"Oh, okay, then let's eat, I'll call Brother Hu."
"No need to call him, let him continue to sleep."
"How can that work?" Tan Wenbin didn't listen to the woman, and still came to the bedside and shook Hu Yiwei, "Brother Hu, Brother Hu, wake up, it's time to eat."
Hu Yiwei unconsciously stretched out his hand and patted it, muttering to himself and continuing to sleep with his arms in his arms.
"If you don't come again, it will be cold." After Zeng Yinyin finished speaking, she turned around and left.
Tan Wenbin stretched out his right hand, clenched his fist slightly, and followed Brother Yuanzi's way, using his ring finger knuckle to knock Hu Yiwei's forehead three times in a row.
Sure enough...... It's useless.
Hu Yiwei continued to sleep soundly.
Tan Wenbin took out a clearing talisman from his pocket and stuck it on the other party's head with a "pop".
The clear heart talisman has taken effect.
Hu Yiwei slept more soundly, he didn't even talk in his sleep, only snoring like thunder.
"This ......"
Tan Wenbin took off the Pure Heart Talisman, took out the Lucky Charm of Chasing the Distance Secret Scroll, and pasted it.
The talisman paper did not change color.
This shows that Hu Yiwei has long been free from the influence of evil spirits, and he is now simply tired to the point of overdraw and can't get up.
The effect of his previous Qingxin Fu actually helped him sleep deeper.
No way, I really can't wake him up.
It's better to deal with the next thing first, and then find an excuse to go out and find Brother Xiaoyuan, and let Brother Xiaoyuan come up with an idea.
Tan Wenbin took out the toiletries from his hiking bag, and when he walked out of the room door, he glanced at the welded well in the courtyard.
He walked to the kitchen, where the small table for eating was placed, and the coffin was still there.
Zeng Yinyin held a basin of clothes in her hand, glanced at him, and said, "There is a water tank in the back, I'll bring you."
The water tank is at the back of the kitchen, with a wooden ladle on top.
When Tan Wenbin brushed his teeth, Zeng Yinyin was washing clothes next to him.
Her hands were very white, almost bloodless.
Moreover, Tan Wenbin noticed that there were men's clothes washing in the other party's basin.
But originally, there were no men in this family at all.
I and Hu Yiwei came over last night, and they only washed their feet before going to bed and did not change their clothes.
After brushing his teeth, Tan Wenbin washed his face with a ladle, and then pretended to be inadvertently and asked:
"Whose clothes are so big."
"My man's."
"Are you remarried?"
"No, this is his previous clothes, I plan to wash and dry them and give them away, you people in the city don't understand how sad life is in the countryside."
"Oh, that's right."
Tan Wenbin knew that unless he was so poor that he couldn't live anymore, the living would still feel bad luck for the dead.
In the past, when I was sitting with Uncle Li, it was not uncommon for the master to pile up the clothes and personal belongings of the deceased and burn them together.
Although Min'an Town is a township in the mountains, life is far from being embarrassed to this extent.
Or is it that what she actually washes is her man's daily change of clothes?
Although it was Hu Yiwei's bed last night, it was not Hu Yiwei who really did things.
Zeng Yinyin was very quick with her hands and feet, and after drying her clothes, she wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and then motioned for Tan Wenbin to sit down, while she herself went to serve rice on the stove.
It's soup rice, add some vegetables to yesterday's leftovers, add water and cook in a pot.
This is a very popular form of breakfast at the moment, regardless of region.
After all, most families are reluctant to go to the store every morning to buy steamed buns and fried dough sticks and soy milk to take home.
I was afraid that there would not be enough leftovers, so there were noodles in it.
When Zeng Yinyin turned around to serve her own bowl, Tan Wenbin deliberately turned his back to the coffin, took out the lucky talisman from his arms, grabbed the edge of the talisman, and threw it into the bowl, which did not change color, which meant that the food was eaten by humans.
"Huh......"
Feeling relieved, he quickly took the talisman paper back into his pocket.
Tan Wenbin held chopsticks in his right hand and picked up the bowl with his left hand, but the bowl was not hot.
When I took another bite, it was delicious but a bit lukewarm.
"How is it?" Zeng Yinyin asked.
"It's delicious."
It's not hot, just right for the mouth.
