This was the second time Zheng Feiyu had heard Nan Yuanman say this.
He was somewhat amused and exasperated, but didn't take her words to heart: "You absolutely mustn't let my aunt hear you say that, or she'll chase you for miles with a broom."
Yuanman grabbed his hand, her little brows furrowed: "I'm serious, big brother. The Zheng family used that sister's money and got tainted by karma. If you don't leave tonight, you'll die."
Grandpa said that those whose foreheads are black like withered charcoal are plagued by bad luck. In the Zheng family, everyone who used that sister's money has a black forehead.
If Zheng Feiyu doesn't leave tonight, he won't be able to leave later.
Zheng Feiyu gave a perfunctory "uh-huh" and got up to ask her, "Are you full? Do you want me to get you something to eat later?"
Yuanman saw through his perfunctory attitude, pursed her lips, looked at the small coffin in her hand, and reluctantly stuffed it into his hand: "Big brother, you gave me a meal, and I'll lend you this small coffin. Tonight, take this small coffin with you, and no matter what noise you hear while you're sleeping, don't go outside, understand?"
Zheng Feiyu shuddered, nearly dropping the small coffin in his hand. He forced a smile, suppressing his fear, and said, "No, no need..."
“No, you use it.” Yuanman said solemnly.
Zheng Feiyu looked at the small coffin in his hand, painted with dark red wood lacquer, and tried to calm himself down. This was all a child's heartfelt gift; don't be disgusted, don't be disgusted...
With his eyes closed and trembling, he stuffed the small coffin into his pocket, gave Nan Yuanman a few instructions, and then turned to leave.
Nan Yuanman tidied her messy hair, then belatedly realized that she seemed to... have other relatives.
She tilted her head, recalling Jiang Lixuan's behavior earlier, and frowned in disgust, muttering under her breath, "Forget it, it's better not to have a relative like that."
"Let's go feed Grandpa first. He must be hungry after all this time."
She toddled back to the courtyard on her short legs, and following her grandfather's instructions, grabbed a small wooden stool, stood on it, and bolted the door before running into the main hall to finish what she hadn't done earlier.
Lift the coffin lid.
When the coffin lid was lifted, an elderly man, dressed in his burial clothes and lying inside, was revealed; his body was emaciated.
At that time, the old man's eyes were closed, and two sharp, small fangs protruded from his withered, tightly closed mouth. His fingernails, placed on both sides of his body, were black, extremely long, and very sharp.
This appearance was terrifying, but it seemed perfectly normal to Nan Yuanman.
She knelt beside the coffin, broke open a steamed bun, and slowly stuffed it into the old man's mouth, muttering to herself, "Grandpa, two older brothers came outside just now. One of them, called Brother Xuan, said he was my uncle and wanted to take me back to the Jiang family."
"Hmph, I don't believe he's my uncle. I still remember Grandpa saying that Mom's relatives are all bad people, they're beasts."
"Don't worry, I haven't agreed to go back with him. I want to stay and stay with Grandpa forever..."
She said a lot, but her grandfather still didn't answer her.
Nan Yuanman felt inexplicably sad, her nose tingled, her eyes were slightly red, she raised her hand to touch her neck, and her childish voice was tinged with tears: "Grandpa, he still bullies me, when are you going to get up and help Yuanman fight back?"
"Perfect...Perfect, I miss you..."
"Why don't you talk to Yuanman?"
The lobby was completely silent.
The old man lying in the coffin suddenly twitched slightly at his side...
-
On the other side.
When Zheng Feiyu returned home, he saw Jiang Lixuan standing in the corner of the yard smoking. Behind him was the hall where Grandpa Zheng's body was laid to rest.
Zheng Feiyu called out to him, "Brother Xuan."
Jiang Lixuan, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, turned to look at him and offered him one: "What did that brat say?"
Zheng Feiyu paused, then casually said, "Yuanman said she would think it over carefully."
Jiang Lixuan recalled Nan Yuanman's resistant and wary attitude towards him earlier and couldn't help but say sarcastically, "She's quite nice to you, though."
He was always wary of his uncle.
Zheng Feiyu didn't dare to reply.
"Never mind." Jiang Lixuan clicked his tongue and then asked him, "Where am I going to rest tonight?"
He was exhausted after a whole day of running around. He needed to rest first, and then think about how to persuade the stubborn little guy tomorrow.
Zheng Feiyu turned his head and glanced at the bustling lobby. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "My aunt has prepared the upstairs room for us, but it's the countryside, so the accommodations aren't as good as in the city. Also, tonight is the last day my grandfather's body will be laid to rest."
According to custom, Grandpa Zheng's body must remain in state for seven days. On the last day, the Taoist priest performing the rituals will not stay overnight, allowing Grandpa Zheng's descendants to keep vigil and see him off on his final journey.
"If Brother Xuan is feeling unwell... uh, if he finds it unlucky, why don't you go back to the city and stay there first?"
