Chapter 71 Wedding and mourning (2) (1)
Yan Shixun lived in a small courtyard in the old city of Binhai City, which was left to him by his master Li Chengyun. Because it was too old and no one was at home for most of the year, it showed signs of time.
But outside the red brick and gray tile house is lush ivy, and in the small yard are many small flowers that float in with the wind and take root. The gray stone slabs in the yard also appear fresh and bright after being washed by water, and they sparkle in the morning sun.
It is a rare leisure and laziness in the steel jungle of the coastal metropolis with a fast pace of life.
After being woken up by Zhang Wubing's phone call, Yan Shixun squinted his eyes that were dazzled by the sun, and he was no longer sleepy. He simply got out of bed, casually thinking about what to eat in the morning to fill his stomach while slowly brushing his teeth.
A noisy quarrel broke out outside the courtyard.
Yan Shixun walked lazily to the door and leaned his slender body against it. He was still thinking about the location of the next show that Zhang Wubing had told him, and he was only vaguely aware of the noise outside.
It seemed like the elderly lady next door was complaining loudly about her new tenant, accusing him of not even paying the rent for the house promptly.
Yan Shixun quickly lost interest in what was happening outside due to the repetitive complaints. He turned around and prepared to spit out the toothpaste foam in his mouth.
But at this moment, a deep male voice with a smile came from outside the courtyard with great penetrating power.
"Yan Shixun."
Yan Shixun paused as he was about to step out. He blinked his eyes, wondering if he was still asleep and was hallucinating. Otherwise, how could he hear the voice of Ye Li? He was at home now, not on a show, so how could he meet that mysterious guy who was full of doubts?
"Yan Shixun."
As if to verify his doubts, another call came from outside the courtyard door, mixed with a helpless smile, like an intimate joke between acquaintances: "Since you are awake, come out and take a look. If you don't come to save me, I will be beaten."
Yan Shixun: “……?”
It's outrageous, it's really that guy Ye Li!
And what a joke, isn't the noise outside from the aunt next door and the neighbors nearby? With these people, can they beat a person who doesn't even dare to say his identity? This is really the most ridiculous joke he has ever heard.
When Yan Shixun opened the gate of the courtyard with an expressionless face, he was met with Ye Li's cold and handsome face.
The tall Ye Li was surrounded by a group of old aunts from the neighborhood. They were pointing at Ye Li with dissatisfaction on their faces. The old aunt from the neighborhood whose voice Yan Shixun had recognized before looked very proud. She brought her old sisters with her to look at Ye Li, who was surrounded and seemed to have nowhere to escape, with a very smug look on her face.
But Ye Li didn't even glance at them. He just kept staring in the direction of Yan Shixun's courtyard, his eyes focused and ignoring all the noisy sounds around him.
In Yan Shixun's view, this scene was as ridiculous as a crane standing out among a flock of chickens.
Yan Shixun: “…”
What was going on? Was he still asleep? How could he see such a strange scene?
However, when the gate of Ye Li's courtyard was pushed open and Yan Shixun's figure appeared in his sight, a look of deep surprise flashed across his eyes.
There was still some foam at the corner of Yan Shixun's mouth that had not been washed off in time. Because he had just washed, his thin red lips looked extremely moist, making people want to reach out and touch them, to see if the touch was as soft and cool as imagined.
His face, which was not completely wiped dry, still had a little moisture. Under the bright morning sunlight, his skin seemed to be glowing, with a clear and clean beauty. It did not have the sharp sense of distance that could hurt people as before in the mountain temple. Instead, it was softer, as if it could be grasped with just one hand.
Ye Li's Adam's apple rolled up and down, and the slender fingers hanging at his side curled up subconsciously, as if he wanted to touch something.
"Shouldn't you explain why you showed up near my house so early in the morning outside of working hours?" Yan Shixun supported the door with one hand, looking at Ye Li who was in a daze and didn't speak. The corners of his lips twitched, and he thought this man was weird.
And why did he feel that this person was always looking at his face? Didn't he rinse off all the foam when he washed his face just now?
Yan Shixun raised his hand suspiciously and touched his cheek, but it felt only slightly cool and smooth.
Ye Li also came back to his senses at Yan Shixun's voice, and a smile appeared on his lips again: "You can ask the specific reason later. Do you want to consider rescuing me first? Yan...Shixun."
