Translator: Henyee TranslationsEditor: Henyee Translations
Mr. Liâs hesitation made people look at him.
Tang Li thought for a moment and said, âMr. Li, if you have anything to say, donât hesitate. Since weâve already bought this piece of land, we are supposed to know what happened here because it is crucial for the development planning of this land. If we donât have a development plan, we canât put our
capital into it and the development will be delayed indefinitely. You donât want this to happen, do you?â
Mr. Li obviously hoped that this place would flourish, so he hastened to say, âThereâs a mountain watcher on that mountain. That watcher looks very scary.â
As he spoke, he trembled, which was enough to prove that the watcher really looked terrifying.
Tang Li asked curiously, âHow scary is the watcher?â
âHis face is covered in cysts, and whoever goes to that mountain, he will come out to scare them away. But⦠thereâs a retarded woman in the village. She likes to go into the mountain to look for food, but the weird thing is that the mountain watcher never stops herâ¦â
First Uncle looked at Tang Li, not knowing why she was asking this.
Tang Li continued to ask, âWhich family is that retarded woman from? How old is she?â
âShe is from the Yu family right over there.â
Mr. Li pointed at the brick house over there. Even from afar, one could tell how poor and run-down it was. He sighed and said,
âLife is really not treating her well. A few years ago, the Yus went up to the mountain to reap the corns in the morning and didnât come back at night. We only found out that they were dead when their daughter carried them down the mountain.â
At this point, his eyes turned red. âOnly then did we know that, for some reason, they were hit by a huge rock and were buried underneath it. It was their daughter who found them and dug them out with her bare hand.â
âThe retarded girl doesnât even know what death is. At that time, when the village was preparing to help her bury her parents, she reacted extremely strongly.â
After hearing this, everyone heaved sighs.
First Uncle asked, âThen how does she survive on her own?â
He couldnât imagine how a retarded girl like her managed to survive without her parents.
âThe village is helping her, and sheâll go up the mountain to look for food.â
âIsnât she afraid of going up alone? Also, how old is that mountain watcher you talked about?â
âIdonât think she knows what fear means.â the village head answered Tang Li. âThat mountain watcher should be around thirty years old, Heâs not from our place, and we donât know when he came here. After occasionally running into him in the mountain, we nicknamed him mountain watcher.â
At this point, the group of people was already at the doorway of several houses.
An old man was sitting on a stone under the eaves, smoking a cigarette. His gaze had been following them all the time, and he was obviously very curious about the few people dressed in fancy clothes.
At this moment, the old man spoke in a dialect.
Mr. Li stopped and talked to him, then continued to lead the way. Back on the road, he told them, âFamilies here are all with the same surname of Li. He just told me that Miss Tang is very pretty.â
Next, they passed by a few other houses. The people they saw were all old people.
Whenever they saw Tang Li, they would say that she was pretty.
Tang Li smiled in response.
Mr. Liâs house was on the back row. Not only was the house two-story, but the concrete dam in front of the house was also especially large. There were also several types of fruits planted beside the dam.
The few of them walked to the concrete dam. Mr. Li shouted into the house in the local dialect, and then a female voice answered and came out.
The person who came out was a middle-aged woman. When the middle-aged woman saw them, she was obviously a little nervous. She stood there and said in broken Mandarin, âGuests, welcome to our house.â
Tang Li, âGood day, Maâam, sorry for disturbing you.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âNo, no, not at all.â The middle-aged woman waved her hand. Then, she peeked at Tang Li and stood to the side. She gestured for them to come in. âIâve already cleaned the rooms where you are staying. Please come in.â
The couple brought them to the rooms that they would be staying in for the next few days.
Tang Li was staying in Mr. Liâs daughterâs room. After Mrs. Li took Tand Li up, she told her, âMy daughter went out for training. She said that she wants to open a cake shop in town and will come back during the festival. Miss Tang, you can stay here for the next two nights. Itâs a little shabby, please donât
mind.â
âDonât worry, I can handle it.â
When Tang Li entered, she sensed a trace of resentment. She asked Mrs. Li with a weird expression, âHave you been in touch since your daughter left?â
âThave. Her training program is very strict. Occasionally we text, but we havenât called.â
Tang Li could not help but shake her head. The girl from this family had already died a miserable death.
Instead of telling Mrs. Li immediately, she continued to size up the house. There were many girlsâ belongings placed inside, and it was very clean and tidy. There were many photos on one wall, some of which were the girlâs selfies, and some of which were their family photos.
It could be seen from the photos that they also had a son.
When Mrs. Li saw Tang Li looking at the photos, she immediately smiled proudly. âMy son is still studying. He is already a PhD student.â
Tang Li praised, âYour son is very capable.â
The smile on Mrs. Liâs face deepened.
Mrs Li continued, âThe bathroom is downstairs. If you find it inconvenient to go down in the middle of the night, I can bring a bucket for you?â
Tang Li, âNo, thatâs not necessary⦠Iâll just go downstairs.â
âOh, okay.â Mrs. Li added, âThe shower room is also downstairs, next to the toilet. When Miss Tang wants to shower tonight, Ill prepare the water heater for you.â
Tang Li nodded.
âThen⦠Iâll get going first. Miss Tang, you can rest for a while. You can call me if you need anything.â
âAlright.â
After Mrs. Li left, Tang Li walked to the window and looked into the distance. From where she stood, she could see the Yu familyâs house.
She thought for a moment and decided to go over and take a look.
âWhen she reached the ground floor, she saw Mr. and Mrs. Li talking to First Uncle. The bodyguards were also sitting in the living room. They were sitting upright and did not speak, making Mr. Li feel ill at ease.
âWhen the bodyguards saw Tang Li, they all stood up.
Tang Li said to First Uncle and Mr. Li, âI want to go out for a walk.â
First Uncle quickly said, âIâl go with you.â
âNo, I think you are quite tired today. First Uncle, take a rest first. Iâl just take a look around.â
Then, she said to the bodyguards, âYou donât have to follow me.â
When Mr. Li heard this, he quickly got Mrs. Li to accompany Tang Li.
Tang Li did not reject and let Mrs. Li take the lead.
âWhen the two of them walked out of the Li family, they saw a few old men from the other families were throwing curious gazes at them.
Mrs. Li stopped to speak to them in a dialect and continued with Tang Li.
Tang Li asked Mrs. Li, âDid all the young people in this village go to big cities to work?â
âYes, most of the young ones are far away.â
At this point, Mrs. Li thought for a moment and reminded Tang Li, âIf Miss Tang wants to go out, youâd better bring your bodyguards with you because there is a local gang around this area. .â
Tang Li, âAlright, thanks for reminding me.â
Tang Li purposely walked in the direction of the Yu family. At first, Mrs. Li did not notice it, but when she did, she quickly pulled Tang Li back. Her expression changed. âMiss Tang, letâs go the other way..â