189 Doubts
◎Why didn’t you come back earlier!◎
Qi Qiuxue quickly picked up the recorder and recorded the strange sound of the wind.
Then she closed the window, lay back on the bed, and used a recorder to redial the sound.
She found that apart from the sounds of the wind that sounded like screams and roars, there was nothing else strange in the recording, whether it was played forwards or backwards.
"Go to sleep."
Li Yiqing gazed out the window in the darkness. It was completely dark and deserted. Even the few residents who had lights on had already turned them off and gone to bed. With only a few hours until dawn, they had very little time to rest. "We've gathered so few clues right now. There's no point in dwelling on them. Better to get some sleep and recuperate."
"Well, you're right."
Qi Qiuxue agreed with her, put the recorder away properly, and closed her eyes again.
Li Yiqing, who was lying beside her, did not come closer as usual. He still maintained the distance that had just been pushed away and looked at her quietly in the darkness.
Even though Qi Qiuxue closed her eyes, she could still feel the other person's strong gaze.
"Let me go to bed early. What about you?" After a few seconds, Qi Qiuxue opened her eyes again. "Is there anything bothering you, A-Qing?"
"Can I still hold you while I sleep?" Li Yiqing lowered his eyelids, looking pitiful and begging for mercy. "Will you push me away again, Axue?"
What she is best at is to act weak, pitiful and helpless to win other people's favor, sympathy and tender-heartedness.
But after spending time together, Qi Qiuxue saw through her disguise at a glance and didn't buy it: "It's too hot, no."
"Really not possible?" Li Yiqing continued to ask.
Qi Qiuxue refused coldly: "No."
"Hmm." Li Yiqing frowned upon hearing this, clearly heartbroken by the person before him. He immediately acted withdrawn, "Then I..."
Before she could finish her words, Qi Qiuxue suddenly stretched out her hand in her direction.
Li Yiqing subconsciously put his face in her palm, met her gaze in the darkness, and rubbed it again and again in an ambiguous way: "You can't bear to leave me, right, Xue?"
"It seems so." Qi Qiuxue raised her lips lightly, teasingly, "You know, I can't bear to see you sad."
"So I thought of a compromise." Her tone was soft, but the words she uttered were like a master giving an order to a puppy, "Give me your hand."
Li Yiqing did as he was told and placed his hand in her palm.
Qi Qiuxue's slender five fingers passed through her fingers, and then slowly clasped her hand. Her soft fingertips stroked Li Yiqing's knuckles again and again, as if to comfort her, or to flirt with her.
"Go to sleep." She lowered her eyes and kissed Li Yiqing's fingertips lightly, then raised her other hand, touched the corner of her lips, stroked it a few times, and moved up along her cheek until she found her eyes.
The next second, the world went dark. Qi Qiuxue covered her eyes with her hands, forcibly cutting off Li Yiqing's sight.
"Good night." There was a smile in her voice. Li Yiqing couldn't see her face, but her smile had already appeared in his mind.
"……good evening."
Feeling the warmth and softness of her palm, Li Yiqing finally stopped acting coquettishly. Like a puppy that was finally coaxed, he fell into a deep sleep under Qi Qiuxue's comfort, sleeping soundly and contentedly.
The next day.
Early in the morning, someone knocked on the door outside the yard. Liu Ge, who got up the earliest, put on his coat, walked into the yard and opened the door a little.
The person who came was Wang Shan, the villager who drove the bus to bring them back to the village last night. Liu Ge did not let him in, but just stood at the door and asked him what was the matter.
"Did you stay at Xiaoqi's house last night?" The moment he saw her, a hint of doubt flashed across Wang Shan's eyes, and his gaze subconsciously looked into the yard through the crack in the door, trying to see if there was anyone else inside.
"Come and help her clean up the room." Liu Ge evaded the question casually, and without leaving any trace, he moved sideways to block his view and said politely, "Uncle Wang, you're here so early. What's going on?"
"Oh, I just came to inform you." Wang Shan's prying was suddenly interrupted, and he remembered the important matter. "Everyone, come to the village committee at 10 o'clock tonight for a meeting."
