Chapter 139 One person died in a fall, and three more unexpectedly came knocking.
The one man and the three ghosts eventually boarded a long-distance bus heading towards Qinglan Village.
Shen Yuepo chose a window seat in the last row, and Lu Ningshuang and Zhang Lin sat next to her.
Ah Bao, on the other hand, curiously leaned against the back of the seat in front of him, watching the scenery rushing past the window.
After starting the car, just in case, Shen Yuepo took out her phone and sent a text message to Wu Feng.
If there are other abducted women in the village who are still alive, she alone cannot do it.
After successfully sending the message, she put her phone on silent and closed her eyes to rest.
The three paper figures beside her, ever since they boarded the bus, have been like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, completely opening their mouths to chatter and never stopping.
Lu Ningshuang looked at the scenery outside the window with curiosity in her eyes, then exclaimed, "Abao, don't stick your head out!"
Abao pulled her head back and whispered, "Sister, there are so many tall houses outside, even taller than our embroidered tower!"
Zhang Lin: "That's called an office building, it's dozens of stories high!"
Suddenly, Abao pointed to a huge inflatable doll outside the window: "Sister, look! A big tiger! A huge cloth tiger!"
...
The three "people" spoke in hushed tones, one after another.
Shen Yuepo closed her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly involuntarily.
No wonder Feng Jin complained about their noise; they really were quite noisy…
The bus bumped along the mountain road for nearly two hours before finally stopping at the entrance of a village that looked slightly more "bustling" than the entrance to Black Wind Village.
There was at least a decent dirt road and a crooked wooden sign that read "Qinglan Village".
As the car door opened, a smell of dirt and animal manure wafted out.
Shen Yuepo was the first to get up, get off the bus, and walk towards the village entrance.
A few elderly people sat sparsely at the village entrance, smoking pipes and basking in the sun.
As soon as the group saw three pretty young girls and a little boy getting off the bus, several pairs of eyes immediately fixed on them.
Their eyes lacked the simple curiosity typical of mountain dwellers; instead, they were filled with inquiry and greed.
Several heads huddled together, their hushed whispers carried on the wind, clearly reaching Shen Yuepo's ears:
"Hiss... Look, did that kid from the Li family trick you into bringing it back?"
"Good heavens! This time... they actually tricked three people back?!"
"These three girls are so pretty, but what's that little boy doing next to them? Is he buying one get one free?"
"Doesn't seem like it... nor does it look like someone who's stupid..."
Pretending to be completely unaware, Shen Yuepo maintained a calm expression and walked straight toward the old men.
Lu Ningshuang, Zhang Lin, and Abao followed behind her.
As soon as Zhang Lin's paper doll entered Qinglan Village, a hatred originating from the depths of her soul almost burst forth from the paper shell.
She quickly lowered her head, clenched her paper fist tightly, and desperately tried to recall Shen Yuepo's instructions.
Shen Yuepo walked up to the elderly people and said, "Excuse me, sirs. May I ask how to get to Wang Erya's house?"
"Wang Erya?"
One of them, an old man with a missing front tooth and dark skin, looked Shen Yuepo up and down.
His gaze swept back and forth across her pretty face, then he grinned, revealing yellow teeth.
"Oh my, what a beautiful girl! Looking for Wang Erya? What's your relationship with her?"
Shen Yuepo looked at him calmly:
“I’m here to see my cousin Zhang Lin. She messaged me three months ago saying she was at Wang Erya’s house. Well, it’s the weekend, so I brought my younger cousins along.”
"Zhang Lin?"
The old man with the missing tooth was startled, his smile instantly freezing, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes. He subconsciously repeated, "Are you Zhang Lin's cousin?"
"Yes." Shen Yuepo nodded, her eyes clear and innocent. "What? Does the old lady know my cousin?"
"Ah...ah! I know him! I know him!"
The old man with the missing tooth suddenly snapped out of his daze, an unnatural smile tugging at the muscles on his face, and quickly said:
"Wait a minute, girl. Wang Erya's house is at the east end of the village. It's not far! I'll call her right now and have her come pick you up!"
After saying that, as if afraid that Shen Yuepo would continue to ask questions, he didn't wait for Shen Yuepo's answer, turned around and grabbed the two old men next to him, and hurriedly walked into the village.
They walked very fast, keeping their voices down as they went:
"Sixth Brother! Isn't Wang Erya's daughter named Zhang Lin? She...didn't she die in a fall? Why is her cousin here?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!" The toothless old man's voice was filled with exasperation. "Who knows if it's true or not, but they've come knocking! And there are three of them, and they all look quite nice!"
"Goodness! Wang Erya's family is so lucky! One person died in a fall, and three more actually came knocking on their door?" Another old man's voice was full of envy.
"How can we let them take three spots?!"
The third old man immediately retorted, his voice filled with naked greed:
"No, absolutely not! We'll make it clear to their family later that they can only give us one at most! My Gou Dan is almost thirty and still hasn't gotten married! That girl who asked for directions looks so gentle and quiet, she'd be perfect for my Gou Dan!"
"Pah! Why should it be yours? My Tiezhu is waiting too! I think that guy who looks like a college student is pretty good!"
"Stop arguing! Go talk to Wang Erya first, don't let the duck that's almost in your mouth fly away..."
The three old men walked quickly while arguing in hushed tones about the distribution.
The tone made it seem as if Shen Yuepo and the others weren't living people, but rather commodities to be sold, or pies to be divided up at will.
Watching the old men hurriedly disappear around the corner of the village road, Shen Yuepo's eyes turned icy cold.
Instead of waiting where she was, she led the three paper figures directly into the village.
Her gaze swept around.
The air was thick with gloom, a mixture of despair, fear, and long-suppressed resentment.
The eerie atmosphere, like a thin mist, permeated every inch of the village, silently recounting the tragedy that had occurred there.
However, although these yin energies were dense, they did not condense into ghosts with obsessive attachments like Zhang Lin's.
This means that most of the souls who died here unjustly have either already entered the cycle of reincarnation, or their despair has deepened to the point that they cannot even take form.
Shen Yuepo walked along the bumpy dirt road, with low, dilapidated houses on both sides, their doors and windows tightly closed, and occasionally a pair of watchful eyes peeking out from the cracks.
As they approached a somewhat secluded, half-open mud house, a sharp, sarcastic curse, accompanied by faint sobs, rang out clearly:
"Crying, crying, all you do is cry! You jinx! Did we buy you to enjoy life?!"
"She's already pregnant with our Li family's child, and she's still thinking of running away? Go ahead and run! Let's see where you can run to!"
"Wait until this child is born, then I'll beat you to death! Let's see if you dare to have any more wicked thoughts then..."
The object of the curses was clearly another poor woman who had been abducted and was being tortured.
Shen Yuepo stopped in his tracks, his gaze turning icy.
Based on what the old men at the village entrance said earlier, and the situation of this family...
Qinglan Village is nothing short of a hell for trafficked women.
Zhang Lin's experience is by no means an isolated case.
The villagers here, from the old to the young, have long regarded this crime as a matter of course.
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