"This morning, I found two comments on the forum. One of the netizens said that he had emigrated abroad and it was inconvenient to meet. The student who painted the statue has not been in touch since graduation. He did not reveal the name of his classmate, but he could be sure that the classmate's hometown was Yushugou. At the class reunion after graduation, that person never attended. According to people familiar with the matter, the classmate has passed away. Shen Mingde looked ahead, his hands clenching the steering wheel, looking stiff and nervous. He looked like a "prospective driver" taking a driver's license test. When he said "that classmate died," his tone became sluggish. Xiao Jing saw Shen Mingde's throat move, and swallowed heavily.

Xiao Jing said comfortingly: "Maybe it was sick and dead, maybe it was something else." ”

Shen Mingde stretched out his right index finger, which was gripping the steering wheel, swayed left and right in the air a few times, and said, "I don't know." After that netizen immigrated, he stopped contacting his former classmates. So can't provide much information. I really don't know if it's the curse of that ancient village. Last night, Nini didn't seem natural either. As if deliberately avoiding me, especially reluctant to approach my right hand." As he spoke, Shen Mingde unbuttoned the right cuff of his shirt.

Xiao Jing leaned up and took a look at the "ghost handprint". The scratch looks to show signs of fading. However, the purple-black part faded into a silhouette painting of a distorted tree trunk, which looked even more eerie and terrifying.

Xiao Jing said half-jokingly, "It seems that you didn't follow Uncle Yang's advice." Seeing that Shen Mingde didn't have the heart to answer, he continued to ask: "We have passed through Ligou County and are now heading north." Is this the route to Elm Gully? ”

Shen Mingde nodded and explained to Xiao Jing that he was really a little jealous of that mountain forest. If they drive to Elm Gully on the intercity highway, they will definitely pass through the mountains and forests on the way. Therefore, Shen Mingde intends to doubt the road. To the north from Ligou County is a country road. The country road goes around the north side of Wonton Mountain for half a circle, and then they can cross Zhangjiatun, which is located northeast of the mountain, and turn south. Drive south for ten minutes to reach Yushugou. Although this route takes more than 40 minutes, Shen Mingde feels that as long as he can bypass the mountain forest, it is worth it.

Due to sleeping late last night and fatigue in recent days, Shen Mingde couldn't wake up on time this morning. In life, he has always been strict with himself. Although it was not necessary, he still insisted that he clocked in and out every day like ordinary employees. However, this incident completely disrupted Shen Mingde's law. Just like this morning, he was finally woken up by Xiao Jing's phone call.

Xiao Jing told Shen Mingde on the phone about the content of the phone call with Yushugou and Zhou Tengfei's aunt last night. Aunt and Uncle invited Xiao Jing and them to participate in tonight's celebration in Yushugou with great enthusiasm. At the same time, he also told her to dress up beautifully and decently. Because this is an annual event in Yushugou, and several "big people" in the city will also come to participate in the celebration.

So Xiao Jing's outfit today is different from usual. She wears a red dress with bande-sleeves. The style of this dress is designed to reference the gown, but without the pompous and excessive formality of the dress. Its fabric is like tulle, setting off Xiao Jing like a fairy who is about to fly into the sky. Her collarbone loomed between the neckline of her skirt, and a delicate necklace accentuated her slender and white jade neck. The skirt covers her knees, depicting her slender and graceful figure. Her bare calves and ankles under the hem of her skirt made Shen Mingde feel almost as thick as his forearms and wrists. In the eyes of many men, Xiao Jing is like a precious "porcelain doll", as long as a slight bump will disappear. She wore a pair of white canvas shoes on her feet, which looked very incongruous with her dress. But before she left, she also put a delicate shoebox on the back seat of the car.

Shen Mingde was reminded by Xiao Jing to wear a pair of business pants and a light gray long-sleeved shirt with a tie. On his feet were a pair of beautiful lace-up leather shoes, which were matte black business shoes. Shen Mingde would wipe his shoes clean, but he never wore shoes that were like mirrors and reflective. He believes that clean leather shoes are respectful to others, but reflective leather shoes are high-profile show-offs. In fact, his outfit is not much different from his usual work, the only difference is that he wears a well-made suit vest over his long-sleeved shirt. He felt that it was too much to attend a village celebration and dress up to attend. But the spirit of dressing up will leave an impression, so that you may be able to reveal some more secrets of Elm Gully at this celebration.

