We asked you to make tokusatsu films, and you actually became Ultraman?

In the afternoon, the blazing sun hung high in the sky, and the summer heat, along with the oppressive atmosphere of the seaside, swept over us.

Despite the slight breeze, it was of little use to Yun Yu, who had walked from house to house through most of the village. At this moment, a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The drinking water had been delivered to all the households, and the empty bags were collected and folded. Su Mo suggested that they go back to the house of Grandma Nakao, the first person they visited, to rest for a while, avoid the scorching afternoon sun, and also organize the notes she had taken along the way.

The courtyard was quiet and peaceful. A string of old seashell wind chimes hung under the eaves, occasionally rustling in the breeze and making a soft, crisp tinkling sound.

An old ceiling fan was running inside, slowly turning in circles, barely dispelling the heat.

Seeing that the two young people had traveled a long and tiring journey, Grandma Nakao specially brought out a small dish of simply packaged rice crackers from the inner room and slowly walked up to Yunyu.

"Young man, you've been working hard all the way here. Have something to eat to tide you over."

"Oh? Thank you, Grandma." Yunyu quickly stood up, took the plate with both hands, gently placed it on the small wooden table beside her, and put a slice of rice cracker into her mouth.

The rich and mellow aroma of rice spread in my mouth, with a hint of saltiness. My empty stomach finally felt a little full, and my tense and tired body was relieved.

He chewed slowly, relaxed and leaned back in his chair, just about to catch his breath, when he heard the old man's casual question.

"You're Xiao Su's boyfriend, right?"

These words came so suddenly that Yun Yu almost choked on the rice cracker in his mouth. He coughed twice and hurriedly waved his hands to deny it.

"No, no, you misunderstood. I just came here to help Su Mo."

He glanced instinctively toward the inner room and saw Su Mo hunched over a wooden table, engrossed in her work, meticulously recording the villagers' oral accounts she had just gathered. She was completely oblivious to the conversation outside.

Seeing this, Yun Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, afraid that the person involved would hear and cause an embarrassment.

"Oh, I see." Grandma Nakao was clearly a little surprised, but then she smiled kindly and slowly sat down on the bamboo chair next to Yun Yu.

The wind chimes tinkled softly once more. The old man gazed at the quiet streets outside the courtyard gate, a layer of emotion welling up in his eyes, and slowly began to recount past events:

"A few days ago, several elderly people in the village who had gone to school and were reasonable noticed that something was wrong."

We all know in our hearts that it's not some sea god's anger or punishment; the problem lies with the village's water source.

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At first, only the stream water tasted bitter. Then, day by day, large numbers of dead fish lay belly up on the beach, and patches of wild grass on the mudflats withered and turned yellow. It was thought that this was only temporary, but as time went on, the situation in the sea not only did not improve.

Instead, things got worse day by day. More and more dead fish were floating on the sea, and many elderly people began to feel dizzy and develop rashes. We were anxious and panicked.

We elderly folks had no other choice, so we decided to give it a try and sent the compiled clues and photos to the Xindu Daily.

We were all prepared for our hopes to be dashed, but to our surprise, Su Mo arrived in Shawei Village just one day later, carrying her bag.

The old man recalled with gratitude as he recounted in detail what Su Mo had done since she first came to the village.

"When she first arrived, she disregarded the villagers' panic caused by the rumors about the sea god, and went door to door to comfort the frightened elderly, patiently recording the onset time and water contact experience of each patient."

At first, many villagers were wary of the legend of the sea god and were unwilling to talk about the details. She never forced them to ask, but slowly took out the comparison photos she had collected and explained the dangers of water pollution to everyone, gradually dispelling their superstitious fears.

During this time, if she hadn't been willing to come and help us find out the truth, we old folks would have been completely helpless.

"So that's how it is." Yun Yu was somewhat surprised after hearing this. This explanation reminded him of what Su Mo had said when they first met:

"People can't just focus on grand narratives, can they?"

He recalled the scene of his chance encounter with Su Mo at the shelter, and looking at her figure bent over her desk in the inner room, he felt even more admiration for this female reporter.

Just as Yun Yu was pondering the old man's words, Su Mo closed her notebook and came out, interrupting his thoughts.

"What are you two chatting about that's making such a racket?"

"She's saying nice things about you to Grandma." Yunyu looked up at her, speaking frankly and directly.

"Really? I don't believe it." Su Mo raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical, and gently nudged Yun Yu's arm before getting to the point:

"I've rested enough. Next, I'm going to collect water samples from the beach and the stream at the village entrance to test the pollutant levels on-site. Do you want to come with me?"

"Huh?" Yun Yu was taken aback for a moment, then casually put on a calculating look and said, "Then this is extra money."

"Hmm~ Then I'll treat you to a big meal after this is over as compensation." Su Mo seemed to have expected him to say this, and agreed without the slightest hesitation, while gently pushing his back to urge him to get up:

"Hurry up, hurry up, don't dawdle. If you take too long and are late for your night shift at the convenience store, I won't explain to the boss for you."

"Okay, okay, stop pushing me, I'll get up right now." Hearing that a big meal was promised, Yun Yu immediately stood up and finished the rice crackers in her hand in a few bites.

After finishing his meal, he waved to Grandma Nakao to express his gratitude, his smile bright and sincere.

"Grandma, thank you for your rice crackers, they taste especially delicious."

His vibrant, cheerful, and warm demeanor surprised Grandma Nakao, who hadn't seen such youthful energy in a long time, and she smiled and waved back.

"Come again next time when you have time. Grandma has saved some rice crackers for you."

As the two stepped out of the courtyard gate side by side, a hot wind blew in their faces. Su Mo turned her head and looked at Yun Yu beside her with a hint of surprise:

"I didn't expect you to be so good at socializing. You got along so well with Grandma Nakao in just a short time."

"Haha, what can I do? I'm naturally good-looking, and people like me wherever I go." Yun Yu raised his hand and scratched the back of his head. Although the action clearly showed that he was embarrassed, his words were still shameless.

"Why are your actions and words completely out of sync?" Su Mo sighed, feeling for the first time that she was a little naive.