58 His celestial being
◎“This is the woman Qi Yanzhou would give up everything for, the woman he'd rather go to the ancestral hall than miss.”◎
Qi Zhannan didn't expect her to take it seriously. He rubbed his slightly sore calf and said, "I was just saying it casually. Why did you take it to heart?"
Song Chiyu ignored him.
This place is 60 kilometers away from the temple Qi Yanzhou mentioned earlier. The signal has been cut off. Song Chiyu prepared a satellite phone, but still couldn't contact Qi Yanzhou.
Qi Zhannan didn't dare to provoke her, because if she really complained to Qi Yanzhou, he would be the one who suffered.
It was already afternoon when they arrived at the temple, where only monks were engraving scriptures. Because of the language barrier, Song Chiyu and her companions had to leave.
Hei Zi was quite dissatisfied with her and complained to Qi Zhannan in a low voice, "Master Qi, who is that woman? Do we really need to listen to her like this?"
Qi Zhannan slapped him on the head with his backhand, "If you don't want to die at my second uncle's hands, you'd better listen to her."
“Your second uncle…” Hei Zi didn’t know much about his second uncle either, but when he remembered the fierce look that flashed across his face when the man came to find Qi Zhannan, he immediately shut his mouth.
It is more than 80 kilometers away from the town.
We could only find a place to set up camp nearby. The environment here was even harsher than in Suzhou. All around were weathered cliffs and steep walls, especially at an altitude of nearly 4,000 meters. With each quick step, we could feel our hearts pounding violently.
While they were looking for a suitable campsite, they suddenly spotted a makeshift archaeological station nearby.
Song Chiyu immediately thought of the collaborative team Qi Yanzhou had mentioned before, and quickly asked Hei Zi to stop the car. She entered the archaeological station just as a few young people came out. Seeing the familiar Han Chinese faces, Song Chiyu breathed a sigh of relief: "Hello, is Qi Yanzhou here?"
The young man, who was flipping through documents and talking to someone, looked up and said, "You are his..."
"wife."
The young man was clearly taken aback for a moment, then hesitantly called out to the tent behind him, "Teacher Xia, Teacher Qi's wife has arrived."
"What?" A middle-aged man stepped out of the tent, scrutinizing Song Chiyu through his tinted glasses. "You're... Teacher Qi's wife?"
Song Chiyu noticed the strangeness in their expressions and nodded.
Xia Menghe quickly extended his hand: "Please come in, please come in."
They had clearly just finished a meeting; there were still documents on the table that hadn't been checked. Xia Menghe found an empty seat and invited Song Chiyu to sit down. Qi Zhannan and Heizi also came in, and Xia Menghe asked, "Excuse me, who are these two gentlemen...?"
"He was with me. Teacher Qi's nephew and his nephew's friend."
“Well,” Xia Menghe said without asking any further questions, “Teacher Qi and one of my students went out to buy something and may not be back for a while.”
"Where did they go to buy things?" Song Chiyu asked.
Xia Menghe mentioned a place name, "This place is too far away, it takes a whole day to drive there."
Song Chiyu nodded: "Where does he live? Can we go and see him?"
“He usually lives in the temple, and this is a temporary place for him, but he hasn’t been here for a long time, so we’ve been using it to store his documents,” Xia Menghe paused, “If you still want to go, I’ll have someone take you there to have a look.”
"No need," Qi Zhannan waved his hand with one arm crossed over his chest. "Since he's not often here, let's go back to the temple and wait. Do you have anyone here who can communicate with those monks?"
"Yes, I'll have someone go and find it for you."
"How does Qi Yanzhou usually communicate with them?"
“He understands their local language,” Xia Menghe replied, “and their script, otherwise how could he read those scriptures?”
Qi Zhannan wasn't interested in any of this, and he and Hei Zi stood up one after the other.
Song Chiyu called out to him, "Teacher Xia."
"Huh?" Xia Menghe turned around.
"After he went to town, how did you keep in touch with him?"
Xia Menghe was clearly taken aback.
There was no response.
Song Chiyu didn't ask any more questions, smiled slightly, and walked forward.
Xia Menghe initially thought she looked familiar, but now she finally remembered where she had seen her before. "Do you... know Teacher Xie?"
Song Chiyu asked, puzzled, "Huh?"
Knowing he had been impolite, Xia Menghe smiled apologetically and said, "I've seen your photo on his desk."
Song Chiyu pondered for a moment: "Yes, that was a long time ago."
Xia Menghe, looking preoccupied, walked outside. "I'll go find someone for you."
He returned quickly, looking apologetic, and said, "I'm sorry, the guide isn't here today. How about tomorrow?"
Qi Zhannan let out an "Ah," grumbled a couple of times in dissatisfaction, but didn't think much of it and walked straight to the car.
