Chapter 1 First Encounter A deep voice suddenly rang out. "Don't move."...
Shitang Village, Haicheng.
The weather was clear, with blue and white intertwined in the sky. Sunlight streamed through the glass windows into the car, unexpectedly turning into golden fragments.
After getting off the plane, Mu Tingyu took a city bus, then transferred to a rural bus. After swaying on the bus for more than an hour, she finally saw the coastline.
She reached out and pushed open the heavy glass window, and a gust of wind carrying hot, humid air rushed in, along with a hint of the salty smell of the sea.
The bus slowly stopped in front of an old bus stop sign. She dragged her suitcase off the bus, and a passenger sitting by the door helped her out.
Mu Tingyu smiled at him and said in a clear voice, "Thank you, brother."
The seemingly simple-minded man waved his hand: "Hey, no need to thank me. Young lady, you look unfamiliar. What brings you to Shitang Village? Visiting relatives?"
Mu Tingyu shook her head, looked around, pointed at the girl running towards them, and said with a smile, "I came to find her."
The man peeked out and exclaimed, "Hey, isn't that Xiao Ping?"
The girl called Xiaoping ran straight up to Mu Tingyu and stopped: "Teacher Mu, Teacher Mu, I'm so sorry, something came up at home and I was delayed. I'm late!"
Mu Tingyu smiled and said, "It's not late, I just got off the bus."
Xiao Ping seemed a little embarrassed, and leaned out to greet the driver: "Master Liu."
The driver responded with a warm "hey".
The man, unwilling to be ignored, pointed at himself and asked, "Xiao Ping, why didn't you say hello to me?"
Xiao Ping glanced at him sideways: "I'm here to pick up guests, I don't have time to deal with you."
The man wasn't angry; he smiled and asked, "Is this girl your relative?"
"Didn't you hear me call her teacher?" Xiao Ping said in a hurry. "She's a volunteer teacher we invited to teach the village children! Okay, okay, Teacher Mu is still waiting here, stop making noise, I'm leaving!"
He peeked out again and called out, "Master Liu's gone, drive carefully!"
Mu Tingyu watched their conversation from the side and found it very interesting.
Xiao Ping turned to her, reached out to grab her suitcase, and said warmly, "Hey, Teacher Mu, let me help you with this!"
"No, no, I'll do it myself." Mu Tingyu quickly waved her hand and refused a few times, but she couldn't take it from him.
"Don't be shy! Teacher Mu, come with me, I'll take you to put your things away first."
How enthusiastic!
Mu Tingyu, empty-handed, watched Xiao Ping's energetic figure pulling her suitcase from behind and couldn't help but sigh.
She looked to both sides of the road and asked, "How long will it take to walk?"
Xiao Ping said, "It'll take about ten minutes. Teacher Mu, are you able to walk? Do you need us to get a car?"
"Able to walk."
They walked along the cement road for a while, and gradually the road under their feet turned into a yellowish-brown dirt road, with the vegetation becoming more and more lush.
Xiao Ping kept chattering along the way: "Teacher Mu, that was the village entrance. If you want to take a bus, you have to wait there. Let's walk towards the beach now, and I'll take you to where you're staying. Speaking of which, Teacher Mu, thank you so much. It's so wonderful that you came. There's only one teacher in our village, and other people who want to volunteer as teachers are scared off when they hear how remote this place is. Actually, it's not remote at all. People have been coming to the beach to play these past few years..."
Mu Tingyu responded with "Mmm," and then asked, "Where do the children study?"
"There is a school that was built with funding in the early years."
"Sister Xiaoping, do I live at school?"
"That's impossible!"
Xiao Ping visibly tensed up. "There's a place for you to stay, a private room, right next to the school! It's just... that..."
Her voice gradually lowered, "...There are no hotels in the village, we'll have to stay at someone's home..."
"Oh, is it at a villager's house?"
“I guess you could call him a villager,” Xiao Ping thought for a moment. “He came a few years ago and has lived here for several years. He’s no different from the other villagers; everyone in the village knows him.”
"Sure, how many people are in his family?"
"It's just him."
Mu Tingyu was somewhat surprised: "You come here to live alone? That's amazing."
Xiao Ping hadn't expected her to focus on something so strange, and said cautiously, "Teacher Mu, Xing Ze is probably a bit older than you, but don't worry, he's a very nice person."
Judging from the name, it should be a man. Mu Tingyu smiled and said, "Okay."
Xiao Ping blinked twice.
