"Exactly, one of us is injured, and the bumpy road up and down the mountain makes me worry he can’t handle it. Could we stay here for the night, and we’ll leave at first light?" the man with glasses negotiated.
The village chief gave the man with glasses a cunning glance, then set his gaze on Xu Ke and the others before speaking gruffly: "Our village doesn’t usually harbor outsiders, as you know. But since you’ve said this, it would make us seem unreasonable if we disagreed. I agree to let you stay, but be warned, it’s only for one night. Tomorrow morning at dawn, you must all leave, no exceptions."
Usually, when the man with glasses talked to the village chief, nine times out of ten, he hit a wall. But suddenly, without much effort, he managed to get agreement from him, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Alright, don’t worry, by the time dawn breaks, even if you don’t mention it, we’ll be on our way. We need to hurry down the mountain to contact the construction team to build houses," the man with glasses said with a noticeable smile.
"Don’t get too happy just yet. There are conditions to this. If you enter my village, you follow my rules. If I find anyone breaking them, don’t blame me for throwing them out and embarrassing you," the village chief warned, looking at the man with glasses.
"That’s only right. Don’t worry, we will definitely follow the rules and won’t do anything inappropriate," the man with glasses assured.
The village chief nodded, satisfied with the man’s easy promise. He pointed out four villagers and instructed them to split the four, including the man with glasses, and each take one to their home.
The man with glasses called Xu Ke and the others over, saying, "The road to the village was rough. I just negotiated with the village chief, and he agreed to let us stay temporarily, but we must leave by morning. In someone else’s village, we must follow their rules. Whatever they ask us to do, we do it. We definitely shouldn’t do anything to upset the villagers."
Although he was instructing everyone, the man with glasses was most worried about Xu Ke, fearing that Xu Ke, accustomed to living in luxury, wouldn’t handle this hardship well.
Xu Ke noticed the concern in his eyes and smiled, saying, "Don’t worry, I won’t cause any trouble. I can handle one night."
Hearing Xu Ke’s assurance, the man with glasses breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, the villagers assigned by the chief approached them. These four men looked fierce, their eyes bestial and their movements demonstrating their robust physiques.
Their eyes scanned Xu Ke and the others briefly before each chose their target and said, ". In the village, you’re not allowed to wander; you must stay within our grounds, understood?"
Everyone nodded at the man’s requirement, though internally they were puzzled, not understanding the rule. But considering the village’s hostile stance towards outsiders, they stopped questioning, assuming the villagers disliked outsiders.
As soon as they reached the village entrance, they were separated. The four young men lived in different village directions. The one leading Xu Ke appeared leaner, and his house was farther, requiring them to cross the entire village.
Xu Ke frowned from the moment they entered the village. As they walked through it, his brows furrowed deeper. He hadn’t seen a single woman, only men filled his view.
"We’re here. You’ll stay here tonight. Once again, don’t wander around. Our villagers dislike seeing outsiders," the man said before attempting to leave, but Xu Ke stopped him.
"I wanted to ask, I didn’t notice a toilet when I came in. What should I do if I need to go?" Xu Ke asked.
"See that cornfield in the backyard? You can handle it there. It can fertilize the field, so it won’t be wasted," the man responded without hesitation.
Xu Ke initially thought the house lacked a toilet because there might be a communal one in the village. He never expected such an answer. His expression stiffened, and he asked again, "In the... cornfield?"
"Yes, that’s right." The man nodded, noticing Xu Ke’s discomfort and smirked mockingly. "What? Not used to it? No worries, you’ll get used to it. Our village isn’t like the city where even using the toilet is a big deal. As long as there’s a place, what’s the need for so many requirements?"
After a few jabs at Xu Ke, the man tried to leave again, only to be stopped once more. Annoyed, the man rolled his eyes at Xu Ke and asked impatiently, "What now? Can you just say everything at once? I’ve got work to do and no time to waste on you."
"Just one last thing. Can I find the others who came with me later?"
At Xu Ke’s question, the man’s face changed momentarily. He quickly regained composure, but Xu Ke had caught the fleeting look of caution. Despite noting this reaction mentally, Xu Ke maintained his composed facade, waiting for an answer.
"Didn’t I already say not to wander around? Why ask this again?" the man snapped, irritated. "What? Can’t understand human language?" Official source is n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
"I’m not used to sleeping in an unfamiliar place, especially one without electricity or internet. I have nothing to pass the time. I was hoping I could chat with them tonight to tire myself out enough to sleep," Xu Ke smiled politely, though it was patience he never thought he had within him.
"Living so far apart, by the time you’re tired from chatting and walk back, you won’t be tired again. Besides, if you can’t sleep, does that mean they can’t either? Just stay put; close your eyes if you can’t sleep. Eventually, you will. If not, stay awake until dawn and sleep when you return," the man replied bluntly.
Seeing the man’s attitude, Xu Ke asked no more. Just before the man left, he spat on the ground and muttered, "What’s a grown man being so fussy for here? No one’s begging you to stay. If you can’t sleep, go back; why stay here?"
The man slammed the door shut, causing dust to fall from the rafters.
Xu Ke sat in the room silently. He sat on the earthen bed for a while before wandering around. During this wandering, Xu Ke discovered something. He noticed scratches on the wall hidden behind a cabinet; only a tiny part was visible, and Xu Ke guessed more were concealed behind it.