When they parked near the small square at the heart of the town, the silence grew more pronounced. Two men sitting by a broken well went still, their cigarettes forgotten. A shopkeeper froze mid-swipe, his rag hovering over the counter. Even a dog, lazy in the afternoon sun, lifted its head to stare. It was obvious they weren't welcomed at all.
Sighing, Qi Yan and Yuxi stepped out to approach a nearby stall, Feng Tian lasted all of twenty seconds before cracking the window open and leaning out.
Yuxi pinched the bridge of her nose. "She's not going to listen, is she?"
"Probably not," Qi Yan replied in resignation,
Yuxi flashed her badge briefly to a passing vendor and offered a polite nod. The man nodded stiffly in return, muttered something in the local dialect, and disappeared into a side alley.
The villagers' eyes followed Qi Yan and Yuxi as they flashed their IDs, introducing themselves with careful politeness.
