Chapter 12
After accepting the E-level mission, Yu Tu did not start immediately. Each freshman can accept multiple missions as long as they are completed before school starts.
The next day, Yu Tu got up and made a large pot of ice jelly, then divided the ice jelly into many small bowls, putting a spoonful of brown sugar and fruit pieces piled into a point on each bowl.
Carrying his homemade ice jelly, he knocked on the doors of his neighbors with a smile. No one would know better what happened in the town many years ago than these elderly people who have lived in the town for sixty or seventy years.
The grandpas and grandmas around the small building welcomed Yu Tu very much. The town was remote, and there were no leisure and entertainment venues such as cinemas, milk tea shops, and playgrounds. There were only two small supermarkets, and even the hospital was just a three-story building with an old appearance. Young people couldn't stay there after returning, so the people living in the town all year round were all elderly people.
The old people are getting older, and their tempers are mostly better than when they were young, not to mention that Yu Tu is a lovable child. Even if they are talking about trivial matters, Yu Tu will not play with his phone and then perfunctorily answer them. He will listen to them seriously and express his feelings from time to time to show that he is listening carefully.
"I didn't expect that Master Li could also weave flower baskets out of bamboo. How amazing!"
"Granny Wang handed over such a bulging wallet to the police station without blinking an eye! You are a man of high awareness. We should all learn from you!"
"Last time I heard Uncle Peng praise Grandma Qian for her pickled cabbage, saying it was especially good. Every time the pickled cabbage came out of the market, everyone couldn't wait to bring their goods to Grandma Qian to exchange!"
…
Chinese people are very reserved and rarely praise others. When they meet, they are always humble to each other. The wrinkles on the faces of the grandpas and grandmas who were praised loudly by Yu Tu were almost blooming with smiles, while they were still saying "It's not that great", "You kids just haven't seen it before", "There's nothing worth praising about this thing"...
Yu Tu looked at this, then looked at that————
Since you think it's not worth mentioning and are still so humble, then why don't you stop smiling so hard that your teeth are showing!
With her harmless appearance and boastful personality, Yu Tu used ice powder to win the hearts of the neighbors and was successfully taken to the old locust tree in the south of the town the next day.
These are not just two or three grandpas and grandmas sitting in the small courtyard, but a large group. Any disturbance in the town cannot escape the sharp eyes of the old people under the old locust tree.
You may not know the source of their gossip, but you absolutely cannot help but believe in the power of their gossip.
Yu Tu sat among a group of old people. One praised him for his good looks, the other praised him for his patience. One stuffed peanuts into his mouth, the other stuffed melon seeds into his mouth. Yu Tu was forced to listen to the secrets of the town. school because of playing games. He was beaten up by his parents and ran away from home to his grandparents. His parents were so anxious that they called the police. When they found him, they were beaten by a mixed doubles of men and women. Somebody said that Qiu's son was unfilial to his parents. He didn't come back to see his mother when she was sick. His mother was so angry that she left all her property to the caregiver who came to take care of him. preparing to go to court...
Yu Tu ate all kinds of melons, both ordinary and extraordinary, until his eyes widened and he could only utter "Wow——" sounds.
I never thought that this seemingly peaceful and friendly town actually had so many secrets!
Oh, no, if everyone knows it, it's not a secret anymore, it's a story.
Yu Tu sat among the crowd under the big locust tree and ate melon for two days in a row. Finally, he found an opportunity to bring the topic to the old building in front of the locust tree forest at the southernmost end of the town.
The building was on the quietest street in the town. Most of the fifty or so houses on the street were vacant. When Yu Tu walked through the street to the teahouse in the forest, he could only see a little light after passing through several dark houses. For some reason, he felt uneasy.
"Don't mention that." The plump old lady sitting on Yu Tu's left patted his arm, "Don't let these little brats get carried away and go to that building."
"Oh, young people nowadays just love to play adventures..." said the old man sitting next to him, "You want to start that... that... live broadcast, right?"
"It's okay to hang out in other places, but that place is weird." The old man who was speaking shook his head, "You young people who don't know the immensity of heaven and earth should stay away from it, so as to avoid being involved in dirty things."
"Didn't Tu Tu just come to our town and is curious?" Before Yu Tu could say anything, the old lady on his right responded for him, "You two are hiding things and not saying anything. This will make him even more curious. What if he runs over there in the middle of the night?"
Yu Tu lowered his head under the gaze of many eyes and smiled shyly: "Indeed... I am quite curious."
He thought for a moment and added, "I probably wouldn't sneak over there at night."
There were so many grandpas and grandmas sitting under the big locust tree. Who among them was the foolish grandchildren who wanted to go to heaven? After hearing what he said, their hearts were as clear as a mirror—they must have become curious!
