Breakfast at the village chief's house was simple: white porridge and steamed buns, accompanied by a few dishes of pickled farm vegetables.
After yesterday's minor disturbance at the entrance of the village, the players barely managed to maintain a surface-level peace, but beneath it all, they were on guard against one another, each harboring their own thoughts.
On top of that, Bai Ci wasn't much of a talker, mostly because she was afraid of saying the wrong thing and making a mistake.
Consequently, at the table this morning, only the team leader, Sang Lan, and the village chief and his wife engaged in occasional conversation, and even they didn't have much to talk about.
After breakfast and a brief rest to digest their food, everyone set off for the village entrance.
According to the schedule, they had to transport the equipment to the venue of the Honey Rite today and do some preliminary setups.
The asphalt road at the village entrance only connected to the main highway. The paths inside the village were narrow and winding, making it impossible for their seven-seater commercial van to enter; forcing it through would only result in dents and scratches.
The village chief had prepared two old-fashioned wheelbarrows for them well in advance. They were sturdy and had a high load capacity, making them perfect for transferring the various props and equipment from the trunk.
When the company first took on the wedding contract here, the transport tools they used were these exact two wheelbarrows, so they could be considered "veterans" in their own right.
Before they set off, the team leader took two metal keys from the village chief.
“These two keys—one is for the main entrance of the wedding venue, and the other is for the outdoor utility room.”
“Our company has been handling the Honey Rite here for several consecutive years, running the process year after year. Many of the bulky props that are inconvenient to haul back and forth, as well as the wedding materials funded and purchased by the village, are kept in the venue's utility room. This saves us from having to carry them back and forth every time, making things much easier.”
The team leader explained this to the others on their way to the village entrance.
They tied the props from the trunk and inside the van onto the wheelbarrows, getting everything ready.
The team leader took the lead at the very front, while the wheelbarrows were pushed by Sang Lan and Wang Dong, the two designated laborers. The group walked along the narrow concrete path of the village, heading deeper inside.
Ten minutes later, their destination finally came into view.
A spire-topped church, entirely crimson red, stood in isolation on an open, flat clearing at the deepest part of the village.
Red walls, a pointed spire, and tall arched windows—it was a standard Western-style church design.
It was the very same red building Bai Ci had seen through the window yesterday.
“We're here.” The team leader stopped and pointed at the building ahead. “This is the Red Church, the venue where we host the Honey Rite every year.”
“The village doesn't have any other large open spaces, so the rehearsals, the official ceremony, and everything else are held here.”
Having said that, he stepped forward with the key and unlocked the heavy iron gates.
The iron gates swung open with a heavy creak, and everyone followed closely behind him into the church.
The interior was somewhat dimly lit but not oppressive; soft daylight filtered through the high arched windows, illuminating the entire space.
The layout inside was no different from a typical wedding church, neat and orderly. Rows of wooden pews were symmetrically arranged on both sides, leaving a straight and spacious aisle in the middle, carpeted in a vibrant red.
However, the carpet was quite old, with worn and faded edges, and its surface was covered with a thin layer of dust. It looked aged and dilapidated, though not messy.
At the end of the aisle was an elevated pulpit, which served as the main ceremonial stage for the Honey Rite.
Directly behind the pulpit, there were no common statues, crosses, or religious murals. Instead, there stood a solitary, half-man-tall natural stone.
The stone was rough in texture and irregular in shape, without any signs of artificial polishing. It was entirely covered with a mottled layer of blue-green lichen, growing in dense, overlapping layers that clung tightly to the stone surface.
Including this inexplicable stone, the entire church lacked any religious symbols. Its atmosphere didn't border on either the sacred or the gloomy; it was simply spacious and desolate.
It made the place feel like a tourist attraction that had been left vacant and unmanaged for years, having only the appearance of a church.
The team leader followed everyone's gaze to the stone and took the opportunity to instruct them: “I want to emphasize an important point to everyone, and that is this stone.”
“Since life can grow on a stone and remain evergreen, the village regards this stone as the incarnation of Namito.”
“When you are setting up the venue, walking around, and arranging materials later, be careful. Try to go around this stone, and absolutely do not scrape or damage the moss on it.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Having finished his instructions, the team leader turned and walked toward the utility room on the side with the keys, preparing to open the door and take inventory of the materials.
“Today is our first day on-site, and our main task is to take inventory of our stock and organize the materials.”
“Our two male comrades will have to work a bit harder to pull out the large props left over from last year, check if they can still be used, and then we will report any missing items for a consolidated purchase.”
There were no lights in the utility room, leaving it pitch black. In order to inspect the condition of the stored items in detail, they had to carry them out one by one.
The heavy lifting was left to the men in the team. The team leader led by example, rolling up his sleeves and hauling items himself, though one couldn't help but wonder if his large belly made it uncomfortable.
The women, meanwhile, held the inventory list and checked off the items one by one.
They inspected them for insect damage, tears, and stains, and verified whether the quantities matched.
Originally, these tasks could have been handed over to the villagers along with the cleaning, paying them a daily wage.
But because of an incident that had occurred once before—which would have cost them a massive payout if the village chief hadn't stepped in to mediate—these tasks were ultimately left to the company's own staff to handle.
Bai Ci was counting the red chair covers in the open space outside the church when she looked up and her gaze casually swept past the outer woods, freezing slightly.
At the edge of the woods not far away, a figure was hiding behind a tree trunk, half-concealed, with only their head and part of their body peeking out.
Judging by the long, loose hair, it was likely a woman.
She stood motionless, looking toward the church, her gaze shifting restlessly as if searching for something.
When the team leader walked out holding the remaining chair covers, the woman behind the tree moved.
She stepped out from the shadow of the tree trunk. Her steps were fast and hurried, as if she were terrified the person would run away, and she spread her arms to block the team leader's path.
Once she stepped out of the shadows, Bai Ci could finally see the woman's condition clearly.
The woman's state seemed highly abnormal. She wore long sleeves and long pants, with her collar tightly buttoned and cuffs fastened, bundling herself up so securely that not a breath of wind could get in, completely ignoring the warming temperatures in the mountains.
She kept her head lowered, her long hair hanging down. From Bai Ci's angle, she couldn't make out her facial features, but she could vaguely sense that the woman's mental state was extremely poor.
Her frame was thin and rigid, her shoulders tense, and her entire being exuded a gloomy, dazed aura, as if she had suffered from long-term exhaustion and anxiety, trapped somewhere she couldn't escape.
The woman had blocked the team leader quickly, but when it came to speaking, she hesitated as she opened her mouth, her voice hoarse and dry: “Excuse me...”
The team leader apparently recognized the woman, as his expression instantly darkened the moment he saw her.
The woman had barely started her sentence, not even reaching the second half of her question, when the team leader cut her off directly.
“I am the one leading the team to host the Honey Rite this year, and these six of us are the only staff on-site. Take a good look—there is no one else. Now that you've seen, go back.”
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