This meant that at least three people, all nearly six feet tall, had come to look for Old Chen Tou.
It was the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month, close to the New Year. Who would come here then?
The key point was that the footprints had only just appeared, and Old Chen Tou was also not present. Where could he have gone?
She stood up and followed the footprints all the way to the back, eventually reaching the other side of the back mountain.
Just as Meng Jing Wei was filled with doubt and looking around, she suddenly saw a few people standing together in the woods behind the mountain.
Meng Jing Wei’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately crouched down, looking from a distance.
Upon closer inspection, she found that Old Chen Tou was standing with three tall, burly men.
Old Chen Tou stood with his hands behind his back, his head held high and chest out. The three men facing him had their hands clasped in front of them and bowed slightly, showing great respect.
Seeing this scene, Meng Jing Wei felt a chill down her spine.
Who were these people?
What was Old Chen Tou’s true identity?
She suddenly remembered someone she had seen on the streets of Fein Nan that day, who looked remarkably like Old Chen Tou.
Had she really mistaken him?
And that day at the Encounter Wedding Company, was Old Chen Tou really in the company’s office, or had someone just returned from outside and happened to encounter Shi Ran entering the company?
The thought was chilling.
Knowing that Old Chen Tou had sharp hearing and keen eyesight, she dared not linger and could only bend low and quietly slip away.
She returned to the entrance and sat there, continuing to wait for Old Chen Tou.
But as she waited, Meng Jing Wei’s heart sank, “This is bad!”
She had noticed the footprints on the ground earlier, and as she followed them to find Old Chen Tou, she had naturally left her own tracks.
She feared…
Old Chen Tou would surely discover something.
Meng Jing Wei looked at the trail of footprints, thought for a moment, and then walked back in that direction.
Following the footprints she had made earlier, she walked along, calling out, "Old Chen Tou? Master? Master?"
At first, her voice was quiet. As she got closer to where she had been, Meng Jing Wei raised her voice slightly, "Master? Old Chen Tou? Where are you?"
She slowed her pace considerably, calculating that the people would have enough time to hide. Only then did Meng Jing Wei quickly walk forward, continuing to call out.
Although Meng Jing Wei had already seen Old Chen Tou when she arrived, she pretended not to see him and kept shouting loudly.
"Oh, goodness, you're so noisy, what are you yelling about?"
Old Chen Tou emerged from the woods, carrying two bundles of firewood on his shoulder. He walked towards her, "When did you get back?"
"Hahaha, Old Chen Tou, I finally found you."
Meng Jing Wei chuckled and ran towards him, her eyes unconsciously glancing at the place where Old Chen Tou had been conferring with the other men.
There was no one there anymore.
"Why did you get so much firewood? I've told you many times to stay at my place when it gets cold. Why are you still burning wood? Don't you know it's dangerous?"
If it were an ordinary house, it wouldn't matter. But Old Chen Tou's house had many flammable materials, and since he lived alone, it was truly worrying.
"Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater."
Old Chen Tou said, stopping. He put down his load and looked at Meng Jing Wei, "Here, you have plenty of energy, help me carry the firewood."
Meng Jing Wei: "..."
She pouted, walked over, and obediently picked up the firewood, "It's so heavy."
"Where did your chattering energy go just now? Hurry up and go." Old Chen Tou ordered Meng Jing Wei without any hesitation.
Meng Jing Wei, holding the firewood with both hands, walked forward with unsteady steps.
As she walked, her foot slipped, and she fell to the ground with a bang, "Ah, my butt..."
"Useless!"
Old Chen Tou snorted dismissively, grabbed her collar, and pulled her up, "You can't carry anything on your shoulders or lift anything with your hands. What good are you?"
As he spoke, he shouldered his load and started walking back.
Meng Jing Wei followed behind, pouting, "I don't carry burdens often, how would I know how?"
