The bumpy mountain road felt as if it would shatter everyone’s bones, and going downhill was no less unsettling, as each person in the car was jolted around once more.
Xu Ke sat in silent contemplation next to Chen Lei.
Finally, the silence was broken by the man seated next to Xu Ke. "Did any of you feel like sothing was odd while staying in the village yesterday?" He patted his stomach and spoke slowly, in a way that sounded like casual conversation, but Xu Ke knew it was anything but that.
The atmosphere in the car tightened imdiately; unlike the earlier quiet, this tension carried a foreboding sense of an impending storm.
Just as the man sighed, thinking no one would respond, Xu Ke spoke up, "I also noticed sothing strange in the village. I thought I was the only one who found it odd, but I didn’t see a single woman in the entire village."
"Yeah, I noticed it too. How can a village without won sustain itself over generations?" the driver chid in.
"It’s not just the won; I hardly saw any children," added the man with glasses, adjusting his spectacles on his nose.
"If they’ve been living in this village for generations without ever leaving, then why are they so eager for money? What do they need so much money for?" Xu Ke posed his question at an opportune mont.
But after Xu Ke spoke, he drew the gaze of the other three, and the man sitting next to him asked strangely, "How do you know they’re eager for money?"
"Oh, I sensed it when I talked to them yesterday. When I ntioned that his cabinets could be sold outside for a good sum, his eyes lit up noticeably, and the more I talked about the amount, the more interested he beca. Normally, for soone whose ancestors have always lived in the village, he shouldn’t need so much money. Even if it were to buy things in town, he wouldn’t need that much, unless the money was ant for sothing else, sothing very expensive."
"But they live in the mountains and don’t have many places to spend a lot of money," the driver expressed his skepticism at the right ti.
Actually, none of them were fools; everyone had their own suspicions and guesses about this matter, but they were unwilling to voice them, as if not saying them aloud would sohow make their worries untrue.
After a few more words were exchanged, the car fell into silence once again.
This ti, their silence lasted longer than before. They drove from the bumpy mountains until they saw the small town, and no one spoke. The atmosphere in the car seed congealed, wrapping around everyone’s necks, making it even hard to breathe properly.
"Actually, you all have your suspicions, don’t you?" The man with glasses broke the silence, saying, "I found traces of a woman at the house where I stayed, and they were fresh, not long left behind."
The glasses man’s words effectively brought to light the suspicions hidden in everyone’s hearts.
"I know you all have your own theories in mind, and the reason you haven’t voiced them is likely because you haven’t found any direct evidence to prove your suspicions. But saying nothing doesn’t settle the unease in your heart, so only half the story is told, and nothing about the guesses. But I think we should prepare for the worst," said the man with glasses, with a deep sigh. His eyes beca misty as he gazed out the window for so reason.
"Why would they do such a thing, even when their own lives are already so hard?"
No one in the car answered this question.
"Probably because they’re too ignorant," Xu Ke’s voice slowly flowed through the car, "Their understanding of the world is too limited, and they haven’t fully established their values. They think their lives are supposed to be this way, that everything should naturally be like this. Ignorant and fearful, they’re unwilling to leave the village to explore the outside world, but they can’t resist the instinct to survive, so they choose this compromise."
The faces of the people showed thoughtful expressions. No one spoke further, and Xu Ke didn’t feel awkward; instead, he leaned his head against the car window and closed his eyes to rest.
It wasn’t until the car was almost at their destination that soone spoke again, "Should we continue with our construction project?"
"Yes, why wouldn’t we? Not only will we do it, but we’ll do it well," the man with glasses affird decisively.
"But..."
"No buts. The things we talked about earlier aren’t backed by solid evidence; they’re just our speculations. So, to verify if we’re overthinking it or if there’s any truth to it, we must proceed with this construction, but we can be selective about the workers." The man with glasses spoke with his eyes half-closed.
"If you need manpower and money, you can count on ," Xu Ke offered.
"Well, you ntioned just the two things we’re lacking right now, so it’ll be up to you, Mr. Xu, to get so capable people who can do construction work." The man with glasses didn’t stand on ceremony with Xu Ke and promptly requested manpower and financial support when Xu Ke offered.
Xu Ke didn’t hesitate either. Seeing that the other party was serious, he imdiately took out his phone and started making contacts.
As he dialed one number after another, the man with glasses quickly got the manpower he needed.
"I’ve contacted all the people. They should be arriving this afternoon."
Xu Ke’s efficiency made the others look at him with envy in their eyes, "That speed is truly impressive. I wish all my partners were as efficient and quick as Mr. Xu."
"As long as the money is in place, so can you," Xu Ke said with a slightly amused pat on the other’s shoulder.
The man with glasses was montarily speechless when he heard Xu Ke’s words, but after contemplating it, he couldn’t help but laugh. The atmosphere in the car finally felt a bit better, perhaps because the most pressing issues had been addressed.
The people Xu Ke called arrived quickly. Just after they finished dinner, the people Xu Ke had summoned had already arrived—about a dozen individuals exuding a rugged aura, seemingly not to be trifled with.
The man with glasses looked at the group of fierce individuals standing in front of him and wasn’t quite sure what to say. In the end, he could only smile wryly at Xu Ke, "Mr. Xu, the people you’ve found don’t seem right. They don’t look like construction workers at all."
As soon as the man with glasses finished speaking, he saw the group in front of him retract their fierce deanor. The one in the lead even displayed a goofy smile, suddenly resembling an honest laborer.
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