The interior of the inn is as quaint as its exterior.

The living room is spacious, with a wooden carved counter facing the door, about two meters long, with several exquisite bamboo carvings placed on it. On one side of the counter is a mini lucky cat, waving its hands.

On the left side of the living room is a large screen embroidered with flowers. When placed horizontally, the screen just blocks the way to the corridor at the back.

In the middle of the hall stood a long cement pond, painted bamboo green. There were a few red goldfish in it, bubbling with bubbles.

The compartment on the right looks like a kitchen. There is a long table outside. The table and chairs are made of bamboo, matching the decoration inside the house.

There was no one at the counter.

Shi Jin put the rain-soaked umbrella by the door and walked to the edge of the pool.

Only when he got closer did he notice a thin red rope hanging by the pond, dangling from the eaves. There was a small wooden sign hung on it, with a few delicate bells tied to it.

There were words on the wooden sign: Please ring the bell for accommodation.

Ring the bell?

Shi Jin's eyes fell on the small bell on the wooden sign, and he reached out his hand hesitantly to touch it.

The sound of the small bell is unexpectedly crisp.

Soon, footsteps were heard in the corridor behind the screen.

Shi Jin looked sideways and saw a woman in ethnic costume coming out.

The woman was not very old, she looked to be about 26 or 27 years old, with fair skin and smiling eyes: "Are you here to stay?"

Shi Jin nodded: "I booked a room here on my phone."

"Come here."

The woman held a small lantern in her hand and walked towards the counter. "Let me see the reservation information."

Shi Jin handed over the phone and his eyes fell on the lantern that was glowing red.

After checking the information, the woman saw that he was interested in the lantern and smiled: "This lantern is not real. It has a light bulb inside. It is for backup."

"spare?"

"That's right." The woman nodded. "The power lines in the village are not very stable, and it rains frequently. Sometimes it's not convenient to get up at night when there's a power outage, so we prepared some rechargeable lanterns as backup."

As she said that, she stuffed the lantern on the counter into Shi Jin's hand: "Hey, this one is for you."

"You have booked a room for three days, right?" The woman lowered her head to confirm the information. "It's the off-season now, so there are still plenty of rooms in the inn. However, the fourth and fifth floors haven't been cleaned up yet, so you can only choose the second or third floor now, depending on your needs."

“The second floor is more convenient, but it’s close to the lobby and kitchen, so it might be noisy when cooking in the morning. The third floor is quieter, but it’s a little less convenient to go up and down the stairs. It depends on your needs.”

Shi Jin thought for a moment and said, "The third floor."

The woman handed the phone back to him, walked around the counter and led the way: "Okay, follow me."

The stairs to the upper floor were in the corridor behind the screen. Shi Jin followed the woman around the screen and soon reached the third floor.

"There is no guest on the third floor except you right now. If you are scared, you can move to the second floor."

Seeing that Shi Jin had no intention of changing, the woman fumbled to turn on the light in the corridor on the third floor: "My grandmother and I live in the room at the end of the corridor on the second floor. You can come downstairs to find us if you need us."

The lights came on, and the dark corridor suddenly became bright.

The woman took him to a room next to the stairs and opened the door: "You can stay in this room. It's closer to the stairs and more convenient. After all, you're the only one on the third floor now, so you don't have to worry about noise."

"There will be another guest coming tomorrow. The room he booked is opposite this one. If you mind, you can tell me now and I will change it for you."

Shi Jin naturally didn't mind.

The woman smiled and said, "The quilt and pillow have just been changed and have been laid out for you. It will be a little cold here at night. If you feel cold, you can ask us for an extra quilt."

"The toiletries are in the wall cabinet next to the toilet. If you don't have anything else, just come downstairs and tell me or my grandma tomorrow."

Shi Jin hesitated for a moment: "Okay, thank you."

The woman saw the reason for his hesitation and smiled: "Just call me Qiu."

"It's getting late, please go to bed early."

The footsteps gradually faded away on the stairs.

Shi Jin closed the door and looked into the room.

The room was not big, but it had been cleaned in advance, so it was neat and tidy. The cabinets and tables were probably made of bamboo. The room was filled with the light scent of bamboo leaves and the smell of rain outside the window wetting the soil, which gave it a unique flavor.

There is a big bed in the center of the room. The quilt and pillows are decorated with bamboo leaf patterns on a white background, which is fresh and natural.

Shi Jin put his backpack on the table by the door and walked to the window.

Directly outside the window was the bluestone road we had come from, but it was now late at night and the dark-colored stone road was difficult to see clearly in the dim light.

After a simple wash, Shi Jin lay down on the bed.

The relatively hard bamboo bed was still so hard that it made people's backs ache even with a quilt on it. Shi Jin frowned and turned around, looking at the window not far away.

The rain outside the window seemed to be getting heavier. The whistling cold wind brought raindrops hitting the window sill, strongly showing its presence.

Shi Jin couldn't sleep well.

The chaotic thoughts in his mind were intertwined into a ball, and the confused train of thought made his brain throb with pain.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but when he finally fell into sleep, he seemed to hear some noise coming from downstairs.

......It seems like another guest is coming?

This vague idea was ultimately unable to overcome sleepiness. It stayed in my brain for a brief moment before quickly falling into darkness as my instincts dictated.

A dreamless night.

