About Bella

Chapter 36: Regarding Bella

The rhythm of country life is usually quite slow, working from sunrise to sunset.

Night had fallen, and all was silent. Nearly every home had extinguished its lights, preparing to welcome a tomorrow they considered better.

"This village isn't large, but how are we supposed to find Bella's home without any clues?" Iris asked, tilting her head. "What's more, we're not even sure if Bella's home is actually in this village."

Linton pondered for a moment and was about to speak when he was interrupted by a sudden shout.

"Sir!"

The three of them looked in unison towards the source of the voice.

There, a burly middle-aged man was rushing towards them, repeatedly calling out, "Sir, I've finally found you!"

He stopped in front of Linton, and while catching his breath, pulled out several gleaming gold coins from his roughspun clothes.

"Sir, my mother found a few gold coins on the ground when she was clearing the table. She saw they were yours and was very worried. She feared you'd be frantically searching everywhere, so she told me to wait for you at the village entrance. You're too careless; why wouldn't you put your gold coins in a safe place? Or did your money pouch break? Hurry and check, it'll be terrible if you've lost too much."

Iris's expression immediately showed a hint of surprise.

She knew Linton had special methods for storing items and that his belongings couldn't fall out like from a pocket with a hole. Therefore, it was obvious Linton had done it intentionally.

However, the other man didn't seem to think so. Instead, he had waited at the village entrance for a long time just to return the lost property.

This was truly…

Unlike the doll's complex thoughts, Linton simply felt a bit helpless.

He smiled gently, "Thank you."

"Please take them back quickly."

The middle-aged man pressed the gold coins into Linton's hand, then glanced at the two of them and looked at the sky. "It's so late. Do you have a place to rest? If not, I have a spare room at my place, though it's usually used for storing miscellaneous items, so it might be a bit messy. But my mother likes cleanliness and cleans often, so it's definitely not dirty. If you don't mind…"

Linton pondered for a moment.

What they were doing wasn't some secret affair. The dark night was indeed inconvenient. If they could have a place to rest safely until morning, that would be good.

He glanced at Iris again.

The doll expressed no opinion: "You decide."

"Alright then." Linton bowed slightly. "Thank you for your trouble."

"No problem!"

The man chuckled and walked ahead, leading the way.

He seemed to be a very talkative person, chatting incessantly with Linton along the way.

"Sir, where are you from?"

"Blackwater Village, it's a bit far from here."

"Uh, I don't know. The only place outside I know is Falasong…"

"You only know Falasong? Have the people in your village always stayed here? Have they never gone out?"

"That's not exactly true. My father said our grandfather moved the entire village here when he was young. It's probably only been a few decades until today," the man said. "As for leaving… my grandfather and father's generation naturally wouldn't want to leave since they moved here by choice. A few guys my age were impulsively wanting to go out and explore, but they returned not long after, saying they couldn't find the path outside the mountains. I don't know how you found your way here; not many people have come before."

Linton narrowed his eyes slightly. "No one came before means more people have come to the village in recent years?"

"Yes." The man thought for a moment and said, "About ten years ago, a man who looked like a merchant came to our village. I was young then, and I heard an outsider had come to the village, so I busily dropped what I was doing to go see. He even gave me something round, saying it was… candy? I don't remember the taste, but it seemed quite delicious."

Nodding, Linton changed the subject and suddenly asked, "Are you quite familiar with the people in the village? I'd like to ask you about someone."

"Heh!" The man suddenly laughed, his laughter hearty. "The village is this small; if someone wears their pants backward, the news will spread throughout the entire village immediately. You're asking if I'm familiar with people, ha ha."

"Go ahead, what's their name? I can find out about people from my grandfather's generation for you!"

"Thank you very much. I'd like to inquire about a girl named Bella. Is she from this village?"

"Bella," the man thought for a moment. "That name is quite common in our village. Our names are basically inherited from our grandfathers or maternal grandfathers, so there are many people with the same name. Do you have any other information?"

Linton recalled what the girl said when they first met: "She should be a girl who likes flowers very much, and her home should have quite a few flowers planted."

"Got it!" The man clapped his hands, as if remembering something, but his eyes showed a hint of confusion. "You mentioned someone who planted many flowers at home. I do remember a family like that, and they do have a girl named Bella, born around the same time as my son. But the problem is… doesn't that child seem to dislike flowers?"

"I heard people say that little girl hates flowers, really hates them. She'd pick one as soon as she saw it."

"Impossible!!" Bella, who had been unusually quiet since entering the village, suddenly retorted loudly, "I love flowers the most!"

Linton and Iris both looked at Bella, but the man seemed not to have noticed the girl's shout at all. He continued, "I guess she might be sensitive to flowers due to some physical condition. That kind of thing is considered unusual in the village, but I remember it quite clearly. So, is she the person you're looking for?"

"No! That's definitely not me! I love flowers the most!" Bella looked at Linton with teary eyes, her voice trembling slightly. "Big brother, I really, really love flowers. My parents do too. He's lying! He's a bad person!"

Linton's grip on Bella's hand tightened slightly. He gave a gentle smile and then said to the man, "There's still not enough information. I need to confirm it further. Do you know where that family lives?"

"Yes." The man nodded. "It's next to Old Hamp's house. Just follow this road all the way, turn left after the house with the haystack at the entrance, then turn left again after two houses. The one with a yard is where they used to live."

"Used to?"

"Yes." The man sighed with some emotion. "That little girl, it's said, wanted to go out and explore like those guys my age. But they returned because they couldn't find the way, while that little girl, unfortunately, encountered bandits."

"Her parents were too anxious. Without notifying us, they went into the mountains to search on their own, and the result was…"

"—they never returned."