From Aunt Li's words, I detected something amiss.
It seemed that after Lu Dayong's death, he turned into a zombie?!
A chill ran down my spine. I couldn't help but turn around and glance at Si Jiangchen.
At the moment, he wasn't listening to our conversation. Instead, he was standing under an old apricot tree with his eyes half - closed, seemingly more interested in the green and yellow apricots.
"Miss Du, when I heard you were looking for Lu Dayong, I knew you were probably framed," Aunt Li said, shaking her head. "Over the decades, many people have come looking for him... Most of them claim to be his friends or distant relatives. In fact, we all know they were lured here by the rumors!"
"What rumors?" I never expected that a craftsman who set up a stall in the ghost market to repair things would have such a legendary story.
"The legend goes..."
Even though it was noon and this was the most secluded part of the village, Aunt Li still lowered her voice. "All the treasures Lu Dayong dug out from graves were buried in his own house!!"
"Would anyone really believe this?"
I couldn't help but sigh at the greed of the world. Not to mention the credibility of such unfounded rumors, even if Lu Dayong really had any treasures, would he be so stupid or crazy as to blatantly hide them in his own home?!
"Of course!!"
Aunt Li nodded seriously. "Those people... We've only seen them come, but never seen them leave!"
"Come... here?"
I pointed at the dilapidated cave.
"Yes!!" Aunt Li rubbed her arms exposed outside her short - sleeved shirt vigorously. "No one has ever come out. Almost no one in our village dares to come here on weekdays. Even the chickens, dogs and livestock in our own families stay far away from here!"
"Alright, we've seen enough," Si Jiangchen said, walking over at this moment.
Seeing me still standing on tiptoe, peeping over the wall at the dilapidated cave, he reached out and put his arm around my waist, pulling me down. "It seems we've been deceived. Let's take a stroll around the village and then go back!"
"Huh?!"
I didn't understand what Si Jiangchen meant.
Since we'd gone to so much trouble to come here, we must conduct an investigation.
If I couldn't find Lu Dayong, I couldn't get my compass repaired. This was my livelihood. Without it... I reckoned I'd have to starve most of the time in the future!
"Mr. Si is right!" Aunt Li also found Si Jiangchen amiable. "You two are used to living in big cities. There are so many interesting things in the mountains. You two come back with me to get a shotgun. It's the most fun to hunt pheasants. Every time the young master comes, he'll take his girlfriends hunting all over the mountains."
Si Jiangchen nodded with a smile, casually stuffing a ripe apricot into my hand. Then he said to Aunt Li, "Sure! If we shoot a pheasant, we can have stewed pheasant soup for dinner."
Seeing that we were willing to listen to her advice, Aunt Li immediately beamed and led the way in front, taking us to her house to get the shotgun.
I followed behind them, looking at the huge yellow apricot in my hand, feeling a bit drooly.
I like sweet things, but I'm extremely afraid of sour flavors. Especially since I hadn't eaten much for breakfast, if the apricot was too sour, it would definitely give me a stomachache!!
"It's sweet," Si Jiangchen said, turning his head and noticing me standing there in a daze with the apricot. He slightly curled his lips. "I tasted it just now."
Hearing what Si Jiangchen said, I finally felt relieved and took a big bite.
The apricot was extremely large and yellow. As soon as I took a bite, the juice filled my mouth.
Sour, astringent, salty, bitter... but no sweetness at all!!!
This damned man had deceived me again!
"Ugh!! Big liar... cough, cough, cough..."
I wrinkled my face in disgust because of the sourness. The sour taste made my mouth flood with saliva. Even the words I wanted to scold him with were choked in my throat by the saliva, turning into a fit of coughing.
"Is it sour?"
Si Jiangchen frowned slightly, turned around and asked me in confusion. "It can't be. I did taste it just now."
"Humph!!"
I angrily coughed and stuffed the half - bitten sour apricot into his hand. "Taste it yourself!!"
This despicable guy had to be tortured by the sourness of the apricot!
Si Jiangchen took the apricot and looked at the two rows of tiny tooth marks on it. Suddenly, he smiled. "Maybe I should taste it again..."
With that, he suddenly reached out, pulled me into his arms and kissed me with his thin lips.
The passionate kisses made me lose my rhythm of breathing. My mind was blank, filled only with the sour and astringent taste of the apricot...
I didn't know how long it had passed before Si Jiangchen finally let me go. His voice seemed to come from the distant clouds. "I've tasted it. It's sweet!"
"Scoundrel!!"
With great difficulty, I regained my breath and voice. I struggled desperately until my toes finally touched the ground.
Aunt Li had already avoided the scene and disappeared. There was only a homemade shotgun about a meter long leaning against a tree beside.
Si Jiangchen casually picked up the shotgun and skillfully pulled the bolt to check it. His familiarity made him look nothing like an upper - class person who had lived in the city for a long time, but more like a desperado who had been handling guns for years!!
"Let's go!"
Looking at my angry face, he was in a very good mood. His peach - blossom eyes curved slightly. He grabbed the shotgun with one hand and carried it on his shoulder, pointing at the cliff above the cave. "Let's go up and take a look. There should be something there!"
I originally wanted to ask him about the zombies, but his sudden intimacy left me at a loss. I couldn't fight him and I couldn't escape... so I could only try to get the upper hand verbally.
"What could it be? Is Lu Dayong waiting for us up there?!"
"Maybe!"
Si Jiangchen nodded in agreement. His long fingers took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with the tinder on the shotgun.
Wispy white smoke curled out from his lips and teeth, making his smile look even more detestable.
"... Detestable, detestable!!"
I really wanted to tear up with him and scold this pervert. But not to mention in this desolate mountain village, even in the bustling streets of the capital city, I didn't dare to show the slightest bit of hostility towards him.
... I'm terrified of his bites!!
I don't know why I'm immune to the zombie's venom!
But staying by his side is like walking on a mine - field. I might be blown to pieces at any moment!
"Let's go!"
Si Jiangchen had already taken long strides towards the mountain path.
I clenched my fists tightly, desperately suppressing the urge to turn around and run away, and followed him.
I'm not stupid! He has a gun! And his legs are longer than mine...
I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to run a hundred meters before he caught me. If I really angered him, I didn't know what kind of punishment would befall me!
I had no choice but to follow in his footsteps.
Si Jiangchen didn't walk fast. He just waited for me to catch up.
He seemed to have guessed the inner struggle I'd had behind his back. The corner of his mouth with the cigarette tilted slightly upwards.
Before he could say anything, I grabbed the half - smoked cigarette from his mouth and angrily threw it on the ground, stomping it to pieces.
"No smoking!"
I squeezed out these four words through gritted teeth.
"Oh...?" Si Jiangchen raised his long eyebrows slightly. "Are you concerned about me?"
"Don't be so self - centered!!"
I pointed at a propaganda slogan on the mountain path. "Smoking on the mountain means spending your whole life in jail, Mr. Si!!"