What struck us as eerie was that there really seemed to be no one in the village.
By no one, I meant that as we walked through the village, we did not see a single person.
There were no sounds of roosters crowing or dogs barking, either.
Could this really be a village where people lived?
"Big Brother, why do I feel like this village isn't real?" Jiang Xiaohui leaned closer and whispered.
Ye Jinghong glanced at him. "Do you really need to speak so cautiously? Can't you tell that there's no one else in this village besides us?"
Xu Qiuyan said, "Maybe they're all inside their homes."
I shook my head. "In broad daylight? How could they all be cooped up at home? You don't understand rural elderly people. They can't sit still. They're either out in the fields or around their homes, always finding something to do. And the children—do you think they'd obediently stay indoors? If they were home, they'd be running all over the courtyard."
"Maybe the children are all at school. School probably isn't out yet at this hour," Xu Qiuyan said.
Ye Jinghong said, "I think Xiaobai is right. No matter what, it's impossible not to see a single old person or child in the entire village. Forget old people and children—we haven't even seen a single animal. No chickens, ducks, cats, or dogs. That isn't normal."
Ying Gou said flatly, "Haven't you noticed? Since we entered this village, apart from the sounds we make ourselves, we haven't heard anything else at all."
That was right. At that moment, all we could hear were the sounds made by the few of us—our footsteps and our voices.
"If you really want to find out, why not take a look inside their homes?" Jiang Xiaohui said.