Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Love in Fear

Things often turn around when they are desperate.The next day, I received a call from Fang Qiang, who said he had found Xiaoni, which made me ecstatic. Fang Qiang said that after breaking up with me last night, he saw Xiaoni in the chat room of a website for dating in the same city.Fortunately, his online name is Shi Shi, and Xiao Ni was not guarded against him, so he chatted with her.Xiao Ni said that she wanted to find a job and wondered if he could help her.He said maybe, how old are you?Xiao Ni said that when she was seventeen, she ran out after a quarrel with her mother at home. Now she urgently needs to find a job.Fang Qiang asked, where are you now?Xiao Ni is very vigilant, she said I will not tell you.Fang Qiang said, I am the creative director of an advertising company, and I can make you a salesperson for the company.But we have to meet.Xiao Ni said she was lucky.However, regarding the meeting place, Fang Qiang said that several bars or coffee shops in the city disagreed with Xiao Ni, and it seemed that she was still very vigilant.In the end, Fang Qiang said that we would meet at my company, and Xiaoni agreed.Fang Qiang told her the name and address of the advertising company, and said that he would wait for her in the creative director's office at six o'clock this afternoon.

Listening to Fang Qiang's phone call, my heart was pounding with excitement, and I almost called out Fang Qiang as my savior.Fang Qiang said, come to my office early and wait for Xiaoni.I kept saying, of course. I suppressed the joy in my heart and didn't tell Aunt He the news for the time being. I wanted to give Xiaoni a surprise when I brought her home before dark.Of course, I'm still afraid that there will be variables in this matter. For example, if Xiao Ni doesn't show up by then, it will take a lot of trouble to find her. It was nine o'clock in the morning when I received Fang Qiang's call, and the day passed like a snail.I blamed Fang Qiang in my heart for not making an appointment for the meeting earlier.But I thought, Fang Qiang may have his own considerations for making the appointment until six in the afternoon.

I planned to arrive at Fang Qiang's place at half past five in the afternoon, but in fact, it was not yet five o'clock when I walked into Fang Qiang's office. There was no way, I was too anxious. This is a large-scale advertising company, located on the twelfth floor of a high-rise office building.Fang Qiang sat in front of his big desk, behind him were three bookcases full of books.Maybe I came too early by his surprise. He froze for a moment when he saw me, and then asked me to sit on the sofa in a little panic. As soon as I sat down, a young woman came in and poured me tea, and then politely withdrew. Fang Qiang said that she was the receptionist of the company.

I said, this company is really impressive. Fang Qiang said that the company's image is not for customers.In fact, if you really want to make money, you have to rely on internal strength. I thought that when Fang Qiang used to work as a security guard, he fantasized all day long that he would start a big company, earn tens of millions, and have a wife and girlfriend.And now reason was back in his blood. The door of the office was wide open, and people could be seen walking in the corridor.In the meantime, there was a young woman poking her head outside the door, and after a flash, she walked away laughing.

I teased Fang Qiang, there are many beauties in the company, why, did anyone attack you? What are you talking about?Fang Qiang stuttered suddenly.He said that no young woman had ever approached him in the office, and that the female colleagues came out of the door out of curiosity. I asked, what time does the company close get off work? Fang Qiang, who sat far away from me, replied, it was half past five. I understand why Fang Qiang set the meeting time after get off work.In some ways, he still lives only in fantasy. In order not to embarrass him, I picked up a newspaper and looked, and he continued to work on his desk.After a while, the sound of closing doors and windows came from outside, and there were gradually no people in the corridor.

I said, the company is off work. He grunted, stood up and looked at his watch and said, Xiao Ni will arrive at six o'clock, you have to be ready to persuade her to go home. I nodded, excited and nervous. Fang Qiang picked up my teacup to add water, when he turned around, he tripped over the coffee table, leaned over, and the tea in the cup poured onto my lap.He yelled and reached out to wipe the water stains on my skirt, but the hand stopped in mid-air. He kept saying sorry. I want to laugh for no reason.When I lowered my head and wiped off the water stains and a few tea leaves on the white skirt, I felt a burning pain in my thigh.This is boiling water. I lifted up my skirt to check, and a small piece of skin had turned red.