"What are you talking about? Do you think I'm the kind of rich kid who can't handle hardship?" Jiang Lixuan rolled his eyes, stubbed out his cigarette, put one hand in his pocket, and gestured with his chin: "Lead the way."
He is a staunch atheist.
It's just a dead body in the lobby, Zheng Feiyu's grandfather, what's there to be afraid of?
He didn't dare go back to the city. He had finally found news about Bai Wenying's child. What if Nan Yuanman ran away if he went back to the city?
If the old man finds out, he'll beat him to death.
Zheng Feiyu didn't insist and took Jiang Lixuan upstairs.
As the two passed by the corpse, a corner of the white cloth covering it was suddenly blown up by the wind, and an inexplicable chill spread up his spine.
Jiang Lixuan suddenly felt a chill and couldn't help but shiver, then subconsciously looked down.
Just then, their eyes met those of Old Master Zheng's corpse beneath the white sheet.
The wide, bloodshot eyes, filled with terror, made him involuntarily scream, "Holy crap!"
Zheng Feiyu followed his gaze and couldn't help but exclaim "Holy crap!" He trembled as he covered Jiang Lixuan with the white sheet and pushed him from behind, saying, "Brother Xuan, let's go, let's go."
Jiang Lixuan quickly turned around and followed Zheng Feiyu upstairs.
Neither of them noticed that the white cloth Zheng Feiyu had just covered had been blown away by the wind, and his bloodshot eyes were staring intently at Zheng Feiyu's back.
Unseen by the two, a red figure floated up from Old Master Zheng's body and silently approached Zheng Feiyu.
Just as she was about to touch him, a burst of golden light suddenly blasted her away.
The red ghostly figure cried out in pain.
Zheng Feiyu shuddered, wondering to himself with a strange feeling. He thought he had just heard someone calling.
But upon closer listening, there was no sound.
Zheng Feiyu shook his head. Maybe he was just too tired today and was hallucinating…
The red ghostly figure, unwilling to give up, then clung to Jiang Lixuan's back...
-
In rural areas, self-built houses are typically two to three stories high. Zheng Feiyu's house is three stories high, and he and Jiang Lixuan live in the bedroom on the third floor.
Perhaps because they were too tired from traveling today, Zheng Feiyu asked Aunt Zheng to deliver dinner to Nan Yuanman, and then he and Jiang Lixuan ate something quickly before going back to their rooms to sleep.
Farmhouse meals are generally quite salty, and Jiang Lixuan drank a lot of water before bed, so he was woken up in the middle of the night feeling suffocated.
He rubbed his eyes, calmed himself down for a moment, got up, turned on the light, and went to the bathroom.
"Clatter"
The room remained dark.
Jiang Lixuan frowned: "The power's out?"
He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, saying that living in the countryside was just inconvenient.
Jiang Lixuan was filled with resentment. It was all Nan Yuanman's fault. If she had agreed to go with him, he would have gone home long ago instead of suffering here.
Jiang Lixuan, with a sullen face, went to the restroom, using his phone's flashlight.
Unfortunately, the toilet door on the third floor was broken at some point and couldn't be opened from the outside.
Jiang Lixuan pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, turned around and went downstairs to use the restroom.
He had just gotten downstairs when he suddenly realized that the person who was supposed to be on night watch had disappeared.
The only things in the hall were Old Master Zheng's body covered with a white sheet and the white candles swaying in the wind; the pale mourning hall looked particularly eerie.
Just as Jiang Lixuan was about to go out to find a restroom, he suddenly felt a little scared and turned around to find Zheng Feiyu to accompany him.
But the moment he turned around, Old Master Zheng, who had been lying peacefully on the wooden board, suddenly sat up.
Jiang Lixuan's drowsiness vanished instantly, and he froze at the top of the stairs, holding his breath and staring at the back of the corpse's head.
Old Master Zheng sat up but didn't move.
Jiang Lixuan breathed a sigh of relief: "Damn, it turns out it was caused by residual nerves in the muscle. That scared me."
He thought it was a zombie coming back to life.
Jiang Lixuan walked up to the corpse, put his hands together, and bowed three times to Old Master Zheng: "Old Master, I'm sorry, I've offended you."
After bowing, he carefully stepped forward, intending to lay the old man flat again.
But just as his hand was about to touch the old man...
The old man, who had been quiet and motionless, suddenly reached out and grabbed him tightly.
Jiang Lixuan: "!!!!"
He couldn't help but scream, "Holy crap—a ghost!!"
On the third floor, Zheng Feiyu, who was fast asleep, was awakened by screams.
"Brother Xuan?!" He hurriedly jumped out of bed, forgetting Yuanman's warning, opened the door and ran out.
He had only taken a few steps when a head suddenly fell from above, landing face to face with him.
His face was deathly pale, and there was a bloody hole in his head. The female ghost, dressed in blood-stained clothes, stared at him, slowly grinned, and laughed.
Zheng Feiyu: "!!!!"
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