Jin City.
It is already dead of night.
Ji Baijian had just finished talking with Song Zhizhi and put down the phone.
He was sitting on a rocking chair in the Sky Garden, lighting up a cigarette.
When Zhizhi was around, he rarely smoked; he didn’t want to smoke around her.
In fact, he had been addicted to cigarettes since he was a child; after all, he was quite old when he was born.
He smoked for a while.
At this mont, his phone rang again.
Ji Baijian extinguished the cigarette butt and picked up the phone.
"Mr. Ji, we are ready."
"Hmm."
Ji Baijian got up.
Even if Zhizhi was to be used as bait, how could he feel assured about her being alone in such a far and dangerous place like Jinghe Village?
...
The next day.
Apparently, everyone hadn’t slept well.
At the 8 o’clock team eting the next morning, they all seed a bit dashed.
Before coming here, they knew the conditions weren’t great but had no idea exactly how bad until experiencing it firsthand.
Moreover, a couple of colleagues fell ill due to the conditions.
Yi Wenhan however seed full of energy, he said to everyone, "There’s a drizzle outside, and it’s a bit chilly. Dress warmly, everyone. I asked the innkeeper to buy so rain gear for us, make sure to wear them when the ti cos."
"Wenhan, you are very thoughtful." A colleague quickly replied.
"I’m in charge of this project, so it’s part of my job." Yi Wenhan responded.
At this mont, the innkeeper returned with umbrellas, raincoats, and rain boots.
Everyone got dressed and prepared to set off.
Yi Wenhan reminded, "We will stay in the village for three to five days depending on the situation, so we won’t return until the day we leave. Everyone, please make sure to pack everything."
"We have packed." A few colleagues responded in small groups.
"We will set off in 10 minutes, is there anything else anyone needs to prepare?"
"Okay."
Ten minutes later.
The entire team set off.
Indeed, it was drizzling outside.
The road into the village was already quite challenging, let alone during rainy weather.
What should have been a journey of over three hours, considering the current circumstances, would now take at least five hours.
Furthermore, there were hardly any human settlents along the way to Jinghe Village, as if the village was cut off from the world.
Seeing this, Song Zhizhi thought it might indeed be an ideal place for criminal activities like disposing of bodies.
"Wenhan, can we take a rest? I can’t keep up." A colleague could no longer bear the physical strain.
Regardless of each person’s background, none of the crew had ever experienced such harsh conditions. Thus, a chorus of complaints filled the air, making the journey unpleasant for all.
Fortunately, Yi Wenhan was an excellent leader who received everyone’s complaints without losing his temper and constantly encouraged the team throughout the journey.
When Yi Wenhan heard that soone was tired, he did not insist on pushing forward.
He said, "Let’s take a rest here."
So, everyone sat down right where they were on the rocky road.
Since it was an uneven stone road with lots of grass, sitting on it ant getting wet. But at that point, they didn’t care; they were relieved to rest.
Song Zhizhi was actually quite exhausted too.
She sat down next to Luo Xiaolang.
Contrarily, Luo Xiaolang seed relaxed and cheerful. She asked Song Zhizhi, "Are you guys very tired?"
"Hmm." Zhizhi replied.
"I’m not tired at all." Luo Xiaolang said.
"..." Really, Xiaolang? Do you have to be such a downer?!
Chatting with Luo Xiaolang helped Zhizhi alleviate her fatigue.
"Manager Song." Suddenly, Li Sheng sat down next to her.
Zhizhi looked at her.
"Do you have any idea how much further we have to go?" Li Sheng seed out of breath.
"I don’t know." Song Zhizhi shook her head.
"It seems infinite, there is no sign of a village anywhere. I’m starting to wonder if the Comrcial Managent set us up."
Zhizhi laughed, "What are you talking about!"
"Look at Yi Wenhan. He really knows how to win people over." Li Sheng looked at Yi Wenhan as he was distributing snacks and water to everyone, and muttered to herself.
Zhizhi also turned to look at him.
She said, "What do you think of Yi Wenhan’s relationship with Manager Chu?"
"What do you an?" Li Sheng was perplexed.
"Chu Qin always seems high and mighty and is indifferent to everyone, except for Yi Wenhan. She doesn’t have that sa attitude towards him." While Zhizhi was speaking, she saw Yi Wenhan hand Chu Qin a box of snacks. It seed that Chu Qin even cracked a smile.
"Now that you ntion it, it does seem that way. I never noticed it before," Li Sheng exclaid in surprise.
Zhizhi hushed her, "Keep it down. Be careful, or Chu Qin might turn against you."
"Okay, okay." Li Sheng quickly complied in a quiet voice.
The group sat there for a while.
Yi Wenhan said, "Don’t sit there for too long. The ground is wet, the weather is cold. If we keep going like this, it’s going to get dark soon making the journey more dangerous. Let’s all summon up our energy, and try to reach the destination in one fell swoop."
"Alright."
