I was approached by a cat-eared girl.

Chen Shuo was unwilling to accept this. He felt young just because he was the older brother on his side, but she was being treated like a younger sister?

"Doesn't anyone call you 'Auntie'?"

"No."

"What do those five- or six-year-old kids call you?"

"Call me 'sister'."

"Damn it..."

Forget it, men can't compare to women, and I can't compare to her at all. She looks younger than her actual age, and the years haven't left any marks on her face.

On her first day at this inn, the eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl was still wondering who was older between the two of them.

........

It might rain in the afternoon, as the mountains were filled with moisture and the rolling green hills were shrouded in milky white clouds. But after walking along the river for a while, the sky suddenly cleared up.

Chen Shuo belatedly sighed that his experience in the north was useless here. It looked like it was going to rain, but it didn't. Perhaps the abundant moisture was just a normal natural phenomenon in the area.

The surrounding trees are lush and green, and the bright sunlight shines down from the sky, illuminating the beautiful scenery of the mountains in every detail.

Wearing that colorful ethnic costume, Bai Xiaoqi suddenly seemed like a mountain spirit.

"Old driver, take me with you, I need to go to the provincial capital... Alili, Alili, Alilili."

Although the two came to the scenic area of ​​the Li River, the route was different. This place has not been developed yet, and there are hardly any people for miles around. Even the surrounding villages have been abandoned, and the villagers have long since moved to the city.

So Chen Shuo wasn't afraid of dying in the community, and hummed off-key folk songs all the way.

Bai Xiaoqi thought his singing was terrible and the lyrics were vulgar. Chen Shuo shook his head and said, "You don't understand. Sing the songs that suit the local area. We've come here, so we have to sing the local folk songs."

"Are these the local folk songs?"

"Of course, folk songs are all about love and romance. This area is full of mountains, and in the past, transportation was inconvenient. When people were in love, they would stand on two mountaintops and shout to each other. As they shouted, they started singing, and that's how folk songs came about."

Chen Shuo made it up on the spot. As for whether folk songs actually originated in this way, he didn't know. But in this remote mountain area with inconvenient transportation, especially in the past when transportation relied mainly on walking and communication relied mainly on shouting, it was indeed very inconvenient to fall in love.

Moreover, since most of the folk songs are indeed about love and romance, he felt that his nonsense was quite plausible.

As they spoke, they stepped into a white mist, the milky white fog flowing slowly and visible to the naked eye.

"Are we inside the clouds now?" Bai Xiaoqi looked around, somewhat shocked.

"Yes." Chen Shuo was also a little surprised. Being surrounded by the drifting white mist felt like being in a fairyland. This scene reminded him of the days when he licked faces in the Heavenly Court... Ugh!

But what was around us was fog, not clouds.

but....

"Do you remember when we went to Beijing for tourism, I told you that the essence of clouds and fog is..."

“I remember that. Clouds and fog are essentially the same, but clouds can turn into rain and fall, while fog can’t,” Bai Xiaoqi answered quickly.

"Yes, that's it."

Chen Shuo chuckled, "So even though we're in the fog, you could also say we're in the clouds."

A mountain breeze caressed my face, carrying the unique refreshing scent of the forest. After passing through this area shrouded in white mist and crossing the valley, I pushed aside the branches and leaves that were blocking my view, and suddenly the view opened up before me.

They stood on the mountainside, with the rushing river flowing below. On the opposite bank, they could vaguely see many figures, including tour groups dressed in uniform vests and carrying small flags.

Sunlight streamed down from the sky, falling on the water's surface and giving the already magnificent river a beautiful hue.

"So beautiful..." Bai Xiaoqi murmured.

"No, you should say that Guilin's scenery is the best under heaven."

.......

After seeing the beautiful scenery, the two did not stay for long before returning along the same route, otherwise they would miss dinner, and the mountain road would be difficult to walk after dark.

Returning to the inn bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, the landlady had just begun cooking and didn't need any help. Her reasoning was quite sound: if guests had to help with the cooking, it wouldn't be free meals.

Chen Shuo always thought the proprietress was a wonderful person, and that was wonderful because of her unconventional ways.

The two didn't go back to their room to rest, but sat at a table on the first floor of the inn waiting for dinner, while the female student over there was sketching on her easel.

The painting is an oil painting with a very realistic style. The blue and green clothing, the elaborate silver hat, and the beautiful girl in ethnic costume leap off the paper.

"You, that's a good drawing."

Chen Shuo stood behind her for a while, and then spoke up when the girl changed her pen. After a pause, he asked, "But wouldn't this be considered an infringement of my wife's portrait rights?"

"..." The girl was stunned for a moment, seemingly a little frightened. After a while, she turned her head and solemnly assured him, "Only commercial use is considered an infringement, but don't worry, uncle, I won't use it for commercial purposes."

Upon hearing the word "uncle," Chen Shuo's eye twitched involuntarily. "Call me Uncle Chicken Feather. Can't you see I've shaved my beard?"

"Oh, Uncle Chicken Feather, don't worry, I won't use it for commercial purposes."

"......"

Chen Shuo's expression froze. Damn it, he'd run into a chat genius.

Bai Xiaoqi, on the other side, smirked. Chen Shuo glanced at her and said, "What are you laughing at?"

He then turned to the girl who was painting and asked, "Are you selling this painting?"

"Uncle, do you want this painting?"