Yan Shixun looked at Ye Li speechlessly, and his eyes, looking him up and down, clearly said: You are so big, are you afraid of the old ladies next to you? You are teasing me again.
Ye Li looked back innocently: Do I have to fight back? But if you are really cruel and don't come to save me, I might consider doing so.
Yan Shixun: “…Tsk.”
Did he owe him?
The familiar conversation between the two also attracted the attention of the aunts. The two people seemed to have a close relationship. They were not distant and polite like ordinary friends or colleagues. Although Yan Shixun's tone was not good, it revealed the familiarity of joking that only close friends could do.
"Ah? You, you are Master Yan's friend, why didn't you tell me earlier?" The leading aunt from next door suddenly realized and immediately complained to Ye Li: "If you had told me earlier that you were here to see Master Yan, I wouldn't have wasted so much time. Ugh! You delayed me from going to the market to buy meat."
Although he was unwilling to pay attention to Ye Li, especially now that he was neither on the show nor under the live camera, he had no obligation to care about Ye Li's life or death.
But Yan Shixun still remembered the sense of disharmony and danger that Ye Li brought to him. Before he fully understood Ye Li's character, he would not gamble with the safety of others.
Especially after living next to each other for so many years, Yan Shixun knew very well that this neighbor auntie was not a very nice person to begin with. Now she had invited so many friends over, and it was obvious that she wanted to use her old age-related excuse to make things right.
If this person is really annoyed...
"Aunt Chen, aren't you going to buy meat?" Yan Shixun asked the neighbor aunt in a cold voice: "If you don't go now, the ribs your grandson wants will be sold out."
"Master Yan has figured it out again?" The neighbor aunt was a little surprised. Although she wanted to complain to Ye Li again, she was concerned about the oppressive feeling that Yan Shixun usually brought to her, so she smiled awkwardly and dispersed the circle that had originally surrounded Ye Li.
"I didn't know it was Master Yan's friend. I thought it was some poor guy from a remote area who came to rent my house and couldn't even pay. Haha, haha, since it's a misunderstanding, it's nothing. Master Yan, you guys chat, I won't disturb you anymore."
From the neighbor aunt's narration and reaction, Yan Shixun finally figured out what had just happened.
It turned out that Ye Li had come to wait at the gate of Yan Shixun's courtyard in the morning. Because the rent was cheaper in the old city, young people often came to rent houses. So the neighbor aunt who was going to the vegetable market early in the morning saw a person standing next to the house and naturally thought that he was also here to rent a house. Seeing that Ye Li's clothes did not look like he was poor, the neighbor aunt came over enthusiastically and agreed to a high price.
But Ye Li didn't say a word throughout the whole process, and didn't even look at the neighbor aunt. This made her a little angry but also a little guilty, thinking that Ye Li had discovered that she had quoted a high price.
So, in a state of rage and humiliation, the neighbor aunt simply stopped her friends who were also going out for morning exercise or buying groceries, and exaggerated the matter to them, saying that Ye Li was a person who had no money but was still renting a house. Then seven or eight aunts surrounded Ye Li and lectured him.
Ye Li waited patiently until Yan Shixun woke up before calling out Yan Shixun's name.
Yan Shixun: I really want to turn around and go back to my room and continue sleeping, pretending I didn’t hear anything.
"Everyone, aren't you going to do morning exercises or buy groceries in the morning?"
Yan Shixun's emotionless eyes swept over the aunts who were staring in shock. The aunts, who were originally strong in fighting spirit, felt as if their minds were seen through and they couldn't help but scatter in a hurry.
Ye Li, who was rescued from the siege, also smiled and took long steps towards Yan Shixun.
"Aunt Chen." Yan Shixun suddenly called the neighbor aunt who had already turned around and walked away, and said casually as if to remind her casually: "It's okay to pick up waste and sell it, but you must also make sure whether it is waste or something that others need. If you take someone else's things, you will be affected by karma, so be careful of retribution."
The neighbor aunt was shocked: "How did Master Yan know me... Master Yan, haven't you been home recently?"
Yan Shixun had only given a casual reminder because they had lived next to each other for so many years, and he was not going to say anything more. The other party had not entrusted him with anything, and if he said too much, it would only bring consequences to himself.
So he ignored the aunt next door and prepared to close the door when he saw that the dispute had been resolved.
However, Ye Li was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He was extremely agile and took advantage of the few seconds when Yan Shixun was about to close the door to slip into the yard through the gap.
Yan Shixun: "? What's wrong with you? Why do you come here uninvited?"
