After coming out of the Ivy Villa, Gu Jianian walked slowly down the mountain road.
At dusk, the setting sun is not blocked by the city's tall buildings. It arrives gently and smoothly at the village, covering every inch of the field with warm golden color.
The wild roses along the way had never been tended or trimmed, and they were in full bloom. A few branches had fallen to the ground, and she picked them up and put them in the side pocket of her schoolbag.
Smoke was rising from several farmhouses, and most of the farmers in the fields had finished work and gone home for dinner.
Gu Jianian's heart was beating without any rhythm, and his cheeks were slightly red because of the inexplicable excitement. Half of his mind was still immersed in the story just now, and the other half was immersed in the wonderful experience of today.
Aunt Zhang’s house is like the utopia in her dreams. When she gets a job and becomes rich, she will definitely decorate it like this.
I use the living room as a study, put lots of books in it, and read as soon as I get off work.
It would be better if she had a cat so that she could let it lie on her lap while she reads.
My parents’ words came to my mind again.
"Read books, read books. What's the point of just reading books? It's useless if you can't read and take exams. The competition in Beilin is so fierce. One point is worth millions of people. If you can't get into university, you may not even be able to afford to live in the basement in the future."
Gu Jianian lowered his head, pursed his lips, and focused on the road.
*
As soon as she entered the yard, Gu Jianian saw her grandmother, two cousins from her eldest uncle and second uncle's families were waiting for her, as well as a middle-aged woman she didn't know.
When everyone saw her, the anxious expressions on their faces finally relaxed.
Her second cousin Chen Suo asked her, "Sister Tingting, where have you been? I looked around but couldn't find you."
Gu Jianian said blankly: "I just came back from Aunt Zhang's house. Aunt Zhang is not at home, but her son is."
"Son?" The middle-aged woman standing nearby asked in surprise, "I only have one daughter. Besides, I was at home the whole time."
When the two met, Gu Jianian realized that this was the Aunt Zhang that her grandmother had mentioned, and that the villa she had just visited was not Aunt Zhang's home. She had taken the wrong road.
Gu Jianian recalled for a moment, and was shocked to realize that her attention had been completely attracted by the overwhelming books, and she had preconceived that it was Aunt Zhang's home, and she had never confirmed with him from beginning to end.
She was a little embarrassed and thought that this person was strange for letting her read a book at home for more than an hour.
Cousin Chen Xi asked her again, "So, you went to the villa on the hillside? The one with the walls covered with ivy?"
Gu Jianian nodded.
The two cousins were silent and exclaimed, "You actually broke in. There is a weird person living in there."
"wack?"
Gu Jianian thought of the room full of empty wine bottles, cigarette butts, discarded manuscript paper, and books.
It's really strange.
Chen Suo explained: "My dad told me that the house had been vacant for decades. No one lived there until a year ago. The doors and windows were closed and no one went out. But every week two groups of people would drive in and bring boxes of supplies in. I don't know if they can use them all."
Chen Xi echoed, "Yes, since he moved in, no one in the village has ever seen him. Tell me, what kind of person cannot be seen in the light?"
Gu Jianian shook his head, but saw Chen Xi making a sinister face and asked himself, "Could it be... a vampire pretending to be a human?"