The driver, nicknamed Lao Zhang, spat and laughed, "You've got some ideas, haven't you? Alright, Lao Liu, I'm off now. Remember, contact me every half hour!"
Zhou Xuan understood Lao Zhang's meaning. Although Lao Zhang was tempted by the fare when he went to Moyin Mountain, he still considered safety issues, so he asked Lao Liu to contact him every half hour to ensure that nothing had happened to him.
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xuan took out his wallet from his pocket, counted out twelve hundred-yuan bills, and handed them over. Kao Zhang smiled and took the money. He counted the bills and found that the number was correct. He mainly checked them by touch to see if they were counterfeit.
The money was real, and the amount was correct. Old Zhang put the money away carefully, then drove off. He filled up with another two hundred yuan worth of gas at a gas station on the outskirts of the city before continuing his journey.
On the road leading from the city outskirts to Moyin Mountain, there was a stretch of good road. This stretch of road was smooth and fast. Zhou Xuan lay down and slept with his eyes closed. Wei Xiaoyu looked out the window, not knowing what she was looking at. In fact, it was pitch black outside and she couldn't see anything.
Once the good road ended and they entered a one-way street, the speed slowed down. An hour later, when they reached the dirt road, the car started to bump around, and Zhou Xuan couldn't sleep anymore.
The road was winding and steep, with sharp bends. Driver Zhang drove carefully. Under the headlights, the road ahead was a series of sharp bends, cliffs, steep uphill slopes, and downhill slopes of nearly 60 degrees.
Zhou Xuan and Wei Xiaoyu were sitting in the back row without seatbelts, so they kept bumping into each other.
In the supermarket, Zhou Xuan held Wei Xiaoyu's hand. At that time, he had no impure thoughts and did not think of anything else. However, he became embarrassed because of the close physical contact with Wei Xiaoyu. Fortunately, it was dark and he could not see her face clearly.
Moyin Mountain is a mountainous area and also a town, but the town center is at the foot of the mountain. Apart from this Jigen Road, there are no other roads on the mountain. It is all mountains.
It was nearly nine o'clock when Lao Zhang finally arrived at the location of the Moyinshan Township government.
This street has fewer than fifty households in total, as you can tell from the houses on both sides of the street. It's a very remote and poor place.
Old Zhang stopped his car on the street. Zhou Xuan got out, slung one backpack over his shoulder, then leaned back on the other. He took out two hundred yuan from his wallet and handed it to Old Zhang, saying, "Brother driver, I'm sorry, the road is terrible. I'll give you an extra two hundred yuan. Drive carefully on your way back, don't rush back. Thank you!"
Old Zhang was still a bit stunned after receiving the money. He had never encountered anything like this before. After agreeing on a price, some people would only haggle and try to bargain, only offering less money but never asking for more. Moreover, when they arrived at their destination, he initially suspected that Zhou Xuan might be a robber, which was completely absurd.
After saying goodbye to Lao Zhang, Wei Xiaoyu saw Zhou Xuan carrying a handbag and looking somewhat inconvenient. She silently took the bag from his hand and slung it over her shoulder.
That bag contained only some food items and wasn't heavy; Zhou Xuan had already taken the heavier bag.
We found a guesthouse on this street, the only one on the street. It was a dilapidated mud-brick building with two floors. The door downstairs was open. Under the dim light of a 25-watt light bulb, a woman around forty years old sat behind a wooden table with a very old red lacquer. In the corner behind the door, there was a small, old 14-inch color TV. A variety show from CCTV-3 was playing on the TV, with a female celebrity dancing and singing.
Zhou Xuan and Wei Xiaoyu entered the house one after the other. The woman, startled to see them, asked in surprise, "You two..."
"We need to stay at the hotel, landlady, please give us two rooms!" Zhou Xuan said directly without waiting for her to ask.
Judging from their appearance, it was clear they wanted to stay at an inn. The woman just hadn't expected anyone to come so late, as there were very few people in the mountains to begin with.
"Business is always good," the woman said with a smile, "but..." She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are you siblings or husband and wife?"
Zhou Xuan blushed and stammered, but Wei Xiaoyu chimed in, "He's my boyfriend!"
"Oh, you're boyfriend and girlfriend? That's great!" The woman said with a smile. "I don't know what's going on, but our shop has been open for over ten years, and all twelve rooms have never been full. But now it's full. A lot of people have been staying here for the past week. I only have one room left. If you're boyfriend and girlfriend, that's fine. You can share a room. That's how it is with couples these days!"
He got up, took the keys, and led Zhou Xuan and Wei Xiaoyu upstairs. After a few steps, he turned back and praised Wei Xiaoyu, "You're such a pretty girl!"
When they got upstairs, they went to the very last room. The woman unlocked the door, opened it, went inside, and turned on the light.
