Chapter 935 The Returnee's Notes 9
A capable middle-aged woman with short, ear-length hair stood in the courtyard looking at the newcomer. Feeling something was amiss, she stepped forward to inquire.
She was a teacher at Hongyuan Elementary School. She didn't believe what Old Wang was saying about water ghosts at first, but after Old Wang talked about some secrets of her family, she had no choice but to believe it or not.
She was the second daughter in the family. She was already eight years old when her mother gave birth, so she naturally knew that there was a younger brother in the family who had been given away. Later, her mother went insane and drowned.
The fact that the mother and son died in the exact same way is quite unsettling.
Hearing the old woman say that the water ghost was nearby, the short-haired woman showed no fear, only tears, "Ati said to just cover my ears, why couldn't I just bear it a little longer? My older sister and I will soon be grown up and able to earn money to support the family. My older sister said she would take Mother to the city..."
Everything will be alright once we leave here.
But some people just can't take that final step.
At this point, saying anything more would be useless. The old lady asked the short-haired woman to bring the water ghost's personal belongings from its lifetime, and to use these to send it away.
The short-haired woman brought a ribbon, which the water ghost had woven before his death. The patterns on it were dense and beautiful.
"What is this for?"
“It’s used to carry babies. My mother used this strap to carry my older sister and me on her back through the floral cloth while she worked.”
That's how all the women in the village are. Her mother was nine months pregnant with her, and on the morning before she was due to give birth, she was still carrying loads. She had to go back to the fields before she even finished her postpartum confinement period.
She couldn't bear to burn the tape, so she kept it.
The light went out, and so did the spirit.
The little boy watched Xie Ning and the others' backs with curiosity, then hugged the short-haired woman's leg, "Mommy, I went to see the slaughter of a cow with my big brother today."
Why do they blindfold the cows?
"Because...they were afraid." Afraid of the cow's resistance and counterattack, and also to reassure themselves, like burying their heads in the sand, as if not looking would prevent blood from flowing from their hands.
The short-haired woman knelt down as if she had lost all strength, tears falling to the ground one after another.
Tonight there are no stars or moon, only a hazy grayness, a chaotic scene, much like the earliest days of human nature.
Xie Ning and the old lady sat in the tricycle on their way back in silence. Xie Ning thought about his actions along the way, especially when he had just stopped the water monkey, which could be considered a test.
Since the old lady had some skills, she didn't believe that the old lady couldn't see through her changes and her origins.
The candles were lit again, and the old lady bowed three times to the statue of Laozi, then looked at Xie Ning indifferently, "Just be yourself."
She took the initiative to remove the veil that separated the two of them.
Xie Ning met the old lady's gaze and asked with some difficulty, "Then... what about her?"
"They left long ago; there was no point in forcing them to stay." There was a slight sense of melancholy in his voice.
After another silence, the old woman sighed, "We are destined to meet. Would you be willing to formally become my disciple? I do not know where you come from, nor will I ask. I will only give you a place to stay."
And you, you will inherit the old woman's mantle.
"Xie Ning greets Master." Xie Ning bowed in the disciple's salute. This world was strange, and she needed to learn more skills to protect herself.
It wasn't a particularly formal apprenticeship ceremony, but it marked the beginning for the two of them.
The candlelight flickered as the old lady led Xie Ning to pay homage to the statue of Laozi. She said that the Xie family was a sect, but now only she remained.
It suddenly started raining outside. Xie Ning asked the old lady, "Are there many people like them nowadays?"
The old lady gave a soft hum, "Not many, but not few either; there are plenty of fake tricks to muddy the waters."
Don't think she doesn't know that Xie Ning secretly believes she's just a charlatan.
"Take your time learning. Today you will meet Old Taoist Wang from the Taoist temple on Xiaowu Mountain. His name is Wang Xing Shen and he has three disciples. Wang Ze is his youngest disciple."
It was a small Taoist temple, but Master Wang and his disciples were truly skilled. "Especially in the art of talisman making; she had many talisman papers drawn by Master Wang."
Xie Ning is a beginner now, and what she has learned today is enough. The rest is up to her to explore and understand on her own. The old lady also taught Xie Ning to meditate and regulate the qi in her body.
With Xie Ning's deliberate training, in just half a month, she could jog 800 meters and only be slightly out of breath.
Qiu Tong'an collapsed to the ground, exhausted, looking like she was half dead. She disliked running the most, but since she was a bit chubby, she wanted to run to lose weight so she could wear pretty little dresses.
Two teachers were chatting nearby, talking about baby formula.
The PE teacher was furious. The baby formula his child was drinking was on the list of products with quality inspection problems, supposedly due to melamine. He vowed never to buy domestic baby formula again, saying those merchants were too unscrupulous.
I need to take leave in a couple of days to take my child to see a doctor in the county.
Just then, an alarm blared, sounding for 36 seconds, pausing for 24 seconds, repeating three times, followed by an air raid siren and an all-clear signal.
Qiu Tong'an, who had been lying on the ground pretending to be a corpse, got up. The teacher, who had just been chatting, also became serious. Xie Ning looked down at the time on his watch: 9:00 AM on September 18th.
The sound of gunfire seemed to echo in my ears again, and those faces looked as if they were from yesterday.
The sorrow of the past is a testament to the sacrifices made by countless predecessors who gave their lives to build this new China and usher in this prosperous era. We only hope that future generations will never forget this national humiliation, but will strive to be strong, confident, and independent, and work towards the greatness of China.
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