Lilia and Jean walked in silence. The man held Lilia's hand tightly and occasionally helped her so she wouldn't fall on the slippery part. Jean's caution saved Lilia from an embarrassing moment such as falling and slipping, but it also made their walking speed slower than usual.
The nameplate attached to the village gate looked worn with time. The words 'Arum Village' on the board were barely legible after years of rain and sunshine. Lilia looked around the village that seemed neglected.
As Jean led her to one of the wooden houses to the east of the village, Lilia finally spoke up. "Jean, hasn't construction started here yet?" She curiously asked.
The houses here looked like they had been neglected for years. The wood was rotten and the walls were covered with vines. Not only that, the path inside the village was also overgrown with weeds. How long had it been since someone lived in this place?
But Jean didn't answer Lilia's question. He continued walking until they reached the end of the village.
"Isn't this the place where you were photographed 14 years ago?" Jean asked in a calm voice.
Lilia stepped forward until she was standing next to Jean. Her eyes widened as she looked at the scene unfolding beneath her feet. They were standing at the top of the village's rice fields. The rice fields were arranged in steps along the hillside, until they reached the river at the base of the hill.
The woman still remembered how beautiful the view of the rice fields was from this place. It was filled with rice that had turned yellow, making the hill look like it was made of gold. But now the rice fields had dried up into muds. This sight actually gave off an unbearable abandoned impression.
Lilia nodded and replied, "Yes, this is the place. When I got off the bus, I remember that my teacher brought us straight here. My photo was taken at that time." She smiled nostalgically. "Then, when my teacher took us around the village, I was really excited. I've never seen a real village, because I lived in the city since I was little."
At that time, Lilia was ten years old. She was not as calm and elegant as she was today. She was rather tomboyish and full of curiosity. Being in a new place like this made little Lilia very excited. She kept looking around without paying attention to her teacher's explanation that she didn't realize she was getting left behind by the other group of students.
Lilia's past memories slowly began to merge with the scene she was currently seeing. When she looked at the weathered wooden houses, she thought of the little children in the village.
When Lilia's group was being shown around, the village children were hiding behind their door, peeking. It seemed that they were also interested in the group of visitors in their village. Lilia was curious about how those children were doing now.
As Jean and Lilia chatted at the top of the rice fields, Clifford and his co-workers were standing some distance from them. The two bodyguards continued to carry out their duties without interrupting their boss' conversation. Clifford turned his gaze around the abandoned village. This area was indeed purchased by the Widjaya Family, but the construction had not proceeded.
Clifford felt a little sorry for this village. The area was too large for the village's small population, and it got shut down 14 years ago. Plans for land development here had been put forward many times, but the Widjaya Family had always flinched. For some reason, the government did not say anything about the Widjaya family's attitude.
In the end, this village was neglected because of its rural location. The government also lost their interest in developing and rebuilding the village. Thus, Arum Village had remained completely untouched since it was closed 14 years ago. Clifford had a suspicion that Jean had planned all this.
Meanwhile, Jean looked away from the former rice field that stretched before him. He turned to the woman beside him. Lilia's gaze was full of nostalgia, as if she was looking at something from her past. Jean sighed and suppressed the anxiety in his heart.
Then the man wrapped his arm around Lilia's waist and pulled her closer. Jean lowered his head, then lightly bit her ear, as if trying to get her attention.
"What are you thinking?" Jean whispered in a hoarse voice.
Lilia's body trembled as Jean started to play with her ears. She covered her ear with one hand while glaring at her husband. "Ah… I just remembered my first impression when I came here for the first time. I feel that this village is very poor!"
"Hmm ..." Jean held back his laughter when he heard that answer.
"I've never seen a wooden house like this in Surabaya. Oh, and I was also surprised when I saw the well!" Lilia turned her head and pointed at the village's main well. The ancient well was lined with bricks arranged in a circle, complete with a small roof and wooden buckets. "This is the first time I've seen a well like that!"
"These things are indeed interesting for city children who have never visited a village." Jean replied lightly as he pulled Lilia back to walk.
They followed the trail, followed by Clifford and co from a considerable distance. Lilia was trying to guess where Jean was taking her, but the man didn't look like he was heading somewhere. She got the feeling that Jean was taking her around the village.
"Jean, you haven't answered my question." Lilia reminded him while avoiding the weeds that grew up to her waist. "Why hasn't the construction here started?"
The man was silent for a while, until Lilia thought that Jean would come back to avoid her question. But this time the man replied, "I don't plan on doing it anytime soon."
Jean knew the answer wasn't satisfactory, but he couldn't possibly tell Lilia the truth. That he didn't want to change the place of their first meeting before bringing Lilia here. Jean wanted to share his most precious memories with the woman he loved, so he deliberately delayed the development of this village.
"Then what about your old friend? Is he still here?" Lilia asked carefully. She doubted someone lived in such an abandoned place. Maybe Jean meant to visit his old friend who died here!
Hearing that question, Jean unconsciously tightened his grip on Lilia's hand. He rubbed her hand, as if to repeatedly confirm that his wife was still beside him.
"No problem. She's still here. Lilia is still with me." Jean repeated the words in his mind, almost like a spell. He felt that if he didn't convince himself, he wouldn't be able to stay calm.
They walked past several wooden houses before Jean finally answered, "No."
Lilia bit her lip. As she thought, Jean's old friend was dead! The woman tugged at Jean's arm until the man turned his head towards her. Then she put on her widest smile.
"Don't worry, I'll always be there with you!" Lilia said warmly. 'Therefore, don't be sad!'
Lilia realized that Jean's attitude had begun to change since they approached this village. The man increasingly turned colder.. Even though Jean remained as flat as ever, Lilia could feel the strange attitude of this man. What really happened 14 years ago? Did it have something to do with Jean's old friend and the strange change in his attitude?
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel