The village chief came over with two villagers, looking very happy. "Miss, you are here. It's cold outside. Come in quickly."
One of the village women said enthusiastically, "I just made some hot porridge at home and will bring it to you later."
Looking at the newly renovated village, Su Man was a little surprised. The last time she came here, the village chief had warned her not to run around at night. How come it suddenly became a city that never sleeps?
After hearing her question, the village chief smiled innocently and said, "To be honest, Miss, we used to have strange things happening at night, so we told everyone not to run around. But since you left last time, all the strange things have disappeared. You are truly a lucky star for our Worry-Free Village."
The village woman continued, "That's right, Miss Liu, please stay in our village for a few more days this time so that we can express our gratitude to you."
“…”
Everything they said implied that the entire village had returned to normal since Qiu Niang left, as if they were deliberately attributing all the abnormalities to Qiu Niang's existence.
Su Man smiled and said, "You're too polite, Village Chief. I'm a little tired after traveling all day and want to go back and rest for a while."
The village chief nodded repeatedly, "Of course, of course. Come on, take the young lady to rest."
...
Su Man moved into the farmhouse again, but this time Liu Luoyi was gone, and she was the only one left.
Si Xi went downstairs to put things away, leaving Su Man alone sitting in the farmhouse with flickering candlelight, lost in thought.
After a while, Si Xi came back with a food box in his hand, "Miss, the lady just sent some food, would you like some?"
Si Xi was talking as he placed porridge and dishes on the table. The food in the countryside was not as exquisite as that in the scholar's mansion, but it was fresh. However, Su Man seemed to have little interest.
"I'm not hungry right now, let's put it aside for now."
Su Man was still wary of Si Xi. Now that she was not in the capital, she had better be careful.
Si Xi thought Su Man looked down on the wild game from the countryside, so she didn't try to persuade her and sent the food box away. When she came back, she brought a basin of water and helped Su Man wash up.
"Miss, you are tired too. Why don't you rest early?" Si Xi helped Su Man take off the hairpins and put them in the box.
Su Man covered her mouth and yawned, "Well, traveling for days is indeed a bit exhausting. You should go and rest. You don't have to wait on me."
"Hey, I'm in the next room. If you're thirsty at night, just call me."
Su Man nodded listlessly, looking very sleepy.
Si Xi helped Su Man to bed and then quietly left, blowing out the lights before leaving.
In the dark room, Su Man opened her eyes, her gaze clear and she was no longer sleepy.
...
The moon was above the willows, and the wooden door made a slight creaking sound, breaking the silence of the night.
After leaving the farmhouse, Suman put on his hood and walked around the village following the shadows cast by the wall.
Although Wuyou Village now looks like an ordinary mountain village, this change came too suddenly, and it seems more like a deliberate concealment of something.
Sure enough, even though it was already late at night, lights were still on in every household.
Su Man squatted by the fence of one of the houses and watched, but there was no movement inside.
At this time, Su Man noticed that the couplets on the door of this family's house were already in tatters.
The Little New Year has already passed. According to Beijing custom, every household should put up spring couplets on the Little New Year's Eve. Why is this family still using such shabby couplets...
She realized something and looked around, and found that no house in Wuyou Village had posted new couplets. This was strange. Is there no one living here?
Su Man became suspicious. She pushed the door tentatively, but it didn't open.
Looking through the crack in the door, I saw that it was not locked, but just had a latch.
She picked up a branch from the ground, reached into the crack of the door, and carefully pushed the bolt open.
With a "click", the bolt fell to the ground and the door opened.
There was a small stone mill and several large vats in the yard.
Su Man asked tentatively, "Is anyone there?"
As she spoke, she walked inside. The lighted room was silent.
The door to the inner room was ajar. Su Man pushed it gently and it opened. Several quilts were piled on the dusty earthen kang, but no one was there.
If there is no one here, why are the lights on?
Su Man thought of the village chief. He said that the village had returned to normal since they left last time. Could it be that this was all an illusion he created?
In order to prove his point, Suman began to look for clues.
The house was just an ordinary farmhouse, and it looked like no one had lived there for a long time. The things inside were all ordinary things, nothing special.
Just when Suman was about to give up, the large vat outside caught her attention.
How come this tank is exactly the same as the one at her residence?
When she first saw it, she thought the jar was used by farmers to pickle vegetables and didn't pay much attention to it.
But now she felt something was wrong. The body of the jar was black and shiny like jade. The mouth of the jar was covered with white cloth and tied with a red rope. It did not look like an ordinary thing.
Su Man rubbed her red, frozen hands and tried to untie the knot on the red rope.
The rope was not untied until Suman's hands became numb from the cold.
Lifting the white cloth, there was another layer of oil paper wrapped inside, which could be used to poke a hole in with a little force.
The cave was pitch black and it seemed that the only way to see clearly was to open it.
Su Man simply tore off the oil paper and looked inside in the moonlight. The next second, her blood rushed to her head, her pupils dilated, and her face was filled with shock.
There was a female corpse in the tank. In order to fit into the narrow tank, her limbs had been twisted into a shape that was unbearable to look at.
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