He Yuan withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyelashes, and suppressed the slightly flickering light in his eyes.
And his explanation obviously failed to completely convince his companions who were scared to death.
"Forget about the mask, but what about that bug? Didn't everyone see it? It was so big—"
Liu Tianyu was gesticulating with his hands, and occasionally he would unconsciously look up at the densely packed masks on the ceiling, and the next second he would quickly retract his gaze as if he was afraid of his eyes being bitten.
Jiang Chuyan saw him several times touching the automatic umbrella in the side pocket of his backpack. If Liu Tianyu hadn't been worried about embarrassment, he might have actually opened the umbrella in the room.
"How the hell is anyone supposed to live here? Damn, I'm already traumatized!"
Bai Ke also kept complaining. However, he wasn't facing that kind of bug head-on, so he seemed much calmer than Liu Tianyu.
"Ah, that kind of bug? I remember now. It occasionally appears during the rainy season." He Yuan shrugged and explained somewhat helplessly, "There's nothing to be afraid of. It's actually a characteristic of Longzhao. Didn't I say before that the masks here in Longzhao are made from the heads of prey..."
Unlike masks from other regions, Longzhao masks aren't made of inanimate objects like wood, mud, or stone, as they believe the soul cannot inhabit such "dead" objects. Instead, they use the finest material, animal heads, crafted through a series of processes.
"The skull usually contains brain matter and skull, unlike the skin from the body. It's difficult to peel the skin off the animal's head intact because it easily breaks. Therefore, the people in Longzhao use a kind of scavenger insect that is only found here to treat the freshly severed head."
"Ah? What's the treatment you're talking about?"
"It's about letting the bugs eat the brain and muscles first. The bugs here only eat the brain, blood, muscles and other tissues, and won't harm the outermost layer of facial hair. So, apart from being a little disgusting, it's quite useful." He Yuan scratched his head and glanced at Jiang Chuyan. "The only drawback is that they are bugs after all, so some novices can't handle it well. Occasionally, bug eggs will remain in the mask. Once the mask is hung up, when the conditions are right, the eggs will hatch and fall out of the mask."
As he spoke, He Yuan also raised his head. The ceilings of the small building were very high, and the dim light in the room alone could not illuminate the shadow under the ceiling.
Those masks remained hidden in the shadows, their hollow and distorted faces staring motionlessly at the humans below.
"No one usually comes to our building, so I guess that's why there are bugs. Tomorrow I'll go get some insect repellent powder from the village chief, and then have him come check the masks and remove any that have bug eggs."
After saying that, He Yuan clapped his hands and stood up.
"Okay, it's just a bug. There's no need to freak out like that."
He said, the tall dark-skinned curly-haired boy's nonchalant attitude somewhat calmed down the others present.
This little episode has come to an end.
Liu Tianyu nervously carried his luggage up the stairs again, and when he reached the second floor, he immediately chose the room that faced the sunniest, drier, and most comfortable. So, the only two rooms left for He Yuan and Jiang Chuyan were on the other side of the second-floor corridor.
Jiang Chuyan had no objection. He picked up his luggage and walked into a room at random.
The furnishings in the room were actually better than he had imagined. Although simple, it was basically clean, and there was a bed and a window.
Jiang Chuyan looked around the room, initially quite satisfied, but a closer look left him stunned. Besides the main door, there was another door on the other wall of the room. Covering that door was a thin curtain, which, once opened, led directly to the next room.
That was He Yuan's room.
"What's wrong?"
Before Jiang Chuyan could react, the festive door curtain with a large peony flower on a red background was lifted. A tall, curly-haired boy lowered his head slightly and popped his head out from behind the curtain. His light-colored eyes met the deep-thinking Jiang Chuyan without blinking.
"Sorry, the conditions here may be a bit bad."
A hint of embarrassment appeared on He Yuan's face.
Jiang Chuyan quickly shook his head: "It's okay, it's fine."
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Chuyan asked tentatively, "But, do we need to find something to block this doorway?"
He Yuan blinked and looked at Jiang Chuyan in confusion. After a few seconds, the boy suddenly grinned, "Why bother with that? Are you afraid that I'll attack you at night?"
Jiang Chuyan lowered her eyes, and her thick eyelashes cast a small dark shadow under her eyes.
Indeed, this type of two-room bunk bed is very common in many places, however...
"Because I'm gay."
Jiang Chuyan spoke softly and calmly as she explained to He Yuan.
"This door has no lock, only a curtain, so if you mind, you can—"
However, He Yuan simply interrupted Jiang Chuyan at this moment. He said calmly, "It's okay, me too."
"?"
Jiang Chuyan looked at He Yuan in surprise.
He never expected that He Yuan would come out to him so straightforwardly.
No, it should be said that he had never thought that He Yuan could be gay. After all, with He Yuan's family background, even if he was low-key, he would still be considered a well-known figure in the school. And he had been in school for three years, and no matter how you looked at him, he didn't give off the slightest hint of being gay.
He Yuan smiled at Jiang Chuyan, and there seemed to be a glimmer in his eyes.
"I'm almost dead tired today, and I'm too lazy to drag things to block the door," the boy said in a low voice, with a hint of tenderness in his voice, "...You shouldn't mind that I'm gay, right?"
Jiang Chuyan was still immersed in the shock of knowing that He Yuan was also gay, and was unable to respond for a while. At this time, He Yuan had already retreated behind the door curtain.
"It's getting dark. I'm going to clean up the stairs."
The boy's voice sounded no different from usual, as if the person who dropped the bomb just now was not him at all.
"Chu Yan, when you're done cleaning up, come downstairs for dinner. I buried taro and sweet potatoes in the fire pit when I lit it just now. They're delicious."
