Proofreader & Editor: Howard Wong
Hearing the word "evidence," Wen Rou and I couldn't help but exchange glances, both feeling a bit panicked.
Although we were innocent and had clear consciences, the photo was still there!
If the photo got out, we feared that even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn't wash us clean!
(Proofreader: 跳进黄河也洗不清(jumping into the Yellow River wouldn't wash us clean), is the Chinese idiom , it is used to describe a situation where a person is unable to rid themselves of unfavorable accusations or a bad reputation, no matter how hard they try. )
"Evidence?"The female tour guide asked, "What evidence do you have?"
Xu Ming, hiding behind the muscular uncle and eager to try, said, "On what grounds do you accuse my wife? Show the evidence! If you can't produce it, I'll sue you for defamation!"
Yellow Hair snorted disdainfully and cursed, "Idiot! Doesn't even know his wife's been played!"
"You… you bring out the evidence!"
Xu Ming's face turned red with anger, wanting to rush out but not daring to stray too far from the muscular uncle.
"Fine!
You all want evidence, right?
I'll show it to you now!
Eh… where's my phone? "
Yellow Hair said this while searching himself, but after patting down his entire body, he realized his phone was gone!
"It must have fallen on the ground just now!"
Yellow Hair hurriedly looked down to search, but after a while, he couldn't find it and turned to the man with black-framed glasses and the stutterer, "What are you two standing there for, help me look!"
The three searched for a full five minutes, combing the area several times, but the phone was nowhere to be found!
Curiously, I looked at Wen Rou, thinking she might have picked up the phone and hidden it.
However, Wen Rou shook her head and mouthed to ask if it was me.
I shrugged, indicating I didn't know either.
The three continued their search.
But the others had already decided it was an act and dispersed after watching for a while.
The female tour guide took out a megaphone and announced, "The driver has been gone for a long time; he should be back soon. Don't wander off! If you're interested, you can follow me; we just discovered a natural hot spring!"
In this sweltering heat, everyone was already suffering, and at the mention of a hot spring, they all followed the tour guide.
Wen Rou deliberately walked at the back with me and asked, "You really don't know about that phone just now?"
I was just as puzzled and shook my head, "I was too busy fighting with that stutterer; I didn't pay attention to the phone!"
"Strange!"
Wen Rou said, "Someone must have picked it up, or Yellow Hair and the others would have found it by now!"
"Yeah!" I agreed wholeheartedly, "And whoever picked up the phone must be a good Samaritan!"
"Hope so…"
After walking through the woods for several hundred meters, we indeed came upon a hot spring.
The hot spring was about two hundred square meters, with clean stones all around the edge where one could sit and bathe or wade in the water.
Since some had already tried it, the deepest part was only a little over a meter, so as long as one didn't do anything foolish, it was generally safe from drowning.
Wen Rou found a spot to sit and asked me, "Do you know how to swim?"
I replied, "What rural kid doesn't know how to swim? I grew up playing in the river!"
Wen Rou said, "I still don't know how!"
"If you want to learn, I can teach you!"
"I wouldn't dare!" Wen Rou smiled sweetly, "You go ahead and swim; I'll just watch you!"
I couldn't wait any longer and started to take off my T-shirt!
But I stopped halfway and put it back on.
Suddenly, I remembered the Yin-Yang marriage contract and the cross ban tattooed on my back!
The Yin-Yang marriage contract was left by Granny Zheng and was connected to my life force.
The cross ban was drawn by the Taoist Lu Chenglun, which could prevent Granny Zheng from finding me, provided I didn't bathe for ten days!
"Why aren't you going in?" Wen Rou asked curiously.
I washed my face and arms, then soaked my feet in the water, "The car might be fixed soon, and it would be too uncomfortable to sit in wet clothes!"
"Don't you have a change of clothes for our two-day trip?"
"No!" I shook my head, "I left in such a hurry, I forgot to bring them!"
Wen Rou said, "When we get to the scenic area, I'll buy you a set of clothes as a thank you for saving my life!"
I joked, "A life-saving favor is only worth a set of clothes?"