Tan Wenbin quickly finished a bowl.
Zeng Yinyin: "There is still in the pot."
"I'm full, thank you." Tan Wenbin looked around and asked, "Why don't they come down to eat?"
"They have already eaten."
"Can I ...... See Miao Miao?"
"What are you doing with her?"
"I think some words may not be appropriate for the person concerned, but as a friend, I might be able to give some advice."
"Miao Miao is already engaged and will get married next month."
"I heard about it."
"Then you are not suitable to participate now." Zeng Yinyin put away the dishes and chopsticks, "You can persuade Yiwei to go back early, so that he can forget Miao Miao and start a new life."
"It's hard."
At this time, Zeng Yinyin suddenly said: "In this world, there is nothing difficult except death."
"I think your family is doing this well, it's not authentic." Tan Wenbin wanted to make some more words as much as possible, "At least it should have a beginning and an end."
Zeng Yinyin's movements suddenly paused, and then she said: "That's a good idea."
"What?"
"There's nothing fun here, let's leave quickly."
"I think the scenery here is very good and beautiful." Tan Wenbin saw that the other party was unwilling to continue to reveal to him, so he could only go to Brother Xiaoyuan, "I want to ask you something, there is a family with the surname Xue in this village, his son is named Xue Liangliang, a student of Haihe University, he is quite good at making money and is very promising."
"I don't know."
"I don't know?"
"There are many people in the town, and there are many surnames, except for our neighbors, we don't deal with people with foreign surnames."
"Oh, that's right, then I'll go out and ask and stop by. Thank you again for the meal."
Tan Wenbin left.
Zeng Yinyin looked at the kitchen door for a while, and then she took a bowl of soup and rice from the pot and placed it under the coffin.
A pair of chopsticks were placed vertically in the bowl by her.
This is not real rice, there is more soup, and I can't stand chopsticks.
But after releasing his hand, the two chopsticks stood straight.
……
Tan Wenbin returned to the room first and carried his hiking bag.
On the bed, Hu Yiwei was still sleeping soundly, and the crimson on his crotch gradually turned black.
Although it is obvious that something is wrong with this home, the risk factor is still within the bearable range.
Let's meet Brother Xiaoyuan first.
Tan Wenbin left the house, walked out of the alley, and came to the main street.
Although Min'an Town is not as large as the population of Shigang Town, which is located in the plain, it is also a town anyway, and it is normal for the townspeople to have people who do not know each other.
Tan Wenbin found a canteen in the town, bought a bottle of drink, and then asked the aunt of the canteen to inquire about Xue Liangliang's house.
However, the aunt's response made Tan Wenbin feel stunned.
The aunt said that she had never heard of a family surnamed Xue living in the town.
Tan Wenbin immediately had a guess in his mind: Could it be that Xue Liangliang's father was a son-in-law, and later he became angry and changed his surname back to Xue Liangliang?
This speculation even Tan Wenbin himself felt a bit ridiculous.
After leaving the canteen, Tan Wenbin began to keep asking the townspeople, he felt that the Xue family should be quite famous here, after all, Brother Liangliang was "someone else's child".
But as a result, no one knew that there was this family in the town.
At this moment, Tan Wenbin finally realized the seriousness of the problem.
If you can't find the Xue family, it means that you can't find Brother Xiaoyuan and Runsheng, who have entered the Xue family in advance.
He took out the pager on his waist, and there was no record of being paged.
It shouldn't be, it's already ten o'clock in the morning.
Brother Xiaoyuan may feel that it is late last night, and the canteen is also closed, so he will not paging himself, but at this point, Brother Xiaoyuan has not seen himself yet, and he will definitely let Runsheng paging himself as soon as possible.
Tan Wenbin returned to the canteen again, picked up the phone and started calling the phone in the cheap store.
"Beep...... Beep ...... Beep ......"
The phone kept ringing, but no one answered.
This is impossible, even if Lu Yi is in class and not in the store at this time, there must be someone in the store during the daytime business hours.
I called twice in a row, but still no one answered.
Tan Wenbin hesitated for a moment and called his father's office, "Beep...... Beep...... ......", indicating that it was connected, but no one answered.
He even called Aunt Zhang's canteen in Siyuan Village, and it was still the same.
Finally, he called the paging station.