Ye Li looked around the courtyard naturally, and finally his eyes fell on Yan Shixun with a smile, and said: "Although I am not here to rent a house, what they said is actually the same. I have no place to live."
Yan Shixun, who was trying to listen patiently, found that Ye Li stopped talking halfway through, so he asked in confusion: "So?"
What does it have to do with him? What's the point of saying this to him, just to seek comfort?
"So I came to borrow money from you. What happened just now made me realize that maybe renting a house next door to yours is also a good choice." Ye Li smiled and said, "Didn't you say you could hire an assistant? I think I can apply for the job, as long as you pay my rent."
Yan Shixun raised his hand expressionlessly and pointed at the door: "The door is over there, go in by yourself."
"Borrow money? I'm so poor myself, what are you thinking?" Yan Shixun sneered: "Shouldn't you go to Zhang Wubing to borrow money? I just donated all my money and my deposit is zero. Do you have any misunderstanding about me?"
After returning from Wild Wolf Peak, Yan Shixun donated all the remuneration paid to him by Zhang Wubing to the government, specifying that it would be used for the ecological reconstruction plan of Wild Wolf Peak.
This matter was heard by An Nanyuan, who has now become a little fan of Yan Shixun, so he also donated his remuneration to the official. The other guests followed suit and donated money to varying degrees.
As a result, Yan Shixun's savings returned to zero, and his wallet, which had become a little more comfortable after participating in two episodes of the show, became deflated again.
——This is also the reason why Yan Shixun is still poor after so many years.
Logically speaking, many masters of Feng Shui and fortune telling can make a lot of money. As long as they stand there, people will come forward to beg for money.
But Yan Shixun, after leaving his master Li Chengyun, never read feng shui and fortune telling since he started his career, he only exorcises evil spirits and catches ghosts. And because many people who can find him are in critical situations, he only charges fees according to the cause and effect, and never takes a cent more.
And even this money was often used by Yan Shixun to give to his clients or to people in need. So after all these years, Yan Shixun didn't save any money, just enough for living.
But he doesn't care about this.
Although Yan Shixun rejected him, Ye Li was not annoyed at all. Instead, as if he had expected it, he walked towards the small house with long legs, then leaned against the door and pointed to a room inside that had been vacant for a long time. He smiled and asked Yan Shixun: "In this case, how about you take me in for a few days?"
Yan Shixun was so irritated by this man's shamelessness that he laughed: "You are really not polite to me. May I ask if we are familiar with each other? Why do I have to lend you money or take you in? Aren't you the assistant director? Go find Zhang Wubing."
"No, I'm scared." Ye Li said calmly, "I heard from the people at Haiyun Temple that the director is destined to be haunted by ghosts. I'm afraid of being implicated if I follow the director. I feel safer only if I follow you."
Yan Shixun: "...Next time, lie more convincingly. Don't say you're afraid of ghosts while having no expression on your face. Thank you."
Ye Li was not panicked when Yan Shixun exposed him, but said naturally: "After all, we have worked together for a while. Yan Shixun, can you bear to see me wandering on the street? I have nowhere to go, so I can only squat at the door of your house. I hope I won't disturb the lives of the residents nearby. If they are scared by me at night, I am also innocent. After all, the only friend I am familiar with refused to take me in."
Yan Shixun laughed in anger: "Excuse me, is your face made of a city wall? When did we become friends? How come I didn't know?"
"I noticed when we were camping at Wild Wolf Peak before that you don't seem to be good at cooking?" Ye Li did not continue to confront Yan Shixun, but instead smoothed over the issue and tried to save face for himself: "If the kind-hearted Mr. Yan is willing to take me in for a few days, I can help you cook. Although I'm not as good as a professional chef, I'm still good enough. I can use my labor to pay for the accommodation fee. How about it?"
The words that Yan Shixun was about to continue to say came to an abrupt halt, stuck in his throat.
He looked at Ye Li suspiciously, and felt that he didn't look like someone who could cook. No, it should be said that he didn't look like a living person. There was no human energy in his body, as if he had just returned from the North Pole.
Can you cook?
Are you lying to him?
Ye Li let him look at her naturally, and suggested with a smile: "Since you are so curious, how about giving it a try? You don't want me to scare the elderly nearby, do you?"
Yan Shixun smirked: "How do you calculate the cause and effect of scaring people to death? Am I an indirect pusher? After all, from what you said, it sounds like you would go out and scare people only if I didn't take you in."