"What do you want then?"
"I'm still single, do you have any cousins or something you could introduce to me? Two would be fine!"
"I really don't have any!" Wen Rou thought seriously and said, "I can agree to anything within my power!"
I said, "I was just kidding, don't take it seriously!"
Wen Rou wanted to say more, but at that moment, Xu Ming came over with a package, and she fell silent.
When he arrived, Xu Ming said, "Wife, do you want to go in for a soak?"
Wen Rou shook her head.
Xu Ming chuckled, "Then I'm going in!"
"Who cares about you!" Wen Rou replied irritably.
Although Wen Rou and I were sitting on two different stones, we weren't far apart.
Noticing my arm was scratched, Wen Rou took out iodine and cotton swabs from her bag to disinfect it.
After treating my arm, she asked, "Do you have any injuries on your body?"
"I don't think so!"
Wen Rou said, "Should I… take a look?"
Looking at Xu Ming swimming not far away, I said, "Is this… appropriate?"
"Don't mind him!" Wen Rou said, "He almost drove me mad just now!"
I said, "It's not his fault he can't fight!"
Wen Rou said, "It's not about whether he can fight or not, it's that he actually asked Yellow Hair for evidence! What, does he really think there's something between us?"
I said, "Maybe he just asked casually!"
"Let's not talk about him anymore, the more we talk, the angrier I get!" Wen Rou said, "Take off your shirt, and I'll check you!"
"Really, it's not necessary!"
Thinking of the Yin-Yang marriage contract and the cross ban on my back, I declined Wen Rou's kind offer.
It wasn't that I was afraid she would see them, but I didn't want to scare her!
Wen Rou didn't insist, and after putting away the iodine and cotton swabs, she took out two bottles of water from her bag and handed me one.
***
We sat there for an hour.
Before we knew it, it was eight o'clock in the evening.
I decided to go back and check on the car.
At that moment, Yellow Hair and the other two came over, carrying the dead sika deer.
They threw the sika deer on the shore.
The stutterer and the man with black-framed glasses started setting up a barbecue grill.
Yellow Hair took out a dagger, ready to skin and butcher the deer, sharpening the knife on a stone and muttering to himself, "This damn sika deer is really cunning, even wearing clothes!"
"Barbecue venison, my treat!"
"Everyone's welcome to try!"
As the sizzling sound of the meat cooking started, a delicious aroma wafted through the air.
Soon, many people were drawn over.
Not many had ever eaten barbecued venison.
As for whether the sika deer was a protected species and whether eating it was illegal, that was even less clear!
Anyway, in this remote wilderness with no cell phone signal, as long as no one spoke out, nobody would know!
The crowd devoured the food like a whirlwind.
In no time, a whole sika deer was completely devoured!
Indeed, many hands make light work!
Of course, there were also a few cautious people who didn't partake.
Honestly, the barbecue smelled delicious, and I wanted to try it.
But after the intense fight with Yellow Hair and the others, he certainly wouldn't share with me, so I didn't bother asking.
Wen Rou seemed to notice I was hungry, put on her high heels, stood up, and said, "Let's go back to the car! I have food in my other bag!"
"Great!"
I quickly got up as well.
Leaving the hot spring, we supported each other on the way back.
When we reached a small mound, Wen Rou stumbled and fell against me, then let out a "yah" as if in great pain.
I supported her and asked, "What's wrong, sis? Did you twist your ankle?"
"Not really!"
Wen Rou turned to look at my waist and said, "What's that on you? It really hurt when it jabbed me just now!"
I felt around my waist and found it was the golden gourd from Lu Chenglun.
Not wanting Wen Rou to misunderstand, I quickly took out the golden gourd and said, "Don't get the wrong idea, it must be this!"
"I didn't misunderstand!"
Wen Rou blushed and asked, "What is this?"
I"A friend gave it to me, it's fake!"
"Definitely fake!" Wen Rou said, "If it were gold, it would be worth a million!"
Besides the golden gourd, there was also a letter at my waist.
I checked, and thankfully, everything was still there.