However, another piece of news from the aunt on the phone made both Shen Mingde and Xiao Jing a little confused. Zhou Tengfei's aunt said that the man named Gao Zhongchen was dead. It is said that Gao Zhongchen returned to his hometown once ten years ago, and then died of illness at home. Soon after, his elder brother, Gao Bowen, came to Yushugou to sort out Gao Zhongchen's relics. Because Gao Zhongchen is the son-in-law of the Zhao family in Yushugou Village. Therefore, when the family property was divided, the two sides had a bit of unpleasantness. Later, I didn't know what the two sides were negotiating, so Gao Bowen stayed in Yushugou.

Shen Mingde thinks that this Gao Bowen is even more suspicious. Xiao Jing also thinks that Gao Zhongchen virtualized his death for some reason ten years ago, and disguised himself as the character of Gao Bowen who he fabricated. Shen Mingde doesn't think so, because if you follow the traditional ranking rules between brothers, such as uncle, Zhong, uncle, and Ji. Then the eldest brother Gao Bowen should exist. So Gao Zhongchen should be the second boy in the family. Although it was a little scary, Shen Mingde still thought that it would be Gao Zhongchen's secret that was about to be revealed, so he murdered his eldest brother, or maybe the eldest brother died naturally, and then stole Gao Bowen's identity. What puzzled Shen Mingde was that if Gao Shan Xing had been sacrificed by Gao Zhongchen ten years ago, because Gao Zhongchen felt that his secret was about to be revealed, he would destroy all the evidence, including himself. Then ten years ago, Gao Shan Xing should have only been a teenager, and it was definitely impossible for her to be a sophomore in college. If Gao Zhongchen disguised himself as Gao Bowen ten years ago for other reasons, then even if Gao Zhongchen and Gao Bowen are similar, it is unlikely that they have deceived their granddaughter for ten years. Didn't Gao Shan Xing find out that his grandfather was no longer Gao Zhongchen in the past ten years?

Xiao Jing thinks that this is also possible. Maybe ten years ago, Gao Zhongchen really died in his hometown. Before he died, he told his brother Gao Bowen the secret. Gao Bowen inherited the mantle of his younger brother. Takayama was young at the time and didn't notice the difference. At the same time, she lived in her parents' house and did not have frequent contact with her grandfather. It wasn't until Apricot Takayama was in college that she discovered the secret. In order to keep his brother's secret, Gao Bowen sacrificed Gao Shan Xing for the seventh time and left her in the ancient village forever.

Suddenly, the mysterious past of Yushugou Village became a reasoning game for two curious people. From Gao Zhongchen's secret to the legendary sacrifice, the topic shifted to the novel of "Long Words and Feathers". This novel aroused Xiao Jing's interest. Because in her spare time, she often passes the time by reading online novels. She quickly found the novel on her phone and browsed through it. Then he asked why the novel was not finished?

Shen Mingde replied: "The author is lazy. ”

Last night, Shen Mingde's message to "Long Resignation Huayu" was replied in the early hours of this morning. The author of the novel answered Shen Mingde's question with the sentence "I am a writer, imagination is my job". So, judging by the author's answer, he completely denied his connection with Elm Gully. In the author's reply, he also clearly left his contact details and address. It seems that this writer is very eager to have a book lover like Shen Mingde who can communicate face-to-face in the future. From the address left by the writer, it can be seen that he is not from the city or the surrounding cities, but now lives in Nanjing. So Shen Mingde couldn't guess what kind of connection the writer had with Yushugou.

When the two arrived at Yushugou Village, it was already noon. Shen Mingde and Xiao Jing followed Zhou Tengfei's uncle to the village. They saw that almost all the villagers had gathered in the square in front of the village for lunch. The atmosphere was even more lively than a wedding in the countryside. More than a dozen cauldrons were supported in the courtyard of the village department. Fifty round tables that can seat twelve people are arranged in a rectangular shape, row by row, in the open square. The end of May is the most comfortable season in the north, when the midday sun is hidden in the clouds and the breeze brings the aroma of rustic vegetables into everyone's nostrils. According to Zhou Tengfei's uncle, the villagers used to host the annual celebration themselves, so almost every household would contribute. So, the people who come to help at noon will have a meal together. Later, it evolved into a rule for the whole village to eat together on the day of the celebration. There are about 622 people in Yushugou Village now, and the square can definitely accommodate everyone.

