Jiang Younian and Xie Nanzhou exchanged a look; this answer was completely beyond their expectations. They had considered the possibility that Axu had stolen the book from the village head, but it had never occurred to them that the Lake Lady might have given it to him.
"How did she give it to you? The same way as the fish?" Kong Que looked at the book in Jiang Younian's hands with a strange expression. It was so well-preserved that it didn't look like it had been soaked in water.
"She told me where the book was in a dream."
Every word out of Axu's mouth seemed to land in the group's blind spot of understanding. A dream? If they hadn't already accepted the reality of the Yellow Springs, who would dare to believe that ghosts truly existed in this world and that the dead could really send messages through dreams? However, Jiang Younian believed it; after all, hadn't the Lake Lady visited his dreams, too?
"Explain yourself clearly." Xie Nanzhou’s face remained impassive, though he secretly felt that what the Lake Lady truly wanted him to find wasn't this book, but something else entirely.
"One night, she came to me in a dream and said she wanted to give me a gift. The item was in my house. Then, following her description, I found..."
"The cellar!"
"The cellar!"
Two voices spoke in unison, finishing Axu's sentence. Everyone’s gaze shifted to Jiang Younian and Xie Nanzhou, who were sitting side by side. Their faces wore a complex, solemn, and desolate expression that the others couldn't quite fathom.
"Eh? How did you know?!" Axu looked at them both in foolish wonder, marveled at their brilliance, and how they could guess everything.
"What cellar?" Everyone except Jiang Younian, Xie Nanzhou, and Axu was unaware of the cellar's existence. Jiang Younian briefly explained the situation to them.
After hearing this, Kong Que became even more confused. "Why would the Lake Lady's things be in Axu's cellar?"
"Why? All you know how to do is ask, ask, ask! Why not just go look?"
"Brother Xiaoxie, let's go check the cellar." Watching the perpetually confused Kong Que, Xiaoyou clung to Xie Nanzhou’s side with a proud pout. Though he was small, he was a true man of action, following Xie Nanzhou’s temperament: if you discover a problem, you solve it immediately.
"I... I!" Kong Que was so angered he couldn't even retort, because what Xiaoyou said was indeed the truth. Still, he couldn't let go of the frustration of being snubbed by a little brat.
"It’s okay, Boss. Pointing out the problem is the prerequisite to solving it; you’ve already done a great job." Brother Tai’s booming voice rumbled above Kong Que’s head. Hearing this, Kong Que’s mood instantly brightened, and the more he looked at Brother Tai, the more pleased he felt. "Brother Tai, you’re the one with real insight."
Leaving Uncle Zhang behind to keep watch, the rest of the group followed Axu down into the cellar. Only now did they have the time to carefully observe the prison-like room. The four walls were made of dirt, and not a single ray of light could penetrate inside; a suffocating sensation pressed in on them. Jiang Younian rubbed his chest, feeling unwell. Being locked in this dark, sunless place must have been utterly despairing.
"I took the book from under the bed frame." Axu acted like a criminal identifying the scene, pointing to where he had retrieved the book. Kong Que and Brother Tai, quick on the uptake, stepped forward and lifted the bed frame together, propping it against the wall. Beneath it, there was nothing but neatly spread dry straw.
Xie Nanzhou walked over and began to probe the straw, hand by hand, inch by inch. He went from the head of the bed to the foot, then back to the head, repeating the motion twice. Everyone remained silent; though they didn't understand what he was doing, they didn't disturb him, waiting quietly. Even Jiang Younian, who had only known Xie Nanzhou for a few days, understood that this man never wasted his effort.
Suddenly, Xie Nanzhou’s hand stopped. He stroked the spot repeatedly, as if confirming something. Seeming certain, his eyes turned firm. With a sharp, decisive movement, he changed the angle of his palm and pressed straight down into the thick straw mattress. He pulled out a palm-sized notebook.
