Hearing her question, Xin Hong fell silent.
"Ah, if it's difficult to answer, then consider me as having not asked. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not usually such a gossip. It's just that I have one flaw: I'm too practical and earnest about everything, I love to be serious for the truth! If I've offended you, then I..."
Before Xia Wei Liang could finish, Xin Hong looked up at her. "I am the grandson of that most pitiful woman you mentioned."
"..."
Xia Wei Liang couldn't quite process it.
Was he talking about... the old village chief's daughter-in-law?
The pitiful woman who betrayed the entire village and eventually died to atone?
If he was her grandson, then he was the old village chief's great-grandson?
In that case, he was the true, legitimate villager of Baqi Village!
Guessing her thoughts, Xin Hong lowered his gaze and slowly said, "Before she married into Baqi Village, she had been married before."
Xia Wei Liang was startled. "So you are... a descendant from her previous marriage?"
"Mm," Xin Hong replied, appearing very frank. "Her life wasn't happy to begin with. Her husband was an alcoholic, and her in-laws always bullied her without reason. Later, her brother found her and said he could help her escape this place. But at that time, she had already given birth to a son, and she couldn't bear to leave."
"And then?"
"Then... after her in-laws beat her black and blue again, she fled to her brother's house overnight, determined to leave this place."
Xin Hong paused slightly and said, "Her brother told her he had found a good family for her, and guaranteed that family wouldn't be found. Then he brought her to Baqi Village. That day, he abandoned her in the foggy forest, letting her wander there alone for two full days!"
Xia Wei Liang was enraged upon hearing this and couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn! Is this person still human?"
"Sis~"
Xiao Shuai quietly reminded her, "Keep the sound professional..."
Xia Wei Liang quickly fell silent.
Xin Hong glanced at her and smiled, "You are a very lovely girl."
"Of course! My intelligence and beauty are beyond measure!"
Xia Wei Liang was not modest about this. After all, being cute was a fact, and hiding it from everyone would seem too distant!
Eager to hear the rest of the story, she quickly asked, "What happened next?"
Xin Hong continued, "Later, it was the village chief's son who took pity on her, brought her out of the foggy forest, and took her home to eat and rest."
"You mean, he actually discovered her earlier?"
Xin Hong nodded. "Whenever outsiders entered, the villagers would discover them immediately. Usually, most people would return the way they came, and no accidents would happen. Only those who were determined to enter Baqi Village would go deeper and deeper, becoming increasingly lost, forming a vicious cycle."
"In other words... that place actually..."
Xin Hong smiled. "Yes, people have died there."
Xia Wei Liang swallowed, thinking, *Okay, I'll just pretend I didn't ask.*
Xin Hong said, "Living in the village chief's house, she recovered quickly. She also developed feelings for the village chief's son. Of course, she hid everything about the outside world, only saying she was a refugee who had lost her way into the forest. The village chief's family was very kind and believed her completely. Thus, she married the village chief's son and took root there."
One could imagine that this marriage must have been very happy.
Of course, that was assuming the subsequent events hadn't occurred.
"The people of Baqi Village are very kind and simple, and the village chief's family treated her very well. Except for occasionally remembering her child outside the village, if she could spend the rest of her life in peace, that would be her greatest happiness."
At some point, Zhang Miao Miao and others had also gathered around.
"Until one day, the village chief brought back a few outsiders, saying they had gotten lost while hunting. She saw her brother among them... Later she learned that finding a good family for her and bringing her to Baqi Village was something he had planned long ago! It turned out that among the quarry workers, some had entered Baqi Village years ago and discovered the jade production in the back mountains, which is why they tried every means to get in."
Xia Wei Liang suddenly felt a bit afraid to hear the rest of the story, even though everyone already knew the ending.
"When her brother handed her that bag of medicine, he only said it contained sleeping pills that could make the entire village sleep for a day and a night, so they could take the raw stones away without anyone noticing. Afterwards, they wouldn't bother her again. Otherwise, he would tell the village chief's family that she had already been married and had a child outside the village."
"I&…=%￥!"
Zhang Miao Miao, completely letting loose, cursed angrily with an internationally recognized expletive.
Xiao Shuai's camera, at the right moment, tilted up to capture a long shot. Su Dan Novel Network.
A mature shot could adjust its own angle.
"Is this a real brother? He's here to collect a debt!"
Even Wai Shao, listening nearby, felt angry.
Mikoy said indifferently, "Man dies for wealth, what is family affection worth?"
Situ nodded in agreement.
"No matter how she struggled, she eventually agreed. But who knew, the villagers didn't fall asleep, but instead started falling ill one by one. It was only then that she realized she had been deceived again... In the end, unable to bear the torment, she left a suicide note and hanged herself."
Everyone listened with a sigh. They already found this woman hateful and pitiful, but now they felt she was tragic.
Xia Wei Liang looked at him and asked cautiously, "How did you come to know all this?"
"Perhaps it is truly retribution. After her brother returned, he fell gravely ill. On his deathbed, he told my father. Although my father was still young at the time, my father remembered every single word he said."
"So you... changed your surname later?"
"Mm."
There was nothing to hide about this. Xin Hong said, "As long as I am here, Baqi Village will not disappear. I will atone for my grandmother's sins, and I will protect this place."
For a moment, Xin Hong's image suddenly soared to 2.8 meters!
Tall! Stylish! Handsome!
Xia Wei Liang and Zhang Miao Miao clasped their hands together with bursting girlish hearts, gazing at him adoringly.
A responsible man is the most handsome!
Xi En looked in his direction and suddenly asked, "What you intend to do is more than just introducing this place, isn't it?"
"Mm."
Xin Hong did not conceal anything. He said, "Since we've chosen to let the world know about this place, we must first promote it, make it a classic, and ensure it's never replaced. In this era, rather than waiting to be buried, it's better to have the choice!"
Xia Wei Liang understood!
"Those inflatable mannequins were just a gimmick?"
"They are remembrance, and also a gimmick."
Xin Hong admitted honestly, "The people who once lived here will be remembered by more people, and everything that happened here should also be remembered by more people."
"Great!"
Xia Wei Liang was decisive. She stood up and applauded him!
"Xin Hong, I support you! Whatever you want to do, just say the word. As long as I can help, I will absolutely do my utmost!"
Xin Hong looked at her and smiled slightly. "Actually, there is something I need your help with right now."