It's late at night.

Sightseeing shuttle vehicles are available for guests to use at the hotel entrance.

Xia Yao chose a small four-seater sightseeing vehicle, and the three of them first drove around the scenic area to familiarize themselves with the environment.

The Yaoshan Scenic Area is very large and can be divided into three core areas from the entrance.

The first part is a flower maze, which is relatively flat and also has a scenic lake.

The second part is the Tingsen Hotel, which focuses on leisure and entertainment.

The third part is Yaoshan Mountain. Although steps have been built to climb the mountain, most of the area on the mountain remains closed to the public.

After circling around, the three finally confirmed their target—a pavilion under construction at the foot of the mountain.

At that moment, two workers in uniforms were laying cement.

The experienced craftsman worked swiftly, his trowel flying across the surface as he smoothed the cement evenly.

"When we ask you questions, stay quiet."

Before getting off the bus, Zhou Ze'an gave Chen Qi some special instructions.

Although Chen Qi had clear eyes, she was obedient and nodded honestly.

Xia Yao picked up the prepared items and followed Zhou Ze'an toward the pavilion.

Before they even got close, the old master stood up and waved to them.

"Go that way to climb the mountain, the cement isn't dry yet."

The three stopped in front of the still-wet cement, Zhou Ze'an smiling kindly.

"Sir, we came from the hotel to deliver water to you."

The experienced driver raised an eyebrow. "From the hotel?"

Xia Yao nodded, "It's so hot today, you've worked so hard, come and rest for a bit, have some water before you continue."

As Xia Yao spoke, she took the contents of the bag out and placed them on the lawn next to her.

He specially selected the items, including bread, biscuits, snacks, mineral water, Wanglaoji herbal tea, and Red Bull, all of which are popular with the workers.

The work had indeed left them parched, and the other worker just smiled sheepishly.

"Old Wang, take a break. It's not easy for the young man to bring this over."

"Shall we take a break?"

The two reached an agreement and crossed the construction area in their rubber boots.

After taking off their plastic gloves and washing their hands with a makeshift hose, the two workers came over and sat down on the lawn next to them.

Xia Yao, being very perceptive, served him a chilled bottle of Wanglaoji herbal tea, saying, "Master, have some herbal tea first to cool down."

They were really thirsty, and the two boxes of Wanglaoji were quickly emptied, so Xia Yao replenished them.

Zhou Ze'an also respectfully offered cigarettes, lit them himself, and the atmosphere was just right.

"Young man, you are really thoughtful. Other office workers don't even bother with us migrant workers, but you brought us water. Thank you so much."

The three of them looked rather unassuming, which suited them better to an office setting.

Zhou Zean responded politely, "Master, what you're saying is true. There's no such thing as a high or low profession. Without your hard work, how could such a beautiful scenic area have been built?"

"Master, my dad also worked in the construction industry, which is how I got into this business. I feel so close to you all. When I was little, I even mixed cement for my dad."

Xia Yao's words successfully brought the two groups of people closer together.

Concrete is prone to hardening, so water must be added and mixed continuously.

Large projects use specialized mixing machines, while small projects require manual mixing.

"Oh my, this young man looks so refined, he can even mix cement?"

The old master looked at Xia Yao with a hint of suspicion.

"I'll help my dad out. I can even do bricklaying, though I'm a little crooked. My dad says that if I work for him, I'll ruin his reputation, and he wants me to go back to school and study hard."

Xia Yao spoke very seriously, as if it were true.

The two craftsmen laughed as they listened, "This is all skilled work, we'll have to do it."

"That's right, everyone has their own expertise, and you masters are really amazing."

After that, they started chatting about all sorts of things.

Zhou Ze'an asked seemingly casually, "Master, this mountain is so big, it must be difficult to build, right?"

"Oh dear, it was really tough. Back then, the mountain was covered with trees and grass. We had to clear it clean before we could pave it. There were so many snakes and insects! And big rocks would roll down the mountain every now and then."

Rockfall!

Both of them keenly grasped the meaning of this word.

Judging from the way his teammate died, it's quite fitting that he was hit by a rock.

"That's dangerous! Hopefully, no workers will get hit?"

Zhou Ze'an seized the opportunity to chime in.

As he puffed out smoke, the old master craftsman narrowed his eyes slightly. "Young men, you must be reporters?"

Another worker dusted off his cigarette ash and explained, "Those ruthless scoundrels wouldn't bother to send us water."

The reason for the silence, which I never thought I would reveal, was that the boss was being inhuman.

"Sir, we're not reporters, and what reporter doesn't carry a camera? We're just tourists who are curious about these things."

Xia Yao was also good at reading people. Even though the master knew they weren't hotel staff, he still accepted their things, which clearly meant he was willing to continue the conversation.

"I guessed so. You young people love this kind of thing, always asking about supernatural things. What's it called again?"

The old master took a puff of his cigarette. "Curiosity, huh?"

"Yes. Master, you really know a lot of words, you know all of these."

Xia Yao praised them sincerely, completely ignoring their disguise as hotel staff.

Zhou Ze'an also took the opportunity to slip his master two packs of cigarettes, saying, "Master, you know a lot, so please tell us about it."

The two men were honest; they each put the cigarettes into their pockets.

"Since you two seem sensible, what would you like to know?"

Xia Yao and Zhou Ze'an exchanged a glance, and once the items were accepted, the matter was settled.

Zhou Ze'an carefully chose his words before speaking.

"Master, you just mentioned that rocks are rolling down the mountain. Has any of the workers been hit by a rock?"

"Of course there was! When they were building the mountain road, the safety barriers weren't in place yet. One of the workers got his hand hit by a rock, and the blood gushed out like crazy, it was terrifying. In the end, they had to amputate it, it was so pitiful!"

"He who eats another's food is bound to him; he who takes another's gift is bound to him," the master replied while smoking.

"Only one? And it was just an amputation?"

Zhou Ze'an frowned; this answer was clearly not what they wanted.

"Otherwise what? How many do you want? Isn't amputation serious enough?"

The other man stubbed out his cigarette, seemingly quite displeased with what he had said.

Zhou Ze'an's overly direct approach displeased the master craftsman, who quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Master, please don't be angry, that's not what I meant."

Xia Yao quickly smoothed things over and sided with the workers.

"Amputation is no small matter. These workers are all the breadwinners of their families. How will they live after this?"

The old master craftsman sighed, quite moved.

"That's right. We're not very educated, so we can only make a living with this skill. If something unexpected happens, it'll be the end of the world."

"It's not easy for anyone." Xia Yao smoothly changed the subject, "How's the master who got hit?"

"Sigh, what else can he do? The boss is a swindler. He only gave him 100,000 yuan in compensation, saying that no one died and that's all there is. He can't do heavy work anymore, so he can only go back to the village to farm and raise chickens. He even said a while ago that I could buy free-range chickens from him."

Another craftsman sighed in response.

A while ago? Their hearts sank.

Therefore, the fact that the worker who was hit by the falling rocks is still alive rules out the possibility that he was the source of the ghost.