Chapter 49 Urban Supernatural 1 Do you know my grandfather?
Chen Qi's hometown is deep in the mountains, the roads are rugged, and the cement road built by the government does not even reach his doorstep.
The younger generation has long since moved out, finding work and living elsewhere. The only time there are more people is during holidays. Normally, the elderly stay at home, or leave their children in the care of the elderly.
Chen Qi's grandfather also lives in his hometown. It's not that he doesn't have money to go out, but the old man believes in returning to his roots. Looking at the hustle and bustle of traffic and high-rise buildings in the hot summer outside, he can't grow vegetables or raise chickens. He doesn't feel used to it anywhere.
His grandfather had been away for a while, but later returned to live in his hometown. A few years later, his parents divorced, leaving him to be raised by his grandfather. Chen Qi also grew up in this land.
Chen Qi's biological father went out to study a few years ago, fell in love with a classmate, married him, and then gave birth to him.
But within a few years, love without material support fell apart, and the two divorced. One followed the rich man to live abroad, and the other followed the rich woman to settle in Beijing.
He gave this unwanted fruit of his past love to Grandpa Chen.
But he still had a bit of a conscience. He didn't miss out on child support, and the amount he gave each month was generous. By now, Chen Qi had plenty of money, and he was worth millions, with a car and a house, so he had no worries about the future.
Chen Qi has graduated from university now, and he could stay in the big city to develop his career, but his grandfather said he was not feeling well some time ago, and Chen Qi was worried, so he decided to go back.
As people age, their physical functions decline and they always get sick. Even if it means losing his tongue, he will take his grandfather to the city this time.
My hometown is located in a remote area. After taking a plane, I have to take two small high-speed trains, then take a bus back to the station, and then wait for the van back to the village. It’s a hassle back and forth. I left home at six in the morning, and it was dark before I got home.
The dilapidated van was already old, and it wobbled like an old ox plowing the field as it drove into the darkness.
The moon is not bright tonight and it is very dark ahead. There is only a little flicker of light in the distance illuminated by two car lights.
The road was narrow, one-way, and the weeds on either side had grown beyond the roadside, untended. The thorny leaves scraped against the windows, making a harsh sound as the car drove by. The road was also bumpy, making the ride in the car bumpy.
In addition, the driver's driving skills were not very good, and he frequently drove into potholes, causing Chen Qi to hit his head several times.
The trip home was indeed tiring. Chen Qi placed his bag at his feet, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back to doze off.
Boom——
The wheel hit the pothole again and fell to the left. Chen Qi was caught off guard and hit again, and a bump appeared on the back of his head.
He rubbed his head, opened his sleepy eyes, and said in a drawn-out voice, "Uncle San, we haven't seen each other for half a year. Your driving skills have deteriorated. Why do you always drive into the pit?"
Coincidentally, today the van driver was from their village. They were not relatives, but they lived in the same place. According to seniority, Chen Qi called him Third Uncle.
But he received no response. The car continued to move forward. It was very quiet inside the car and no one else said a word.
Chen Qi didn't take it seriously at first, thinking everyone was just too tired to talk from the ride. But just as he leaned back and was about to doze off again, he suddenly opened his eyes, sat up straight, and frowned, vaguely aware that something was wrong.
The van seats seven people, but there are no traffic police in the village, so it usually picks up ten or more passengers.
Chen Qi still remembers that it was already dark and past six o'clock when he got off the bus and was waiting for the bus at the intersection.
He was the only one waiting for the bus at that time.
The van came and he got in. He clearly saw that it was his third uncle who was driving the car, and there were five people in the car including the driver. When he got in, there were six people.
He was very tired at the time. Seeing that it was an acquaintance, he got on the car without paying much attention. He sat down, put down his bag, and began to feel sleepy and doze off. In order to catch the flight, he got up at five o'clock.
After graduation, I had a graduation dinner with my roommates and stayed up late these days, so I was seriously sleep deprived.
There was someone sitting in the front row at the time, so Chen Qi bent down with his bag and went to sit in the back row, where he was the only one sitting there.
