Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 100 - 101: Show Love, Accumulate Virtues and Do Good Works

Chapter 100: Chapter 101: Show Love, Accumulate Virtues and Do Good Works

Several villages near New Night City supply various goods and assistance specifically to travel agencies so that the guides can bring tourists in and out of the outer region.

As agreed, Gu Fan and his group arrived at one such village. They had received information containing a house number, and after some inquiries, they finally found the place.

As they entered to see the simple courtyard and old houses, it made them question if they had time-traveled into the past; everything seemed so backward.

Professor Luo, however, was unfazed. He said, "In any country, irrespective of how developed it is, there are always poor and backward places. This is nothing unusual."

Teacher Liu at his side chimed in, "In some places, they deliberately preserve their past for the sake of tourism. It’s called nostalgic charm."

After hearing this, everyone paused for a while; all the houses they saw in the village were more or less dilapidated. Were they preserved for a touch of nostalgia, or was it real poverty and backwardness?

Gu Fan decided not to dwell on this. He knocked on the door and waited. When no response came, he felt a chill running down his spine and hurriedly knocked again, but still, there was no response.

"Damn it!" Lu Yi, standing beside him, got quite anxious. She feared that they might have been stood up. This was unacceptable; she wouldn’t be able to explain this to Professor Luo.

Concealing his growing tension from the group, Gu Fan felt cold sweat trickling down his face. He muttered to himself that the worst had happened at the worst possible moment.

After a long wait without anyone answering the door, Professor Luo asked, "Did our guide step out?"

"He probably had to run an errand," Gu Fan replied, not daring to turn around. He didn’t want them to see his anxiety and panic, and kept reminding himself to stay calm and find a solution.

Just when Gu Fan was about to give up, thankfully, a voice from the backyard rang out, "Is that Gu Fan and Lu Yi? I’m in here."

"Thank God!" Upon hearing the voice, Gu Fan was thrilled. He quickly led the group to the backyard where they saw numerous camels.

The man, named Ouyang Jin, was born and brought up in this village. For three generations, his family had been guides for tourists, hence the numerous camels they kept for easier travel.

At that moment, Ouyang Jin was feeding the camels and waved for Gu Fan and the others to come and help.

Gu Fan and Li Yi promptly joined him, grateful to Ouyang Jin for not bailing out on them. They wouldn’t have known how to explain this situation to Professor Luo. Moreover, anyone who saw the herd of camels would realize that he was a well-equipped guide.

Most people in the group had lived in cities and rarely visited zoos, so the sight of camels was new to them. Even Su Hui couldn’t resist reaching out to touch one.

Lin Xi and Qin Jia were particularly looking forward to riding the camels for the journey ahead. It would give them plenty of opportunities to take pictures and share them on Moments (WeChat).

Looking at the huge camels, Jie couldn’t help exclaiming, "There’s truth in the saying ’a camel, even when emaciated, is still bigger than a horse’. It must be quite expensive to raise such a large number of camels."

Ouyang Jin replied, "Every day, people pass through here to explore the outer region. With tourism comes income, which just about allows me to feed these camels and myself."

Now that Ouyang Jin had shown his capability of leading them into the outer region, the group went ahead with the original agreement; they gave him a deposit of ten thousand yuan out of the total charge of thirty thousand. The rest would be paid once they returned from their journey.

Du Jun paid up quickly without any fuss, adding, "If we all return safely under your guidance, in addition to the outstanding twenty thousand, I will add another five thousand. For me, everyone’s safety is the utmost priority."

"Good, a man of action. I like doing business with people like you." Quickly realizing that Du Jun was the money man, Ouyang Jin started to make conversation and engage him more, while Gu Fan and Lu Yi continued to feed the camels, amazed at how quickly Ouyang Jin adapted.

Although initially, Ouyang Jin had planned to buy some supplies, seeing that Gu Fan and the group had brought plenty of luggage, he realized they had everything they needed.

With the guide and the camels ready, and all necessary supplies in place, they could depart any time. But before setting out, Professor Luo wanted to discuss the route with the guide.

As soon as Professor Luo took out the map, Ouyang Jin indicated that he was aware they intended to visit Qian Ye Ancient Nation. He told them that his father had once led a team in search of the ancient nation.

Upon hearing this, Professor Luo looked as if he had discovered a new land, his eyes filled with astonishment as they fixed on Ouyang Jin. He incredulously asked Ouyang Jin again and again, each time getting a confident affirmation from him.

