Hesha is a very simple girl. She grew up here and has never been to any place farther. She is young, only in her teens. Mei Li chatted with her for a while and got a lot of information from her. She also confirmed that she really did not see the tall and thin figure in the swamp that was suspected to be a swamp monster.
The afternoon sun was warm and romantic. The bushes, still moist with moisture from the heavy rain, were coated with a layer of brilliant gold. Hesha, who had not seen the strange figure just now, quickly began to look for white mushrooms in the bushes.
Mei Li was absent-mindedly looking around, chatting with her, and still thinking about the monster.
She really didn't expect that such inhuman things actually existed in this world.
Seeing that thing twice in a row and confirming that she was not dazzled or dreaming made her feel that her worldview was a little overturned.
Maybe coming to a new world means changing your worldview, but this happened too suddenly.
There are many pine trees in the woods. Large pine trees that have fallen naturally lie across the forest. Moss grows on the rotten trunks, and clusters of white mushrooms grow at the bottom of the moist trunks.
They are round in shape, with dozens of them, big and small, huddled together in a cluster, forming a big family.
When you pull the mushrooms off the tree trunk, you can smell not only the original fragrance of the mushrooms, but also the fresh fragrance of pine trees.
Hesha was picking mushrooms seriously, and soon her basket was almost full. She turned around and saw that her friend's basket was only half full. She laughed at her friend in a lively tone for being slow, and then grabbed the mushrooms in her own basket and gave most of them to her.
What a lovely little girl.
After hearing the little girl's secret recipe for mushroom soup, the two parted ways on a fork in the road on their way back.
The daylight hours seemed very long at this time of year, and Mei Li carried the heavy basket across her arms.
There was only her slender figure on the path covered with golden sunlight. The forest in the distance and the nearby hillsides and meadows were dotted with wild flowers.
The fresh and beautiful pastoral scenery is like an oil painting, but unfortunately, something discordant suddenly appears in this picture.
In the mud that had not yet dried up after the heavy rain, there were suddenly surges, and a thin and tall figure stretched out from the mud, just not far in front of Mei Li, blocking her way.
When the monster stood up completely, its shoulders were still slightly hunched. Her specific appearance could not be seen against the golden light, but she felt that the outline of its body was infinitely similar to some gray-white abstract human sculptures she had seen in her previous life.
The height of more than two meters is daunting. A pair of hands that almost hang below the knees hold two broken wooden sticks.
—It was the stick she broke when she hit the monster last night.
What does this monster mean by coming to block her way with this deadly weapon? Is he seeking revenge on her
Mei Li, who had just relaxed because of the beautiful scenery, tensed up again in an instant. She stopped and looked vigilantly at the tiger blocking her way.
Did this thing… follow her because it realized she could see it? Being followed by a monster was not a good sign. According to horror movies, people who were followed by ghosts would be killed soon.
Mei Li quickly looked at the surrounding terrain. Although there was only one road, the surrounding wild land was walkable. She lifted her skirt and stepped into the grass, avoiding the monster's position without looking at him again.
She didn't care about the green grass juice on her skirt. She listened to her own nervous breathing and ran for a distance. Then she turned her head and looked back. She found that the figure in the mud behind her had disappeared, and a familiar figure appeared in a mud in front of her.
He could actually move freely in the mud. This "flash" method of movement was simply cheating!
She cursed inwardly, wondering why there were so many quagmires after the heavy rain!
Tie up the skirt that's in the way, and like a warrior crossing obstacles, avoid the quagmire where all monsters may appear, and rush forward like the wind.
The tall and thin figure followed relentlessly behind, appearing in every quagmire. The feeling of approaching step by step made one's heart beat wildly, as if one was participating in a horror movie where one was being chased by a monster.
The meadow covered with green grass and wild flowers was not easy to walk on, as hidden mud pits appeared from time to time. Mei Li failed to pay attention, and while running, she suddenly saw a gray head pop up at her next stop.
In just this brief moment of glance, she accelerated urgently and jumped over his head before the thing completely emerged.
Its light and agile figure makes it look like a deer in the woods.
Once again unable to keep up with her pace, the monster with half of its body growing out of the mud pulled out its two long arms, glanced at the two broken wooden sticks in its hands, and then disappeared into the mud.
After running desperately for a while, she was almost home. There seemed to be no mud on the road to her home. If the monster could only emerge from the mud, then she would be safe soon...
Just as she was thinking this, the haunting monster emerged from a quagmire ahead, quietly waiting for her on the side of the road. Mei Li felt like she had lost half her life and was extremely tired, but the monster was playing with her like a cat chasing a mouse, and she suddenly felt terrified.