Chen Qi sat up straight and looked forward. There were both male and female passengers, but what was wrong was that they were not so quiet.
He didn't know other people, but he had met almost everyone in the village, so they would definitely chat about various things while sitting in the car.
Moreover, Chen Qi glanced at his cell phone. In the dim car, the screen was bright and dazzling. It was already ten o'clock in the evening.
It usually takes two hours to get home, but now it has been driving for almost four hours and is still driving. It has not stopped at all, and no one in the car has gotten out. This is not normal.
The night outside was as dark as ink. The only lights inside and outside the car were the headlights in front and behind the car, which were broken and flickered.
Realizing the problem, Chen Qi's scalp went numb. He took a deep breath and picked up the bag, but the space inside the car was narrow and his head hit the roof, and his waist was almost bent like a shrimp.
Chen Qi was tall and strong, so walking was difficult. He used his cell phone to light the way and walked forward carefully.
When he passed the front seat and saw someone, he bravely took out his cell phone to take a picture, but he almost died in one breath.
This passenger had a blank expression, unblinking eyes, and extremely pale skin... the kind that looks like someone has been dead for days...
Hiss! The hairs on Chen Qi’s arms stood up.
He suppressed his fear and continued forward, as did everyone else, a terrifying thought forming in his mind.
"Third Uncle, Third Uncle..." Chen Qi lowered his voice.
But he paused and dared not move again.
Chen Qi still remembers clearly that when he got in the car, there was no one in the passenger seat, but now, the seat belt was fastened, and there was hair scattered on the left side, it was a woman...
The car was still moving, and the hands on the steering wheel were pale as if they had been dead for a long time. There was no blood or breath of life, and they did not move at all the time, just sitting there stiffly.
The answer was obvious. He was on a ghost car!
Chen Qi widened his eyes, clenched his phone, and his breathing began to become heavy. He tried his best to suppress it and brainstorm.
What to do, what to do...
Jump out of the car.
The lock on this old van isn't very useful, but it should be possible to open it by gritting your teeth and pulling it open with force.
Chen Qi was thinking in his mind and silently backing away. Suddenly, he kicked something round, making a noise.
He pointed his phone downwards and looked down, and was surprised to see a pair of eyes, a child's head.
He blinked and grinned.
He was so frightened that his heart tightened and he almost went into shock.
Chen Qi “…”
Sweat was beading on his forehead, and a beam of light from his cell phone slowly moved upwards. The headless child nestled in a woman's arms had come over and picked up the head on the ground, while the others also turned their heads to look at him.
Chen Qi felt a chill on his back and froze in place, not daring to move. His breathing became light and fluttery.
"Aqi, Third Uncle is playing cards downstairs and is short of people. He's waiting for you to come and fill up the table." It was Third Uncle's voice.
Chen Qi swallowed.
He slowly raised his head and saw his third uncle turning his head to look at him.
However, Uncle San's neck didn't move at all, but his head turned like a puppet. His face was blue, his lips were very white, and the corners of his mouth were cracked at a strange angle.
The woman in the passenger seat also turned around. She had disheveled hair and was wearing a red cheongsam. She was smiling at Chen Qi.
“Oh my god!”
Chen Qi's hair exploded, and the quintessence of Chinese culture burst out.
He struggled to open the car door.
They were all laughing, as if mocking his presumption. The car continued to move forward, and with the two flashing headlights, a closer look revealed that the road ahead was not a road, but a tomb.
However, at the moment when the van was about to rush into the tomb, the jade pendant on his neck became hot.
Suddenly, there was a blinding white light, followed by the painful screams of men, women, and children, and the door was successfully opened.
Chen Qi didn't hesitate and jumped out with the bag in his arms.
The moment his body hit the ground, there was a crisp sound and he twitched in pain. His arm might have been broken.
The car also became like the paper car burned for the Yin people on July 1st, burning to ashes in the air and returning to peace.