When I looked up, I saw Fang Qiang blushing, and realized that I forgot his existence for a split second.I quickly pulled the skirt off my legs, and said in a joking tone as much as possible, you burned me, and you have to pay for the medical expenses. He said, pay, pay. I burst out laughing.For a long time, I haven't laughed like this, maybe Xiaoni is about to find me to relax, maybe Fang Qiang gave me this kind of happiness. It was five minutes to six o'clock, and I couldn't help but go outside the door to take a look. There was no one along the corridor until the elevator entrance, and my heart began to panic again.

Will Xiaoni come here? Fang Qiang said that if she agreed online, she would definitely come, because she was eager to find a job. Fang Qiang and I sat on a sofa each, staring at the door.In the silence, time seemed to freeze. Suddenly, a girl who looked like a middle school student appeared at the door. She hesitated for a moment, then asked Fang Qiang, are you brother Shitou? Fang Qiang and I were stunned, we asked almost at the same time, who are you? I'm Xiaoni.The girl said to Fang Qiang, you are a stone, the creative director of an advertising company, right?We made an appointment online to meet here last night.

what!I cried out in disappointment.The girl asked timidly, what happened to this sister?Fang Qiang said, I am Shitou, it seems that we have misunderstood a bit, he pointed at me and said, her sister is Xiaoni, who ran away from home, we were looking for her, but we did not expect to meet you, Xiaoni. The girl said, what a coincidence, Xiaoni is my random online name, and my name is Zheng Lan.Brother Shitou, your real name is not Shitou, is it? Fang Qiang said, my name is Fang Qiang, and Shi Shi is my net name. In such a situation, the girl was a little at a loss.Her face was extremely tired, her eyes were darkened, and she might not have slept for several nights.

She hesitated and said, you are not looking for me, then, I am leaving. I grabbed her and said, Zheng Lan, sit down, you are looking for a job, sit down and talk. She glanced at Fang Qiang and said, really?Fang Qiang said, since I agreed online, I can't lie to you.But you're not local, are you? Zheng Lan spoke Mandarin from the moment she entered the house, making it impossible to tell where she came from. Can I stop talking for now?She said, I am a foreigner, but the company hired me, and I will work hard. I interjected, are you in middle school? sophomore.She said, but I don't want to study anymore.After falling out with my family, I took the train here a few days ago to meet a netizen, a man a few years older than me, who said he liked me and could let me work here.However, as soon as I entered his house, I realized something was wrong.The room was empty, it was a rented house, and there was a dagger under the pillow.I was terrified, pretended to be calm, and ran out while he was going to the toilet.I have nowhere to go right now, I just want to find a job.

