"Let's go home first. Auntie Du will be relieved to see you back.”
"Yes."
Just now, all his attention was on her and on the fact that she had finally returned. He had even neglected the place where she had walked out. When he was leaving, he took a casual glance and realized that something was wrong with the place she had just walked out from. He frowned and looked at Lin Xinlan who was already walking in front of him in disbelief, then looked at the forest behind her. His heart, which had just been relieved, was once again hanging in the air. She had actually walked out from that forest.
Zhou Zhiwei brought Lin Xinlan home safely. When they pushed open the door of the courtyard, Du Qinru turned around in a daze. When she saw Lin Xinlan who had returned safely, she was suddenly happy and sad. Before Lin Xinlan could speak, she walked up to Lin Xinlan and reached out to pull her, crying with a hint of joy.
"Xin Lan, Xin Lan, you're finally back. Where have you been these past few days? I couldn't find you after searching for so long. I thought, I thought that something had happened to you or that you were lost and couldn't find your way home. You really scared me. Xin Lan, how could you scare me like this? You can't scare Mommy even if you're in a bad mood.”Looking at Lin Xinlan's haggard and emaciated face, she continued to sob,""Why are you so skinny? Xin Lan, if you have any grievances, if you have anything that you can't take things to heart, you can tell me. Why did you go out alone and torture yourself? Look at you, you've become so skinny. Mom's heart aches for you, do you know that?"
Seeing Du Qinru's expression, Lin Xinlan felt even more regretful and apologetic. She hugged her and said softly,"Mom, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you worry about me. Mom, don't worry. I'm fine now. As for you, I heard from Brother Zhiwei that you haven't eaten for a few days. Mom, I'm really sorry. I made you worry!”
"Mom is fine. As long as you can come back safely, as long as you stay by Mom's side, as long as you don't torture yourself anymore, Mom will do anything. Xin Lan, I don't know what you went through in City G, but I know about your relationship with that person. "But I was your age. I might not be able to understand your sadness, but things will pass. All the bad things will pass. Xin Lan, you still have a long way to go. Don't always be immersed in grief. I know you need time. Before you go to college, let me spend time with you. Xin Lan, let Mommy accompany you, okay?”
"Mom, thank you. I promise I'll work hard.”
"Yes." After getting her daughter's permission, Du Qinru finally broke into a smile." Alright, let's not stand here anymore. Come in quickly. Mommy will make you something delicious later."”
"Yeah," she said.
Du Qinru then noticed Zhou Zhiwei beside her and smiled at him."It's all thanks to Zhiwei this time. It's all thanks to you that Xin Lan was able to return safely.”
"Auntie, you're too polite. This is what I should do. Besides, Xin Lan and I grew up together. Her business is my business.”
"It's Xinlan's fortune to have a friend like you. It's also Auntie's fortune.”
Lin Xinlan's disappearance finally came to an end. Zhou Zhiwei didn't tell Du Qinru that Lin Xinlan came out of the forest, and Du Qinru didn't ask where Lin Xinlan went during those three days. Regarding the legend of the mountain forest, Zhou Zhiwei had only heard it from the hearsay and was only half-convinced. He had never been a curious person, but when he saw Lin Xinlan come out of the forest that day, he could not help but be curious and wanted to find out everything about the mountain forest.
Zhou Zhiwei walked into the forest on a particularly sunny morning. He was wearing a white ribbon and made marks as he walked, so as not to get lost on the way back. Probably because it was too early, the low bushes in the forest were still dewy. The morning sun shone through the gaps between the leaves and reflected on the transparent dewdrops, making the bright dewdrops even more dazzling. The birds in the forest had already woken up early. They were jumping around on the branches, singing happily, carefree. The forest was very big. Zhou Zhiwei walked for more than an hour and almost ran out of ribbons, but he still could not see the end. In fact, they were in a forest with tall trees and low shrubs. They couldn't see the end at all. This might be the reason why it was easy for people to get lost, Zhou Zhiwei thought. He continued walking forward.
The sun rose higher and higher, and a heat unique to summer spread through the forest. The ribbon in his hand had been used up. Zhou Zhiwei hesitated whether to continue forward or go back. An inexplicable curiosity drove his body forward, but the unknown danger in front of him and the recent legend suddenly pestered him, as if a voice was saying,"Go back, go back."
However, he could not resist his curiosity. Zhou Zhiwei continued to move forward and explore the unknown ahead.