But the more Song Chiyu thought about it, the more something seemed off. If Qi Yanzhou wasn't often around, why would he go and buy supplies for them? She took two steps, then turned back and asked, "Teacher Xia, are you hiding something from us?"
Qi Zhannan and Hei Zi, who were walking ahead, both turned around.
Xia Menghe wasn't afraid of Song Chiyu, but Qi Zhannan and Hei Zi didn't seem like good people. She didn't know how Teacher Qi, such a gentle and refined person, could let his nephew like that get away with it.
He licked his lips, finding it hard to speak: "What could I possibly be hiding from you?"
Song Chiyu raised her doubts, and Xia Menghe immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Because he is, after all, one of our people, and he occasionally helps with procurement."
"Is it convenient for us to wait here?" Song Chiyu asked for his opinion, but her body already betrayed her and walked into the tent.
This tent is very large and is specifically used for office work.
She casually found a chair and sat down. Xia Menghe didn't say much until 10 p.m., when Xia Menghe couldn't delay any longer and had to confess to them.
They hadn't heard from Qi Yanzhou for several days. The reason they hadn't told her was that Qi Yanzhou was probably seeing his female student, which was why he hadn't come back.
"What?" Song Chiyu and Qi Zhannan both thought it was a fairy tale.
Xia Menghe began to explain to them in detail.
From the first day Qi Yanzhou arrived, they could tell that his female student had feelings for him. However, everyone had seen Qi Yanzhou's wedding ring, so they subtly tried to dissuade her. But she still frequently went to see Qi Yanzhou secretly. He didn't know exactly what happened between them, but something was definitely going on. When the girl's car got stuck in the sand, Qi Yanzhou, without saying a word, simply drove away.
The female student contacted him via satellite phone at one point to let him know she was fine and that they shouldn't worry.
Xia Menghe's students had already sent messages to the two men as soon as they learned of her arrival, thinking that even if something had happened between them, they would have come to their senses. Who knew that they hadn't returned by this time? That meant they didn't take her, their wife, seriously.
Xia Menghe and his students all looked on with sympathy.
Qi Zhannan almost believed him as soon as he finished speaking, "Is that girl very pretty?"
Xia Menghe glanced at Song Chiyu but did not answer.
Qi Zhannan replied, "Understood."
After saying that, he took Song Chiyu's wrist and walked outside.
Qi Zhannan's face was extremely ugly. He kicked the tire of the passenger seat. "Don't be afraid. If what they said is true, I will definitely have my dad take my second uncle to the ancestral hall to seek justice for you. You went through so much trouble to find him, and he's with someone else... How can such a thing happen!"
This was, after all, their family matter, and the Black Group wisely returned to their car without saying a word.
Song Chiyu pondered for a moment: "Do you think what they said is true?"
"What? You still believe my second uncle at this point?" Qi Zhannan said, speaking up for her.
"Don't you trust him?" Song Chiyu asked back.
Qi Zhannan gradually calmed down. This was indeed not something Qi Yanzhou would do. Given his second uncle's personality, even if he really met a girl he liked, he would be bound by the line of morality and responsibility, and would never do something like disappearing for several days.
Moreover, his second uncle, who cherishes his reputation so much, would never do something that would invite criticism.
He unconsciously clenched his fingers and said, "You mean..."
“Your second uncle,” Song Chiyu said seriously, “could something have happened to him?”
"What could possibly happen to him?" Qi Zhannan couldn't think of anything that Qi Yanzhou couldn't handle.
In the biting cold wind, Song Chiyu's dark eyes resembled a bottomless well.
"Putting aside any enemies he might have outside, there are already quite a few people in the Qi family who dislike him. Why wouldn't they take advantage of this opportunity to kick him when he's down?"
Qi Zhannan's expression immediately turned serious.
"If that's the case, then I'd rather he's having an affair with someone else."
Song Chiyu gave him a speechless look. "Let's stay here for the night and go look for that place they mentioned tomorrow."
"We have to wait another night?" Qi Zhannan was extremely surprised.
“So many days have passed, we should have everything we need. We’re unfamiliar with this place, and acting rashly late at night could easily get us into trouble.” She looked up at the starry sky above. “We’ll set off when it’s light.”
"Alright," Qi Zhannan said, having run out of options. "Should I tell my parents?"
“We don’t know anything yet, what are you going to say to them?” Song Chiyu’s expression was serious, but she remained calm. “Not to mention what your father and the others might worry about and do something outrageous, what will those people in the Qi family with ulterior motives do if they find out that your second uncle is missing?”
Qi Zhannan sighed deeply.
