Chapter 289: The Younger Brother Wants to Stay Over Again

Baoshan County is a scenic area, so there are still quite a few good things to eat on the streets.

They ate dry pot, then went to Dicos to have ice cream. While eating the ice cream, Ling Feng said to Mou Lili, "Next, I still want you to substitute for me for a period of time."

"Why?"

"Didn't I tell you before about the village needing to build a bridge?" Ling Feng said. "Building a bridge requires a supervisor and such, and I have to go watch over it."

"Then do you want to learn how to operate an excavator too?" Mou Lili asked, biting hard into her ice cream.

"I actually have that exact thought," Ling Feng laughed.

"Do you believe I'll throw you off the bridge?"

"I don't believe it; at most, I'll just treat you to a few more meals."

"But my homestay room is about to expire, and I have to pay for the homestay."

"I'll help you pay."

"I'm almost out of food money, too."

"I'll cover it for you."

"The homestay doesn't have a washing machine, so I have to hand-wash the clothes I change out of every day."

"I... Lili, don't you think you're being just a tiny bit excessive?" Ling Feng leaned in close to her, the scent of his body mingling with the fragrance of the ice cream as it washed over her face.

She took a step back, and when there was nowhere left to retreat, she suddenly shoved the ice cream in her hand right into his mouth.

A large scoop of ice cream was instantly stuck in Ling Feng's mouth.

Ling Feng pulled the ice cream away, but his mouth was still covered in it.

He felt aggrieved, then pulled her into an embrace, leaning in until their mouths were almost touching.

"Do you know what the consequences of bullying me are?"

Mou Lili asked, "You want to kiss me? And then smear the ice cream on my mouth, right?"

She then added, "That's a trick only middle-school-syndrome boys use to chase girls. Don't use it on an old auntie like me; old aunties don't fall for that."

"You..." Ling Feng was utterly helpless.

Mou Lili pushed him away and added, "I will consider the issue you just mentioned."

"Then you must seriously consider it; you don't need to worry about the money."

"Okay."

Mou Lili returned to her homestay room, took a shower first, and then changed into a dress.

Thinking of the song "Your Smile" she had written a few days ago, she couldn't help but pick up her guitar.

After some thought, she took her guitar and went to a mountain behind the homestay.

The scenery in Baoshan County is extremely beautiful, and anywhere can serve as a background for a video.

She found a quiet spot, set up her recording equipment, put on a mask, and then began to play and sing.

Perhaps because she had been here for a while, she was becoming increasingly integrated into the local area, and coupled with the fact that the smile Ling Feng had given her that day was deeply imprinted in her mind.

Therefore, when she played and sang this song, she was focused and completely immersed.

After finishing the song, she used some editing techniques she had learned online to incorporate some videos of the children in class while she sang.

She thought to herself that the mountains were high and the waters were far; no one would recognize these children, and even less would anyone recognize her.

By the time she finished recording, it was already evening. She uploaded the video, then went to wash her face and brush her teeth.

When she came back out, the backend of the video platform already had nearly a thousand likes and hundreds of comments, saying that her song was very pleasant to listen to, very similar to the folk style once created by Ai Dajin, and that it had the rhythm of a big hit.

Tan Jie saw it too and praised her for truly integrating into the local area now, saying the song was really wonderful.

Although there was no extra accompaniment, sometimes folk music just needs to be simple, and paired with her smoky voice, it could sing right into people's hearts.

Especially since she had also recorded a few of the children from the mountains.

Tan Jie suggested that it would be even better if the children from the mountains could provide some accompaniment.

Mou Lili was also very happy to see these comments.

At the same time, she thought, she might as well stay in the village for a while longer and teach the children to sing more.

Just as she was looking at them, another call came through on her phone.

It was her mother, who roared as soon as the call connected, "Where have you gone, you girl?"

Mou Lili said, "I haven't gone anywhere."

"Then why don't you open the door when someone knocks?"

"Who is knocking at the door?"

"Your younger brother and his girlfriend have made up. The two of them said they want to go to Beishi for a trip, and hotels there are too expensive, so they want to stay at your place."

Mou Lili said, "Now that you mention it, I do remember—did he put the key away properly when he left last time?"

"He accidentally brought it home."

"Then you can mail the key to him."

"Can't you just come back and open the door?"

"Sorry, I can't; I'm out of town."

"If I mail it, they won't receive it until the day after tomorrow, right? Then what about the hotel money for these two days? Your brother finally managed to coax his girlfriend back, and there's still a possibility of them getting married. If you, as his older sister, don't show some concern, this future sister-in-law of yours is going to run off again."

Mou Lili sneered, "Going to Beishi for a trip and can't bear to pay for a hotel? If she runs off, let her run. I'm out of town and don't have time to go back."

"Then give your brother some money so they can stay in a hotel."

"No money."

"Mou Lili, do you believe I'll get on a train right now and come beat you?"

Mou Lili took a deep breath, trying her best to restrain herself from lashing out, and then said, "I really don't have any money. I'm in another province, and someone stole my wallet. All my cards were inside, so I'm penniless now. I don't even have the fare to go back. Mom, transfer me a thousand yuan so I can buy a ticket back to Beishi to open the door for them."

"Are you crazy? Where would I have that kind of money? If I had that kind of money, wouldn't I transfer it to your younger brother? If you really were robbed, then find your own way back. You can also call the police; the police will bring you back."

The phone hung up.

Mou Lili sneered, her good mood completely vanished.

The next day.

It was Ling Feng who came to pick up Mou Lili again.

Mou Lili was not used to the breakfast in the village, and Ling Feng was not used to it either.

The main thing was that the village breakfast was all corn porridge with very large corn kernels, while Ling Feng liked to eat wheat-based foods for breakfast, and Mou Lili liked to slurp rice noodles in the morning.

Today, they each had a steamer of soup dumplings and a bowl of rice noodles.

Ling Feng was eating with increasingly larger bites; he still had a soup dumpling in his mouth, but he already went to eat the noodles.

Seeing this, Mou Lili couldn't help but say, "The way you're eating, it's like you're in a big hurry."

"Sigh, I've been infected by Jin Li and Jin Shu."

The people in the village were too busy; they ate just to fill their stomachs, and once they finished, they had to go work. During busy farming seasons, meals were even eaten right in the fields.

Mou Lili smiled.

"What are you laughing at?"

"If you went back to Beishi, would your parents even recognize you? Look at you, your face is tanned, your eating habits have become rough, and even the way you walk has changed. You used to pose at any time and any place, but now you walk in such a rush."

Ling Feng smiled: "Then they would definitely like me a lot. In the past, they always said I was effeminate and wanted me to go to the military camp to train. I felt I couldn't endure that kind of hardship, so I didn't go. Otherwise, I would now..."

"Might have been eliminated?" Mou Lili said.

Ling Feng was displeased: "Why do you always like to play devil's advocate with me?"

"It's not playing devil's advocate, is it? You said yourself you couldn't endure that kind of hardship. With so many good men in the military camp who can endure hardship, if you went, wouldn't you be worked to death? Wouldn't you have to be eliminated?"

"People change according to their environment, you know. If I went, I would definitely be able to endure hardship."

"You'd better not go. If you went, people would have to yield to you everywhere out of respect for your family, and by then, you'd be envied to death by others."

Ling Feng said: "In short, you just look down on me."