Hearing Zheng Lan's words, I gasped and asked her, how have you been these few days? Go online.She said that she spent days and nights in Internet cafes, eating boxed meals when she was hungry, and closing her eyes for a while when she was sleepy.However, the money I brought is running out, and I want to find a job. Speaking of this, Zheng Lan glanced at Fang Qiang and me, and said a little embarrassedly, can you treat me to dinner first?I haven't eaten anything since yesterday. Fang Qiang said, OK!We just haven't had dinner yet. Fang Qiang and I took this girl out of the company.There is a nice restaurant downstairs, we walked in, sat down, took advantage of Zheng Lan going to the bathroom, I asked Fang Qiang, what should I do? Fang Qiang said briefly, keep her, or she will be in danger.Let her work in the company for a few days first, and I will ask about her family situation.Then notify her parents to pick her up. A stone fell from my heart, and at the same time I gave Fang Qiang a grateful look, as if this girl had something to do with me.Maybe it's because I think Xiaoni can meet good people outside. When Zheng Lan returned to the table, the food had already been served one after another.Watch her gobble it up.I was choked with unspeakable feelings. After the meal, Fang Qiang said to the girl, our company is recruiting salesmen, you can try it for a few days first.Our company is on the twelfth floor of this building, and above it is a business hotel. Our company guests are arranged to live there, which is very safe.You live there temporarily while you work.Take a good rest tonight, come to my office tomorrow morning, and I will take you to report to the personnel department. Zheng Lan was very happy and kept saying thank you. We got into the elevator and went up to the hotel.The person at the service desk seemed to know Fang Qiang very well, and soon opened a room for Zheng Lan.I heard Fang Qiang whispering to the person at the service desk, the room fee has been charged to my personal account, this is my cousin, you have to take care of it. When I left the hotel, I teased Fang Qiang, oh, you have a cousin. Fang Qiang smiled bitterly and said that it was not for her safety.After settling down the girl who ran away from home, it was already nine o'clock in the evening. I thought I would find Xiaoni, but I didn't expect this to be the result.Zheng Lan's situation reminded me of Xiaoni's situation outside, and I felt like crying. Take the elevator down from the hotel, and soon return to Fang Qiang's office.After he took some materials to take home for processing, he saw that I was exhausted, so he said to sit down for a while before leaving.I nodded, the day's expectations fell through, and I was as unspirited as a deflated ball. Suddenly remembering last night when I went to the unfinished building with Fang Qiang, I told him that Qingqing was dead. Green?Fang Qiang sat next to me and asked, is that the model in the painting you mentioned? I nodded and told him what the painter had told me. Fang Qiang sighed deeply.Then we all fell silent.Seeing Fang Qiang's sad look, I thought, what's wrong with us?Qingqing doesn't know us, could it be that painting touched something in our hearts? I asked this question to Fang Qiang, he thought for a while and said, maybe it is because death is attractive to people. Fang Qiang's somewhat academic remark reminded me of the first time I met him online.The thing we talked about the most was death, and he quickly became my best chat partner.Unexpectedly, when I casually told him about my night shift in the unfinished building, he would dare to come and accompany me on the night shift.The unfinished building is the place where Fang Qiang and I met for the first time, but it is the place where another person's life ends. I said, when I saw that painting for the first time, I had an ominous feeling, have you ever had it? Fang Qiang said, I think of Xiao Ke, Bei, and... Fang Qiang hesitated to speak, but I knew what he was going to say next, so I said, tell me!Remember me, don't you?It doesn't matter that you said this in the unfinished building yesterday.You think that speaking out now connects me with the dead, it’s nothing, maybe I’m just like them. Don't talk nonsense!Fang Qiang suddenly held my hand and said, that painting is so beautiful, I can only associate it with beautiful things. After saying this, Fang Qiang realized what he was doing, and quickly removed his hand from mine.He lowered his gaze in a little panic. The office building at night is silent.In the name of death, I feel my chest pounding with excitement. I changed the subject and asked him, have you ever had a girlfriend?Obviously, my question excludes Xiao Ke and Bei, and he now knows that it is a fantasy given to him by the God of Death. Fang Qiang said, never, really.He touched the scar on his face and said, I look like this, quite scary.When I was in college, I worked as a guard for a couple outside the woods. They were both classmates. They were afraid of encountering bad guys late at night.Later, that girl introduced me to a girl from another school in order to thank me, but she blew it after the first meeting. The absurd things Fang Qiang did made me want to laugh, and I knew that he and I had different fantasies on that painting. I looked at him, trying to catch his gaze, but he lowered his eyes. I called him Dao, Fang Qiang. He looked up and said, what? I said, I love you. I uttered these three words that have been repeated by countless lovers for thousands of years. This repetition is like life and death, because they are connected in a circle and will never be erased. I saw Fang Qiang shed tears. I rest my head on his shoulder and feel his arms wrap around me.His breath hits my face.I closed my eyes and saw the scene of the field undulating in the wind. This night, I fell into the incredible ecstasy of my life.It was midnight when he sent me to Xiaoni's house.In order not to disturb Aunt He, I didn't dare to go to the bathroom to take a shower and lay down on the bed directly.In the dark, my hair, face and neck exude the breath of two people.I quickly fell asleep like a baby, a sleep as perfect as returning to the womb or dying. The next morning, Aunt He looked at me strangely and said, Jun'er, your eyes are bright, have you heard about Xiao Ni? I froze for a moment, and immediately scolded myself for being heartless, why didn't I think of Xiaoni in one night? I'm a little sorry to say that I don't have a clue yet.However, I believe that soon... Aunt He lowered her head, I know there is a kind of pain that cannot be comforted. Aunt He went out again, and she had to keep running to get through every day.I sat on the chair, thinking back to the diaries left by Xiaoni, trying to figure out the direction in which she might leave. There was a knock at the door, and it was the painter.When he entered the door, he asked, where is your aunt? I said she was out. How soon will you be back?The painter looks eager. I said maybe in the afternoon, maybe in the evening, not sure.what's the matter with you The painter said, I found a job for her. It is a private art school. A friend of mine is a shareholder there. They are short of dance teachers.After hearing about Aunt He's situation, they were very happy, saying that people from an authentic dance troupe are experts in choreography and design. This good news made me so happy that I almost cried. I said that I went to the street to find Aunt He, but the painter stopped me and said that there is no need to be in such a hurry. She can report to school in the next few days. The painter then asked about finding Xiaoni, and he said that maybe it was time to look for it through TV or newspapers.I gritted my teeth and said, wait a minute. There was nothing to say next, but the painter sat there with no intention of leaving.After a while, he suddenly said to me, go, go to my house and show you something. I followed the painter upstairs in confusion, and after entering the house, he led me to the studio to sit down, and took out a beautiful photo album from the collection cabinet.He said, there are all photos of your Aunt He, please take a look. I opened the album in amazement. The first photo showed a young woman in a dance suit with a mesmerizing face.She was on her side, her long black hair tied on her head.Starting from the silky neck, the graceful lines flowed through her whole body until reaching the toes. This is Aunt He when she was in her twenties, and now more than twenty years have passed, and I still see the shadow of the past in her. I held the album in my hand and continued to read, all of them were photos of Aunt He, some of them were practicing kung fu, some were stills of performances.Dreamlike time once shaped women like gods. The painter said that these photos are all the materials he left when he was an artist in the regiment. Why are you showing me these pictures?I stared at the painter, trying to see the reason for his strange behavior from his bearded face. The painter's gaze turned to the painting on the wall, the green, graceful figure of the back could be touched. The painter asked me, do you know why I choose the back view when I paint? I said, you like mystery.Maybe, mixed with something from your childhood personality. The painter does not explain nor respond to my words.It is very difficult to enter the hearts of adults, and most of the time only priests can do it. The painter sighed and said, I can't hide from myself anymore, I want to marry your Aunt He, do you think it's possible? I was surprised by the sudden and strong expression of the painter.Still, I got the sense that he wasn't sure about it; or that he wasn't confident that he was ready.He wants to use my strength to complete this turning point in his life. I asked, what about sister Ju? she left.The painter said, I let her