Escape Studio "Hell Cinema"

Chapter 3 The Village Chief

Afterwards, Shi Xi took Qian Cangyi to his room, which was next to Shi Xi's room. There were very few things in the room, and there were no extra decorations. Even though Shi Haimin hadn't been home in a long time, the room was particularly clean, indicating that it was regularly tidied up.

"You like cleanliness, so I often clean your room. By the way, I still have some things to do. You have been walking for a while on the mountain path and must be tired. Take a rest for a while," Shi Xi said before leaving.

Qian Cangyi wandered around the room and didn't find anything special. He indeed felt a bit tired, so he lay down on the bed to rest. Although his eyes were closed, he did not fall asleep.

"Now I basically consider myself familiar with the process. If I were to liken the current situation to a game, then the manual in my mind would be equivalent to a system prompt, providing me with some basic information. As for whether there are additional functions, I am not quite clear yet. However, there is one question: what do I need to do? Survive? Or develop and grow this village? Hmm... the likelihood of the first option is higher. Based on this, why do I need to survive? Will I die of hunger, thirst, or illness? Or will I be killed? The possibility of natural bodily decline should be low. So, continuing to think along the lines of being killed, who would kill me?" With that thought, Qian Cangyi opened his eyes wide and sat up, hugging his chest with both hands.

"Is it a person, or... perhaps both?" At this moment, Qian Cangyi discovered that the manual in his mind had added some new content, and he hurriedly began to flip through it.

The first to appear is an old man with short white hair and a goatee, with the three characters 'Shi Wenwei' written beside him, followed by the words 'village chief'. Below is a brief introduction of Shi Wenwei.

[Village chief of Yuxi Village, who attended a private school with a teaching student during his childhood, is somewhat educated, and holds high prestige in the village. All major and minor disputes in Yuxi Village are judged by him, and the resolutions are satisfactory to both parties. Additionally, he is basically the one who names the children in the village.]

"A single hand can cover the sky!" After reading the introduction of Shi Wenwei, these four words appeared in Qian Cang's mind.

A solution that satisfies both parties is a practical ability; being educated in a private school, he is the one who named all the children in the village, which reflects his cultural knowledge; judging by the size of his house, using a single hand to cover the sky as an evaluation is absolutely not an exaggeration. However, since he is so capable, the death sacrifice ceremony should also be presided over by him, right?

Qian Cang continued to read downwards.

[Shi Hongye]

【Shǐ Wēn Wěi's eldest son, honest and straightforward, married Shí Tīng Róng, and they have a son named Shí Jiā Xūn.】

“This name is indeed quite good…” Qián Cāng Yī sighed in his heart.

He continued to look down.

【Shí Xìng Yùn】

Shih Wenwei's second son, full of clever ideas.

Shih Xuezheng

Shih Wenwei's third son, cowardly, timid, and afraid of trouble.

Here, the content of the manual has been finished.

Well, here I was introduced to the situation of the village chief's family. It was obvious that I was meant to either go to the village chief's house or the village chief would come to my house. Judging by normal rural circumstances, as a healthy person without illness or disability, it should be me visiting the village chief. However, going to visit empty-handed without bringing any gifts feels quite inappropriate." Qian Cang clenched his lower lip, "Using something that already exists in the house as a gift wouldn’t make sense either, but I don’t have any money on me.

The puzzling problem made Qian Cang get out of bed; he stretched lazily.

"This is not a nurturing game; the relationship with the village chief might be very important. However, I still do not know how the relationship between Shi Hai Min and the village chief is. Moreover, if it weren't for the threat of the death ritual imposed on Shi Hai Min, I believe Shi Hai Min would never have returned to Yu Xi Village. Therefore, matters like gifts can be put aside for now; the most important thing is to find the eagle eye first." With that thought, Qian Cang walked out of the room and came before Shi Xi.

"Hmm... Mother, have any strangers come to the village recently?" Qian Cang hesitated a bit when he called 'Mother'.

Shi Xixiao smiled, her smile very beautiful. She paused her work and thought for a moment, then showed a sudden realization, “Oh, I remember now, your Uncle Wenwei said that a geologist might come to the village today. Is this what you wanted to ask?”

"I’m just asking casually," Qian Cangyi dared not say too much.

“That person might have already arrived at your Uncle Wenwei's house.” Shi Xi added.

“Then I’ll go to my uncle’s house to take a look.” Qian Cangyi smiled.

"Well, the earlier you go, the earlier you come back. What do you want to eat tonight?" Shi Xi was very happy, as if Qian Cangyi's performance had pleased her.

"Just make something simple." After saying that, Qian Cangyi waved his hand and walked out the door.

However, after walking out the door, he did not immediately go to the village chief's house because he suddenly thought of a question.

How does a weak woman like Shi Xi live alone? I just saw her hands; although they are not as delicate as those of girls in the city, they are well maintained, and she clearly hasn’t done much heavy work, let alone farming." This question weighed on Qian Cangyi's mind. "Could it be... never mind, it's not good to speculate like this.

Standing in front of the village chief's door, just like at Shixi's house, the chief's door was also wide open.

Out of politeness and nervousness, Qian Cangyi chose to stand at the door for a while. After realizing no one came out to greet him, he stepped inside.

"Who? Is that Hai Min? You've returned?" A sturdy middle-aged man spotted Qian Cangyi. This man's face was one Qian Cangyi had seen in the manual; he was Shi Wenwei's eldest son, Shi Hongye.

"Brother Hongye." Qian Cangyi responded based on his judgment.

He thought it was just an ordinary call, but Shi Hongye's expression was one of surprise and delight.

"Oh no!" The moment he saw that expression, Qian Cang's face darkened.

Haha, what did you just call me? After being away for so many years, you've certainly changed a lot, and you're not as stubborn as you were when you were a child. Not bad, not bad, hahahaha." Shi Hongye walked in front of Qian Cang, "Very good, you're not as rash as you were as a child. It seems the outside world is really different.

"Hehehe." Qian Cang chuckled awkwardly and stopped speaking carelessly.

You must not have come here just to see me, right? My dad is inside talking to some guests; they seem to be geologists, hehe, I’m not really sure about these things. I’ve lived in the village my whole life and never been out to see the world, so I don’t really know what this profession is about. Anyway, it can't be about growing crops.

"Um..." Qian Cangyi didn't know how to respond, so he chose to remain silent.

"Alright, you can go in now. My dad will definitely be very happy to see you." Shi Hongye patted Qian Cangyi on the shoulder, signaling him to enter the living room.