The room is about fifteen square meters. There is a one-meter bed, two wooden chairs, two pairs of slippers, and a wooden shelf in the corner for holding a washbasin and a foot basin. There is a plastic basin on the top and bottom of the shelf. There are two thermos flasks on the wooden table next to the shelf. Apart from these, there is no other furniture in the room.
The woman smiled and said, "The room is quite nice. The toilet is downstairs on the right. There are two basins for washing your face and feet, and there is hot water in the thermos. If you run out of water, just call me and I will refill it for you. By the way, my name is Wu Jinfeng, but everyone calls me Sister Feng. You can just call me Sister Feng!"
Wei Xiaoyu bit her lip and remained silent. The simplicity of the place was far from what she had imagined. Zhou Xuan was also very embarrassed and didn't know what to say.
Sister Feng continued, "The room is thirty yuan a day. There are two of you, so it's fifty yuan a day. Meals are extra. If you think it's okay, then pay up."
In this place where we're neither above nor below the earth, what else can we do if we can't?
Zhou Xuan quickly took out his wallet, took out five hundred yuan and gave it to Sister Feng, then instructed: "Sister Feng, let me deposit five hundred yuan in advance. If someone checks out, please reserve the room for me immediately. If you don't have enough money, just let me know and I'll make up the difference. Also, regarding food, we'll pay for it as we eat!"
Sister Feng greeted her brother with a smile, nodded repeatedly, and went out. As she left, she turned back and said, "Young man, if you need anything, just call out loud. I can hear you downstairs!"
After the overly enthusiastic Sister Feng came downstairs, Zhou Xuan suddenly felt like he didn't know where to put his hands and feet. Wei Xiao shrank his shoulders. It was only early spring, and the weather was still cold. Besides, they were on a mountain, and it was quite cold at night.
Zhou Xuan put his backpack on the chair, then went to the door and closed it. When he turned around and saw Wei Xiaoyu's blushing face, he suddenly felt something was wrong and quickly opened the door again.
Wei Xiaoyu tossed her bag onto Zhou Xuan's bag, then sat on the bed.
The bed wasn't very wide, but the sheets and blankets were spotless. She lowered her head, rubbed her cold hands, and said softly, "Aren't you cold with the door open? I'm cold!"
Zhou Xuan said "Oh," then closed the door. Turning back, he thought for a moment, pointed to the plastic basin on the wooden shelf in the corner of the room, and asked Wei Xiaoyu, "Do you want to wash your face?"
Wei Xiaoyu nodded. Zhou Xuan poured a small basin of water from the bottle, the water steaming. He carried it to the bedside, placed it on a chair, and then took a towel out of his backpack.
Luckily, I bought a cleaning kit at the supermarket, otherwise this store wouldn't have any. If I needed one, they sell it on the counter behind Sister Feng's table downstairs, but the quality isn't guaranteed. Those toothpastes and such were covered in so much dust, I don't even know if they're expired. Even if they aren't expired, I can't guarantee they're not fake.
Wei Xiaoyu bent down and put her hands into the hot water in the pot. It was called boiling water, but it was actually no more than fifty degrees Celsius. However, it was still very comfortable to scald her hands on a cold day.
After washing her face, with some water stains on her hair and cheeks, Wei Xiaoyu had a unique charm even without makeup.
Zhou Xuan poured the water into another plastic basin, and then poured more water into the thermos, but there was no water left in the thermos.
Zhou Xuan carried the bottle up the stairs and called out, "Sister Feng, there's no water!"
"It will take an hour. The fire has just been lit, and the water won't boil yet!" Sister Feng shouted back from downstairs.
Zhou Xuan was dumbfounded. After a moment of stunned silence, he carried the empty bottle into the house. He was glad that he hadn't thrown away the water he had just used to wash his face. Now he could only use that water to wash his feet. However, taking a bath in this place was just a pipe dream.
Using the remaining water, Zhou Xuan hastily wiped his face. Beside the bed, Wei Xiaoyu used the same water to wash her feet, then placed them on a wooden chair. Her fair and delicate feet made Zhou Xuan feel uncomfortable. Normally, he wouldn't have felt anything, but in this situation, with a man and a woman alone in a room, on a bed, there was an indescribable feeling.
Although Zhou Xuan didn't have those thoughts, he still felt uneasy.
Wei Xiaoyu remained silent, doing whatever Zhou Xuan asked her to do. In her heart, however, she still secretly hoped that it was possible. Since boarding the plane, Zhou Xuan had been in charge. After getting off the plane, neither Zhou Xuan nor she had obtained any clues. But why did Zhou Xuan take her to such a remote mountainous area?
So you have absolutely no ulterior motives? Or do you still want to take your relationship with her to the next level?
Wei Xiaoyu felt it was plausible; all of Zhou Xuan's actions seemed to suggest this, but based on her understanding of Zhou Xuan, it didn't quite seem like it either. Looking at the room and the single blanket, Wei Xiaoyu felt a surge of panic. What should she do if Zhou Xuan wanted it?