Linbiangui Village-Infinite Streaming Chapter 18
byStaying in the Mountain Village
“Your relationship is truly good!” Li Ming Ming couldn’t help but exclaim.
Stopping and starting, Wu Zeng’s boast was finally realized before nightfall.
Sister Chen and Uncle Liao were very grateful, thanking them profusely.
“Thank you both. We should have invited you to eat at our house today, but the dishes tonight aren’t good, they’re all leftovers from noon. The day after tomorrow, Thursday, come to our house for the pig slaughter. My son is going back to his job soon, and before he leaves, we’re going to slaughter the pig. Please come and eat with us.” Uncle Liao invited them with a serious and solemn expression, his tone brooking no refusal.
Another pig slaughter feast… Chen Jin felt like he was developing PTSD, but Wu Zeng acted like nothing was wrong, cheerfully accepting immediately, “Great, we’ve been looking forward to it!”
“Me too, me too.” Li Ming Ming immediately raised his hand, indicating absolute participation. At this moment, he wished he could be permanently attached to Chen Jin and Wu Zeng.
“Sister Chen, are you free tomorrow? I’d like to ask you a few simple questions,” Chen Jin politely inquired.
They had been busy all day, and the investigation had made zero progress. The entire time was spent either working like oxen or fighting Wu Zeng—a complete waste of effort. If they came the day after tomorrow, there would be too many people around, and they couldn’t just pull the hosts aside for a chat while leaving the other guests attending the pig slaughter feast unattended. That would be inappropriate.
“Yes, yes, come tomorrow. We still have some tuanzi粑粑 (rice cakes),” Sister Chen nodded, pointing out the location of her house to the two of them.
“Sister Chen, didn’t the village office say you needed to fill out a form? Perfect, I’ll come with them tomorrow!” Li Ming Ming immediately latched on. He turned to Chen Jin, “Chen Jin, if you have any surveys you need to distribute, you can give them to me. I visit households often, so it’s convenient for me to handle.”
Wu Zeng narrowed his eyes slightly. Why was this person sticking to them like flypaper, following them everywhere?
That evening, the two returned after showering at the bathhouse.
For the first time, Chen Jin felt refreshed and invigorated in this village, as if he truly were just here for a simple survey, probably because he hadn’t yet realized what danger was.
“I’m going to see Sister Chen tomorrow. Are you coming?” Chen Jin asked casually while drying his hair with a towel.
“Of course I’m coming!” Otherwise, he couldn’t let that Li Ming Ming monopolize you.
During the process of the New World’s reconstruction, Chen Jin’s door was conveniently repaired, allowing him to finally get a good night’s sleep.
Chen Jin lay down peacefully, ready to sleep, expecting tranquility until dawn. But the peace was short-lived, as bursts of noise drifted in from outside the window.
Unable to sleep due to the noise, Chen Jin had no choice but to get up and close the window.
Five years later, Mengle Village had become much livelier. At night, many small barbecue stalls were set up on the main road, and even the street near the Guesthouse had shops that remained lit late into the night.
Looking down, the shop at the western end of the street was the brightest, with several people crowded at the entrance.
What delicious food did they open? How could there be so many people this late at night?
After closing the window, the noise significantly decreased. Lying down again, a WeChat message from Wu Zeng came through.
“What do you think of me? [Cute emoji]”
It was completely random.
Chen Jin didn’t know what he was trying to achieve or how to reply. He simply turned off his phone and slept until morning.
“Why didn’t you reply to my message last night?” Wu Zeng complained.
Chen Jin realized that the longer he knew Wu Zeng, the more easily he would sometimes display a childlike temper—either feeling wronged, acting spoiled, or being mischievous. He couldn’t figure out how this person’s brain worked.
“What did you want me to reply?”
“Handsome, reliable, charming, and liked.” Wu Zeng leaned closer, counting them off on his fingers one by one. When he said the word ‘liked,’ he deliberately elongated the tone, and combined with his outstanding looks, he resembled a seductive fox spirit from a TV drama.
“Hmph.” Chen Jin scoffed and turned to walk away.
“Why are you running off again?” Wu Zeng quickly chased after him.
On the side that couldn’t be seen, Chen Jin’s ears were burning red.
Next to the bathhouse was a small general store. The storefront was a bit old, but the area was quite large, packed full of various daily necessities. The owner sat on a small stool at the entrance, one leg resting on the seat, while a group of people played cards boisterously.
“Airplane!” The owner threw down a set of cards, gripping the cigarette dangling from his mouth with his fingers. He took a deep drag, then pulled it away and flicked it to the side. A small clump of still-glowing ash fell onto the ground.
“Boss, I need a barrel of oil.” Chen Jin opened WeChat, finally able to scan the code.
The owner stood up, glanced at the two of them, and then, holding his cards, returned behind the counter. He squatted down and rummaged around for a while before finally pulling out a barrel of peanut oil labeled “Lu Hua” Peanut Oil.
“…” Chen Jin hesitated. “Do you have any others?”
The owner impatiently took a puff of his cigarette and said, “Everyone in our village eats this. Take it or leave it!”
Wu Zeng nudged Chen Jin with his elbow, signaling him to look into the store. It turned out the shop owner used the same brand of peanut oil for his own cooking.
“We’ll take this one then,” Chen Jin conceded.
Chen Jin and Wu Zeng carried the oil barrel and walked toward Sister Chen and Uncle Liao’s house, looking like young cadres coming for a visit.
