Lin Fan turned his head, chuckling, "It's just a mouse, what's there to be afraid of?"
"Mice are certainly terrifying!"
Tian Mengyao exclaimed loudly, as if stating a universally acknowledged truth.
"Get off me, and I'll chase it away."
Lin Fan stomped his foot, scaring the mouse back a couple of steps.
This mouse was surprisingly bold; it only retreated a short distance and didn't flee.
"I'm not getting down!"
Tian Mengyao clung to him tighter, squeezing the air out of Lin Fan.
"What are you doing?"
"Loosen your grip, it's too tight!"
Lin Fan truly couldn't understand what she was so afraid of.
"I, I..."
In her fear, Tian Mengyao exerted all her might and somehow climbed onto Lin Fan's shoulders.
Then, she perched on his neck, grabbing hold of Lin Fan's hair with both hands.
Lin Fan, whose hair was medium-long, winced in pain.
He felt a wave of helplessness and speechless frustration.
Apart from seeing children riding on adults at temple fairs, he had never witnessed adults doing this.
He kindly reminded her, "I say, aren't you afraid of being seen like this?"
"There's a mouse on the ground, what else can I do?"
Tian Mengyao was defiant, refusing to get down.
"Fine!"
Seeing how terrified she was, Lin Fan said with resignation, "Then let's go back for now, we can come again another day."
As he spoke, Lin Fan began to turn around.
Tian Mengyao, still on his back, turned with him and saw another large grey mouse.
"Ah!"
"Don't go that way, turn back, turn around!"
The second mouse was considerably larger than the first, likely a male.
This incredibly large mouse terrified Tian Mengyao so much that she closed her eyes tightly.
Simultaneously, Tian Mengyao's left hand began to flail wildly, and her right hand yanked at Lin Fan's ear.
"Ouch!"
Lin Fan cried out in pain and had to turn back.
At this point, he was getting a little angry, "This won't do, that won't do, then let's just go inside!"
"Inside?"
Tian Mengyao stopped her movements, her eyes snapping open. She glanced at the eerie, foreboding small Western-style building and became even more frightened than before.
"We can't stay here and not go in or out, I can't have you riding on me like this indefinitely," Lin Fan grumbled impatiently, "If you're not afraid of being embarrassed, I am!"
"Who, who is riding on you?"
Only now did Tian Mengyao realize how awkward her current situation was.
"I, I'll get down now."
"Then hurry."
Lin Fan kicked a small stone, scaring the large mouse in front of them away.
Afterward, he walked under the porch, waiting for Tian Mengyao to dismount.
Tian Mengyao, nervously scanning her surroundings for any more terrifying creatures, shivered as she slid down Lin Fan's back.
"No wonder it didn't want to leave, there's a whole nest of them here."
Following the direction the large mouse had fled, Lin Fan spotted a cardboard box containing several small grey dots scurrying about.
"Ahhhhh~"
Tian Mengyao, whose toes had just touched the ground, immediately scrambled back up with a "whoosh."
"Lin Fan, you scared me!"
Tian Mengyao was both frightened and wronged, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I wasn't scaring you, look, they're right..."
"You're still saying it!"
Tian Mengyao, angered, clenched her tiny fists and pounded three times, each strike landing squarely on the crown of Lin Fan's head.
"Why are you like this?"
Lin Fan grabbed her two legs and gently pulled down, "Why do you blame everything on me?"
Tian Mengyao hugged Lin Fan's head, crying out in exasperation, "Don't pull me, let's go, let's not stay here!"
"Then let's go back."
Just as Lin Fan was about to turn, Tian Mengyao grabbed his ear, "No, no!"
She was even more afraid of the super large mouse behind them.
"Alright, then let's go inside."
Lin Fan stopped paying attention to her. If he kept listening to her nonsensical cries, he wouldn't get anything done today and would be stuck here!
"Be careful, don't bump your head."
Lin Fan reminded her, then stepped forward for a closer look.
Indeed, the front door to the living room was unlocked.
Judging by the scratches around the keyhole, it seemed someone had pried it open with a tool.
In an instant, Lin Fan understood. A burglar must have visited.
After all, he had been a village Party Secretary for decades. And he had left in a hurry; who would believe he didn't leave any cash behind?
Creak!
A faint sound.
It was unclear what was broken, but as soon as Lin Fan touched the door, it emitted a shrill noise.
Lin Fan even suspected the wind had blown the door open.
At that moment, a rustling sound came from the nearby cardboard box.
Without a doubt, the young mice must have been startled and were now panicking again.
Tian Mengyao, hearing the commotion, pressed herself against Lin Fan's head, her beautiful eyes squeezed shut tight.
"Be careful, don't bump your head."
Lin Fan reminded her again, then stepped into the house.
The small Western-style building, once the envy of all the villagers, now resembled a small landfill.
The living room floor was covered in broken glass, and the few heavy, worthless pieces of furniture lay scattered about.
The sofa had also been slashed open in several places. It seemed the burglar was quite clever, knowing to search every nook and cranny for hidden cash.
With every step Lin Fan took, there was a crunching sound under his feet.
"See, I told you this place was quite large."
Scenes flashed through Lin Fan's mind. Cao Dewang had committed unforgivable sins against Ge Lili right here in this house.
It was here too that the Cao father and son had been arrogant and overbearing, barking orders at the villagers.
And it was here that the Cao father and son had turned against each other, fought fiercely, and in the end, one died, one was injured, and one went mad!
But now, all of that was in the past, vanished into thin air.
"You can put me down now."
Tian Mengyao's emotions had somewhat calmed, and the surrounding walls seemed to offer her a sense of security.
"Are you sure?"
"The floor is covered in broken glass; if you get cut, you won't be able to walk for half a month."
Lin Fan finished speaking, and Tian Mengyao looked down at the floor, suddenly seeing the sharp glint of the broken glass.
If she were to get cut by it, half a month of immobility would be a light consequence.
Tian Mengyao thought for a moment and sheepishly said, "But, isn't this a bit... inappropriate?"
She was a young girl, not Lin Fan's girlfriend, yet she was riding on him. How embarrassing would it be if someone saw?
"It's alright. No one comes around here anyway. As long as you don't say anything, and I don't say anything, no one will know."
Lin Fan had felt awkward at first, but now he was used to it and even found it quite comfortable.
He smiled and added, "I've been working like a horse for you. Remember to repay my kindness later."
Tian Mengyao playfully chided, "Who asked you to work like a horse?"
"Alright, alright. I am serving the people, willing to be a bull for the common folk, is that better?"
Lin Fan then began to walk around the first floor.
Anything valuable here had already been stolen by the burglar.
Even places that looked like they could hide money were in disarray.
"It looks like it will cost a lot to restore this place to its original state," Lin Fan sighed.