After chatting for a while longer and finishing most of the wine, the group prepared to leave.
Zhang Xiaoqiang took out three hundred yuan and handed it over. "Sister, this is for the wine."
The middle-aged woman quickly waved her hand. "No, no, this wine isn't expensive."
Zhang Xiaoqiang shook his head. "Sister, please accept this money. It's just a small token of our appreciation."
The middle-aged woman still refused. "The village doesn't need much money. Our meals and wine are all self-sufficient."
Hearing this, Zhang Xiaoqiang put the money back.
He had to admit that the people here were simple and didn't have much desire for money.
After bidding farewell to the middle-aged woman, the group walked along the village road.
"According to what the sister said, this treasure is most likely fake news," Zhang Xiaoqiang said.
Da Hu and Li Naifeng beside him remained silent.
"Whether it's true or false, we'll know tomorrow when we go to see," Yu Daohan said, looking at Su Lai, who had been silent all along.
"Oh, that's strange. Old Su, you haven't reacted at all to hearing that the treasure is fake."
Su Lai nodded in surprise. "It seems so. Normally, I would have started cursing by now."
Yu Daohan shook his head helplessly and looked up at the peach blossoms. "The elders say that scenery can clear one's mind of all distractions. It seems there's some truth to that."
It was about a half-day journey from the village to the back mountain, so the group decided to set out tomorrow to investigate.
Following the direction the sister had mentioned, they arrived at the village's only small inn, which was more like a guesthouse.
As they entered the gate, there were rooms on both sides. Although the decor wasn't much, the courtyard full of peach blossoms added a lot of charm to the inn.
At the front desk, they saw an old man leisurely lying on a rocking chair, fanning himself.
Zhang Xiaoqiang chuckled. "Grandpa, we'd like to stay here."
The old man opened his eyes, glanced at them, and then closed them again, fanning himself. "Fifty yuan a day. The keys are on the doors. Feel free to pick any room. No deposit."
The group looked at the old man, surprised by the low price.
After paying, they chose five rooms. Yu Daohan opened a room and walked in.
The overall style inside was somewhat ancient. Although there was no television, they could see the peach blossoms outside the window.
With nothing else to do, they went for a stroll around the village.
Indeed, the local customs were simple, without the hustle and bustle of the city. They didn't even see a single car.
Perhaps due to being far from the city, the village population wasn't large. Most people could be seen working in the fields.
They returned to the inn in the evening.
This kind of small inn didn't offer à la carte service; guests basically ate whatever the hosts ate.
Perhaps seeing guests, the owner even specially killed a chicken.
Of course, the local specialty, peach blossom wine, was indispensable.
Yu Daohan and Li Naifeng also didn't touch a drop of alcohol.
After eating and drinking their fill, the group returned to their respective rooms to rest.
Back in his room, Yu Daohan lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze.
This place, far from the secular world, could truly be considered a paradise.
However, it all seemed a bit too unreal.
After thinking, Yu Daohan shook his head helplessly.
Perhaps he was just too tired, making him overly suspicious.
The next day, except for Yu Daohan and Li Naifeng, the others slept until they woke up naturally.
Yu Daohan felt a bit helpless. When had these guys become so lazy?
The group took an ox cart driven by a local to head towards the mountain.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, the local took them to the place where a meteorite had created a deep crater.
Looking at the deep crater before them, everyone was stunned. The crater was as large as a football field.
It was filled with peach trees, and each one was incredibly tall, some even taller than hundred-year-old pine trees. Peach blossoms covered the ground, making it a sea of blossoms.
Su Lai shook his head and couldn't help but exclaim, "Good heavens, in all my life, I, Su Lai, have never seen such tall peach trees."
Yu Daohan also found it somewhat unbelievable.
"These were planted by the villagers."
The local beside them pointed to one of the peach trees. "I planted that one."
"Our village has a custom. Anyone who comes to our village can plant a peach tree here, which will bring the protection of the mountain god. Of course, this is voluntary."
After speaking, the local took out a few blood-red seeds from his pocket.
Without hesitation, Zhang Xiaoqiang and the others each picked up a seed, went down, and planted it in the soil.
Yu Daohan and Li Naifeng were not interested and did not plant any.
Seeing them plant the seeds, the local spoke again. "You also need to drip a drop of your own fresh blood onto it to officially complete the ritual."
Hearing this, Yu Daohan suddenly sensed something was wrong. Just as he was about to stop them, it was already too late. "Wait a moment..."
Before he could finish, Zhang Xiaoqiang and the others had already confusedly bitten their fingers and dripped their blood onto the seeds.
Seeing that the ritual was complete, the local started walking up the slope. "You can wander around this peach forest. I'll wait for you up there."
After the local left, Yu Daohan looked at the others with a serious expression. "You're all in this line of work too. Don't you know that you shouldn't drip your blood carelessly?"