Ye Li saw Yan Shixun's hesitation, so he struck while the iron was hot and said, "It's only two days. I'll leave when the program starts recording."
After hearing Ye Li's arguments from many aspects, Yan Shixun also felt that it would be dangerous to release such a dangerous person, whom he himself had not yet fully understood, and it would be safer to keep him by his side.
It would be fine if he didn't see it, but since he saw it, he couldn't just ignore it.
"All right."
Yan Shixun finally relaxed, and his tense muscles relaxed again. He pointed to the room that had been vacant for many years and said, "The room is over there, you clean it yourself, I will never help you - leave if you can't accept it."
Ye Li did not give Yan Shixun time to regret and agreed immediately.
Only Yan Shixun turned around and prepared to go back to his room, feeling that something was not right the more he thought about it.
Why did they take someone in for no apparent reason? What went wrong?
"Have you had breakfast? Isn't this the time for strangers to have breakfast?" Ye Li, who had successfully gotten himself taken in and entered the house, was sitting on a stone bench in the yard in a good mood, and his ears keenly caught the sound of someone selling breakfast coming from a distance.
So, both to ease the atmosphere and let Yan Shixun stop thinking about what was wrong just now, and also out of concern for Yan Shixun's stomach, Ye Li suggested going out for breakfast together.
"There is really nothing to eat at home."
Yan Shixun thought about it. After the trip to Wild Wolf Peak in the last episode, he had just returned to Binhai City when he was dragged to Haiyun Temple by Taoist Master Li to reminisce about the past and ask about his master Li Chengyun. Because he was an elder, it was difficult to refuse, so Yan Shixun had to stay in Haiyun Temple for several days, and only reluctantly found an excuse to leave when there was an event in the Taoist temple. He just got home yesterday, and the kitchen was empty, with nothing but water.
So he agreed to Ye Li's proposal, prepared to change his clothes and take Ye Li out for breakfast.
There happened to be a delicious traditional Binhai breakfast stall nearby, and he had been frequenting the place for more than ten years since he started living here with his master.
I have been away from home for a long time, and I haven't tasted the familiar taste for a long time. It would be fine if I didn't mention it, but once I mentioned it, Yan Shixun actually missed that taste.
When Yan Shixun was speaking or thinking, Ye Li's eyes were always on him. He was attracted by the beauty that amazed him and could not take his eyes off him for a long time.
Completely different from the arrogant and sharp image that Ye Li had seen at Wild Wolf Peak before, Yan Shixun, who was at home, was wearing a loose and casual white short-sleeved shirt and sports pajamas. His hair, which had not been taken care of yet, was scattered in front of his forehead in a messy manner, adding a lazy and soft beauty.
It’s like the sunshine in early autumn at this moment, warm but not dazzling, just so comfortable that it makes people want to be surrounded by the sunshine all the time and feel this happiness.
Because it was early autumn, the temperature was just right, and no one had been home for a long time and the air circulation was poor, so Yan Shixun opened the bedroom window a little when he went to bed last night. Because he was woken up by Zhang Wubing's phone call in the morning, and he saw Ye Li outside the yard before he was fully awake, so he didn't have time to close the window.
Because Yan Shixun was thinking about other things at this time, and because he was at home and in a very relaxed and trusting environment, he did not notice this small detail and changed his clothes directly in the bedroom with the window open.
Yan Shixun was distracted while grabbing the hem of his white short-sleeved shirt with both hands and lifting it up, revealing his muscular and toned upper body.
Although his strength far exceeds that of an ordinary person, his muscles are not thick or ugly, and they are not the result of training in a gym. Instead, they are real muscles developed through long battles with ghosts and gods, and through countless crises and deaths. His attacks are not to intimidate, but to kill ghosts. They are full of the beauty of strength and explosive power.
Ye Li, who was originally calm and steady sitting in the yard, suddenly opened his eyes wide. His narrow and long dark eyes revealed his emotions so obviously, which was rare in thousands of years. Even his stern face was broken and he lost his composure for a moment.
The sunlight poured into the bedroom through the window and fell on Yan Shixun's shoulders.
Between light and shadow, he is like a sculptor's lifelong pursuit of the highest perfection in his work, combining the hardness of iron and stone with the softness and liveliness of flesh and the delicate texture of skin.
The perfect fusion of hardness and softness, light and darkness cut out the most touching works.
