Chapter 73: Unable to Enter the Mountain Today

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Unable to Enter the Mountain Today

Rian Sinclair waved her hand, and Aiden Sinclair left the room.

Setting her teacup aside, she looked out the window. Lightning flashed and thunder roared; it seemed destined to be a sleepless night.

[Current location is eligible for check-in. Does the host choose to check in now?]

"Check in."

[Ding! Check-in successful! Congratulations to the host for acquiring Argent’s Sylvan Community.]

Sylvan Community?

Wasn’t that the residential area near The Glacial Spire? This system was truly generous, handing out both a company and a dormitory in one go.

"Miss, are you awake? It’s time for breakfast."

Rian opened the door and went downstairs with Fiona Sinclair. The first floor was currently packed with people eating breakfast. The innkeeper was so busy that a wide, beaming smile was plastered across his face.

Fiona had chosen a table by the window. The local driver and Aiden were already seated. Rian picked up her bowl of porridge and began to eat. Aiden remained silent, entirely focused on his breakfast.

However, the driver was a chatty man. Eating in complete silence made him feel a bit uncomfortable. Usually, no matter what he was eating, he always liked to gossip a bit during his meals.

"Ms. Sinclair, did the noise bother you last night? This rain came so suddenly. Logically, there shouldn’t have been any rain these past few days. I wonder why it poured so heavily last night, and it’s still going this morning," the driver said, looking out the window at the ongoing rain while munching on a steamed bun.

Rian followed his gaze. It seemed the rain wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon. "It was fine. It didn’t bother me."

Hearing Ms. Sinclair reply, the driver instantly opened his chatterbox. "Ms. Sinclair, you have no idea. This place is incredibly poor. The villages around here are mostly filled with rough men, and there’s a lot of elderly folks too.

"A lot of the young lads don’t want to stay in this rural backwater, so they’ve all headed into the city. The economy can’t grow, and no developers ever come here to build anything. Because of that, practically every household here consists of simple farmers working the fields. They’ve all got great strength, though. You know how the road got blocked? This morning, folks from the neighboring villages gathered to clear it. The people around here are very united. If anything happens, a single shout to the neighbors is all it takes to get everyone moving."

Rian listened quietly. "The scenery here is quite nice. Has the local government not considered turning it into a nature reserve?"

The driver shook his head. He took a bite of his bun and a sip of porridge, swallowing before he replied, "Ms. Sinclair, you aren’t familiar with the situation here. Several cities in Yunaris have already become popular tourist attractions. Who has the spare time to manage this place? The local government wants to build something here, sure.

"But without the financial backing of investors, nothing can be built. There are very few college students in these villages. Many families take their kids into the city. They’d rather spend money renting an apartment in town than live in these rent-free countryside houses. Seeing that no families here are producing college students, the government naturally doesn’t want to meddle too much. As long as they can grow enough food to fill their bellies, it’s considered enough."

Listening to the driver, Rian found some truth in his words. A place that couldn’t generate economic revenue would naturally be the first to be abandoned.

Ultimately, she didn’t reply, opting to quietly drink her porridge. Seeing the atmosphere cool down again, the driver felt that same sense of discomfort creeping back in. Since Ms. Sinclair wasn’t responding, he turned his attention to Mr. Sinclair.

"Mr. Sinclair, I’m afraid we won’t be able to make it to Stonecreek Village today. With the rain coming down like this, the mountain roads will be far too treacherous. It’s not like the paved gravel roads in town. Your feet will sink straight into the mud, and you won’t even be able to pull them out. A three-and-a-half-hour mountain trek in this weather would probably take five or six hours."

Hearing this, Fiona nodded. "Then we won’t head up the mountain today. We have plenty of time anyway, so there’s no rush to go tomorrow either. We’ll have to trouble you when the time comes."

The driver, who had a bowl in one hand and a bun in the other, hurriedly set his food down upon hearing Fiona’s words. He waved his hands repeatedly. "No trouble, no trouble at all! Mr. Sinclair, you already paid me a guide fee, so it’s only right that I lead the way."

Just as the driver picked his bun back up, he seemed to think of something and asked, "I wonder, what are you all going to Stonecreek Village for, Mr. Sinclair? Do you have relatives in the village?"

Fiona looked over at Rian. Rian nodded. Smiling, Fiona then explained, "We learned that there are people in the village facing difficulties. They submitted their information to our foundation, so we came over to take a look and provide targeted poverty alleviation."

The driver’s eyes filled with admiration. "Ms. Sinclair, you truly are a kind soul! The situation in Stonecreek Village is indeed quite grim. Its geographical location is simply too far from the other villages. They were told to move out, but they said they were used to living there and weren’t accustomed to moving around. The local police even came to persuade them once, but it was mostly the elderly who came forward to deal with it. It makes sense when you think about it. The older generation always hopes to return to their roots, so Stonecreek Village has remained on the other side of the mountain all this time.

"I can certainly understand their mindset, though. When you get older, you just like staying home."

The driver polished off the rest of his bun in one bite. "It’s just like the old saying goes: a palace of gold or silver is no match for your own doghouse." He let out a simple, hearty laugh. "Pardon my crude language."

Rian smiled and shook her head. Setting her porridge down, she replied, "The words may be rough, but the logic is sound. May I ask which village you live in?"

"Sweetbriar Village, just a couple of miles east." The driver pointed out the window in that direction as he spoke. "Every household in our village grows osmanthus trees. It smells absolutely wonderful!

"My wife brews an excellent osmanthus wine and makes those wonderfully sweet Osmanthus Cakes. My boy, Eggsy, absolutely loves eating them. All the other women in the village even come to my wife to learn how to make them. When it’s time for you to leave, Ms. Sinclair, I’ll bring you some of my wife’s homemade osmanthus wine and her delicious Osmanthus Cakes."

Hearing this, Rian didn’t refuse. She nodded, figuring she would just compensate them with some extra money when the time came. She shot a glance at Fiona, who nodded and made a mental note of it.

Seeing that Ms. Sinclair hadn’t declined his offer, the driver was overjoyed. He had been a bit worried after speaking up, as most wealthy folks from the city looked down on village goods. Her acceptance made him incredibly happy.

"Ms. Sinclair, since you’re heading to the village, let me tell you a bit about the situation there. The last time I went was to help take Ox’s wife into the city to deliver her baby. A lot of the younger people in the neighboring villages have never even been there. The older generation used to visit often in the past, but now they lack the energy and stamina. Because of that, absolutely no one is willing to climb that mountain anymore.

"It was broad daylight when I went into the village that day. Ox is a bit slow in the head. He used to come around to play with me a lot when we were younger, though we lost touch as time went on. The next time I saw him, he was running down the mountain in tears, crying that his wife was going into labor. I rushed up into the mountains with him in such a hurry that I didn’t even have time to tell my wife. I got scolded for ages when I finally came back." At this, he chuckled heartily, his face radiating pure happiness.

"When we got into the village, I had no idea what was going on. Every single household had its doors shut tight. Logically, in a situation like that, the neighbors should have rallied together to carry her down the mountain to the hospital. But instead, not a single soul came out to help. I don’t know if Ox had offended someone, but I didn’t have the mind to care at the time. I just followed him and helped carry his wife out. She was so terribly thin; there wasn’t an ounce of fat on her. The only thing on her that looked heavy was her massive pregnant belly."