She had applied for teaching support for Shitang Village for so many years, but nothing came of it. She had given up hope, but unexpectedly, someone was willing to come this year, and it was a young girl.
Before I could even feel happy, I started worrying about where to stay.
There are no guesthouses in the village, and the villagers all live separately. It wouldn't be right for the volunteer teacher to squeeze into a broken bed with him, would it? That would be too unfair.
After much thought, only Xing Ze's small building met the requirements.
The problem is that Xing Ze is too cold-hearted and difficult to talk to.
In an attempt to persuade him, Xiao Ping secretly took several jars of fine wine from her home as a bribe, and finally received a reluctant answer.
"Let her stay, but tell her not to come up to my third floor."
Xiao Ping had no choice but to repeatedly instruct him to get along well with the volunteer teachers and not to always have a cold face or say things that would scare the teachers away.
At least the accommodation problem was solved, but she still felt a little wronged for the young girl.
The girl looked delicate and tender, but she came all the way from the city to teach in a rural area. Not only were the conditions poor, but she also had to live with a strange man.
She felt increasingly uncertain and looked at Mu Tingyu expectantly: "Teacher Mu, do you think it's okay?"
Mu Tingyu laughed: "Is there any other choice?"
Xiao Ping stammered, "No, that's all."
"Yes, it's good to have a place to stay."
Xiao Ping wasn't sure what she was laughing about, so she tried to comfort her, saying, "Xing Ze is fine except for being a little quiet. He doesn't like to meddle in other people's business and he won't do anything reckless, so don't worry."
Mu Tingyu looked around and nodded.
Suddenly, she pointed into the distance and asked, "Who's that?"
Xiao Ping looked in that direction and exclaimed in surprise, "Ah, that's Xing Ze. He sometimes surfs over there."
They stood on the edge of a cliff, below which lay a gravelly beach, where the sea was lapping against the rocks, creating white waves.
A few people were surfing on the sea, and cheers could be faintly heard.
Xiao Ping was eager to make Xing Ze a good impression on Mu Tingyu, so she introduced him to her enthusiastically: "That one with the black surfboard, that's him."
Mu Tingyu looked in the direction she was pointing.
The sunlight and the waves intertwined to create a dazzling halo, with spray splashing everywhere.
With a loud whistle, the man on the black surfboard leaped into the air and then bent over against the waves, looking very free and unrestrained, his healthy wheat-colored skin gleaming in the sunlight.
"Isn't he pretty cool? Several young men in the village learned to surf from him."
After looking at it for a while, Mu Tingyu said honestly, "I can't see her face clearly, but she seems to have a pretty good figure."
Xiao Ping chuckled.
Mu Tingyu turned her gaze away and continued walking along the path, occasionally reaching out to brush aside the foxtail grass, her steps light and graceful.
Looking at her simple and plain attire, Xiao Ping asked curiously, "Teacher Mu, why did you want to come and teach in this rural area?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Tingyu tilted her head slightly, seemingly considering it for a moment, before saying with a rising tone, "Public welfare doesn't need a reason; let's contribute to education!"
Xiao Ping glanced at her profile and quickly smiled, drawn in by her playful tone, her mood relaxing involuntarily.
She was filled with anxiety on her way here.
What if the teacher dislikes the situation in the village? What if the teacher has a bad temper? What if the teacher can't accept it and wants to leave?
Now it seems that she was overthinking things.
After walking for a while, a white brick house came into view.
"Hey, we're here, that's it."
Mu Tingyu looked at the small building, which had three floors. It wasn't exactly exquisite, but it was much better than she had imagined.
As they approached, the door on the first floor was wide open, with a small stray dog lying at the entrance and a little boy squatting beside it.
As soon as the puppy saw them, it immediately took off running towards them.
Xiao Ping crouched down and picked it up, pointed at the little boy who was trying to sneak away, and shouted in a strong voice, "Shitou, why are you running away?"
The little boy called Stone froze, then slowly turned around with an awkward smile on his face: "Sister Xiaoping..."
"Why aren't you in class? get out of class isn't over yet!"
Stone scratched the back of his head: "I..."
Xiao Ping strode forward and grabbed his ear with practiced ease: "Did you skip class again!"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." Stone cried out, grimacing.
Mu Tingyu quickly stepped forward: "Sister Xiaoping!"
Upon seeing that there were still outsiders present, Shi Tou, quite naturally, hid behind Mu Tingyu, only peeking out his head and shouting, "I don't want to go to class!"
