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墨書 Inktalez
This is a routine check, mainly to prevent unrelated individuals from entering. However, it is mostly just for show now, as there are not many people coming here since the tourist bus has left.
Not long after, buildings appeared before us, catching our eyes.
This is undoubtedly a Miao Village, with wooden Stilt Houses standing on both sides of the street, walls made of bamboo and mud, topped with thatch.
These are standard traditional Miao architecture. Compared to the tourist spots in familiar Miao Villages, these houses are mostly wooden and lack the addition of bricks or stones, except for some with tiled roofs.
Stilt Houses are generally built on slopes, where a platform is leveled on the ground and wooden piles are driven into the ground to support the house, preventing moisture.
Each wooden house typically has three levels: the upper level for storing grain, the middle level for living, and the lower level for raising livestock.
These Stilt Houses vary in height; some are as low as seven or eight meters, while others reach over ten meters, comparable to brick and stone buildings.
After parking in a designated area, we could see several other buses already parked there, clearly belonging to tourists like us.
“Everyone please take your belongings and exit in an orderly manner,” the Guide said while holding up a small flag.
The group members eagerly grabbed their luggage. Some elderly individuals who found it inconvenient were assisted by young people. The elders smiled and praised them, and the youths were delighted to help, feeling energized as they carried the items.
Following the guide, we finally arrived at a larger Stilt House. After a brief exchange between the Guide and the host, he turned around and invited everyone inside.
This place is different from other residences; it has been specifically converted into a guesthouse for tourists. It looks clean and tidy but is quite expensive—comparable to a four-star hotel.
According to everyone's requests, arrangements were made for double and triple rooms, as well as small single rooms.
Here, electricity was not completely cut off, as there were still quite a few people. However, the only appliances provided were a light bulb and a small black-and-white television about ten inches in size. Such things had been outdated for over a decade, but here they were almost the only form of entertainment, especially since there was no Wi-Fi.
After recognizing his room, Ye Mingshang found the Female Guide.
Upon seeing the young man standing before her, the Guide suddenly recalled their earlier conversation in the car. Her cheeks flushed as she thought, "Could it be that he really means that? Although he helped me and is quite handsome, but... but this is my first time. Is it too hasty to give it away like this?"
"I need to go out for a bit," Ye Mingshang said.
"Huh? What did you say?" The Guide, lost in her thoughts, didn't catch what he said and asked again with her mouth agape.
Ye Mingshang pressed his lips together and repeated himself.
"Where are you going? Are you looking for your friends? I can help you find them later. Most of the newcomers here don't speak Chinese, so communication can be difficult. Besides, newcomers aren't very welcome here..."
Before the Guide could finish her sentence, she was interrupted.
Ye Mingshang raised his hand to stop her from continuing and said, "He might take drastic measures at any moment. I can't wait, and I know a bit of Miao language, so there won't be too many communication barriers."
Thinking of trying to persuade him further, she was cut off by his hand. "I've been here before; it's fine."
Then, without waiting for the Guide to continue her objections, he strode out. By the time the Guide hurried out to chase after him, there was no trace of him left.
The Guide sighed, "Why are they all so willful? One after another, they really don't make things easy." Then she recalled her earlier thoughts and felt her face flush again.
He was already in his twenties and had no partner. Thinking of Ye Mingshang's figure and the misunderstandings from before, it was inevitable that some fantasies arose. As he pondered, the Guide felt a tingling sensation below and instinctively squeezed his legs together, reaching down to touch himself. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching, blushed, and ran back to his room.
Ye Mingshang, of course, had no idea that he had unknowingly become the object of a girl's infatuation. At that moment, he was still searching for Joan's whereabouts.
Arriving at a hotel, Ye Mingshang found the Boss and stammered in his not-so-fluent Miao language, "Boss, have you seen this person?" He pulled out a photo of Joan from his pocket.
"I don't know him," the Boss replied coldly after glancing at the picture. They were generally not very welcoming to strangers who wouldn't bring them any profit.
Seeing that the other party was unwilling to engage, Ye Mingshang took out a stack of cash, about a thousand yuan or so.
"Please take a good look. This person is my friend, and I urgently need to find him."
Upon seeing the money, the Boss's eyes lit up. He quickly snatched the cash and counted it happily before saying to Ye Mingshang, "I haven't seen this person, but I can ask around for you. After all, this village is not small; he might be staying somewhere far."
"Thank you. If you find him, I will express my gratitude."
With money involved, the Boss's attitude improved significantly. Although he wasn't overly enthusiastic, at least he didn't have a stern expression anymore.
The Boss went inside and made a few phone calls using a landline. After chatting for a while, he came out and said to Ye Mingshang, "Come with me; let's go check with Mu Chi. He might know where your friend is."
Ye Mingshang followed him and walked for about ten minutes before stopping in front of a house.
"Hey! Mu Chi! I'm here!" The Boss knocked on the door.
Before long, the door opened, revealing an old man with a white beard dressed in traditional Miao attire.
“Shagon, who are you looking for?” the old man asked.
The one called Shagon handed over a photo. The old man examined it carefully for a while before nodding, “I’ve seen this person.”
“Great! Where is he?” Shagon asked.
The old man did not answer but extended his hand, rubbing his fingers together.
“You old Fellow, we’re from the same village. Do you really have to be so greedy?” Shagon shouted.
The old man glanced at him and scoffed, “Don’t give me that. I know you’re a miser. You wouldn’t help without enough reward. I don’t believe you’re that kind-hearted.”
“You drive a hard bargain.” Shagon said coldly as he took out a fifty from his pocket.
The old man merely glanced at him dismissively and didn’t take the money, “Is this what you give to beggars?”
“Damn! You heartless old man.” Shagon cursed.
The information was with Mu Chi, but it required money to obtain, and he didn’t want to pay too much. Finally, after some thought, he approached Ye Mingshang, cleared his throat, and said, “He knows where your friend is, but he wants money. You understand.”
“Got it. Please give him the money.” Ye Mingshang thought to himself how greedy it was, then took out a stack of about a thousand dollars in cash. (To be continued.)
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