Chapter 28: Accommodation Assignments

"This truly is a real-life version of mountains beyond mountains!"

Looking out, rows of green hills stretched tightly together, with a cluster of houses nestled among them like scattered fragments. Stepping off the vehicle, the fresh mountain air rushed to meet them, instantly invigorating their spirits. Ji Yuanyuan spread her arms wide and took a deep breath: "I have to say, the air in these mountains is just so much better than in the city."

Zhuzi looked at the group with a smile: "Let's keep moving, everyone. If we head back now, we'll make it just in time for lunch!"

The group had no objections. The two locals led the way while the others followed behind. Zhuzi occasionally acted as a tour guide: "The mountain paths here are very steep, and it's all forest around us. If you don't have locals leading the way, it's very easy to get lost in these mountains, so everyone needs to hurry!"

Facing a crowd of zombies all day, it was a rare treat to reclaim the peace and quiet from before the apocalypse. Zhao Xiaoting found everything novel: "Honestly, this really feels like a field trip from when I was a kid!"

"You talk too much," Chi Xing said, casting a cool glance at her, clearly still holding a grudge.

Zhao Xiaoting stuck her tongue out at him and ran over to Jiang Yao's side: "What's it to you?"

He couldn't hit her here anyway, and as for what would happen after they left, she would worry about that later!

The group walked for nearly a whole hour, moving from their initial high spirits to breathless exhaustion. Duan Yiren's cheeks were flushed red from fatigue: "Brother Zhuzi, are we there yet?"

Zhuzi nodded repeatedly: "Almost there, almost there! It's just up ahead!"

The group finally caught sight of a corner of the village and collectively let out a sigh of relief. Xiang Yu's calves were trembling from the exertion: "This is way too far."

Zhuzi's uncle walked silently in front, while Zhuzi said cheerfully: "Sorry to make you all work so hard. Our transportation is cut off here; otherwise, nobody would want to walk such a long mountain path unless they had to go into town to buy supplies."

A large yellow dog was tethered at the entrance to the village and began barking from far away. Duan Yiren felt a bit frightened, her face turning pale. Chi Xing smiled thoughtfully: "Are you actually afraid of dogs?"

Duan Yiren caught the mockery in his tone and puffed out her cheeks: "So what if I'm afraid of dogs? If you had been bitten by a dog when you were a child, you'd be afraid too!"

Zhuzi explained considerately: "In our village, almost every household keeps a dog to guard their home. They're just barking because they see you're strangers."

"Zhuzi, who are these people?" An elderly man walked up, his gaze sweeping over the group as he asked.

Zhuzi smiled: "Village Chief, these are guests here to visit our Luoxia Mountain. Could you see if you can help arrange their lodging for the night?"

The village chief smiled kindly: "Since they are guests from afar, we should treat them well. I'll have a word with a few of the aunties in a bit."

"Thank you, Village Chief!" The group expressed their gratitude.

Jiang Yao walked at the back, encountering many villagers along the way who stared at them with curious eyes, as if looking at some kind of exotic novelty. The village was only so big; in no time, word had spread like wildfire that some tourists had arrived. She observed a phenomenon along the way: there were very few young people in the village, and there was a severe gender imbalance.

Chi Xing also asked this question: "Brother Zhuzi, why are there so few young people in your village?"

Zhuzi explained: "You know how it is—nowadays, few young people want to stay in the countryside. They either go out to work or go to school in other cities, and they only return once a year during the New Year!"

"No wonder." Such a phenomenon was common enough.

Ji Yuanyuan suddenly let out a startled cry, giving the others a jump: "What's wrong?"

Ji Yuanyuan pointed in a direction, still shaken: "I was passing by there just now and felt like someone was spying on me. I turned my head and saw a pair of eyes in the window. It scared me to death!"

The group looked in the direction she pointed. The paper-covered windows were tattered and torn, and indeed, someone was peeking out from behind them. Catching the sight so suddenly was quite unsettling.

Seeing this, Zhuzi sighed: "That's Chunhua's mother. A few years ago, while doing farm work, she accidentally fell from a slope and hit her head. She's been mentally unstable ever since!" He couldn't help but warn them: "When you pass by, keep your distance. When she has an episode, she throws stones at people, and in severe cases, she'll even bite!"

The group nodded. Jiang Yao looked over thoughtfully; the woman was staring at them with a blank smile. Soon, the small house was out of sight.

"Every household in the village has limited spare rooms, so I'm afraid you'll have to settle for staying in separate houses."

Everyone expressed their understanding. After some discussion, Jiang Yao and Duan Yiren stayed in one house, while Ji Yuanyuan, Zhao Xiaoting, and Xiang Yu stayed in another. The three boys, including Chi Xing, were split between two other houses.

They went to their respective lodgings to drop off their belongings. The place where Jiang Yao stayed was a mud-walled house. As the name suggests, the walls were made of rammed earth and the roof was tiled; the conditions were rudimentary. However, having walked through the village, she noticed almost all the houses were like this, which showed just how backward the local economy was.

Duan Yiren looked at the house before her and sighed: "Nowadays, most rural areas have self-built villas. It's been a long time since I've seen a house like this."

Jiang Yao looked up at her: "You've seen them before?"

Duan Yiren nodded, a look of reminiscence on her face: "When I was little, I lived with my grandmother, and they lived in a house just like this back then." She then looked at Jiang Yao with a touch of guilt: "I'm sorry. If it weren't for considering me, you could have stayed with your friends."

Jiang Yao could have stayed with her friends, but considering it wasn't ideal for Duan Yiren to be alone as a girl, she had taken the initiative to suggest rooming with her, leaving the other three to squeeze in together. She curved her lips: "Don't mention it, it's just a small favor."

The household they stayed in consisted only of an old grandmother who was sitting under the eaves sewing shoe soles. The two of them stepped forward to greet her: "Hello, Grandma. We're here to stay at your place."

The old woman looked up at them, clearly not hearing clearly: "Huh?"

The elderly were often hard of hearing. Duan Yiren, being quite experienced, stepped closer, raised her voice, and repeated herself. The old woman nodded as if she suddenly understood: "Oh, yes, the village chief told me. You're here for tourism."

She rose shakily from her low stool, and Duan Yiren stepped forward to help her. The old woman smiled kindly: "Come on in and sit down, children."

There were no lights on, and even in the daytime, the room was very dim. The old woman was frugal with electricity, but the two of them were used to it. Passing through the central room, the old woman led them to an even darker bedroom: "Young ladies, will it be alright for you two to sleep here tonight?"

In the Southwest region, young girls are often addressed as "young sisters." Looking at the humble surroundings, Jiang Yao wasn't picky: "Thank you, Grandma." Duan Yiren had no objections either.

The old woman looked a bit flustered: "Look at this, I didn't have time to tidy up. The house is a mess; I've made you laugh!"

The two of them couldn't let her do the work: "It's alright, we'll handle it ourselves!"