CHAPTER 86: MUSHROOM VILLAGE 36

Wan Qian was still feeling around for her phone.

After a while, hearing the movement again, the creature cautiously poked its head out a bit.

In the darkness, two soft blood vessels slowly dangled down from the ceiling beam, gently pushing the rectangular block on the bedside table forward.

The fingertips finally touched the familiar smooth, cold screen. Wan Qian grabbed the phone, closing her eyes but skillfully unlocking the password with her fingerprint.

The cold white light from the screen illuminated her eyes, irritating her eyelids. Wan Qian finally opened her eyes with difficulty. The time was two o’clock in the morning.

She uncomfortably held her stomach; her stomach felt hot and bloated.

The rabbit meat she ate seemed to multiply infinitely in her stomach, growing faster than the stomach acid could digest, filling her stomach until it felt swollen and tight.

She even had the illusion that the meat was pushing up her esophagus and might come out of her throat.

Unable to bear it any longer, she didn’t care about the late hour and directly called the butler’s number.

The phone rang twice and was quickly answered.

"Ms. Wan, a call at this late hour—may I ask if something is wrong?"

The butler’s voice was as gentle, humble, and polite as always, with no hint of anger or drowsiness from being woken from sleep.

Wan Qian didn’t have time to feel guilty. Uncomfortable and groaning, she said, "I ate too much. Could you bring me some digestive tablets?"

She lay flat on the bed, feeling that if she sat up, the contents in her stomach would surge up her throat to vomit.

The butler paused suspiciously, then carefully asked, "May I ask what you ate?"

Wan Qian frowned, recalling what she had eaten tonight.

"Just some ordinary farmhouse dishes... Oh, and a rabbit. I caught it myself and had the villagers cook it for me. Honestly, it was pretty delicious."

Thinking of the taste of the rabbit, Wan Qian licked her lips. She was just about to ask the butler if she could raise rabbits on her farm when another wave of stomach upset hit her.

"Hey, can you come over now? It’s late, so maybe the roads aren’t good? If you can come, please bring some digestive tablets."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Just as Wan Qian began to wonder if the butler had fallen asleep halfway through the call, his voice finally came through.

"Do you have any other discomfort besides bloating?"

Wan Qian: "No, no, just ate too much. Indigestion."

The butler seemed relieved and spoke softly, "Please wait a moment. The mountain roads are difficult at night, but since it’s your need, I will come as soon as possible..."

Before he finished, Wan Qian suddenly felt nauseous.

"Ugh—" she couldn’t hold back, turned over, and vomited over the edge of the bed.

In the dark, Wan Qian only felt lumps of meat wrapped in slippery mucus jumping out of her throat like living creatures.

After vomiting some out, her stomach felt much lighter. Though still hot and bloated, it was mostly a comfortable satisfaction.

She reached out on the bedside table. In the dark, the fresh red blood vessels dangling from the beam carefully pushed some tissues toward her hand.

Wan Qian pulled out a tissue, wiped her mouth, and lay back down.

Ah, much better. She guessed she really had eaten too much. She picked up her phone again.

"What did you say just now? Oh, right... the road is bad at night. It’s fine, you don’t have to come. I’m better now."

Calling the butler from the farm in the middle of the night was indeed inconsiderate. Feeling better, Wan Qian’s guilt naturally rose.

These days, working people really have it hard, having to take calls from their boss in the middle of the night.

Butler: "..."

Wan Qian: "Don’t worry, I’m fine. You don’t have to come."

Butler: "...Alright then."

After hanging up, Wan Qian turned off her phone, rubbed her warm belly, and quickly fell asleep again.

Meanwhile, the thing on the beam involuntarily lowered its head. The blood vessels extending from its head reached toward the meat on the floor.

After a faint sound of slippery mucus being squeezed, several blood vessels rested contentedly on the floor. The floor was clean, as if licked many times back and forth.

At last, one of the blood vessels slowly lifted itself. It cautiously inched toward Wan Qian and rubbed against the blanket at the edge of the bed, making a faint, indistinct sound.

"M... m... mama..."

Wan Qian was sound asleep. In her dreams, she turned over, pulling a bundle of the blanket close, her breathing soft and steady.

The blood vessel about the thickness of a baby’s wrist brushed empty air, paused dumbly, then slowly retracted.

The whole night passed quietly.

When Wan Qian woke, her stomach was still warm, with no hunger at all.

She remembered vomiting last night and hurriedly looked under the bed, but the concrete floor was clean with no trace of vomit.

"Huh?" Wan Qian scratched her head, puzzled. Maybe it was just a dream? She didn’t think much and stepped outside.

Tomorrow was the God Worship Festival. Unlike the empty village the past two days, today the village suddenly seemed crowded.

Wan Qian went to the general shop. Because the old lady was in the clinic, Fang Minglan stayed to watch the store.

Fang Minglan had not made a single sale yesterday. She wasn’t discouraged, believing that with more people in the village today, she would surely make money.

Wan Qian glanced at the general shop and left. As she went out, she saw two villagers bumping into each other at the general shop entrance.

When Wan Qian walked toward the clinic, she heard a quarrel behind her.

The first village rule stated: "Villagers should get along harmoniously and minimize conflicts. If you see villagers arguing, please try to persuade them until they reconcile."

Fang Minglan had no choice but to go over.