NOVEL NEXT Chapter 70
Chapter 70 The White Ape Mountain Ghost?
Long Xi expressed her ambition while walking, “In fact, the Intoxicating Aroma Village is beautiful enough to develop tourism! Besides, another good business opportunity is that the villagers can brew good wine! Unfortunately, remote and isolated, we don’t have a leader with courage and business acumen. I will definitely lead people here to develop the brewing business when I graduate from college and work, then to drive the tourism business. When I have made money, I will build roads to shape convenient transportation.”
Xiaolu said, “But developing tourism cuts both ways. The village is like an untouched paradise on earth. How can you expose it to the outside world? The outer world is wonderful but hard as well.”
Long Xi asked back, “Untouched paradise? Right, undeniably the village is beautiful and isolated. People here are honest and warm-hearted. But do you know how many the left-behind children are there? Have you heard that some of them couldn’t see their parents in the whole year? Only if the villagers get rich, those parents can stay with their children, rather than making money in the outside world.”
Xiaolu thought for a while with a smile. “Do you want to be the leader who takes them to cast off poverty and get rich? Well, I can be your free brand ambassador for your tourism and brewing industry as long as I become a new star.”
Long Xi smiled and gave him a five. “Great! That’s a deal!”
Then Mo Kun asked Long Xi, “Is this one of your dreams?”
Her eyes moistened slightly as she said smilingly, “Yes, ranked seventh of my ten dreams altogether.”
In the evening, the rosy clouds tinted the nearby mountains into gold, dyeing the meandering and clear streams into a reddish ribbon.
The village was like a basin for it was surrounded by the mountains that blocked the cold air and wind. Thus, the climate here was rather hot.
Especially tonight, it was about 36℃ sweltering hot.
As soon as they arrived at the village, they met Uncle Zhao Si, who was Long Xi’s neighbor.
Uncle Zhao Si was short, skinny, and ugly. His face shriveled for the weather exposure, but he was honest and straightforward.
When Long Xi was a child, she was very naughty. She nicknamed others as long as she took some classes in school.
After she learned the radical, she gave Uncle Zhao Si a nickname: the square root of 2. Since Uncle Zhao Si was about 1.41 meters tall, which was equal to the square root of 2!
Later, her grandmother scolded Long Xi. Long Xi also realized this nickname would hurt Uncle Zhao Si’s feelings, so she never did it again.
Uncle Zhao Si was a member of the village security team and responsible for the night patrols tonight. It was said that weasels in the mountains stole chickens last night.
Long Xi greeted Uncle Zhao Si in dialects. Uncle Zhao Si warmly received Long Xi and asked her how she was doing right now.
After that, Long Xi said goodbye to Uncle Zhao Si. She took them to her old house. The house was encircled by bamboo fences. In front of the house stood a green pear tree.
Long Xi touched the trunk and said with a smiling face, “Pear doesn’t bloom in this season. When in spring, all flowers are in full bloom. That’s really appealing!”
Long Xi pushed the door and went into the yard.
Everyone followed Long Xi into the yard and saw she dig out a spare key to the door at a corner of the yard. Then she opened the door of the house and lighted a kerosene lamp.
The house was tidy, though some dust and cobwebs existed for a long idle time.
Long Xi was good at house cleaning. The house looked brighter after she cleaned with a rag and broom.
She said, “We have three rooms. Mr. Xu, you can live in the east one. Brother Kun and Brother Lu, oh, sorry, Brother Wangchuan, you two, the west. I’ll stay in the north one with Madame Fu. Sorry, but you have to make do with the small rooms for the night.”
Mo Kun said, “I’m not used to sleeping with others.”
Xiaolu compromised. “Well, I’ll sleep with Mr. Xu.”
Mr. Xu angrily pointed to him, and his tremulous fingers nearly touched Yan Wangchuan’s nose.
He uttered, “Yan Wangchuan, once I see you, I recall my daughter. It’s you, you made her the scapegoat. I hate you! No, I resent you, why don’t you die?”
Xiaolu felt wronged and pursed his lips. Did he become the whipping boy？
Long Xi said to Mo Kun, “Could you please put up with it? You can’t let him live with our two girls, can you?”
Mo Kun responded, “Of course I can’t. Well, I’ll try.”
He glanced Xiaolu with a sad look. Xiaolu pouted and said, “Do you think I’d like to be with you?”
Long Xi relieved them. “You first settle down. There’s rice left over from Spring Festival in the rice jar, as well as daily necessities. I’ll borrow some food from my neighbors to cook dinner for you. By the way, I’ll see if anything strange happened in the village these days.”
Xiaolu said, “I’ll go with you.”
Mo Kun said lest people thought he was useless. “Me, too.”
Long Xi said smilingly, “Okay, you two carry the meat and vegetables. I’ll be free.”
They were about to leave when someone knocked on the door.
It’s Uncle Zhao Si, he brought Long Xi some food: Chicken, pork and freshly picked chilies, beans and cabbage.
Xiaolu smiled and said, “People here are so kind!”
Long Xi thanked Uncle Zhao Si and inquired that if something strange happened recently.
Uncle Zhao Si thought for a while, then said, “Well, a neighbor said he saw a long-haired figure in a red dress floating slowly away in midair when he went up to the privy last night. We all wondered if he were dizzy.”
Mr. Xu nodded his head and said, “She must be Xian’er.”
Uncle Zhao Si didn’t hear clearly and asked, “What? Fairyfox? No, no! Our village is peaceful, every family sleeps without locking their doors. The only thing to prevent is the weasel stealing the chicken. What’s more, Mountain Ghost appears in Little Mount Emei on the west.”
Mr. Xu fell silent.
Xiaolu asked curiously, “Mountain Ghost? I haven’t heard Little Mount Emei, but I know Mount Emei in Sichuan.”
Long Xi said, “Little Mount Emei is the mountain in the west of the village. Don’t you think it’s alike with Mount Emei? They’re like the delicate eyebrows of beauties! As for Mountain Ghost, I haven’t heard of it!”
Uncle Zhao Si said, “No wonder you don’t know, it happened half a year ago. Isn’t there a hot spring in Little Mount Emei, which can cure headache diseases like headwind diseases, migraines, and trigeminal neuralgia? Half a year ago, a villager who suffered from headwind disease went there with his wife, only to see a white ape soaking in it.”