Xin Jinghe coughed lightly. He wasn't in good health and couldn't stand for long.
So, Xin Hong brought a chair for him to sit down.
"The original Baqi Village was prosperous and beautiful. Most people in the village had never stepped outside of it in their lives. But what of it? The meaning of life is not under one's feet."
Everyone listened quietly. Xia Wei Liang even brought a small stool and sat in front of him, resting her chin on her hands, listening intently.
"But..."
Xia Wei Liang gasped. Here comes the twist!
It's here, it's here! It's right here!
Xin Jinghe looked down at his legs and tapped them gently. "Society is developing, technology is developing. Baqi Village cannot simply stay out of it. More than thirty years ago, the old village chief at the time saved a few outsiders who were trapped in the mountains. Who knew they were after the jade in the mountains."
"There's jade here?"
Everyone was surprised; they hadn't heard of it.
Xin Hong raised his hand and pointed to the unremarkable mountain opposite them, which was bare. "It's all buried under that mountain."
Xin Jinghe said, "Those few people sold the large rough stones they brought out for a good price. How could they let go of this golden opportunity? So, they crept back. When the villagers discovered them, they chased them away. But after that, Baqi Village was no longer peaceful. People started falling ill one after another, dying within days. Later, more and more people fell sick. By the time the village chief realized something was wrong and quickly sent people out for help, all of them vanished without a trace..." Sudanshuwang.com
The courtyard was silent. Everyone had vaguely guessed what was happening, but they never imagined human hearts could be so wicked!
"Later, the village chief's daughter-in-law died, by hanging herself. The next day, the village chief gathered all the men in the village who could still stand, giving each of them a bag of dynamite. He only said one thing: the people of Baqi Village would not die in vain."
"That night, the mountain where the jade was dug out was blown up, and the village chief was buried inside. Those who returned said he didn't want to come out himself..."
Xia Wei Liang felt a growing panic. This story was too tragic!
"After that, the villagers only learned that the village chief's daughter-in-law was married into the village from outside. Her brother was one of those stone prospectors. The villagers' illness was also caused by her tampering with the well water. However, she didn't expect people to die. Unable to bear the psychological pressure, she took her own life. The village chief felt he had failed the entire village, which is why he sacrificed himself for the mountain."
"Alas..."
Xia Wei Liang sighed, "They are all pitiable people!"
Xin Hong looked at her with a complex expression. "Don't you think she was very hateful? She is the sinner of the whole village."
"She was probably the most pitiable one, caught between her brother and her husband, having to make a choice. And between living in shame or paying with her life, she also had to choose. Moreover, if she had descendants, her children would be condemned because of her, making her heart ache even more! Although she was indeed at fault, pushing all the blame onto one woman is truly unfair."
Xin Jinghe listened quietly and then looked up at Jing Hong. Jing Hong was just lowering his head, his eyes hidden, but his fists were slowly clenching.
Director Huang then asked, "Then what about these inflatable mannequins in this house?"
Xin Jinghe narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "The number of people in the village kept decreasing. But even so, they didn't choose to leave. From birth to death, they were devoted to this land. But..."
He paused and said, "The most direct consequence of the village's population decline was the cancellation of the village committee. We would be forced to move away from this place and merge with the surrounding villages and counties, meaning Baqi Village would cease to exist."
Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood, "So these mannequins are..."
Xin Hong said, "They were custom-made according to the villagers' likenesses in their lifetime, to deal with occasional aerial photography."
"But people from the higher-ups will also come for investigations!"
"Without us guiding them, they can't even get in."
Xia Wei Liang suddenly spoke up, "Those ghost stories online, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Xin Hong looked at her and readily admitted, "Yes, people nowadays like to hear stories. The more believable the story, the less attention people pay to whether Baqi Village is strange."
Xi En said, "But you still agreed to let us come and film."
Xin Hong didn't speak but looked at Xin Jinghe.
The latter chuckled and coughed again. "After guarding this place for so long, it's time to see the light of day."
He looked up, his gaze calm and gentle as he looked at everyone. "My time is running out. As a descendant of the Xin family, and the last bloodline of Baqi Village, I want to protect it in a different way."
Xia Wei Liang looked at him blankly, feeling an indescribable sadness in her heart.
Xin Jinghe said to Director Huang, "If you hadn't appeared, I think I would have made the same choice as that old village chief back then—" he smiled and lowered his head, "to be buried with Baqi Village, to disappear from this world together with it."
Everyone was so shocked they couldn't speak.
"So, before I knew you were coming, I had considered it for a long time. Until..." he looked at Xia Wei Liang and chuckled, "I saw this little girl's photo, and I suddenly wanted to meet her in person. So, I agreed."
Xia Wei Liang opened her mouth, wanting to say something but feeling her throat a little choked.
"Village Chief..."
"Heh heh, later Xin Hong told me that the dilemma I faced was simply choosing to be forgotten or to be remembered."
Xin Hong still kept his gaze down.
"After careful consideration, what fault do these villagers have? Are they blamed for being too kind? They deserve to be remembered."
Xin Jinghe smiled faintly at everyone. "Lies will eventually be exposed. It's better for me to tell it myself, to tell the world what kind of place this is, and what kind of lovely people are here."
Director Huang listened, his eyes filled with tears, and he took the lead in applauding, "Village Chief, please rest assured! I will present all of this to the outside world exactly as it is!"
Xin Jinghe smiled, "I have watched Director Huang's programs, so I trust Director Huang."
With the mystery solved, the filming content for the next two days was adjusted accordingly.
All the guests and staff were divided into two groups. One group focused on the village chief as their target, while the other group was with Xin Hong.
Due to the village chief's health, he mainly sat in the courtyard chatting with everyone, starting from Xin Ziye, the idle hermit who founded Baqi Village, recounting the village's humanistic history, and answering questions from the production team.
The other group, with Xin Hong leading a few young guests, first traversed the foggy forest and then carefully explained its geographical features. Afterward, like visiting neighbors, he took them into each house to visit, introducing each "person" "living" there.
Seeing how familiar he was with everything, and considering his age, this information must have come from Xin Jinghe.
During a break, Xia Wei Liang leaned closer and asked him, "There's a question I've always wanted to ask. The village chief said he's the last bloodline of Baqi Village, so what's your relationship with him?"