Before walking into the square, the uncle led them to the reception. Xiao Jing handed over an envelope with two thousand written on it, and Shen Mingde immediately understood the meaning. It turned out that this meal was not eaten for nothing. Just like the red and white affairs in the village, participants must bring gift money. Shen Mingde handed over the gift money, and saw his uncle whispering a few words next to the welcoming little girl. The girl who greeted the guests came forward with a spring breeze on her face and said to Shen Mingde and Xiao Jing: "Thank you boss for your support for the construction of our village." Shen Mingde hurriedly waved his hand, and he swept the table with his peripheral light. I saw that on the gift money account, the workman neatly wrote: "The eldest man of the Zhou family is two thousand yuan." Shen Mingde looked at Uncle Zhou, who swaggered into the square, and secretly laughed in his heart. No wonder my uncle invited them to this year's celebration.

Shen Mingde didn't feel sorry for the two thousand yuan. Besides, the money was not prepared by him, but the gift money that Xiao Jing flew out for Zhou Teng. Out of the nature of a businessman, Shen Mingde still couldn't help but calculate the value of the two thousand yuan. It was truly an unprecedented village-wide gathering. It is estimated that hundreds of people will attend, and even his own company's annual meeting, he has never experienced such a scene. Under the recommendation of Zhou Tengfei's uncle, Shen Mingde got to know many locals in Yushugou Village. After handing them a few cigarettes and drinking two beers with them, Shen Mingde became familiar with some people. So, he asked the question he had been holding all morning. Occasionally, Shen Mingde glanced at Xiao Jing and found that she was also leading her aunt to start a family affair with several girls. Shen Mingde did inquire about some information. But most people seem to be able to say a few words about the legend of Lao Yu and the death of Zhang Bao's father and son, which is roughly the same as what the aunt said. When asked about Gao Shan Xing, people basically sigh first, and then tell about Gao Shan Xing's suffering childhood. When asked by Shen Mingde about sacrifices, lakes, etc., two types of people can be distinguished. Most people don't know anything about it. It was evident from their blank eyes and curious rhetorical questions. Other minorities seemed to know something, but were reluctant to bring it up again, or had been gag-agged. They squeaked and whined, and after a few polite words, they made an excuse to stay away from Shen Mingde.

After eating, drinking, and chatting a few words, Shen Mingde looked around the entire venue, and suddenly felt a murderous intent in the lively atmosphere. He saw that almost everyone who was asked a question would be led either actively or passively next to an old man sitting in the courtyard of the village. This old man seems to be unusual. He was full of gray hair and emaciated, but he was full of energy. He sat alone under a big willow tree in the courtyard of the village department, with no wine or food in front of him, holding this purple clay pot in his hand, silently watching the people passing by. Everyone who passed in front of him smiled respectfully and greeted him. And the old man would nod slightly. It felt like this old man was an outdoor master who had attained positive results, looking at this worldly mortal with a cold eye.

Those who were brought to the old man had their hands hanging at their sides, bent over, and bowed their heads, as if they were respectful. Those people reported something softly in front of the old man, and some of them secretly turned their heads and looked in the direction of Shen Mingde. The old man just nodded slightly, but did not speak. When the man reported, the old man held the pot in his right hand, slowly raised his left hand, and waved it slightly. The man withdrew in fear.

