Chapter 311: 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; 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 of them sat down at a tea stall by the street.

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

Mou Lili scooped the cassava sweet soup 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 specifically here?" 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 me?"

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.

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

"Yo, you're capable," Mou Lili said.

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

Mou Lili thought for a moment and said: "I booked a room for half a month; we'll see after half a month."

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

If she hadn't decided on a whim 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 certain. You know I'm a free-spirited 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, I suppose. 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 local people.

Perhaps this is the reason why netizens say her work is too superficial.

Mou Lili followed Ling Feng and walked toward Dabao Village.

The route was all mountain roads; occasionally a motorcycle or tricycle would pass by. The road was very narrow, and whenever a vehicle passed, they had to dodge it.

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

Mou Lili walked and asked Ling Feng: "How long have you been here?"

"A week, I guess."

"Are you used to living here?"

Ling Feng looked back and said: "Didn't I tell you? I am a free-spirited person; I can live anywhere. Didn't I even stay in that low, dilapidated little house of yours?"

"That's true, too," 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: "Take a bite first, then throw it to Laohei."

Mou Lili did as she was told.

After doing it, 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 face darkened, and she kicked him: "You and it are the ones who are brothers."

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

Her chest was pressed tightly against him in front; he took the opportunity to hold her tighter, a wicked smile on his face.

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 came early; he must have understood this point.

……

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 area, it felt like two different worlds.

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

The village secretary's surname was Jin; he was 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 a trip; she doesn't live here usually, 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, and since he didn't even know Ling Feng's specific identity, he simply 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 glanced 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 earth.

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 at once, slowing down as much as it possibly could.

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

Ling Feng said, "The first two days I arrived, I felt as if I were cut off from the world."

"Are you really used to living here?"

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

Jin Shen set down the tea and asked Ling Feng, "Ah 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."

Him speaking to her like this 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 warm 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 outsider boss wanting to contract the mountain to grow tea leaves.

People in the village ate dinner late, usually 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.