Passing the village office, Chen Jin thought about calling out to Li Ming Ming, but Wu Zeng ruthlessly pulled him away.
“Knock, knock.” Chen Jin politely knocked on the door.
“Coming, coming!” Li Ming Ming’s voice came from inside the house.
“Damn it!” Wu Zeng cursed under his breath, pulling Chen Jin behind him and stepping forward.
“Brother Wu Zeng! Chen Jin! Come in, come in quickly!” Li Ming Ming acted completely like the homeowner.
Li Ming Ming was purely a natural socializer, lacking boundaries with everyone. Wu Zeng was clearly overthinking things.
Sister Chen and Brother Liao’s house had strong ethnic characteristics. Hand-woven blankets hung on the living room door, and the central cabinet held several hand-embroidered round balls. The coffee table, placed to the side, was cut from solid wood and carried a faint woody fragrance.
“Xiao Chen, Xiao Wu, you’re here,” Sister Chen quickly greeted them and invited them to sit. “Come, come quickly.”
Chen Jin placed the oil in the corner and sat side-by-side with Wu Zeng on the stools Sister Chen offered.
These stools also had distinct You ethnic features, made from grass tightly bundled into small, solid poufs, topped with a red circular cushion embroidered with lotus flowers.
“You two young men are too polite!” Sister Chen looked at the peanut oil in the corner, feeling a little embarrassed.
Li Ming Ming helped Uncle Liao bring out tea and sunflower seeds, placing them in front of the two.
“Thank you,” they both quickly replied.
After a round of pleasantries, Chen Jin finally prepared to get down to business.
“Why do you bring just anyone back here!” A harsh voice sounded, and a short, stout man appeared at the living room entrance.
“Xiao Gang, you’re up,” Sister Chen suddenly looked a little flustered. She stood up and introduced him to the others, “This is my son.”
“Hello.”
“Tch.” Xiao Gang looked disdainful. “Stop bringing strangers home casually. They could be of unknown origin!”
The atmosphere became awkward.
“How can you talk like that!” Uncle Liao stood up and scolded sharply, “If you can’t speak properly, get out!”
“Anyway, I’m leaving the day after tomorrow to make big money! I don’t care about you guys.” Xiao Gang picked at his ear and walked away fearlessly.
Sister Chen and Uncle Liao’s expressions were strained, but with the three outsiders present, they couldn’t fully vent their frustration.
Chen Jin realized that this was not a good time, so he found an excuse and left with Wu Zeng. Li Ming Ming naturally followed them.
“Do most young people in Mengle Village go out to work now?” Chen Jin asked, leaning around Wu Zeng to speak to Li Ming Ming.
“Yes. Most of them leave to work after the summer and winter breaks. Before, they usually went to Yue Dong. For the past year, it seems someone provided a way to go abroad. Anyway, they earn more, so many people have run off to do that,” Li Ming Ming recalled the situation.
“So, it’s mainly the elderly and children who remain behind.”
“That’s right.”
“Then you must be able to endure loneliness,” Wu Zeng said sarcastically.
“It’s driven by professional responsibility,” Li Ming Ming said with a determined expression, looking like a reliable figure.
This person couldn’t take a hint.
Chen Jin and Wu Zeng still had to go to the main street, while Li Ming Ming was called back to the village office by a phone call; after all, he had a job to do.
“That guy finally left,” Wu Zeng muttered quietly.
“Why are you so resistant to him?”
“Because he keeps sticking to you.”
“He sticks to everyone.” Chen Jin paused. “Aren’t you just as friendly with everyone you meet?”
“I only stick to you, alright!” Wu Zeng immediately pressed himself against Chen Jin.
Chen Jin’s face flushed red again, and he quickly walked two steps ahead.
Five years had passed, and the main road hadn’t changed much, though the people running the stalls were different.
“That pea jelly stall is still here!” Chen Jin exclaimed in surprise.
The proprietress had moved her location and was selling a few more items than before. Seeing the two approach, she found them familiar but couldn’t quite recall who they were.
“Boss, how much is your sausage?” Wu Zeng, sharp-eyed, noticed a long coil of sausage on the boss’s table.
Chen Jin couldn’t understand Wu Zeng’s appetite. After just dealing with the whole pig slaughter and drug trafficking incident, how could he still have the desire to eat?
“This? This is what we eat with sticky rice. Sticky rice is five yuan a bag.” The proprietress put down her knife and lifted the lid of the pot next to her, revealing a full pot of white, tender sticky rice.
“We’ll take two bags.”
“Do you want the sausage and the seasoning?”
“Yes, both.”
The proprietress quickly filled two generous bags for them. The sausage, wrapped in the rice, looked glossy and appetizing.
After paying, the two turned to leave, but the proprietress called out, “Are you two from out of town?”
“Yes,” Wu Zeng turned back and smiled. “We’re from Yue Dong.”
“Oh, it’s you two young brothers,” the proprietress realized. She quickly stopped them. “Wait, you’re old customers, let me add something else for you.”
With that, the proprietress slipped some crispy pork into their hands and smiled, “Eat slowly.”
Back in the room, Chen Jin asked, puzzled, “Why are you still so interested in sausage?”
“Didn’t you not get a chance to eat it?” Wu Zeng opened the bag and handed it to Chen Jin. “Now you can safely try it.”