Chapter 1
There were flashes of lightning and roars of thunder, and heavy rain came down in an instant.
In a ravine thirty kilometers away from City A, the archaeological team had gone back to rest because it was late at night.
Two kilometers away from the archaeological site, it was pitch black in the woods and one could not see one’s hand in front of one’s face.
The dark clouds rolled in, completely covering up any trace of light.
The heavy rain washed the branches, and the shadows of the trees swayed like evil ghosts, hideous and terrifying.
Lightning exploded, cutting through the night sky and illuminating the darkness. Suddenly, a slender, bluish-white hand stretched out from the wet soil. It smelled of mud and looked terrifying and dirty.
In an instant, everything was dark and the light disappeared, with only the sound of heavy rain remaining.
The thunder roared through the sky, deafening and frightening those who were hiding at home.
Soon, lightning flashed across the night sky again, and a slender figure appeared in the ordinary woods.
The figure staggered and stumbled towards the light, mumbling, "Jiang, Jiang..."
The cold rain hit and washed away mercilessly, and lightning once again broke the darkness.
The man was covered in mud, and his tattered robe was gleaming with golden threads.
*
When the rainy season arrives in City A, it rains non-stop.
The dripping rain hit the ground, splashing layers of water.
Jiang Jiang got up early and sighed as he looked at the rain outside the window.
After she washed up, changed her clothes, and went out with an umbrella.
Today is Friday and she has to go to work.
The air in the rainy season is sticky and humid, making people feel irritable. The gloomy weather is dark, depressing and dull.
Jiang Jiang casually bought a bun and a cup of soy milk, and walked towards the subway while eating.
Because one hand had to hold the umbrella to block the rain, eating breakfast became a little hesitant, and Jiang Jiang frowned unhappily.
After finally finishing the buns and drinking the slightly hot soy milk, her whole body became warm and she felt a little better.
The subway is still crowded, with people packed tightly together like sardines in a can.
Because of the rain, the environment was stuffy and the air was not circulating at all, making it hard to breathe.
Feeling dizzy and with a churning stomach, Jiang Jiang suppressed his nausea and squeezed out of the subway after arriving at the station.
Following the crowd, Jiang Jiang walked out of the subway station and, like the other office workers rushing on the street, opened an umbrella and walked towards his company.
She put down her umbrella, punched in, sat at her workstation, and officially started a new day's work.
Her work was as busy and fulfilling as usual. Fortunately, she still retained a little interest in her work and did not find it difficult.
The rain stopped for a while at noon and the weather turned sunny. I thought it would be a good day, but I didn’t expect that in the afternoon when it was almost time to get off work, the sky started to get gloomy again and it started to rain.
Jiang Jiang looked at the rain outside the window and took a sip of coffee. The bitterness of the coffee made her feel that the dull and humid environment was not so unbearable.
She thought that after waiting a while, she could go home happily after get off work and enjoy the leisure of the weekend. Unexpectedly, the team leader suddenly called her over, asked her to complete the report, and asked her to send it by email early the next morning.
It’s almost time to get off work!
Jiang Jiang moved her lips, and the words of rejection were already circling in her mouth.
The team leader did not notice Jiang Jiang's hesitation and emphasized the importance of the report.
This report is tedious and complicated, and I will definitely have to work overtime to complete it.
Jiang Jiang looked at the team leader, finally took two deep breaths, surrendered to the salary, and agreed with a smile.
Choose between working overtime at the company or going home to work overtime, she chooses to work overtime at the company.
She held a glimmer of hope in her heart, thinking that if the rain stopped after she finished her work, she could go home.
When she finished her work, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening. There was no one in the office and the lonely lights showed the loneliness.
The rain is still falling, the sound is pleasant, making people want to crawl into the warm and comfortable bed.
After sending the report to the team leader's email, Jiang Jiang packed up, opened an umbrella at the door, and walked towards the subway station under the dim street lights.
