Once he said that, even Zhou Rong, who was normally very collected, said awkwardly, “Mr. Yi… is still so humorous.”
Jiang Cheng put his hands on his waist. “I don’t understand it. Why would Village Head Qian hand over such an important and under-table task to an outsider? Isn’t he afraid of betrayal?” His words awakened the minds of many.
Previously, everyone’s focus was on Zhao Xiangmei’s identity. However, Yi Zhiping’s statement made people wonder about the relationship between Village Head Qian and Zhao Xiangmei. The room became silent. Indeed, kidnapping was a serious crime. How could they trust an outsider to conduct this task?
Lee Lu suffered the pain from her ankle and said, “Could it be… that Zhao Xiangmei’s husband was from Little Ravine Village? Then, she could be considered half a local.”
“That’s a possibility.” Zhou Rong considered it. None of them were newbies. They sensed that this mission was more difficult than normal. One day and one night had passed. They had not advanced the plot in a meaningful way, but they lost a teammate. This wouldn’t do…
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes as he looked out the window. “The sun is not fully set yet. I think we should split into two teams. One team will stay here to wait for the food, and the other team will enter the village and take a look around.”
“Won’t that be too dangerous?” Jiang Zhongyi asked timidly. His worry was not unfounded. The village was ultimately in the mountains. The sky might darken suddenly. If they failed to return before nightfall, accidents might happen.
Bei Qian nodded. “Then, we’ll have to trouble Mr. Yi.” He looked at Jiang Cheng with great concern. “You don’t need to worry about this place. I’ll stay back to tussle with the villagers.”
Jiang Cheng tutted as he gave Bei Qian a once-over. This pretentious old man was on the same level as Zhen Jianren. They were equally shameless.
After that, it was time to decide the team. Lee Lu had a sprained ankle, so she had to stay. Yu Man didn’t want to walk around, so she stated directly that she would stay behind. Including Bei Qian, three of them wanted to stay behind.
“I’ll go out to take a look,” Zhou Rong nodded at Jiang Cheng and announced. To everyone’s surprise, Chen Xiaomeng also chose to explore the village. Therefore, each group had three members. Only Jiang Zhongyi hadn’t made a choice.
Normally, there should be more people going out to look for clues than those staying behind. Even though Jiang Zhongyi also wanted to stay, he pouted and said with a bitter expression, “I… I will go with you…” It was clear that he was unwilling.
After Jiang Cheng said that, he didn’t even look at him and left with Zhou Rong and Chen Xiaomeng.
Jiang Zhongyi was very appreciative, but he didn’t dare to show it too obviously. The only thing that made him uncomfortable was the way Chen Xiaomeng glanced at him before she left. Her gaze was cold and distant, like… she was looking at a dead body.
Jiang Zhongyi was frightened by his own thought. He shook his head quickly. When he raised his head next, the group was already gone.
The setting sun hung on the top of the mountain. They walked along the small village road. Smoke occasionally rose through the chimneys. Even with the curse, many villagers chose to stay.
The green-pebbled road seemed to create two separate worlds. On one side, the doors and windows were shattered or closed. The houses were abandoned.
On the other side, even though the houses were old, there were signs of life like small vegetable patches in the yards. Poverty was the mainstay of this place. Emigration of the younger generation would spell the doom of this place. The mountain was too rocky for agriculture.
Chen Xiaomeng seemed to read Jiang Cheng’s thoughts. As she studied the vegetable patches, she scoffed, “Even if the villagers can self-sustain with these grown foods, will Zhao Xiangmei let them be?”
At its core, Zhao Xiangmei was the scourge of this village. The group wandered around aimlessly. Jiang Zheng looked around. Zhou Rong wanted to find a chance to be alone with Jiang Cheng. He didn’t expect Chen Xiaomeng to join them.
“Who is that?” Zhou Rong said with alertness.
They followed Zhou Rong’s gaze. Behind the yard fence not far away, a small head poked out. It was a girl. She looked around seven. She wore a light green cotton skirt. Her blinking, innocent eyes studied them openly. She probably thought that she was very well-hidden. After Zhou Rong found her, she appeared panicked. She jumped down from the fence, turned around and prepared to run back home.
However, suddenly, she paused and stared at Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng smiled at her. He extended his palm to reveal a wrinkly steamed bun. The girl swallowed hard.
Then, things became a lot simpler. Jiang Cheng successfully used the bun to lure the girl out. They chose a shadowy spot to sit down.
“What is your name?” Chen Xiaomeng asked.
“Hong Hong.” The girl munched on the bun. She ate so fast that she finished half of it in seconds and almost choked on it. When they sat closer, the group discovered the girl was overly thin, and her skin was sallow.
“Is that your house?”
“Yes.” The girl nodded. She licked the bits of bun from her fingers. Her house was the one with a vegetable patch in the yard.
“Who else lives there?” Zhou Rong interrupted.
The girl licked her lips. After their brief interaction, the girl became more courageous around the travellers. She glanced at Jiang Cheng who was biting on another half of a steamed bun. She reached out her hand. “Give me your bun, and I’ll tell you.”
After Jiang Cheng gave her the half, the girl’s eyes glowed with happiness. She salivated tremendously. However, she resisted the urge to bite into the bun as something came into her mind. She carefully placed half of the bun into her skirt pocket.
“There’s no one else.” The girl lowered her head. “Hong Hong is the only one left.” She stared at her feet. She looked so pitiful. Her eyes brimmed with sadness. When she thought her acting had fooled them, she felt a pull on the back of her neck, and her feet left the ground.
Jiang Cheng lifted the girl into the air like he was holding a kitten.
Then, he snatched half the bun back from the girl and shoved it back into his own clothes.
“Then, you have had more than enough to eat.” Jiang Cheng huffed, “Why should I give you more? I’m not your dad.”