"Yes!" Ye Xianya nodded: "Shuanghua's death was not an accident. In addition, the pond has a heavy yin energy, which can allow yin spirits to reside in it. After Shuanghua died, her soul remained in the pond and did not reincarnate. In the past three years, have you not noticed anything unusual about the pond?"

After listening to her words, Feng Chunming took a few deep breaths before saying, "That pond was originally used by the farming couple we rented to store water for irrigating their fields. The pond isn't very big, only a few feet long. In the past... that couple and my wife would raise ducks by the pond, but in the last three years... everything they raise has died."

"And the water in that pond sometimes gives off a foul stench, but when we smell it carefully, it seems like there's no stench at all."

"A strange thing happened this summer. A child next door didn't want to take a nap on a hot day. While his family was dozing off, he ran out to play and fell into the pond. When everyone found him, the little guy, who couldn't swim, was floating on the surface of the water and hadn't sunk. After being rescued, he was still lively and energetic, and hadn't even choked on the water."

Many strange things have happened around this pond, especially in the last three years.

Feng Chunming hadn't thought about his own daughter before, but now he felt it was related to her.

"In three days, it will be the anniversary of Shuanghua's death. Her soul has lingered in the mortal world for three years and has reached its limit. The yin energy in that pond is becoming stronger and stronger, and has already affected you two. That's why you have a trace of ghost energy on you. Shuanghua was kind-hearted and had a very deep affection for you two, so she would never harm you. She will soon be reincarnated."

Ye Xianya paused slightly as she spoke: "Your wife, San Niang, is not really insane. She just occasionally sees Shuanghua's spirit. Rationally, she knows that her daughter is long dead, but deep down she hopes that her daughter is still alive. So... to outsiders, she seems a little out of her mind, but that's not actually the case."

After hearing Ye Xianya's words, Feng Chunming burst into tears.

Shuanghua was a well-behaved and sensible child, and her death was a devastating blow to the couple.

For the past three years, they haven't had any more children. In particular, the wife, San Niang, couldn't accept the death of her child and was living in great pain.

Because he had to support his family, he had to suppress his grief and come to the capital every day to work as a porter, earning a meager wage to support himself and his wife.

“Miss Ye…you said that my Shuanghua’s death was not an accident, then…who killed her?” Feng Chunming asked in a trembling voice, his fists clenched tightly.

The daughter has always been cared for by his wife, San Niang.

On the day her daughter drowned, Third Sister was doing needlework for someone in the house, just like any other day.

In just a short while, the daughter disappeared, and by the time they found her, it was too late.

Shuanghua has always been very well-behaved. She is a seven-year-old girl and never runs around. When her mother does needlework, Shuanghua either keeps her company and talks to her, or helps pick vegetables in the house. Occasionally she plays in the yard, but she never leaves the small courtyard where they live.

Who would have thought... that the child would drown in the pond behind them.

The people in the government office said that the child's death was an accident, so they bought a small coffin and buried the child.

Miss Ye, however, said that the child's death was not an accident, but must have been murdered.

"It's the child from the Yu family next door, that little girl named Hongmei." Ye Xianya didn't hide anything. Now that she had discovered this, she would definitely have someone report it to the authorities.

“Red… Red Plum!” Feng Chunming could hardly believe what he was hearing.

Hongmei is two years older than his daughter Shuanghua.

The two children have been playing together ever since the Yu family moved here a few years ago.

Shuanghua died at the age of seven, and Hongmei was only nine years old that year.

A nine-year-old girl actually committed murder!

Thinking of the pitiful state of his daughter when she was pulled out of the pond, Feng Chunming wished he could go back now and avenge her.

"That year, on Shuanghua's birthday, you and Third Sister took out the silver you had saved by scrimping and saving and bought Shuanghua a small silver hairpin in a shop in the capital. The hairpin was inlaid with a pearl. It was Shuanghua's only hair ornament and the most precious birthday gift she had ever received."

For wealthy families, such a hairpin would be considered too stingy to give as a reward to their servants.

But for people like Feng Chunming who make a living by hard labor and rent rooms in farmhouses on the outskirts of Beijing, an ordinary silver hairpin is already very valuable and worth treasuring.

"Hongmei really liked Shuanghua's pearl and silver hairpin. When the two girls played together, she borrowed it and wore it several times. After wearing it for a while, she didn't want to return it. That day... the two girls went out to play and got into an argument by the pond, fighting over the pearl and silver hairpin. In a fit of anger, Hongmei pushed Shuanghua into the pond. Shuanghua was also terrified at the time. She wanted to shout for help, but clutching the hairpin in her hand, she was overcome by greed and covered her mouth, then ran away..."

Upon hearing this, Feng Chunming couldn't help but slap himself hard across the face.

It turned out that the daughter had lost her life because of that pearl and silver hairpin.

If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have bought that silver hairpin for his daughter in the first place.

For children from poor families like theirs, having a few hair ties is already a luxury. Why would they buy such an eye-catching silver hairpin and invite envy?

Feng Chunming was filled with regret!

"That pearl and silver hairpin is still in Hongmei's hands. She dares not wear it, but she also can't bear to throw it away or bury it. She puts it in a small red cloth bag and places it under a chest in her room."

Ye Xianya told Feng Chunming everything she had calculated.

"You can go and report to the authorities later and have the officers arrest her. When the sun is about to set, I will personally go there to send your daughter to be reincarnated and help you get rid of the evil spirits."

After Ye Xianya finished speaking, she paused slightly: "Killing someone means paying with your life. If you kill Hongmei, you will be dead. Your wife will be all alone in this world. You love your wife very much and have never let her do any hard or heavy work all these years. If you are gone... she will only have one way out: death!"

After hearing Ye Xianya's words, Feng Chunming burst into tears.

He really wanted to kill Hongmei with his own hands to avenge his daughter, but he couldn't abandon his wife.

After sitting on the ground for a long time, Feng Chunming got up, picked up his carrying pole, and ran towards the direction of the Jingzhao government office.

He was going to report it to the authorities and seek justice for his daughter.

He wanted Hongmei, who killed his daughter, to pay for her life.

"To kill someone over a hairpin that's not even worth a tael of silver is truly terrifying..."

"Yes, it's unbelievable that a nine-year-old girl could be so heartless!"

"Fortunately, Miss Ye helped to calculate everything, otherwise that little girl would have died in vain."

"You can know a person's face but not their heart. Even with someone you know well, you should be careful to avoid being harmed..."

The crowd started discussing it, each offering their own opinion.