Surrounded by mountains on two sides, with lush and verdant forests, it's no exaggeration to say it resembles a fairyland.
In front of the small wooden house built of dead wood, the stream flows gently under the small bridge. Occasionally, wild ducks swim by, stirring up ripples and adding a touch of life to this tranquil scene.
"Wow! It's still so beautiful here!" Gu Momo couldn't help but take a deep breath of fresh air as soon as she got out of the car.
Perhaps because it had just rained, the air was filled with the fragrance of earth, which was refreshing.
Li Zhanting carefully unloaded the large bag of gifts from the car, his eyes smiling: "Momo, is this where Grandpa Qiao lives? It looks like it's quite remote. Even the road over there seems to have just been opened not long ago."
"Yes, this place used to be so remote that there were hardly any people around!"
As Gu Momo was speaking, an elderly man with gray hair slowly walked out of the wooden house. When he saw Gu Momo and Li Zhanting from afar, his wrinkled face immediately lit up with a smile: "Hahaha... Isn't this Mo'er? Mo'er, you've finally come! Grandpa has been waiting for you so long, my eyes are practically popping out of their sockets! Hahaha..."
As the pleasant yet aged voice faded, Gu Momo turned her head and saw Grandpa Qiao's kind face.
"Grandpa Qiao, I'm so glad to finally meet you! Grandpa, you still look so healthy and strong, you're sure to live to be over a hundred!" Gu Momo said with a beaming smile, quickly taking the various gift bags from Li Zhanting's hands.
"Grandpa Qiao, Zhan Ting and I prepared these for you. Let me take them to your room first!"
Li Zhanting stood respectfully beside Gu Momo, and only after Gu Momo took the gifts inside did he bow and greet Grandpa Qiao.
Hello, Grandpa.
"Alright, alright!" Grandpa Qiao didn't stand on ceremony. He smiled and stroked his white beard before looking at Li Zhanting.
A glint of light flickered in his aged eyes, filled with admiration and appreciation: "This must be Zhan Ting! Seeing is believing! Look at your spirit, there are probably few men these days who can match you!"
Li Zhanting chuckled modestly, "Grandpa, you're joking. In terms of energy and spirit, how could I compare to you?"
These words seemed to be exactly what Grandpa Qiao wanted to hear, making him laugh heartily: "Hahaha! Good, good, good! It's Momo's good fortune to have met you! You'd better take good care of Momo from now on. I really like this girl, Momo. If you let her down, this old man will never forgive you! I'll definitely snatch Momo away from you!"
A gentle look flashed in Li Zhanting's eyes: "Grandpa, don't worry, I won't bully Momo, no matter who I bully."
"Alright! I love hearing that! Hahaha..." Grandpa Qiao said, then invited Li Zhanting to visit the wooden house. "Come, come, come inside and sit down! This wooden house was built by me using nanmu wood, and it's quite old. I hope you guests from afar won't mind, after all, you young people are used to the hustle and bustle of big cities..."
Grandpa Qiao's words clearly revealed a hint of disappointment, and Li Zhanting guessed that he might be tired of big city life, so he didn't reply.
The wooden houses here are not like simple wooden houses. Both the interior and exterior have been carefully designed and built. Although they are not as grand as ancient palaces, they are small, exquisite and unique.
Knowing that Gu Momo and Li Zhanting were coming, Grandpa Qiao had already boiled water.
With a cup of tea brewed and a Go board placed by the window, Grandpa Qiao and Li Zhanting chatted about everything from rural life to poetry and songs, from tea culture to the philosophy of life. Their conversation covered a wide range of topics, leaving everyone astonished.
Gu Momo didn't disturb Li Zhanting and Grandpa Qiao. While listening to their conversation, she helped them boil water again.
In the kitchen, Gu Momo was busy preparing to bring hot water to the two of them, but in her haste, she accidentally knocked the teacup off the table.
Gu Momo reacted quickly and tried to grab the cup, but it still fell to the ground!
With a loud crash, the teacup shattered in two, startling Gu Momo who quickly bent down to pick it up. "Holy crap, is this for real? Are Grandpa Qiao's teacups really this easy to break? I remember these teacups used to be of very good quality!"
Grandpa Qiao lived a secluded life for many years, and during the years Gu Momo knew him, he had never even come down the mountain.
All household items were made by Grandpa Qiao's excellent craftsmanship; ceramics, bowls and chopsticks, tea sets... he could make almost anything.
But she remembered that Grandpa Qiao's tea set was very sturdy!
With a lingering shock, Gu Momo picked up the shards of the teacup, but just as she was about to put them back in their place, her eyes inadvertently swept over the pattern engraved on the teacup…
This pattern...
Gu Momo's sharp eyes narrowed slightly. She felt that the pattern seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
An ominous premonition flashed through her mind, and Gu Momo quickly opened her phone and scanned the pattern on the teacup into her pattern library for comparison.
She specially built the pattern library on her phone, collecting all the patterns from her work and daily life, so that she could easily compare and use them when her memory was unclear.
Soon, the pattern library displayed the exact same drawing as the teacup!
"This is..." Gu Momo narrowed her eyes, almost unable to believe her own eyes!
The pattern engraved on the teacup was exactly the same as the pocket watch that the person was wearing on his wrist, which Gu Momo had previously investigated in the hotel's surveillance footage!
However, the person whose watch was found in the hotel surveillance footage five years ago had a more comprehensive pattern on his wrist—a landscape painting.
The pattern engraved on Grandpa Joe's teacup was only the shimmering river water on the pocket watch, not the whole picture at all.
Even so, it is not difficult to see that this river is just a corner of the landscape painting!
And they are exactly the same!!!
In that instant, Gu Momo felt her blood rushing backward and a chill running straight to her head!
How could such a thing be such a coincidence?
Countless possibilities flashed through Gu Momo's mind in an instant. She hurriedly ran to the door and looked outside warily. Seeing that Li Zhanting and Grandpa Qiao were chatting happily, she quickly ran back to the kitchen and searched through the cabinets to check the things in the kitchen.
As expected, although there were obvious signs of life in the kitchen, a closer look revealed some clues.
The deepest cupboard was covered in grime. The pickling jars that used to be used had never been touched. The pickled vegetables inside had rotted into black mud. Even the bowls and chopsticks in the cupboard were still in the places I remembered.
In other words, although it may seem that people used to live here frequently, in reality, no one has lived here at all over the years.
These obvious signs of life on the outside have all been deliberately created by someone!
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