Chapter 716

Chapter 716

Unwelcome Visitors

After emerging from the mountains, what she wanted most was a hot meal; something soupy would be even better.

Seeing the smoke from cooking fires curling up from the foot of the mountain, she, who had just eaten her fill of wild berries, suddenly felt hungry and quickened her pace downhill.

All her belongings were in her spatial storage; what she carried in her hand were herbs. So, when she told the villagers that she had gone into the mountains to forage for herbs, gotten lost, and crossed over from the other side of the mountain, no one suspected that she had been in the mountains for over ten days.

Thanks to her psychic abilities, Lin Nannan was easily accepted by others as long as she wished. So, she entered the village and found a household to ask for directions. She exchanged some wild fruits from the mountains for a hot bowl of dough ball soup, with the dried meat inside provided by herself, which thrilled the family immensely.

Life was hard for the mountain folk. Going out was troublesome, and hunting wasn’t feasible, so they relied on their barren fields to get by. Eating meat even once a year was a rarity. Thus, Lin Nannan’s arrival was especially welcome.

Eating the dough ball soup, Lin Nannan felt as if she was revived. She sat there quietly eating, thinking about whether Lu Dudu could adapt to life in Beijing by now.

"These people, they just won’t stop," the husband suddenly raised his voice in displeasure during the quiet meal, though it was unclear what the family had been discussing. "It’s been over ten days, and they keep coming and going, disrupting things and making our lives difficult."

"Whatever they’re up to, just stay out of it to avoid trouble!" the woman of the house urged worriedly, her brow furrowed with anxiety.

When Lin Nannan arrived, she had observed that the village was extremely poor and backward, but the people were quite kind. This family, for instance, was very warm and hospitable. If she wasn’t mistaken, this meal of dough ball soup was likely all they had to offer. So, upon learning that they might be facing trouble, she couldn’t help but ask, "What’s going on?"

The farmer, Zhang Shan, was a sun-weathered, honest man. Though surprised by Lin Nannan’s question, he explained, "Over ten days ago, a group of people came from the foot of the mountain, saying they were looking for someone. They searched our entire village but didn’t find anyone. We thought that would be the end of it, but they came back a few days later. This is the third time now. No telling when they’ll quit coming."

Lin Nannan’s heart stirred. Over ten days ago—that coincided with the time of her disappearance. Was it a coincidence? No, it probably wasn’t. She didn’t believe in such coincidences. So, these people were here looking for her.

But how did they find this place? Were they friend or foe? Why did their actions make her feel like they had ill intentions?

Thinking this, she asked, "Did those people cause you any trouble?"

Zhang Shan sighed and said, "They wanted to, but our village is too poor, so there was nothing they could do. They’re just coming and going, disturbing us. It’s very annoying!"

Lin Nannan sensed their resentment. She knew that if someone official were looking for her, they wouldn’t make such a conspicuous effort. So, these people were likely here with ill intentions. Staying in the village would be unwise and might even implicate Zhang Shan’s family. She wolfed down the dough ball soup in her bowl, wiped her mouth, and said her goodbyes.

"Why are you leaving already? Weren’t you planning to stay here tonight?" Zhang Shan’s wife asked, puzzled by Lin Nannan’s sudden departure.