Seeing old friends

"Yes, her obsession with you is too deep, and it has a great impact on you. The ability to see ghosts is a side effect," Wen Ya said calmly.

Si Mucheng stared in disbelief, and after a long while, he cried out, "Grandma! Why didn't you leave me anything good? Is seeing ghosts okay?! I'm scared!"

He suddenly caught sight of the female ghost not far away, and overwhelmed with grief, he asked Wen Ya in a tearful voice, "Master, when will these symptoms disappear?"

That's terrifying! He doesn't want to see these scary things every day!

“I told you not to call me Master…” Wen Ya sighed. “It’s hard to say. This is the first time I’ve encountered something like this. It might keep happening, or it might just disappear in a couple of days.” She glanced at Si Mucheng and then said quietly, “Do you think it’s scarier to be able to see where the ghost is, or to know there’s a ghost but not be able to see it?”

Upon hearing this, Si Mucheng immediately shut his mouth.

this……

Simu began to think seriously, but then quickly snapped back to reality.

No! He finds them all terrifying!!

But no matter how afraid he was, it was all set in stone, and the fact that he had the ability to see ghosts could not be changed.

Si Mucheng lowered his head, not daring to look at the long-tongued ghost, and whispered to Wen Ya, "Are all ghosts as scary as her?"

The long-tongued female ghost heard this and made two protesting whimpers. Although she looked terrifying, a pitiful expression could actually be seen on her horrifying face.

Wen Ya turned to look at the long-tongued ghost and said, "Not necessarily. They can only maintain the state they were in when they died."

Si Mucheng was surprised: "So 'she' hanged herself... By the way, what about that ghost just now? The one with the blood all over its face?" He couldn't forget the fright he had just experienced.

"They've been seen off."

Upon hearing this, Si Mucheng was filled with questions. Where was she sent? Why was she sent away? Did she send every ghost away? Did she send Grandma away last time too?

Wen Ya clearly didn't want to say too much. She waved her hand and walked towards the long-tongued ghost, saying to Si Mucheng, "Go back. 'She' originally came to find me. You have the scent of my talisman on you, so she found you first. 'She' didn't mean to scare you on purpose."

Si Mucheng was surprised and subconsciously wanted to follow, but Wen Ya stopped him with a look: "This is none of your business. With your eyes... be careful. Don't let anyone know, and don't wander around. In a desolate place like this with many graves, the chances of encountering ghosts are greater. So, try not to come alone."

Si Mucheng was surprised that Wen Ya, who seemed aloof, had patiently spoken such a long and detailed explanation. Si Mucheng was deeply moved: "Master, please let me follow you. I... I'm truly afraid!"

"Don't call me Master..." Wen Ya was almost at her wit's end. She looked Si Mucheng up and down. "There's no use you following me. I have my own things to do. You're not from Xiqiao Village, are you? A college student? Why don't you go back to the city? It's better in the city... There's nothing I can do if you're scared. You can only adjust your mindset and go back as soon as possible."

Since things had come to this point, Si Mucheng couldn't keep up the act. They were no relatives or friends, and it was already quite kind of them to say so much to him.

He was dejected and had no choice but to listen to Ya's words, turning back to look at her every step of the way as he descended the mountain.

It was already noon when he returned to his second aunt's house. Seeing him enter, his second aunt breathed a sigh of relief, took a bamboo leaf from his head, and laughed, "Where have you been running around all morning? Just like when you were a child, you love to hide in the mountains."

Qin Yu, standing to the side, was filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment: "All they do is play! College students are so irresponsible!"

His second aunt gave him a tap on the back of the head: "If you get into a top university like your brother, you can go play too."

Qin Yu was indignant, but dared not argue with her mother, so she could only glare at Si Mucheng.

Si Mucheng was preoccupied and had no interest in paying attention to Qin Yu.

He was still thinking about Wen Ya's words while eating lunch. It was true he wasn't from Xiqiao Village and would leave sooner or later, but she hadn't said how long the "yin-yang eye" debuff would last. What if he could still see those evil things when he returned to Qicheng? He couldn't be as calm as Wen Ya; otherwise, he'd definitely be considered mentally ill!

