Li Chonglou, sitting in the back, fell into deep thought. His uncle had always revealed things about Wushanzhen town without him needing to ask.
However, it was precisely from his uncle's words that Li Chonglou sensed this Wuhuashan was not simple.
A place that had been impoverished for nearly fifty years seemed to have undergone a complete transformation in just over half a month, with even the air becoming sweet.
Initially, the townspeople attributed it to the yellow flowers, and some of the desperate residents flocked to pick them as if they had discovered a treasure.
But when they showed them to professionals, they turned out to be just ordinary wildflowers, unsaleable.
At this point, his uncle pointed to a place for Li Chonglou.
"See there, it was connected originally. At that time, it was because they spread the word too much that they uprooted them all."
Li Chonglou looked in the direction his uncle pointed. Indeed, where a patch of yellow flowers had been continuous, there was now a gap. Around it, not only were there no yellow flowers, but not even weeds. All that met the eye was bare earth.
The emotions of the residents at that time could be somewhat glimpsed here.
"Didn't you report it to the government? Didn't they send people over?"
Although it was a dirt road, there weren't many potholes or stones. Li Chonglou, sitting in the back, felt the ride was quite stable. However, the trees on both sides were becoming increasingly dense, which didn't seem like the way to a residential area.
His uncle was clearly accustomed to this route, riding the motorcycle and chatting without any apparent strangeness.
"Of course, we reported it. They sent people over, and they still haven't left."
Li Chonglou became curious. "Uncle, didn't you say you checked and didn't know what was going on? Why haven't they left yet?"
"That, I don't know. Their people live on the mountain themselves and don't stay with us."
This made it even stranger. Li Chonglou mused, and his uncle continued, "Also, you can call me Uncle Qiu. My name is Qiu Wan."
"Alright, Uncle Qiu."
Li Chonglou nodded, then asked about the old senior.
"By the way, Uncle Qiu, do you know an old man named Du Tian?"
"Old Man Du? You came all the way here to find Old Man Du?"
Uncle Qiu Wan's tone carried a hint of surprise. Li Chonglou retorted, "Why, is there something special about him?"
Uncle Qiu Wan nodded. "Young man, if someone introduced you, I'd advise you not to go. Old Man Du has a bad temper."
Li Chonglou inquired further and learned that many people had come to find him over the years, but none had succeeded in having a conversation with him.
According to Uncle Qiu, this old man named Du Tian was stubborn, domineering, capricious, and unpredictable. One moment he might be chatting and laughing with you, and the next he would turn hostile.
In Wushanzhen, the original residents avoided this old man.
Li Chonglou fell silent. It seemed this time it would be difficult. However, one thing he couldn't figure out was that given the senior's expertise, he shouldn't be short of money.
But in Uncle Qiu Wan's words, he heard discussions among peers, with no mention of whether Du Tian was rich or not. It felt like discussing an ordinary family.
However, as Li Chonglou tried to learn more, Qiu Wan stated that he only knew these things. Although they were from the same town, due to Du Tian's eccentric personality, few people could interact with him.
This meant that not only Uncle Qiu Wan but also others in the town knew only this much about him.
As they talked, Li Chonglou suddenly noticed that the view ahead opened up.
He turned his head and saw that at the foot of the three large mountains ahead, a small town sprawled out, blooming in all directions.
At that moment, they were halfway up a mountain. Following the path, they still had to go around this mountain to descend. But being on the side, the view was exceptionally wide, encompassing the entire Wushanzhen.
Li Chonglou was surprised to find that Wushanzhen was shaped like an open hand, with a dense center that spread out in five directions. A river also ran through the entire town from left to right.
Uncle Qiu Wan suddenly spoke again, "You outsiders always like to get off the vehicle outside and walk in. If you relied solely on your feet, it would take about an hour to get in."
Li Chonglou smiled. "Uncle Qiu, I'm lucky to have met you this time. Otherwise, my legs would have been worn out."
Uncle Qiu Wan chuckled, his happiness evident.
Simple people just wanted a word of thanks. After all, doing good deeds was a mood-lifting experience.
Li Chonglou also developed a spontaneous good impression of the townspeople because of this. After all, it was difficult to nurture honest and kind people in such harsh environments.
After another ten minutes or so, Li Chonglou rode on Uncle Qiu Wan's motorcycle back into town.
As soon as they entered, on a street only about three meters wide, an uncle of the same age as Uncle Qiu Wan greeted him, "Old Wan, you're finally willing to come back."
Uncle Qiu Wan stopped and braced himself with his foot on the ground. "I wanted to come back earlier too. This batch of goods was a bit hard to sell. I'm already thinking of changing seedlings next year."
Their conversation was natural, but Li Chonglou, sitting in the back, felt a bit awkward. Just as he was about to get off to say goodbye to Uncle Qiu Wan, the latter noticed his intention and immediately said, "Young man, I've called home. It should be almost time for dinner. Why don't you come back with me for a meal first?"
Li Chonglou quickly waved his hand. "No, Uncle Qiu, you've already helped me a lot by giving me a ride. I wouldn't dare to impose on your home for a meal."
Seeing that Li Chonglou still wanted to get off, Uncle Qiu Wan suddenly reached out and held him back. "Young man, one more person just means one more pair of chopsticks. It's nothing."
A sense of vigilance suddenly arose in Li Chonglou. Wasn't this too enthusiastic? It seemed like he absolutely had to go to his house?
Could there be some unspeakable secret!
Just then, the uncle, whom Uncle Qiu Wan called Old Jin, also spoke, "Young man, this is our local tradition. If we meet by chance, we invite them home for a meal. In our town, if you come, you'll bring good fortune to our home."
Li Chonglou suddenly understood, though this was the first time he had heard of such a custom.
Uncle Qiu Wan also said, "Young man, are you afraid I'll do something harmful to you? No, it's just the two of us at home. The younger ones are all studying outside."
Li Chonglou coughed awkwardly.
"It's not that. I just feel that your family might not have prepared for my meal, and it's not good to disturb you so abruptly."
Uncle Qiu Wan immediately smiled. "Young man, you don't need to worry about that. My family also raises several old hens, and we have plenty of vegetables!"
Li Chonglou quickly waved his hand. "Please don't. How about this, can you take me to buy some vegetables from where they are sold?"
Unable to persuade Li Chonglou, Uncle Qiu Wan could only take him to the vegetable market first.