Lu Fengjian saw these villagers clearly and felt a chill in his heart: "Guan Chao, these villagers have braids and bound feet. They can't be dead!"
When Leng Buding saw this weird scene, he was murmuring in his heart. Yue Guanchao looked around and laughed at him: "It's impossible. Stop guessing. Don't you smell the smoke in the village? It's like eating human food." Human feces is still a living person after all.”
"I think the temperature is already dropping. We need to find a place to deal with it first to avoid freezing to death outside."
Song Siyuan was right. Even in summer, the temperature in the forest would not be too high. Once night fell, the coolness would come and goosebumps would rise.
They walked for a while and saw a banner with the word "Yeheyi" hanging on the rammed earth stone wall, and hurriedly knocked on the door.
"Who?"
The owner of the stone house heard someone outside, but seemed unwilling to open the door. Song Siyuan changed her voice to a gentle voice: "Shopkeeper, we want to stay here for one night."
Before he finished speaking, the wooden door of the stone house was pushed open, and an old man with dark skin and pockmarked face leaned out half of his body. When he saw two men behind Song Siyuan, his eyes immediately became wary.
"You are foreigners. You are still outside at this late hour. If you are chased by wild animals, please come in quickly."
With the store's permission, Yue Guanchao tied the horse into the stable and the three of them stepped across the threshold.
He observed carefully that this hotel is no different from an ordinary inn. The decoration is old and the storefront is aging. There are a few peeling paint tables and chairs on the first floor, which is regarded as a dining room. There are wine jars and shelves behind the counter, and the vegetable brands have been worn and patinated. It has not been updated for a long time. Going up the stairs from the counter is the guest room, which is roughly the layout.
"Old man, what's your surname?"
"Just call me Lao Lu."
"Why is the business of your inn so deserted?"
Yue Guanchao and the others had just arrived and were not sure if this was a black shop. He wanted to sit down, but when he touched the bench, his hands were covered with dust and he had no intention of resting.
The old man turned his back to them, wiping the dust on the counter alone. After listening to Yue Guanchao's words, he suddenly turned around, his cloudy eyes were bloodshot, and there was a vague expression on his face, which seemed to be crying and laughing:
"Hahahahaha, young man, this is not an inn. Didn't you see the banner of 'Yehe Post' hanging outside the door? It is an official post set up by the imperial court in Yehe Mintun. It is specially used for military messengers to stay and work. It is not usually used. Those who receive the common people, I let you in because I feel sorry for you."
Official posts, imperial courts, civilian villages, military mansions, messengers, the old man's words sounded like a dead person from the previous dynasty. Yue Guanchao and the others felt their hearts tremble when they heard it. The temperature in the stone house dropped sharply, like falling into an ice cave.
He calmly stopped Lu Fengjian and Song Siyuan behind him, held onto his horse pistol, and asked cautiously: "Old man, may I ask what year it is today?"
The strange old man stared at Yue Guanchao for a long time, as if he was confronting him.
The corners of his mouth twitched a few times, and a hoarse voice came out of his throat: "Ahem... I know, the fifteenth year of the Republic of China!"
"call!"
It was a false alarm. The strange old man knew his age, which meant that he was not a dead person. They breathed a big sigh of relief.
"Young man, do you think I'm a ghost?"
Yue Guanchao wiped the sweat from his head and said nothing as he acquiesced.
The old man coughed a few times: "It doesn't have to be like this. I had smallpox when I was a child. When I recovered, the root of the disease was left behind."
"But since you know it's the Republic of China now, why do you still keep dressing like the former dynasty!"
Lu Fengjian discovered just now that there were no villagers dressed in modern clothes in the town, and he was quite curious about this.
Lao Lu walked out from the counter, holding herbal tea in his hand. He poured a bowl for everyone.
"This Yehe Town didn't exist in the first place. Twenty years ago, a fire broke out in Wu Coffin Town, and the entire village was wiped out. The military government was afraid that people would enter and cause trouble again, so they moved some soldiers and civilians stationed on the border here to seal off Wu Coffin Town. The entrance, but I didn’t expect that the DPRK disappeared just over ten years ago. We people have already settled our homes here, and there is no need to move away altogether.”
"This outfit is almost twenty years old, so there is no need to change it. The town is so big anyway, and all the old people are familiar with each other, so they tacitly maintain the old customs."
As Lao Lu spoke, he saw that Yue Guanchao was still guarding against him, so he picked up the bowl and took a sip, thus dispelling everyone's doubts.
Then, he put the copper key on the table: "If you are willing, you can stay here for the night, but I won't clean it up for you. You have to do it yourself. Just remember one thing, if you hear any sound at night, don't Open the window.”
Although Yue Guanchao didn't understand why the old man said this, he still understood the principle of doing as the Romans do when in the countryside. He took Lu Fengjian and Song Siyuan to the second floor and entered the room given to them by Lao Lu.
The guest room in the inn was relatively clean, but they were tired after walking for a day. They tidied up a little, separated the room with an old screen, blew out the candles and fell asleep.
At night, Yue Guanchao was sleeping soundly when he suddenly felt a damp heat on his forehead.
He opened his eyes suddenly, and his mouth was immediately covered before he could make a sound. He wanted to struggle with brute strength, but when he felt the faint body fragrance carefully, it was someone other than Song Siyuan.
