Chapter 1 The Beginning
The first family was quickly arranged.
Uncle Wang's family of three had two empty rooms, which could be made habitable with a little tidying up.
So Ning Wei and Wang Shunli discussed the number of people to be housed, and finally decided that each room would accommodate three people, making it three males and three females per room.
Originally twenty-seven people, there were two deans and two teachers, fifteen female students, and finally eight male students remaining.
The deans and teachers would naturally stay at the village chief's house, along with Ning Wei, the only female student.
The village chief's house would house five people, Uncle Wang's house six, leaving sixteen people. At most, three more families would be needed to arrange accommodation.
With Wang Shunli's help, the remaining people were quickly settled.
Each family had both men and women, seemingly arranged with great thoughtfulness.
However, Ning Wei noticed that a total of five families were arranged, and each family was quite a distance apart. If something were to happen, others would be too far away to help.
She wondered if this was intentional or accidental.
Because Ning Wei had been startled by Uncle Wang's wife, Wang Shunli quickly took her back home after the accommodation arrangements were made.
Seeing Ning Wei's pale complexion, Song Zhi was asked to take the students to greet the other families.
For convenience, they would also eat at these arranged homes, gathering at the village chief's house every morning before going out for考察 and research.
Seeing Ning Wei's pale face, Wang Shunli immediately ordered his mother to tidy up the room, his voice alarmingly loud, completely disregarding the presence of others.
Others' expressions were somewhat unnatural seeing Wang Shunli's attitude towards his mother.
As dusk approached, Professor Mei Nan gave a few instructions to the students not to wander off, and then let Song Zhi lead them away.
Ning Wei, feigning discomfort, declined dinner and went directly to her room to rest.
Upon opening the door, she was met with a musty smell mixed with the scent of burnt mugwort. Behind the door was a pile of black ash, likely from burnt mugwort.
The room was very simple, with only a wooden bed, a table, and a slightly crooked stool.
The quilt and pillow on the bed appeared to be new, but they were somewhat yellowed, suggesting they were old.
Ning Wei stood still. The village chief's wife approached hesitantly, holding a chipped porcelain bowl containing a bowl of steamed egg custard.
She placed the bowl on the table, gently tugged Ning Wei's clothes, and then gestured towards the egg custard, miming the act of eating.
Ning Wei tentatively asked, "Are you mute?"
She didn't react, but opened her mouth, revealing a black void within.
She was not mute; her tongue had been pulled out!
At that moment, Wang Shunli suddenly entered. The old woman immediately regained her timid and subservient demeanor, lowered her head, and left.
Wang Shunli looked at Ning Wei's profile and couldn't help but swallow.
Hearing the sound, Ning Wei suppressed her disgust and turned to him, saying, "I want to rest."
Wang Shunli seemed not to grasp her implied meaning and remained in the room.
"Ning Wei, you'll get a stomachache if you don't eat dinner. These eggs are from the village's free-range hens, very nutritious. My mother specifically cooked a bowl for you, please eat it."
Ning Wei lowered her gaze and said weakly, "I'll eat it later. Please go out first."
Wang Shunli's expression turned ugly, but he still retreated.
The wooden door was not sturdy, and after Wang Shunli left, he thoughtfully closed the door for Ning Wei.
Besides the dilapidated wooden door, the only other feature in the room was a small, intact window on the wall.
Light filtered in through the window, preventing the room from being too dark.
Ning Wei saw a dark yellow rope and pulled it. A dim, yellowish light flickered overhead. It turned out to be an old-fashioned light bulb.
It seemed to have a faulty connection, as it flickered not only when turned on but also every few minutes.
Ning Wei sat on the stool, looking at the egg custard in the bowl. After stirring it a few times, she ate it in a few mouthfuls.
By this time, the sky outside had completely darkened.
The free-range livestock had returned to their pens, and the occasional crow of a rooster or clucking of a hen could be heard.
Ning Wei, holding the empty bowl, opened the door. She intended to wash the bowl in the kitchen.
She happened to see light in the kitchen; it was the village chief's wife washing dishes.
Her back seemed to be in great pain, as she occasionally punched it with her fist, and her lame leg trembled.
Ning Wei deliberately made her footsteps louder, but the woman didn't even turn her head.
She was likely deaf.
To confirm her suspicion, Ning Wei pretended to slip, and the bowl in her hand fell to the ground, shattering into several pieces. Yet, the woman still didn't turn around.
At this moment, Wang Shunli heard the sound and came out. He looked displeased at the broken bowl and immediately shouted for his mother to clean it up.
Despite having a broom right by his feet, he ignored it.
Ning Wei also stood in place. Seeing that Wang Shunli's mother didn't react, she pretended to reach for the broom.
Wang Shunli looked at Ning Wei's delicate, slender hands, his heart burning with desire, and his eyes lingered on Ning Wei for several moments.
He thought he was being discreet, but Ning Wei was sensitive to all of this and forced herself to suppress the urge to beat him.
Wang Shunli reached out and stopped Ning Wei from helping.
He moved so quickly that Ning Wei wasn't paying attention. Their hands brushed, igniting a spark in Wang Shunli's heart.
He smiled fawningly at Ning Wei, "Ning Wei, don't bother. If you don't feel well, go back to your room and rest. I'll clean this up. My mother can't hear, so don't mind her."
Ning Wei shook her head, "It's alright. I'll be going back now."
Wang Shunli watched Ning Wei leave, her body swaying. Just thinking about it made him feel ecstatic, the fire surging to his throat. He swallowed hard.
Looking at his mother, dressed in patched clothes, stooped and with a trembling leg, he vented all his frustration onto her.
He casually picked up a matchstick from the ground and violently struck his mother's back.
Completely unprepared, she was hit by her own son and immediately fell to the ground.
She was holding a washed bowl in her hand, which shattered when she fell, and her hand landed directly on the fragments.
Her palm was cut, and blood immediately flowed out.
Her own son seemed not to notice. He strode forward, grabbed her by her clothes, and dragged her to the doorway. She couldn't resist and was pulled along.
Blood from her palm dripped onto the floor, like that of a slaughtered chicken.
She didn't know what was happening and stared blankly at her son after regaining her balance.