"So late?"
"Yes." Wang Shan nodded. "Because some villagers who are working outside haven't returned yet. We have to wait for them anyway."
"Is there something important you want to say?"
"Yes, it's a very important matter, a big deal!" Wang Shan said in an exaggerated tone.
Liu Ge smiled when he heard the voice and continued to guide: "What's the big deal? Uncle Wang, you are very knowledgeable. Please tell me in advance."
"Oh, you'll know when the time comes." Unfortunately, Wang Shan seemed to see through her intentions and immediately waved his hand to refuse. "I still have to inform other people, so I won't stay long."
"Our village has changed a lot over the years. You haven't been back for a long time. You should take a look around when you have time, get familiar with the environment again, and say hello to the villagers."
"If you encounter any problems or need anything, just tell us and we will help you. There will be a lot going on in the village during this period, so it's best for you to stay a while."
"By the way, if you ever want to go out, just tell me." He laughed heartily. His face looked kind and warm, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Our village is too remote, and there's wilderness all around. The roads are difficult to walk on, and you might encounter wild animals. For your safety, it's best not to go out unless necessary. If you really want to go out, come find me and I'll drive you there."
"Do you understand?" Liu Ge was extremely perceptive and noticed that there was a hint of threat and intimidation in his words.
"Understood." Liu Ge didn't point out anything, but nodded in agreement. "Thank you in advance, Uncle Wang."
"You're welcome, you're welcome." Wang Shan waved his hand and left quickly.
After a while, Liu Ge returned to the room and told everyone what had happened.
“…”
The day passed quickly.
They said they were going out for a walk, but in fact, they didn't get the chance at all. After Wang Shan left, the NPC who claimed to be an aunt came again last night and helped them clean up the room more carefully as promised last night.
The light was bright at this moment, and every detail was clearly visible. Qi Qiuxue suddenly realized that what was on her face was not makeup, but the original color of her skin.
His whole body was as pale as paper, but his cheeks were extremely rosy, which made him look scary and exaggerated, completely different from an ordinary person.
After she left, villagers came to visit one after another.
Unlike the horror and weirdness of last night, if you ignore the funeral supplies, Chigu Village looks beautiful and the people are simple during the day. Upon hearing the news of their return, the villagers enthusiastically sent various ingredients, cakes, and even some homemade rice wine and side dishes.
Li Yiqing secretly checked and found that there was nothing wrong with these things and they were all edible.
"Long time no see, you've all grown up to be so beautiful." The aunties and aunties surrounded them with satisfaction, their eyes unable to conceal their admiration, even envy. "It's great, your skin is so soft, your eyes are so big, and your facial features are so neat."
As if expressing their true feelings, they whispered, "It would be great if you could come back a few years earlier."
"What?" Qi Qiuxue instinctively felt something was wrong and frowned.
"Nothing." The ladies shook their heads, looked at each other, and quickly changed the subject.
Soon, it became completely dark. After about one or two hours, the sound of a bus was heard in the distance, and new villagers were brought back to Chigu Village by Wang Shan and his companions.
Quite a number of villagers came back this time, and the medium-sized bus was almost full. As the meeting time was approaching, the villagers had not yet gone to sleep. Many people gathered outside, strolling around in groups of three or four. When they saw someone coming back, they all rushed over enthusiastically.
Qi Qiuxue and others also followed the crowd to "welcome" the new wave of returning villagers. The car door opened and the first few men got out. They all looked quite handsome, had good taste in clothes and were tall.
Whispers soon began to rise around.
Qi Qiuxue looked in the direction of the voice and saw a group of ugly men whispering to each other. Just like the looks of the aunties and grandmas during the day, when they looked at those men, their eyes were full of envy, yearning and hatred.
They even said almost the same words——
"Damn it."
"Why didn't they come back earlier!"
【Author’s words】
Here it comes! There are red envelopes in the comment section of this chapter, and they will be posted before the next chapter is updated~
Thank you for your Bawang tickets and nutrient solution, thank you for leaving comments and reading, muahmuhmmmmm~
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