487. Departure 【19/60】
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Fortunately, the few cousins Lin Nan cared about most didn’t show her any hostility.
As she followed the gradually dissipating crowd, Lin Nan walked back home with the Lin Jin family and couldn’t help but glance curiously at Lin Jin’s father, her Uncle.
This guy was all stern and no smiles, his face as stiff as a board. Lin Jin and her brother barely communicated with him, trailing behind at a respectable distance—clearly, their relationship wasn’t the warm and fuzzy kind.
Lin Nan decided not to pry into anyone’s family affairs. Instead, she observed their expressions or took in the scenery around her.
After this, she figured she wouldn’t be coming back here again.
If she wanted to hang out with her cousins, it would probably be at her grandfather’s town instead of this place.
The scenery was still familiar, almost unchanged from what it was over a decade ago, but to Lin Nan, it felt increasingly foreign.
“Hey!”
Just as she was lost in thought, a girl’s voice called out to her. Turning around, she saw a pretty young woman striding toward her.
As she got closer, Lin Nan realized it was her childhood neighbor and playmate, Lin Dan.
They were about the same age, and Lin Dan should be a university student by now, but they only crossed paths during festivals over the years. Her face had grown increasingly unfamiliar.
Lin Nan paused, and Lin Jin glanced back at her with a smile. “I’ll head back first. Just knock on my door later.”
“Okay.”
Lin Nan replied, then shifted her attention to the now approaching Lin Dan.
“Long time no see!” Lin Dan was still bubbly, scanning Lin Nan with curiosity before exclaiming, “You’ve become so beautiful! Is that really you, Lin Nan?”
It seemed news of her transformation had spread…
After all, it was just a temple gathering with dozens of tables, crammed in tight. The folks at their table were mostly middle-aged—especially the chatty aunties with big mouths. The moment they heard Lin Nan had become a girl, the gossip flew like wildfire.
When it dawned on her that nearly everyone in the village might know her business, the feeling of public execution loomed ever larger.
Should’ve just stayed away…
Even if she came back, she should’ve warned those cousins beforehand, not blurt things out at a banquet and let nosy people eavesdrop.
She fidgeted, staring at Lin Dan, completely at a loss for words.
“Are you still studying at university?” Lin Dan switched to a safer topic. “Which school?”
“Oh, just a third-rate university,” Lin Nan shrugged.
“Well, I’m at a 211 school. Pretty impressive, huh?”
Lin Nan gave a nonchalant nod.
Lin Dan didn’t seem to notice the awkwardness and kept probing. “What’s your major?”
“Design.”
Even though they used to play 4399 games together as kids, they hadn’t communicated much over the years, and now with Lin Nan’s gender change, she had no clue how to navigate this chat.
While providing half-hearted answers, Lin Nan quickened her pace back home.
“People outside are talking bad about you,” Lin Dan said with a furrowed brow, looking a bit worried. “It’s pretty rough…”
Lin Nan could guess what those gossiping aunties were saying. She nodded, feeling irked but managing to hide it.
“Are you really a girl now?”
“Was always one,” Lin Nan replied casually.
She was a bit taller than Lin Dan, with long legs, so even though their strides matched, Lin Dan quickly lagged behind.
Lin Dan had to make an awkward little jog to catch up, sensing Lin Nan wasn’t really in the mood for a chit-chat.
At that moment, Lin Nan spotted Lin Qi coming out of the convenience store, ice cream in hand.
Her eyes lit up. “I’ve got to talk to Lin Qi. I’ll catch you later!”
“Huh?”
Before Lin Dan could catch on, Lin Nan dashed over to Lin Qi. Once she confirmed no one was following her, she took a deep breath.
With big, watery eyes, she glared at Lin Qi. “Why were you shouting so loud just now?”
Lin Qi was momentarily taken aback, then handed Lin Nan the untouched ice cream.
“Don’t think this can bribe me!” she huffed, taking a bite of the ice cream and continuing her glare.
After pondering for a moment, Lin Qi turned around and went back into the convenience store to buy a bottle of cola, handing it to Lin Nan.
Seeing that Lin Nan seemed calmed down, he explained helplessly, “I wasn’t paying much attention! My seat was far from Eldest Cousin’s, and it was noisy. If I didn’t speak up, he wouldn’t hear me!”
“So everyone at the other tables heard you too,” Lin Nan said, holding the ice cream in one hand and the cola in the other, grumbling, “Lin Dan just told me about it…”
She didn’t want to press any further; that would definitely ruin her already sour mood.
She tried her best to brush it off her mind, but the thoughts kept creeping back. So she redirected the conversation. “How about you join me for a hike at Longfeng Mountain this Saturday night?”
“Hiking at night?”
“Yeah, at 3 AM.”
“Perfect! I’ve got to go back to work at noon. Should have enough time to make it.”
Lin Qi, puzzled about Lin Nan’s plan, nodded resignedly. “You shout for me, and I’ll see if I can catch a tricycle to get there.”
The main reason for this trip was to attend the wedding, and now that it was over, the spooky mission with Li Na was picking up speed.
Getting Lin Qi on board for the ghost encounter took a bit of the edge off her nerves.
“Oh, by the way, Second Cousin said we should gather to grab some barbecue in the evening.” Lin Qi suddenly added.
While grubbing on barbecue, they could lure Second Cousin into the fun too.
That cemetery of a mountain could use more people to gather some courage.
Her eyes sparkled as she nodded in agreement.
Since they were heading for barbecue, no need to be running around tonight. Lin Nan pondered whether to ditch Lin Jin’s invitation; instead, they could have barbecue and then stay at the inn… But bailing on Lin Jin felt a bit off.
Just then, a familiar middle-aged man walked past, stopping suddenly to sh**t a disdainful glance at Lin Nan.
She looked over at him and instantly felt the discomfort in his eyes. Just when she was hesitating about ditching Lin Jin, she quickly bowed her head to message her, letting her know she wouldn’t be crashing at her place.
Her reputation in this village was surely shot to bits.
While some people were accepting of her, most were older folks who were probably as traditional as they come—many of them had probably never left this town.
If she had only transformed and come back right afterward, she’d probably have been a crying mess halfway through the wedding instead of somewhat composed while chatting with Lin Qi on the roadside.