never come again, and I want to truly realize my wish in the second half of my life.I have to leave this matter to you, how about you tell Aunt He first? Everyone's soul is suppressed differently, like a stone crushing grass roots.Most of the time, we choose to be silent under the stone and spend this life.Overturning this stone is regeneration, and it requires God to empower you—this is what I wrote on a piece of paper when I got home last night.Amen, this religious complex that came to my heart is strange and fresh. I encourage the artist to express himself to Aunt He.I said, didn't you get together more than 20 years ago?You are now the equivalent of returning home after being missing for over twenty years. Missing?The painter said, you compare me to Xiaoni. We laughed at the same time, and the painter seemed to gain confidence in this laughter. At this moment, there was a loud knock on the door. The sound was a bit unusual, as if it was a wooden stick knocking on the door. The painter opened the door, and I saw an old woman on crutches standing outside the door from behind the painter. The old woman asked in a dry voice, does Xiaoqing live here? Xiaoqing?The painter froze.What's her last name? I heard a tremor in the painter's voice. Zhang Xiaoqing!The old woman said it word for word. The painter said, grandma, you have found the wrong door, there is no such person here. The old woman said quietly to herself, I found the wrong one, I found the wrong one.Then he left reluctantly, the monotonous tap-tap of his cane on the stairs. The painter turned pale after closing the door. I also felt a little creepy, and asked the painter, what is Qingqing's last name? The painter said her surname was Tian, ​​so this old woman must have come to the wrong door.The painter glanced at the painting on the wall and said, I really don't know what to do with this painting now.Since I knew Qingqing was dead, I thought it would be disrespectful to her to sell this painting again, and I had to keep it for myself.However, this studio has never been quiet in the past year, and there are often noises in the middle of the night.Well now, another old woman knocked on the door for no reason.I remembered my experience on the 16th floor of the unfinished building, which happened to be the 16th floor, and I wondered if there was any induction.And the painter has had direct contact with Qingqing, does she have anything to say to the painter?I even thought absurdly that painters didn't pay people enough to be their models. The painter denied my absurd idea, but he couldn't explain the sound in the middle of the night.And today's old woman, even though she most likely found the wrong door. I said, if you hear voices in the studio later, call me on the cell phone and I'll go upstairs to have a look. you?The painter seemed both confused and a little scared by my request, maybe he felt that there was some incredible tacit understanding between women. I said firmly, yes, I wanted to see what was going on. The painter said, it was midnight. I said no problem. From the first moment I saw the painting, I felt the desire of her in the painting to turn to me.This wish is hidden in deep colors, I see it.The artist said that among the people who have seen this painting, I am the only one who feels this way, which means that maybe I have the possibility to look at Qingqing face to face. Because we all know about death. For me, now that I also feel love, it's two sides of the same card.I suddenly wanted to hear Fang Qiang's voice, why hasn't he called me yet? I looked through Xiaoni's diary again in Xiaoni's room, trying to find clues to find her.I read that passage again that made my heart ache I want to be a bird when I die.It is said that when a person dies, he can turn into a bird by holding a feather in his hand, but who will give me this feather after I die? I am deeply concerned.Although the sun is shining all over the world, the breath of death is so powerful that it has been with people since the day their consciousness was formed. Xiaoni's words may be a romantic resistance to death. The phone rang, is it Fang Qiang calling?My heart was pounding. The voice of Mr. Liu from the investigation company came from the mobile phone. He said that my task may be completed ahead of schedule, but from today, two or three days are very important. I have to be with Zhao Kaimiao every day to keep track of his movements.As for why you did this, Mr. Liu said that you don't need to ask more questions, just follow this way.After a few days, when your mission is declared complete, you can go to the company's financial office to collect your full honorarium. I was delighted that the tuition and living expenses for the next school year were finally settled.But, can I let go of looking for Xiaoni and follow the boss of the bankrupt building materials company all day long? I said hesitantly that there was something urgent at home these two