Ouyang Jin, born and raised here, had a certain pride in his homeland. When he learned that Professor Luo was studying the history and culture of his region, he was deeply respectful towards the scholar.

Ouyang Jin immediately invited Professor Luo to look at the notes his father had made during his search for the ancient country of Qian Ye, suggesting there might be some worthwhile discoveries.

Professor Luo couldn’t have been more delighted to discover these valuable notes from the original search for Qian Ye. He hastily grabbed Teacher Liu and followed Ouyang Jin.

So the task of feeding the camels fell to Gu Fan, Lu Yi, Jie, Du Jun, and Xu Haowen. After all, being men, they had to do a bit more.

But after an hour of exhausting labor, Gu Fan was sweating. The camels’ massive appetites were no small burden, which made Ouyang Jin’s offered reward all the more understandable.

However, Professor Luo was clearly ecstatic, engrossed in the notes and engaged in a discussion about the route into the foreign territories with Ouyang Jin. It seemed it would be some time before they came to a conclusion.

So the others strolled about the village, taking in the sights. This place was humble and run-down, but it was teeming with activity. Every so often, a group of people would mount their camels and set off, some of them dancing in delight. It must have been their first camel ride.

There were people engaging in various types of business here - not only leading caravans but also selling local specialities and handicrafts. However, Gu Fan and company had little interest in these things.

As they wandered through the village, Lin Xi saw a little girl begging and her heart overflowed with compassion.

The beggar girl immediately caught Lin Xi’s sympathetic gaze and played up her pitiable demeanor even more. "You’re so beautiful, like a fairy. You’re really very beautiful," she said. After speaking, she shook the bowl in her hands.

"Thank you!" Lin Xi felt flattered by the compliment from the young beggar. Despite her circumstances, she seemed to have good taste, giving Lin Xi an even stronger sense of sympathy. She couldn’t help but ask, "Where are your parents? Why are they letting you out here alone?"

"My parents..." The girl’s face fell as she began to speak, clearly distressed. It seemed like Lin Xi’s question had touched a raw nerve.

In response, Lin Xi decided to help the little girl and turned to ask Gu Fan for money, taking him aback.

Lu Yi quickly intervened and said, "Lin Xi, I know you’re kind-hearted, but you have to realize that many people use others’ sympathy to beg. They might dress in rags during the day, but they switch to fancy clothes and enjoy lavish meals at home in the evening. Worst of all, they use children to beg."

Lin Xi looked at him with a determined expression. "I know, but what if this little girl really does need help? We might be able to offer something insignificant that could make a real difference to her. Should we turn a blind eye due to the suspicion and indifference in society? Are we supposed to behave like the rest of the world? Maybe someday we’ll become as indifferent as everyone else and ignore those who need help, but we certainly aren’t like that now."

"Okay, enough said. This is the last hundred yuan I have with me. As my girlfriend is so noble, how can I refrain from supporting her? Should I just watch her transform from a warm-hearted person to an indifferent one, due to my mistakes? No, I could never do that!" Saying this, Gu Fan, in a righteous tone, handed over his last hundred yuan to Lin Xi.

Seeing this, Lu Yi was somewhat impressed. "You really know how to cooperate, no wonder Lin Xi always follows you."

As Lin Xi turned around to help the begging girl, Gu Fan whispered, "When you fall in love, you’ll understand that the key to a peaceful life is to keep your girlfriend happy. Otherwise, forget about enjoying a peaceful life."

"Really? You make it sound so frightening that I almost don’t want to fall in love." While Lu Yi was lost in his thoughts, Lin Xi turned towards him, holding out her hand and laughing, "Lu Yi, can you help me?"

Lu Yi made a sour face. "You’ve got to be kidding me, miss. Gu Fan’s hundred yuan not enough? Now you want to rope me in too?"

Lin Xi nodded earnestly. "This little girl is so pitiful. Can you imagine what kind of parents would be cruel enough to let their child beg in the street? Their family must be in serious trouble. We should help her as much as we can. Don’t worry, consider this a loan. I promise I will pay you back. Also, think of it as doing a good deed for luck during our journey."

"Well said! Doing a good deed for luck... for your comment, I’ll lend the money. I won’t even ask for interest." With that, Lu Yi handed over his last two hundred yuan to Lin Xi.

But when Lin Xi tried to take the money, Lu Yi was obviously reluctant to let go. After all, it was money he had earned through hard work.

"Don’t worry, I will pay you back, so let go." Lin Xi said while patting Lu Yi’s hand to loosen his grip. Finally, she took the two hundred yuan from Lu Yi and went over to give it to the little begging girl.