Chapter 815: A Million Times for You (177)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Do you suspect that he isn’t blind at all?”
“I’m not sure. He does seem to actually be blind. I’ll go fetch Xiao Bai and buy some fast food. I don’t think we should eat the food here.”
An Xiaoning nodded and said, “Alright, go ahead. Be safe on the roads.”
“Yes.”
An Xiaoning followed after Fan s.h.i.+xin left.
She did not see a single surveillance camera at all along the way.
She would find out if there really wasn’t any surveillance cameras or if they were just well hidden once she takes a closer look.
The mansion was not too large and she made a conscious effort to look out for surveillance cameras while walking, only to find that there really wasn’t any.
She did not wish to enter the main door alone.
Thus, she strolled along the sidewalks outside instead.
The weather was extremely warm and humid. She was walking at an exceptionally slow pace. On the surface, she appeared to be like an actual tourist taking a look around the place.
She walked one round around the mansion.
By the time she finished walking, Fan s.h.i.+xin and Xiao Bai had arrived with the luggage.
“Shall I allocate you to another room?” the elderly man asked.
“Thank you, Uncle. Sorry for the trouble.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Xiao Bai was a.s.signed to the room beside theirs. The two rooms were separated by a wooden plank in between, which had no soundproofing effects at all.
The three of them would make sure to keep their volumes down as low as possible whenever they talked.
Xiao Bai asked, “Shall we go inside the mansion to take a look while the weather is good?”
“No rush.”
Fan s.h.i.+xin looked at her and asked, “Do you have another idea?”
An Xiaoning nodded and said, “Since we’ve already made it in, there’s no need to be in a hurry to explore. I’m actually very curious about this blind old man. I have a hunch that there’s more to him than meets the eye.”
“Shall we split up, then? Xiao Bai and I shall go visit the inner dwellings of the mansion while you go inside the old man’s house if you get the chance to. There’s no harm in taking a look, but just don’t let him catch you. It’ll be best if you can find out whether he’s really blind or not,” Fan s.h.i.+xin suggested.
“My thoughts exactly,” An Xiaoning agreed.
“Sis, Brother-in-law, look at this,” said Xiao Bai, retrieving a small cage from inside a bag. There were two mice inside the cage.
“Why aren’t they moving at all? Did they suffocate to death?” An Xiaoning asked.
Xiao Bai explained, “I fed them with drugs and they’re still unconscious. I bought them on the streets to test if there’s anything wrong with that old man. We have to check if there’s anything wrong with the food he provides us.”
“Xiao Bai has a point, but… regardless of whether we manage to find out anything or not, we won’t eat the things here. We can’t drink a single sip of the water he gives us either. It’s better to be safe than sorry. We ought to be on our guard at all times when we’re out.”
Fan s.h.i.+xin said softly, “That’s right, Xiao Bai, let’s go now while the weather is fair.”
“Sure,” Xiao Bai agreed.
The duo proceeded to the relic site while An Xiaoning took out a pair of shoes from her luggage. The soles of the shoes were made of a lightweight material while the rest of the shoes were knitted, making it light and comfortable.
She changed into them and exited.
The moment she arrived behind the wooden house, she caught sight of the elderly man standing amidst a field of vegetables, which was a distance away. He was holding a water hose in his hand and seemed to be watering the crops.
She returned inside the wooden house and stood in front of a door that was locked by a large padlock.
To her amazement, there were windows in every guest room of the house except this one. The room must be pitch dark inside , she thought to herself.
Since there was no way she could enter, she decided to walk toward the elderly man.
“Uncle, are you sure you can finish eating all these fruits and vegetables you’ve grown?” she asked.
“An old man like me can’t eat much. I grew them to feed guests like you. This is the mountains, there are no restaurants around here. Guests would have to eat here during their stay.”
“Oh, I see. These crops are growing so well. Uncle, since you don’t leave the mountain at all, do you use feces for the soil?”
Many farmers in farming villages often use feces as fertilizer. Hence, it was not something new or unusual.
“No, this piece of land has always been fertile and full of nutrients. There isn’t a need for fertilizers.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the sounds of someone knocking on the door could be heard.
“Someone’s here.” The elderly man dropped the hose and walked toward the tap slowly to turn it off.
He then proceeded to open the door.
There was a small watermelon patch near An Xiaoning’s feet on which grew big and round watermelons. She was really tempted to cut one open and devour it.
She walked toward the side of the watermelon field and stepped onto it before plucking a watermelon leaf from the ground.
There was a streak of red on the emerald-green leaf. She squinted to take a closer look, only to discover that it was blood.
She immediately walked toward the other side of the patch and pushed the leaves aside to check for any other bloodstains. However, she chanced upon something peculiar instead of finding any bloodstains.
The soil below the stem of the watermelon had been disturbed before.
How could the soil be moved when the watermelons were growing healthily?
An Xiaoning threw the watermelon leaf in her hand onto the patch and left.
The elderly man returned with a woman who was obviously a local.
She was extremely young and appeared to be in her early twenties.
“Who’s that?” the woman asked, pointing at An Xiaoning.
“Just another visitor like you. Miss, please come with me, I’ll arrange a room for you,” the elderly man answered.
“Okay.” The woman appeared extremely distant and aloof, as evidenced by the condescending way she was staring at An Xiaoning with her chin raised.
An Xiaoning did not bother greeting her since she did not know her at all and, instead, watched as the woman entered the wooden house with the elderly man.
In conclusion, An Xiaoning did not manage to find anything peculiar apart from the suspicious watermelon patch.
Fan s.h.i.+xin and Xiao Bai spent the entire afternoon exploring and reconnoitering the inner dwellings of the mansion. Xiao Bai felt that it was extremely shabby and empty, such that even adventurous tourists would shun the place.
Clearly, there was nothing much inside.
An Xiaoning explained to them about her discovery of the strange watermelon patch, after which Xiao Bai remarked, “That tinge of bloodstain could be from the old man. Maybe he got injured while planting the crops. However, the part about the soil is really puzzling.”
“Let’s go take a look at night.”
Knock, knock, knock! The woman said coldly, “Uncle wanted me to call you guys down for dinner.”
“Xiao Bai, go bring the food up here.”
“Alright, Sis.”
Xiao Bai strode downstairs.
“I’m going to make a wild guess. Do you think that there’s a…” An Xiaoning paused before continuing, “Corpse buried beneath that overturned soil?”
Fan s.h.i.+xin answered solemnly, “That’s very likely.”
“I was just guessing, but maybe I’m just reading too much into things and perhaps there’s nothing at all. But we’ll only find out after we have a look.”