Chapter 63: My Sister Likes This
About 20 kilometers from Jiangquan City, there is a small village called Gaze Village.
Thanks to the prosperous development of Jiangquan City, the economy of this small village is still quite good.
However, the siphon effect of big cities has drawn most of the young people in the village to Jiangquan City, leaving behind mostly old people.
But because the environment here is beautiful, belonging to a karst landform with many caves, many people have come here to travel in recent years.
So in a sense, it is not deserted here, and if you come during a short holiday, it might even be quite lively.
Leveraging tourism and the help of Jiangquan City, the originally dilapidated roads in the village have now been repaired and renovated into wide and flat asphalt roads.
When the taxi drove here, there was no bump.
It was a bit foggy tonight, and the bright headlights pierced the faint white mist, barely making it possible to see the road ahead and the buildings on both sides.
Liu Haoyu looked out the window. As expected of Gaze Village, which has developed economically, even the buildings on both sides of the road are uniformly decorated, almost identical in color and architectural style.
Although there are still high and low buildings, they don’t give a messy feeling, but rather a pleasing aesthetic.
Even Liu Haoyu, who had been trying to find something strange about this village all the way, found no clues at all.
There was no lingering resentment, the place was filled with lively energy, and the environment was not grim.
Even at this hour, there were cars coming and going on the roadside.
If you were to say this place is haunted…
Frankly, not everyone would believe it.
No wonder the rumors that spread afterward had no effect on this place, as it really looked too normal.
However, Liu Haoyu knew that even in a bustling downtown area with cars and crowds, there could still be fierce ghosts.
Ordinary people cannot see ghosts. As long as the ghosts do not cause trouble, even if they stand in the middle of a crowd, no one will know.
The taxi was still driving forward.
Inside the car, Liu Zining was drowsy, her little head bobbing up and down as if she were dozing off.
Liu Haoyu retracted his gaze from the beautiful scenery outside the window and asked Liu Zining,
“We’re almost there.”
“Thump…”
Before Liu Haoyu could finish speaking, Liu Zining leaned directly on his shoulder.
Her delicate and cute sleeping face appeared, and her faint breathing echoed in Liu Haoyu’s ears.
This scene looked very warm.
Even the taxi driver couldn’t help but say,
“This young girl is so sleepy, why don’t I drive slower? There are no hotels there, and it’s safer to sleep in the car than outside.”
“Mm…” Liu Haoyu nodded, then asked, “How far is it to Gaze Village?”
“At this speed, about 20 minutes.”
“Alright.”
The driver lowered the volume of the radio and switched to relatively quiet and soothing music.
“Sister…”
Liu Zining mumbled indistinctly in her dream.
“Don’t go…”
Perhaps dreaming of her loved ones, there were a few tears in the corner of the young girl’s eyes, which made people feel sympathetic.
Liu Haoyu, who had borrowed her shoulder, couldn’t help but reach out his hand, place it on her head, and gently comfort her.
Liu Zining’s black hair was very soft and had the scent of jasmine.
It might be the smell of shampoo, or it might be the unique fragrance of the young girl.
Through the rearview mirror, the driver glanced at the two people in the back seat and then asked Liu Haoyu,
“Are you two here for tourism?”
“Although the environment here is indeed very good, I still want to say,”
“There seems to be a rumor about this place being haunted. It would actually be better to come during the day.”
Liu Haoyu shook his head at the driver’s kind advice.
“It’s the 21st century, where are there any demons and monsters? Even if there were any demons and monsters, if capitalists saw them, they would be caught and put to work on the assembly line.”
“That’s true.”
The driver smiled, and the conversation between the two woke Liu Zining from her dream.
She blinked her eyes, seemingly wondering what she was leaning on.
Seeing this, the driver playfully said,
“Little brother, the girl next to you is awake.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Zining immediately sat up straight.
She turned to Liu Haoyu, her tone carrying a hint of embarrassment and a little shame.
Leaning on a man she had only known for less than three days…
This was indeed a bit inappropriate.
