria and allow the injury to recover slowly relying on the body's self-healing ability.
But once the skin is broken, the unprotected wound is exposed to the air and other unknown objects and is likely to become infected, leading to more serious complications.
After all, no one can predict what potential dangers there may be in the mountains and wild. If something really goes wrong, it will be difficult to get out of the mountains and you will not be able to get timely and professional help.
At this time, Yan Shixun held the man's hands tightly to prevent him from scratching his skin again.
Although the staff member still felt that his skin was very itchy, he had worked with many program crews after all, and knew a lot about first aid and wilderness survival. He understood that Yan Shixun was thinking about him.
So he smiled gratefully at Yan Shixun and said, "I carry the medicine with me. It's upstairs. I can get it myself. Mr. Yan, please go back quickly and don't delay the filming."
The other party's expression was very sincere, and Yan Shixun would not force anyone to go against their wishes, especially since it was not a big deal. Since the other party had allergies all year round and carried medicine with him, he must have experience in dealing with it.
If he intervenes forcefully, it will only delay things.
Yan Shixun stood there, frowning, watching the staff go up the creaking wooden stairs.
The audience in front of Yan Shixun's split screen were somewhat confused as to why Yan Shixun was paying attention to the staff here.
[Generally, variety shows avoid having behind-the-scenes personnel appear on screen, right? Why did Brother Yan take the initiative to come to me?]
[Hey, when did Brother Yan remember that he was live streaming... Others try their best to perform well before the live streaming, but Brother Yan? It's good that he cares about the live streaming.]
[But when I got close to her just now, the camera almost hit her body, which scared me! She was too red, and the allergy was terrible.]
[Although I am also allergic and have redness and small bumps, I was still shocked just now.]
[The scratches look a bit like chrysanthemums? Why are they so pretty?]
[It's similar. There is a kind of chrysanthemum with long petals, and the one scratched by my fingernail is also a long strip. If you don't look closely, they do look a bit similar.]
[Blood-red chrysanthemums, no wonder I felt so creepy just now. We use chrysanthemums to pay respects to graves here. I feel uncomfortable when I see these flowers.]
[Ah? Then our customs are a little different. Here, chrysanthemums represent longevity. Plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemums are actually very good.]
Because the staff member's figure quickly disappeared in front of the camera, the audience just chatted for a few words, quickly lost interest, and moved on to other topics.
However, Yan Shixun stood there for a long time until An Nanyuan noticed that someone was missing and came over to find him.
"Brother Yan, what are you looking at?"
An Nanyuan held a sweet potato in his mouth and curiously looked over Yan Shixun's shoulder, wanting to see what interesting thing was attracting Yan Shixun's attention.
But there were only empty wooden stairs.
It seems that because the building is very old and close to the water, the wooden structure has expanded and shrunk due to moisture, so even if no one passes by, the wooden stairs make a slight creaking sound in the breeze.
It was as if there was an invisible person, standing on the stairs, grinning, quietly staring at the ignorant people in the room.
Blood trickled down from the man's feet, staining the stairs a mahogany color.
Light shone through his open, hollow mouth, like a layer of cardboard, turning into a black and white silhouette under the light.
An Nanyuan was so frightened by his own imagination that he trembled. He quickly closed his eyes and looked again, but there was clearly nothing on the stairs.
Only the wooden stairs were still creaking.
An Nan originally came to visit Yan Shixun, but he didn't expect that he seemed to scare himself, so he quickly grabbed Yan Shixun's arm for comfort.
Yan Shixun looked at the sweet potato residue that An Nanyuan had rubbed against the cuffs of his shirt.
“…………”
He raised his eyes and looked at An Nanyuan speechlessly, his eyes seemed to say: Have you been led astray by Zhang Dabing?
I think all the people around him need to change their names. An Youbing, Lu Youbing, Zhang Youbing... Why do they all like to rub things on him?
Yan Shixun's forehead twitched, and even his fake business smile turned ferocious.