"Hey, you little rascal!" Xiao Ping was about to scold him again when Mu Tingyu grabbed her hand with a smile.
When Xiao Ping saw her smiling face, she gave up.
Mu Tingyu turned around and squatted down to be at eye level with the little boy. She introduced herself softly, "Hello, Shitou, my name is Mu Tingyu. You can call me Sister Mu."
Shi Tou avoided her gaze, his face slightly flushed, and after a long while, he finally said, "Y-you, hello."
Mu Tingyu laughed: "Can you tell me why you don't want to go to class?"
Stone put his hands behind his back and pursed his lips: "Boring."
"Yeah, classes are really boring." Mu Tingyu nodded in agreement. "Looks like you've already learned what the teacher taught, that's why you find it boring, isn't it?"
Shi Tou was taken aback, looked at Mu Tingyu's smiling eyes, and hesitated without saying a word.
Mu Tingyu reached out and straightened his askew clothes, asking softly, "Did you tell the teacher when you came out?"
Stone kicked the small pebble with his foot: "No."
“I know Shitou is very smart and sensible,” Mu Tingyu said with a smile, “but if you leave the classroom without telling the teacher, the teacher will be sad, right? Shitou, shouldn’t you go back and tell the teacher?”
Shi Tou clutched his clothes with both hands, remaining silent for a long time. Just as Mu Tingyu was about to speak again, he suddenly turned and ran away.
"Hey." Mu Tingyu stood up. "Where are you going?"
Xiao Ping glanced at his retreating figure with curiosity: "Judging from the direction he ran, he's going back to school. That brat, he skips class every other day."
"Is it alright for him to go back alone?"
“He knows this village better than anyone else.” Xiao Ping reassured Mu Tingyu, “Teacher Mu, you’re amazing. I tried to persuade him before, but nothing worked. You got him to go back with just a few words.”
Mu Tingyu bent down and stroked the puppy in her arms, smiling as she said, "Children are easy to get along with. As long as you treat them as equals, instead of looking down on them, they will be willing to listen to you."
Xiao Ping helped Mu Tingyu carry the box up to the second floor.
Mu Tingyu was amazed that such a small body contained such great strength, and couldn't help but applaud her.
This made Xiaoping a little embarrassed: "This is nothing. When we harvest rice at home, we carry it in bundles. That's what you call heavy."
Mu Tingyu asked, "Could you invite me to come next time you harvest rice? I'd like to help too."
"Huh?" Xiao Ping was taken aback. She looked at her fair arms and shook her head. "This work is too heavy. You can't do it."
This teacher looks like a delicate flower; how could she possibly move rice?
"Can I just watch from the side?"
Seeing her insistence, Xiao Ping had no choice but to say, "Okay, okay, we can collect it in a while. I'll call you then."
The room wasn't big, but it had everything you'd expect: a bed, a table, and chairs. The bed was already made up, and the other necessities seemed quite complete.
Xiao Ping wandered around the room for a while and asked Mu Tingyu, "See if there's anything you're missing, I'll go and get it for you."
Mu Tingyu was taking things out of her suitcase when she heard this and waved her hand, saying, "Nothing is missing."
Xiao Ping watched as she took out several sets of clothes, a computer, a few books, a bulging backpack, and the rest were just necessities.
She couldn't help but say, "You brought so little."
They seem to be on vacation; they can just pack their suitcases and leave anytime.
Mu Tingyu packed without looking up, saying, "This is enough."
Xiao Ping was filled with curiosity, but dared not ask too many questions for fear of offending anyone. She could only walk around the room, checking the doors and windows to make sure they could be locked, and then stood idly in front of the table.
Mu Tingyu asked, "Sister Xiaoping, do you have WeChat?"
Xiao Ping nodded, took out her phone, and the two added each other on WeChat.
Xiao Ping suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my god! It's so late! I...I have something to do at home and I have to hurry back. Teacher Mu, that..."
Mu Tingyu was very understanding: "I can manage on my own here, you go ahead and do your work."
"Okay, Teacher Mu, I'll pick you up for dinner tonight. If you want to go out for a walk, you can wait for Xing Ze to come back and take you! You'll get lost if you go alone!"
Xiao Ping looked very anxious and ran downstairs.
Mu Tingyu didn't have much stuff, and she had already packed up almost everything.
She charged her phone, which was almost out of battery, and then left the room.
In the middle of the second floor is a small living room-like area, with a wooden coffee table and several straw cushions. There are only tea sets on the table, without any other decorations.