Shen Mingde felt a chill in his heart when he saw this scene. This scene reminded him of the classic movie "The Godfather" starring Marlon Brando. He wondered in his heart, did his question just now touch the taboo in the village? After a while, will he be dragged out by a group of people and beaten to death? Shen Mingde quietly took out his mobile phone and sent a message to the company and Yang Guangcheng, "I am in Yushugou Village now, and I am still fine." Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. ”

After sending the message, Shen Mingde saw that the old man was explaining something to the two sturdy men in front of him. And a moment later, the two men walked directly in the direction of Shen Mingde. The two youths looked to be in their teens or twenties. He is about 1.80 meters tall, with bulging green tendons on his forearms, and a white tight T-shirt wrapped around his thick chest muscles. Shen Mingde's heart was furious. Is your fantasy coming true? Could that really happen in broad daylight? Unexpectedly, the two young men came to Shen Mingde with a smile on their faces and politely introduced themselves. Then in a very respectful tone, he said, "Welcome." Our grandfather asked us to toast you with a glass of wine. Without waiting for Shen Mingde, who was immersed in fantasy, to react to reality, the two young men drank all the beer in their cups in one gulp and sat down on Shen Mingde's left and right. It turned out that the two uncles sitting next to Shen Mingde were also nowhere to be seen.

The two of them started with you, and I persuaded Shen Mingde to drink a glass. From time to time, they politely asked him various questions about the city, showing their curiosity and yearning for life in the city. Shen Mingde observed the two young men. Although the two have a slight accent, they basically speak Mandarin. Although they have dark skin, that complexion is an even wheat color. Such a complexion is definitely not sunburned by farming in the fields. Because the skin of heavy manual labor should be rougher, and the color of the skin will not be as uniform. The pectoral and latissimus dorsi muscles of these two youths were very well developed. The muscles are well-defined and symmetrical. Similarly, the muscles of the two of their bare arms are very symmetrical. The muscles of people who do manual work are usually not "sculpted" so beautifully. Moreover, due to the difference in the habits of the left and right hands, the muscle groups on the left and right sides will not be as symmetrical as those of these two youths. Their hairstyles are the most popular among young people nowadays, and they each wear a pair of sneakers on their feet that can only be bought in the most exclusive stores in Woo Ninh City. One of them had a cell phone in his bulging pocket of jeans. It's a state-of-the-art mobile phone with super camera capabilities.

Shen Mingdeden, who was caught in the middle, understood the intentions and strategies of the two youths. These two obviously intended to belittle themselves and be too high Shen Mingde. The two people in a low position were more likely to toast Shen Mingde. People who are flattered may still be confused for a moment and unconsciously drink two more drinks. At the same time, they kept throwing questions at Shen Mingde. Out of politeness, he will be sure to answer these questions. Perhaps "being a good teacher" is the nature of human beings. Shen Mingde wasted a lot of time because he was busy answering these meaningless questions. Through these methods, they will be able to entangle Shen Mingde so that he cannot continue to investigate. Shen Mingde was anxious for a while and proposed to go to the bathroom. As soon as he got up, one of the young men also got up at the same time, proposing that he also wanted to go to the bathroom, and planned to accompany Shen Mingde there. Shen Mingde simply sat back down. He really couldn't think of a good way to get rid of these two surveillances for a while. Suddenly, a series of crisp sounds came. It was the sound of several broken plates nearby. Shen Mingde suddenly had an idea. With the sound of the plate breaking, Shen Mingde stood up and shouted: "Is this how you entertain guests?" Shen Mingde believes that the people in the village should still be very concerned about face. Seeing this scene, an elder in charge of the village will definitely get up and round the scene. Then he falsely scolded the two young men and said, "Why don't you entertain guests so much?" Leave these two young people away. Then comforted Shen Mingde with a few words. Finally, he said to everyone: "Don't mind, eat and drink well" and something like that. Maybe it's the perfect one. However, when Shen Mingde took the case, he froze on the spot. There was silence all around, and I didn't know if it was the wrong time or my own miscalculation. Hundreds of pairs of eyes stared at Shen Mingde in silence. The two young men on the opposite side were full of indifference, and everyone looked frightened, and none of them seemed to reflect how to deal with this sudden incident. Nervousness, anxiety, regret and other emotions filled Shen Mingde's whole body, and for a while, he didn't know how to end. Shen Mingde felt like a student who had forgotten the following in a high school speech contest. Lonely in front of the teachers, judges, school leaders, and students in the audience.