Then there was a creaking sound of the door, and He Yuan's footsteps gradually faded away, leaving Jiang Chuyan standing alone in the room for a long time before coming back to his senses.
"Depend on."
Jiang Chuyan sighed, always feeling that He Yuan was a little unpredictable.
However, he had to admit that He Yuan's sudden revealing of his fellow human identity to him did make him feel a little relieved.
Jiang Chuyan packed his luggage a little absentmindedly, and then he heard a familiar voice coming from outside the window.
"Xu Yuanzhou, you have to put more force on that side too—"
This is He Yuan's voice.
"I'm trying harder, damn, this is such a backward thing, it's not working at all."
This is Xu Yuanzhou.
Jiang Chuyan unconsciously came to the window.
There was a small platform under the window of his room. At this moment, he could just see He Yuan and Xu Yuanzhou hunching over and moving the wooden stairs up to the platform little by little.
There was a person standing vaguely behind the two people, but because of the backlight, Jiang Chuyan didn't pay much attention to it. He just instinctively thought that Bai Ke was sticking to Xu Yuanzhou again.
The wooden stairs are movable, but in such a remote and quaint village, the most primitive mechanisms are used, and there is no possibility of electric auxiliary devices like those in the city. It does take some effort to fold up the more than two-meter-long wooden stairs.
Perhaps because it was in the way, He Yuan took off his coat and only wore a short-sleeved shirt.
From Jiang Chuyan's perspective, she could see at a glance the bulging muscles on the boy's arms when he was exerting force, and the slightly raised blue veins under his light brown, firm skin. Although he was wearing such a loose T-shirt, He Yuan still looked like a bronze bull sculpture soaked in oil in the night, exuding an indescribable sense of power.
Jiang Chuyan's eyes subconsciously focused on He Yuan's broad shoulders and the muscles of his forearms.
Great training...
He felt vaguely envious.
Even he himself didn't notice that his throat rolled when he looked at He Yuan's muscles.
At this moment, the tall boy who was still pulling the ladder up suddenly turned around and looked straight at the window, as if he had noticed someone peeping from the side.
Jiang Chuyan's heart skipped a beat and he hid behind the window in an instant.
After a few seconds, he realized in astonishment: Why was he hiding?!
*
"What are you looking at?"
Xu Yuanzhou, who was downstairs, saw He Yuan suddenly turn around and look up, and couldn't help but follow his gaze.
However, all he could see was an empty window with a dim light.
Although he didn't see anyone, Xu Yuanzhou's brows were unconsciously twisted together.
"Look at Jiang Chuyan."
He Yuan said lightly.
Xu Yuanzhou immediately became furious.
"What are you looking at him doing—"
Before he could finish his words, he heard He Yuan speaking to him word by word.
"I want to chase him."
There was a sharp friction sound between the rope and the platform. Xu Yuanzhou completely ignored the heavy wooden ladder in his hand and looked at He Yuan with gritted teeth.
"Say that again, damn?!"
"I think Jiang Chuyan is very cute, so I want to pursue him."
"you--"
"Xu Yuanzhou, why are you so angry?" He Yuan seemed not to notice the fist Xu Yuanzhou was about to swing at his face. In the darkness, his eyes reflected a strange cold light like an animal, and the doubt he expressed sounded very sincere. "It's as if I'm not pursuing your childhood friend, but your girlfriend..."
Xu Yuanzhou froze instantly. He gasped for breath and looked at He Yuan's disgusting face in shock and suspicion.
His heart was pounding and he was shocked and angry.
"Chu, Chu Yan, how could it be possible for you to be with someone like you."
After a while, Xu Yuanzhou finally squeezed out a word from his rusty throat.
"I will not allow—"
He Yuan interrupted him rudely again.
"Puff."
In the cold darkness of the remote mountain village, the boy's sneer was full of sarcasm.
"Jiang Chuyan likes boys, and I like boys too. We're both adults now. It's my business if I pursue him, and it's his business if he accepts me or not." He Yuan tilted his head and openly stated his sexual orientation in front of Xu Yuanzhou. "As I recall, you're just his friend, right? What does my pursuing him have to do with you?"
"you!"
Xu Yuanzhou was so angry that his temples were throbbing, but apart from that short "you", he couldn't say anything.
He didn't even dare to think about what would happen if other people knew that he liked the boy.
He couldn't afford the consequences of coming out.
"You, how could someone like you really be nice to Chu Yan? I know you guys too well, this kind of rich second generation. Chu Yan is different from you guys, I won't let people like you play with his feelings."
Xu Yuanzhou heard himself growling hollowly at He Yuan, but the voice sounded very weak.
He Yuan suddenly stood up straight in front of Xu Yuanzhou.
"Don't slander me."
The boy's expression was tense and his voice was serious.
"I'm pursuing Chu Yan with the intention of getting married. Besides, you know nothing about me," He Yuan pointed at himself. "I'm a man who still has the memory of my first kiss, first love, and first night. How do you say it? Male virtues. Yes, I'm very good at observing male virtues. I only hope to spend my life with Chu Yan, so don't talk nonsense here."
"As for playing with people's feelings... that's the kind of thing only low-class bastards would do. I wouldn't do it."
After he finished speaking, He Yuan ignored Xu Yuanzhou.
Without the help of the dumbfounded guy, He Yuan was still able to easily drag the wooden stairs onto the platform and put them away by himself.
"Fuck your mother—"
Seeing that He Yuan was about to go back to the house, Xu Yuanzhou seemed to finally come alive. His expression was distorted, and he was about to rush over and wrestle with He Yuan directly, but suddenly Bai Ke's shrill scream was heard in the hall on the first floor.
The author has something to say:
Xiao He: I'm in love with Chu Yan, what does it have to do with you, a monster? (smiling)