When they returned home, Old Chen Tou started a fire. He took a few sweet potatoes from the house and placed them by the fire, "Here, I'll get you some sweet potatoes. I remember you loved roasting sweet potatoes by the fire in winter when you were little."
"Haha, Master, you care about me the most."
Meng Jing Wei was very touched.
Although she had unexpectedly discovered many secrets about Old Chen Tou just now, Meng Jing Wei thought that he had been by her side for so many years and had always been very good to her.
Like a father and a teacher, as close as family.
Moreover, Old Chen Tou, in terms of skill, ability, demeanor, and vision, was superior to ordinary people.
He was already a mysterious figure, and she should give him some private space.
As long as Old Chen Tou didn't harm her, she shouldn't interfere with anything else.
With that thought, Meng Jing Wei’s mood naturally improved.
She chatted with Old Chen Tou at home. In the evening, she brought Old Chen Tou back to their home, and the four of them sat together, eating and drinking, a harmonious scene.
Meng Jing Wei turned off her phone as soon as she got home, not wanting to be disturbed by the outside world, and even more so, not wanting to answer Qing Mu Ye’s calls again.
The next morning, after breakfast, she went up the back mountain, and Old Chen Tou took Meng Jing Wei to the river to fish.
He wore a homemade straw cape, held a fishing rod, and sat by the river, fishing quietly.
The scene was evocative of the poem 'A lone boat with a straw cape, fishing alone in the cold river snow.'
Meng Jing Wei liked it very much, so she turned on her phone and took a few photos of Old Chen Tou, posting them on her social media.
Because of her angle of shooting, Old Chen Tou's face could not be seen.
She posted the pictures with the poem 'A lone boat with a straw cape, fishing alone in the cold river snow.'
She was on the mountain and had no internet, so Meng Jing Wei didn't bother, letting her phone automatically send the post whenever it had a signal.
In the afternoon, Old Chen Tou practiced martial arts with her and played chess. Time passed quickly.
The next day, it was the thirtieth of the twelfth lunar month, New Year's Eve.
Meng Jing Wei woke up early and directly went up the mountain to bring Old Chen Tou home. The few of them sat together, chatting, then frying various fritters and making dumplings.
It was already noon after they finished working.
After they finished lunch, Du Juan began preparing the New Year's banquet, while Meng Tian Hua cut and pasted couplets.
Besides their own family's couplets, they also prepared couplets for Old Chen Tou's home.
Meng Jing Wei, along with Old Chen Tou, brought the couplets and firecrackers up the mountain to paste them at Old Chen Tou's house and set off firecrackers.
Bang, bang, bang—
The sound of firecrackers crackled, filling the air with the strong scent of gunpowder. Red paper scraps flew, and smoke curled upwards, standing out vividly against the snow.
Meng Jing Wei stood there, listening to the sound of the firecrackers, as if returning to her childhood.
Back then, New Year was the most wonderful time.
In the evening, the four of them sat together, watching the New Year's gala, drinking wine, and chatting. The atmosphere was very harmonious.
Old Chen Tou and Meng Tian Hua were very happy and drank a lot. They both slumped onto the table. Du Juan, muttering all the while, dragged them to bed.
After cleaning up, Meng Jing Wei and Du Juan sat by the brazier, warming themselves, chatting, and keeping watch for the New Year.
Knock, knock, knock—
Just then, someone was knocking on the door.
At first, Meng Jing Wei thought it was someone else setting off fireworks and firecrackers, and that she had misheard.
Until the sound came again, she looked at Du Juan, "Mom, who is it at this late hour?"
"Let me go see."
Du Juan made a move to get up, but Meng Jing Wei gently pressed her back down, "You've been busy all day, I'll go open the door."
She stood up, walked to the front yard, and opened the main door.
At that moment, she saw the person standing at the door was actually… Qing Mu Ye?
And his good brothers, Tang Si, Han Yu, and Lu Yan Ming.