The third day back in Mohe, I visited Jiang Feng. He was out of danger, his car had been towed back, and he had already gone home.
Jiang Lingxi had been with me and Fatty for the past two days.
During these days in Mohe, I mainly dealt with matters concerning Old Man Qu.
Since Fu Honglang's previous move to turn the tables, the money I had given to Old Man Qu was returned.
Afterward, upon our return to Mohe, we considered our past grievances settled. Although we remained "friends" from then on, I knew it was highly unlikely I would ever have any further dealings with Old Man Qu.
People like them were extremely dangerous. Whether in their dealings or business, entanglement with them would ultimately lead to my own detriment.
After seeing off Fu Honglang and Yang Hanxue, Song Bing stayed behind. He said Wu Tingxiu had asked him to stay and accompany me temporarily, and then return to Guangling together once my affairs were concluded.
On this day, Jiang Lingxi invited us to her home for dinner that evening. We accepted, planning to depart for my matters after the meal.
I had come here to find "Old Chen," but I hadn't even seen a trace of him yet. Moreover, this matter couldn't be delayed. Wu Tingxiu had called, informing me of a new discovery and urging me to return to Guangling as soon as possible.
It would be best if I could find "Old Chen," but if not, I had to return quickly, as I might uncover other clues.
We arrived at Jiang Lingxi's house at six in the evening. Her home was located at a farm north of Mohe.
The farm belonged to her grandfather, and it housed many chickens and ducks, with flocks of them visible upon entering.
Returning to her home, Jiang Lingxi transformed from an urban socialite into a village girl.
She wore old clothes, arm sleeves, and a headscarf, holding a basin of feed and scattering it onto the ground handful by handful.
Seeing us arrive, she quickly put down the basin and came to greet us.
"Why are you so late? I've already prepared the food," Jiang Lingxi said with a smile.
"We were tidying up our things, so we were a bit late," I replied.
"Tidying up? Are you leaving?"
I nodded. "Yes, we're departing right after dinner."
"So soon?"
"I came here to find someone... I was delayed for a while, so I have to hurry," I explained.
She gave a helpless smile. "Alright, come inside first."
Upon entering the house, the table was already set with bowls and chopsticks. Jiang Lingxi asked us to sit, saying the food was in the pots and just needed to be served, asking us to wait a moment.
She busied herself in the kitchen for a long time, and then dish after dish of hot food was brought to the table.
I asked her, "Are you alone? Where is your grandfather?"
"He went into the woods and will be back shortly. Please eat first."
"How can we do that?"
"What's the big deal?"
As we were talking, an old man walked in, carrying a hoe and a wild rabbit and several pieces of Chinese yam.
As soon as he entered, he handed his belongings to Jiang Lingxi, telling her to quickly prepare them in the kitchen to entertain us.
Seeing this, I felt somewhat embarrassed and quickly said there was no need to trouble her, but the elder insisted that we try them.
In the end, we had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Jiang Lingxi's grandfather was a very amiable old man, and he was very polite in his interactions.
"Did Lingxi tell you that you met on the train?" the old man asked us.
I nodded. "Yes, Grandpa Jiang."
"I heard from her that you took good care of her, and helped her resolve some trouble she encountered a while ago?"
I nodded.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
Hearing his question, I knew that Jiang Lingxi had most likely not told her grandfather about the recent events.
Seeing this, I was at a loss for words and fell silent.
The old man, seeing my silence, smiled and said, "I'm just asking casually. I won't pry too much into your young people's affairs. As long as she is safe, that's all that matters."
I smiled and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Grandpa Jiang."
"I heard you are leaving soon?"
"We are leaving tonight."
"So soon? Won't you stay a few more days?"
"I came here to find someone," I replied.
"Where are you going?"
"Shiziling."
The old man was slightly taken aback. "You're going there?"
"Yes, the person we are looking for is at Xiaoqing Temple."
"The road to that place is not easy. It's all dirt roads, and there are many mountain paths. You must be careful on your journey."
"Don't worry, Grandpa Jiang, we will be."
After chatting for a while, I couldn't help but feel curious and asked, "Grandpa Jiang, where are Lingxi's parents? I don't see them. Are they out doing business?"
The old man glanced towards the kitchen, sighed, and said, "In '87, they went into the mountains..."
As he spoke, the old man's eyes began to water.
I didn't quite understand, but after Fatty shot me a look, I didn't press further.
It was later that I learned that in '87, Mohe experienced a massive fire, the largest forest fire in China's history. The damage was immense, and it claimed many lives.
After dinner, Jiang Lingxi saw us to the door. Before we parted, we exchanged phone numbers. She said she would be our guide when we came to Mohe, and next time she visited Guangling, we should be her guide.
I patted my chest and said, "No problem. If you come, we'll definitely treat you well."
With that, we waved goodbye and got into a Jeep.
The driver was none other than Er Mao.
He had been waiting for us outside and hadn't joined us inside.
He was one of Old Man Qu's men. I had mentioned Xiaoqing Temple to him during my first visit to Mohe, and he knew the way, so I had him guide me there.
Of course, his guidance wasn't free. I had promised him a sum of money.
This guy was driven by money and readily agreed without a second thought.
As we drove, he chatted with us about tomb raiding. From his tone, I could tell that he hadn't been on many expeditions and was still a bit timid, yet he wanted to get rich by raiding tombs.
Fatty seemed to have noticed this too and spent the entire journey bragging about his supposed tomb raids, claiming to have even visited Shen Wansan's tomb.
I sat there listening and wanted to laugh, but to avoid embarrassing Fatty, I held it in.
And so, with laughter and conversation, we headed towards Shiziling...