In order to get him to give up this idea, the old people under the big locust tree all talked to him and persuaded him. Even the two old ladies who usually liked to show off stopped.
"Although your Grandpa Zhang said something unpleasant, that place is indeed spooky. Three years ago, the naughty boy from Chen Gui's family was just as curious as you. He went to that building late at night without telling his family. I don't know what happened to him. The police were dispatched. After he came out of the building, he talked nonsense at night for several months. The doctor couldn't find any problem with him. He just said that he was under too much mental pressure. to exorcise the evil spirits and looked for folk remedies. It took a year and a half for him to get better... Anyway, since he got better, the kid from Chen Gui's family has never come back." An old lady in the crowd sighed, "It is said that he was left with some kind of... psychological shadow?"
"Five years ago, didn't Wu's Tingting also sneak in? But it wasn't as big a fuss as it was three years ago." Talking about what happened three years ago reminded some people of things that happened even earlier. "After she got out, she was beaten by her parents. She cried until her voice was hoarse. She also had nightmares for a long time. In a few months, she lost a lot of weight."
"Well, it's not a good place anyway." The old lady on Yu Tu's right stuffed a handful of peas into his hand, "Tu Tu, listen to my advice and don't worry about it."
Yu Tu took the handful of peas. He had just cracked a handful of spiced melon seeds and was now a little annoyed: "That old building is so bad, why not demolish it?"
"Tu Tu, don't worry about that old building all the time." Grandpa Li, who was particularly good at weaving flower baskets, diverted his attention. "I made a vegetable basket for you these two days. Do you want to add a panda on the handle?"
Yu Tu had seen Grandpa Li's bamboo weavings, they were all round and cute. He was really not good at asking flat words, so the grandpas and grandmas under the big locust tree kept trying to persuade him, but they really didn't reveal any inside information. They all had one central idea—tell him not to go.
It was very likely that no useful information would be obtained today. Yu Tu was not discouraged. He answered Mr. Li's question, "I want a panda. A round, chubby one!"
"Okay!" Grandpa Li grinned, "I'll bring it to you tomorrow."
Seeing that Yu Tu's attention was no longer on the old building, the chatting grandparents changed the topic to a new one. This time they were talking about the Feng family in the east of the town. Grandpa Feng's grandson died in a car accident during the summer vacation.
*
Using the excuse of picking up a delivery, Yu Tu left from under the big locust tree and walked slowly towards the delivery station. The delivery station was in the east and was considered the most prosperous area in the town. Yu Tu had just moved here and apart from going to the supermarket to buy some necessities, he had not yet walked deep into the town.
These past few days he was not just trying to gather information, he also bought a lot of equipment online, including gloves, shoe covers, flashlights, yellow talismans, cinnabar, and black dog blood - he had everything for fairies, as he believed ghosts must exist.
Although he had only seen cinnabar, black dog blood, rhino horns and the like being effective against ghosts in TV dramas, no one had actually seen them, but they had been passed down for so many years and the explanations were so consistent, so they should have some effect. Who knows, maybe someone from the other world wrote a story before he forgot everything.
After arriving at the destination, Yu Tu gave his pickup code, paid some deposit, borrowed a cart, and dragged several of his couriers back. He took different routes when he went there and when he came back, in order to get familiar with the town.
On the way back, he passed by a house. There were many cars parked in front of the house, almost blocking the road. White lanterns were hung under the eaves, and many wreaths were placed side by side at the door. He didn't know if it was Yu Tu's illusion, but when he passed by this family's door, he felt goosebumps all over his body and felt inexplicably nervous.
He quietly took a look inside the half-open door, and in the dark hall, it seemed that... there were two coffins placed side by side.
When the grandparents were chatting under the big locust tree, they mentioned the location of the Feng family. The grandson of the Feng family died, but they haven't heard that anyone else in the family has had an accident?
Yu Tu's eyebrows wrinkled with consciousness, but he did not stop. The wheels of the cart made a rolling sound on the ground. When he reached the street where he lived, he saw Grandma Wang, who was sweating profusely. The slightly plump old lady was panting:
"Tu Tu! Have you seen Xiao Xiao from Grandpa Li's family?"
"I didn't see it. What's wrong?" Yu Tu shook his head, and suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart, "Weren't you guys just chatting under the big locust tree?"
"Li Shun's wife Bai Ying suddenly came to us and told us that the child was missing———" Grandma Wang was almost out of breath, "She said that she took the vegetables she picked from the yard to the kitchen to wash them, and a short while later, Xiaoxiao, who was playing in the yard, disappeared! Now everyone is helping his family look for the child!"