During this period, there were many pagers across the country, and pager operators were also a very popular profession.
But this time, no one answered the pager, and there was no way to hear the sweet voice of the operator's sister.
Hanging up the phone, Tan Wenbin clenched his fist and gently tapped the counter.
"What's wrong?" The aunt looked at her phone monitor suspiciously, and after calling for so long, none of them answered.
"Auntie, will your phone be broken?"
"Is it broken?" The aunt pressed the speakerphone, dialed a number by herself, and the other side answered quickly.
"It's not bad, it's good."
If it weren't for seeing that the young man was dressed well and carrying a hiking bag, she would have suspected that this guy was deliberately using himself for fun in the morning.
Tan Wenbin picked up the phone again and called the cheap store, but no one answered.
Hanging up the phone, he took out the money and bought some bagged snacks.
The aunt smiled and brought him something, the snacks had not expired, but the bags were ashy, and it was better to sell them in bulk in the town.
Tan Wenbin walked out of the canteen and sat down on the riverside corridor.
There were a few tables of old people sitting there drinking tea, and there was also a storyteller telling a story.
He spoke in the local dialect, and he couldn't understand it.
Looking at the calm river, there were farmland and green mountains in the distance, the scenery was very beautiful, but he was not in the mood to appreciate it now.
Either there is a problem with this town, or there is a problem with itself.
Perhaps now, the most reasonable option is to leave the town quickly and go to at least a place where you can call them.
But I was here for the problem, and if I encountered a problem and left, I would still fart.
After the storyteller finished speaking, Tan Wenbin stepped forward to talk to the other party, and after leaving the Zeng family's position, he gave the commentator a little money, promising that if someone found him by him, he would give another one.
Afterwards, Tan Wenbin took out paper and pen and began to write notes, writing many in a row, all of which were his own names and addresses, and then sent them to the shop owners.
After doing this, Tan Wenbin was not in a hurry to return to Zeng's house, but walked around the town, looking like a backpacker who came to travel.
Yesterday I came late at night, and I couldn't see what was going on in Heibrondong, but now I can observe and taste it carefully.
However, the Hui style of architecture is indeed very culturally rich and beautiful, but when you feel uneasy and panicked, the environment here can amplify your emotions.
Every household with open doors feels that there is a secret, and every alley is full of weirdness.
Before going back, he went to the shop to cut meat and buy some grain and oil.
As soon as I entered the house with these things, I saw Zeng Yinyin standing there.
"I thought you were gone."
"No, I'll just come out for a stroll."
"I've had lunch."
"I've eaten it too." Tan Wenbin put things on the table and he ate snacks.
Zeng Yinyin glanced at it and said, "No need to buy anything."
"It should be, it should be."
If you don't buy something, how can you be embarrassed to continue living.
Now that Brother Yuanzi can't be contacted for the time being, all he can do is continue to stay in the Zeng family.
Zeng Yinyin didn't say anything and put the things in the kitchen.
Tan Wenbin returned to his room, Hu Yiwei was still asleep, it seemed that last night was indeed a big consumption for him.
Of course, consumption is not only about doing that kind of thing, but more importantly, it is still about being possessed by evil spirits.
However, if he continued to stay awake, he would have no reason to see Zeng Miaomiao.
Tan Wenbin stretched out his hand and patted Hu Yiwei's face, but still couldn't wake up.
Throughout the afternoon, Tan Wenbin moved a small bench and sat by the well in the yard.
There was a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of mineral water at my feet, looking like I was resting in the sun.
Zeng Yinyin didn't come out again after returning to her room, and the grandmother and Zeng Miaomiao who spoke last night didn't go down to the second floor.
Plus a Hu Yiwei who was still sleeping.
There were obviously many people in this room, but it gave Tan Wenbin the feeling that he was alone.
The other is this well...... Although the manhole cover was welded to death, cold air could still be felt from the gaps, and it felt a bit like a crack in the freezer.
When it was dusk, Zeng Yinyin came out of her room and she went to cook.
At this time, Hu Yiwei finally woke up.
"I'm so hungry...... I'm so hungry that I feel dizzy." Hu Yiwei was lying on the bed, covering his stomach with one hand and his forehead with the other.
Tan Wenbin took out a compressed biscuit from his backpack and handed it to him, as for the mineral water, he had already drunk it.
