Bai Yu stood at the entrance of the valley for a while before stepping into the village.
Shi Yan followed behind her, stepping over the layer of bluish-gray gravel road. The surface felt much smoother underfoot than the mountain paths outside.
Someone in the village was the first to see her. A middle-aged woman squatting at the entrance of her courtyard, weaving a rattan basket, stopped weaving, looked up at her, and then called out, " Bai Yu is back!"
The sound was like Shitou being thrown into water, causing ripples to spread outwards.
People came out of the house one after another, standing at the door, on the stone steps, and by the roadside, watching her.
Some people had smiles on their faces, while others stood silently, their gazes lingering on Bai Yu for a moment before shifting to Shi Yan behind her.
Shi Yan felt the weight of those gazes—they were sizing him up, wondering who he was and what he was doing there.
Bai Yu walked along, nodding and greeting several acquaintances: "Third Aunt, I'm back." "Sixth Uncle, how are you?" " A Qing, you've grown so tall—"
She recognizes everyone and can call out every single name.
Shi Yan followed behind, not interrupting, just walking quietly.
As Bai Yu reached the middle of the village, she was talking to a villager when she suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure near the village entrance.
A young man was standing at the entrance of the village, looking towards the valley entrance, as if he were looking at the road outside.
A woman passing by hurried over, whispered something, and grabbed his arm, pulling him back. The man didn't struggle, obediently retreating and disappearing behind the stone wall.
Bai Yu's gaze followed the figure, her lips moved slightly, but she said nothing.
Shi Yan saw it too. He memorized the scene.
Bai Yu walked until she reached the stone house in the center of the village before stopping. The house was taller and larger than the surrounding ones, with a heavy door that was always closed, with only a sliver of light shining through the crack.
An old man in a gray robe sat on the threshold, holding a polished wooden cane, looking in the direction Bai Yu was coming from.
He was waiting for her.
Bai Yu stopped in front of him. "Priest."
The old man raised his head, his gaze slowly moving from Bai Yu's face to the small Wind Chime at her waist, pausing for a moment before looking away.
The old man spoke slowly, his voice neither loud nor soft. "It's good that you're back. You're more robust than when you left."
Bai Yu did not respond.
The old man asked again, "Did the Wind Chime ring on the way?"
"No," Bai Yu said, "But it did react. A few times... I felt it getting hot, like something was moving inside, but it never made a sound."
The old man paused for a moment, then stood up, his wooden cane tapping lightly on the ground.
He turned and walked into the house, not turning back as he reached the door. His voice came from behind him. "We'll take a closer look at the altar tomorrow. You should go back and rest; you must be tired from coming all this way."
Bai Yu didn't speak, but her fingers tightened slightly around the Wind Chime.
Shi Yan stood to the side, remaining silent throughout.
When Bai Yu walked away from the stone house, her steps were a little slower than when she came in. She didn't turn around, but Shi Yan could see that her back was a little more tense than before—she was thinking about tomorrow.
The villagers gradually dispersed. A few older people came over and said a few words to Bai Yu. Their tone was neither cold nor warm, mostly saying things like "It's good that you're back" and "Do a good job tomorrow."
Bai Yu responded to each question with a smile, but Shi Yan could tell that the smile was just to appease her.
As Bai Yu exchanged pleasantries with several older villagers, one of them said, "Your parents went to the town on the other side of the mountain to exchange some things; they won't be back until the day after tomorrow. You should stay at your own home tonight."
Bai Yu nodded. "Understood."
After the villagers dispersed, Shi Yan walked over and stood beside her without saying a word.
Bai Yu lowered her head, tied the Wind Chime back around her waist, and after a while said, "My parents aren't in the village. They went to the town on the other side of the mountain to exchange some things. They won't be back until the day after tomorrow."
Shi Yan hummed in agreement.
Bai Yu looked up at the sky; the clouds on the distant mountaintops had already turned golden-red. "You'll stay at my house tonight. There's an empty room in my yard."
Shi Yan said, "Okay."
