Nan Xian found an empty room and opened the brocade pouch.
When she first received it, she squeezed it with her hand. It didn't contain the paper she expected, but rather a bulging, irregularly shaped, and very hard lump.
She suspected it might be a key tool to advance the mission, so she didn't look at it when there were other people around her.
Excitement mixed with trepidation, she slowly untied the knot in the brocade pouch and poured out the contents—
A piece of cinnabar carved in the shape of a peony.
This peony is very small, with a rich, blood-red color. Each petal is lifelike, slightly budding, and you can vaguely see the delicate and lovely stamen in the center.
It felt cool to the touch and heavy in my palm.
Nan Xian examined it carefully, even turning the entire pouch over, but she couldn't find any other clues.
The pouch had a sticker with the "Unveiling Ghost Stories" logo on it, and she always kept it carefully hidden in the inside pocket of her clothes, so there was absolutely no possibility that it had been switched.
In previous episodes, whether it was textual clues or prop clues, there were at least some hints, but this time—
Is this some kind of little gadget that doesn't reveal any direct information?
She exclaimed in confusion, "Huh?" and held the peony cinnabar in front of the camera, "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
The cameraman scratched his shiny bald head, nodded hesitantly, then shook his head even more hesitantly.
He's just a cameraman; props aren't his responsibility!
Nan Xian also thought of this, so she had no choice but to put aside her doubts for the time being, put the peony and cinnabar back into the brocade pouch, and put it in her pocket.
**
Wei Zeling is indeed quite skilled in cooking. After seeing her make abalone with black bean sauce, Nan Xian handed over the kitchen to her and went out for a stroll. She saw the elderly couple feeding chickens and ducks in the yard, so she took a food bowl and went to help.
It wasn't that she was deliberately being lazy, but rather that her cooking skills were really just average. The reason for this was that the men in the Nan family were all too good at cooking!
When her father was young, he studied in England. Because he couldn't get used to the local food, he learned to cook his hometown dishes by following recipes in his rented small apartment. Because of his good skills, he even made a name for himself. Almost every day, international students and neighbors would come to eat with whiskey or small gifts.
Furthermore, he met Nan Xian's mother through food, and he fell in love with her at first sight. She was a popular figure on campus, a true beauty on a high mountain, with many suitors. In the end, she was moved by his subtle and gentle care.
Her brother, Nan Yi, was a complete replica of their father, even sharing the same unsociable and taciturn personality. From a young age, he followed his father around watching him cook, and through this exposure, coupled with his father's deliberate guidance—that only by being able to cook could he have a chance to win over the girl he liked—he learned to cook.
Thus, Nan Yi was successfully trained into the second "amateur chef".
Nan Xian grew up under the care of her two "virtuous" fathers and brothers, and had very few opportunities to cook for herself. So there was no way she could improve her cooking skills. At present, her cooking skills are only enough to keep herself from starving.
Since Wei Zeling was willing to show off, Nan Xian was naturally happy to have some peace and quiet.
As she watched the geese pecking at their food, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.
An elderly woman with gray hair stopped by the fence of the house next door, cautiously peeking into their direction.
She wore a faded old cotton-padded jacket, her hair was obviously styled meticulously, and her sallow face was covered with wrinkles, giving her an awkward expression.
Nan Xian was slightly taken aback when she saw her—
In this village where all the villagers were in high spirits, she was quite surprised to see an old woman whose appearance was completely in line with the word "old".
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