The taxi slowed down, with many small food stalls on both sides of the road, a parking lot nearby, and some artificial landscapes.
A river flowed through the middle of the village, with several arched bridges built over it. At first glance, it was indeed a very good tourist destination.
But Liu Haoyu was not here for tourism.
The two got out of the taxi. To ease the previous awkwardness, Liu Zining cleared her throat lightly and then asked,
“Brother Liu, looking at the food stalls here, should we eat something before we start investigating?”
“You’re quite leisurely…”
Liu Haoyu looked at Liu Zining’s relaxed demeanor, and anyone who didn’t know would think she was on vacation.
But Liu Zining argued logically,
“Although there have always been rumors about this place being haunted, it’s been over a year now, and nothing has happened. I’ve also come here with friends several times. It’s not like something will happen as soon as you arrive, right?”
“…Hard to say.”
Liu Haoyu felt that his luck was quite bad. Although he was fine, he always encountered some unpleasant things.
However, since Liu Zining said so, Liu Haoyu could only follow her, preparing to find a food stall to settle their late-night snack.
Although he wasn’t hungry, he might be able to gather some information from the nearby stalls.
“Let’s go, Miss Liu Zining.”
“Oh~”
Liu Zining squinted her eyes, looking at Liu Haoyu with a half-smile.
“Brother Liu, didn’t we agree that we are friends? Why are you still calling me Miss Liu Zining?”
“Could it be… you have a special fondness for this title?”
“Or have you forgotten my nickname?”
Listening to the girl’s teasing voice, Liu Haoyu could only scratch his head awkwardly.
“…Ningning?”
“That’s right. We’re all friends, why be so formal?”
Liu Zining said with a smile.
“Also, you saved my life before. Although it’s unlikely I’ll repay you by marrying you, it’s no problem to treat you to a late-night snack.”
“Tell me, what do you want to eat? My treat.”
Compared to Liu Haoyu, this girl who was backed by the Special Task Force was quite wealthy and appeared to be very generous.
“I’m not picky. You can order what you like to eat.”
“You’re quite good at making girls happy.”
The two sat at a table at the late-night snack stall. Many of the customers here were travelers preparing to go home, their faces filled with happiness and joy, chatting animatedly about the beautiful scenery they had seen today.
They seemed completely unconcerned about the rumors of haunting.
Liu Haoyu listened to the conversations of these passersby for a while, but they were indeed all meaningless chatter.
“Hey, Ningning, long time no see.”
The owner of the late-night snack stall saw Ningning and greeted her enthusiastically.
“Are you still having the same five items today?”
The owner in front of them seemed to be very familiar with Liu Zining.
“Yes, the five items are fine.”
After ordering, Liu Zining sat down and then explained,
“My sister often takes me here to play and eat, so over time, I became familiar with this owner.”
“No wonder.”
The waiting time wasn’t long, and after the owner brought the late-night snacks, Liu Zining subconsciously pushed the bowl of preserved egg and lean meat congee towards Liu Haoyu.
As she pushed it over, she only then realized…
The person sitting next to her was not her sister.
But Liu Haoyu.
“Sorry, sorry. What do you want to eat? Are these five items enough?”
“If not, I’ll order a few more.”
“It’s enough.”
Liu Haoyu took the preserved egg and lean meat congee that was pushed towards him.
Although he found it a bit strange that Liu Zining pushed the bowl of congee over, he didn’t refuse.
To answer Liu Haoyu’s confusion, Liu Zining held her soy milk and said,
“My sister… really likes to drink this, so… I instinctively pushed it over.”
Liu Zining’s tone was a little down, but this strong girl quickly regained her composure.
She smiled at Liu Haoyu and said,
“If you don’t like preserved eggs, I can swap my plain congee with you.”
Facing the girl who smiled strenuously but whose brows revealed sadness, Liu Haoyu shook his head and said,
“No, you’ve already drunk from that bowl.”
“Hey!”
This time, Liu Zining was speechless.
The sadness in her brows disappeared instantly, replaced by a spirited argument as she said,
“I only took a small sip, you don’t have to be so disgusted, do you!?”