No one will put a lot of water in his bag, but he still has things like water purification tablets in his bag.
Tan Wenbin came to the kitchen and was about to get a bottle of boiling water.
Zeng Yinyin stood by the stove, stir-frying with a shovel, but she didn't see much steam coming out.
After Tan Wenbin went around to the stove, he found that there were only sporadic sparks in the stove hole.
"Do you want to light a fire?"
"No, it's almost out of the pot."
"Oh."
Tan Wenbin nodded, went to get a hot water bottle, opened a cork, and touched his finger down.
"Well, is there hot water?"
"Isn't it all?"
"It's just warm, not hot."
"The weather is hot, so I deliberately let it warm up."
"That's right."
Tan Wenbin could only choose a bottle to take away, and when he passed through the stairs in the hall, he looked up again, and the door was still closed.
Back in the room, he poured a glass of warm water for Hu Yiwei and handed it to him, while reminding:
"Save some stomach, I'll have dinner soon."
Hu Yiwei's mouth was full of biscuit crumbs, and he asked a little embarrassedly: "Binbin, do you have pants, can you lend me one?"
Apparently, he noticed a mark on his crotch.
Tan Wenbin took out a pair of pants from his bag and handed it to him.
Hu Yiwei was so excited that he borrowed a car and drove directly to explain the law, so he didn't bring any luggage except for the money he brought and the cigarettes he was going to smoke on the road.
Tan Wenbin's mountaineering bag is in a state of complete basic equipment.
He and Yin Meng, one for each person.
Runsheng's one is the advanced version, because he still has to afford Brother Xiaoyuan's share.
"Thank you, brother, how much money, I'll give it to you." Hu Yiwei was about to take out money from his pocket.
"No, they are all brothers, don't mention this."
"How can this work, you pay for the refueling when you come."
"Don't be polite to me, remember to get down to business."
Hu Yiwei patted his forehead: "Oh, yes, down to business!"
He was still wondering why he had forgotten this stubble.
After eating, Hu Yiwei was able to relax, they were all men, there was nothing to be embarrassed about, he took off his pants and underwear, and changed into Tan Wenbin's pants, which could be regarded as a hanging block.
"Binbin, I'm not afraid of your jokes, I'm really sorry, I had a wet dream last night."
Tan Wenbin touched his nose, whose man's wet dream was bleeding from a dream.
Of course, most boys generally do not give themselves the opportunity to have physical dreams after seeing them.
"Brother Hu, when you have dinner later, you must ask to see Zeng Miaomiao."
"I will."
"After making it clear, you should go back, you haven't asked for leave for too long, don't delay your work for a past relationship."
"Well, Binbin, I understand what you said."
The door of the room was pushed open, Zeng Yinyin stood at the door, just like in the morning, she said: "The food is ready, let's eat."
It is still a small kitchen table, next to the coffin.
However, there were only three people at the table.
Hu Yiwei asked: "Where is Miao Miao?"
Zeng Yinyin held a tray with two plates of dishes, two glasses of rice wine, and rice in a small bowl.
"They eat on it."
"Sister Yin, let Miao Miao come down, I will make it clear to her, and then I will leave."
"She doesn't want to see you."
"I know she doesn't want to see me, I just want to ask for an explanation, our marriage is so inexplicable, she should come out to see me, you help me tell her, I don't want to pester her, really."
"Okay, I'll go talk."
"Sorry to trouble you, Sister Yin."
"You guys eat first, after eating, you can talk."
Zeng Yinyin went up with the tray.
Hu Yiwei sat at the small kitchen table, his chest rising and falling slightly, and he was organizing his language.
Tan Wenbin left the table and came to a corner of the hall, where he saw Zeng Yinyin walking to the door on the second floor, grabbing the knocker and tapping lightly three times.
There seemed to be a sound of locking inside.
Zeng Yinyin pushed open the door, and before entering, she looked back, looked down, and looked at Tan Wenbin.
Then, she went in and the door closed.
At this moment, Tan Wenbin really wanted to use violent means to force himself into the second floor to see what was going on inside, and what kind of state Zeng Miaomiao was in now.
But he knew very well that he did not have the ability to forcibly expose the matter and cover the bottom.
