Fu Chengwei was startled by Ning Wei's reaction and quickly looked away.
Today, Fu Chengwei was being a bit difficult, so Ning Wei paid him even more attention.
Everyone acted as if Ning Wei's words were true.
Then, for what reason would the village chief's wife be treated this way?
Unfortunately, no one would tell them the answer, leaving them to discover it themselves.
Now that there were no outsiders in the courtyard, they discussed dividing into groups.
Mei Nan, Ning Wei, Song Zhi, and Fu Chengwei would go together, and the others would form their own groups.
Before setting off, Ning Wei told everyone, "Absolutely do not split up!"
Taking advantage of the village chief's family not yet returning, they immediately set out.
Mei Nan and the other three walked behind, discussing where they should go.
Ning Wei remembered the village chief saying his wife fell from the back mountain, so she suggested they go to the back mountain to investigate.
The three men naturally had no objections.
Although Ning Wei could be very reckless at times, there was no denying that her capabilities were extraordinary!
If it weren't for her, they wouldn't have left the previous few stations so easily.
Despite her cold exterior, she had never harmed anyone.
Take the incident at the school, for example. If she hadn't repeatedly reminded everyone to hit the management uncle, they wouldn't have obtained their bus tickets.
Along the way, only Fu Chengwei chattered incessantly.
The villagers saw them moving around and didn't say anything, but their eyes were fixed on Ning Wei or the other female students.
Because their gazes were unrestrained, Mei Nan and the other two immediately shielded Ning Wei in the center.
Mei Nan, being the eldest, was treated with great respect by Ning Wei.
Furthermore, Mei Nan's identity this time was that of the Dean of the History Department and a professor. He thought he might be exposed, but unexpectedly, he adapted smoothly, even engaging in a two-hour conversation with the village chief without repetition.
The journey from the village to the back mountain was not short. Ning Wei suddenly asked Mei Nan about his past occupation.
Although surprised by Ning Wei's sudden question, Mei Nan kindly told her, "I was just an ordinary high school history teacher. After finishing my evening classes at school, I intended to go home. I never expected that the bus I took every day would now lead to these places."
Mei Nan's tone was full of regret and a hint of anxiety.
Fu Chengwei jumped out and asked Song Zhi, "We all went to the small grove that night, but I couldn't find you anywhere. Where exactly did you go? Since you didn't hit that person, how did you get the ticket?"
Song Zhi looked at him speechlessly, "I don't want to talk about it."
Fu Chengwei became displeased and pestered Song Zhi, insisting he tell them or he would suspect he was possessed by a ghost.
Song Zhi saw Mei Nan and Ning Wei looking over curiously, and with a dark expression, recounted what happened that night.
He knew Ning Wei was punished by Lu Meng to work in the cafeteria. He intended to rescue her that night, but as soon as he stepped out of the office, he was stopped by Lu Meng.
Lu Meng was wearing a sexy tight-fitting dress, her chest full and revealing half a sphere.
She used all her charm to seduce Song Zhi. Song Zhi knew her intentions were not pure and she wanted to stall for time.
However, Song Zhi was completely inexperienced in dealing with such situations and was forced to stay in the office with Lu Meng until closing time.
After hearing this, Fu Chengwei asked gossipy, "Did nothing really happen? Lu Meng's background is impeccable."
Song Zhi sneered, "Did you forget seeing Lu Meng like a burnt charcoal at the school entrance? Can you still see her good figure?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Chengwei panicked.
He was most afraid of these things. He had finally forgotten, and now Song Zhi brought it up again. He glared at him resentfully.
After this brief interlude, the four people returned to silence.
Ning Wei walked at the front, her steps quick. Many people were still farming at the foot of the mountain, including the village chief.
The village chief saw Mei Nan and his group and immediately called out loudly, "Professor Mei, where are you going!"
Mei Nan and the four stopped, and Mei Nan waved back, "We're going to wander around the mountain."
The village chief smiled and warned, "The mountain path is rugged, be careful!"
Ning Wei had already walked far ahead, and Mei Nan and the other two quickly jogged to catch up.
After walking a short distance up the mountain, everyone knew the village chief was right.
There was no path on the back mountain at all. Ning Wei used a branch in her hand to tap around, finding a small path covered by wild grass.
Some of the wild grass here grew taller than a person, suggesting no one frequented the area.
Ning Wei also found many traps and snares in the grass.
The traps were deep enough to reach above a person's waist, with a layer of sharp stones at the bottom. Falling in would make it difficult to climb out, and one's feet would surely be injured.
Snares could be found every few steps.
Some were rusty, appearing old and unused.
Mei Nan squatted down to examine a few, finding them stained with blood, some with flesh and blood.
However, due to the passage of time, it was impossible to tell what animal had left them.
Fu Chengwei muttered nearby, "The village keeps chickens and ducks everywhere. Are these snares meant to prevent wild animals from coming down and stealing them?"
Song Zhi disagreed with his assessment, "If there were really wild animals on the mountain, the village chief wouldn't let us come up so carelessly. Besides, these snares are so rusty, they probably haven't caught any animals in a long time."
Ning Wei added, "Not only that, but I also found pieces of shoes and clothes in the traps. It looks like these traps aren't for catching animals."
"Then what are they for? Are they for catching people?" Fu Chengwei asked with feigned innocence, but voiced everyone's suspicion.
The three men, excluding Fu Chengwei, had grim expressions and looked around the surroundings.
Ning Wei found a dead wild rabbit in a trap. It looked like it had died recently. She instructed Fu Chengwei to retrieve it.
Fu Chengwei was initially unwilling but, after being kicked by Ning Wei, he grudgingly jumped down.
The four of them had a harvest on their trip up the mountain and their descent.
Fu Chengwei carried a rabbit in his hand, brandishing it to scare the classmates he encountered, especially the female students.
They were naturally compassionate and felt sorry for them.
The group returned to the village chief's house with an air of casualness. The village chief was already sitting in the courtyard, leisurely drinking tea.
Seeing Mei Nan enter, he immediately stood up and greeted him.
Fu Chengwei jumped out from behind and said, "We can have an extra dish tonight. We found a dead rabbit in a trap on the mountain. We don't know whose trap it is, but can we eat it?"
The village chief smiled and took the rabbit, "The traps were dug by the villagers together. More than ten years ago, wolves appeared on the mountain and came down to catch chickens and ducks. To stop them, we dug traps and set many snares."