The sound of rain hitting the umbrella was deafening.
Jiang Jiang walked into the subway and shook off the rain on his umbrella.
The sticky and humid environment made people feel depressed. Jiang Jiang looked at the gloomy sky and went into the subway station.
Because it was too late, there were only a few people on the subway, and she had a rare seat.
The rented house was not far from my workplace. Not long after I got out of the subway station, I saw the heavy rain again.
The dim light made the rain appear dense and lonely, and she was the only one on the empty street.
Jiang Jiang has walked this road many times and can walk it with his eyes closed.
The tiring day made her thinking slow and her brain blank. She just wanted to go back and lie down and have a good sleep.
The best thing to do on a rainy day like this is to snuggle up in bed and sleep.
After turning the corner, the street lights flickered, illuminating the surrounding area in dim and bright light, creating an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.
Rainy nights are easily associated with crime.
For example, the Rainy Night Butcher, the Raincoat Killer...
hiss!
Jiang Jiang thought of some horror and thriller movies he had seen before, and some similar scenes in them. He felt a pang of fear in his heart and involuntarily quickened his pace.
She walked quickly past a corner, but the shadow in the corner made her subconsciously pause.
Did she see it right just now?
Is there someone sitting there?
Jiang Jiang took two deep breaths, his heart beating so fast that it was about to jump out of his chest.
She slowly turned her head and looked over.
At this moment, lightning suddenly streaked across the night sky, illuminating the earth, followed by a roar of thunder.
Jiang Jiang's eyes widened in fear.
This is really a person!
She took two steps back and then walked forward quickly, not wanting to meddle in other people's business.
But out of the corner of his eye he saw that the other person seemed to be a woman.
She mustered up the courage to stop, turned around and asked tremblingly, "Are you okay?"
The man curled up into a ball with his knees hugged, his long hair covering his entire body. He was soaked from the heavy rain.
"Hello?" Jiang Jiang took a step forward, wondering whether to call the police.
Just as Jiang Jiang took out his cell phone and was about to dial 110, the person curled up on the ground suddenly raised his head, scaring Jiang Jiang so much that he almost dropped the phone.
How to say it.
It was a childish face, looking like a minor.
Her hair was very long, and because it was wet, it was scattered in strands, making her face look even smaller.
Perhaps because he was cold, his skin was pale and even blue, his clothes looked dirty, and the wet fabric stuck to his body, making him look very pitiful.
Jiang Jiang pursed her lips. As long as no one was killed, she was glad. She didn't want to care about it anymore, but when she met the girl's gaze, she couldn't help but soften her heart and bent down with her hands on her knees.
"Where are your parents?" His tone subconsciously softened.
The girl blinked and shook her head slowly, unresponsive.
"Did you run away from home after having a fight with your parents?" Jiang Jiang continued to ask.
The girl stared at Jiang Jiang blankly without any reaction.
Through the rain, Jiang Jiang couldn't see the girl's expression clearly, and she subconsciously took another step forward.
"It's too late now. It's not safe for a girl to stay here. You should go home quickly." Jiang Jiang said.
The girl still didn't react, but because of Jiang Jiang's approach, her small nose twitched twice, like a small animal sniffing something.
Soon, the girl's big eyes lit up instantly.
Jiang Jiang thought the other person was a little mute and was still wondering what to do when he heard the girl's hoarse voice ringing softly.
"Ginger, ginger..."
Jiang Jiang was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion, "Do you know me?" She searched her memory and thought that she had never seen this girl before.
Could it be the child of a neighbor living nearby?
But she had no impression of this girl and had never seen her before.
Jiang Jiang felt something was strange and uneasy. Out of fear, he subconsciously took another step back.
When the girl saw this, her bright eyes instantly became anxious. She leaned forward suddenly, crawled two steps on her knees towards Jiang Jiang, and looked at Jiang Jiang with her head held high and an expectant look.
