Chapter 102 Thinking of Nezha
"Who's there!"
*Smack*
A dark, shadowy stick appeared from behind the curtain, striking her head-on. Instead of a thud as someone fell, she heard a man's fierce, angry shout: "Which kidnapper dares to rob our house like this!"
Ping Yu guessed that this person was the real brander.
The crisis was over, and the girl lifted the curtain and slipped out.
As luck would have it, Wang Xushi had just reached the back gate when she heard Wang Tao calling for Laozi. If Laozi had just returned, then who had been talking to her just now? This thought made Wang Xushi uneasy. She hadn't gone far, and since Pingyu had called out in time, she yelled for Laozi to come quickly. Pingyu had just gone out when he saw the crumpled woman lying on the ground like a pole with damp bean curd sheets hanging out to dry. It was evening, and the villagers were resting after their farm work. Neighbors lived close together; even a fart from one neighbor could be heard from the next. The matter of buying the woman had been a constant topic of conversation for Wang Xushi, and hearing the commotion at the Wang family's house, a crowd quickly gathered outside the low wall of the backyard.
Someone peeked over and immediately recognized who was lying on the ground: "Widow Zhang, what are you doing here!"
Lying on the ground, Widow Zhang remained silent, clutching her forehead. She crawled towards Pingyu, intending to take her away. Wang Xu grabbed the woman's hair, shouting, "Who gave you permission to enter my house? I bet you're not really here to steal the child, but to poison my well!"
The woman's hair was pulled so badly that each follicle was clearly visible, causing Ping Yu's scalp to throb painfully. Those who steal for money usually have extremely high self-esteem; once their evil deeds are exposed, they become enraged, begging for mercy or breaking down in a rage. But Widow Zhang did not do any of these things. She had other plans, which was evident in her silence, even as her scalp nearly bled, staring at Ping Yu like a dead fish.
Wang Xushi had a fiery temper, and she rolled up her sleeves, ready to strike. The villagers watching, eager for a spectacle, chimed in with comments that were clearly meant to provoke: "This widow Zhang has always been irrational; she's probably only stealing this child because her own daughter is gone!"
Widow Zhang's child is gone? A widow is someone who has lost her husband. Judging from the villagers' tone, Widow Zhang seems to be a madwoman who has lost her mind because her child was lost. But how could a madwoman have such superb ventriloquism, able to imitate the sound and tone of a child so perfectly that even Wang Xushi, the child's own mother, was fooled?
"What good is it for her to steal this child? The Wang family will buy her anyway..."
What do you want the Wang family to do with me? Ping Yu pricked up his ears and quietly moved closer to the wall.
As the villagers' ramblings became increasingly outrageous, Laozi grabbed Wang Xushi's hand and said, "Mother, that's enough!"
Wang Xushi overheard what the people around her were saying and angrily flung her hand away. She came to take Pingyu's hand, as if in a hurry to lead her away from the scene, saying, "Don't be afraid, Grandma is here. It's chaotic outside, let's go inside and hide for a while."
First she became the child bride of an unborn child, and now she's being fought over by others. Pingyu had heard every word the neighbors were saying. The Wang family was indeed up to something; the villagers knew, which was why they gave her strange looks when she was bought. People who lived in the same village for a long time might have their daily squabbles, but they were united when facing outsiders. Clearly, Pingyu was that outsider; otherwise, they wouldn't have remained silent and helped cover up the Wang family's secrets. Pingyu followed Wang Xushi into a room filled with miscellaneous items, and a worn-out bed board lay on the floor.
Wang Xushi said, "This will be your room from now on. Don't be fooled by its current state; I'll tidy it up for you later and it will be comfortable."
"It's alright, Auntie." Pingyu let go of her hand and went to sit on the dusty bed. Her face was filled with tears of gratitude as she earnestly said, "Back home, I could only sleep in a pigsty. In the past, I wouldn't even dare to dream of having my own bed!"