It was dark, and the path was still a small one. Insects chirped incessantly in the tall grass on both sides, and fireflies were flying around.
This is the familiar entrance to the village. The iconic feature is a tree that can be seen from afar, growing halfway up a mountain. This mountain is a low mountain in the middle of the four high mountains, as if it is being held in a basket. Moreover, this tree has no branches, and the trunk is straight up to the crown.
There was no moonlight around, only a dark green. It seemed as if all the moonlight had gathered in the crown of the tree, forming a cornucopia of moonlight.
Chen Qi climbed up and looked at the tree in the distance. He had a strange feeling. He felt that the tree was about to become a spirit.
It...seems to be alive, absorbing spiritual energy.
"Seven."
At this moment, hearing a familiar voice, Chen Qi immediately turned around.
It’s the grandfather holding the oil lamp.
Grandpa Chen is old, with gray hair and a thin body. The clothes he wears seem to hang on his skeleton. The evening breeze blows through his body, making it feel empty and fluttering. His back is slightly hunched.
He looked at Chen Qi with loving eyes.
Chen Qi smiled with relief, carrying his bag, and limped forward with a grin on his face, "Grandpa!"
"Aqi is back... You've worked hard along the way..."
Grandpa Chen's voice was still kind, but his eyes on Chen Qi showed an emotion that Chen Qi could not understand.
These words did not express the joy of seeing his grandson return home, but rather a sigh of inescapable fate.
"Grandpa..." Chen Qi was stunned and a little confused.
"Let's go home. Grandpa will take you home."
Grandpa Chen was dressed lightly and liked to wear a coat but he didn't wear it. He turned around, holding the oil lamp, with his shoulders uneven, and walked step by step towards home.
Grandpa... he's a little strange. Chen Qi was confused.
He walked quickly forward, walked beside Grandpa Chen and asked, "Grandpa, how did you know I was back?"
Chen Qi hadn't mentioned his decision to go home to his grandfather. If he had, his grandfather would have told him that he didn't need to travel back and forth.
The last time they spoke on the phone was ten days ago. It was his grandfather who called and told him that after graduation he should stay in the city, find a job, get married, and never come back.
Chen Qi said "OK, OK" perfunctorily, but he had already made up his mind.
Grandpa is old and has only a few years left, so he has to go back to accompany him. In his life, his grandfather and he depended on each other for survival, and Chen Qi valued his grandfather the most.
But if he told this to his grandfather, he would definitely not agree, so Chen Qi thought of executing him first and asking for his consent later.
Grandpa Chen's voice sounded old and distant, and seemed quite ethereal. "She told me that."
"Him? Who is he?" Chen Qi was confused.
He didn't know who Grandpa Chen was referring to. Chen Qi thought carefully and realized that he hadn't met any fellow townsmen at school.
But grandpa didn't say anything else, and didn't even go home with him.
Grandpa Chen only walked a short distance and then didn't leave. He looked at Chen Qi lovingly, as if he was taking a last look at him.
"Grandpa..." Chen Qi's heart was in a panic.
Grandpa Chen smiled and waved his hand, "Go back quickly. You will have to walk the rest of the way alone from now on."
Chen Qi didn't move, staring at him, "Grandpa, aren't you going back with me? Who do you want to go drink with so late at night?"
Grandpa Chen sighed, "You've been very sensible and smart since you were little, and you understand everything very quickly. I've always avoided you from going down this path, wanting you to live an ordinary life. But what a pity... what a pity, this is your fate."
Chen Qi didn't understand and reached out to hold Grandpa Chen, but as soon as his fingertips touched Grandpa Chen's clothes, he curled his fingers in shock, and Grandpa Chen's body scattered like starlight.
"Grandpa!" Chen Qi's heart sank. He opened his eyes wide, but he couldn't catch the starlight. It drifted away through his fingers.
"Go back. I went to ask her to make amends. She promised me to protect your life. Live well..."
Grandpa Chen's body disappeared, and the wind blew, as if he was stroking Chen Qi's head with his rough palm.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!"
