Xu Shuo had been cooking for over an hour until evening came when he finally went to the living room to call everyone for dinner.
The girl artist looked at him with a brief flash of surprise, followed by a silent sigh of relief.
As it turned out, the man who had approached her in the afternoon was the village chief; fortunately, she had not revealed any flaws at the time. Otherwise, it would have been terrible if she had acted like she didn't recognize him.
Even finding the Village Chief's House was a matter of catching a child playing outside and asking for directions. Children are simple-minded, and the child just assumed she had forgotten the way.
This was much harder than a beginner's guide; at least those have arrow indicators.
The girl muttered to herself but maintained an unflappable exterior. As soon as Xu Shuo had set the table, she sat down with restraint. Stay connected with мѵʟ
"Not a lot of dishes, I hope the guests won't mind," Xu Shuo said with a polite smile.
"How could we, they all look great," the female reporter responded courteously as well.
The meal was bountiful, as there were five people dining, and Xu Shuo had even slaughtered two chickens to fulfill his host duties.
However, the three people who had been chatting merrily just before now became silent at the dining table, as if they had already come to some sort of agreement.
In any case, the only one trying to make conversation was Xu Shuo. Even the usually boisterous female reporter was filling her words with perfunctory intent.
"By the way, Village Chief," the female reporter suddenly spoke up, "For the forthcoming promotion, I plan to focus on the 'Green-Faced Fangs.' What do you think? Is there anything you would like to add?"
"Not really a good idea."
Xu Shuo reflected seriously, "Our village has a lot more to offer besides the legend of the 'Green-Faced Fangs,' such as the mountains, rivers, fruit trees, and so on. These also deserve media coverage! Moreover, this monster business isn't really worth reporting. It's all just people making things up and spreading rumors!"
Hearing this, the female reporter looked dumbfounded, and the expressions of the other two at the table turned somewhat strange.
It was your village that used the legend of the 'Green-Faced Fangs' to attract visitors, but now you're actually against using it for promotion?
Could it be that this matter is actually unrelated to the Village Chief?
The female reporter had only mentioned it in passing to try and extract more information, but she was quite surprised by the response and felt somewhat awkward on the spot.
Xu Shuo eagerly broke the awkwardness, smiling warmly, "Heh, why talk about work during a meal? It's so tiring. Come on, eat more, don't be shy with the food!"
While speaking, he proactively served the Trench Coat Detective and the girl artist a helping of chicken, showing the typical simplicity and hospitality of a farmer.
The little girl sat next to Xu Shuo, staying very quiet. Whenever the adults spoke, she stuffed food into her mouth non-stop, appearing as if she hadn't eaten for days.
...
...
As night fell, the village, surrounded on three sides by mountains, seemed to be ensnared in a Dark Abyss from afar.
Although Qingliu Village was now electrified, most families still preferred to use candles when it wasn't necessary, making one candle last several days.
No other reason but thrift, to save electricity.
To stop work at sunset, this was the daily routine of the country folk, and by around eight o'clock in the evening, no household had their lights on.
The Village Chief's house had also turned off its lights early, and from its elevated position, one could survey the entire village from the second floor. At the moment, looking out was like peering into an abyss of darkness.
The countryside at night was unbelievably quiet, lacking the hustle and bustle of a city, so deathly silent it felt as though the entire world consisted only of oneself. One had to listen carefully to faintly hear the chirping of insects coming from who knows where.
The night air was exceptionally cool.
The rooms provided for the guests to rest were on the second floor. The young girl was hugging her quilt and tossing and turning on the bed, unable to fall asleep.
Lying there with her eyes open in the dark, she eventually quietly got up from the bed and tiptoed to the window to look outside.
Then she saw absolutely nothing in the pitch darkness.
However, she heard some faint noises coming from the next room. The girl waited by the window for a while, and then saw two shadows, nearly indistinguishable from the darkness, moving past underneath.
Were those two people on the move?
Pressing her lips together, the girl hesitated in her expression.
Just before dinner, the two hadn't avoided her when discussing things—a reporter, seeking interesting news in the village, and a detective, also interested in investigating matters in the village.
Then, with just an exchange of glances, an agreement was reached.
The girl hadn't joined their silent conversation, content to sit aside as if all was calm. She had no desire to act with these people.
Now, she took out her phone from the bedside, tested the flashlight and night photography functions, and, gathering her courage, opened the door...
...
After the three had left one by one, another door opened in the bedroom on the first floor.