Chapter 271: Staying Close to Him

This voice, if it isn't Ling Feng, then who is it?

Mou Lili didn't know why, but she suddenly thought of that poem: Having searched for him thousands of times in the crowd, suddenly turning back, that person was there in the dim light.

She stood where she was, the corners of her mouth curling upward involuntarily.

Ling Feng finished buying fruit, turned around, and also saw Mou Lili.

It seemed as if he had known he would see her all along; he took out a handful of tangerines and asked, "Do you want to eat some fruit?"

Mou Lili put her hands in her pockets and smiled: "Yes."

……

Five minutes later, the two sat down at a tea stall by the street.

Ling Feng looked at the mountains shrouded in mist not far away and said, "The humidity is a bit heavy in this place."

Mou Lili scooped the tapioca sugar water in her bowl with a spoon: "How did you end up coming here too?"

"Didn't you tell me to come to the impoverished mountain areas to take a look? So, I came."

"Then why did you happen to come to this specific place?" Mou Lili asked.

Ling Feng grinned, revealing a set of neat, exquisite teeth: "I say it's fate that brings people together from a thousand miles away, do you believe it?"

Mou Lili asked: "Do you take me for a three-year-old child?"

Ling Feng gave her a mysterious smile.

"Then where are you staying now?" Mou Lili asked.

There is a Dabao Village under Baoshan County; I am staying at the village secretary's house.

"Yo, impressive," Mou Lili said.

"How long do you plan to stay here?" Ling Feng asked.

Mou Lili thought for a moment and said: "I've booked a room for half a month, let's see after half a month."

Actually, thinking about it carefully, it could be considered fate.

If she hadn't made a last-minute decision to stay here, she would probably have already returned to Beishi by now.

She asked Ling Feng again: "And you?"

Ling Feng said: "I'm not sure, you know I'm a spontaneous person; I come when I want to come, and I leave when I want to leave."

Mou Lili asked again: "What kind of village is Dabao Village?"

"Relatively primitive, do you want to go take a look?"

"Sure," Mou Lili said.

To understand a place, just visiting tourist attractions isn't enough; one must delve into the lives of the locals.

This is perhaps the reason why netizens say her work is too superficial.

Mou Lili followed Ling Feng toward Dabao Village.

The route was all mountain roads, occasionally passed by motorcycles and tricycles; the road was very narrow, and whenever a vehicle passed, they had to dodge.

The further they walked, the more rugged and difficult the road became.

Mou Lili asked Ling Feng while walking: "How long have you been here?"

"A week, I suppose."

"Are you used to living here?"

Ling Feng looked back and said: "Didn't I tell you, I am a spontaneous person, I can live anywhere; haven't I even stayed in that low, broken little house of yours?"

"That's true," Mou Lili wiped away some sweat.

After walking for about half an hour, they arrived at Dabao Village.

At the entrance of the village, there was a large black dog squatting under a banyan tree, staring at Mou Lili vigilantly.

Mou Lili was so frightened that her heart trembled, and she leaned close to Ling Feng unconsciously.

Ling Feng called out: "Laohei, this is a guest!"

At the same time, he took a piece of biscuit from his bag and said to Mou Lili: "You take a bite first, then throw it to Laohei."

Mou Lili did as she was told.

After doing so, she asked: "Why do this?"

Ling Feng laughed: "Dogs understand human nature; after you eat the same biscuit with it, you'll be brothers from now on. Look, it's wagging its tail at you."

Mou Lili's expression darkened, and she kicked him: "You and it are the brothers."

Laohei ran over after eating the biscuit, scaring Mou Lili into hugging Ling Feng tightly again.

Her chest was pressed firmly against him in front, and he took the opportunity to pull her closer, wearing a mischievous grin.

But when Mou Lili saw that Laohei wasn't attacking her and was only sniffing at her feet, she finally felt relieved.

She suddenly remembered reading in a book before that if a dog eats something a person has eaten, it will remember that person's scent and won't treat them as an enemy when they meet again.

Ling Feng arrived early; he must have known this.

……

The village secretary's house was in the middle of the village, surrounded by sparse stilt houses; the village was very quiet, with only a few people seen working at the edge of the village.

"There aren't many people in this village," Mou Lili said.

Compared to the tourist areas, it felt like two different worlds.

Ling Feng said: "This is the real impoverished village. The labor force has all gone out to work, and what's left inside are mostly the elderly and children."

The village secretary's surname was Jin, a middle-aged man in his 50s; Ling Feng called him Jin Shu.

Jin Shu had three sons, only the youngest son was at home farming, while the other two had gone to the city to work.

Jin Shu was stunned when he saw Ling Feng bringing a young woman back.

Ling Feng said: "This is my friend, she is here for travel; she doesn't live here, she's staying at a homestay in the county."

"Oh." Jin Shu breathed a sigh of relief; it was fortunate they didn't have to stay here, for if they did, he would be in a bind, as he only had one empty room here and no more.

Besides, he didn't know the relationship between these two, so it was awkward to ask.

He had received notice from his superiors to host Ling Feng, but he didn't even know Ling Feng's specific identity, so he just treated him as an honored guest.

"Young lady, come over and have some tea." Jin Shen also came out and enthusiastically brewed tea for Mou Lili.

Mou Lili sat on the long bench in the courtyard and took a look at the nearby mountains; although there was sunlight, there was still mist among the mountains, and the air here was very fresh, with the scent of grass mixed with soil.

Jin Shu's house was on the mountainside, and the village was surrounded by terraced fields.

Situated in such an environment, the rhythm of life seemed to hit the brakes all of a sudden, slowing down as much as it could.

"What beautiful scenery!" Mou Lili took a sip of tea and exclaimed.

Ling Feng said, "The first two days I arrived, I felt like I was cut off from the world."

"Are you really used to living here?"

"I'm just looking for some peace and quiet."

Jin Shen finished serving the tea and asked Ling Feng, "A-Feng, is your friend eating here tonight?"

Mou Lili was about to refuse, but Ling Feng agreed first: "Yes, she is."

Mou Lili kicked him.

Ling Feng leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't worry, I've already paid for the meals, just eat as much as you like."

The way he spoke to her made her ears feel itchy and gave her goosebumps all over.

She couldn't help but think of the scene between the two of them at the hotel that night.

However, she quickly told herself: stay calm, just pretend that thing never happened.

That night, they ate stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured meat.

Paired with the village's rice, it was exceptionally delicious.

The villagers were warm and kept picking out the lean pieces for Mou Lili to eat, and Jin Shen even kept piling food into her bowl.

Mou Lili felt that even her own family had never been this enthusiastic toward her.

Jin Shu's youngest son, Jin Li, and his wife were also eating dinner at home; at first, they were a bit reserved, but Ling Feng was good at chatting, so everyone was soon talking together.

Of course, Jin Li also talked about the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law fighting next door, and chatted about an out-of-town boss wanting to contract the mountain to grow tea leaves.

People in the village ate late, generally only after the farm work was finished, so by the time dinner was over, the sky was already turning dark.

Mou Lili said goodbye to Jin Shu and Jin Shen.