One by one, everyone stood up and the team set off again.
The path was indeed very challenging, especially the sections without even cobblestones which were nothing more than muddy trails. It was incredibly difficult to move forward.
Like this, they continued intermittently; walking, stopping, walking, stopping, for over six hours until they finally glimpsed Jinghe Village around 3 o’clock in the afternoon directly from 8:30 in the morning.
The houses were arranged in neat rows and the sight was rather imposing.
If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, Song Zhizhi would never have believed that such a large and pure place could exist so deep into the backcountry.
She even felt that this place shouldn’t be redeveloped.
Of course, this was just her perception. If the people living here really do have poor living conditions then there is so necessity for them to gain more understanding of the outside world.
Everyone finally entered the village and arrived at the prebooked rural hostay.
The hostay was very simple: two stories with guests staying upstairs, the owner living downstairs.
Such a house was considered quite decent in Jinghe Village. Walking through the village and passing the village households, it was clear how backward and poor their living conditions were, despite the villagers seeming content.
After settling in, the hostay had already cooked us a al.
The food wasn’t great, but everyone ate a lot due to their exhaustion.
After the al, Yi Wenhan suggested everyone go back to their rooms and rest. He explained that since everyone had a hard day, he decided not to schedule anything; they would start investigating the reality of the situation house by house the next day.
So, everyone returned to their rooms and fell asleep.
Song Zhizhi also managed to sleep for a while.
Dao Luo, however, didn’t seem tired at all. She just stood at the window, looking out at the village, seemingly idle.
She picked up her phone and looked at the extrely weak signal.
She guessed that playing gas would be impossible and even taking calls could be a problem.
After about two hours, Zhizhi woke up.
She felt a lot better after resting for a bit, but the weather here was quite damp and didn’t make for comfortable sleep.
She changed her clothes, put on more layers, and said to Luo Xiaolang, "Co on; let’s go out for a stroll."
"Okay."
Zhizhi and Luo Xiaolang left the hostay.
At this mont, most people were probably still asleep.
Zhizhi and Luo Xiaolang walked through the village.
The village and the tourist sites were like many old towns, houses on both sides, a narrow cobblestone street in the middle. The houses were all flat and two-story buildings were rare. Compared to the preserved old towns, the village was a lot simpler and the environnt much worse.
While walking down the cobblestone streets, Zhizhi and Luo Xiaolang beca the center of attention. Probably because few outsiders visited here, their arrival aroused much curiosity from the villagers.
Following the information on her phone, she walked towards a house at the end of the village.
She took a look around, then walked inside.
Inside was a small courtyard house.
Though it now seed quite run-down, it was evident that it must have belonged to a wealthy family in the past.
"Is anyone here?" Song Zhizhi asked.
A middle-aged man ca out from inside.
A middle-aged woman followed him.
Then, three children appeared, one boy and two girls.
And then, an old woman with white hair ca out.
For a mont, all of them were staring at her, which made her feel awkward.
At that mont.
Wei Ziming’s voice ca from the side, "This is my friend."
Then, the family, who had been warily curious, returned inside their house.
Song Zhizhi let out a sigh of relief.
Being stared at like that made her feel as if she’d trespassed on soone else’s territory.
"Over here," called Wei Ziming.
Song Zhizhi, followed by Luo Xiaolang, went towards Wei Ziming’s room.
The room was quite plain, containing only a wooden bed with an old quilt on top. It didn’t seem very cozy.
Wei Ziming led Song Zhizhi to sit on the bed and asked, "What took you so long to get here?"
"The rain made the roads difficult to travel. We arrived at 3 o’clock. Then we had a al and took a nap," Song Zhizhi explained.
"I thought sothing had happened to you. The signal here is poor, and I couldn’t get through to you at tis," Wei Ziming said.
"I see," Song Zhizhi replied.
She too had noticed.
Checking her phone constantly while on the way was not just for finding the address, but to discern where the signal was stronger. She figured this would prove helpful later on.
She asked Wei Ziming, "What have you learned since you’ve been here?"
"The village is indeed quite backward, and conditions are poor. But the villagers seem content. They likely haven’t seen much of the outside world. The couple you just saw, for instance, have never left the village in their lives."
"Why?" Song Zhizhi was surprised. "The small town outside the village is just a few hours away."
"I was just as surprised as you are, but it’s a fact. They say there’s nothing good out there, that people are cunning, and that they’ll be cheated. So they prefer not to go out. They are also educating their children not to leave the village. Over hundreds of years, the inhabitants have beco related, eventually marrying those they’re familiar with. Here, intermarriage among cousins is common."
"That cannot be," outright stated Song Zhizhi.
When she saw the village from afar, she thought that it should not be polluted by the secular world.
But in terms of social and cultural developnt, there must be knowledge spread here. Living in such ignorance will only result in ongoing generations of ignorance.
"Right," Wei Ziming nodded. "However, changing their ingrained mindset, which has ford over hundreds of years, isn’t going to happen overnight."
