Chapter 305: Missing My Body or My Soul?

Mou Lili agreed immediately: "I couldn't ask for more."

Qiu Ge said: "However, after going there, you will have to stay in the countryside for about half a month. First, for performances and poverty alleviation, and second, to create some theme songs for local promotion; anything will do."

"Does everyone have to create one, or are we creating them together?"

"Everyone can create one, or you can create them together; in any case, you'll know once you get there. But you have to pay for your own travel expenses; food and lodging will be provided once you arrive."

"Fine."

……

The next day, Mou Lili set off with the large group.

As the name suggests, the Music Enthusiasts Association is composed of music enthusiasts from this city.

On the high-speed train, some people were holding cellos, others were holding guitars; in short, there were all kinds of instruments, and the ages ranged from twenty-something to over eighty. Many of them were already familiar with each other, and they started chatting and laughing as soon as they got on, which was very interesting.

Mou Lili didn't know anyone, so she only spoke to a woman in her 40s sitting in the same row.

The woman said she sang folk songs and occasionally wrote songs, and was also an agent. When she asked what Mou Lili mainly did, Mou Lili said she filmed short videos and also wrote songs.

The woman's surname was Tan, so Mou Lili called her Tan Jie.

After a ten-hour high-speed train ride, they finally arrived in Gui Province, and after transferring to a bus for another two hours, they came to a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters.

This place was close to a scenic area, and there were many stilt houses nearby.

They were arranged to stay in a homestay. Fortunately, the homestay could accommodate many people, and because of their arrival, the homestay would only be hosting them during this period.

Not long after Mou Lili arrived, she received a call from Mou Dafu: "Where are you?"

"I've left the province, I'm in Gui Province."

"Running so far away, are you trying to hide from me?"

"I have an event here." Mou Lili asked: "What do you want?"

"Forget it, I don't feel like talking to you." Mou Dafu hung up the phone.

Mou Lili was speechless, but she had long been used to Mou Dafu's fickle temper.

The team leader came over to assign them rooms, two people to a room. They could form groups freely, or wait for the remaining people to be assigned by the leader.

Mou Lili and Tan Jie were assigned to a room.

Just after putting down her luggage, Mou Mu called again: "How could you leave your brother behind and go out of the province? You really have been a worry since you were a child, haven't you? You left him there all alone; what if he doesn't know how to take care of himself?"

Mou Lili was suddenly angry: "I provide him with a place to live and money. If he can't take care of himself with that, then let him starve to death."

"How can you talk like that?"

"That's my attitude. If he doesn't want to live there, he can just roll back to his hometown."

Mou Lili hung up the phone.

Turning around, she saw Tan Jie staring at her with a smile.

"Did you have a fight with your family? Running away from home?" Tan Jie asked.

Mou Lili shook her head helplessly: "Every family has its own difficult problems to deal with. It's a long story, I don't want to talk about it."

Tan Jie added: "Family is meant to provide you with warmth, not to drain you. If they keep draining you, then you must know how to refuse."

Mou Lili nodded: "Okay, thank you, Tan Jie."

……

On the first day in Gui Province, the team leader did not let everyone start working immediately, but let them rest first.

That evening, they gathered everyone for a meeting, where a local guide introduced them to the local customs.

"We are a Miao Village here, with a history of over five thousand years... It's just that we are currently considered a poverty-stricken area, and we need everyone to help us promote it. Besides the tourism industry, we also have many agricultural products..."

Everyone present listened attentively.

After introducing the customs, the itinerary for the next few days was discussed.

The field trip was actually mainly for tourism—to see more and understand more, and finally to write songs about these aspects.

After the meeting, the group started to eat.

This place had only just shed the label of a poverty-stricken county a few years ago, so having vegetables and meat was already considered quite good.

While eating, Mou Lili received a call from Ling Feng.

For some reason, her heart skipped a beat.

She put down her bowl and chopsticks and went outside to answer.

"Young Master Ling, what made you think of me all of a sudden?" Mou Lili asked.

Ever since Bai Shunan's wedding, the two of them hadn't been in touch for a long time.

Ling Feng said: "I missed you, is that not allowed?"

"Which part of me do you miss? My soul or my body?"

"You woman, can you be a little more subtle when you speak? Can you act a little more like a lady?"

"Fine, Young Master Ling, then please be a little more serious yourself. Look, it's already dark out. If there's nothing else, then wash up and go to sleep. Early to bed and early to rise keeps you in good spirits, so you can properly welcome a new day. Tell me, is that serious enough?"

Ling Feng was deflated: "Fine, just be yourself. Say whatever you want to say."

Then he asked: "Why is it so noisy over there?"

"I'm outside."

"Where is 'outside'? I want to come find you and meet up." Ling Feng said.

Mou Lili said: "It's very, very far outside, about a 10-plus-hour high-speed train ride from Beishi."

"Where is that?"

Mou Lili looked at the mountains faintly visible in the distance and said: "There's no point in telling you, forget it."

"So that means you've gone on a long trip." Ling Feng said: "Actually, I was planning on going on a long trip too."

"Where to?"

"I don't know. Since you asked me to go see the impoverished areas before, I'll go take a look."

"By yourself?"

"What else?" Ling Feng retorted.

Mou Lili said, "What a waste of effort."

"That's life. If I don't get out, my family will introduce me to people every day, especially my mom. She used to say that it didn't matter if I got married in the future, even if I found a man it would be fine, since she didn't want to look after grandchildren anyway. But look at the result: once I reached a certain age, she's been pushing me to marry every single day."

Mou Lili let out a "pfft" of laughter: "Then why don't you grant her wish and marry someone sooner?"

"There's... there's no suitable candidate."

After Ling Feng finished speaking, Mou Lili also fell silent for a moment.

In other words, among everyone he knew, he couldn't find a single person he could marry, including her.

But thinking about it, it made sense; what kind of family did she have, and what kind of family did he have?

Don't even dream of climbing above your station.

Mou Lili said, "Then you should go out and travel around. Only by going out and traveling can you meet more people. Perhaps the person suitable for you is right there on your journey. One day, you will suddenly meet them. How did that poem by Xin Qiji go? 'Having searched for her hundreds and thousands of times in the crowd, suddenly I turned back, and there she was, in the dim, flickering light.' Good luck, Ling Feng."

"Then, good luck to you too," Ling Feng said.

After hanging up the phone, Ling Feng stood alone for a long time.

Afterward, he changed his clothes and went to Mou Lili's apartment.

He knocked on the door and saw Mou Dafu come to open it. Mou Dafu was dressed very sloppily, with an impatient expression on his face, as if someone owed him hundreds of thousands.

"You're here to see my sister? She's not here." Mou Dafu had met Ling Feng before.

Ling Feng said, "Then why are you here?"

"Looking for work."

"Did you find any?"

"No."

Ling Feng nodded and left.

Afterward, Ling Feng made a phone call to a childhood friend, asking the friend to give Mou Dafu some special attention when no one was looking.