In the end, Bai Wei got her wish and came with us to Yi Province.
The reason was simple. As a returnee from abroad, she had never witnessed the skills of Chinese feng shui masters. Moreover, Wei Yuan was her friend, and she was willing to offer a helping hand if there was anything she could do.
Wei Yuan naturally whole - heartedly approved.
Since he was the client this time, I had no objections.
The seven - seat black Mercedes business van sped along the highway. Wei Yuan and Bai Wei sat in the middle seats, while I had to sit in the back row with Si Jiangchen.
Wei Yuan was very angry. Originally, he didn't want Si Jiangchen to come along, but Si Jiangchen just lazily told him to find someone else if he didn't like it!
Wei Yuan blushed and necked, eager to argue with Si Jiangchen, but Si Jiangchen simply closed the door and let them discuss outside on their own.
When he turned around and walked to the bedroom door, he saw me leaning on the window sill, watching the commotion outside. Si Jiangchen squinted his eyes, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards.
"Are you hungry?"
The curtain rustled as Si Jiangchen walked into the room.
The curtain was made of old - fashioned crystal - silicified glass. When he lifted it, it sparkled with a fine and gorgeous light in the sun.
"Yeah." I nodded honestly.
My growling stomach couldn't lie. I'd been tired for a whole day and night, and half a small bowl of porridge was far from enough!
Ji Chen had already packed all my luggage and transported it to Si Jiangchen's house.
It was now piled on the blue - brick floor beside my bed.
I picked out two T - shirts and shorts that I usually wore and changed out of Si Jiangchen's pajamas.
Just then, Wei Yuan's voice came from the front door. He finally compromised and agreed to let Si Jiangchen go with me to find the ghost girl's family...
Sitting in the spacious back row of the business van, I took out my phone that kept beeping.
It turned out that Wei Yuan had already sent the information about the ghost girl to my WeChat.
The ghost girl's real name was Feng Zhenzhen. She was from Gu County in Yi Province. There were seven people in her family: her grandfather, grandmother, father, uncle, Feng Zhenzhen herself, and a younger sister and a younger brother.
Gu County was a well - known poverty - stricken county with many mountains and little arable land. The young people in the county didn't want to stay in this poor mountainous area, so almost all of them went out to work.
Feng Zhenzhen was one of these migrant workers.
She went to Beijing. Relying on her youth and good looks, after working as a restaurant waitress for a few days, she thought the money was coming too slowly. So she was introduced by a little sister to work as a liquor salesperson in a club's KTV.
In that high - end club, the people coming and going were all wealthy.
Feng Zhenzhen's pure and lovely image was very appealing, and her commission from selling liquor was quite substantial every night.
It was a pity that after working there for a short time, she was spotted and taken away by Wei Yuan and his cronies. Although she had wanted to take advantage of Wei Yuan's wealth, she didn't deserve to die. Her untimely death was really a pity.
I was concentrating on my phone when suddenly a faint sweet aroma wafted into my nose. I turned my head slightly and saw Si Jiangchen holding a snow - white kidney bean roll and offering it to me.
"Um... thank you."
Before I could reach out to take it, Si Jiangchen had already put the small piece of pastry into my mouth.
The soft and fragrant kidney bean paste paired with the sweet - and - sour hawthorn strips and osmanthus wine was so delicious that I almost bit my tongue.
I finished one kidney bean roll in just two bites, and Si Jiangchen then gave me half a piece of ox tongue cake to try.
I always knew that the snacks in Beijing were delicious, but they were extremely expensive. My grandfather and I had always been struggling to make ends meet. How could we afford such luxurious things!
Since Si Jiangchen was paying for them now, well... wouldn't it be a disservice to myself if I didn't eat them!!
I gobbled up three delicate and delicious pastries in one go, and still wanted more.
At this time, Bai Wei, sitting in front of me, turned her head slightly and suddenly let out a soft sigh.
"I'm really envious of Miss Du."
I was confused and looked up at Bai Wei. Why would such a beautiful and wealthy girl envy me?
Bai Wei realized that her words had caught my attention, so she smiled. Her well - maintained fingers gently tucked a few curly strands of hair behind her ears, and then she said softly, "These pastries from Fuhua Zhai are all high - calorie foods like cream and butter. Although they're very delicious, they're real calorie bombs. Girls like us who pay attention to our figures don't dare to eat them."
Oh...
I got it!
Just then, Si Jiangchen opened the thermos, and a strong jasmine tea aroma instantly filled the entire carriage.
I took a small sip from Si Jiangchen's hand. The slightly bitter jasmine green tea just neutralized the sweetness of the pastries.
I took the thermos from Si Jiangchen, poured a small cup of tea, and handed it to Bai Wei. "Miss Bai, tea has no calories. Do you want to try it?"
"Thank you, no need."
Bai Wei politely waved her hand. "I'm not used to drinking tea."
"Okay."
I nodded and murmured in a low voice, "I smelled a faint tea scent on you. I thought you liked it too..."
"I only drink coffee."
Bai Wei's face suddenly looked a bit unpleasant. She turned her head and ignored me.
...
Feng Zhenzhen's hometown wasn't too far from Beijing. The driver followed the navigation all the way to Dayu Village in Gu County.
Dayu Village was beside a hilly area. Hundreds of houses were randomly built on both sides of the road.
Half of the cement road was covered with wheat for drying. The driver parked the car carefully and asked for directions. The old men and women watching the wheat were very enthusiastic and pointed out the direction of Feng Zhenzhen's house with gestures.
Our car drove in the direction they pointed for about twenty minutes. The road ahead could hardly be called a road. The less - than - two - meter - wide dirt road was full of deep and shallow ruts. The chassis of the Mercedes business van was firmly stuck in a mud pit and couldn't move anymore.
"What a lousy road!"
Wei Yuan jumped out of the car and kicked the wheel hard. "I should have ridden my motorcycle!"
"That won't do!"
I also climbed out of the car. "You'd better let the driver drive from now on, or be careful of what might appear in the back seat!"
Wei Yuan glared at me but didn't say anything.
"Ouch!!"
While Wei Yuan and I were talking, Bai Wei walked out of the other door.
She was wearing five - inch high - heeled strappy sandals. As soon as she stepped on the ground, her feet sank deeply into the muddy soil. She immediately lost her balance and let out a scream as she fell backward.
Si Jiangchen was behind her. Seeing Bai Wei falling backward, he quickly reached out and caught her.
Bai Wei was supported by Si Jiangchen around her waist. She quickly reached out and grabbed his arm, looking as if she was snuggling in his arms.
"Thank you, Jiangchen."
Bai Wei's face was a bit red.
"The road is bad. Watch your step."
Si Jiangchen helped Bai Wei stand up straight again, but Bai Wei couldn't stand steadily in her shoes. She staggered and had to tightly hold onto Si Jiangchen's arm.
Si Jiangchen still had that proper smile, looking like the most gentle and elegant gentleman. However, in my eyes, his expression was more like a monster deliberately imitating human expressions.
Noticing me looking at him, Si Jiangchen lifted the corners of his mouth at me.