Although the car had air conditioning, some cold wind still blew in through the gaps.
Even though I was wearing a padded jacket, I was still quite cold, especially my toes, which felt as if they were constantly submerged in ice water.
The atmosphere in the car was quite cheerful, adding a lot of fun to the chilly environment.
Jiang Lingxi was a very generous girl, possessing the straightforward nature of girls from Northeast China.
Her distant cousin, Jiang Feng, was also a rather talkative person. He worked for a leather company, responsible for driving and delivering goods, which was a fairly leisurely job. In his spare time, he would drive his pickup truck on long routes to earn some extra money.
To put it plainly, his side hustle was operating an unlicensed taxi service.
He and Jiang Lingxi met by chance. During their conversation, they discovered they were from the same village and were even distantly related, which is how they got acquainted.
Several times when Jiang Lingxi returned, she would ride in his car, only needing to cover the fuel costs.
"Uncle," the fatty called out familiarly, "driving like you do, aren't you afraid of encountering any wicked or criminal people?"
Jiang Feng chuckled, "Why wouldn't I be? I have three rules for myself: First, I don't take long trips with strangers. Second, I don't drive too late. Third, payment first, then the ride."
The fatty laughed, "Then aren't you breaking all your rules on this trip?"
Jiang Feng smiled, "You are Lingxi's friends, so naturally, it doesn't count as breaking the rules."
We chatted and laughed all the way. Before we knew it, it was past ten o'clock at night. With over seven hours still to go to Mohe, it looked like we'd have to stay up all night.
But it wasn't a big deal; the fatty could drive, and Jiang Lingxi could also drive, so the three of them could take turns.
I leaned against the car window, feeling a bit sleepy. In a daze, I felt the car come to a stop.
At first, I thought it was my imagination, but when I opened my eyes, I realized the car had indeed stopped.
I asked, "What happened?"
Jiang Feng turned his head and sighed, "The road ahead is blocked. It looks like we can't get through."
"Ah? Then what do we do?" All my sleepiness vanished instantly.
The only road was blocked, which meant we'd have to turn back.
Jiang Lingxi then said, "Uncle Feng, you can take the Laoyeling road."
"Take Laoyeling?" Jiang Feng looked hesitant, glanced at his watch, and seemed to have something to say but hesitated.
"Uncle Feng, what's wrong? Can't we go via Laoyeling?" Jiang Lingxi asked.
"It's not that we can't go, it's just that I heard that road... is a bit eerie..." Jiang Feng said.
"Eerie?" I interjected with some confusion.
"Yes, there used to be a small road over by Laoyeling, built by a logging team. Later, something happened, and the road was abandoned."
"What happened?"
Jiang Feng pursed his lips, looked at us, and said, "Have you heard of ghost villages?"
"Ghost villages?"
The fatty and I were visiting this place for the first time, so we were naturally unaware of some of the local rumors.
Jiang Lingxi seemed to have heard of it and said, "Are you referring to the village that disappeared overnight?"
Jiang Feng nodded, "That's right... The logging team accidentally entered a ghost village back then, and everyone went missing."
I froze for a moment, "When did that happen?"
"About a few decades ago," Jiang Feng said. "I was still carrying sacks for people then, and I occasionally heard them talk about it."
"Not a single person was found?" I asked.
Jiang Feng nodded, "Yes. Later, very few people used that road. A friend told me that one time he drove on that road during the day, and halfway through, the car started to feel strange, so he immediately turned back."
The fatty laughed, "Uncle, I think those are just stories to scare people."
Jiang Lingxi also chimed in, "I think so too. It's almost the 21st century, where are there any ghosts or spirits? It's getting late, Uncle, why don't you just take that route? There are so many of us, we won't be afraid even if we encounter any ghosts."
Jiang Feng was still hesitant. Seeing this, I said, "Uncle Jiang, how about we just try it? If we encounter anything strange, we can always turn back."
With four people, three were in favor of taking the small road. Jiang Feng had no choice but to grit his teeth and drive the car onto a dirt path.
Frankly, it wasn't that I was brave, but at this late hour, in this biting cold, turning back would have been truly arduous.
Right now, all I wanted was to get to Mohe quickly, find a place to take a nice hot shower, and then sleep.
About half an hour after the car entered the small road, nothing unusual happened, and everyone was still chatting and laughing as before.
But soon, it started to fog up outside.
It was normal for fog to form on both sides of this dirt road with its bushes. At first, no one paid it much mind, but gradually the fog thickened, and the car slowed down like a snail.
"Why is there so much fog?" the fatty rolled down the window and poked his head out.
As soon as the window was lowered, a gust of cold wind rushed in, chilling me to the bone, making me involuntarily shrink my neck.
I quickly told the fatty to roll up the window.
At this point, Jiang Feng also stopped the car and said, "The fog ahead is too thick, I can't see anything. We can't drive any further. If we drive into a ditch, we'll be in trouble."
When the car stopped, the air conditioning naturally shut off. I rubbed my hands continuously from the cold, "I think maybe we should take turns getting out and leading the way, driving slowly. It should get better after this stretch."
"That's a good idea," Jiang Feng nodded.
I looked at the fatty and said, "Master Fatty, how about you take the lead first?"
The fatty looked displeased, "Master Xiang, you're being too unfair! Why should I lead?"
"You're plump and can withstand the cold," I replied.
"I don't fear the cold, but walking alone in front at this late hour, I'm a bit..."
"Who was it that said they were brave just now?" I retorted impatiently.
The fatty put on a distressed face, "I was just saying that..."
"Alright, stop bickering. I'll go first, and you can come down and switch with me later," Jiang Lingxi said decisively.
With that, she jumped out of the car, took a flashlight, and went to the front of the car.
Thus, she walked ahead, and the car slowly followed behind her.
Jiang Lingxi walked outside for about twenty minutes. I suggested the fatty go down to relieve her, but he insisted on pulling me along, saying we should go together for company.
I had no choice but to get out of the car with him.
As soon as I stepped out, I shivered uncontrollably from the cold. I quickly took out a cigarette and lit one, relying on the small amount of warmth to ward off the chill.
The fog outside was indeed excessively thick; even when standing outside, visibility was only about three to four meters.
The fatty and I walked in front of the car, smoking. After about ten minutes, I thought I saw a figure in the fog...