Grandma Wang took a rest for a while, and was about to go somewhere else to look for him. Yu Tu stopped her and asked, "Have you called the police?"
"It's reported!" said Grandma Wang. "Now we need everyone to help find it. I hope it's just him running out to play, but I hope it's not the trafficker who killed someone that day!"
"Is there any family whose dog has a particularly good nose?" Yu Tu had an idea, "Xiao Xiao just got lost, let's get a dog to look for her now, maybe we can find her!"
"You're right!" Grandma Wang slapped her forehead, "I'll ask someone to give it a try!"
She ran away in a hurry. Yu Tu dragged his cart and passed by a house with its door wide open - Grandpa Li's house.
Judging from the fact that they didn't even have time to lock the door, the owner must have been extremely panicked.
Yu Tu pushed the cart into the yard and closed the door. He didn't have time to return the cart now, so he went to look for the child first. One more person means more strength.
Not long after he ran out of the street, he heard the sound of dogs barking one after another, as well as the sound of police cars, and a large group of people rushed towards Grandpa Li's house.
Everyone in the town knows each other well and has lived there for so many years that there has almost never been a case of a child being lost. Not to mention the Li family who lost a child, even those who didn't lose a child were worried.
The more prosperous places in the town must have been searched by someone. Yu Tu turned his gaze to the west. The street with old buildings in the west was deserted. If he wanted to hide, it would be a very suitable place.
Yu Tu touched the bead on his chest through his clothes, and his pounding heart finally calmed down a little.
He ran in that direction, and just as he reached the street corner, he almost ran into someone head-on.
"Sorry——Xiaoxiao?!"
Yu Tu was about to apologize, but when he looked up, he saw that the person he almost bumped into was holding a familiar child in his arms.
The man holding the little one was thin and skinny, like an old tree whose back had been bent by the pressure of life. His face was full of wrinkles and wrinkles. He looked unhappy and a little gloomy. "The child has been found. Do you have a phone number? Call Old Li's family."
"Okay." Yu Tu quickly took out his cell phone. He hadn't added Grandpa Li's contact number, but he had Grandma Wang's. He called and heard Grandma Wang's voice. Yu Tu quickly told her the good news, "Grandma Wang, Xiao Xiao has been found. On this street in the old building, she is a——"
Yu Tu suddenly realized that he didn't know the old man's last name, so he asked, "What's your last name?"
The old man holding the little one said, "My last name is Feng."
"——It was found by a grandfather named Feng. Yes, yes, it's really on this street. Please ask Grandpa Li and the others to come over!"
Yu Tu and the old man surnamed Feng stood there waiting for a while. The sound of a police car came closer and closer. As soon as the car stopped, two old men staggered out from the back seat. Their clothes were wrinkled and looked like pickled vegetables.
"My Xiaoxiao!" Grandma Qin rushed over to take the child, her face full of tears, "Xiaoxiao, wake up! I am your grandma!"
"Ms. Qin Baiying, we understand how you feel right now." Grandma Qin cried bitterly while holding her unresponsive child. The police who followed her helped her up from the ground. "But we need to send the child to the hospital first to check and see what's going on."
"Yes, yes, check it out! Check it out!" Grandma Qin was a little confused. She hugged the child tightly and said, "Let's go! Let's go to the city instead of the town!"
She held the child and ran towards the police car. Grandpa Li, who was following behind, was a step slower. He could only hold Grandpa Feng's hand and kept saying, "Old Feng, thank you, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have found Xiaoxiao. Thank you so much..."
Faced with such a long list of thanks, the old man surnamed Feng said little. He just pulled his hand out and said, "I'll go back if nothing else."
…
The farce of searching for the child lasted from the afternoon until night. Yu Tu came out of the police station after taking the statement. While taking the statement, he learned that the grandfather who saved the man was called Feng Wei. Previously, they said under the big locust tree that the person who died in the car accident was his grandson Feng Cong. The Feng family had only one son for three generations. Once Feng Cong died, the Feng family was extinct. The grandparents under the big locust tree were all very sad when they talked about this. It was not pleasant to think about seeing a young person send off their grandparents, not to mention that most of the children here were raised by their grandparents when they were young. The relationship between the two generations was very close. This hurt more than a knife in the heart.
Yu Tu returned to his own courtyard. It was a good thing to be surprised for a moment, but he always felt that something was strange.
The next day, Grandma Wang knocked on his door and told him the good news with great joy.
Xiaoxiao has woken up in the city hospital. It's not a serious condition and he will be back in good health in a few days.
Yu Tu smiled sincerely: "That's great, Grandpa Li and Grandma Qin are finally relieved."
