Chapter 934 The Returnee's Notes 8
The female water ghost nodded. She didn't know she was dead because she was unconscious until the old woman woke her up.
Judging from the timeline, she should be from the 1970s or 80s. At that time, the one-child policy was promoted and some places took it to extremes under the strong policy. She was eight months pregnant at the time and was hiding everywhere, but she was eventually caught.
The child was brought down like that; it was a son.
When the doctor saw that the child was still alive, he took pity on him and told the female water ghost's family to give the child away. After all, it was impossible for them to raise the child themselves, and giving him away would at least give him a chance to survive.
At that time, there were also many families without sons in the hospital, which served as a reminder.
These female water ghosts were unaware that by the time she regained consciousness, the child had already been taken away.
The family was reluctant to part with their child, since he was a son. However, they already had two daughters, and taking the child back now would mean paying a fine.
Secondly, because the child was brought down from the river, it was very weak and looked like it couldn't survive. Giving it away to someone else is just a matter of fate for the child.
The main point is the latter. If the child is healthy, they will have to scrape together the fine no matter what. Otherwise, the child is worthless and has no money at all. They can search the house if they want.
But they couldn't raise the child, and they didn't have the money to fill such a bottomless pit. It would be better to let the female water ghost secretly give birth to another one, even if it took a little longer.
But they never expected that the female water ghost had injured her body and could no longer have children. Then they remembered the child who had been sent away, and wondered if he had been cured.
They initially thought that if the child survived, they might be able to get him back later, so they gave him to people in the neighboring village to raise. But when they went to ask again a few years later, they were told that the child was naughty and had fallen into the water and drowned.
According to local custom, the family erected a small grave near where the child drowned.
Because she can no longer have children, over the years, all sorts of voices from the outside world have slowly tortured her like knives. Her husband's family also treats her badly, but she can't get a divorce.
After all, his family was very poor and could not afford to marry a second wife.
Although she couldn't have children, she was still a strong laborer.
However, her husband, who had no son to carry on the family line, beat and scolded her and her daughter constantly, and he also became addicted to gambling, spending all the money he earned from selling grain on gambling.
Gradually, she became somewhat insane, and finally jumped into the river where the child had drowned.
The water level was usually low enough not to drown, but she still died...
"My child..."
Xie Ning stared blankly at the water ghost's pale and ferocious face. Perhaps she was calling for her child, or perhaps... she was asking a question.
Why is she worthless if she can't have children? Why... does she have to have a son? She did have daughters, two very well-behaved and sensible daughters.
She does all the housework; she's like an old ox, no, even less than an old ox. At least in the countryside, people take good care of old oxen.
However, her fate was no different from that of the old ox. The old ox plowed the land its whole life, and when it died, it was nothing more than food on a plate. So it was the same for her, except... she was always food on a plate.
Old Master Wang sighed softly, put away the talisman in his hand, and said to the old lady, "You should do it."
The old lady took out a small hand-held lamp, then dipped a brush in cinnabar and drew a strange symbol on it. Seeing Xie Ning's curiosity, she said, "This is a guiding talisman, which can guide you for five hundred meters."
Another one needs to be drawn after 500 meters.
The female water ghost had disappeared, as if she had turned into a gust of wind, but Xie Ning could still faintly sense that the water ghost was still beside them, only now she had turned into her original energy form.
It had no shape or form, only a wisp of mist, exuding a damp smell.
Wang Ze stayed behind to watch over the two foremen, while Xie Ning carried the old lady's basket and followed behind the old lady and Wang Laodao. None of them spoke along the way.
After drawing several guiding runes, the group stood outside a house. It was around seven or eight o'clock in the evening, and there were children playing outside.
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