The reason why he can be assigned to a line alone is because Runsheng's personality cannot be adapted, and he and Fan Shulin do not have a deep friendship and cannot get along this line; The second is because Brother Xiaoyuan has to be accompanied by a strong person. Back in the kitchen and sat down, Tan Wenbin said: "Brother Hu, help me get a hot water bottle."
"Oh, okay."
When Hu Yiwei got up, Tan Wenbin took out the lucky talisman for chasing the distance and tested the meal, no problem.
Picking up the chopsticks and taking a bite of the rice first, Tan Wenbin was stunned, and took another bite of the dish, his brows furrowed.
The meal in the morning can be explained as cooking early and getting up late, but this meal is only made in the evening, why is it still warm?
Isn't there anything hot in this house?
After a while, Zeng Yinyin came back empty-handed, she sat down at the table, picked up her chopsticks and started eating.
Hu Yiwei asked: "Sister Yin, Miao Miao?"
Zeng Yinyin swallowed the food in her mouth, with an obscure and inexplicable smile on her face:
"Don't worry, after the meal, you will be able to see her."
……
Yin Meng didn't know who the person who was peeping in at the door of the room last night was, but after being shone by the flashlight once, those voyeuristic eyes never appeared again.
Putting a chair against the door, Yin Meng returned to bed and started sleeping.
She needs to rest, and she can't really make herself in a bad state, but even if she sleeps, she turns a blind eye.
As soon as dawn broke the next day, the sound of chopping wood came from the yard.
Yin Meng pushed Zheng Jiayi awake, Zheng Jiayi yawned, and said in a very lazy voice: "Mengmeng, I'm so sleepy, I want to sleep a little longer."
"Have you forgotten your parents' illness?"
Zheng Jiayi sat up immediately.
"Go down and wash up first."
"Go down and wash up, do you want to carry your bag on your back?"
"I'm used to it."
When passing by the other two bedrooms on the second floor, Yin Meng stopped and listened again, but did not hear any movement inside.
When I came to the yard downstairs, the chopping wood was a man under thirty years old, wearing a vest, shorts, and cloth shoes, very tall and thin.
"Brother Daqiang!"
Zheng Jiayi greeted warmly
"Jiayi, hehe." Daqiang waved his hand, "My parents went into the mountains early in the morning to pick up goods, and breakfast was on the table."
Yin Meng dug well water, and after washing up with Zheng Jiayi, the two came to the kitchen.
On the small table, there were porridge bowls and pickles.
Yin Meng picked up the porridge and smelled it, there was no problem, she now has a keen enough ability to distinguish food.
Just this bite, I found that the porridge was not only not hot, but even cold.
But the problem is that the weather is not really cool yet.
Taste another piece of pickles, bite into it, and it is a little icy.
This feeling is like breakfast was deliberately hung in the well and calmed down.
Yin Meng's eyes looked at the groove under the stove, and the hot water bottle was all gone, including the one he found containing the mouse last night.
Do you want to arrest that Daqiang, tie him up with the exorcism whip in his bag, and torture him?"
As soon as this thought arose, it was ruled out by Yin Meng.
Let's find Brother Xiaoyuan first.
"Mengmeng, I'll invite you to go out for breakfast." Obviously, Zheng Jiayi also felt that this breakfast was unpalatable.
"Hmm."
When the two came out, they found that Daqiang, who was still chopping wood, was gone.
The axe fell in place, and even the chopped firewood was not collected.
"Hey, where is Brother Daqiang?"
Zheng Jiayi bent down, helped her clean up, and then piled them all up in the corner.
Yin Meng's eyes swept towards the firewood, most of the firewood had moss growing on it, and in very few places, some mushrooms actually grew.
Firewood is a consumable, which means that this family has not burned firewood for a long time.
Walking out of Zheng's house, Yin Meng first asked Xue Liangliang's location.
Zheng Jiayi doesn't live here, and her understanding of Min'an Town is not much higher than that of Yin Meng, an outsider.
But the two of them asked a lot of questions, and the reply they got was always that they didn't know which family in the town was surnamed Xue.
As for Xue Liangliang, a student who was admitted to Shanghai River University, no one has heard of it.
Yin Meng came to the canteen in the town, first asked the aunt, and got the same feedback.
She picked up the phone and called the pager, wanting to call Xue Liangliang, but no one answered.