He had never encountered anything like this before, so he could only follow Song Chiyu's suggestion and set up a tent near the archaeological station. Song Chiyu slept alone in the car. The next day, before dawn, she got up from the car, washed herself quickly with the leftover mineral water from the previous day, and then sat in the car eating biscuits. She waited until it was just getting light before waking Qi Zhannan and the others to set off.
Qi Zhannan was still dazed, but he slept fairly well last night. He woke up after washing his face with cold water twice.
Hei Zi didn't know what the two of them had talked about yesterday. The atmosphere in the car was obviously different from before. The two of them didn't even have the mood to bicker. They closed their eyes and didn't say a word.
During the journey, while Song Chiyu went to the restroom, Hei Zi whispered, "Master Qi, what's going on with your second uncle? It really looks like..."
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask," Qi Zhannan interrupted impatiently, and Hei Zi shut his mouth in annoyance.
According to the location provided by Xia Menghe, the place where the girl got stuck in the car is a deserted area, but it is also a very famous spot for taking photos in niche circles. Few people go here, and the landmarks and signs are not very clear. Every year, people go missing or get into danger on this road.
This place once enjoyed a brief period of prosperity, with long-abandoned houses along the roadside. However, as resources dwindled, it gradually became a no-man's-land.
Xia Menghe said the girl last contacted them near a village.
They first went to the vicinity of the village, but did not find the female student that Qi Yanzhou and Xia Menghe had mentioned. Then they set off towards that rarely traveled, off-the-beaten-path road.
Song Chiyu was very cautious, constantly paying attention to changes in the surrounding road conditions, fearing that he might end up on another road of no return.
Qi Zhannan also realized Song Chiyu's composure at this moment. He and Heizi were like two headless flies, following her instructions. But the sandstorm here was too strong, and nothing was left behind.
Song Chiyu and his group had no choice but to retreat to the nearest village.
There were no Han Chinese in this village, and they couldn't understand what the other side was saying at all. Fortunately, there was a village committee, and the five-star red flag stood tall under the blue sky, fluttering in the wind.
It has to be said that in such a remote place, the moment you see the five-star national flag, you suddenly feel at ease, as if no evil spirits can get close to you.
Qi Zhannan was getting anxious. When Hei Zi fell asleep that night, he climbed into the passenger seat and woke her up, saying, "Second Aunt, do you think my Second Uncle might really not come back?"
Under the dim light of the car, his eyes were red, as if he had been crying quietly.
Song Chiyu sat up, put on her coat, and handed him a tissue. "Now you're worried about him? Before, you wouldn't even listen to a word I said to you."
Qi Zhannan did not refute, but pursed his lips and said, "If my second uncle really is gone, the Qi family will be in turmoil."
Song Chiyu looked at the stars outside the window and did not answer.
Qi Zhannan felt uneasy and hoped she could say something to comfort him, but she remained silent, which made his anxiety even heavier.
“You won’t even let me avoid the prophecy,” his eyelashes were a little damp, “Do you also think my second uncle won’t come back?”
“Look on the bright side, what if your second uncle just ran off with another woman?” Song Chiyu replied.
Even at this moment, she was still in the mood to joke with herself.
Qi Zhannan was speechless: "...What kind of celestial being would make him so reckless, willing to give up everything?"
Song Chiyu curled up her legs and rested her face on her knees to look at the moonlight.
"The moon is so round tonight."
She wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't spoken to her; a ray of clear moonlight shone on her, making her cool and aloof face look incredibly beautiful.
He suddenly remembered what Qi Yanzhou had told him.
This is the woman Qi Yanzhou would give up everything for, the woman he'd rather go to the ancestral hall than miss. Why ask what celestial being she is? This is his second uncle's celestial being.
My anxious and uneasy heart immediately calmed down as if I had taken a calming pill.
"Second Aunt".
"kindness?"
"Let's go back."
Song Chiyu looked up in surprise: "Weren't you worried sick just now? Now you're not looking anymore?"
"No, I just feel that wherever you are, my second uncle... as long as he has a breath left, he will crawl back."
Song Chiyu gazed quietly out the window, her eyes reflecting the cold, high-hanging moonlight.
So he was just one step away from being there?
But she still didn't want Qi Zhannan to worry, so she nodded and said, "Okay, go to sleep."
She had already made a plan: if she still hadn't heard from Qi Yanzhou by tomorrow morning, she would report it to the police and tell Qi Jianguo about it, determined to seek justice no matter what.
The next day, after she washed up, just as she was about to get into the car, the village committee director, who had gone out, returned. The director spoke fluent Mandarin: "Were you with the people who came to buy the raw stones before?"
[Author's Note]
Extra chapters will be updated according to the rankings~
Please check it out when you have time! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers] No melodrama, no angst!! Thank you all for your support!! *bows*
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
