In the end, Axu regretfully put his prized specialty back up in the loft. Jiang Younian even thought to himself that there was a reason Axu was taller than the rest of the villagers.
The village was sealed off; there were no piglets, chicks, or ducklings coming in, and the village had long since run out of meat. The only one capable of eating meat was likely Axu. After all, he was the only one who could catch those fish, and the only one brave enough to eat them.
Axu’s home was small, consisting of only two rooms. There was no way so many people could sleep comfortably, so some had to set up makeshift beds on the floor. Jiang Younian and Xie Nanzhou stayed with Xiaoyou, and for good measure, they kept Axu tied up and sleeping there too.
There was only one bed in the room. Jiang Younian had intended to lie down on the floor mat, but Xie Nanzhou pushed him to sit on the bed instead.
"You’re afraid of the cold. Sleep on the bed."
Jiang Younian was stunned. How did he know he was afraid of the cold?
Xiaoyou glared at Jiang Younian sitting on the edge of the bed with a look of displeasure. It was only after receiving a warning glance from Xie Nanzhou that she pursed her lips and shifted over to make some room.
In the dead of night, Jiang Younian lay on his side. His eyes were bright, and his gaze was fixed on Xie Nanzhou, who was lying perfectly straight on the floor mat. He was truly perfect—not only was he handsome, but he was also capable. He appeared clean and refined, yet at times, he was overbearing and sharp. He was brave, wise, and gave people a strong sense of security. Jiang Younian thought to himself that if only he were a girl, he might have had the courage to pursue such a love!
The quilt in Axu’s house had been in use for who knew how many years; it was as stiff as a stone slab. Since one quilt had been used to pad the floor mat, the bed wasn’t much softer. Jiang Younian couldn’t fall asleep, so he pulled that book out from under his pillow. There had been too many things going on today; he hadn’t even had the chance to interrogate Axu about where this book came from. If he flipped through it, maybe he could find some clues.
Jiang Younian read it page by page, carefully examining even the notes in the margins. Gradually, his eyelids began to grow heavy. As expected, studying was always the most effective sleep aid for those who didn't like to study. In his drowsiness, Jiang Younian let the book fall against his chest and drifted off to sleep.
The moment he closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber, Xie Nanzhou, on the floor mat, turned his head toward the sound of Jiang Younian’s steady breathing. He then curled his lips slightly, his eyes filled with a shimmering, tender light. "As long as it’s you, that’s enough."
Jiang Younian’s sleep was restless. He kept hearing someone muttering in his ears. The voice drifted from far away, growing clearer: "Teacher Huang, can I take your last name?"
The voice was soft; it belonged to a little girl.
"Of course you can!"
The reply came in a clear, beautiful female voice. Jiang Younian could almost imagine the scene. A young female teacher was tilting her head, responding to the little girl with affection.
"Yay! From now on, I’ll be called Huang Ying! That sounds so nice!"
"Huang Ying!"
"From now on, I’ll be called Huang Ying!"
The girl cheered with joy, her voice gradually fading until it vanished completely. Jiang Younian was struck with shock in his heart. Huang Ying?!
She took her teacher's surname, which meant... the grass radical on the student ID card that pointed to the clues—it was the grass radical from the character "Huang." The Lake Lady was Huang Ying’s teacher!
"Jiang Younian, wake up!"
With the familiar call, Jiang Younian was pulled out of his dream. After waking up, he sat blankly on the bed, not yet fully recovered from the storm in his mind. He was almost certain that this dream was a hint from the Lake Lady. Why would she give him a hint? He vaguely recalled the second time he saw the Lake Lady in his dreams. She had kept asking him one question: "Did you come to take me home?"
Home?
Return?
Moreover, there were no college students in Mocun Village itself; the Lake Lady was not from here. Furthermore, she had always been trapped in the village. She wanted to leave, but she couldn't! Perhaps the Lake Lady wasn't their enemy?
"Brother Xiaoxie, is he possessed or something?" Seeing Jiang Younian’s rapidly changing expressions, Xiaoyou uneasily shifted behind Xie Nanzhou.
"He is thinking. Don’t disturb him."
The others quietly exited the room, leaving only Xie Nanzhou sitting on the edge of the bed, closing his eyes to rest, waiting for Jiang Younian to speak.
As soon as Jiang Younian regained his focus, he instinctively looked for Xie Nanzhou. "Xie Nanzhou!"
He found the person he was looking for sitting upright on the edge of the bed, waiting for him.
"I’m here."
"Xie Nanzhou, I think we have been missing some very important information."
Xie Nanzhou shifted toward the inner side of the bed, signaling for Jiang Younian to continue. Jiang Younian’s mind was full of clues; he didn't even notice how close he was to Xie Nanzhou.
"When I saw the Lake Lady for the second time in my dream, she forced me to promise to take her home."
Xie Nanzhou watched Jiang Younian’s lips move and asked casually, "Did you agree?"
"I agreed."
Jiang Younian analyzed his dream from last night, combining it with all the previous clues for Xie Nanzhou.
"So you suspect the villagers have trapped the Lake Lady here, and the reason cars stop when passing through the village is because the Lake Lady is calling for help, wanting to go home?"
Xie Nanzhou understood what Jiang Younian meant, but there were still too many questions that needed to be verified step by step. For instance, who was being held in the cellar? Why was there a tunnel in the cellar leading directly to the village chief's kitchen? Why did the Lake Lady treat Axu differently? Where did the villagers go? These were all unsolved mysteries.
The group sat at the stone table in Axu’s house, waiting for the steamed buns in the pot. Axu had gotten up before dawn to make breakfast for everyone; his sense of hospitality wasn't bad. However, Xie Nanzhou had also been dragged into this—after all, they were the ones who had tied Axu up. Since Axu had to get up to make breakfast, they had to untie him, whether they liked it or not.
After Axu got the fire roaring in the stove, Xie Nanzhou sat on a stool by the stove, occasionally adding firewood.
"I didn't expect you to know how to tend a fire! Heh!" Axu kneaded the dough, looking simple and honest. He hadn't expected someone who looked as refined as Xie Nanzhou to be able to stoke a fire.
Xie Nanzhou smiled without a word, the leaping firelight adding a touch of warmth to his cold, handsome face. Fortunately, Axu’s skill at steaming buns was decent; Xiaoyou ate three in one go. During breakfast, everyone chatted a bit, and they could all sense that this Axu wasn't that bad—he was just purely simple-minded.
After the meal, Jiang Younian took out the book again. This time, Axu was at least willing to sit and be interrogated.
"Axu, didn't you say the Lake Lady is your friend? We came here to help her be reincarnated; that way, the problems in the village will be solved as well. So, we need your cooperation."
Axu didn't hesitate and agreed immediately. After spending time with them yesterday, he felt these people were decent, and he didn't want them to die.
"Where did this book come from?"
Although there were no major discoveries in the book, Jiang Younian always felt that there had to be a reason Axu treasured it so much. He saw Axu scratch the back of his head with a bashful smile, his face showing a hint of shyness.
"This is... a gift from the Lake Lady."
"She said this is the only thing she could ever give me."