Then I called the school's cheap store, but no one answered.
After calling a few more times, she asked her aunt if there was a problem with her phone, and the aunt called for the goods in front of her, signaling that there was no problem.
Yin Meng realized that the problem was big.
She didn't give up and pulled Zheng Jiayi to continue asking.
Then, the two came to the promenade by the river.
This place is considered the leisure and cultural center of the town.
Two tables of old people were drinking tea, and another old man was commenting.
After the old man finished commenting, Yin Meng stepped forward to ask him if anyone had come to him to inquire about the situation, and the storyteller shook his head and signaled no.
Yin Meng asked him to help pay attention, and at the same time told him his name and the alley address of Lao Zheng's house, and finally, he took out a banknote and put it in the iron box in front of him.
"Thank you, girl, thank you, let me tell you a paragraph?"
"No need."
Yin Meng went to various shops to inquire again, and then asked others to help her take care of herself.
After this set of processes was completed, Yin Meng felt irritable inexplicably.
Because she knows very well that they can think of methods that they can think of, and they will only do it better and more meticulously than themselves.
This town is so big, there are not many outsiders, but whenever someone asks like this, the people on the street or the owner of the shop will definitely be very impressed, but when I communicated with them before, there was no one at all.
"Mengmeng, what's wrong with you?"
"I'm fine."
"Then shall we continue to look for it now?"
"Don't look for it, let's go back."
The two returned to Zheng's house, and the door was closed.
Zheng Jiayi went up and pushed the door, and the door was pushed open.
Immediately afterwards, the eldest aunt's voice came from behind the door: "I'm back."
Then, she herself came out, wearing exactly the same clothes as last night.
"Auntie, are you back?"
"Well, I'm back."
"Is the uncle back too?"
"No, Daqiang came into the mountains to find us, he took over my shift, and I will come back first to prepare lunch for you. Why didn't you eat breakfast, didn't Daqiang tell you?"
"Auntie, Brother Daqiang told me, but I wanted to take my friend to try our special breakfast here, so I deliberately left my stomach and went out."
"Oh, are you still eating lunch at home?"
Zheng Jiayi looked at Yin Meng, who shook her head gently.
"No, aunt, let's go out to eat later."
"Let's go."
The eldest aunt walked into the house and then went straight upstairs.
Yin Meng went to the well to fetch some water again, washed his hands, and washed his face.
This room, the people in this room, are full of strangeness.
It's a pity that Brother Xiaoyuan can't be found, and these clues can't be reported at the moment.
The two went upstairs again, and when they came to the corner of the stairs on the second floor, Yin Meng pointed to the stairs that continued upward.
"Mengmeng, there is an attic above, I haven't been there."
"Then go and take a look."
Yin Meng walked up, saying it was an attic, but it was not cramped, and it looked like it was often cleaned, so it was not dirty.
A red old coffin was placed there.
Zheng Jiayi was startled by the coffin and hid behind Yin Meng.
"It's okay, I used to sell coffins."
Yin Meng walked to the coffin, the materials used in this coffin were not very exquisite, and the painting skills were also very average.
"Jiayi, your grandparents left a long time ago, right?"
"Yes, my parents went to the grave for my grandfather when they came back last time."
Grandparents are gone, so why do you still have coffins in this house?
Although I haven't seen Zheng Jiayi's uncle yet, judging from the age of the aunt, the couple should be far from the time to prepare the longevity materials in advance.
Just as Yin Meng put her hand on the side of the coffin and was thinking about whether to open it to take a look, the figure of the eldest aunt appeared at the door.
"Why did you come here?"
Zheng Jiayi replied: "Let's just go around."
"This is a relative's house repairing the house, and the old life materials prepared by the elderly in the family are temporarily placed in our house."
Yin Meng withdrew her hand and said, "Oh, that's right."
"There are a lot of mice at home, don't run around, be scared by rats."
"Well, we know."
Yin Meng and Zheng Jiayi came to the room on the second floor, Zheng Jiayi sat on the edge of the bed, and Yin Meng stood at the door.
"Mengmeng, let's go out to eat."
"No, just eat a little." Yin Meng took out the biscuits from her backpack and handed them to Zheng Jiayi, then returned to the door and stood by the door.
"Mengmeng, where do we have to start looking for it next?" Zheng Jiayi asked.