Ye Li stood there in a daze, staring at Yan Shixun through the window without blinking. The light of fire ignited in his gloomy eyes, which were originally dark and lifeless.
This window was like the gap between yin and yang, and it seemed so fragile at this moment, as if he could break through the obstacle by just reaching out his hand and pushing it gently, holding Yan Shixun's shoulders and feeling the soft and delicate touch under his palms.
That was the warmth of a living person, the power and beauty possessed by a ghost exorcist in the world, which made him uncontrollably want to get closer, want to stay by her side, and never let go...
"What are you thinking about?"
Yan Shixun stood in front of Ye Li, blocking the sunlight from shining on Ye Li, but he saw that this person's eyes were completely immersed in his own world of thoughts. Even when he waved in front of him, there was no response at all.
He raised his eyebrows and asked in surprise, "Didn't you suggest going for breakfast? Have you changed your mind?"
"That's fine, I'll go by myself, and I can save the money to pay for your meal."
Having said that, Yan Shixun was not prepared to wait at all. He just stretched out his long legs, brushed past Ye Li, and walked towards the gate of the courtyard.
Ye Li subconsciously reached out his hand, and his cold hand grasped Yan Shixun's wrist. His eyes were still in a state of contemplation, and he had not yet come back to his senses, but he had already subconsciously reacted to Yan Shixun's leaving him, and directly grabbed Yan Shixun and did not allow him to leave.
After several beats, Ye Li slowly blinked his crow-feather eyelashes and came back to his senses.
"Let's go." His eyes slid from the palm of his hand that was holding Yan Shixun's wrist. He stood up naturally and walked beside Yan Shixun, but still held Yan Shixun's wrist and was not ready to let go.
Yan Shixun glanced at him speechlessly and said, "Let go. Are you a three-year-old kid in kindergarten? Do you want to go to the toilet hand in hand?"
Ye Li was not embarrassed at all. He readily let go of his hand and stepped precisely within the range that Yan Shixun could tolerate.
…
Because this small courtyard was the house Li Chengyun lived in when he was young, decades later it has become a real old town where the elderly and children live leisurely, with a strong flavor of everyday life.
After dawn, the sleep-deprived elderly people get up early and go to the market to pick out their favorite fresh ingredients. Breakfast stalls on the street have also been set up long ago, welcoming and seeing off customers, so busy that their hands are almost invisible. The shouting, conversation and bicycle sounds are mixed together, becoming the alarm clock that wakes up many people naturally.
Because Yan Shixun and Ye Li came out early, many people who were going to work or school had not come out yet, so there were not too many people at the breakfast stall.
After greeting the boss at the door, Yan Shixun naturally walked into the store and sat down, ordering breakfast for himself and Ye Li.
Since he had nothing to do when he came, Yan Shixun chatted with Ye Li casually. This was an indirect way for him to understand Ye Li's situation and assess his degree of danger in his mind.
After knowing that Ye Li was not from Binhai City and his taste tended towards Central Plains, Yan Shixun naturally took the power of ordering and assured Ye Li that he would not be disappointed with Binhai City's traditional breakfast.
"Although I haven't tried it yet, I already know that I won't be disappointed." Ye Li looked at Yan Shixun and the people around him greeting each other naturally, as if he was very familiar to everyone in this area. His low murmur was drowned out by the noise on the street: "With you here, how could I be disappointed..."
I just don’t know whether the disappointment he mentioned was about the breakfast that Yan Shixun mentioned, the human world where Yan Shixun was, or Yan Shixun himself.
"Mr. Yan, would you like to have dinner with your friends?" The boss lifted up his apron and wiped the oil off his hands. He treated Yan Shixun with great respect and brought him an ordered breakfast.
"I haven't seen Mr. Yan for a while. Is he helping someone again? Mr. Yan is really busy. It seems that I haven't seen him rest much."
Yan Shixun answered a few questions, then looked at the boss who was particularly busy today, and realized that there was one less person in the store today.
In the past, the stall was run by a husband and wife, one preparing food and the other collecting money and cleaning up the tables. But today, the boss was the only one there, which made him look particularly busy and overwhelmed.
"Where is the boss's wife? Why didn't I see her today?" Yan Shixun asked casually, showing concern when interacting with people.
But the boss, who had been wiping his hands with his apron, paused, as if Yan Shixun had asked him about something that made him sad.
