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Wen Ling's village is called Nan Chen Village, located to the south of Chen Family Village. The people of Nan Chen Village mostly migrated from Chen Family Village, primarily belonging to the same family. Just two miles west of Nan Chen Village lies Yang Family Village, where most residents share the surname Yang. Lan Lan lives in Yang Family Village, but her surname is Bai, which is relatively uncommon in the village.
To reach Wen Ling's village from Wen Sheng's home, they must cross a river, and south of the river lies a gloomy graveyard.
As Wen Sheng was about to leave with Wen Ling, Wen Xin caught up from behind, looking up with hopeful eyes. "Can I go too?"
So, Wen Sheng took both Wen Ling and Wen Xin back along the same path. The night was slightly dark with a gentle breeze that felt cool against their faces. They crossed the river, where the water flowed softly, accompanied by the occasional calls of birds and the mixed sounds of insects chirping. As they passed by the graveyard, it appeared particularly eerie in the darkness, with the wind rustling through the treetops. Wen Xin felt a bit scared and clutched her brother's shirt tightly.
Before long, they arrived at Nan Chen Village, where most villagers had moved from Chen Family Village. After walking a bit further, they reached Wen Ling's home. In front of her house was a north-south road; her home stood on the east side of this road, facing west. It was a simple structure with a dilapidated wooden door, much of its red paint peeling away. The main house consisted of three low rooms facing south, built on a foundation made of red bricks about two feet high. To the west of the courtyard stood two more low and old houses adjacent to the entrance. Wen Ling shared one room with her two younger sisters while her brother Wen Cheng had his own room. Their parents lived in one room on the west side of the main house. The center served as a living room, and an eastern room was used as a granary. In the eastern part of the yard, there was a kitchen made from wooden frames with a roof covered in corn stalks; during summer, it was well-ventilated on three sides, while in winter, they bundled corn stalks to block off the cold. The surrounding courtyard walls were made from wooden fences.
Inside the main house, lights were on. Wen Ling's mother lay in the bedroom to the west looking unwell; her complexion was sallow and thin—likely due to chronic illness. Wen Cheng was keeping her company when he noticed Wen Ling returning with Wen Sheng and Wen Xin trailing behind. Poor little Wen Xin looked somewhat pitiful.
Wen Ling's mother smiled warmly. "Reiko, look at your brother bringing you back! Where's your dad?" She then turned to Wen Cheng and instructed him, "Wen Cheng, go get some food for your sister!" He dashed into another room and returned with a handful of peanuts to tuck into Wen Xin's clothing pocket.
"My dad is at Wen Sheng’s house teaching Wen Hao," said Wen Ling angrily. "Wen Hao is so unreasonable; he hit his dad and even hit Wen Xin!" She then asked her mother, "I’m going to junior high soon; can I go play with Lan Lan?"
Wen Ling's mother nodded with a faint smile. "Sure! Let your brother accompany you." Turning back to Wen Sheng, she added, "If you have nothing else to do, why not take your sister along? It's scary for her to walk alone at night! Let Wen Xin stay here; I'll have Wen Ying and Wen Qian keep her company!"
Wen Ying and Wen Qian were Wen Ling's two younger sisters who were about the same age as Wen Xin. However, Wen Xin was reluctant to stay behind and wanted to follow her brother instead. Thus, their mother couldn't persuade her otherwise.
The three of them set off together towards Lan Lan’s house, which was about a mile west of Wen Ling’s village. They chatted as they walked and soon arrived at Lan Lan’s home. As an only child, Lan Lan was cherished by her parents.
Lan Lan’s house sat at the southernmost edge of their village; in front was a wide east-west road leading south into fields filled with lush green crops. Tall trees lined both sides of the road, their branches thick with foliage.
Lan Lan's family lived quite comfortably in a tall red-brick house adorned with smooth tiles on top. A plaque made from tiles hung above the entrance; its golden background featured red cursive characters that read: Happy Home. The courtyard walls were entirely made of red bricks and stood about two meters high. The main house consisted of five brand-new rooms built last year with red brick walls forming a single-story layout. Lan Lan’s parents occupied one room on the east side while she herself stayed in the farthest west room. The middle room served as a living area while two others were used for storage. There was also a simple structure against the western wall designated for parking vehicles since Lan Lan’s parents sold clothes at markets.
Upon entering Lan Lan's home, her parents were in the living room watching television. When they saw Wen Sheng and his companions, Lan Lan's mother greeted them warmly with a smile, "Wen Sheng, you're here! Looking for Lan Lan? She's in the other room chatting with her classmates!" Then she turned to Wen Ling, "Oh, Wen Ling is here too! You haven't visited in a while!" Finally, she patted Wen Xin on the head, "This must be Wen Xin! Last time at the market, your mother brought you along." Lan Lan's mother looked back at Wen Sheng.
Once she finished speaking, Wen Sheng chuckled foolishly, "Auntie! Wen Ling wanted to find Lan Lan, so I came along with her. Girls are afraid of the dark at night! Hehe!" He continued to grin.
"Lan Lan! Wen Sheng and the others are here!" called out Lan Lan's mother. Lan Lan rushed out of the room and greeted Wen Ling warmly. To her surprise, her classmates Wang Lijuan and Gao Ming were there as well. Wen Sheng and Gao Ming had a good relationship, almost like brothers. Despite all of them liking the same girl—Wang Lijuan—they remained close friends.
It was unclear what Wang Lijuan wanted with Lan Lan; perhaps girls just liked to gather without needing a specific reason. Wang Lijuan lived in town, which was quite far from Lan Lan's home. It wasn't convenient for girls to travel far at night, so she had asked Gao Ming to come along.
Lan Lan welcomed them into her room and introduced everyone: "This is my sister, Reiko! This is Wen Ling; she's Wen Sheng's cousin." She pulled Wen Ling closer. Then she grabbed Wen Xin and smiled brightly, "And this is Wen Sheng's sister, Wen Xin!"
Wang Lijuan chimed in playfully from the side, "What beautiful girls! Just like me! Hehe! Much prettier than Wen Sheng!"
Lan Lan laughed along, "She's definitely prettier than Gao Ming!" Their playful banter made the two boys feel a bit embarrassed. Wen Xin giggled. Noticing the swollen handprint on Wen Xin's face, Wang Lijuan asked with concern, "What happened?" She turned to Wen Sheng with a reproachful look and asked, "Who did this?"
Wen Xin had been laughing until someone brought up the incident; feeling wronged, she started to cry. Lan Lan quickly took out some candies and toys to cheer her up. The three girls surrounded Wen Xin, trying to comfort her while ignoring the two boys.
At that moment, Wen Sheng turned to Gao Ming seriously and said, "Let's step outside for a moment! I need to ask you something!"
Gao Ming was unsure what it was about but followed Wen Sheng as they both stepped out of Lan Lan's house into the night air.
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