"Start looking for this house."
"Ah, I'm asking about the friend surnamed Xue who is looking for you."
"Similarly, if you find his home, it will be easier to find the root cause of your parents' illness."
"Oh, that's right, I see." Zheng Jiayi nodded, she believed it.
"Jiayi, don't you think your uncle's family is very strange?"
"I said last night, their family has always been very cold, and then, in fact, I don't have much contact with their family."
"Have you eaten yet?"
"Eat well."
"Then let's go out."
Yin Meng took Zheng Jiayi out of Zheng's house and began to visit neighbors to talk to those aunts and grandmothers who liked to chat at first glance.
I learned from the neighbors that the old Zheng family is notoriously withdrawn, and they don't interact with outsiders much on weekdays, and even when they go to the house of relatives and neighbors to do business, they won't invite them.
In rural areas, no matter how withdrawn and unsociable people are, they don't even dare not participate in the red and white affairs in the village.
Because everyone knows that this kind of thing will be handled by your own family sooner or later, and if you don't go to someone else's house, they won't come to you to help at that time.
The neighbors couldn't get any specific information, so Yin Meng had to return to Zheng's house and sit down in the yard.
Unable to contact Xiaoyuan, she was a little dazed now.
At the moment, it seems that we can only continue to follow the established pattern.
For example, on the premise of trying not to tear your face, you can find out the true secret of the old Zheng family.
All afternoon, Yin Meng sat in the yard.
She finally saw Zheng Jiayi's uncle, who came back with a fertilizer bag on his back, and something was moving in the bag.
Zheng Jiayi went up to say hello: "Uncle."
"Well, Jiayi."
"Where is Brother Daqiang, why didn't he come back with you?"
"He's behind, I'll go pack up first."
Uncle went in, originally Yin Meng thought he would go into the kitchen, but he went upstairs directly with the bag on his back.
Then, after going up, he didn't come down again.
After a while, Daqiang came back, he was also carrying a fertilizer bag, and the contents were also moving, and there was a faint "squeak" sound.
After still saying hello simply, he also went upstairs.
When dusk came, the eldest aunt came down from upstairs and asked, "You go out to eat at night, right?"
Zheng Jiayi: "Yes, aunt."
"Then I won't cook for you."
"Auntie, you call down Uncle and Brother Daqiang, let's go out to eat together."
"If you don't eat out, you can't afford that money."
After the eldest aunt finished speaking, she turned around and went upstairs again.
Yin Meng found a problem, that is, this family of three...... Never appeared together, always alone.
Before nightfall, Yin Meng and Zheng Jiayi went outside to buy some food.
When he came back with the bag and went up to the second floor, Yin Meng vaguely heard some special sounds.
But as soon as she stepped on the last step on the second floor, the sound was collectively muted.
She and Zheng Jiayi went back to their rooms.
"Mengmeng, let's eat together."
"You eat first."
Yin Meng was still standing at the door of the room, sticking her ear to the door.
"Crunch...... Crunch...... Crunch......
She heard a high-frequency sound again, although it was faint, but it was there.
Yin Meng made a "shh" gesture to Zheng Jiayi, Zheng Jiayi nodded, and even stopped eating.
Immediately, Yin Meng carefully opened the door, trying not to make any sound, and when it opened enough for her to go out sideways, she raised her hand, grabbed the top, and "sent" herself out.
The wooden structure makes it difficult for the floor to avoid noise, but the beams above are still strong and compact.
Seeing this scene, Zheng Jiayi opened her mouth wide: It turns out that those who study Chinese medicine have to practice kung fu?
Yin Meng "came" to the corridor on the second floor, and the voice was heard more clearly.
The sound came from those two rooms, but there were three frequency sources, and they were all close to the room door.
Yin Meng exerted force on her waist and lifted her legs up so that she would not be able to see herself through the gap when she stood at the door.
"Squeak! Crunch! Squeak! Crunch! ……」
It was all at the beginning, a scream of urgency and pain, then the sound of biting and chewing, the scream stopped immediately, and then the next round.
It reminded me of the two fertilizer bags that Uncle and Daqiang brought back and the rats they found in the hot water bottle last night.
