âSir, Iâm a young man who likes to explore, and Iâm an outdoor livestream host.â Afraid that the old man might not believe him, Chen Ge told out his phone and showed him the page with his videos. âIâm quite famous online. You can Google me if you want to.â
He confused the old man since he kept saying terms that the senior could not understand. â Goggle you? 1 How would staring at you help?â
The old man tightened his palms around the hoe, and he looked at Chen Ge with alarm.
âTo put it simply, Iâm a famous outdoor explorer,â Chen Ge summarized. He did not care whether the old man understood him or not. He took out a banknote from his pocket. âIâm lost exploring this mountain, and it was lucky for me to run into you. Can you please tell me how to get back to Jiujiang City?â
The old man did not reach for Chen Geâs money. He kept his eyes on Chen Ge. Obviously, he did not trust Chen Ge. The two stood in the plantation. The weather in the mountain was prone to change. There was a chill in the air, and it soon started to rain.
âItâs raining?â Chen Ge opened his palm and allowed the rain to fall on it. The moment the rain turned heavier, the environment in the mountain would turn complicated. It would be bad for him.
âI donât know where youâre from, but this place is called Lin Guan Village. It is right in the middle of Jiujiang and Lin Jiang. Itâs far from the city, and there are no cars nearby. Itâll be difficult for you to return to Jiujiang.â The man leaned on the hoe. His legs were weak from the shock that Chen Ge had given him. Who would have thought that a man would suddenly appear behind him in the middle of the night?
âThen what should I do?â Chen Ge twisted his face like he was really worried.
âI can walk you to the foot of the mountain, but itâll probably take the whole night.â The old man sighed. âRight, thereâs a village at the bottom of the mountain. I can walk you there, but do not go into the village. Head straight for the road.â
âWhy canât I enter the village? If there are some villagers, I donât mind spending a night there.â
âJust listen to me! Why do you have so many questions?â the old man said sternly. This seemed to be especially important.
âBut youâve said so yourself, there are no cars. Even if I leave the mountain, I wonât be able to return to Jiujiang. It looks like itâs going to pour soon; Iâll need a place to hide from the rain, right?â Chen Ge was telling the truth, and the old man could not come up with a retort. He glared at Chen Ge, and the silence stretched between them.
The rain picked up, and the old man sighed. âSince itâs raining now, itâll be misty in the morning. If you donât mind, you can stay with me for the night.â
He removed the lamp from the branch. He dragged the hoe for about three meters before asking Chen Ge, âAre you really an famous explorer?â
âWhy would I lie?â Chen Ge did not feel afraid even though the old man could assault him with the hoe. He took out his phone with one hand while his other reached for the hammer inside his backpack. âYou can search for me online. Look, this is me.â
Chen Ge showed the video of himself inside the Third Sick Hall. It was the most normal video of himself that he could find.
âYouâve been on television before?â
âI suppose you can say that. Iâm considered quite famous in Jiujiang.â
Looking at Chen Ge inside the phone and the comments that followed it, the old man nodded. âNo wonder. A normal person wouldnât come here so late at night.â
After that, he realized that he might have let something slip, so he picked up the hoe and continued on. âCome with me.â
Chen Ge and the old man exited the peach plantation, and after a few minutes of walking, they came across four wooden huts.
âYou can take the first one. After I turn off the light, stay in your room. No matter what you hear, do not come out.â The old man unlocked the first hut, but he did not give Chen Ge the key.
âThat sounds scary. Is it because there are wolves here?â Chen Ge came up with a lie. âI hear wolf attacks are common in the mountainsâŚâ
âThere are no wolves. Just lie down and sleep. Nothing will happen to you if you donât come out.â The old man ushered Chen Ge into the hut. When Chen Ge was in the wooden hut, he added, âRemember, donât come out. Donât even push your hand or head out, remember?â
âDonât worry. Iâm easily-scared. I will never purposely do things that are dangerous.â Chen Ge sat on the bed inside the wooden hut honestly.
âGood. Then rest well. When the morning mist disappears tomorrow morning, Iâll lead you out of the mountain.â After the old man bade Chen Ge farewell, he entered the second wooden hut.
This place is just weird. Chen Ge looked around the room. There was not much furniture; there was only a wooden bed, and it did not even have a blanket. The first wooden hut had been vacant for a long time already. Dust was everywhere, and the corners of the room were filled with spidersâ webs.
How does one live in a place like this? Did the old man purposely give me this hut, or are there problems with the other huts as well? Chen Ge walked to the door to inspect it, and he realized something weird. Normally, the door lock was inside the door, but the lock for this hut was on the outside.
He told me not to leave, but the door canât even be locked from the inside. Chen Ge felt like the old man had to be hiding something from him. He leaned against the door and yelled at the hut opposite, âSir! I still donât know your name!â
âCan you please keep your voice down? Iâm not deaf.â The old manâs voice was shaking. He seemed to be worried about something. âMy surname is Bai. Quickly go to sleep!â
âOkay.â
After twenty minutes, Chen Ge yelled at the hut next door again, âMaster Bai, are you there?â
âWhat nowâ˝â
âNothing, I just want to thank you and wish you a healthy life!â
âGo to sleep!â
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Chen Ge leaned against the wall, and the expression on his face was serious. He yelled at the hut next door at twenty minutes interval. Normally, if someone was woken up, their voice would be mixed with anger or drowsiness, but Master Baiâs replies did not sound like that. None of his replies sounded like he was asleep, and his voice was shaking. This meant that he was not sleeping. If anything, it felt like he was waiting for something to arrive!
Master Bai looks like an honest man, and he even warned me about the village at the bottom of the mountain. He doesnât seem like a bad person, but his curious activities make me worry. Chen Ge silently opened the wooden door a sliver. The rain was pouring, and darkness covered everything.
These four huts should be Jiang Lingâs familyâs old home, but itâs unclear which one is the hut where her parents died.
Pressing the play button on the recorder, Chen Ge pulled open his backpack to grab the handle of the hammer. He did not stay in his hut but slowly inched toward the three other huts.
The sound of rain muffled his footsteps. Chen Ge held the hammer and stopped before the old manâs hut. He leaned his ear on the door.