When An Nanyuan was frightened just now, he reacted subconsciously and did not remember that he had something in his hand. He smiled awkwardly for a moment and tried to raise his hand to erase the "evidence".
Yan Shixun gently raised his hand to avoid it, but asked about another thing.
"Annahara, why do you look so happy?"
Yan Shixun looked at An Nanyuan steadily, not missing any slight changes in his facial expression, and asked calmly: "You are still suing your original company, and you have to guard against slander from former group members, and you have to set up a studio from scratch. With so many things piled up together, even with Song Ci and others helping you, it is definitely not easy to solve."
"But why haven't you shown any signs of worrying about those trivial matters since you entered the mountain?"
Yan Shixun just doesn't care about the entertainment industry, but that doesn't mean he will ignore the voices around him.
On the way here, An Nanyuan had been talking to Lu Xingxing in the business car, and would occasionally mention Song Ci, and the content of their conversation was all about the contract disputes he had been involved in recently.
After all, An Nanyuan is now a top-tier traffic star, and the original company cannot just let go of him willingly. Even if the Song family stands on An Nanyuan's side, the original company has never stopped taking actions in private.
In addition, in order to set up a studio, Annanyuan needed to switch from the original "being managed" state to the "management" state. Newbies will always encounter various problems that they had never thought of before.
Before coming to participate in the filming of this episode, An Nanyuan was almost going crazy with countless tasks piled up in his mind. Let alone happiness, he was almost numb from the depression.
He had no one suitable to confide in for these pressures. As he was promoted so quickly, An Nanyuan had no friends in the circle, only colleagues and competitors, so the complaints piled up in his heart.
It was not until he saw Lu Xingxing and Song Ci that he happily pulled them aside to complain to them.
Song Ci was so moved that he wanted to hit someone.
But also because of this, Yan Shixun listened to their casual conversation in the car and learned about An Nanyuan's recent experiences.
However, since entering the mountains, An Nanyuan has not mentioned a word about these things.
If the mountain road was difficult and dangerous, which made An Nanyuan not care about it, it would be understandable.
But what about now?
An Nanyuan was smiling the whole time, with a relaxed and happy expression on his face. It was not a fake smile for the boy band's business, but a genuine smile.
——He really felt that he was very happy.
Yan Shixun didn’t think that An Nanyuan was a careless person. Unlike Lu Xingxing, he always had a clear plan for himself and would not abandon his work just because of a moment of fun.
Precisely because of this understanding, Yan Shixun felt that there was something wrong with An Nanyuan’s smile no matter how he looked at it.
"ah?"
An Nanyuan was stunned for a moment when asked, then he looked up and tried to recall.
"Hmm...I think so."
He scratched his head, a little confused: "But I don't know why, I always feel that as soon as I think of it, I will forget those things, and I just think I should focus on happier things."
An Nanyuan tried hard to recall, but the things that had troubled him before were still like slippery fish, slipping away without being caught.
He tried to express his feelings to Yan Shixun: "It's like there's a funnel that filters out all the things that make me unhappy, leaving only the happy things. It's like there's a hole in my head, and I can't catch those things at all."
Seeing that An Nanyuan had similar feelings to him, Yan Shixun's expression gradually became serious.
People have the instinct to protect themselves. The brain will process things that people cannot bear into acceptable images to prevent people from completely collapsing due to the inability to accept stimulation.
But Yan Shixun didn’t think that his current situation was because of this... they were fundamentally different.
It’s like some existence doesn’t want people to remember painful things, so even their memories are happy.
During the short time that An Nanyuan was talking to Yan Shixun, he recalled that he still had a lot of things to deal with outside the mountain.
Then he immediately forgot about it and asked Yan Shixun with a smile if he wanted to eat something more, saying that the crops here were really delicious.
An Nanyuan also said with emotion: "Before, my life outside the mountains was so busy that I didn't know what I was doing. Now thinking about it, it seems like a lifetime ago, so far away that I can hardly remember it."