“Hua’er, Hua’er.” The boss tried to force a smile, which looked a little forced. He was smiling, but it looked as sad as if he was crying: “She, she is not feeling well today.”
Yan Shixun, who had not taken it to heart, immediately looked up and shifted his gaze from the breakfast in front of him to the boss.
The boss seemed a little nervous and hesitant. He kept wiping his hands with his apron. The corners of his clothes were full of wrinkles because he had pulled them himself. However, the look he gave Yan Shixun was evasive but full of expectation.
It seemed that he was afraid that Yan Shixun would ask him more questions, but he also wanted to ask Yan Shixun for help.
Yan Shixun noticed something was wrong and frowned.
But before Yan Shixun could ask, someone else came in from the door and shouted to the boss to order food. The boss quickly responded, said to Yan Shixun in a hurry, "Mr. Yan, enjoy your meal," and walked over quickly.
Yan Shixun looked at the boss's busy back and his forced smile, and it took him a long time to lower his head again. He slowly pulled out a pair of disposable chopsticks, broke them apart, and rubbed the fine wood chips between the chopsticks against each other to avoid getting pricked.
Ye Li, who came to such an environment for the first time, had already started tasting the food, but when he glanced at Yan Shixun's appearance next to him, he knew that Yan Shixun had already noticed something.
The delicious pan-fried dumplings are plump and round, with nice and even folds of dough. They are golden after being fried, and sprinkled with chopped green onions, which makes them look great and appetite-stimulating.
But Yan Shixun paused after taking just one bite.
Different from the taste he was used to, today's pan-fried buns tasted wrong.
It's not that the food doesn't taste good, but it's like the chef himself is not in the mood to cook and is full of anxiety, so this mood is also kneaded into the dough along with the action of his hands kneading the dough. Because of his absent-mindedness, even the ingredients he is used to putting in the wrong proportions, and the taste becomes no longer harmonious.
"This food smells like death."
After Yan Shixun put down his chopsticks, Ye Li also put down his food. He lowered his eyes to look at the steamed buns on the plate with a slightly cold gaze, as if he had seen through everything.
"Feeling unwell? What kind of discomfort?" Yan Shixun snorted and was not fooled by his boss's response.
He turned to look at Ye Li beside him: "I originally said that I would take you to try the most authentic Binhai breakfast, but it seems that I lost my words today. Let's do it another day."
"If you have something urgent to do, please leave first. I'll wait for you here, boss." Yan Shixun smiled and said, "I want to know why you feel uncomfortable."
Ye Li readily agreed: "I have plenty of free time. I'll wait with you."
On the other side, the boss, who had been busy as the flow of people increased, looked at Yan Shixun with anxious and apprehensive eyes from time to time, as if he was worried that Yan Shixun would leave, but also wanted him to leave because he was afraid that Yan Shixun would notice something.
So, when the boss saw Yan Shixun and his companions slowly finishing their breakfast and sitting there waiting, he breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously, but worry also appeared in his eyes.
By the time we finally finished the morning rush hour, the sun had already risen into the sky.
After collecting the money, the boss quickly turned around and looked at the corner where Yan Shixun was.
His face was pleasantly surprised, but he moved his lips and hesitated to say what he wanted to say. Instead, he asked, "Why is Mr. Yan still here? Is the breakfast portion not enough..."
"What happened to your wife?"
Yan Shixun suddenly spoke up, interrupting his boss: "I helped your wife exorcise evil spirits many years ago. You should know that if I want to know something, you can't hide it from me. I can figure it out."
"Hua'er, Hua'er is fine..." The boss originally wanted to fool the matter by laughing it off, but he lost interest after meeting Yan Shixun's gaze.
He seemed to be crushed by the sudden bad news. His shoulders suddenly drooped down dejectedly, and his whole body, which was energetic before, curled up into a ball. As if subconsciously wanting to protect himself, he hugged his head with his arms, his face full of pain and tears in his eyes.
"Mr. Yan, I don't know what to do." The boss' eyes were red and his voice was trembling: "Hua'er is in a very bad condition, but, but I can't tell anyone, and I dare not ask for help. I have no other choice, but I can't just watch Hua'er like this, I, I..."
"Don't be anxious, talk slowly." Yan Shixun picked up a plastic stool from the side and placed it next to the boss, motioning him to sit down and take his time before talking.
The boss sat on the stool with shaking hands, and it took him a long time to recover his normal appearance. However, his red eyes and fearful look still showed that he was in a bad condition.
