The sound of drums reverberated in her ears. The drummer at the front eagerly stepped up to Wen Sining. The man was working hard to liven up the atmosphere, and Wen Sining responded to him in kind.
Perhaps because she had stayed in her room all day yesterday and missed the barbecue, as a semi-new face, Wen Sining caught everyone's attention.
Seeing her active participation, the other drummers also gathered around her. Even the dancers came over to join in the fun.
Before long, Wen Sining was holding quite a few things. The official welcome soon ended, and Wen Sining was invited by Tiantian's mother to her home. Tiantian also cordially invited Lu Luochen.
Although the little girl was young, she was as capable as an adult. Afraid that Lu Luochen might sense the tension between Wen Sining and her grandfather, Tiantian went to the old man first. She won his favor and then revealed what she wanted to do.
At the low table, Lu Luochen had nowhere to put his long legs. Opposite him sat Wen Sining, who didn't even look at him, and beside him was Tiantian's enthusiastic mother.
"Tiantian really likes you. She rarely gets to meet people from outside while living here," Tiantian's mother said as she placed the last dish on the table and sat on the stool Tiantian had prepared for her.
The four of them sat around the table. The simple-looking food was actually the best the mother could offer.
Hearing her words, Wen Sining pondered their meaning and asked in confusion, "Tiantian seems to be of school age. Why doesn't she go to school?"
Tiantian's mother paused for a moment while holding her chopsticks, then swallowed some rice with a bitter expression. "This village is in the mountains. There's no school around."
The people here had all fled to this place for various reasons. For them, having enough to eat and a place to live was already a great blessing.
Wen Sining noticed her embarrassment and awkwardly shifted her gaze, only to meet Lu Luochen's equally uncomfortable eyes across the table.
In a society that was constantly progressing, there were still people struggling to make ends meet. Going to school had become a luxury they couldn't even dream of.
Tiantian was a well-behaved and sensible girl. She clearly understood what the adults were saying, but she pretended not to care and just ate her rice.
Looking at this scene, some ideas began to take root in Wen Sining's mind.
After the meal, Lu Luochen wheeled Wen Sining back. Walking on the dirt road in the countryside, Wen Sining carefully observed the whole village.
The houses were very shabby and located at the foot of the mountain. In case of a heavy rainstorm and a flash flood, these houses would offer no protection at all.
Along the way, she roughly counted that there were only about fifteen households in this small village.
Back at their accommodation, Lu Luochen left Wen Sining in the room. He seemed afraid that something might happen if he stayed any longer. As soon as his hands left the wheelchair handles, he left immediately.
After a day of rest and using the ointment Kang Bai had prepared for her, Wen Sining's wound was healing quickly. She carefully put her foot down and could barely move.
Just as she sat down on the edge of the bed, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Wen Sining craned her neck and asked hurriedly.
The knock came again. Wen Sining had no choice but to stand up from the edge of the bed and walk to the door, holding onto the wheelchair. Standing behind the door, she asked cautiously again, "Who's outside?"
"It's me," an old voice replied.
Wen Sining quickly filtered through the voices in her mind.
"Doctor Kang?" As she spoke, she opened the door.
Kang Bai was standing at the door, holding two small brown bottles. He just stretched out his hand and said, "You can take off the gauze. Apply this three times a day."
After giving her the bottles, Kang Bai turned to leave.
"Doctor Kang, do you know my grandmother?" Wen Sining asked this question again.
She didn't believe that someone would claim to be familiar with another person for no reason, nor would they waste their energy on a stranger. Although Doctor Kang seemed cold to her, his actions showed that he cared about her a great deal, even more than the old man Lu.
Doctor Kang stopped in his tracks, and after a moment, he left without looking back.
Once again, her question was ignored, but Wen Sining didn't give up on her doubts.
Behind the house, Lu Luochen was standing in the darkness, observing Wen Sining's every move.
Early the next morning, the driver drove the car to the village entrance.
They left the village and headed back to Licheng.
At Lincheng Airport.
The broadcast was announcing the upcoming flights. In the crowd, Yun Chutong spotted Wen Sining beside Lu Luochen at a glance.
The image of the two of them being intimate flashed through her mind, and jealousy welled up inside her. She watched them board the plane and then followed them with her ticket and passport.
Before buying the ticket, she had specifically checked their flight information and booked a seat next to theirs.
After passing through the security check, the passengers who had bought first-class tickets were led to the first-class cabin by the flight attendants.
Wen Sining and Lu Luochen sat together, while the old man and Uncle Bai sat on the other side.
Yun Chutong, with her baseball cap pulled low, sat behind them. The plane was very turbulent at the beginning of the flight, but it gradually became stable as it gained altitude.
"Sorry!"
Lu Luochen's shoulder was bumped. Just as he was about to respond, he noticed the familiar voice. Looking up, he was surprised to see the woman in the aisle.
Wen Sining felt that the atmosphere around them had suddenly become tense. Looking up, she saw the eyes under the brim of the hat.
Yun Chutong? What was she doing here?
Looking at the intense looks between the two of them, Wen Sining immediately understood.
"Luochen," Yun Chutong called out. As soon as she spoke, Lu Luochen pulled her out of her seat.
Seeing them leave, Wen Sining put on her eye mask to rest.
Before boarding the plane, she had borrowed a power bank from the service desk. In just two days, Jiang Ruanqing had called and texted her over a hundred times.
In just a few days, Wen Minhao had caused another problem.
"Chutong, why are you here?" Lu Luochen held Yun Chutong's hand. After not seeing her for a few days, it felt like an eternity. Seeing her again, he wanted to pull her into his arms.
Yun Chutong was still angry about the photos. She played coy and pushed away Lu Luochen's touch.
His arm was left hanging in the air. Lu Luochen looked at Yun Chutong in confusion.
"Chutong?"
"Why didn't you answer my calls or reply to my messages these days? Are you really going to marry another woman as your grandfather wishes?"
After being in a relationship for many years, this was the first time Yun Chutong felt pressured. No matter how much she acted up before, Lu Luochen would always spoil her and reply to her messages immediately, even when he was busy.
Now he was treating another woman so gently, and that woman had a scarred face.
She had a good figure and a beautiful face. That woman had nothing to compare with her.
"There was no signal in the village, and my phone was out of battery," Lu Luochen explained.