He held up the sweet potato in his hand and looked at the warm yellow light coming through the sun. He was also infected by the heat and sweetness of the sweet potato and smiled unconsciously.
"It's great, this is what life is like...living a life slowly and enjoying delicious food. I'm so happy that I don't want to go back."
Yan Shixun had seen many people under great pressure say similar things, saying that they wanted to withdraw from city life and live a pastoral life.
But many people who say this will not actually do it even if they mean it.
As adults, we have too many ties and responsibilities.
For example, if An Nanyuan really stayed in the mountains and never went out at this time, then those who supported him to leave the company, as well as the assistant operations, makeup artists and other personnel he took away from the original company, would all face serious economic and career crises.
You can talk about it, but you can't really do it.
But at this moment, Yan Shixun looked at An Nanyuan and suddenly felt that An Nanyuan was sincere.
Yan Shixun frowned and wanted to ask something, but the guest over there noticed that the two were talking alone, and immediately shouted with a smile: "What are you whispering over there? Let us listen too."
Lu Xingxing held up food in her hand and started to make a scene: "Master's aunt is in the room. Brother Yan, you actually did such a thing. It's really abominable! Are you worthy of Master's aunt?"
Because Lu Xingxing's voice was deliberately funny, and according to Lu Xingxing's usual personality, everyone thought he was joking and laughed out loud, but no one took it seriously.
An Nanyuan also laughed and scolded: "Lu Xingxing, let your fans see what you look like now. You are still an independent musician, but you are probably not as independent as a three-year-old child, right?"
As he said that, An Nanyuan ran over and chased Lu Xingxing to play with him. The two of them ran around the huge wooden table in the living room like a pair of crazy dogs.
The laughter of everyone in the living room almost blew the roof off. The atmosphere was harmonious and there was nothing unusual to be found.
Yan Shixun watched quietly for a moment and wanted to go out to find a guide.
But when he raised his hand, he saw sweet potato crumbs on his cuffs.
The orange-red sweet potato chunks stood out against the black shirt fabric, and they were a little moist.
Yan Shixun: “…………”
Tsk.
Yan Shixun refused to wear such a dirty piece of clothing, so he went back to his room to change, but when he opened the door he saw that Ye Li was not in the room.
He had doubts in his mind and took two quick steps before his vision changed. He saw Ye Li standing on the balcony outside. His tall figure stood silently, like a lifeless statue.
Yan Shixun felt puzzled.
Before, no matter where he went, he could always see Ye Li by his side whenever he turned around, but that was not the case just now.
Moreover, since entering the mountain today, Ye Li's behavior has been strange. His face has been gloomy, as if he is angry.
But, is there anything that ghosts and gods cannot solve?
In Yan Shixun's opinion, Ye Li should be similar to himself, both of them are willing to take revenge on the spot. Especially since Ye Li holds such a huge power, if he is angry, why would he sulk alone in a place without anyone around?
It seems weird no matter how you think about it.
"Ye Li?"
Yan Shixun walked over curiously, stood beside Ye Li, and looked in the direction he was looking.
The river water under the wooden balcony is rushing happily, and the mist splashed by the boulders in the river rushes over, bringing a cool and sweet breath.
But there was nothing that could attract Ye Li's attention, or anything unusual.
Yan Shixun looked at it several times, but couldn't see anything wrong with the river water. Instead, it was full of vitality and spirituality.
Even though he was wary of the Longevity Village because of some weird details, to be fair, the environment in the Longevity Village was indeed good.
Although he had traveled all over the country, it was the first time he saw such clear water without any impurities. It was sweet and refreshing, and most importantly, it had a vitality that was not found anywhere else.
If Wild Wolf Peak had not been destroyed by the evil god, under the protection of the mountain god, the water there would have been almost as high as this.
