Although I've been by my grandfather's side for so many years, all I've learned is the skill of sewing corpses.
Because I was born with one less soul, I can't use the incantations used by Taoists at all, and I can't even complete the most basic talisman drawing.
They could only use some Taoist items as aids to set up small defensive formations.
So Grandpa didn't teach him much.
I used both of the tricks I know in the morgue last time.
However, I'm going to use it this time too, because I really don't know anything else.
Just as I was about to go online to look up some ways to exorcise evil spirits, my phone suddenly rang.
It was Sister Wu calling.
I hesitated for a moment but answered the call anyway.
This can be considered a farewell.
I answered the phone and had barely said "hello" when I was interrupted by Sister Wu's urgent voice.
I don't know where she is. The wind is very strong, howling loudly, and Sister Wu's voice is intermittent.
"Xiao Chen, Boss Jin called me. I don't care where you are right now, listen carefully: if you want to live, go to Dashuying and find Niu Hongsheng..."
Before I could finish speaking, I suddenly heard a scream from the crowd not far away: "Ah! Someone jumped off a building!"
The most prominent characteristic of Chinese people is their love of joining in the fun.
The young couple next to me were embracing and kissing each other without a care in the world a second ago, and the next second they were running hand in hand in the direction where someone was jumping off a building.
I have absolutely no interest in jumping off buildings, but I can't resist the enthusiasm of other people.
Regardless of age or gender, including those with children, everyone was rushing in that direction, and I was squeezed into the crowded area as well.
I had just regained my footing when I tragically discovered that my phone had been stolen in the chaos.
After finally managing to squeeze out of the crowd and borrow a phone from a young woman to call Sister Wu, her phone was switched off.
Perhaps it was fate, but I just happened to be in Dashuying.
But this place is so big, where am I supposed to find someone named Niu Hongsheng?
Dashuying is an urban village where many small shops, restaurants, hair salons and other small commercial facilities are gathered.
Because of the relatively low rent and convenient transportation, it has attracted many migrant workers to live here, resulting in a complex population composition.
Finding someone here whose age and gender are unknown is like finding a needle in a haystack.
But regardless of the outcome, since I was destined to die, and suddenly there was hope for survival, I naturally couldn't let it go.
Even if it's hard to find, I'll still find it!
There was no other way but to ask each shop and each person one by one.
As I was searching, I noticed a middle-aged man who was doing the same thing as me, asking everyone he met, but I didn't hear what he was asking.
Seeing that he was wearing a tattered black vest in the sweltering heat, he was probably a beggar, and the people he approached ignored him.
I searched until 11 p.m., and still had no clue.
According to Mr. Jin, the wedding procession would arrive to pick me up in an hour.
Just as I was about to give up and find a place to set up my formation, the middle-aged man in the black vest walked towards me.
"Young man, could you do me a favor?"
I glanced at him and noticed that apart from his worn-out clothes, the middle-aged man's face was quite clean, though he looked rather pale and thin, clearly malnourished.
I replied that I was busy.
To my surprise, he became extremely excited upon hearing this, grabbing my hand and saying, "Brother, you have to help me with this, only you can help me! I'll only take a few minutes of your time, I'm afraid it will be too late if it gets any later."
As he spoke, he even tried to kneel down.
I sighed helplessly, helped him up, and asked, "Brother, what do you want me to help you with?"
Seeing that I agreed, the middle-aged man smiled even more broadly.
Pointing to a self-built house in the alley ahead, he said, "Could you please pass on a message to my son Huang Tao, telling him where his bankbook is?"
"Just this little thing?" I asked uncertainly.
"right!"
I asked him, "Why don't you just say it yourself?"
The middle-aged man sighed: "I wanted to say it, but I didn't have the chance! I had a few opportunities to say it a few days ago, but he wouldn't listen! He won't come after tonight. I'm afraid he'll lose the passbook. I've tried to talk to a lot of people, but they all ignored me."
As soon as I heard that, I understood.
The father and son had a falling out, but the older brother was still thinking about his son.
Parents' hearts are always full of love and worry!
Never mind, consider this my way of doing a good deed before I die.
When he reached the entrance of the alley, the middle-aged man stopped and looked up at the house on the third floor with the light on. He smiled timidly and said, "I won't go up. He won't see me."
I said, "Okay, then tell me where you hid the passbook."
"It's hidden under the bed in my room. There's a secret compartment there. You can find it by lying on the floor and feeling around with your hands."
He paused, then continued, "Tell him that I... have never blamed him."
I told him to wait here, and I'll be back in a bit.
After walking about seven or eight meters further in, I noticed that there seemed to be a layer of wet lime on the ground, covered with footprints.
This is very common in urban villages.
If you see dry lime scattered at the front door of a house or the entrance of an alley, you know that someone has recently passed away in that place.
It is said that sprinkling it on can remove [impure air].
Beside the main entrance on the first floor, there was a brazier filled with freshly burned ashes, still steaming.
It looks like it was burned recently.
When I went upstairs, I saw that the door was not closed and there were several large plastic bags in the hallway outside.
Inside were clothes, pots and pans.
It looks like the middle-aged man's son is moving.
Inside the house, a young couple was packing their things; they appeared to be the man's son, Huang Tao, and his wife.
Upon seeing me, Huang Tao paused for a moment, then forced an awkward smile and said, "You're the new tenant, right? Sorry, give us ten more minutes and we'll be done moving in."
I told you I wasn't a tenant; your dad asked me to pass on a message to you.
As soon as I said that, the smile on his face froze instantly, and he snorted irritably, "What does that old geezer want to say?"
Hearing this, I frowned and said, "Your dad told me to tell you that there's a hidden compartment under the bed in his room. You can find it by feeling around on the floor."
Huang Tao snorted angrily, "I don't want that old bastard!"
Upon hearing this, Huang Tao's wife hurriedly turned around and went into the room.
Hearing him say "old bastard" twice, and recalling the middle-aged man's posture as he prepared to kneel before me, I couldn't help but ask, "He's still your father, why do you hate him so much?"
"That beast doesn't deserve to be my father!"
Huang Tao gritted his teeth in hatred, almost squeezing out every word: "He's a hypocrite who coveted wealth and status and pretended to be a gentleman for over twenty years just to get my parents' pension! A liar! A scumbag!"
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