As they walked, the two got closer and closer. Shumei was already frightened by the sound of the wind just now. Now, looking at Zhang Binglin approaching her, she was so scared that she stopped in her tracks.
The evening breeze blew towards her again. She was already exhausted, and her legs became weak with fear. She subconsciously wanted to step back or find a place to hide, but her feet could not move.
"Could it be a ghost scratching his feet?"
She fell to her knees, tightly protecting the child in her arms. "Brother Ghost, we have no grudges in the recent past or in the past. If you really want to find a scapegoat, find me! Please let my poor child go. Please..."
Shumei kept kowtowing and begging the so-called ghost brother to spare the baby in the cradle.
Zhang Binglin's eyesight wasn't very good, and it was nighttime, so he walked right up to Shumei and didn't even recognize her. "What bad luck! Who's sending ghosts here in the dead of winter? Pah! Pah! Amitabha, don't blame me, I'm just passing by. Excuse me!"
At that time, people had little education and, influenced by the remnants of feudal ideology, still believed in ghosts and gods. They always attributed unexplained strange things to ghosts. They kept their distance from so-called ghosts and treated them with respect, fearing that they would offend them and suffer revenge.
Shumei, who was already trembling with fear, heard Zhang Binglin's muttering.
"Hey! Why does this voice sound so much like Daddy's?" She raised her head, which had been hanging low and she hadn't dared to raise it, and called out twice tentatively, "Dad, Dad? Is that you?"
It sounded like Shumei was calling out. No, it was so late at night, what if it was a ghost? If I answered, my soul would definitely be taken away by the Black and White Impermanence. It was better to avoid it.
Seeing that the other party did not respond, Shumei was even more convinced that the figure in front of her was undoubtedly a ghost. She was instantly horrified and broke out in a cold sweat.
“Wow wow wow…”
This naughty child burst into tears again at the critical moment, and Shumei and Zhang Binglin almost screamed in fright.
"Baby, don't cry..."
Shumei gently soothed the child in her arms, fearing her cries would attract nearby ghosts. But no matter how she soothed, the child continued to cry. In desperation, she simply unbuttoned her shirt and stuffed the nipple into the child's mouth. But the child, even with the nipple in his mouth, continued to cry, his sobs getting louder and louder.
"Child, what's wrong with you? Could it be... could it be that a ghost is haunting you and scaring you?"
Zhang Binglin, having initially planned to take a detour, turned back and headed towards Shumei when he heard the child's voice. With Shumei's voice and now the child's crying, he firmly believed the figures ahead were his daughter-in-law and granddaughter, not ghosts.
"People are three parts afraid of ghosts, and ghosts are seven parts afraid of people. Don't be afraid, my child. I'm here. Even if there's a vicious ghost in front of me, I'll fight it to the death."
Shumei was reborn after a catastrophe, but she never expected it to be due to a non-existent ghost. She vaguely remembered a row of small willow trees by the roadside. Relying on her memory, she found them, broke off a branch, and beat Zhang Binglin, who was walking towards her, with it.
"I'll beat you to death, you black-hearted devil! I told you not to bully my daughter! I told you not to bully my daughter..."
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, is that Shumei? Stop it, I'm your father!"
Only after hearing the familiar voice of Zhang Binglin did Shumei stop her crazy behavior.
"Dad, is it really you?"
"It's me, it's me. You usually look so gentle and weak, but I never thought you had such a crazy side."
"Dad, are you okay? It's so dark out here, I thought you were a ghost!"
"I can handle a small branch. As long as you and the child are okay, it's fine. Let's go! It's a cold night with heavy frost and dew. Don't let the child catch a cold."
And so, the two of them returned together.
Returning home, Shumei saw Ji Zong lying on the bed with tears in his eyes. The thought of the once sunny and healthy Ji Zong who had taken such good care of her, now having to lie on the bed like a walking corpse for the rest of his life, tore her heart apart.
She put down the sleeping child, poured some hot water into the kettle, and began to wipe Ji Zong's body and change the bed sheet and pants that were soiled due to Ji Zong's incontinence.
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