But the fact is, even places like Wild Wolf Peak where mountain gods once survived are rare, not to mention that the remaining divine power between heaven and earth has been fading in recent years, and such spiritual energy has long disappeared.
Yan Shixun stood beside Ye Li and looked at him for a long time, but couldn't figure out what he was looking at, so he asked in confusion, "Are you just here to enjoy the scenery?"
In his impression, Ye Li didn't seem like that kind of person.
Ye Li's crow-feather-like eyelashes trembled, and the moment he raised his eyes, the deep dark light in his eyes was hidden even deeper. When he looked at Yan Shixun again, he had regained his usual smile.
"No, just reminiscing."
Yan Shixun's presence made the coldness around Yeli gradually dissipate, and restored the fresh warmth of the human world.
"You've been here before?" Yan Shixun asked in surprise, "Seeing how much you dislike the human world, I thought you would stay away from it."
“I once walked the earth.”
Ye Li had never expected that the image of himself in Yan Shixun's mind would be misunderstood like this. He was a little amused and helpless, and smiled tolerantly: "I have also given the human world a chance...many times."
"It's the human beings themselves who can't catch it."
Ye Li slightly tilted his head and looked at the mountains in the distance, his eyes becoming deep: "I don't have a good impression of the southern region..."
"But that was before I met you. After I met you, I started to have some feelings towards the human world."
Ye Li chuckled: "If you were in the southern region, then I might like the southern region a little more because of this, it is not impossible."
Yan Shixun didn't expect that Ye Li would say all these things to him just because he came back to change his clothes. He stood there for a moment, not knowing how to react.
He was just insensitive to feelings and didn't care about his own feelings. He had never thought that he would have such a causal relationship with anyone, so naturally he wouldn't think about it in this way.
However, Lan Ze's blunt statement made Yan Shixun feel caught in a dilemma and at a loss.
He didn't think what Lan Ze said was true, and even felt it was absurd and unreal.
But every time Yan Shixun felt that Lan Ze had indeed made a mistake and that Ye Li was not actually as Lan Ze said, Ye Li would always do something that broke his judgment.
For example, now.
Ye Li's undisguised love for Yan Shixun was so obvious to him.
His lips moved, not knowing how to answer this question. After a long time, he coughed and quickly pushed Ye Li out as if to escape.
Ye Li: “Hmm?”
Yan Shixun said seriously: "I need to change clothes, please step aside."
Ye Li laughed: "Didn't you change clothes in front of me before? We are both men, so there is no need to be shy, but you said it before."
Yan Shixun's face was calm, but the skin on his temples, which was hidden by the scattered hair, was slightly red, which was hardly noticeable.
"Now I feel the need." Yan Shixun's expression looked no different from usual, and his tone did not change: "Or you can go and switch with Zhang Wubing, and I will share a room with him."
Ye Li raised his arm helplessly, indicating that he would leave immediately.
Not until the door was closed did Yan Shixun let out a long sigh and raised his hand to touch his cheek with the back of his slightly cool hand.
He thought that maybe the temperature of his palms was too low, otherwise why would his cheeks feel so hot.
He stood there and took a few deep breaths before he calmed down and returned to normal. He quickly took out a spare shirt from his backpack and put it on.
Ye Li, who was outside the door, listened to the faint sound of fabric rubbing coming from the room, and a smile appeared in his eyes.
He shook his head slightly, ignored the laughter in the living room, and walked out of the front door of the small building.
As the sunlight poured down, Ye Li's long, thick eyelashes, like crow feathers, trembled slightly, casting a shadow under her eyes, making her already cold and sharp eyes seem even darker and more dangerous.
The look he gave towards Changshou Village was cold and without a trace of warmth.
No matter whether it is a human, a god or a ghost in the world, when they meet such a look, they will hide away in fear.
But in the longevity village, the old people sitting outside the house basking in the sun are still smiling and peaceful, as if the existence of Yeli itself has no meaning to them.