Song Zhizhi nodded thoughtfully.
The influence of one’s family of origin can be profound, not to ntion when everyone around is spreading this kind of thinking.
She continued to talk with Wei Ziming.
She asked, "Did you notice any outsiders here today?"
"I’m sort of an outsider myself, so it’s not easy for to show up. Instead, I had the couple here help check. They said they didn’t notice anyone new."
"Will they tell others about your stay here?"
"No," Wei Ziming said. "People here are quite simple because of their isolation. Once they promise sothing, they won’t disclose it."
"That’s good," Song Zhizhi nodded.
After a bit more conversation, Song Zhizhi, followed by Luo Xiaolang, left.
They couldn’t stay too long because they didn’t know if they were being watched. She left the house and started walking back with Luo Xiaolang.
anwhile, they encountered several people from Comrcial Managent, who seed to be out for a stroll and greeted Song Zhizhi in a friendly manner.
Song Zhizhi responded in kind.
Song Zhizhi and Luo Xiaolang had just returned to their farmhouse when they saw Yi Wenhan and Chu Qin preparing to go out.
The four of them exchanged glances.
Yi Wenhan and Chu Qin did not take the initiative to greet Song Zhizhi.
Song Zhizhi stopped Yi Wenhan, "Where are you guys planning to go?"
Yi Wenhan and Chu Qin seed a bit surprised.
Yi Wenhan said, "Just going out for a stroll, most people have gone out. We want to get a basic understanding of the entire village first."
"I’ll go with you." Song Zhizhi said.
Yi Wenhan seed to furrow his brow.
At that mont, Chu Qin’s face did not look too good either.
"Am I intruding?" Song Zhizhi asked, "Aren’t we all here for work? Would us being together affect you?!"
Yi Wenhan quickly said, "Not at all, just a bit surprised. Didn’t Manager Song always dislike ?"
"That’s your misconception." Song Zhizhi was blunt, "Work is work, Yi Wenhan, I hope you won’t bring personal feelings into this."
Yi Wenhan didn’t say much else, he simply said, "If you want to join, then join. We’re just going to take a look around."
Song Zhizhi followed Yi Wenhan and Chu Qin along the slab paved street again.
Yi Wenhan seed very gentle, taking the initiative to chat with the old and young sitting at the doorways along the way. Song Zhizhi occasionally asked others a few questions. Their purpose for being there was not revealed, at least for now.
They walked around like this for a few rounds.
Song Zhizhi confird everything Wei Ziming had told her.
The villagers here were very xenophobic. It was fine if they ca in occasionally for overnight stays, but if they were really asked to go out, they would view it as a huge deal, possibly calling a family eting to discuss before making a decision.
They returned to the farmhouse.
So people had co back, while others were still out wandering.
There were so small vendors in the village, selling local items. There were small diners serving local dishes as well, so so people had decided not to return for als.
Song Zhizhi returned to the room with Luo Xiaolang.
Having eaten lunch so late, they were not hungry now.
She thought for a while, took the initiative to go to Yi Wenhan’s room.
Knocked on the door.
It took a while for the door to be opened.
Yi Wenhan, looking surprised, saw Song Zhizhi at the door. He asked, "Are you looking for ?"
"Yes." Song Zhizhi said, "May I co in?"
"Not convenient." Yi Wenhan flatly refused. The door was half open, so he could not see everything inside.
Song Zhizhi frowned.
Yi Wenhan looked at Song Zhizhi, his face veiled with a strange smile, "Song Zhizhi, you’re being very strange today."
Song Zhizhi stared at him.
"Usually you’re ignoring , but after coming here, why are you so proactive? What? Do you want to rekindle lost love?" Yi Wenhan mocked.
"You’re overthinking. I feel that after learning about the village today, I have so thoughts I’d like to discuss with you. If it’s not convenient for you, we can talk about it at the eting tomorrow." She said.
"Then let’s talk about it tomorrow." Yi Wenhan declined.
"I won’t bother you then."
After saying this, Song Zhizhi turned around and left.
Yi Wenhan watched Song Zhizhi’s retreating figure, his face twisted. He went back into his room and bolted the door tightly.
During this ti, Chu Qin was in his room, her clothes disheveled.
Chu Qin’s actions made her intentions clear. She was clearly inviting him, but ...
Good thing soone knocked on the door just now, otherwise, he wasn’t sure how he would defuse the situation.
He went over, gently helped Chu Qin put on her clothes, "We almost made a mistake."
Chu Qin looked at Yi Wenhan.
She clearly did not resist his closeness.
Yi Wenhan said, "I don’t want to wrong you. Right now I have nothing. I will absolutely not hurt you until I have absolute ability to make you happy."
Chu Qin felt a pain in her heart.
Even though she was suppressing her emotions and knew that their relationship wasn’t right, she couldn’t control herself!
She must help Yi Wenhan climb to higher positions!
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