"Unbelievable, it can talk... So amazing, I have to record this." Liu Qinnuan took out her phone, and the others followed suit, starting to take pictures.
"No... photos! Money... money!" The crow seemed to get agitated after being photographed, squawking twice quickly and pecking at the glass a few times.
Xu Lin noticed a button between the ticket slot and the money deposit area that seemed to open a small side door. "Maybe we really can get in; this crow is the ticket seller."
"Xu Lin, how could that be possible?"
"Watch this." Xu Lin glanced at the price, inserted a 20-yuan bill, and the crow immediately swooped down, snatched the money, and pulled it away. Then, from the ticket holder, it extracted a ticket and passed it through the ticket slot. Xu Lin took the ticket, and the five girls were all stunned.
"I want to try too." Su Qingwan took out a 50-yuan bill from her pocket, ready to see if the crow would only take out one ticket.
"If it only gives one ticket, we'll lose out."
"No worries, let's try." Su Qingwan said nonchalantly, and Xu Lin began recording again. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the crow glanced at the money, placed it into the side money box, then flew to the ticket holder, and took out two tickets. Flying to the ticket slot, Su Qingwan took out the two tickets.
"So smart, it really understands money."
"But you lost 10 yuan."
"Doesn't matter." Su Qingwan found interacting with the animal quite amusing.
At that moment, when Liu Qinnuan and the others stepped up to buy tickets, they found an extra 10-yuan note at the ticket slot.
"It actually gave change!"
"Caw! Buy... tickets!" Subsequently, Liu Qinnuan, Ji Yun, and the other three didn't trouble the crow for change, each handing it 20 yuan, receiving four tickets in return.
The crow then landed on the button, pressed it, and the side door opened instantly.
"It even opens the door; I suspect it's a smart robot."
"Haha, let's go in first. Who knows when it will release the button."
"Let's go." They all waved at the crow and walked into the park. The crow released the button, and the door closed again.
Upon entering Qinglong Lake Wetland Park, they immediately felt one thing: it was extremely natural. Inside, there were no paved paths, not even dirt roads, just a vast expanse of greenery. Not far away, there was a river about 3 or 4 meters wide, very beautiful, and even from a distance, they could see how clear it was. Next to the river, there was a small path, but to get there, they had to pass through a half-meter tall grass field.
"Do we have to wade through? What if there are bugs... what about snakes?" Ji Yun squatted down and saw several bugs. Even if they didn't encounter bugs, they'd still get dirty walking through.
"But we can't go back either. I noted a staff member's number on my phone earlier, let's call..."
Qin Yunhe took out her phone and saw a figure waving at them from a distance, walking towards them.
"Did you all come in from the south gate? Most people use the east gate now. The path here is blocked by plants; I'll clear it for you." As the person approached, they used the sickle in their hand to cut through the grass. In a minute, they had cleared the path and walked over to them.
As he got closer, Xu Lin and the others noticed it was a dark-skinned middle-aged man wearing a yellow-orange uniform.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No problem, thanks."
"Thanks for what? I should have cleared this earlier." The man smiled and continued clearing the path to the side.
"Uncle, why is there a crow selling tickets outside?" Liu Qinnuan asked curiously.
"A crow? Haha, that's Hani. Its owner is the ticket seller. The owner must have stepped out for a bit. Hani has been with its owner for years and learned by watching every day."
"Why not move it to the main gate? It would be quite popular."
"Don't be fooled. This bird gets nervous around too many people, and it's not as efficient as a person or a machine."
"Thank you, uncle."
"No problem, no problem. I'll get back to work. Enjoy yourselves. Follow the path to the right, and you'll reach Qinglong Lake soon."
"Thanks."
After thanking him, they finally got onto the small path. Seeing the crystal-clear water, Xu Lin had an urge to jump in for a bath.
"Are you thinking of jumping in?"
"Class monitor Ji, can you read minds?"
"No, it's just that I feel the same way." Ji Yun smiled sweetly and gently brushed aside his wind-blown hair.
Xu Lin suddenly grabbed her wrist. Ji Yun, looking at Xu Lin getting closer, was a bit dazed. What's happening? Xu Lin recalled his dream from the previous night and asked softly, "I had a dream last night."
"Isn't dreaming normal?"
"I saw a story. In the dream, you were my wife, and we had a son named..."
"Xu Xuanqing..."
"Yes."
Ji Yun's eyes widened as she looked incredulously at Xu Lin. Wasn't it just a dream? After getting drunk last night, it felt like she had entered another world in her sleep, becoming another Ji Yun and experiencing her entire life. When she woke up, the memories weren't very clear, but most of them stayed with her. No matter how real it seemed, she thought it was just a dream. But Xu Lin's words started to make her doubt. She swayed, and Xu Lin quickly supported her.
"Ji Yun..."
"Husband... No, Xu Lin, did we have the same dream?"
"No, I think it's a memory from our past lives."
"I don't believe in past life memories; that's too far-fetched! Besides, even if we ignore science and talk about mythology, it's impossible to have memories from a past life after being reborn."
Ji Yun remained unusually calm, despite experiencing an incredibly vivid dream. Xu Lin realized that the dream's influence varied for each person. For instance, Chu Fengyi had fully embraced the emotions as if she had lived through it all.
"Did you see your entire past life?"
"Yes, though I've forgotten many details. But the emotions of that 'me' affect me. It's not a bad thing, but it's a bit strange."
Ji Yun rubbed her temples and then looked at Xu Lin. If he had the same dream as hers, they should compare notes.
"Let's compare and see if we experienced the same thing."
"Unlike you, Ji Yun, I only saw a part of it. It was about me leaving home and going north. Then I woke up. I'm still waiting for the rest. You tell me."
"Just that part?"
"Yes."
Hearing this, Ji Yun showed a subtle smile and tilted her head. "Then wait until you dream about it yourself. I won't tell you."
"Hey? Don't keep me in suspense! I might never dream about it again."
"If you never dream about it, then I'll tell you when I feel like it."
"Come on."
Xu Lin clung to Ji Yun like a little boy pestering his mom for a toy, walking forward with her. The others pretended not to notice, knowing that although Xu Lin was usually serious, he did have his moments of silliness.
They continued walking along the small path by the Qinglong River. The scenery was indeed lovely, and the weather was perfect. The clear sky and the sun slightly dispelled the November chill, leaving a refreshing feeling.
"Help, grab it!"
Suddenly, a shout from ahead snapped them out of their leisurely stroll. They looked toward the river and saw a white figure being swept downstream towards them!