The old people were still doing their own things, either carrying shoulder poles to fetch water home, or walking briskly in the vegetable garden, or greeting each other with full energy.
You can't tell at all that they are actually over a hundred years old.
There was even an elderly person who saw a figure standing in front of the door of the guests' small building, and raised his hand with a smile, greeting them from afar.
Ye Li's gaze swept across the old man who greeted him, and his cold eyes could not reflect the other person's figure.
His gaze passed through the numerous wooden houses and reached the distant mountain stream shrouded in mist.
…
Yan Shixun buttoned up his shirt one by one with his slender and nimble fingers, and his originally fluctuating mood finally calmed down.
Just when he was about to open the door and go out to find the guide, he heard a voice coming from outside the balcony.
Two old men were standing beside the river with their trouser legs rolled up, drawing water. There were shoulder poles and wooden buckets at their feet. It seemed that they were fetching water home in the traditional way.
Just before fetching water, the two old men squatted down and recited something quickly and lightly towards the river.
It was like some kind of ancient and mysterious rhythm, but all the syllables were mixed together, making Yan Shixun unable to tell what they were saying.
The old man muttered to himself for a long time before he bowed towards the river with a very solemn expression, like a devout believer worshiping a Buddha statue in a temple.
Then they picked up the wooden buckets and fetched water skillfully.
Because the old people had their backs to Yan Shixun, he couldn't see what they were doing from the front. He could only take a few quick steps closer and try to judge from their actions.
When the old man stood up after fetching water, he saw Yan Shixun on the balcony not far away. He immediately put on a cheerful smile and greeted Yan Shixun heartily.
"You're a guest, how is it, are you used to it?"
The old man smiled and said, "There are no livestock like pigs in the village, so we can only prepare the dishes we usually eat for you. I don't know if you are used to them. I am afraid that you will not be happy here. I just scolded Ah Ye a few words."
Another old man continued, "Yes, you kids have suffered a lot outside the mountains. It's so hard to relax for a while, I'm afraid I'll neglect you."
Although they were also asking about food, the two old people were different from the old lady Yan Shixun had met next door before.
Yan Shixun felt that the old woman sincerely wanted to prepare meals for the younger generation. But these two old people...their attitudes were like asking if the pigs were fed.
Yan Shixun frowned, but because the other person was an old man and was smiling all the time, he couldn't keep a stern face, so he nodded slightly as a response.
Because there was a half-meter mezzanine below the first floor, the old man had to look up to talk to Yan Shixun, which was not very convenient.
Yan Shixun noticed this and also wanted to take a closer look at the old man fetching water, so he supported himself on the wooden railing and jumped directly from the balcony with his slender body, landing steadily on the ground.
The old man didn't expect that this time's guest had such good skills. He couldn't control his expression for a moment and showed a look of surprise.
But he quickly regained his cheerful demeanor: "The guest is very skilled."
When Yan Shixun looked closer, he saw clear river water rippling in the other party's wooden barrel.
"Old man, I see there is a well in the yard. Why don't you use the water from the well? That would be much more convenient than carrying water like you do."
Yan Shixun raised his hand and pointed at the village behind him, saying, "How come even the well has been abandoned for so long?"
The old man didn't expect Yan Shixun to notice the well. He was caught off guard and froze. It took him a long time to speak again: "What's the reason? I don't want to use it..."
Halfway through his words, the old man next to him patted his shoulder, smiled and took over the conversation, saying: "I wonder if the guest has heard of the rumors about our village."
"Although many people say that our soil and water are good, we actually think that it is the quality of the river water that is good."
The old man who answered the question said, "Well water is groundwater, and river water is water flowing down from the mountains upstream. Of course, they are different. You haven't tasted well water, it's astringent and bitter, and hard to drink. But this river water is different."
The old man smiled and said, "Who wants bitter food when there is sweet food?"
Yan Shixun pretended to be concerned about the other party and asked, "Then the old man can also ask the younger generation in the family to fetch water, so that he doesn't have to do such heavy work himself. However, I don't seem to see any young people along the way? Did they go out to play?"
