Lu Qiang blinked and came to an old building, squinting his eyes and observing carefully.
But after a moment of expert archeology, Lu Qiang shook his head and said involuntarily:
"I've never seen this thing before."
"Senior Brother Lu is a local, have you never seen anything like this?" Seeing that Lu Qiang was also confused, Lu Weiwei asked curiously.
Lu Qiang still shook his head: "I grew up in Tai City, but I have never seen anything like this."
"But I heard that the villages around Centennial Peak seem to have their own characteristics."
"Most of the residents here before were not locals, they all fled here from the north."
"So their earliest residents will retain some cultural characteristics of the north. I heard an old man talk about this before."
With a faint sigh, Lu Qiang added: "But it has been hundreds of years since these villages moved here. What do these patterns represent?"
"Perhaps, only the people in their village can know it, but I don't know it anyway."
"Okay." Seeing that Lu Qiang was helpless, Lu Weiwei felt that she shouldn't make it difficult for him.
At this time, Gu Chen also walked around the old building, returned to the main entrance and said:
"This old house seems to have been abandoned for a long time. There are no residents inside."
"It's harmful. It's normal." Seeing Gu Chen say this, Lu Qiang also smiled and said:
"This Hemu Village is located deep in the mountains of Centennial Peak, so the transportation here is not very convenient."
"Everyone who has some pursuits will move to the city. Those who stay will probably not have many people. They may be some elderly people."
"So, it is normal for a village like this to have many vacant old houses."
"Okay." Seeing what Lu Qiang said, Gu Chen also felt that it made sense.
So, after everyone observed where they were for a while, they continued walking towards the village.
Due to its geographical location, there is very little flat land here.
It can be said that Hemu Village is located in a valley deep in the mountains.
There are undulating mountains on both sides here, and there is only a narrow strip in the middle where houses can be built.
There are also many crops grown here along the mountains.
But what surprised Gu Chen was that there wasn't even a guard dog in the entire Hemu Village, which was very intriguing.
Logically speaking, there is no shortage of watchdogs in rural areas. Generally, when outsiders enter the village, the watchdogs are the first to notice and will be the first to issue warnings.
Usually they keep barking at outsiders in an attempt to scare them away.
But if the visitor is familiar with the villagers and can talk to them, then the attitude of these watchdogs will become more docile.
At least this is the case in rural areas in the south.
But this place gave Gu Chen a strange atmosphere. Generally speaking, it was very quiet, so quiet that it was a bit scary.
Coupled with the mist surrounding the mountains and various towering vegetation, it gives people a sense of having arrived at the plant kingdom.
But considering that the sun was just rising now, maybe everyone in the village was still sleeping, which was understandable.
"Junior brother Gu, what are you thinking about?" Lu Weiwei, who was aware of Gu Chen's habits, also quickly asked after seeing Gu Chen staring blankly ahead.
"Oh." Gu Chen came back to his senses and said slowly: "I was thinking, why is there not even a pastoral dog in a place like this?"
"Huh? No pastoral dogs?" When Officer Wang heard what Gu Chen said, he suddenly stopped and looked around.
After a moment of observation, Officer Wang also nodded silently and said involuntarily:
"Eh? Don't tell me, there really isn't even a dog in this place. Could it be that the dogs in this village hide in the house and don't dare to come out in the cold weather?"
"Uh..." After hearing Officer Wang's words, Lu Qiang was just stunned and didn't know how to explain it.
Lu Weiwei smiled and said: "Maybe, this Hemu Village gives people the feeling of being quiet and... cold. After all, it is in a ravine, and the temperature here is obviously much lower than in the town.
"
"That's for sure, it's not the same altitude." Lu Qiang pulled the zipper of his collar to the top and shrank his neck.
Lu Qiang, whose nose was red from the cold, also looked at Gu Chen and explained:
"This place, according to Liu Yuan, used to have only a dirt road."
"Later, Tai City required every village to have access to roads, so a road was built to the entrance of the village."
"However, it's not too broad to cultivate. You saw it just now, so let's just leave it that way."
"Logically speaking, it is not cost-effective to build roads in this place. The city wanted to help these villagers move out of this place."
Looking up at the towering trees, Lu Qiang said again:
"Just by looking at these trees, you can tell that this place and village must have a history of at least several hundred years."
"But not many people live here now, so building roads is not cost-effective at all."
"I can tell." Officer Wang listened to Lu Qiang's explanation and said with a smile:
"However, Hemu Village is considered a century-old village. Maybe the city built this road with this problem in mind."
"Maybe." Lu Qiang nodded silently and said:
"This place has been explored by experienced outdoor enthusiasts before, and I heard that there have been accidents."
"Anyway, before the road was built, it was very inconvenient to go out here, and it was also inconvenient to come in."
"The materials used to build these houses were all taken locally by the ancestors of the local villagers, felling the trees in the forest, and then building them with wood."
"Later, we used mules to transport materials down the mountain. I heard it was quite difficult. I don't know how these people built the houses."