"Yes." Grandma Wang said, "Thanks to Lao Feng for finding the child, otherwise how would Lao Li and Bai Ying live?"
"Alas, Old Feng's only grandson passed away. He could still help find someone..." Grandma Wang sighed, "If his previous daughters had not died young, they would have left behind a descendant. Now there is no one left. How are they going to live?"
"How did Master Feng's daughter die young?" Yu Tu said, "Grandma Wang, can you tell me about it?"
He ran that way because he thought there were fewer people there and Xiao Xiao was most likely hidden there. But when Feng Wei came out of the street where the old building was, no one suspected why a man whose grandson had just died would go to the old building in the west, even though his home was in the east.
This matter was no secret in the town. Since Yu Tu was curious about it, Grandma Wang told him about it, to prevent him from asking rashly one day and causing others to feel sad.
Feng Wei had four daughters before he had a son, but for some reason none of them grew up. The oldest one, the third child, died when she was two years old. Four years later, they had their fifth child, his only son Feng Sheng. When Feng Sheng grew up, got married and had children, he had a grandson, Feng Cong.
Among the older generation, no one is more fond of children than Feng Wei. Although his family is not rich, he always gives his children the best food and clothing. At that time, it was still popular to rent out CDs in piles in music stores, just because his children like them. Feng Sheng grew up to be a nobody, but Feng Wei and his wife were frugal and saved money to marry him off. After they had their grandson Feng Cong, their habit became even worse.
His neighbors would occasionally remind him not to indulge his children so much as it would be bad for their growth, but he turned a deaf ear to them as it was someone else's family's business. After all, the neighbors kindly reminded him a few times and then stopped caring about it.
As for Feng Wei's frequent visits to the street with the old buildings—
Grandma Wang said, "His four daughters are buried under the old building. After all, they are his own children, so he always misses them."
After seeing Grandma Wang off and returning the cart, Yu Tu recalled the story Grandma Wang had told him, and the feeling that something was wrong became increasingly apparent.
Perhaps because he was overwhelmed by modern information, he always felt that there was something wrong with this somewhat sad story. All four daughters were gone, and Yu Tu's first reaction was to favor boys over girls, but he saved Xiao Xiao, who was also a girl...
Yu Tu convinced himself that life was too hard in that era, and it was common for children to have a high mortality rate. It just happened that the one who survived was a boy.
No! He still felt something was wrong!
*
A few days later, Xiaoxiao was discharged from the hospital. Xiaoxiao's parents rushed back from the city where they worked. Together with his grandparents, they bought a lot of things and gave Feng Wei a thick red envelope to thank him for saving their child.
This kind of thank-you money for saving a life could not be refused, otherwise the person being saved would feel uneasy, so Feng Wei accepted it.
A lot of people went to the Feng family that day. In addition to coming to express their gratitude to the Li family, they also went to mourn Feng Cong. After all, he was a child they had watched grow up in this town, and his untimely death was truly heartbreaking.
Yu Tu also mixed in with the crowd and went to the mourning hall. Only then did he realize that what he had been surprised to see through the half-open door that day was not a double coffin, but a large single coffin, which was just too big, almost the size for two people.
Yu Tu followed the crowd and lit a stick of incense. He heard another elderly man beside him pulling Feng Wei and saying earnestly, "The weather is hot now. Even if there are ice blocks to suppress it, it won't be a problem. Let Congcong rest in peace as soon as possible."
Feng Wei looked older than the day Yu Tu saw him. His gray hair had turned even grayer at the temples in the past two days.
"I can't bear to let him go... I only have this one grandson... Congcong just got into high school..."
He choked up and said, "He left alone, all alone..."
As soon as he said this, Yu Tu felt his scalp tingling. He finally knew where the feeling that something was wrong came from at first sight—it was the luxurious coffin in front of him!
Yu Tu hid in the crowd, staring intently at the gold-painted and silver-coated coffin. He felt his eyes getting slightly hot, and then the wood in front of him gradually became empty.
In that coffin, there were two bodies lying side by side.
The bright red groom's suit, the bright red wedding dress, the bright red veil, and the beautifully tied red silk ribbon connected the two pale palms. The two corpses were covered with "囍" characters cut out of red paper, and white paper money was floating outside the coffins. The two complemented each other, and a kind of festive horror was created.
Yu Tu suddenly felt the cell phone in his pocket vibrate.
He took out his mobile phone and found a small red dot on the Lianxin APP - he had set a special focus on the task column, and he would be reminded immediately if there was any change.
Yu Tu clicked it and his breath was caught.
The task bar shows—
["D-level mission: Blood Wedding Dress" has reached the minimum activation conditions, and the mission will be automatically opened.
Note: Missions above D-level may be life-threatening, good luck. 】
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