days. Mr. Liu said, you have to give way to everything, do you hear me, or your performance will be ruined.Do as I say.In the past two days, it is not convenient for you to talk with Zhao Kaimiao, so you use your mobile phone to text me once a day to report on your work. After Mr. Liu finished speaking, he hung up the phone confidently. I was so distraught that I still had Xiaoni's diary in my hand.Suddenly, the words "Longfeng Mountain" in the diary jumped into my eyes. Here it is written that Boss Xue went to Longfeng Mountain after smashing his car. I read it last time, but I never thought that Xiaoni might go there to be with Boss Xue Woolen cloth? Longfeng Mountain is more than 100 kilometers away from the city, and a wonderful idea appeared in my mind-let Zhao Kaimiao drive to accompany me to find Xiaoni, isn't this the best of both worlds? It's a wicked idea, but I can't help it.I can't help looking for Xiaoni, and I can't lose my tuition. I called Fang Qiang and told him that he could only contact me by text message these two days.Last night I told him what I was doing in the investigation company, he objected but was helpless, and finally said it was just this one time, this job is quite dangerous. Originally, Fang Qiang agreed to call me after get off work today, but now, I canceled the warm call in advance.I didn't say I was going to Longfeng Mountain, because he would be so worried that he couldn't sleep. I just said that the task was urgent and we couldn't meet each other for two days, so he reluctantly agreed. I immediately called Zhao Kaimiao and said bluntly, Mr. Zhao, I have a cousin in this city who ran away from home and may be in Longfeng Mountain. I would like to ask you to drive with me to find her. The reason why I made this request directly is because in Zhao Kaimiao's eyes, I am a benefactor who is helping him get a loan from the bank, and he will not refuse to do something for me. Sure enough, he said on the phone, oh, Jingjing, I thought you were going to tell me that the loan was approved.However, you are in a hurry, so you didn't say, when are you going to leave? I looked at my watch, it was 11:05 in the morning, and I said let's go now. He said, I am now in Ziyuan, where can I pick you up? I wanted to choose a place nearby, so I decided that he would pick me up next to the unfinished building.After the decision was made, I felt something was wrong, because that unfinished building was his commercial "Waterloo", where millions of building materials were spent, causing him to be heavily in debt all of a sudden.However, it's not easy to change the location of the meeting, and I didn't intend to make him hurt.I quickly changed into jeans and sneakers, looking like I was going into the mountains.After packing up the toiletries, I left a note for Aunt He, saying that I was going to Longfeng Mountain to do some errands, and I might be back in two days.I didn't say to look for Xiaoni, because I was afraid of disappointing her if I failed. When he arrived at the unfinished building, Mr. Zhao's car hadn't arrived yet.I thought of Master Xue who was guarding the building. It is said that his life was in critical condition after a car accident, and his son, Boss Xue, had not heard of it in Longfeng Mountain. Inadvertently, a silver-gray car has parked on the side of the road.I saw Mr. Zhao, ran over and got into the car, and sat in the co-pilot's seat. After the car started, Mr. Zhao asked, does your Aunt He live near here? I said no, in the south of the city, far away from here, I was doing business here in the morning. The nature of my work requires me to conceal my whereabouts, there is no way. Mr. Zhao said, Jingjing, have you seen that unfinished building, alas... I said, what a pity.However, Mr. Zhao, your luck will come and go. He said, it's all up to you. The car was quickly out of town and onto the highway, and he glanced sideways at my chest as I put on my seatbelt.I was a little uncomfortable, but fortunately we have a special relationship, and he didn't dare to have any unreasonable thoughts about me. He asked, have you been to Longfeng Mountain? I said I hadn't been there. He told me that Longfeng Mountain is very steep and has not yet been developed for tourism, but the young people in the city just fell in love with that place.There are no hotels there now, but the farmers in the mountains are spontaneously providing food and accommodation for tourists, so it is still very convenient to enter the mountains.It's just that it will take a lot of work to find your cousin.Oh, how old is your cousin?Why did you run out? I said that my cousin was in the second year of high school, and she ran out with her family for seven days in a fit of anger. Mr. Zhao sighed and said, children nowadays are really difficult to deal with. While speaking, the car had already left the highway and drove onto the mountain road.Mr. Zhao parked his car in front of a roadside