No, no. Thinking of the two ghosts he'd seen, Si Mucheng knew he couldn't just sit and wait to die; it was too terrifying. Since Wen Ya also had the ability to see ghosts, and her family was known for their hereditary charlatans…masters, maybe she could find a way.

As soon as Qin Yu finished lunch and put down her chopsticks, Si Mucheng disappeared again. Qin Yu was so angry that she slammed her chopsticks down on the table. She glanced at her mother and only dared to complain, "...Brother Cheng is really something. I never see him all day long. He should wash the dishes after he finishes eating."

Unfortunately, his mother had a different mindset: "You ate last, so you wash the dishes."

Qin Yu: ……

Si Mucheng went to the Wen family's old house again, only to find it still closed, just like in the morning. It was clear that Wen Ya hadn't returned at all. Having found nothing, Si Mucheng went down the mountain.

Just as he reached the foot of the mountain, his second aunt's husband came roaring up on his motorcycle. The second aunt's husband was a dark-skinned, honest man. When he saw Si Mucheng by the roadside, he quickly stopped and said with a smile, "Little Cheng, want to go to the market? There's a market in the next village. I'll take you there."

Si Mucheng was about to refuse, but his second uncle warmly invited him: "Come on, let's go for a walk, your uncle will buy you something delicious."

Upon hearing this, Si Mucheng couldn't bring himself to refuse. He recalled his childhood at his grandmother's house, when his second aunt and uncle were dating. His second aunt's uncle would often take him out to play, picking wild fruits in the mountains, catching frogs in the fields, and fishing in the river. He would also always take him to the market to buy snacks.

Si Mucheng knew that his second uncle's words were a form of comfort to him. Si Mucheng had no reason to reject his good intentions, so he could only nod and stride onto the back of his second uncle's motorcycle.

The weather was lovely, and the market in the neighboring village was bustling with activity. It was summer vacation, and the village officials had organized a program for college students to help farmers, so even though the market usually closed in the morning, there were still many people there.

"Xiao Cheng, you can browse around by yourself first. If you see anything you like, just tell your uncle later, and he'll buy it for you when he gets back from his business."

Si Mucheng simply nodded upon hearing this, watched his second uncle leave, and then wandered around aimlessly.

After wandering around for a while, he found nothing. Since it was too sunny, Si Mucheng found a herbal tea shop and sat down to drink herbal tea while waiting for his second aunt's husband.

As he was idly looking around, a little girl on the street suddenly caught his attention.

Children like this are a common sight in rural areas, mostly left-behind children, with messy hair and dirty clothes. Normally, Si Mucheng wouldn't feel much about them, but today, the little girl's eyes made him frown slightly.

She was gazing intently at the freshly baked sugar cakes, her eyes brimming with longing that was impossible to ignore.

Si Mucheng looked at her. Although he himself had not suffered much and was not a left-behind child, his parents had always been busy with work and did not spend much time with him since he was a child. So he suddenly felt empathy for her.

The little girl looked to be only ten years old. Of course, it's normal for left-behind children to be malnourished and thin, and to look a few years older than they actually are. Si Mucheng couldn't quite tell, but the pitiful little girl's appearance made him feel uneasy.

After much hesitation, he finally got up and went over.

The little girl noticed his approach and glanced at him warily. Si Mucheng simply asked the vendor, "How much is this?"

"One yuan each."

Si Mucheng thought for a moment, then tilted his head and asked, "How many do you want to eat?"

The little girl was startled by his question and took two steps back.

At this moment, the vendor asked, "Young man, how many would you like to buy?"

Seeing that the little girl refused to speak, Si Mucheng could only make a gesture: "Buy one for ten yuan."

Upon hearing this, the vendor tore off a bag for him to put in, laughing as he asked, "Can one person eat this much?"

Si Mucheng paused for a moment, ignoring the slight strangeness in his heart, took out the change from his pocket, took the sugar cake, and turned his head, only to find that the little girl was gone.

Running so fast? No wonder the vendor said he was eating alone.

He rarely wanted to meddle in other people's business, but where is the main character? Now he really can't eat those ten sweet cakes.