Yan Shixun had wanted to ask the old lady about this question before, but the old lady kept saying "it's good as long as you're alive" and refused to answer his question.
So at this time, Yan Shixun had a tentative intention and wanted to get the answer from the old man's reaction.
——What the other person said might be a lie to him, but the other person’s most subtle reaction could not lie, because that is human instinct.
However, the old man did not think this was a sensitive or offensive topic. He just sighed and said, "Young people have their own careers. They don't want us old people."
Another old man nodded: "Fortunately, we are still strong, otherwise we really can't live like this."
He sighed and said, "The children have all gone out to work. We couldn't bear to let them stay with us even if we wanted to. After a long time, they didn't want to come back, so that's it."
The old people's faces showed a bit of loneliness and melancholy. One of them looked regretful for a moment, but soon returned to normal.
Yan Shixun agreed with this statement.
Indeed, there are indeed cases where young people go out to work and the elderly are left behind in the village. In addition, the longevity village is located in a remote area, so it is understandable that it is inconvenient for those who go out to come back.
"What about those who settled here before?"
Yan Shixun keenly noticed that there were no outsiders in the village. He did not directly believe the other party's statement at this time, but pointed out the abnormality directly.
You should know that the reason why the longevity village became famous is thanks to the earliest group of backpackers and settlers. Because of the photos and travel notes they posted, everyone knew that there was such a village and then came here to visit.
And those who are attracted are naturally people with similar tendencies.
For example, someone who is seriously ill and does not want to burden his family, or someone who is tired of city life and wants to retire leisurely.
Those people were all middle-aged or even young people, but Yan Shixun still didn't see them in the village, and couldn't even find the house where they settled.
The old man said calmly, "Well, there is nothing good in the mountains. Those people did come to live here for a while, but they couldn't stand the boredom of the mountains for too long, so they left."
Another old man nodded, a little regretful: "I quite like that photographer, what a pity."
Yan Shixun frowned: "But the outside world has not heard of their return."
Those who come to settle in the longevity village usually live there for a few months first, then return home to deal with all matters, and then they stay in the longevity village forever. Neither their wives, children, relatives or friends in the outside world will ever hear from them again.
Everyone felt that Changshou Village was a magical place that attracted so many people to live there in seclusion.
But when told by the elderly, it becomes a different story.
In response to Yan Shixun's question, the old man calmly shook his head and said, "Then I don't know. After they left, I don't know what happened to them outside the village."
Another said with a smile: "We can't compare with you young people. We don't use mobile phones or anything like that. Look at our terrain. It's difficult to get in and out of the mountains. We don't have much contact with the outside world."
No matter what Yan Shixun asked, the old man could always give an answer that seemed to be no problem. There was nothing unusual about his expression from beginning to end. He was sincere and kind, like an elder in the family who would answer every question.
But Yan Shixun just felt that something was wrong.
The old man quickly fetched some water, picked up his shoulder pole, waved goodbye to Yan Shixun, and invited Yan Shixun and others to visit their home when they had time.
Yan Shixun politely said goodbye to the old people but did not respond to their words.
Because of the previous abnormalities, Yan Shixun was wary and didn't want to have such a cause and effect with the old man.
For ordinary people, it is common to be perfunctory with polite words, but if the other party is not from a legitimate background, and you rashly accept the other party's invitation...
Yan Shixun's eyes dimmed. He stood by the river, turning sideways and watching the two old men walking together back to the village.
Only when he could no longer see the two old people did he stride towards the small wooden building next door, wanting to see the old woman again.
Because the old woman was different from all the old people he had met so far, Yan Shixun concluded that if there was really something unusual in the village, the only one who could tell him about it was the old woman.
However, the small wooden building next door was quiet and empty.
The rocking chair behind the window was still creaking.
The old woman who was sitting on it disappeared.
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