Having said this, Lu Qiang also pointed around and explained: "So, many of the old houses you see now were built very early, and some of them were built too long ago and have become dangerous buildings."
"This dilapidated house cannot be inhabited, so it has always been empty. The local people will build new houses nearby and preserve the dilapidated houses. They cannot be demolished because these dilapidated houses have become cultural relics."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Haha, it's true, a century-old house will not be demolished if possible. It would be good to develop tourism." Lu Weiwei said.
Lu Qiang waved his hand: "It is quite difficult to develop tourism in this place. The city's tourism bureau has also been arguing for many years. The key is that there is no funds."
"Moreover, the cost of developing tourism here is very high, and it is difficult to make a profit in the short term."
"So, this is why, even though the ecological environment of Centennial Peak is very good, the scenery is good, and there are cultural heritage, there is no way to develop it. The main reason is the road problem."
Looking back at the road he came from, Lu Qiang continued to explain: "For example, you also saw the road we took up the mountain before."
"Even the parking space is only a small space."
"If you want to develop tourism, do the buses have to come in? But they can't come in. If you want the buses to come in, then you have to dig mountains and build roads."
"This fee is comparable to a gold-swallowing beast. Anyway, except for senior outdoor travelers who come here occasionally, no one else will come here."
"Look, there seems to be someone over there." Just as Lu Qiang was speaking, Gu Chen pointed at a looming black figure in the fog ahead and said.
Everyone stopped and observed carefully.
After a while, Lu Weiwei saw the person clearly and couldn't help but said: "It seems to be an old man. He goes out so early in the morning. Is he out to exercise?"
"It seems like you're out for a walk, right?" Officer Wang also guessed.
Lu Qiang rubbed his eyes and couldn't help but said, "Why don't you go and take a look."
"Let's go." Gu Chen said.
Several people continued to walk forward together until they saw clearly the person in front of them.
What came through the mist was indeed a white-haired old man with his hands behind his back but an expressionless face.
I saw that the white-haired old man noticed a few people, but he didn't react at all. His eyes were still dull and he walked forward slowly.
"Old man." Lu Weiwei quickly stepped forward to say hello.
However, what embarrassed Lu Weiwei was that the old man seemed not to pay attention to Lu Weiwei at all, but still walked forward step by step at a slow pace, completely ignoring Gu Chen and the others.
"Eh? Old man." Seeing the white-haired old man barely passing by, Lu Weiwei quickly called out again.
However, what is strange is that this white-haired old man with his hands behind his back and a bit of a hunchback, still ignored what was going on outside the window, walked through the crowd, and walked slowly towards the entrance of the village.
Everyone was also confused and immediately gathered around, staring at the old man's walking back in a daze.
"What's going on with this old man? Why doesn't he respond at all?" Lu Weiwei scratched the back of her head, also looking curious.
"Maybe it's some Alzheimer's disease." Gu Chen guessed.
Lu Qiang also nodded in agreement: "Maybe, in the village, there are usually old people who are not in good health. Maybe they have some physical problems, or maybe they can't hear us."
"Then I'll go over and ask him." Lu Weiwei didn't give up and trotted all the way to catch up with the old man.
Then he stood in front of him, walked backwards and greeted the old man: "Hello, old man."
The white-haired old man just glanced at Lu Weiwei and walked forward expressionlessly, as if he didn't care whether Lu Weiwei was blocking his way.
This made Lu Weiwei a little confused, but she was afraid of blocking the old man's walk, so she had to step aside wisely, looked at the white-haired old man, and then passed in front of her again and walked slowly towards the entrance of the village.
"What's going on? I've been greeting him like this, but... I'm so disrespectful to him?"
"Maybe the old man really has a problem here." When Officer Wang saw this, he also pointed to his head, indicating that the old man might have a brain problem.
"Okay." Seeing the old man acting like this, Lu Weiwei could only give up.
After all, if you exchange a hundred sentences with an Alzheimer's patient, the other person may not understand a word you say.
Rather than wasting time here, it's better to go find other people and ask about the situation.
Lu Weiwei, who returned to the crowd, felt a little frustrated for a moment and complained:
"This Hemu Village is really strange. Not only is the village strange, but the residents here are also strange. I really can't understand it."
"Senior Sister Lu, forget it, let's go find someone else to ask." Gu Chen didn't care and said with a smile.
"Okay, listen to Junior Brother Gu." Seeing that Gu Chen had said so, Lu Weiwei felt that there was no need to worry, so she walked directly to the crowd and said:
"Let's go."
The four of them continued walking forward.
Because we just passed the village entrance, we also passed through a green tunnel covered with vegetation.
I met a strange old man, and now, more and more buildings were built reluctantly.
But all the buildings are not densely distributed.
Since these buildings are relatively old, it is not clear which one is occupied.
But fortunately, Gu Chen reminded me to look at the items outside the door before making a judgment.
"Junior Brother Gu, look over there. There seem to be a few pairs of cloth shoes placed at the doorway over there." This time, Lu Weiwei took the lead in discovering a residential home that seemed to be inhabited.