"Mr. Yan, you know that Hua'er and I... come from poor backgrounds." The boss smiled bitterly. His previous fear and anxiety gradually subsided when he saw Yan Shixun. It was as if he had found a backer. He calmed down again and began to tell the story of what had happened in their family during this period.
The boss's surname is Yang, and his name is Yang Guang, and his wife's name is Yang Hua. The two are from the same clan within five generations. Decades ago, when they were young, they came to Binhai City from the countryside to work hard. Because of problems with their household registration, they could only live in the old city area where the inspection was not so strict, and rely on selling breakfast to make a living.
Although their lives were difficult, they lived in harmony and sweetness because they loved each other. Moreover, the couple did not know what hardships they had experienced before, but they were not afraid of hardship at all. Even if they had to get up very early every day, they did not complain, but were happy to answer people who asked them that they liked this kind of life where they could be the first to see the sun every day, which made them feel that they were still alive.
But in the past ten days, Yang Guang found that his wife Yang Hua became suspicious, often screaming in the middle of the night, grabbing his hand and saying that she saw a ghost, standing next to her and asking Yang Guang to drive the ghost away quickly. However, when Yang Guang looked, there was only furniture in the darkness, and no ghost as his wife said.
After calming down, the wife felt guilty for waking Yang Guang up. After all, they had to get up early to prepare for the breakfast stall, so they had very little time to sleep. Yang Guang thought his wife was just under a lot of pressure recently, so after comforting her, he went back to sleep.
However, not long after, the wife screamed in fear again and suddenly sat up from the bed. She was sweating and frightened. She grabbed Yang Guang with her eyes wide open and said that she saw her sister. She said that she saw her sister who had been dead for decades appeared in her dream, covered in blood, crying to her that she was in pain and wanted her to save her.
Yang Guang's heart sank when he heard this. But he just forced himself to cheer up and comforted his wife, saying that dreams are the opposite of reality, and his sister is living well in the underworld and has been reincarnated long ago.
After that day, his wife would wake up from her sleep every day, saying that she dreamed of her sister coming to her to cry. While comforting his wife, Yang Guang took the time to go to Haiyun Temple to ask for an evil-repelling talisman, which he secretly hung on the head of his bed at home, hoping to prevent those unclean things from harassing his wife.
However, the talisman from Haiyun Temple, which was apparently the most effective, had no effect at all.
His wife's condition began to get worse. Not only at night, but even during the day, when she saw a dark corner, she would tell Yang Guang in horror that she saw her sister standing in the darkness, her clothes stained with blood, her hair disheveled, and she was crying silently, looking at her.
The wife was filled with fear and heartache, and her heart was almost broken. Her spirit soon collapsed. Even when she was standing at the breakfast stall making breakfast during the day, she would suddenly widen her eyes, point at the crowd on the street and say that she saw her sister, and her sister was standing next to that person, looking at her quietly.
There was no other way, so Yang Guang had to let his wife stay at home. After finishing his work at the breakfast stall every day, he would rush home to accompany his wife. He would comfort her over and over again, telling her that her sister was living well down there, and that he would go to burn incense and paper for her sister every year on her behalf, and told her not to worry.
But Yang Guang knew very well that he should find a master to help his wife look at the situation.
However, Yan Shixun, who had helped them before, was not at home, and he did not dare to look for anyone else. He could only drag his feet and think of a solution while feeling anxious.
Until Yan Shixun appeared at the breakfast stall.
After listening to the boss's words in silence, Yan Shixun asked in a cold voice: "Then why don't you just say it? If you had said it just now, I would have helped you. Instead of hesitating and covering it up like before, you still tried to hide it from me when I asked."
The boss smiled bitterly and shook his head. After looking around to make sure that no one else was around, he came closer and whispered, "Mr. Yan, I dare not say it directly. I'm afraid, I'm afraid that you will kill Hua'er..."
Yan Shixun raised his eyebrows, leaned back, and looked at his boss with a surprised and questioning look: "You make me sound like a murderer."
"No, no, no, that's not what I meant."
The boss waved his hand quickly, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered his voice to Yan Shixun: "My Huaer can't see people or the sun now. She seems to be possessed by her sister's ghost. It seems that because of this, the talisman I asked for from Haiyun Temple is completely ineffective. It seems that the ghost has mistaken Huaer for Huaer. That's why I'm worried that you might kill Huaer in order to exorcise the ghost, and I dare not ask you to kill her.
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