Bai Yu led Shi Yan through the village, heading towards her home. After walking for a while, they passed an open space. Under the shade of a tree, a person was leaning against a rough porcelain bowl, taking a sip of water, and then slowly speaking:
" Little Baiyu is back?"
Bai Yu paused upon hearing the voice.
Shi Yan looked in the direction of the sound--
A young man leaned against a stone bench under a tree, wearing a gray cloth short jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Dark marks were visible on his exposed forearms, extending from his wrists to the inside of his arms, like the lines left after a rock had broken.
He looked to be in his early twenties, with unrefined features and a relaxed, languid air about him—the same person I had seen before entering the village.
He smiled, looking at Bai Yu.
Bai Yu turned around, her expression changing—the smile she had shown when dealing with the villagers was gone, replaced by a different expression, as if she had met someone so familiar that she didn't need to be polite.
"Brother Bai Rong, why are you still squatting by the roadside scaring people, just like before?"
Bai Rong chuckled, "I was just drinking water here, and you didn't notice me while you were walking. How did that make it seem like I scared you?"
Bai Yu glared at him, but couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth curl up slightly.
Bai Rong stood up from the stone stool, casually placed the bowl on the wooden post next to him, took two steps closer, and gestured above Bai Yu's head. "You've grown taller."
"Of course, I've been gone for so many years."
"Go away, take your hand away, you'll stunt your growth." Bai Yu turned her head away from his hand, but there was no real disgust in her tone.
Bai Rong withdrew her hand, shifted her gaze from Bai Yu to Shi Yan, and paused for a moment.
He didn't ask "Who is this?", nor did he stare at it for too long; he simply nodded, as if he already knew the answer.
Then he turned to Bai Yu and said, "Tomorrow at the altar?"
Bai Yu hummed in agreement.
Bai Rong didn't say anything more, just smiled and said, "Okay, then get some rest early today."
He turned and walked back to the shade of the tree, picked up the bowl that was placed on the wooden stake, and slowly walked in another direction, leaving behind a loose and slouching figure.
Bai Yu stood there, watching his retreating figure, and let out a soft sigh.
Shi Yan stood to the side, his gaze lingering on Bai Rong's back for a moment before he looked away.
After a while, Bai Yu brought Shi Yan to her house.
The courtyard wasn't large, but it was kept clean. A tall, slender tree grew in the corner, its leaves dense and rustling in the evening breeze. The stone wall wasn't high, and you could see the rooftops of the neighboring courtyard and the outline of the distant mountains.
Bai Yu pushed open the door of the empty room against the courtyard wall and lit an oil lamp. Inside, there was a wooden bed, a table, and a wooden cabinet, all old but without dust, as if someone had cleaned them regularly.
"You live here," Bai Yu said. "I live in the room across the street."
Shi Yan placed the bundle on the bed. "Okay."
Bai Yu stood at the door for a moment, but didn't leave. She crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame, looking at the tree in the yard.
Shi Yan hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "Who was that person just now? --?"
" Bai Rong," Bai Yu said, "He's my cousin, four years older than me."
Shi Yan continued, "Just now at the entrance of the village, someone pulled your cousin back."
Bai Yu's fingers paused on her knee for a moment. "... You saw it too."
"He can't go out?"
Bai Yu was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes, he can't leave. He was also chosen, just like me—but when he was born, the Wind Chime rang, but the Mountain God didn't respond. So he can only stay in the village and wait."
She paused, her gaze still fixed on the trees in the yard. "When I was little, I followed him around every day. He found me annoying, but he took me everywhere he went."
He called me Little Baiyu back then. I was the youngest among my peers in the village, so that's what he called me. I don't know where he came up with that name, but that's what I've been called since I was little."
Shi Yan remained silent, listening quietly.
Bai Yu stood for a while longer, then straightened up. "Alright, you can rest now. I'm going to the altar tomorrow morning. If you... if you want to come, wait for me in the courtyard."
After she finished speaking, she turned around and went back to the room across the street.
Shi Yan stood in the empty house and glanced at the courtyard outside the window. The leaves of the tree rustled softly in the night breeze, and occasionally, the chirping of insects could be heard in the distance.
Let's talk about tomorrow's problems tomorrow.