CHAPTER 590: CHAPTER 108_6

"He’s in the back; I’ll go tidy up first."

Uncle entered, and Yin Meng thought he was going to the kitchen, but he went upstairs with the bag directly.

Then, after going up, he never came down again.

After a while, Da Qiang came back, also carrying a fertilizer bag, with things moving inside it, and a faint "squeak squeak squeak" sound could be heard.

After a simple greeting, he too went upstairs.

When dusk fell, Aunt came down from upstairs and asked, "You’re going out for dinner tonight too, right?"

Zheng Jiayi: "Yes, Aunt."

"Then I won’t cook for you."

"Aunt, call Uncle and Da Qiang downstairs, let’s go out and eat together."

"We won’t eat out; can’t afford it."

After saying that, Aunt turned and went back upstairs.

Yin Meng noticed a problem: this family of three... had never appeared together; it was always one person.

Before nightfall, Yin Meng and Zheng Jiayi went out to buy some food.

Carrying the bags, when returning and going up to the second floor, Yin Meng faintly heard some peculiar noises.

But as soon as she stepped onto the last stair of the second floor, the noises collectively silenced.

She and Zheng Jiayi returned to their room.

"Meng Meng, let’s eat together."

"You eat first."

Yin Meng still stood at the door, pressing her ear against it.

"Crunch... Crunch... Crunch..."

She heard the high-pitched sounds again, although faint, they indeed existed.

Yin Meng made a "shush" gesture to Zheng Jiayi, Zheng Jiayi nodded, even stopping her eating motion.

Immediately, Yin Meng carefully opened the door, trying not to make any sound, and once it was open enough for her to slip through sideways, she raised her hand, grabbed the top, and "sent" herself out.

Due to the wooden structure, it was hard to avoid making noise on the floor, but the beams above were still solid and tight.

Seeing this, Zheng Jiayi’s mouth fell open: Do all those who study traditional Chinese medicine have to practice martial arts?

Yin Meng "arrived" at the corridor on the second floor, where the sounds were even clearer.

The sounds came out of those two rooms, but there were three sources of frequencies, all pressed against the room doors.

Yin Meng exerted strength from her waist, lifting her legs up, to avoid being seen through the gap if standing by the door.

"Squeak! Crunch crunch! Squeak! Crunch crunch!..."

All began as urgent, painful screams, followed by the sounds of gnawing and chewing; the screams then ceased, followed by the next round.

Recalling Uncle and Da Qiang carrying back two fertilizer bags and the rat she found in the thermos last night.

An image reappeared in Yin Meng’s mind:

Behind one room’s door stood Da Qiang, and behind the other, Uncle and Aunt stood side by side;

They kept reaching into the fertilizer bags, grabbing live rats, and gnawing at them by their mouths.

Suddenly, the sounds collectively ceased.

The meal was over.

...

Early in the morning, after Li Zhiyuan went downstairs, Mr. and Mrs. Xue warmly invited him for breakfast.

They were really enthusiastic, the main dish for breakfast was even rice, and they fried three hot dishes.

It was Run Sheng’s peculiar way of eating, lighting incense during meals, that made them feel a bit odd.

Li Zhiyuan explained that when Run Sheng was young, he often fell ill, and a wandering Taoist told him that if he lit incense during every meal for one month each year, it could ensure a trouble-free life.

Mr. Xue and Mrs. Xue marveled, both praising the Taoist for his prowess.

After all, with Run Sheng’s physique, there wasn’t a hint of frailty about him.

After dinner, Li Zhiyuan had Run Sheng go out to ask around, focusing on the area near the convenience store.

He himself sat in the courtyard chatting with Mr. Xue, while Mrs. Xue washed clothes, enthusiastically offering to wash Li Zhiyuan and Run Sheng’s laundry as well.

Mr. Xue was very happy during their chat; even setting aside his relationship with his own son, he genuinely liked this young man.

And Li Zhiyuan was indeed capable of making someone feel happy.

Ever since he was young, he had been honing this skill. However, especially after receiving that call from Li Lan, he didn’t feel like pretending anymore, at least not with irrelevant strangers.

After he left Grandmaster’s House to go to college, he became even colder towards strangers.

Not intentionally, but just too lazy to keep up the act.

Yet this innate skill he had since birth had not been lost.

At ten in the morning, Run Sheng returned, having found no one.

"Brother Runsheng, go to the convenience store to call Brother Binbin, then call the store to ask if there have been any calls to the store."

"Okay."

Run Sheng went out, and Li Zhiyuan began attempting to steer the conversation with Mr. Xue towards the topic of the "Young Explorers Team."

It was apparent that Mr. Xue didn’t really want to discuss this, but nevertheless, he kept being coaxed into talking.

Soon, Run Sheng returned with news:

"Xiao Yuan, the calls won’t go through, the paging service isn’t working, and I tried all the numbers I remember, but still no connection.

The phone is working; I saw the auntie at the convenience store call the county wholesaler and order a batch of goods."

"Brother Runsheng, go to the main street stores and ask around. Have the store owners keep an eye out. Then go to the crowded places in town...the riverside corridor that Mr. Xue took us to yesterday, near the archway, a distinct location."

"Okay."

Run Sheng went out again.

Li Zhiyuan stayed behind.

He wasn’t staying out of laziness, but rather to continue extracting information from Mr. Xue and because he needed to be here in case Yin Meng and Binbin showed up.

"Uncle Xue, your family must be quite famous in town, right?"

"Indeed," Mr. Xue proudly puffed up his chest, "How could they not be? I have a great son. Whenever there’s road or bridge construction, our family always contributes significantly."

Actually, Li Zhiyuan had already known the answer, because as soon as he entered town, he asked the convenience store auntie, who enthusiastically led them directly to the Xue family without even caring about her store.

This not only meant that the Xue family was well-known in town but also that they were well-liked.

Run Sheng returned: "Xiao Yuan, I’ve inquired and notified everyone. I also asked the storyteller at the corridor to keep an eye out."

"Did you pay them?"

"Ah... my money is in my bag, I didn’t bring it when I stepped out. Should I go and give them money now?"

"Never mind, it’s pointless now."

Run Sheng asked: "Xiao Yuan, we’ve encountered some sort of trouble, haven’t we?"

After all, the phone calls couldn’t go through, and it seemed targeted at them.

However, Run Sheng was missing a piece: searching for the current whereabouts of Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng, because these two leads weren’t clarified before everyone set off.

Without directly facing them, without finding this family’s experience, understanding of the situation wouldn’t be as deep.

But Li Zhiyuan could change perspectives here because he had been sitting here for so long and Yin Meng and Binbin had not shown up, which suggested another possibility.

Run Sheng: "Xiao Yuan, did something delay Binbin and Meng Meng on the road, preventing them from coming?"

Li Zhiyuan shook his head:

"I believe they are already in this town."

———

There’s another Chapter tomorrow!