A warm hand was placed on Shen Mingde's shoulder. At the same time, there was a soft, sweet, and a little "whining" sound in his ears. "Don't mind, two little brothers. That's how my cousin is. If you drink two more glasses of wine, you won't be able to control your temper. Do not forget your hearts. I saw Xiao Jing standing behind Shen Mingde with half a cup of white water in his hand. Shen Mingde thought that it was half a glass of white water, not wine, because Shen Mingde had never seen Xiao Jing drink alcohol, and there was no smell of alcohol on her body. Xiao Jing's sweet and greasy voice, Shen Mingde has never heard it. Suddenly, he was numb from the soles of his feet to his scalp. The two young men seemed to be speechless for a while in the face of a beauty like Xiao Jing, so they had to purse their lips, hold their wine glasses, and nod desperately.

Xiao Jing smiled and got rid of the two young people. Then, Xiao Jing raised her voice and said to everyone, "Oops...... I accidentally broke a couple of plates just now. I will pay the village how much money I will pay in a while. I'm sorry to disturb the drinking fun of the folks. I am the daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, and I am also a member of our Yushugou Village. Here, I apologize to all of you! As soon as the words fell, Xiao Jing raised her head and poured the half cup of white water into her mouth. Immediately afterwards, she boldly picked up the beer bottle in front of Shen Mingde and poured herself a glass. continued: "For the second cup of wine, I wish the fathers and villagers of Yushugou prosperity and good health! Then he drank the beer in his glass again. Everyone's attention was attracted by Xiao Jing, their expressions were no longer so stiff, and gradually eased. Just as Xiao Jing was about to pour the wine, an uncle at the same table with Shen Mingde suddenly said: "Girl, drink white wine and beer together, get drunk quickly." Someone nearby coaxed: "Then you will accompany the daughter-in-law of the Zhou family to have a drink!" The uncle stood up and looked around, as if he couldn't find who shouted this sentence. So, the uncle raised his wine glass, walked up to Xiao Jing, and touched Xiao Jing's empty glass with his own wine glass. The collision of the wine glasses made a "ding" sound. Then the uncle said, "Drink and drink." Come! The uncle boldly poured a large glass of liquor into his throat, and suddenly, a middle-aged woman scolded with a smile: "This old stinky shameless one." The crowd burst into laughter.

Shen Mingde let out a long breath of turbidity, and then Xiao Jing nodded in thanks. The square returned to the bustle before the "accident". The distant table is fighting for wine, the neighboring table is boasting, the same table is arguing, and all kinds of noise are endless. However, before the two could separate, an old man had already crossed half of the square and walked towards Shen Mingde and Xiao Jing. This old man has silver hair and a powdery face, and he has a fairy spirit. He wears a creamy white long-sleeved fine cotton and linen shirt on his upper body, a pair of ivory loose slacks on his lower body, a bracelet decorated with golden lantern tassels in his left hand, and a small teapot in his right hand. Walking in, there were almost no wrinkles on the old man's face, his face was full of spring breeze, and the corners of his smiling mouth raised the two apple muscles on his cheeks, and only a few crow's feet appeared next to the corners of his smiling eyes. The old man came to Shen Mingde's table in a few steps, sat down unceremoniously, looked at Xiao Jing with smiling eyes and said, "Girl, whose daughter-in-law are you of the old Zhou family?" ”

Perhaps intimidated by the old man's aura, Xiao Jing was stunned for a moment, then bowed slightly and replied, "Zhou Tengfei is my husband." ”

The old man suddenly opened his mouth to laugh, revealing his white, neat teeth. Shen Mingde looked at the old man's actions, as well as the face and teeth that were not commensurate with the pale hair, and was suspicious in his heart. Ever since he noticed the old man, he had thought that his gray hair was dyed, and that his full mouth of neat teeth were dentures. The old man stretched out his left hand to signal the two of them to sit down, and at the same time said in a playful tone: "Ha, it turns out that the tooth is really blessed." ”

Xiao Jing also covered her mouth and snickered. Seeing Shen Mingde's frowning, the old man explained: "Zhou Tengfei was knocked out of two teeth when he was a child. That's why his nickname is Huoyazi. ”

Shen Mingde cast a look of hope to confirm Xiao Jing, Xiao Jing nodded to him, and said in a low voice: "Zhou Tengfei has two side incisors that are porcelain. So, Shen Mingde showed a suddenly realized expression, and also gave the old man a smile.