Mu Tingyu leaned over to take a look, then went downstairs.
The kitchen is located on the first floor. It is fully equipped with cooking utensils, and the stove shows signs of use, indicating that the kind landlord who took her in can cook.
As soon as she stepped outside, the puppy followed closely at her feet. Afraid of stepping on it, she had no choice but to pick it up and hold it in her arms.
The house was surrounded by ordinary things. There was a field behind the back door, a fence with some crops on it, and a bicycle parked against the wall.
Mu Tingyu turned around and returned to the door. She looked up and found a balcony on the third floor that seemed to be facing the sea.
She touched her chin.
Hmm...
She's never experienced a "sea view room" like this before, so she doesn't know what the view is like.
She gently squeezed the puppy's paw in her arms and asked, "Can I go up to the balcony and take a look?"
The puppy whimpered, and Mu Tingyu smiled and said, "Then I'll take that as a yes?"
She put it down and happily went inside.
The third floor is relatively messy, with one wall covered with surfing equipment and some sports equipment scattered around.
There are two rooms, one with its door closed and the other with its door open.
Mu Tingyu peeked into the open doorway. It looked like a storage room, messy and cluttered with all sorts of things piled up on the floor.
The balcony happened to be directly opposite the bedroom door. The curtains were gently lifted by the wind, and the sun was already setting, casting warm orange rays of light.
Great, it's not the bedroom.
After hesitating for a while, Mu Tingyu finally carefully entered the room, trying to avoid the clutter on the floor, and headed straight for the balcony.
The homeowner seems to know how to enjoy life; there's a rocking chair on the balcony, along with several thriving potted plants.
Sure enough, you can see the sea.
The sea and the horizon in the distance merge into one, the sea surface is like it has been sprinkled with shimmering gold foil, sparkling and rippled, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks can be faintly heard.
Mu Tingyu's eyes were bright. She leaned on the railing and watched for a while, then suddenly yawned.
She hadn't slept all night in order to make her way, and finally, a belated drowsiness washed over her along with the warmth of the setting sun.
The sunshine felt so good on her skin that she didn't want to leave. So she sincerely thanked the landlord in her heart and sat down in the rocking chair.
She told herself she would just take a nap and closed her eyes.
.
Xiao Ping was busy for a while, and then she saw that the sun had already set and the whole sky had darkened.
She hadn't finished her farm work yet and didn't have time to take Mu Tingyu out for a meal, so she quickly sent her a message.
After exiting the dialog box, I sent another message to Xing Ze.
"I'm so busy here. Teacher Mu is already at your house. Please take her with you when you eat; it's her first day here, don't let her go hungry!!!"
She waited for a while, but neither of them replied.
That's strange. It's normal for Xing Ze not to reply to messages, but why didn't Teacher Mu reply either?
Moreover, why does she always feel like there are things she hasn't done?
What is it?
She pondered for a while, then a thought suddenly flashed through her mind, followed by a startled fright.
Oh no! I forgot to tell Teacher Mu not to go up to the third floor!
......
Mu Tingyu felt like she hadn't slept for long, but when she opened her eyes it was already dark.
She touched her pocket and realized she hadn't brought her phone.
It was pitch black outside; I had no idea what time it was.
She sat up and listened intently.
There was no sound downstairs; the homeowner probably hadn't returned.
She felt a surge of relief, then used the rocking chair to get up and walk into the house.
The room was completely dark, with no light.
She touched the wall but couldn't find the light switch, so she had to grope her way through a pile of clutter in the dark.
There was everything on the floor; she had glanced at it briefly earlier: pots and pans, furniture, appliances, toolboxes...
She moved forward slowly, feeling her way forward with both hands, occasionally making soft bumping sounds.
Having just made it halfway across despite his disability, he suddenly heard footsteps at the door.
Mu Tingyu was startled and subconsciously looked up, her steps becoming hurried.
Suddenly, with a "clang," she kicked a hard object, staggered, and frantically reached out to grab something, but couldn't find any support and fell forward unexpectedly.
She closed her eyes in despair, thinking, "I'm doomed."
The footsteps suddenly quickened.
A hand reached out from the darkness, its heat intense, and firmly supported her shoulder.
Mu Tingyu instinctively clung tightly to that strong arm, reaching forward with one hand and touching a hot wall.
She realized it was a chest, instantly withdrew her hand, and took a step back.
A deep voice suddenly rang out.
"Don't move."
A note from the author:
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