Shi Jin woke up very early.

The hard bamboo bed made his whole body ache. He slept for a while in a daze and then got up.

Rubbing his eyebrows which were swollen due to lack of sleep, Shi Jin walked downstairs.

In the living room on the second floor, Aqiu was sitting in front of the counter with his head down, doing something unknown.

Shi Jin walked forward and saw the paper and pen in her hand, then he realized that she was drawing.

Ah Qiu felt a little embarrassed. She put away the drawing paper on the table and looked at Shi Jin with a smile: "Good morning, Mr. Shi."

Shi Jin: "Good morning."

"Would you like something to eat?" Qiu said, getting up. "We have noodles or rice noodles. Or would you like some sweet potatoes? I just dug some from the fields this morning. They're really sweet."

The inn he booked included three meals a day, which saved him the trouble of thinking about food.

Shi Jin didn't know much about the food here, so he pursed his lips and said, "Let's do whatever is convenient."

Ah Qiu rummaged around in the kitchen: "Then I'll make you some sour soup noodles, which is also our specialty here."

Shi Jin nodded: "Thank you."

The sour soup noodles were quickly served.

Ah Qiu brought a bowl to the table in the living room, and found a tray to serve another bowl: "Mr. Shi, take your time to eat. I'll go get a bowl for grandma."

Shi Jin originally wanted to use breakfast time to ask Aqiu if there were any places worth visiting nearby, but Aqiu didn't come back until he finished his bowl of noodles.

He looked at the time and decided to go out for a walk.

The rain outside was heavier than what we could see inside.

Shi Jin walked into the rain holding an umbrella. The big raindrops hit the umbrella with a whistling momentum, then dripped along the edge of the umbrella, making raindrops in the puddles on the ground.

There was no one on the bluestone road, but there were a few beauties in stilt houses on the side of the road with people sitting next to them. When they saw people walking on the road, they cast curious glances.

Walking and stopping along the way in the rain, Shi Jin finally had a general tour of this small village.

Qingliuzhai is not big. From the bluestone road leading into the village to the end, it is only about 500 meters. Except for the inn located in the center of the village, the rest are mostly houses of local villagers.

In addition, there is a small path leading to the back mountain at the very end of the village.

However, due to the rain and mud, Shi Jin did not go any further.

After briefly walking around the village, Shi Jin turned around and went back to the inn.

The rain only got heavier along the way, and by the time he walked back to the inn, his trouser legs were wet.

He leaned his umbrella against the pillar by the door and brushed the raindrops off his shoulders.

In the hall of the inn, Aqiu had disappeared, and in his place was a figure leaning against the counter.

Even though there is only a back view, one can still see the extraordinary demeanor from the superior body proportions. The simple light grey shirt outlines the broad shoulders and is gathered at the waist, making the person look taller and longer-legged.

but......

Shi Jin's eyes moved slightly.

"Wow—it's raining heavily."

Someone rushed in from behind, and the rain from the umbrella splashed all over Shi Jin.

The man sighed and apologized quickly: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, let me wipe it for you."

As he said this, he was about to reach into his backpack and take out a tissue.

Shi Jin took a step back and didn't care: "It's okay."

The movement at the door also caught the attention of the man at the counter. He casually threw away the feather duster he was using to sweep the dust, and his unfocused gaze paused as he passed through the hall.

Um?

The lazy corners of his eyes slightly raised, and the smile in his eyes began to spread.

Isn’t this a coincidence?

Shi Jin also saw him. He concealed the surprise in his eyes and asked, "Why are you here?"

Yu Ci curled the corners of his lips and explained in a casual tone: "This inn is opened by my godmother."

"It's you." He tapped his fingertips on the counter, his eyes tinged with thought: "You came here after you separated from me yesterday?"

"Well, I'm here..." The words that were about to come out of his lips hesitated for several times, and finally changed to another sentence: "I'm here to travel."

Yu Ci noticed his pause.

"That what."

The boy who had wet Shi Jin weakly raised his hand, his eyes wandering between the two of them hesitantly: "I have booked a room here, may I ask who is the boss?"

Although he felt that neither of these two people looked like the boss, there seemed to be no one here except them.

"Come in." Yu Ci glanced at him, bent down and turned on the computer: "I'll help you register."

While Yu Ci was helping the young boy check in, Shi Jin went around the screen and went upstairs.

Before entering, he glanced at the house opposite and found that the "Vacant" sign that was originally hanging on the door had been taken down.

It seems that the noise he heard last night was correct, and someone really moved into the house opposite.

I just don’t know if it’s a new tourist or Yu Ci.

Such a thought flashed through my mind and soon disappeared.

I went out in the rain and was splashed with raindrops from the umbrella. The clothes I was wearing were no longer wearable.

Shi Jin found some spare clothes from his backpack and planned to take a shower and change his clothes.

As he passed by the window, his eyes inadvertently glanced out and paused.

When he arrived at the village last night, it was already late, and due to the rain and fog, visibility outside the window was low, so he did not notice that there was a path behind the stilt house opposite the inn.

The path is hidden behind the stilt houses and covered by dense forests. If you look at it from downstairs, you may not be able to see it clearly, but if you stand on the third floor, you can see it clearly from a high-rise perspective.

It looks like the road going up the mountain.

Maybe after I take a shower I can go downstairs and ask Aqiu.