A picture resurfaced in Yin Meng's mind:
Daqiang stood behind the door of one room, and uncles and aunts stood side by side behind the door of a room;
They kept reaching out, grabbing live mice from fertilizer bags and sending them to their mouths to gnaw.
Suddenly, the voice disappeared collectively.
The meal is over.
……
In the early morning, after Li Chaiyuan went downstairs, Xue's father and Xue's mother warmly entertained him for breakfast.
They are really enthusiastic, the main dish for breakfast is actually rice, and they also stir-fry three hot dishes.
It was in the form of Runsheng eating and fragrant, which made them feel a little strange.
Li Zhuiyuan explained that Runsheng often got sick when he was a child, and a Taoist priest said that he had to set aside a month every year to eat every meal to ensure that he was free from illness and disaster.
Xue's father and Xue mother were amazed, and they all praised the Taoist priest for being so powerful.
After all, Runsheng's physique is here, where is there any sign of weakness and illness.
After the meal, Li Chaiyuan asked Runsheng to go out to ask someone, focusing on the area near the canteen.
He himself was sitting in the yard chatting with Xue's father, while Xue's mother was washing clothes, and she enthusiastically brought Li Chaiyuan and Runsheng's change of clothes to help wash.
Dad Xue chatted happily, at this moment, even aside from his son's relationship, he liked this teenager very much.
And Li Chaiyuan does have the ability to make a person happy.
He had been learning this skill since he was a child, but later, especially after receiving the call from Li Lan, he didn't want to continue to disguise himself, at least to irrelevant strangers.
After leaving his grandfather's house to go to college, he would only become colder to outsiders.
It's not deliberate, but I'm too lazy to continue acting.
But this old craftsmanship of "beating out of the womb" has not been lost.
At ten o'clock in the morning, Runsheng came back and found no one.
"Brother Runsheng, go to the canteen to call, call Brother Binbin, and then call the store and ask if they have called the store."
"Okay."
Runsheng went out, and Li Chaiyuan began to try to guide Xue's father to talk about the "young expedition team".
It can be seen that Dad Xue doesn't really want to talk about this, but in the end, he is still constantly being talked about.
After a while, Runsheng came back and brought a piece of news:
"Xiaoyuan, I can't get through, I can't get through to the pager, I have dialed all the numbers I remember, but I still can't get through.
The phone is good, and the canteen lady called the county wholesaler in front of me to buy a batch of goods."
"Brother Runsheng, go to the shop on the main street and ask, and then ask the bosses to help pay attention. Go to a crowded place in the town again...... It is the riverside promenade that Dad Xue took us to yesterday, which is close to the archway, which is an obvious location."
"Okay."
Runsheng went out again.
Li Zhuiyuan continued to stay here.
He was not trying to be lazy, one was to continue to talk to Dad Xue, and the other was that he had to stay here and wait for Yin Meng and Binbin to come to the door.
"Uncle Xue, your family is in the town, so you should be very famous, right?"
"That's not true." Dad Xue puffed out his chest proudly, "Who told me to have a good son, my family always pays a lot of money to build roads and bridges in the town."
In fact, Li Chaiyuan also asked in vain, because as soon as he entered the town, he asked the commissary aunt, who didn't even care about the shop and led them directly to the Xue family very enthusiastically.
This not only means that the Xue family is famous in the town, but also means that they are also very popular.
Runsheng came back: "Xiaoyuan, I have asked and said hello, and I asked him to help pay attention to the storytelling in the corridor."
"Did you give me the money?"
"Ah...... My money is in my bag, I didn't bring a bag when I went out, so I'll take the money out and give it to them now?"
"Forget it, it doesn't make sense to give it or not."
Runsheng asked: "Xiaoyuan, what happened to us?"
After all, the phone is unreachable, and it seems to be aimed at itself.
However, Runsheng was missing one link, that is, to find the house where Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng live now, because these two lines were not clear when everyone set off.
There is no direct ...... If you can't find the experience of this family, your understanding of the situation will not be so deep.
But Li Zhuiyuan can switch perspectives here, because he has been sitting here for so long, and Yin Meng and Binbin have not been able to come to the door, which means another possibility.
Runsheng: "Xiaoyuan, Binbin and Mengmeng, did something delay on the road and fail to come over?"
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head:
"I think they are already in this town."
———
There is another chapter tomorrow during the day!
(End of this chapter)