Chapter 278: Up the Mountain

"That's excellent, I give you a hundred likes," Mou Lili said with a smile.

"Many thanks for the praise, Teacher Mou. Let's go, let's go eat," Ling Feng said.

"Are we still eating at Jin Shu's place?" Mou Lili asked.

"Of course. Or should we go to the county seat to eat? It's too far, and we still have class in the afternoon; it's too much of a hassle."

Mou Lili stood still.

"What's wrong, afraid of troubling others?" Ling Feng asked.

"It's fine for you to go, but wouldn't it be too much trouble for them if I tag along?"

"I've already paid Jin Shu and Jin Shen for living expenses; they are supposed to cook for me. If you're worried about troubling them, I'll just pay for another portion. Besides, cooking for one person or two is the same—it's just grabbing an extra handful of rice and adding a pair of chopsticks."

Mou Lili asked, "How much living expenses did you give them?"

"Six thousand a month, including room and board," Ling Feng said.

Mou Lili clicked her tongue, "In this area, that amount of money is enough to support a living Buddha."

"Giving a little more to make them happy while they work, isn't that a good thing?" Ling Feng laughed.

"Alright then, for the sake of you paying so much in living expenses, I'll go help you eat some," Mou Lili laughed.

Returning to Jin Shu's house, Jin Shen and her daughter-in-law had already finished cooking. There was pork rib stew with radish, shredded potatoes with minced meat, scrambled eggs with chives, and some green vegetables grown by Jin Shen's family.

Ling Feng said, "Jin Shen, calculate it in a moment—how much for a meal? I'll pay you for A-Li's meal as well."

Jin Shen was stunned at first, her smile already overflowing, but she still refused, "Just let A-Li come and eat, why add money? How distant that is."

Mou Lili quickly said, "It's necessary, it's necessary, otherwise I wouldn't feel comfortable eating here."

"Really, there's no need."

Ling Feng had already picked up his phone and transferred the meal money to Jin Shen, transferring 30 yuan per meal.

Jin Shen said, "You two, I really can't do anything with you. Then you must eat more vegetables in a bit."

As she spoke, she specifically picked two extra pieces of pork rib for Mou Lili.

Mou Lili had a small appetite and couldn't eat much; she was the type with a bird-like stomach who was full after half a bowl of rice and a few bites of vegetables.

……

In the afternoon, in order to get chocolate, 7 out of the 8 children arrived early.

The little ones sat in a row, waiting in unison for Ling Feng and Mou Lili.

Ling Feng counted and realized one person was missing, so he asked, "Where is Xiaozhu?"

Nini shook her head, "I don't know."

Ling Feng thought to himself that Xiaozhu was likely going to be late again, so he said, "Then let's not wait, let's start class first."

The morning was for Chinese, so the afternoon should be for math. It was nothing more than addition and subtraction, followed by doing homework based on the pictures in the textbook; it wasn't difficult for Ling Feng.

After finishing math, Mou Lili discussed with Ling Feng, "How about I teach the children to sing?"

Ling Feng immediately said, "I couldn't ask for anything better."

Mou Lili thought for a moment and wanted to teach them to sing "Two Tigers."

However, the children were clearly not interested in this song. Although their place was backward, the adults all had mobile phones, and there were televisions and radios at home; they had long since grown tired of hearing "Two Tigers."

Mou Lili said, "What about 'Lonely Warrior'? Everyone knows how to sing that, right?"

The children shook their heads. They didn't have a kindergarten here and hadn't heard of "Lonely Warrior."

So Mou Lili taught them to sing "Lonely Warrior."

Many of the women the children encountered in the village were shy, timid, and lacked confidence. They had never seen someone as straightforward as Mou Lili, who laughed when she wanted to laugh and got angry when she wanted to get angry, yet was especially good at coaxing children, so they all followed Mou Lili and sang very happily.

Ling Feng watched Mou Lili leading the children in singing, staring blankly.

This version of Mou Lili was different from usual; she wasn't standing in the light, but she was truly charming.

……

School let out at 5:30 in the afternoon, and Xiaozhu still hadn't come.

Ling Feng looked at Xiaozhu's desk and couldn't help but ask Nini, "Nini, do you know why he didn't come?"

"Xiaozhu is either moving bricks in town or taking care of his younger siblings at home."

"Do you know where his home is?"

Nini took Ling Feng's hand, stood outside the ancestral hall, and pointed to the mountain behind it: "Cross this mountain and you'll see his house. His house is on the mountainside."

After sending the children off, Ling Feng looked at the mountain behind them.

Mou Lili walked to his side and asked, "Do you want to go take a look?"

"Must go take a look," Ling Feng said.

"You don't know the situation at his home?"

"The list was given by Jin Shu, and it was Jin Shu who contacted the children before, so I don't know the situation of Xiaozhu's family."

Ling Feng looked at the sky and said, "How about I have Jin Li take you back to the guesthouse, and I'll go into the mountain alone."

Mou Lili said, "Who are you looking down on? If we're going, we go together. I'm their music teacher now, and Xiaozhu is my student. Shouldn't I be concerned about him?"

Ling Feng couldn't help but smile, "Then let's go together?"

"Let's go."

The two walked toward the mountain.

This mountain path was a real mountain path; it wasn't paved with cement and couldn't accommodate vehicles at all. The roadside was full of weeds and was pitted and bumpy.

Ling Feng took the flashlight that looked like a stun baton and turned back from time to time: "Be careful."

"I will."

Mou Lili looked at her feet one moment and at the big mountain ahead the next.

It was hard to imagine that people could still live in a place like this.

After watching for a while, something like a snake's head suddenly poked out from the grass; she let out an "Ah!" in fright and instantly threw herself onto Ling Feng in front of her.

"There's a snake!"

Ling Feng was also startled; he was a child who grew up in a big city and had never seen a snake before, knowing only that snakes were venomous, so he hurriedly hugged Mou Lili tight and asked loudly, "Where is the snake?"

"There!" Mou Lili pointed, and her entire body remained hanging onto Ling Feng.

Ling Feng swung the flashlight in his hand; in truth, he was also terrified, but with a woman hanging on him, he did not want to lose face.

The grass moved again, and then a four-legged chameleon crawled out.

Ling Feng let out a sigh of relief: "It's not a snake, you saw wrong."

"It isn't?" Mou Lili still hung tightly onto him and glanced toward that direction just now.

It was indeed not a snake!

She also let out a sigh of relief and then turned her head back.

And then she came face-to-face with Ling Feng.

The two people's faces were pressed tightly together.

You look at me, I look at you.

After realizing what was happening, she hurriedly got down from him and then said: "Keep walking, what are you still standing there stunned for, there is no snake."

"You woman, you really are ungrateful enough; have you forgotten how you were just hanging on me?"

"That was due to special circumstances, stop talking nonsense, hurry up and go, otherwise we won't be able to get down the mountain by dark."

Ling Feng stuck out his tongue.

Mou Lili made a face.

After walking for about 20 minutes, they finally saw a dilapidated stilt house ahead.

This stilt house kept cattle and pigs on the first floor, and only the second floor was for living.

A fence enclosed a small courtyard, inside which several children were playing.

Ling Feng and Mou Lili saw Xiaozhu sitting in the middle shelling beans at a single glance.