Should he say that the heavens were merciful, or that everything was determined by fate? Just as Zhou Zhiwei was completely lost and was flying around like a flying insect, he saw Lin Xinlan on the hill full of azalea trees. The sun was scorching, and the strong and dazzling sunlight cast a shadow under the low azalea tree. She sat in the shadow, staring at the thick trunk in front of her.
He dragged his exhausted body into her sight as if he had finally seen hope. He called out weakly to her, but she did not seem to see or hear him. She continued to sit there in a daze, not moving at all.
"Xin Lan, Xin Lan!" He walked to her side and sat down, calling her a few more times.
Lin Xinlan finally reacted. It was as if she had pulled her thoughts back from a distant time and space. When she saw Zhou Zhiwei sitting beside her, she was stunned and then shocked. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Brother Zhiwei? You, why are you here? How did you get here? You, how did you know about this place?”
Although her reaction was a little too intense, it was still within his expectations. He heaved a sigh of relief and said,"I should be the one asking you that. This forest is so big. Why did a little girl like you come here? Also, I saw you walk out of here last time. Don't tell me that you spent the three days you were missing here alone.”
"I, I have nowhere else to go. It's very quiet here. I'm used to it. But, Brother Zhiwei, no one else dared to come in, so how did you come in? Or are you following me?"
"In your heart, am I a stalker? I didn't believe that rumor, so I came in. Maybe it was because this forest was really too big, so I got lost. But that doesn't mean I believe that rumor.”
"This forest is indeed very big, but that rumor…I don't know if I believe it or not. Although I've never gotten lost here, I still feel that something is wrong.”
"What's wrong?"
"There are many things that are wrong!" She pointed at the tree with a thick trunk in front of her and said,"For example, the last time I was here, there was a cluster of nightshade flowers.”
Zhou Zhiwei looked at the tall and dense tree. It looked like it was at least a few decades old. He then looked at Lin Xinlan who had a serious expression on her face and could not help but laugh."That tree is at least half a century old. How could it grow so big in such a short time? Xin Lan, you must have remembered wrongly. So many things happened in the past few days, and your brain was simply too busy. How could you have the space to remember these details? Don't think too much. If you think too much, you'll be more troubled.”
"I didn't remember wrongly. Brother Zhiwei, do you know what the nightshade flower is called?”
"Mandala?"
"Yes, I saw a red mandala. It has another name, the other shore flower. How could I remember wrongly? The Paramita Flower bloomed on the other side of the River of Forgetfulness in the Yellow Springs. It guided the souls that had left the human world, allowing them to forget everything in the human world and leave everything on the other side. How could I remember wrongly? It also made him forget about me and everything between us. If he forgot everything, how could I dare to look forward to the next life?”
"Xin Lan, believe me, this is just an illusion that you have developed because you are too sad. You are too tired, you need to rest well. If you continue like this, your body will really not be able to take it.”
"I didn't think too much about it, Brother Zhiwei. Also, the direction in which the sun rises and sets isn't right. Tomorrow morning, the sun will rise and set where it rose today.”
"Xin Lan, you really need to rest well. If you continue like this, you will fall sick.”
"Brother Zhiwei, you don't believe me?”
"Xin Lan, I believe you, but you really need to rest now. Don't think too much. Let's go home."
Zhou Zhiwei followed Lin Xinlan out of the forest, but the strange thing was that he did not see the white ribbon mark that he had made when he came, and the place where Lin Xinlan came out this time was also different from the place she came out from last time.
It was not that Zhou Zhiwei did not believe what Lin Xinlan said. He had also felt that something was wrong when he walked into the forest, but he could not see what was wrong. As a university student of the new era, he should believe in science, but many inexplicable feelings made him feel conflicted.
Zhou Zhiwei decided to ask Du Qinru about the legend of the mountain forest. It was already dusk when they reached home. Lin Xinlan went straight to her room. She was used to locking herself in her room and getting along with herself. Zhou Zhiwei was chatting with Du Qinru in the courtyard.
"Auntie, I think I have to tell you something.”
"What is it?"
"It's about Xin Lan's disappearance.”
"Xin Lan's disappearance? What's wrong?"
"In those three days, Xin Lan spent her time alone on Mount Du Fu.”
"What did you say? Xin Lan, she, she went to Du Fu Mountain!" Du Qinru was shocked when she heard the name "Du Fu Mountain".
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。