My Gorgeous Neighbor Is Cooking Every Day - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

The blare of a car horn sounded.

Braking sounds, footsteps, the patter of rain.

An umbrella was held over her.

“What are you doing here?” Xia Xingye looked up. It was Mi An.

She looked at Mi An, but Mi An’s face suddenly became blurry and unfamiliar again.

She shook her head hard, somewhat terrified. Was it because of her connection with Jiang Yingyue that she was starting to forget Mi An too?

Mi An seemed to be saying something with her mouth open, but the rain was too loud, and Xia Xingye couldn’t hear clearly.

Seeing this, Mi An immediately helped her up. She saw her hands were tightly clenched, glanced at them, and immediately averted her gaze, bringing her back to the car.

Xia Xingye sat rigidly in the back seat. The rainwater on her body instantly soaked the car seat.

A girl was sitting in the passenger seat. The girl turned to look at her, blinked, and said, “Did something happen to you?”

Xia Xingye looked at her but didn’t speak.

Mi An said to Deng Xing’er, “Something must have happened. That Taoist priest might have…”

She was abruptly interrupted by Xia Xingye halfway through her sentence.

Xia Xingye lunged forward, yelling, “What did you just say?”

Both were startled by Xia Xingye. Mi An frowned, patted Deng Xing’er soothingly, and then said, “Let’s go back first.”

“No, we can’t…” Xia Xingye wanted to refuse. She was afraid that she would forget Jiang Yingyue on the way back.

But halfway through her refusal, she bit her lip and said nothing.

What could she do if she didn’t go back? She remembered that she was supposed to look for someone, but who, she had forgotten completely now.

“Let’s go back first,” Mi An said, and drove the car towards the city.

Soon, a strange voice sounded in her ear: “Why did you bring her here?”

Another was a smaller voice, sounding like a girl of eight or nine.

Xia Xingye looked left and right in confusion.

Another clear voice asked in surprise, “She can’t see us?”

Mi An frowned and said, “She shouldn’t be able to.”

“So what now?” the clear voice asked again.

“Can we go look for another Taoist sister?” the eight or nine-year-old voice asked.

“Do you know them?” Deng Xing’er asked.

The clear voice said, “If we go look, we’ll eventually find another Taoist priest.”

Mi An hesitated, saying, “If you go like that, what if the Taoist priest captures you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” the clear voice said. “If they capture us, it means it’s time for us to leave this world.”

“I want to go too,” the eight or nine-year-old voice echoed.

Soon, the two voices disappeared. They must have gone to look for a Taoist priest.

Xia Xingye sat blankly in place.

Mi An asked her, “How did you end up there? Where is Jiang Yingyue?”

“Jiang Yingyue?” Xia Xingye looked at her in confusion.

She felt like she had heard that name somewhere. Maybe she had called that name before, but why did it also feel so unfamiliar, as if she shouldn’t have heard it?

Mi An sighed, turned to Deng Xing’er, and said, “You watch her here. I’m going out for a bit.”

Deng Xing’er said nervously, “I want to go too. I don’t want to be alone with her.”

“You’re afraid of her?” Mi An chuckled. “Did you forget how you got better?”

“But…” Deng Xing’er frowned in distress. Of course, she knew who she had to thank for being able to go out now, but she was still uneasy. She was uneasy being alone with anyone else without Mi An accompanying her.

Since meeting Mi An, she hadn’t been alone with anyone else, not even her parents.

Mi An was her amulet. As long as Mi An was present, she was fearless. But similarly, if Mi An wasn’t there, she would be scared even in the safest environment.

“I’ll be back soon, okay? Xing’er is very strong and can definitely help me watch her.” Mi An stroked Deng Xing’er’s head.

Deng Xing’er squinted like a cat and said with slight pride, “Of course I can.”

Mi An got out of the car. Deng Xing’er peered out the window. Only when she couldn’t see Mi An anymore did she look at the other person in the car.

Xia Xingye leaned against the window, her hands still tightly clasped, staring blankly ahead, completely different from when Deng Xing’er first saw her.

The Xia Xingye in front of her looked like a soulless doll, with vacant eyes and an aura of lifelessness.

Seeing that Xia Xingye wasn’t doing anything, Deng Xing’er safely returned to the passenger seat and looked down, holding the safety talisman Mi An had given her.

The car was very quiet. Occasionally, the drip-drip of accumulated rainwater outside could be heard.

The rain had stopped, but the sky remained overcast. Perhaps another torrential downpour would start any second.

Deng Xing’er was dozing off when the sound of a door opening suddenly came from behind. She was startled, turned around, and only managed to catch a glimpse of Xia Xingye’s back as she tumbled out of the car.

“Where are you going?” Deng Xing’er forcefully pushed the car door open and looked at the person standing up, leaning on the car.

Xia Xingye didn’t speak. She lifted her leg and started walking forward.

Deng Xing’er panicked and quickly followed, keeping a small distance, trying to persuade her, “You can’t run around now. Sis told me to watch you.”

If Mi An came back and couldn’t find her, she would think Deng Xing’er was incompetent.

Thinking this, she quickly ran in front of Xia Xingye. The water splashed from a puddle soaked her pant legs. She glanced at it, spread her arms, and said, “You can’t go.”

She would definitely do what she promised Mi An.

Xia Xingye’s voice was hoarse. “I have something I must do.”

“What’s so urgent?” Deng Xing’er looked in the direction of the car. Mi An hadn’t returned yet. “Wait a little longer. Sis will take you there later.”

