Four hours later, the two of them reached the farthest point accessible by car.
Chen Miao also got his first proper look at the village where he would park. As for someone who looked friendly... he soon found one.
It was an old man who always wore a smile when he spoke. When Chen Miao asked to leave the car at his home for a while, the old man readily agreed.
The old man had a large courtyard, but its gate was narrow, putting Qi Ning's driving skills to quite a test.
After parking, Qi Ning was about to grab their things and leave, but Chen Miao stopped him.
"No hurry. Let's ask about Sealed Gate Village."
Qi Ning paused, then decided that made sense.
Then he watched Chen Miao take out two hundred yuan and hand it to the old man as a parking fee, promising another three hundred when they returned.
After handing over the money, Chen Miao asked about Sealed Gate Village.
For the first time, the smile disappeared from the old man's face.
"Why can't you young people go somewhere normal?"
Chen Miao smiled. "We just want to take a look. We won't stay."
The old man shook his head.
"That place is bad news. Don't go."
With that, the old man looked ready to leave.
Only then did Chen Miao take out another five hundred yuan, more than in the book, though not by much.
Looking at the money pressed into his hand, the old man thought it over. He certainly couldn't stop these two young men, so he might as well tell them more about the place to keep them from doing anything reckless.
After all, there weren't many young people this nice anymore.
The old man led them to the table and chairs