Gu Chen squinted his eyes and said with a smile, "Let's go over and have a look."
Everyone didn't think much, and quickly picked up the pace and arrived in front of this old house.
After carefully looking around the building, there was indeed some smell of fireworks.
Just as Lu Qiang was about to check the items, Gu Chen beside him quickly said: "There is an elderly couple living here."
"Ah?" After hearing Gu Chen's words, Lu Qiang was stunned and asked quickly:
"Gu Bureau, how did you know?"
"These floral shoes are worn by an old lady. The cotton shoes should be washed and left outside to dry, but I don't remember to put them into the house at night."
Turning to look in another direction, Gu Chen pointed to the cigarette butts on the ground and said, "There are some cigarette butts on the ground."
After flicking it casually with his toes, Gu Chen added: "These are cheap cigarettes. People nowadays don't smoke cheap cigarettes like this. Only the elderly are generally not willing to spend money."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "When I have a craving for cigarettes, I smoke cheap cigarettes like this. I met an old man who collected scraps before, and he smoked this brand.
Cigarettes are very cheap.”
"So, this is the basis for your judgment?" Seeing Gu Chen's explanation, Lu Qiang asked out of curiosity.
Gu Chen nodded silently: "It's almost like ten, and..."
Halfway through, Gu Chen pointed in the direction of the window sill and said to a pair of muddy galoshes:
"Moreover, the size of the galoshes should have been mentioned by the man. There is still dirt on the galoshes, indicating that the owner once wore the galoshes to work in the mountains."
"Okay." Seeing what Gu Chen said, Lu Qiang also smiled and said, "Maybe you are right."
"This house is so old." Lu Weiwei listened to Gu Chen's explanation and felt that Gu Chen had said so, so it was basically correct.
I took a step back and looked at this old building, and I couldn't help but sigh: "It seems that everything is made of wood. Houses made of wood are good, but the sound insulation effect is very poor."
"Yes." Officer Wang walked up to the crowd and said slowly:
"Before we went to a village in Rong City, your province, it was similar to this village. They all built houses with wood."
"It's just that the architectural style is different, but they are essentially the same because they use local materials."
Looking to the left and right, Officer Wang added: "Originally, this place is a ravine and the road traffic is inconvenient. Building a house using the trees here is a good choice."
"But, I have to find someone to ask." Lu Weiwei looked around and said helplessly.
"Master seems to be up." At the same time that Lu Weiwei was complaining, Gu Chen said casually.
"Master, are you up?" Lu Qiang heard this and asked curiously: "Gu Ju, how did you know?"
"I heard the sound of getting up." Gu Chen also grinned and said casually.
In fact, of course Gu Chen would not tell Lu Qiang that he had a master's level of observation, and his hearing was several times that of ordinary people.
Just now, Gu Chen heard the faint sound of his master getting up, so he was able to make a judgment.
However, this kind of weak movement is naturally difficult for Lu Weiwei, Officer Wang and Lu Qiang to hear.
"Okay." It felt like Gu Chen was really unusual, and Lu Qiang nodded in agreement:
"Anyway, I didn't hear any movement at all. Your hearing is really good."
As soon as Lu Qiang finished speaking, everyone heard the sound of the door opening behind them.
Because it is a wooden structure, the sound of opening the wooden door is a bit loud, and everyone can hear it now.
So everyone looked at each other and hurriedly walked towards the side of the house.
After bypassing the house and looking back, everyone discovered that there was a small yard behind the house.
At this moment, a hunched old lady with white hair was fetching firewood from under a shed.
It looked like he was boiling water for cooking.
Because of this ancient village, many families had earthen stoves, usually with a large iron pot on top and firewood underneath. Even water was boiled with firewood.
And a corner of this yard was filled with all kinds of chopped firewood.
Gu Chen and others came to the fence of the yard, but the white-haired old lady didn't seem to notice the arrival of the others. She was still collecting firewood slowly under the shed.
"Old man." Seeing this situation, Gu Chen also spoke.
"Ah?" Someone called out suddenly. The old lady's expression was stunned, and she turned around curiously.
Only then did he realize that there were four men and women standing outside the courtyard. They were curious for a moment, stopped what they were doing, walked directly to the crowd, and asked curiously:
"You are?"
"Oh, I'm from the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and these guys are from the Jiangnan Municipal Public Security Bureau. We came to Hemu Village mainly to find out more about the disappearance of the two women."
"Director Liu from the town also came here to learn about the situation. I wonder if you are clear?"
"Looking for someone?" Hearing what Lu Qiang said, the old lady frowned and suddenly realized:
"Oh, when you said that, I remembered it. Yes, the director from the town did come to our village yesterday. It seemed that he was looking for someone."
The old lady spoke with a local accent, but because of her old age, her speech was also unclear.
Everyone pricked up their ears and found it difficult to hear clearly what the old lady was saying. This really stumped everyone.
Fortunately, there is a local Lu Qiang here, but even so, Lu Qiang frowned.