Jiang Younian’s eyes went wide; he was witnessing Xie Nanzhou’s capability once again. The cover of the notebook was leather, though it was inevitably covered in mildew. The cellar was indeed damp; Jiang Younian had smelled it the first time he entered. Xiaoyou stepped forward in surprise, admiring his leader from the bottom of his heart—as expected of his boss, one move and it was a hit.
Axu looked at the group's efficiency in shock. Wasn't this his house? How were they more familiar with it than he was? He had only just discovered this cellar himself, and it was thanks to the Lake Lady’s dream that he’d gotten the book. How had they found such a hidden object the moment they arrived? Yet, he didn't realize that what the Lake Lady really wanted him to find wasn't the book, but something else.
After retrieving the item, they quickly exited the suffocating cellar. The village sat at a much higher altitude than the foot of the mountain; even though it was autumn, the air had turned cold. The group sat around a hearth, a soot-blackened kettle resting on the fire. Steam curled upward, chasing each other before dissipating into the air.
Xie Nanzhou used a handkerchief to carefully wipe the mildew off the notebook's cover. He then handed it to Jiang Younian. "You read it."
Xiaoyou, squatting at Xie Nanzhou’s feet, threw the small stick he had been playing with into the fire, where it was instantly consumed by the flames.
"Alright." Jiang Younian took the notebook, his heart solemnly prepared. The current situation had led everyone to a rough guess, though nothing was certain yet.
He flipped open the leather cover. On the first page, a series of elegant characters were written:
"Mocun Village Teaching Diary"
Signature in the bottom right corner: Huang Li, Jiangcheng University, English Department.
These few short words revealed the Lake Lady's identity. She had come to Mocun Village to teach, only to be left here forever. This identity, combined with the environment, cast a grim pall over the group. Kong Que hugged Brother Tai’s arm, a sense of sorrow rising within him. The Lake Lady was terrifying, but what kind of tragic experiences could turn someone into a Grudge Spirit?
Everyone held their breath, listening as Jiang Younian began to read from the cover.
The diary read:
*July 10, Weather: Sunny*
*Today is my first day in Mocun Village. I have been temporarily arranged to stay at the village head’s house. The scenery here is beautiful, and there is a lovely lake by the door. The water is shallow but crystal clear. I went with the villagers to catch fish in the lake; it was a joy I had never experienced before.*
After finishing the first entry, Jiang Younian fell silent. Everyone fell silent. The short diary entry was filled with beautiful, mundane words, yet it felt like a faint sorrow—as thin as smoke or fog, yet as suffocating as a plastic bag—tightly wrapped around everyone's heart. Every word in the young girl's diary was full of vitality and spirit. The fish, which they all found so repulsive, had once been her genuine source of happiness. The lake, which they were now too terrified to approach, had once been so beautiful. Now, it had become her prison.
Jiang Younian flipped the page and continued:
*July 11, Weather: Sunny*
*Today, the village head took me to the newly built village school. I met the students for the first time. There aren't many children in class, and they range greatly in age. Balancing the difficulty and pace of the curriculum for every child is a challenge for me.*
*July 12, Weather: Sunny*
*Classes went smoothly today. All the students grasped the new material. A little girl kept pestering me, insisting on taking my surname. I promised her. Her name is Huang Ying; her voice is as melodious as a bird’s.*
As the diary reached this point, the question of why Huang Ying took her surname was finally answered. It was just as Jiang Younian and Xie Nanzhou had guessed. But the tragic part was that the girl she had named herself, the girl whose laughter was as crisp as a bird’s, had been cruelly trampled into the mud by a decaying village.
The subsequent dozen entries were similar to the previous ones, recording Huang Li’s life as a teacher. The last entry was dated August 9:
*August 9, Weather: Overcast*
*Tomorrow, I will leave Mocun Village. The children are reluctant to see me go, and the villagers have asked me to stay. I am also very reluctant to leave them. Huang Ying came to my dormitory to beg me to stay and continue being her teacher. Although she is young, I didn't use flowery words to deceive her. I thought she would throw a tantrum and cry like she used to, but she didn't cry or fuss; instead, she happily invited me to her house tonight to eat pig's trotters. I promised her.*