“Uh, that’s right. It’s been fifteen years since we last had any newborn baby girls in the village. May I know what exactly is the research about?” the village head asked with a frown as he pondered on the possibility of marriage arrangements with the other village.

“This is a long story, is there a place for us to speak at length? We’re here to investigate the cause of this phenomenon.” Bai Wu smiled as he elaborated, his bright smile unarmed everyone.

“Ah! Silly me, why hasn’t it occurred to me to invite you specialists in! Come on over, let’s have a talk in my house.” The village head patted his head and invited everyone in.

Yanyi Village was surrounded by mountains and scenic views. It was an otherworldly, secluded paradise. The main economic activity was farming. Due to its remote location, the village was peaceful. The villagers lived an honest and harmonious life.

Everything changed after the birth of a baby girl on Chinese New Year’s Eve fifteen years ago.

It happened on a snowy twelfth lunar month where the village was painted white. As Yanyi Village was situated amidst the mountains, it experienced a lower than average temperature. The snow piled up so high that it was hard for the villagers to push open their doors. Strangely, the accumulated snow melted on Chinese New Year’s Eve. The leaves sprouted earlier than usual. By noon, flowers bloomed everywhere and the trees sheltered the village once again. Colorful clouds accumulated in the sky, illuminating the entire village.

On that day, a baby was born at Wu Ling’s home. It was a difficult childbirth and the baby was only born at sunset. The village was attacked by a heavy snowstorm on the next day and it snowed for an entire month.

“Heck, that’s so strange? Is she a goddess from heaven or reincarnation of Buddha?”

The crew-cut man shouted in an exaggerated manner to express his disbelief. After noticing Bai Wu’s angry glare, he retreated immediately and stood next to Zhang Fei. He was confident that he would win an argument with Zhang Fei; little did he know that Zhang Fei, a well-educated intellectual was too proud to engage in pointless arguments with him!

“Ever since then, the newborn babies in Yanyi Village are all females ¹ ?”

Used to dealing with these sort of questions, the village head nodded dispassionately. Bai Wu found it amazing too. Even though the crew-cut man spoke crudely, he made a good point — the girl must have come from heaven!

“Is the child still at Yanyi Village?” Bai Wu asked.

“She… She’s not,” the village head paused before saying with a heavy heart.

“Then…” Bai Wu was trying to probe further. He kept his mouth shut after being elbowed by Xu Lan.

“Is there a place in the village where we can stay? There are twenty-eight of us. Do you think you can help us sort out our accommodation?” Bai Wu changed the topic.

“Ah, no worries. If you don’t mind, all of you can stay with us. We can accommodate everyone if we break the group into smaller groups!” The village head did not seem as troubled anymore. He began to search for a place to stay on behalf of the group.

“Papa, why did you stop me from asking?” Bai Wu followed behind Xu Lan and asked in confusion. This was the first time Xu Lan treated him like an adult. Bai Wu was worried that he disappointed Xu Lan in someway.

“Patience. Even if the village head was being honest, the arrival of the goddess is something worth celebrating. How would this lead to Yanyi Village not having any newborn baby boys ¹ over the past fifteen years?” Xu Lan put his hands into his pockets. He spoke as he observed the scenic view of the mountains.

“Papa, are you suggesting that the village head hasn’t been completely honest with us?” Bai Wu nodded his head and asked.

“… Haha, it’s not just the village head. Are we staying at the same place tonight? I’ve something to tell you.” Xu Lan patted Bai Wu on his shoulder and chuckled, his deep voice echoed throughout the endless mountain ranges.