Chai Erniu remained silent, while Chai's mother became more and more agitated with her insults, some of which were increasingly offensive and hard to believe that a mother would belittle her daughter in such a way.

Sheh didn't understand the meaning of those words, but she could sense the resentment in that harsh voice. She asked Qu Yang, "Is this the kind of life Chai Anan lives?"

"Yes, Chai Anan does all the housework at their house. Her mother even tore up her textbooks several times to prevent her from going to school."

"Why not let her go to school?"

“She thought it was useless; even if she went to school, she still had to get married. But after making a fuss a few times, Chai Anan somehow convinced her, and she never caused trouble at the school again.”

Qu Yang secretly glanced at the woman in the courtyard, "Let me tell you quietly, I heard that the reason she doesn't want to let him go is because her husband has been working away from home and hasn't come back. Everyone says that her husband doesn't want her anymore, so she's afraid that Chai Anan will run away too. After all, Chai Chenglong's future wedding money will depend on her dowry."

Shekh asked, "How old is Chai Anan?"

"I think she's 16." Qu Yang was multitasking, afraid of being discovered by Chai's mother: "Do you have any more questions? If not, let's go. I'm afraid of this girl. If she sees us, she'll definitely cause trouble."

"have."

Shi Jin carried Shehe towards the gate of the courtyard; there were still some things he needed to learn from Chai's mother.

"Hey, hey!" Qu Yang couldn't break free from the rope and was being pulled inside, and he couldn't stop them.

"Hello, I'd like to ask about Chai Anan." Shi Jinzhe got straight to the point. Chai's mother was clearly not a reasonable person, so there was no need to beat around the bush.

"Who is it?" Chai's mother stopped what she was doing in annoyance, her cursing cries ceasing as three people appeared.

She stood in front of Chai Chenglong, holding a wooden stick, her eyes darting back and forth warily.

Qu Yang knew that the man and woman in front of her were outstanding in both temperament and appearance, and could not possibly be from Shaojia Village, especially the man who looked like a rich person.

Chai's mother's attitude softened slightly: "What do you want with Chai Anan?"

"I'd like to ask about her situation. Four years ago, where did she go for her exam? Has she contacted you since?"

"What connection do we have? She's an ingrate. I provided her with food and clothing, but she broke all the promises she made to me. I shouldn't have trusted that brat."

When Chai's mother spoke, her voice was exceptionally loud, almost like shouting, as if she were arguing, which was hard on the ears.

Behind her, Chai Chenglong, holding a rice bowl, tilted his head slightly to peek at Shekh.

Shekh rubbed his fingers together, a very subtle movement that went unnoticed by anyone.

Chai's mother's voice was so penetrating that Shi Jinzhe took two steps back. "What did she promise you?"

"Give me 50,000 yuan." Chai's mother said impatiently. "She promised to give it to me if she got into high school, but she didn't give me anything. She's just spouting nonsense. I might as well let her get 20,000 yuan like Xu Xiaomei and get married. At least I would get something tangible."

Where did she get her money?

"Those volunteers gave them to me." Chai's mother looked Shi Jinzhe up and down, as if she had discovered something, her eyes shining. "Aren't you a volunteer too?"

Her previous attitude of being all high and mighty, as if she was barely going to say a few words to them, instantly changed. She kicked Chai Erniu and said, "Hurry up and pour water for the guests, you ungrateful thing."

"No need." Shi Jinzhe's eyes swept over Chai Erniu's calloused fingers, twisted from working. The little girl looked too young.

Eleven years old should be an age where one can be pampered in their parents' arms and enjoy life, but Chai Erniu's eyes are lifeless, and she has been worn down to numbness by this family. "Let her go and rest."

"What rest? Our Erniu is very hardworking; she's willing to do these things."

Chai Erniu was pulled over by her mother and pressed in front of her, like a piece of merchandise being displayed. "Don't underestimate our Erniu just because she's small. She's actually very smart. Not only does she learn things quickly, but she's also very sensible and obedient. She'll do whatever you ask her to do."

Shi Jinzhe didn't want to hear about this, so he changed the subject: "Does Shao Dong know which volunteer gave Chai Anan the money?"

"How would I know? That ingrate won't tell me anything. Ask him about Shaodong's affairs. I don't know anything about it." Chai's mother didn't want to miss this great opportunity and continued to introduce Chai Erniu to Shi Jinzhe like a salesperson.

“Really, our Erniu is great.” She glanced at Shekh. “She may not be as pretty as her, but we are very healthy and can guarantee that we can have children in the future. You can give us 100,000 yuan.”

When Chai's mother finished speaking her last words, Shi Jinzhe felt the blood rushing to his brain.

Chai Erniu is only eleven years old. Does she know what she's saying?

He took two deep breaths. "How much do you know about Qin Jingyu?"

"Qin Jingyu? She's a menace too." Chai's mother said with a look of disgust. "She's the one who gives our A'nan those mind-altering drugs every day, making her always want to run away. She's also restless, always wearing a skirt, I don't know who she's trying to seduce."

Shi Jinzhe forced himself to be patient: "When was the last time you saw Qin Jingyu?"

"About four years ago, Anan insisted that she had to say goodbye to this big trouble before going to school. I couldn't stop her, and then I saw the two of them heading east towards the little white building."

Once they got the information they wanted, they turned around and walked out. East was the direction they came from, and they were heading towards the small building.

The fact that one can become a ghost without any conditions after death, the strange location and orientation of the small building that has been uninhabited for many years, is indeed the most important key location.

Seeing that Shi Jinzhe was about to leave, Chai's mother quickly reached out to pull him back, "Don't go! Look at our Erniu, she's so clean, she's definitely not like those vixens who've been slept with outside."

"Don't touch me!" Shi Jinzhe turned to the side and strode out.

Chai's mother wanted to chase after it, because this money bag hadn't come for years, and it was a rare treat to have it come, so she couldn't let it run away.

Suddenly, Chai Chenglong, who was hiding behind her and whose eyes were fixed on Shekh with longing, shouted: "Mom! Snake! There's a snake!"

A greenish-brown snake appeared out of nowhere and began to crawl up his calf. The rustling sound of its crawling echoed across the grass, and more and more snakes crawled toward Chai Chenglong.

Without waiting for Shi Jinzhe to get far away, Chai's mother grabbed a stick and started hitting Chai Chenglong.

The snakes seemed to have a mind of their own, crawling into his clothes and onto his face; even Chai's mother was not spared.

Chai Erniu stood in the middle of the courtyard. A snake crawled over her feet but didn't stop, treating her as just a passerby, and focused on walking towards Chai Chenglong.