You could still see waves of nameless flying insects along the way. As Henry Clark walked by, several of them landed directly on his helmet visor.

Some landed on his shoulder, then flew away after a while. Henry Clark only caught a glimpse of a black shadow.

It wasn’t even summer yet, but these insects were already active.

Continuing upward, he saw a checkpoint ahead, guarded by someone. Only after registering was Henry Clark allowed up the mountain, and they also told Henry Clark the location of the Feng family ancestral home.

“There’s only one old house on this mountain, I think it belongs to the Feng family, but I’m not too sure. Only one person lives there. If you’re talking about that old house, just keep following this road up and you should see it. If you meet anyone along the way, you can ask them—they all know.”

After thanking them, Henry Clark continued up the mountain.

Luckily, he hadn’t gone far when he heard the sound of a car approaching and managed to hitch a ride.

The two people driving were from a feed factory at the foot of the mountain, also heading up for work.

“The Feng family ancestral home? Are you going to see Uncle Silent?” one of them asked.

“Uncle Silent? I guess so. My elders just told me someone’s looking after the house. I have some business at the old place,” Henry Clark replied.

The other sized up Henry Clark’s gear. “Looking at you, it’s obvious this is your first time here.”

“Do you live on the mountain? Is it nice?” Henry Clark asked.

The two laughed.

One explained, “Who wants to live up here nowadays? Even with WiFi, it’s no good. At night, if you want to order takeout, no one delivers. And don’t even mention that when you’re using the toilet, you might have eight snakes watching you. Would you want that?”

“Isn’t there a barrier?” Henry Clark said.

“The barrier net is right next to you. When you’re on the toilet and look out the window, you’ll see seven or eight snakes clinging to the net, staring at you. Except for shifts or temporary assignments, we all stay in the company dorms at the foot of the mountain. Anyone who can live up here peacefully isn’t ordinary.”

“Like Uncle Silent?”

“Yeah, Uncle Silent really isn’t ordinary. He actually enjoys living here.”

“What’s Uncle Silent’s surname? How do you address him?” Henry Clark asked.

“Address? Just call him Uncle Silent. No idea about his surname—everyone calls him Uncle Silent. He can’t speak.”

The mountain looked desolate, but the road was well built. The car drove smoothly, not even a large stone in sight.

“There are vehicles cleaning the road every day,” one of them explained. “Uncle Silent often asks people to bring him things, too. There aren’t many vehicles going up and down, but it’s not rare either. We’ll take you up first, then head back.”

The car continued up the mountain. After passing the halfway point, the barrier gradually moved away from the road, and traces of human activity appeared in the woods by the roadside. The planted trees were clearly arranged—some were fruit trees already bearing fruit, and some Henry Clark had never seen before.

As he was thinking, Henry Clark suddenly heard the person next to him shout, “Hey, I see Uncle Silent! Uncle Silent!”

The car pulled over to the side of the road.

Henry Clark looked in the direction they pointed.

An elderly man, looking about seventy and dressed like a mountain farmer, emerged from the woods.

He was probably outdoors a lot—his face was tanned, deep wrinkles etched across it. He wore simple clothes, rubber shoes, and carried a large bamboo basket. His pant legs were marked with half-dried mud, and a straw hat sat slightly askew on his head. A few strands of graying hair poked out from under the brim, swaying as he walked.

The bamboo basket on his back was filled with freshly picked fruits and vegetables, most of which Henry Clark couldn’t identify—they were all local mountain specialties.

The young man in the driver’s seat rolled down the window and waved to the old man. “Uncle Silent, you have a guest! I brought him to you!”

Uncle Silent looked into the car.

Henry Clark met his gaze and saw no trace of gloom in his eyes.

Uncle Silent wiped his sweat with a raised hand and gave Henry Clark a bright smile.

Then, Henry Clark saw the old man pull out the latest model smartphone from a pocket stained with muddy water and debris—

It was the same series as Henry Clark’s phone, except the old man’s was the “plus” version.

The top-tier model, three thousand more expensive than Henry Clark’s—and much harder to get.

Chapter 6: The Family Tree

The old man typed skillfully on his phone, his speed showing he was a pro.

Then he converted the text into a preset male voice with a hint of opera tone.

“Thanks. Just picked these fruits—take some.”

Uncle Silent grabbed two handfuls of mountain fruits for the two men. After Henry Clark got out of the car, he stuffed a few cherry-sized mountain fruits into Henry Clark’s hand.

Henry Clark had never eaten them before, but seeing the two in the car eating happily, he took off his gloves, wiped the sweat from his hands and the little mud spots from the fruit skin, and tried one.

Sweet, juicy, and delicious.

The two soon drove off.

Uncle Silent took off his straw hat and fanned himself, tossed the hat into the bamboo basket, then gave Henry Clark a once-over. He quickly typed on his phone and played the voice: “Come with me.”

Henry Clark hurried to follow.

“Uh… how should I address you?” Henry Clark asked. Calling him Uncle Silent directly seemed a bit disrespectful.

“Just call me Uncle Silent!” the phone voice replied.

Seeing that he really didn’t mind, Henry Clark didn’t dwell on it, and looked around at the scenery and the smooth road.

“I see the road up here is really well built. Didn’t you buy a vehicle to get around?”