Yin Li clearly had no idea what Feng Yang was thinking. As he carefully made his way down the mountain, he replied, "Leopards are pretty too. If we get the chance, let's go to the Americas and pet some leopards together."
Feng Yang quietly glanced at Yin Li's round head and gave a gentle, smiling "Mm."
The mountain path was difficult to navigate. By the time the two of them made it back to the village, it was already past seven in the evening. Smoke rose from every household's cooking fires, and dim streetlamps illuminated the dirt road running from the village entrance to the village chief's home. Yin Li slipped his phone, with only 3% battery left, into his pocket, grabbed Feng Yang's arm, and strode forward.
A Peach Blossom Chicken was stewing in an iron pot at the village chief's house. It had been made with dried peach blossom petals and a freshly slaughtered rooster. It smelled wonderfully fragrant and was a local specialty. The aroma drifted out from the iron pot as it simmered over firewood, and Feng Yang and Yin Li had practically followed the scent home.
Besides that, the village chief's wife and daughter-in-law had stewed a fish and stir-fried eggs with greens grown in the fields. At the table, Chairman Yin and Feng Jianguo were already exchanging toasts, while the old village chief kept them company.
Meanwhile, Yin Li's mother and Feng Yang's mother were helping out in the kitchen with Yin Qing and Feng Fei. In Feng Yang's mother's words, they were learning Peach Blossom Village's specialty dishes from their older sister-in-law so they could add them to the Feng Family Grand Hotel's menu when they returned.
Feng Yang had spent the entire morning catching human traffickers and fulfilling his contract with ghosts. Yin Li had spent most of the day rushing to catch a flight, then accompanied Feng Yang up the mountain to bury the time capsule. Neither of them had eaten much, and they were already starving. Now that they smelled the mouthwatering food, they could no longer hold back.
Their stomachs growled like bullfrogs crowing.
Yin Qing, who was helping carry the dishes, could not hold back any longer and burst out laughing.
Shao Huirong, who had been watching her daughter's mood the entire time, finally relaxed. As long as she can cry and laugh, it's fine.
Feng Yang's mother, on the other hand, grabbed his ear and scolded him irritably. "You tell me, just how wild are you? You'd only just graduated from high school, and you dared to run all the way out here by yourself. You even dared to go up the mountain alone to catch human traffickers. Fine, I won't even talk about that. But you knew your father, your older brother, and I had come looking for you, yet you still ran off to play in the mountains all day and only came back at night. Tell me, do you even have a heart? Are you trying to anger me to death?"
"Did you ever think about how worried your father and I would be? Were you hurt?"
Feng Yang's mother was only 165 centimeters tall. Even standing on tiptoe, she could not reach his ear, so Feng Yang had to lower his head to cooperate.
"Mom, don't be angry. Aren't I fine?" Feng Yang said with a smile, trying to soothe her. He had not expected that he and Yin Li would spend so long on the mountain either. It had felt as though they had only chatted for a little while, yet night had already fallen.
Feng Yang felt her complaints and concern with a strange sense of novelty.
In his previous life, his family had been destroyed and everyone he loved had died. Even his deceased parents and older brother had been reincarnated for many years. He had long grown used to living apart from society alone—or, more precisely, with one person and one ghost. Sometimes, he forgot that his family was still alive, forgot that there were still people in this world who cared about him.
But he would not forget anymore.
Feng Yang looked down at his mother and promised earnestly, "I'll remember to keep in touch with you and Dad. I'll never make you worry again."
The overly gentle, nostalgic look in his eyes made Yang Liu pause slightly. She had always felt that her son had changed somewhat after leaving the haunted house.
Standing nearby, Shao Huirong walked over with an arm around Yin Qing and said to Feng Yang, "Your mother is right. When children go out, their parents worry the most. From now on, you must protect yourself properly too. Never make your parents worry."
As she spoke, Shao Huirong patted Yin Qing's shoulder. "But this time, Auntie truly wants to thank you for risking your life to save Qingqing. If it hadn't been for you, our family would have been finished. Our entire family owes you our lives."
Feng Yang smiled. "Auntie, you're overstating it. Anyone who discovered something like that would have stepped in."
"But only you discovered it." Shao Huirong gripped Feng Yang's hand tightly. "There are no ifs, no hypotheticals. You were the one who saved our family."
Overcome with emotion, Shao Huirong could not help bursting into tears. Once she started crying, Yin Qing, standing beside her, involuntarily recalled the despair and panic she had felt when the traffickers captured her and began crying too.
Seeing this, Feng Yang's mother hurried over to comfort them. "Oh, don't cry anymore. As the saying goes, those who survive a great disaster are bound to have good fortune afterward. I believe that after Miss Yin has endured this ordeal, she'll surely turn danger into safety and have everything go smoothly for her."
Yin Li joined in as well. "That's right, Mom, Qingqing, stop crying. This is a happy occasion. Feng Yang is our family's lifesaver, and from now on, I'll treat Feng Yang especially, especially well. Hey, why did it suddenly get so cold—"
A gust of chilling wind swept past. Yin Li rubbed his cold arms and asked suspiciously.
Where Yin Li could not see them, Wen Wan and Huo Yanran were standing beside Feng Yang, crying their eyes out as well. The scene had stirred their emotions, making them think of their own suffering and their families.
The wailing of a fierce ghost and a resentful ghost was not particularly pleasant. Feng Yang, the only one who could sense it all, helplessly covered his ears and thought secretly, Stop crying. I promise you, we'll set out first thing tomorrow morning and take the production crew to avenge you. Also, once the police notify your parents to come identify your bodies, I'll find a way to let you see them one last time.
The moment he finished speaking, the chilly wind around them immediately dispersed.
The village chief's wife, kind-faced and honest-looking, ladled another bowl of Peach Blossom Chicken, its meat stewed tender enough to fall off the bones, from the iron pot. Smiling, she said, "The weather in the mountains changes quickly. The temperature difference between morning and night is large. If you're cold, go back inside and put on a few more layers. Don't catch a chill."
Shivering, Yin Li glanced at Feng Yang, who did not seem to feel anything at all, then looked at the others who were also trembling from the cold. He asked suspiciously, "Aren't you cold?"
Feng Yang came back to his senses and withdrew the fierce ghost's soul power that had somehow automatically covered his entire body. He said calmly, "I am. Look, I've got goosebumps."
As he spoke, Feng Yang held out his arm in front of Yin Li.
Yin Li looked at it and said admiringly, "Then you really care about keeping up appearances. I couldn't tell at all."
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