Seeing the monster stretching out his hands and grabbing the broken wooden stick towards her, as if he wanted to hit her, Mei Li simply raised the basket and threw it at him.
A large basket of white mushrooms blocked the swamp monster's slow movements. Mei Li took the opportunity to crouch down and run through the gap beside him.
She finally escaped, but there were only a dozen white mushrooms left dangling at the bottom of the basket out of the original large basket.
Fortunately, the rabbit under the basket was not lost, otherwise she would be heartbroken. This was bought with money for a snack, and Mary's money was used up a little bit, so it couldn't be wasted.
After returning home, Mei Li was still worried, so he put down the basket and checked the house front and back. He even filled a small mud pit the size of a bowl with soil and stones.
Haha, look how that thing emerges from the mud pit.
Because of the experience of encountering swamp monsters for two consecutive days, Mei Li stayed at home for a few days and did not dare to go out casually. After a few days of strong sunshine passed, she thought that the mud on the roadside might have dried up, so she went out carefully.
Still going to the market to buy some vegetable seeds and seedlings.
She had nothing to do these days, so she cleared two plots of land next to her house and planned to grow some vegetables for self-sufficiency. Most people here grow their own vegetables for themselves, and if they buy vegetables every day, they don't have that much money to squander.
Having lived alone for ten years and arranged her own life since she was a teenager, Mei Li can be considered a frugal person.
Mrs. Qin, her sponsor, did not treat her harshly in terms of living expenses. On the contrary, she gave her whatever she asked for. However, Mei Li herself was not willing to enjoy herself with a clear conscience. She was always restrained in spending money.
Although he is suspected of being targeted by a swamp monster, he still has to live his life and do his job.
Planting vegetables is urgent.
After asking the vegetable seller about how to grow vegetables, Mei Li hurried back. Before she left the market, she ran into Hesha again, this time with her younger brother, also a young boy, who stared at her with curiosity and a bit of fear in his eyes.
"If you want to plant vegetables, it's best to plant them today. It should rain tonight, which is just right for watering the fields."
Hesha was busy with work, and just talked to her briefly for a few words before leaving with her brother. Mei Li watched them leave and saw that the brother kept turning his head to look at her, as if she was some rare person.
Many people in the market had the same attitude towards her: curious and a little evasive.
From the attitudes of these people, Mei Li could infer that Mei Li and her daughter must have been aloof, eccentric and unsociable in the past, and with such personalities and behaviors, it was inevitable that people would talk about them.
She also heard a few idle men talking about Mary's mother, Mrs. Peg, behind her back, saying that she was a real beauty when she was young, but it was a pity.
The tone was somewhat uncomfortable.
Mei Li breathed a sigh of relief after returning home safely.
As she dug the soil, she wondered whether this first attempt of hers would pay off. She had chosen to plant cabbages, peas, potatoes, and turnips.
In the evening, clouds began to gather and just like Hesha said, it might rain in the evening.
The sound of digging the ground could be heard frequently in the past few days. A thin woman appeared silently in the window on the second floor where the curtains were usually drawn.
Mrs. Peg, who looked haggard, was standing by the window at some point. Her red hair looked like a burning flame against the dark green curtains.
Looking down at the girl wielding a hoe below, her emerald green eyes were filled with emotionless indifference and cold scrutiny.
She looked at her "daughter" below for a while, then looked far into the sky. The dark clouds gathered at the horizon to form a lead-gray line.
Before the rain came, Mei Li finished her planting task, ran into the house, closed the door, and locked everything. After dark, she decided not to go out again.
The white mushrooms and wild rabbits I brought back today were made into soul-soothing delicacies.
In particular, the white mushrooms that Hesha recommended were indeed delicious. After delivering the meal to Mrs. Peg, Mei Li, who sat alone at the table and ate the white mushrooms silently, began to regret wasting that large basket of white mushrooms.
The room was dark. Even after turning on the light, it was still pitch black, with only the area near the oil lamp being illuminated.
When she saw the oil lamp, she remembered the night a few days ago when she ran out to look for Mrs. Peg, but she didn't know where the oil lamp had fallen.
I feel a little sad. Oil lamps are quite expensive and I have to spend extra money for nothing.
After finishing writing today's "letter" by lighting the oil lamp, she took out a notebook again to keep accounts.
It had already started raining at this time, and the raindrops hit the windows, and soon they connected together and made a loud noise.
I blew out the lights, threw back the quilt and went to bed.
When she was half asleep, she was suddenly awakened by a clear "pop" sound. With a trance from a dream and impatience of being woken up, she turned her head and looked towards the window where the sound came from. She saw two long hands like dead branches slapping on her window, as if an evil spirit was taking her life.