Jiang Jiang: "..." This girl might have some problem with her brain.
It seems reasonable to think so. Maybe a daughter of a family with a poor brain ran away and couldn't come back.
Jiang Jiang opened his phone and it was already ten o'clock.
The rain was getting heavier. She lowered her head to look at the girl, thinking that she would definitely get sick if she continued to get wet like this, so she automatically took a step closer to the girl and held the umbrella over her.
She thought it over, held out her hand, and asked gently, "Will you come home with me?"
The girl tilted her head in confusion, looking very innocent and cute, but when she saw Jiang Jiang extending his hand, she curved her eyebrows in joy, raised her hand and placed it in Jiang Jiang's palm.
Jiang Jiang, "..." It feels like a big dog...
Holding Jiang Jiang's hand, the girl stood up slowly, like a staggering old man, and every movement was stiff.
When the girl stood up completely, Jiang Jiang was surprised to find that she was actually taller than him.
The wet long hair stuck to her cheeks, making her small face look even smaller.
Jiang Jiang took out a wet tissue from his pocket and gently wiped the mud off the girl's cheek.
The girl was wearing a baggy dark grey cotton short-sleeved shirt and ill-fitting loose black sweatpants. Her outfit was a very rustic combination, but her shoes were antique embroidered shoes with intricate patterns, but they were covered in mud and did not attract attention in the dim light.
"Let's go, let's go back." Jiang Jiang said as he pulled the girl's hand.
The girl said nothing, but her eyes were full of trust. She twitched her nose and murmured softly, "Good, smells good..."
Jiang Jiang didn't hear it. She held the girl's cold hand and thought to herself that she had to go back quickly. Her hands were so cold, she wondered how frozen she would be.
It just so happens that tomorrow is the weekend, and she can take the girl to the police station then, which can be considered as her doing her best.
The sound of raindrops fell, mixed with the footsteps of two people as they hurried home.
"My name is Jiang Jiang," Jiang Jiang said. "My surname is Jiang, which means Yangtze River, and my given name is Jiang, which means ginger. What's your name?"
The girl tilted her head, obviously not understanding what Jiang Jiang said.
Jiang Jiang was very patient and did not rush.
It took about half a minute for the girl to realize what Jiang Jiang meant by his question.
What was her name? She couldn't remember.
My mind went blank and I couldn't think of anything.
When she woke up, she had only one thought in her mind.
She was looking for someone, but she didn't remember what he looked like or his name. She only remembered the smell of that person and the word "ginger".
She walked for five days and five nights but still couldn't find the person.
Everything around her was scary and unfamiliar, and it was raining all the time. She was chased, hit with stones by children, and shunned and avoided by others. She was terrified all the way.
Fortunately, when she was discouraged, her "Jiang Jiang" appeared!
Now "Jiang Jiang" is asking her name!
The girl tilted her head and racked her brains to think of her own name, but she only vaguely remembered a beautiful sister smiling and saying something to her. The images were too blurry, and she couldn't remember what the sister said to her. She only vaguely heard one word from the sister's mouth shape, "Bai..."
Maybe this is the name!
She spoke softly, "Bai..."
"Huh?" Jiang Jiang couldn't hear clearly because the rain was a little loud.
"Bai..." the girl spoke softly again.
This time Jiang Jiang heard it and asked, "Which one?"
However, the girl seemed not to hear and kept repeating, "Bai..."
Jiang Jiang sighed. This girl was indeed a little idiot.
"Okay then." Jiang Jiang, who was exhausted after a day of work, didn't want to dwell on it anymore. He would just take the man in for one night and would send him to the police station tomorrow.
"Then I'll call you Xiaobai." The girl looked childish and didn't look like an adult.
Jiang Jiang spoke casually.
She didn't see that the girl's eyes were as bright as stars at that moment.
"Little, Bai..." the girl murmured.
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