Night fell quickly.
Qin Changsheng stood on the second-floor beam, sweeping her phone around. This truly was a backward, impoverished mountain village, even the phone signal was poor, but she could still barely make calls. Though the connection kept cutting in and out, she managed to inform her brother, Qin Shifeng, that Jiang Zhongxue had left.
Qin Shifeng fell silent on the other end for a long time, so long that Changsheng repeatedly checked her phone to see if the call had dropped.
His words were measured: “Since you really can’t get along with her, just let it be.”
He sounded quite regretful as he spoke. Changsheng could imagine the expression on his face, and she felt a vague, indescribable regret herself. Over the past two years of training, her mental resilience had grown stronger than the average person’s, and far stronger than her former self.
But Jiang Zhongxue was truly insufferable, she repeatedly ignored Changsheng’s overtures, offered no room for saving face during their encounters, and her words were filled with nothing but sarcasm and mockery. Changsheng had grown thoroughly weary of it.
If it were anyone else speaking to her like that, Changsheng might have retorted with cool composure. But facing Jiang Zhongxue, aside from anger and an inexplicable sense of grievance, she found herself devoid of her usual restraint.
Changsheng thought perhaps she and Jiang Zhongxue were simply incompatible, like fire and water. Things she could normally tolerate, words she could usually brush off, became unbearable when coming from Jiang Zhongxue.
But then Qin Shifeng added, “Since Jiang Zhongxue has left, you should leave the village quickly too.”
Changsheng hummed in agreement, then asked, “Before she left, Jiang Zhongxue mentioned there might be someone at the Jishan Cliff. She originally said she’d take me there, but now that she’s gone, I definitely can’t climb the cliff alone. It’s already late, and leaving in too much of a hurry might arouse suspicion. I plan to leave tomorrow morning. But regarding the matter of Yu Yin, since the conditions no longer exist, that clue is useless now. Should I start investigating from other angles?”
She spoke too quickly, and the call kept breaking up. After listening for a moment, Qin Shifeng asked, “What did you say? Repeat that.”
Changsheng patiently repeated herself, slowing her speech. It seemed someone was with Qin Shifeng on his end; he listened quietly, then said gently, “Changsheng, do you have any other leads?”
As she held the phone, a sudden palpitation struck her chest. Qin Shifeng’s voice lowered on the other end: “Changsheng, if Jiang Zhongxue is gone, I mean, if, then leave that village as soon as possible. Other leads, the cliff… I’ll find you a new assistant. But you can’t stay in that village for long.”
Changsheng nodded. A man’s low murmur sounded in the background, and Qin Shifeng seemed to cover the receiver, whispering to the other person, “Alright, no time to waste. Go.”
Changsheng listened quietly to her brother’s exchange. After a moment, he returned to the call, his voice deep and serious: “Changsheng, be careful in everything.”
Qin Changsheng hummed in response, as if suddenly remembering something, and said, “Brother, you be careful too.”
But before she could finish the sentence, the call was cut off.
The evening glow dyed the mountains and forests a deep crimson, as if stained with blood.
Qin Changsheng sat on the beam, staring blankly at the phone screen that had gone dark again. Below, Aunt Zhang was herding a few roosters back into their coop. She wiped her hands on her apron and called out to Qin Changsheng, “Girl, let’s go! Time for dinner!”
Only then did Qin Changsheng put away her phone and reply, “Coming!”
The village path was rugged, paved with crushed stones and flanked by patches of nameless wild grass. As they walked, Aunt Zhang chatted idly with Qin Changsheng, occasionally greeting fellow villagers busy with farm work along the way.
Aunt Zhang kept up the conversation, eventually asking about Qin Changsheng’s companion who had left.
Qin Changsheng answered absentmindedly, “Her? We had a fight, so she went ahead on her own.”
The mountain path was rough, and Aunt Zhang let out an understanding “Oh,” saying, “No wonder. I saw her leaving alone without saying a word to us. I thought something might have happened to her.”
At first, Qin Changsheng had been so furious that she’d snapped and told Jiang Zhongxue to get lost. But she hadn’t expected Jiang Zhongxue to actually leave without another word, silently picking up her black umbrella and walking away. After a while, Qin Changsheng regretted it. She’d thought about swallowing her pride, finding Jiang Zhongxue, and apologizing to save face and bring her back. But by then, Jiang Zhongxue had vanished without a trace.
Left with no choice, Qin Changsheng had mustered the courage to call her brother and report the situation.
She had thought she could handle everything on her own, but in the end, she still had to trouble her brother and distract him with this matter.
Feeling both frustrated and helpless, Qin Changsheng hummed again and said, “That’s just how she is. It’s fine.”
Aunt Zhang nodded, relieved, then smiled and said to Qin Changsheng, “You definitely don’t have scenery like this in the city, do you?”
Qin Changsheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at her remark. Aunt Zhang was simple and honest by nature, but she had a stubborn, competitive streak, always eager to point out how the city fell short compared to their village. It was rather exasperating.
Nevertheless, Qin Changsheng smiled politely and replied with utmost sincerity, as if speaking from the heart, “Yes, the city definitely doesn’t have scenery or air as good as this.”