Chen Qi's eyes were red and tears were welling up. He picked up the bag, ignored the pain, turned around and ran home.
He ran home in one breath, pushed the door open with his shoulder, and stumbled into his grandfather's room. He saw that his grandfather had already changed into his funeral clothes and was lying flat on the bed, his body lying very straight, sleeping peacefully, and... no longer breathing.
"grandfather!!!"
The bag fell to the ground with a thud. Chen Qi fell to his knees in front of the bed, crying like a little child.
From now on, he is alone.
…
Grandpa Chen used to be a paper-folding craftsman. They all made a living in the underworld, so there were many similarities between them. He could also tell fortunes by counting on his fingers.
Most of them are passed down from generation to generation, and very few are opened up halfway.
By Grandpa Chen's generation, it has been passed down for more than ten generations.
Decades ago, due to the prevailing trend of that decade, Master Chen's parents and wife all died. He never touched them again and raised his newborn son alone.
He never left the village again. When the child grew up, he went out for a few days, and then returned to this gradually abandoned apprentice to raise Chen Qi.
People nearby knew his abilities, and over the next ten years, people would occasionally come to him for help.
Grandpa Chen rarely took action, and he didn't teach Chen Qi. This is why Chen Qi only knew that Grandpa was a shady person but had never seen him.
When Chen Qi was born, Grandpa Chen knew that he had the best talent.
Grandpa Chen doesn't want him to get involved in this business.
This cover-up lasted for twenty-two years. Many things happened, but Chen Qi finally came back. This was his fate.
Few people knew about Grandpa Chen’s death.
It has been raining continuously these days, the ground is wet, and the village is very quiet, like an uninhabited village, dead and damp.
The next day.
Chen Qi buried his grandfather by himself without notifying the villagers.
People of the older generation like to prepare a coffin for themselves and keep it at home after they are over 50 years old.
Grandpa Chen also has one, and it’s a coffin he made himself.
He has also chosen the cemetery.
It is still raining today, and white fog is lingering over the mountains.
Deep in the back mountain, Chen Qi knelt in front of the tomb in a daze, his eyes red and swollen, his expression haggard, and he burned paper money numbly.
The drizzle wet his hair and formed water droplets that fell along his face, and most of his clothes were also wet.
The cool breeze and drizzle also bring a fragrance.
The rain was blocked.
Chen Qi paused while burning paper. He looked up and saw a gilded oil-paper umbrella and a woman.
Her hair was very long, falling to her waist and hips, with a red hairband tied at the end. She wore a bright red skirt embroidered with a phoenix rising from the ashes, with every stitch of gold thread shining brightly.
She wore gold and jade on both wrists and a golden locket around her neck. Her skin was as white as cream, her eyebrows and eyes were delicate and beautiful, she looked noble and elegant.
Chen Qi stared at her in a daze. Could she be the one his grandfather was talking about?
"It's a blessing that he lived that long."
"Let's go, don't waste time."
Wu Yue came to take a look and say farewell, then turned and left.
On a misty rainy day, a woman in red suddenly appeared in the woods, as beautiful as an ink painting.
She seemed to know a lot of things and could help him solve his problems.
Chen Qi kowtowed three times in front of the tomb, stood up, and followed without looking back. When he got closer, he could smell the scent of sandalwood.
"My name is Chen Qi, what's your name?"
"Wu Yue."
Wu Yue, Wu Yue...
It looked very familiar. Chen Qi took out the jade pendant hanging around his neck and turned it to the back. The words "Wu Yue" were clearly engraved on it.
He still had many questions to ask, but looking at Wu Yao's graceful back, Chen Qi closed his mouth.
After walking quietly for a while, Chen Qi still asked impatiently, "Why are you here? Do you know my grandfather?"
Grandpa's death was too strange, and he wanted to know the truth.
"Quiet."
However, Wu Yue did not explain the doubt, and two light words blocked the words that had already overflowed from his throat.
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The author has something to say: ——Urban Supernatural 1——
A new story begins, love you guys, muah [kiss]
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