"Don't call me 'uncle,' call me 'brother,'" Chen Shuo corrected reluctantly, then changed the subject, "Of course I want it, after all, you drew my wife, name your price."

The girl shook her head upon hearing this, "No money needed. I'll give it to you, Uncle...Brother and Sister, after I finish the painting."

"Give it away for free?"

"Yes, I came out here to hone my painting skills. My teacher said that what we need to do now is to focus on honing our skills without distraction, and not let our paintbrushes be tainted by money too early. Once our painting skills improve, there will be plenty of opportunities to make money later."

"Uh... Listening to the teacher is good. I believe you will have a bright future and make a lot of money."

Instead of making money, she earnestly recited the teacher's teachings. Chen Shuo felt that this girl was a bit dull. After a while, he finally uttered a dry compliment.

However, considering that she gave him a painting for free, Chen Shuo decided not to hold it against her for calling him "uncle." Besides, he could also tell that the girl clearly had poor eyesight, as evidenced by the thick glasses on her nose that were almost as thick as the bottom of a beer bottle.

It's normal and understandable that someone with poor eyesight would mistake an older brother for an older man.

Chapter 341 My Own Idea

"It smells so good, so delicious."

Having tasted the local mushrooms for the first time, Chen Shuo was full of praise. No wonder the landlady said before the meal that we were in for a treat tonight.

I used to hear people say that the mushrooms here are more fragrant than meat. I thought it was an exaggeration. Mushrooms are just mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, abalone mushrooms and the like. It's not like I haven't eaten them before. How much more fragrant can they be?

I've really learned something new today. It smells amazing! Compared to this unknown mushroom, all the other mushrooms I've eaten before can't even be called mushrooms.

"Madam, where did you buy these?"

"I didn't buy it. You can't buy this kind of thing, at least not this fresh. I picked it from the mountains this afternoon."

"Which area? When we go out for a walk tomorrow, let's pick some together."

“It’s no use telling you. It’s hard for outsiders to tell whether something is poisonous or not. If we’re not careful, we might have to pick the poisonous ones.”

"Oh, right."

Chen Shuo remembered that he had heard that every year, more people in the area were hospitalized because of eating poisonous mushrooms than because of catching a cold.

Every place has its own unique characteristics, and this can be seen in hospitals as well. For example, people in mountainous areas like hot pot and spicy food, so their proctology department is very famous.

In this area, the locals love to eat wild mushrooms, but there are thousands of varieties of mushrooms, and even the most experienced mountain dwellers cannot distinguish each one.

This has led to the local gastroenterology and neurology departments becoming quite famous.

If you experience food poisoning from eating poisonous mushrooms, go to the gastroenterology department. If you experience hallucinations, go to the neurology department.

A fairly complete process.

As night fell and the inn was brightly lit, the group of people who had finished their meal began to help clear the table.

Chen Shuo stayed at this small inn for three days, and he kept forgetting that he was paying for the hotel, feeling as if he were staying at a friend's house.

Moreover, life here is slow and leisurely, completely devoid of the fast pace and restlessness of big cities; all that remains is comfort and ease.

Chen Shuo began to understand the landlady, and why she would spend all her savings to rent such a stilted house in a remote mountain area to run an inn.

Opening a guesthouse like this in front of the mountains, the business is naturally far less successful than those hotels in folk streets, but it inexplicably feels very much like a chivalrous place. The location is remote and desolate, with the mountain wind howling and blowing open the wooden door to welcome guests who come to stay, bringing them with them a long and dusty journey.

The proprietress, like a character in a martial arts novel, tends to her small plot of land, interacting with and making friends with different people every day.

Over the years, Chen Shuo has seen batches of guests leave and come back. He doesn't know if she feels reluctant to part with them.

He thought about it and felt that it was possible, and it was also possible not to.

The separation is for the next reunion. Whenever there is an opportunity, those guests who have stayed at this inn will definitely come back, and that time they will be friends.

To be honest, Chen Shuo was quite envious of this kind of life, but unfortunately he could only envy it; this kind of life was not suitable for him.

After helping to clear the table and tuck the oil painting under her arm, the two went upstairs together. As they turned the corner of the wooden staircase, Bai Xiaoqi suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a corner and saying, "Hey, look, that dog squatting over there looks really weird."

"What kind of eyesight do you have? Isn't that just a cat?"

The silly wife couldn't tell the difference between cats and dogs, but Chen Shuo saw it clearly. It was definitely a cat, and it looked rather strange—its fur was a bit puffed up, and it even had double images. Looking closer…

Huh? Why is there a little person riding on the cat's back?

This little person looks very strange, just like a cat.

Whether it's a little person or a cat, their bodies are covered in colorful patterns.

The patterns were still moving, spinning incessantly, as if trying to suck people in.

As he watched, Chen Shuo unconsciously narrowed his eyes, feeling as if his thoughts were being sucked away.

The next moment, he suddenly felt dizzy and quickly braced himself against the wall.

Damn, where did the landlady get a cat from? She doesn't keep any cats at all.

Oh no, we've been caught in an illusion!

I spent about ten days in Guicheng. I didn't follow the crowds to the well-developed routes; instead, I just went for walks in the mountains, enjoyed the scenery, and rowed small boats.

Oh, and I also fought a villain once during that time, and got poisoned by eating mushrooms.

When Chen Shuo realized he was under an illusion that day, he quickly dialed 120 while he still had a sliver of consciousness left. He didn't remember much after that, or rather, he wasn't sure what happened.