After walking a while longer, they reached the village banquet area. Along the way, the houses they passed were low and squat, with pigsties built outside. From time to time, they encountered farmers in traditional attire leading oxen. Qin Changsheng followed behind Aunt Zhang, watching as she greeted people and introduced her: “A city girl here for travel!”
When they arrived at the banquet, even more people came to greet Aunt Zhang, casting curious glances at Qin Changsheng trailing behind her.
Aunt Zhang rolled up her sleeves and headed to the kitchen to help. Qin Changsheng randomly chose a seat and sat listlessly at the banquet table. Everyone around her was busy with their own tasks, and her table was occupied mostly by children.
A few grubby children in patched-up clothes sat nearby, pointing and whispering about her. Seeing their timid, curious stares, Qin Changsheng deliberately took out her phone and swiped the screen, making it light up with a dazzling array of colors.
Several children, burning with curiosity, cautiously edged closer. One of them, with a runny nose, practically buried his head in Qin Changsheng’s phone screen.
The dishes arrived one after another, all vegetarian. As Aunt Zhang set them down, she smiled at Qin Changsheng and swatted the head of the child who was nearly pressing his face against her phone, scolding, “Go play somewhere else! Look how filthy you are, don’t bother the guest!”
The child immediately pouted, his snot dangling even longer, and glared resentfully at Aunt Zhang. She just chuckled and moved on to serve other tables.
The boy, still defiant, muttered under his breath at her retreating back, calling her a “thieving old widow.” The words caught Qin Changsheng off guard. She knew children in these poor mountain villages could have sharp tongues, but she hadn’t expected such venom.
Before Qin Changsheng could fully process her thoughts, the child wiped his nose with his sleeve, his face twisting into a stubborn expression, and declared to her, “That thing you’ve got is called a phone, I’ve played with one before!”
Qin Changsheng responded with a noncommittal “Hmm.” Though their village was poor, some residents had left to work in cities, leaving mostly the elderly, women, and children behind. Young adults were a rare sight here.
With young people returning for holidays, it wasn’t unusual for them to bring back gadgets from the cities. Phones were common even in towns, so it made sense that some would bring them back during New Year visits.
But the village’s underlying conditions couldn’t be changed by a few phones. Without signal or internet, they were practically useless.
How developed can a place be when there aren’t even proper roads?
Seeing Qin Changsheng’s indifferent reaction, the child felt ignored, his pride wounded. Puffing out his cheeks, he insisted, “I played with one today! At the village chief’s house! I even heard them talking on it, and there was a black gun inside!”
Since the village chief was hosting a banquet, it was natural for those working outside to return, bringing phones along. Qin Changsheng initially assumed they were just young villagers, but her heart skipped a beat at the mention of a gun. She hummed again, suppressing her unease, and asked with an unchanged, smiling expression, “A gun? A water gun? The kind that shoots water?”
The child retorted even louder, “No! A real gun, one that can shoot people! I even touched it, it was heavy! The village chief yelled at me, said bullets don’t have eyes, and told me to get lost!”
Qin Changsheng’s heart jolted, and her expression shifted briefly, but she quickly masked it, maintaining her smile as she asked the child, “A real gun? That’s impressive! When did these uncles with guns arrive?”
The child mumbled, his face sullen and unwilling to say more. Seeing his reluctance, Qin Changsheng took off her wristwatch and handed it to him, tempting him, “Tell me, and I’ll give you this watch. Look, it goes tick-tock, tick-tock, it’s really fun to play with!”
Her expression was sincere, extremely enticing, with an innocent smile. The child hesitated for a moment, then quickly snatched the watch from Qin Changsheng’s hand, stuffing it into his pocket as he recalled, “They came around noon today. They said they were looking for some woman with ‘sheng’ in her name. I only heard it because my mom took me to the village head’s house to help out!”
Qin Changsheng’s heart sank to the depths, as if submerged in icy water, chilling her to the bone.
If they weren’t looking for her, then who else could it be?
What kind of people were they? Armed with guns, they were clearly not going to give up easily.
They had barely set foot in the foothill village when these people showed up right after. She and Jiang Zhongxue had entered the dense forest and then emerged on the other side to reach this place. Aside from Jiang Zhongxue, no one else knew their trail. If she had to suspect someone, it was possible that her brother’s side had leaked the secret. But aside from his closest aides, who else around her brother would know their whereabouts? Moreover, she had met the people around her brother before. No matter what, they were more reliable than Jiang Zhongxue, whom she hadn’t known for long, right?
The more Qin Changsheng thought about it, the colder her heart grew. Forcing a smile, she mulled it over briefly before intimidating the child, “I’m going to tell the village head that you eavesdropped on people’s conversations!”
The child’s face fell instantly, crestfallen. He pulled the watch out of his pocket and tossed it back to Qin Changsheng, muttering resentfully, “Fine, I don’t want it! Hmph! So stingy!”
Qin Changsheng caught the watch, her mind in turmoil, but for some reason, she felt a faint urge to laugh. So she still knew how to be afraid, especially after learning that the other side was armed.
And from the sound of it, there wasn’t just one or two of them.
Qin Changsheng put the watch back on. The child, thoroughly annoyed, shifted to sit on another bench. Picking up her bowl, Qin Changsheng pretended nothing was wrong and continued eating, though her eyes casually drifted over to the nearby banquet tables.