Perhaps seeing Pingyu's obedience, Wang Xushi left in a hurry after speaking. Pingyu breathed a sigh of relief in the dusty house. She had only been in this village for less than two hours, yet she felt she had been encountering strange things along the way. She had come here to find the body of the drought demon and learn the truth, and the clue given by the severed hand outside the door was something she couldn't help but take seriously.
Oh right, the severed hand...!
Pingyu turned the bundle to face him, looked around, and then made a small opening in it for her. A fair, beautiful hand instantly emerged, her fingers moving nimbly like tiny snakes. Pingyu asked, "Didn't you say you couldn't tell where your body was when you were on the mountain? How come you understand now that you're here?"
When Wang Xushi took her to the well, she did lower her guard because she was a child, and said some suggestive things, such as, "Our well is the only one in the village that we don't need to conserve water." In modern legends, when a drought demon appears, it will make the well water of the chosen family lively and bring a bountiful harvest. Considering the Wang family's seemingly prosperous appearance, it is quite possible that the severed hand and leg were in this well.
The man with the severed hand said, "You can feel it, right?"
"It's like they're talking. They were too far away on the mountain to hear their calls. Now that they're closer, I can feel where my body is. My legs are in the well, and my torso seems to be..."
Mentioning her other missing part, her severed hand became hesitant. Unsure, she crawled entirely out of the bundle. Wang Xu had said she was peeling the meat for cooking, but she wasn't sure if she might suddenly turn back. Pingyu was startled by her bold movement and quickly reached out to grab her: "Don't come out! If someone sees us, we're doomed!"
“Strange, so strange…” The severed hand nimbly dodged Ping Yu’s grasping movements, like a little dog with a lost sense of smell. She circled around Ping Yu: “I think I saw the shadow of my torso on Widow Zhang, but the faint aura makes me unsure.”
After saying this, the severed hand jumped back into Ping Yu's arms. The girl hugged her and said:
"Widow Zhang? I actually think she's a bit strange too."
"Why?" the severed hand asked.
“How could a madwoman use such exquisite mimicry skills? Besides, I think those onlookers are wrong. If she really wanted to steal a child and raise it herself, she wouldn’t have chosen today. Wang Xu just bought me.”
In a time when everyone knows the Wang family bought a child, Pingyu is far too conspicuous. The fact that Widow Zhang chose today to act must be because something urgent forced her to take such a risk and defy the rules. Pingyu also considered Wang Xushi's reaction; she seemed to have a personal grudge against Widow Zhang, otherwise she wouldn't have been so ruthless.
This family and Widow Zhang both possess the limbs of the drought demon. The only thing they seem to have in common is that they both have daughters.
The difference is that Widow Zhang's daughter is her own daughter, while Madam Wang's daughter-in-law is.
Ping Yu stretched and added Widow Zhang to his list of those to be investigated.
But the moment she left the bed, she heard a faint "click" sound outside the window. It sounded like someone was moving, or something had been thrown out. Pingyu's heart tightened, and she quickly opened the window.
Sure enough, there was someone outside the window!
Wang Tao, heavily pregnant, stood outside the window, her expression a mixture of panic and uncertainty, whether from Ping Yu's sudden opening of the window or from overhearing something she shouldn't have. She touched her lower back and looked down, her complicated gaze meeting the girl's forced composure.
She remained silent, her lips tightly pressed together. The quieter the visitor was, the more nervous Ping became.
What does it mean by not speaking? Is it a threat? Are they preparing to call for help? Are they preparing to interrogate someone?
I don't know if the spellbook my master gave me teaches this.
After a moment, Wang Tao spoke. None of Ping Yu's thoughts came true; the pregnant woman simply said, "Could you let me in first?"
“Of course,” Pingyu said, eager for Wang Tao to come in and talk. She quickly opened the door, let her in, and carefully locked it behind her. Pingyu brought out the bed for her, and Wang Tao didn’t even wait to sit down completely. Supported by Pingyu, she looked into the girl’s beautiful, clear eyes and asked softly, “Who were you talking to just now?”
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