restaurant, it was time for lunch. In order to hurry, we only need the simplest meals to eat.Mr. Zhao said that there is nothing in life, and you can live no matter what.The owner of this roadside store was a former millionaire who came here after he went bankrupt. I was a little surprised by the unpredictability of life.However, does Mr. Zhao mean by saying this, does it mean that he may also go away and hide his name at any time?It seems that the investigation company has predicted his movements. It was three o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived at Longfeng Mountain. The car was parked at the mountain pass and guarded by farmers, and we entered the mountain along a ravine.Only then did I realize how difficult it is to find Xiaoni.Raise your eyes to cover the clouds and mist, the mountains are high and the waters are long, where are you, Xiao Ni? Fortunately, Mr. Zhao has been here before. He said that tourists always enter the mountain along this valley, and usually end at Yingzui Cliff, which is more than 3,000 meters above sea level.Among them are Yemei Ridge, Heshang Peak, Heishanping, and Dakarst Cave.It takes one day to go up the mountain and half a day to go down the mountain. I gritted my teeth and said, let's go. It was in the afternoon, and we occasionally met some tourists going down the mountain, most of whom were students who came out to play during the summer vacation.Whenever there was laughter and shouting in front of me, I hoped that Xiao Ni would come face to face, but of course I was disappointed again and again.Whenever a farmer's house appeared near the mountain road, we would go in and take a look around.Farmers here do not need to register ID cards to receive tourists for accommodation, so we have no clues to check.The only thing I could do was to find the landlord and repeatedly ask if there were two middle school students, a man and a woman, who lived here.I have never seen Boss Xue, so I had to describe Xiaoni's appearance to the landlord.However, the answer I got was either shaking my head, or I couldn't remember clearly. We stopped and went like this, and when we arrived at Heishanping, it was already dusk.Going up is the big karst cave, but Mr. Zhao said that you can't go up, or you will get lost in the dark.So I had no choice but to live in a family and look up tomorrow. This is a common small farm house. Except for the owner's family, there are four or five houses for tourists to stay in, and they are all empty at this time.We asked for two rooms and then sat out on the patio to let the host prepare dinner. The landlord is a talkative sister-in-law. She said that all the men in her family have gone out to work, and only her mother-in-law and a few children are at home.As usual, I asked her about Xiao Ni's whereabouts.After repeated descriptions, the sister-in-law said that more than half a month ago, there was a tall boy who lived here, about seventeen or eighteen years old.She wondered at the time why this boy came out to play alone.Six or seven days ago, another girl who was about the same age as him came, and they walked up together, saying that it was more fun to go to the big cave. Relying on the good memory of this farm wife, I finally found Xiaoni's whereabouts.It's just that it's getting dark, and we'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to go to the Great Karst Cave.Mr. Zhao was also very happy. He said that there is only one way up and down the mountain, and Xiaoni will definitely find it. Mr. Zhao ordered a sumptuous dinner, including bacon, chicken, and mushrooms.As for wine, there is only sorghum liquor brewed in the mountains here, which is very strong.Mr. Zhao said yes, and asked for a bottle to put on the table.It was dark, with no stars, and it looked like it was going to rain.The sister-in-law put an oil lamp on the dining table. Mr. Zhao said that today is his forty-seventh birthday, and he did not expect to spend it in this mountain.He poured the wine into a bowl, and I clinked glasses with him with a teacup, wishing him a happy birthday. He said with emotion, it is fate to know you, and I am content to have you accompany me on my birthday.Just this morning, I still don't know how to spend my birthday.No one called me.I took the initiative to invite a few friends to drink in the evening, but everyone said that they had something to do and couldn't attend the appointment.Alas, the wall is falling and everyone is pushing. I heard that my company is closed, and my friends are all hiding away.Only Mr. Xie from Ziyuan gave me a place to live.And you, Jingjing, think highly of me, and I will repay you in the future. Mr. Zhao drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp.I shivered, feeling as if the investigative company was pushing me to a gallows. The night in the mountains was so quiet that it made people panic. Occasionally, there was a strange cry of an unknown bird from the mountain.