“Are you living here alone?”
Ning Beichen was stunned for a moment, as the answer was somewhat different from what he had imagined.
“Yes, I live here in seclusion by myself. If you are looking for lodging, I'm afraid I cannot agree to it.”
The girl said to Ning Beichen quite generously.
“I see. You live here in seclusion by yourself, aren't you scared?”
Ning Beichen was a little curious about her.
By all rights, it was unbelievable for a girl to live here alone, let alone a girl, even a boy would be scared living here alone.
After all, this was a desolate mountain wilderness, not to mention the possibility of villains, there were definitely some wild beasts.
It should be known that in the wild, a wild boar weighing a hundred pounds could easily kill an ordinary person.
Unless it was some old forest rangers, who were already accustomed to the environment and had weapons, it would be fine.
But the girl in front of him was too young. At her age, when she should be studying, why would she be living in seclusion in such a desolate mountain wilderness?
However, Ning Beichen did not feel that there was anything wrong with this girl. She should not be some kind of evil spirit, but a real girl.
“What is there to be afraid of? There are no people here all year round. You are the first tourist I have seen come here.”
The girl said to Ning Beichen dismissively, as if the question Ning Beichen asked was very strange.
“That’s true. Sometimes, people’s hearts are more terrifying than wild beasts. Since the young lady lives here alone, I won’t bother you anymore.”
Ning Beichen prepared to leave.
She is a young lady living here alone, and you, a grown man, are not leaving. What are you thinking? What do you want to do?
Ning Beichen did not want to be seen as a bad person.
“Wait a moment. Actually, there is a clearing here. If you don’t mind, you can set up camp here for the night.”
The girl called out to Ning Beichen.
Ning Beichen stopped and looked at her curiously, asking.
“Young lady, you are letting a grown man like me stay here for the night. Aren’t you afraid that I am a bad person?”
“Tsk…”
The girl let out a scoff and said, “Who would say they are a bad person? Whether you stay or not is up to you. I, a young girl, am not afraid, so what are you afraid of?”
“That’s true. Then I’ll be imposing.”
Ning Beichen actually didn’t want to find another place to stay. It wasn’t because he was lazy, but because it was already dark, and in a little while, it would be pitch black all around.
The girl was not afraid of Ning Beichen at all. She led him to a clearing next to the house and let him set up camp there.
Ning Beichen took out his tent and quickly set it up on the clearing. Then he asked the girl for some firewood to make a campfire.
Ning Beichen originally planned to cook his own meal, but the girl was very kind and invited Ning Beichen to have dinner with her.
The food was simple, consisting only of some smoked meat, rice, and a dish of vegetables. However, it was already quite good to be able to eat such a meal in this place.
During the meal, Ning Beichen became much more familiar with the girl, and he also learned that her name was Zhang Jiajia.
The reason she lived here alone was because her parents were originally hunters in this area. However, a few years ago, her parents had an accident while hunting, leaving her all by herself.
Speaking of which, this girl was truly pitiable, and Ning Beichen felt a pang of sympathy for her.
“Jiajia, haven’t you ever thought about leaving this place?”
Ning Beichen asked her.
“No. I grew up here since I was little. I don’t think there’s anything good outside.”
The girl said.
“Then aren’t you lonely living here by yourself? You could go out, go to school, and then work.”
Ning Beichen said to her.
“No.”
After saying this, Jiajia seemed a bit restless.
Ning Beichen could see that she wasn’t unwilling, but rather had concerns.
What concerns could a young girl have?
Ning Beichen pondered for a while.
But soon Ning Beichen arrived at an answer: money.
A girl with no parents and no skills, how would she survive outside?
Moreover, without familiar people around, for someone who had lived in the mountains and wilds for so long, it would be more frightening than living in the mountains and wilds.
Ning Beichen also fell silent for a while, and both of them looked up at the stars in the sky.
“Jiajia, if you want to go out and live, I can help you. This is a very small matter for me.”
Ning Beichen suddenly said.
Jiajia was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and said, “What’s so good about outside? I like the freedom here.”
Ning Beichen didn’t say anything more. Where to go and what to do was a person’s choice. They were just strangers who met by chance, and they had only known each other for a few hours.
Think about it, if a stranger suddenly treated you very well, your first reaction wouldn’t be happiness, but vigilance, extreme vigilance.
Why is this person being so nice to me? What does he want from me?
Deep in the night, Jiajia lay on her bed pondering Ning Beichen’s words, which made her somewhat sleepless.
Is living alone in the desolate mountains truly not lonely?
Of course, it was very lonely, especially when it was deep in the night, and the only companions outside were the chirping of insects and the roars of wild beasts.
When her parents were still alive, she didn’t feel it as much.
But her parents had been gone for several years. In these past few years, except for occasionally going down the mountain to sell game, she had had very little interaction with people.
Perhaps the man in front of her was an opportunity for her, an opportunity to change her destiny, but she was somewhat afraid and apprehensive.
Perhaps living alone in the mountains had given her a pure heart, unlike people in the outside world who were so complex. She didn’t think of Ning Beichen as a bad person.
Especially since she grew up in the mountains and wilds, although she had no other special skills, she could distinguish very clearly whether a person was bad or had ulterior motives towards her. Perhaps this was her unique ability.
Ning Beichen, on the other hand, didn’t have so many thoughts. Helping this young girl was purely a matter of convenience, and he didn’t have too many ulterior motives.
Moreover, with his financial resources, helping this little girl was no trouble at all.
If she agreed, Ning Beichen could let her work at Liu Yilin’s company. If she wanted to study, he could also help her. All of these were not problems.
The night passed without incident.
The next day, when Ning Beichen came out of his tent, he found that Jiajia had already prepared breakfast and invited him to eat.
During the meal, Jiajia casually asked Ning Beichen where he was going.
Ning Beichen told her that he was looking for a special place in the wilderness, possibly some hidden caves or the like.