Chapter 279: Enjoying the View?

“Can you tell me the specifics?” Gu Qingyin put down her cards and asked softly. “Decades have passed. Even if they’re still alive, they might not be willing to come back. The more details we have, the higher our chances of persuading them to return.”

Village Chief Liu heaved a heavy sigh. “Less than half a year after they left, my daughter-in-law got pregnant. They said the medical care in the big city was better, and since they were making money from their business, they decided to stay in the city to have the baby.”

“The second child… was a boy.” Village Chief Liu sighed again. “The journey was long, and Niu Niu was still little, so we never went to visit. We only kept in touch by phone.”

“Every time, Niu Niu would ask when her mom and dad were coming back. And every time, they’d say ‘soon, soon,’ but they never came back, not even once.”

“Later on, the phone calls became less frequent. They were always rushed, just a few sentences. It was always either the baby crying or fussing on their end. We had less and less to talk about.”

“Niu Niu went from being full of anticipation to not wanting to talk to them at all. Whenever they called, she’d hide far away, but then she’d peek out and watch with those hopeful eyes.”

Village Chief Liu’s eyes filled with heartache. “I know she still misses her parents, but she doesn’t dare to get her hopes up. She’s afraid of being disappointed.”

“When the second child got a little older, they said they were planning to come back. But before they could even set off, a virus broke out in the village. The villagers fell ill one after another. In just seven short days, there wasn’t a single healthy person left in the entire village.”

“The village was quarantined.”

Village Chief Liu seemed lost in his memories. “When we woke up again, we had become… like this. Unable to stand the light, never aging, never dying.” He gave a bitter smile. “We don’t know what happened. We just turned into monsters.”

“Do you know?” Village Chief Liu looked at Gu Qingyin, then at Huo Yunjing and Master Huo.

In the end, it was Master Huo, who knew the most about the village, who answered his question.

“The current situation in Longevity Village is not reproducible. There are many unknown factors involved. The Association once tried to replicate a small-scale Longevity Village. Even when all the known conditions were met, they still failed.”

Village Chief Liu processed this for a moment, his bitter smile deepening. “So you’re saying what happened to our village was just a fluke, and us turning into this was just plain bad luck.”

“Ha.” Village Chief Liu shook his head. “How hilarious.”

Aunt Liu’s expression had also soured. She stared blankly at the doorway, lost in thought.

After a moment of silence, another question surfaced in Gu Qingyin’s mind. ‘When was this house built? Niu Niu’s bedroom and the nursery… they don’t look like they belong to a child neglected by her parents.’

Village Chief Liu shook his head. “It was mostly built before the virus outbreak. It’s true, they mailed back the money for it, and the materials were all bought in advance. We finished the final touches ourselves after we woke up.”

“Niu Niu’s bedroom is how she wanted it, and the nursery too. We copied what we saw on TV and built it bit by bit. It took us over ten years to finish.”

Village Chief Liu pointed to Aunt Liu, his voice filled with pride. “My wife is very skilled. The dolls she makes are beautiful.”

Aunt Liu didn’t act coy; her eyes and brows were full of pride.

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but smile. ‘Whatever Niu Niu’s parents were thinking, at least her grandparents truly love her.’

“Do you still have their old phone number and address? If you’ve kept any of their old letters, could I see them?”

Hearing this, Aunt Liu got up and headed upstairs. “I have them all. Wait here, I’ll go get them.”

Huo Xingchen saw that no one was in the mood to play anymore, so he took the initiative to clear the card table, gathering up the playing cards.

Village Chief Liu saw this and chuckled, then began to lecture them earnestly. “A young man like you shouldn’t be so competitive. Cheating in a game isn’t right. It’s wrong.” He looked at Gu Qingyin and Huo Yunjing. “Don’t think of this as a small matter. If you don’t intervene early, it could become a bigger problem later on.”

“It’s not my place to say, but you young people are too careless. You don’t know how to raise a child. Don’t dismiss it just because it’s a small problem. Small problems can grow into big ones!”

Getting lectured out of the blue, Gu Qingyin blinked and glanced at Huo Yunjing.

Huo Yunjing was also rather speechless. He turned to Huo Xingchen, his gaze turning cool. “Did you get all that?”

Huo Xingchen: “…I did. Thank you, Grandpa Chief.” He pulled the paper human out from behind him. ‘He wasn’t the only one who did it, so he shouldn’t be the only one to apologize.’

The paper human couldn’t speak and had no pen, so it could only bow to Village Chief Liu, which in turn made the chief feel a bit awkward.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. A child who can admit their mistakes is a good child.”

Huo Xingchen put on a well-behaved smile, sighing in relief internally. ‘I’m already in my twenties, and I’m still getting lectures about turning out crooked. This is…’

A short while later, Aunt Liu came down carrying a metal box.

Huo Xingchen had never seen a box like this before and thought it actually contained cookies. Just as he was feeling puzzled, the lid was opened, revealing stacks of neatly arranged letters.

Aunt Liu searched through them, found the very first letter they had sent back, and handed it to Gu Qingyin. “This is the first letter. It has the address and phone number.” Aunt Liu sighed. “After so many years, they’ve probably moved by now.”

Gu Qingyin took it and glanced at it, saying casually, “If they existed, they must have left a trace. And if they left a trace, I can find them.”

The letter paper was a bit yellowed, but thankfully the handwriting was still clear. On it were a landline number and a mailing address.

Landlines have long since been replaced, and this one would be no exception. As for the address, it should be findable, provided the building hasn’t been demolished.

Gu Qingyin also tried to capture the aura from the letter, but too much time had passed. There was nothing left on the paper.

She shook her head. “Looks like I’ll have to make a trip in person.”

Aunt Liu seemed to find it difficult to say. “Actually, if you calculate his age, he’d be almost seventy this year. We don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

Gu Qingyin nodded. “That’s certainly a possibility. But just like with this letter, even if your son left any personal belongings at home, I wouldn’t be able to use them. It’s been too long.”

“Sigh…” Aunt Liu sighed and said no more.

Gu Qingyin looked through the other letters, took the one with the latest date, and tried again, but it was still no use.

Aunt Liu retracted her hopeful gaze and stood up. “I’ll go make dinner.”

“What’s the address?” Master Huo asked.

Gu Qingyin: “116 Chengshan Road.”

Master Huo thought for a moment. “It should still be there. I’ll have someone go check.”

Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Can you make a call from here?”

Master Huo gave her a look that was hard to put into words. “You can, once you’re outside the village’s perimeter.”

Gu Qingyin: “…Oh.” ‘My brain must have short-circuited. How could I forget something so simple? I was just thinking about driving back to find someone.’

She was so lost in thought that she kept watching Master Huo leave the house, her gaze lingering.

“Was it a good view?”

Huo Yunjing’s cool voice rang out. Gu Qingyin blinked, quickly retracting her gaze, and said calmly, “I wasn’t looking. I was thinking about something.”

Huo Yunjing: “Heh.”