But having already bought them, Si Mucheng simply carried the bag of sweet cakes and continued strolling forward. Before he had taken two steps, he spotted that small, ragged figure again in the crowd ahead.

Si Mucheng raised an eyebrow and followed.

I bought it for her anyway, so I should at least get the sweet cake to her.

But Si Mucheng didn't expect that the little girl, who looked thin and small, walked quite fast. Si Mucheng followed her for the entire market but couldn't catch up.

He watched helplessly as the little girl turned a corner and disappeared through the crowd.

As he followed her to the corner, the little girl was still walking briskly forward.

The village houses were scattered, the paths were winding, and the terrain was complex. Si Mucheng watched the little girl wander around and wanted to call out to her several times, but her wary look just now made him hesitate.

Just as I was pondering this, I saw the little girl enter a courtyard gate.

Young people from nearby villages usually go out to work early, and when they return with their earnings, they build new houses. Regardless of the condition of the inside, from the outside, they all appear as brand-new tiled walls and impressive three-story buildings. But the house the young girl entered stood out conspicuously against the backdrop of the surrounding buildings. Like the Si family's old house, it had earthen walls and a tiled roof, but it was even more dilapidated, clearly lacking any maintenance.

Si Mucheng paused for a moment, then walked forward. The courtyard was messy, the door of the house was open, and it was dark inside, and it was clear that it was not very tidy.

He knocked on the courtyard gate, and a moment later the little girl came out from the inner room. When she saw Si Mucheng, her wariness increased.

Si Mucheng smiled and said, "Little sister, let me treat you to some fried sugar cakes."

Unexpectedly, the little girl did not show any joy; instead, she took a step back in fear.

Si Mucheng, not understanding what was going on, held up the sugar cake in his hand as if to take credit: "Here you go."

The little girl shook her head: "My mom doesn't let me take other people's things. You... you should go now."

Si Mucheng was stunned, then belatedly realized that she was afraid of him.

Thinking about it carefully, to the little girl, he was a stranger from another village, and a tall man at that. He started talking to her for no reason, and then clearly followed her to her doorstep. His behavior was really suspicious.

Si Mucheng scratched his head, wanting to explain, but found that no matter how he explained, he couldn't make sense of it. He thought for a moment, then hung the bag of sugar cakes on the latch of the courtyard gate, and smiled at the little girl: "Little sister, I'm sorry, I scared you. I just... wanted to share some freshly fried sugar cakes with you. I didn't mean to follow you, you were walking too fast, I didn't have time to stop you, and I followed you home. See, we've caused a misunderstanding. I'll hang the sugar cakes here, don't be afraid, I'll leave now." Without looking at the little girl's reaction, he turned and left.

Si Mucheng took two steps forward, then chuckled to himself. He hadn't expected his impulsive decision to be mistaken for a bad guy. He blamed himself for being too rash and startling the little girl. He sighed and noticed an uncle by the roadside holding a hoe, staring at him with a strange look.

At this time, most of the villagers were either at the market or at work, so Si Mucheng hadn't seen many people since turning onto the side road. The girl's house was also in a remote location, so the road was quiet except for a few barks from dogs. Suddenly seeing someone staring at him made Si Mucheng feel a little uneasy.

The older man remained fixed on his gaze, and Si Mucheng dared not look back. His recent ghostly encounters had made him extremely paranoid; this older man didn't seem suspicious at all, so he probably wasn't a ghost…

At this moment, the middle-aged man spoke up, his voice thick with accent: "Young man, where are you from?"

Si Mucheng was startled. His first thought was that a ghost wouldn't be so bold as to strike up a conversation with him. Eliminating the most frightening possibility, Si Mucheng immediately relaxed: "Uncle, I'm from the next village. I'm just browsing the market here."

The middle-aged man's eyes still held a hint of suspicion: "Then what are you doing here?"

Si Mucheng laughed: "I've come to see a little sister."

The older man didn't let him off the hook: "I saw you just went to the Hu family's house. That house has been abandoned for half a year. What kind of girl were you looking at?"

Si Mucheng's smile froze.

Good news: The uncle is not a ghost.

Bad news: He just delivered fried sugar cakes to the ghost!

He said, "Why is that house so dilapidated? Turns out it's a haunted house!"