“She doesn’t know the way.”

Deng Xing’er looked at her. “Then do you know the way?”

Xia Xingye looked ahead. “It’s right over there.”

Deng Xing’er glanced behind her. She thought about it—that was the road they had taken back. It was quite far, and she wasn’t sure if it was the exact spot where they had found Xia Xingye, but the direction was about right.

She hesitated. Did Xia Xingye really remember the way?

But wasn’t she supposed to have forgotten everything? She couldn’t even remember Jiang Yingyue’s name.

Wait a minute.

Deng Xing’er blinked blankly. Who was Jiang Yingyue?

Did she know this person?

Never mind. She only remembered her mission was to keep Xia Xingye from leaving the car.

Xia Xingye glared at the person in front of her. “Move.”

“No.”

“I have a reason why I must go,” Xia Xingye said.

Deng Xing’er didn’t speak, just stubbornly blocked her way.

Xia Xingye gritted her teeth, pushed the girl aside, and limped forward.

Deng Xing’er grimaced as she sat on the wet ground. Her pants were immediately soaked. She lifted her hand, looked at her abraded palm, and got up to chase after the person.

A child’s pace couldn’t catch up to an adult. Deng Xing’er’s eyes were red. She managed to barely follow behind Xia Xingye.

Xia Xingye seemed to be forcing herself. As she ran, she suddenly tripped.

Taking this opportunity, Deng Xing’er quickly called Mi An.

Worried she would be bored alone, her parents had given her a phone since she was little so she could pass the time when bored.

Mi An answered the phone and anxiously asked, “Xing’er, where did you go?”

“She suddenly ran away, and I followed her,” she gave a general direction. “She said she needs to find someone.”

“Find who? Isn’t she alone?” Mi An wondered. She remembered encountering an injured person with Deng Xing’er on the road and taking them back to go to the hospital, but she went to buy water midway and found the person gone when she returned.

“I’ll be right there. Don’t hang up.”

Xia Xingye didn’t know what she was doing. A voice in her heart just told her not to stop. She had to keep moving forward, no matter what happened.

As for her purpose, she would know what she wanted when she got there.

Before long, a car caught up. Inside was a short-haired woman and a child.

“Where are you going? We’ll give you a ride.”

Deng Xing’er nervously clutched Mi An’s hand. The latter patted her hand reassuringly and said, “It’s fine. She doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

Xia Xingye looked at her but didn’t speak. A voice cut in.

“Finally found you.”

She turned her head. It was a strange woman.

Seeing Xia Xingye look at her like that, she said helplessly, “I didn’t introduce myself before. My name is Sheng Rudong, and I know what you are trying to do.”

Based on just the first sentence, Xia Xingye trusted her unconditionally and followed her into the car.

Sheng Rudong asked Xia Xingye, “Where is the talisman I gave you? Did you lose it?”

Xia Xingye looked at her in confusion. Hadn’t they just met?

Sheng Rudong wasn’t in a hurry. She patiently explained to her, “Your mother called me to find you. It’s okay if you don’t believe or remember anything else, but you can confirm my identity with your mother.”

“I believe you,” Xia Xingye said.

Mi An secretly glanced at the two strangers in the back. If someone else encountered them, they would probably be scared by the two mysterious individuals, but she wasn’t afraid of these things. She was an atheist and only believed what she saw with her own eyes.

Even if there were ghosts, it didn’t matter. She hadn’t done anything wrong, so she wasn’t afraid of encountering ghosts.

Helping Xia Xingye was just in her nature. She would have helped anyone else who needed assistance.

When they reached the place where Xia Xingye was picked up, Xia Xingye got out of the car, and Sheng Rudong followed. Neither spoke after getting out.

Xia Xingye instinctively walked in one direction.

After the rain, the road was muddy, and every step left a footprint.

The two followed one after the other. Halfway there, Xia Xingye suddenly clutched her head and crouched down in pain.

Sheng Rudong frowned. “Pull yourself together.”

Xia Xingye said agonizingly, “I can’t find it… I can’t find it…”

She looked ahead in confusion. The road ahead was divided into countless paths, none of which she could see the end of. It seemed no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find the place she wanted to go.

“Go alone,” Sheng Rudong said.

Xia Xingye looked at her, confused. Sheng Rudong said solemnly, “I found you with the help of your friends.”

“My friends?” Xia Xingye wanted to ask who they were, but Sheng Rudong didn’t give her the chance.

Sheng Rudong bit her index finger, and with her other hand, she took a yellow paper and quickly drew on it. Then she burned the talisman paper.

Something vaguely appeared in the air. Xia Xingye tried hard to see clearly, but she could only vaguely distinguish two figures, one large and one small.

“Follow them. They will lead you to where you should go.”

“What about you?” Xia Xingye was uneasy. Could she do it alone?

Sheng Rudong smiled, the blood from her bitten index finger visible on her lips. She said, “I will be there when you need me, but I am not the person you need.”

She looked up at the mountain and whispered, “The person you need is waiting for you.”

Saying this, she handed Xia Xingye a withered, strange plant.

“Take good care of it. Only the two of you can solve this.”

Xia Xingye said nothing more and followed the faint figures up the mountain.

There was an invisible force blocking her way up the mountain. Xia Xingye gritted her teeth and moved forward step by step.

Her breathing gradually became difficult, and her heart was pounding so fast it felt like it would burst out.

She didn’t know how long she had walked. The dense smell of blood had overcome the smell of dirt.