Before Shen Mingde could speak, the old man asked, "What is this little brother doing in our poor ravine?" ”

Shen Mingde's heart was shocked, and from the smiling eyes of the old man, he felt a cunning coldness flashing by. So, he replied tentatively: "Write, pick the wind." ”

The old man said, "What is there to write about in this poor country? ”

Shen Mingde blurted out: "Lake." ”

The old man said, "There is no lake in our village? ”

Shen Mingde felt that he asked knowingly. He was going to say what Zhou Tengfei said, but if he said so, what would the old man say? He might ask Zhou Tengfei how the kid was? After that, the topic will be taken away. If you talk about the lake that Uncle Sixth said, then it is likely that the old man will be like everyone else, saying that Uncle Six is a disaster star and other nonsense. So, Shen Mingde stared at the old man, was silent for a long time, and said: The lake that your village said.

The old man's face was visibly tight. It seems that Shen Mingde's guess is correct, and the village is hiding some things about the lake. Judging from the chat with the villagers just now, almost everyone who is a little older can tell a few stories about Lao Yu and Zhang Baoshan. However, no one spoke of the lake in front of him. Shen Mingde suddenly remembered a question. At the banquet just now, some people said, "Zhang Baoshan brought Lao Yu back and raised him in his own home." "Why is Zhang Baoshan not related to this old slippery, but he still has to provide for the elderly in his own home? The answer is probably that Zhang Baoshan asked Lao Yu to help him find the lake. At the same time, there are also people who tell this story and say: "The village raises old slippers". So, most likely, is the whole village looking for a lake? Moreover, this matter is a secret that cannot be told.

The old man interrupted Shen Mingde's thinking and asked, "The lake that the old man told you?" ”

Shen Mingde just wanted to answer "yes". But suddenly changed his mind. He mysteriously approached the old man and said, "The lake that the girl said." ”

"Which girl?" The old man asked suspiciously.

At this time, two girls appeared in Shen Mingde's mind, one was Zhao Qi, a girl who moved from Yushugou, and the other was Gao Shan Xing. He swayed a little from side to side, wondering which girl would have a greater impact on the old man. Judging from the investigation just now, almost all the safe villages knew that Zhao Qi moved after being found, and Gao Shan Xing died. Therefore, Shen Mingde made up his mind and said the name "Gaoshan Apricot".

The old man really put away his smile and asked with a frown: "Shan Xing has been dead for many years, what did she tell you?" ”

Shen Mingde felt that he had the upper hand, so he stimulated the old man again. So, he unbuttoned the right cuff of his shirt, stretched out his wrist with strange scratches in front of the old man, and said coldly, "I brought her back." ”

The old man looked a little frightened when he saw the scratches on Shen Mingde's wrists. He frowned, and asked with a slight trembling voice, "Does Shan Xing's hair grow?" ”

The evil smile on Shen Mingde's face suddenly froze. He had prepared for the next step. If you don't know, you may be frightened, and you may think that Shen Mingde has the ability to "go to the yin". If someone in the know, they may warily ask, "What the hell do you do?" What did Yama Apricot tell you? He ignored that if it was a familiar person, he would know very well about Gao Shan Xing's appearance and characteristics. He did not calculate that the old man would test his words in this way to see if they were true or false. Shen Mingde blamed himself very much, and he didn't even estimate it except for such a simple one. At this time, the image of a long-haired female ghost appeared in Shen Mingde's imagination, and he replied stubbornly: "It's long, it's very long." ”

The old man's tangled expression disappeared. Immediately, Shen Mingde heard a dry laugh of "ha", like a sarcasm, like catharsis, and more like a thunderbolt on Shen Mingde's head. The old man smiled again as if the sky had cleared after a rain. However, Shen Mingde was like a mouse hiding in the shadows, peeking at the old man's every move.

The old man picked up the teapot with his right hand and took a sip. His left hand twisted the bracelet that seemed to have paused for a long time, and said to Shen Mingde with a smile: "Little brother." I advise you. After watching the evening show, let's go back early." With that, the old man got up and left Shen Mingde's table.

While the old man didn't go far, Shen Mingde hurriedly said: "I have her letter!" ”

However, the old man did not stay, just turned his back to Shen Mingde, raised his left hand, and the bracelet waved in the air. It seems to be saying "no need", or "goodbye".