The uncle and aunt living on the first floor brought out their bamboo beds and chairs from home, and everyone gathered together, fanning themselves and chatting.
Lu Ting first took Su Yan for a slow walk around the courtyard, then went to the Lu family to deliver watermelons and melons.
I went into the kitchen and found they didn't have much food, so I left them a bag of rice and a bag of flour. I locked the door and walked back slowly.
When she walked downstairs, she found that more and more people came out to enjoy the cool air. Su Yan originally wanted to go back to take a shower, but she heard a group of people sitting on bamboo beds and chairs, fanning themselves and telling ghost stories.
Su Yan suddenly became interested. She stood under the tree and listened quietly to them talking about the Painted Skin from a Chinese Studio.
"Yan Yan, let's go back! You're pregnant, it's not appropriate for you to listen to these stories."
"Listen a little longer."
Lu Ting shook his head helplessly. What else could he do if his wife wanted to hear ghost stories? He just stayed and continued to accompany her.
Aunt Hong on the first floor waved to Su Yan, "Daughter-in-law of the Lu family, come and sit down."
"Thank you, Aunt Hong!" Su Yan walked over, sat on the bamboo bed in Aunt Hong's house, and listened to them tell ghost stories.
She had clearly read the book "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", but when she heard them tell the stories from the book, the feeling was completely different.
They told the story with great emotion, their voices sometimes high, sometimes low, and sometimes startling. Su Yan's heart was pounding with fear, as if she really saw the faceless ghost chasing her.
Su Yan was about to go back when the old man on the next recliner suddenly said, "Wang Dapao, do you still remember that summer when you went fishing by the river?"
"Why don't I remember? I remember that night I was in the almost dried-up river, looking for shells and fish. If you hadn't kept pulling me back to the surface, I would have been dragged away by the water monkeys that night."
"That river drowns several people every year. Wang Dapao, do you know who those people are who drown in that creek?"
"Who?"
"They are all people who can swim. In fact, they are all replaced by water ghosts. Even if they can swim well, they will still die."
Aunt Ke echoed, "The reason those ghosts seek replacements is because they died unnatural deaths and can't enter the cycle of reincarnation. Only by finding a replacement to stand in for them at the place where they died can their ghosts be reincarnated again."
She looked at Lu Yan, stared at her belly carefully for a while, and said, "Daughter-in-law of the Lu family, you are pregnant now and your Yang energy is insufficient. You should not go out for a walk at night, especially those hundred-year-old locust trees over there. You must not go for a walk there in the evening!"
"Got it. Thank you, Granny Ke, for reminding me."
Su Yan wanted to say that she and Lu Ting had just returned from there, but they didn’t see anything!
Lu Ting was a little nervous. He didn't believe in God, but since he knew about his wife's space, he believed that there were always things in this world that he couldn't explain.
"Yan Yan, it's getting late. We should go back and rest early."
Seeing Lu Ting so nervous, Su Yan stood up and said goodbye to these aunts and uncles. It didn't matter if she was alone, but the problem was that she was pregnant and her yang energy was weak. If she really bumped into something dirty, it would be a big trouble.
I should go back to my space and sleep tonight! At least I won’t be so scared.
Just as Su Yan and Lu Ting were about to leave, someone suddenly asked, "Do you know why men drown on their backs and women drown face up?"
"Why?"
"That's because men are yang and women are yin. A man's back is yang and his front is yin, while women are the opposite: their front is yang and their back is yin..."
"So that's how it is. I was wondering why gay men drown with their heads submerged. So that's how it is."
“…”
The more they talked, the more bizarre it became, making everyone's backs tingle. Lu Ting quickly took Su Yan upstairs. Perhaps because she had heard too many ghost stories, Su Yan always felt that something was following them.
Looking at his young wife holding his hand tightly, Lu Ting knew that Su Yan was scared, so he bent down and picked her up.
"Don't be afraid, Yanyan. I'm here. Even dirty things won't dare to get close."
Su Yan hugged Lu Ting's neck, closed her eyes and concentrated on sensing if there was any evil creature following them.
Sure enough, she sensed something slowly approaching them at the corner of the stairs. Su Yan locked onto the target and kept attacking it with her mental power.
She opened her eyes and looked behind Lu Ting. There was nothing but darkness. She closed her eyes again and sensed that the thing seemed to have left.
When they returned to the doorstep, Lu Ting slowly put Su Yan down, held her in his arms and opened the door.
As soon as the door opened, Su Yan pulled Lu Ting back to the space without a second thought. Seeing Su Yan so nervous, Lu Ting said seriously, "Yan Yan is pregnant now, and her Yang energy is insufficient. It's better not to go for a walk near the old locust tree."
"What's over there with the old locust tree?"
"I heard from the older generation that during the Republic of China period, a woman, due to family conflicts, took a rope and hanged herself from a locust tree in the middle of the night. The locust tree has a strong yin energy and is known as a ghost tree..."
"The locust tree is so tall, how did that woman climb up and hang herself?"
"I don't know. I heard this story from the old people."
"Lu Ting, there are two acacia trees planted on that barren mountain in the space. Their flowers can be used, but you think they will attract evil spirits? Why don't we cut down the trees?"
The old locust trees in the courtyard are Sophora japonica. The flowers of Sophora japonica have the effect of clearing the liver, purging fire, cooling blood and stopping bleeding.
The trees planted in Su Yan's space are Robinia pseudoacacia, which were introduced to China from Europe in the late 18th century. They bloom small white flowers in April and May, which are edible.
When Su Yan heard that locust trees attract ghosts, she wanted to cut down a few trees, but if she did, she would not be able to eat the delicious locust flower egg pancakes.
"Yan Yan, your space is very clean. How could there be any dirt? Even ghosts can't get in."
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