The nights in the countryside in the 1970s were quieter than modern people could imagine. The darkness enveloped the entire world like an insoluble ink. There was a hazy moon in the sky, shrouded by layers of fog and haze, emitting a very faint light that barely reflected the surrounding scenery within a few meters.
Yaoyao was already afraid of the Ghost Festival. Suddenly she caught a glimpse of a white skirt floating out of the woods and screamed in fright.
"Don't be afraid." The deep voice reached my ears, with the power to calm people's hearts.
By the time Cheng Yaoyao reacted, he had already jumped into Xie Zhaohuai, being held steadily by his breath and strong arms.
"There's a ghost, there's a ghost!" Cheng Yaoyao hid his face on Xie Zhao's shoulder, leaving only his eyes exposed, and looked behind him tremblingly.
Xie Zhao held her up with his arms, and said helplessly, "There is no ghost, don't scare yourself."
"It's true!" Cheng Yaoyao put her hands around Xie Zhao's neck. Xie Zhao's calmness also infected her. She said anxiously, "It's true. I saw a white skirt floating out of the woods."
Cheng Yaoyao's tone was filled with tears, his body was shaking, and he looked really frightened.
Xie Zhao gently rubbed her hair with his face and coaxed her, "Are you dazzled? We're going home now, don't be afraid."
Cheng Yaoyao hummed vaguely, still clinging tightly to Xie Zhao and refusing to get off. Xie Zhao couldn't use much strength with one hand, and said helplessly: "I can't lift anything if I hold you."
"Then don't use the basket." Cheng Yaoyao said unreasonably.
Xie Zhao held the clinging Jiaojiao in his arms and said, "Okay, you don't want goat milk anymore?"
Cheng Yaoyao hesitated for a moment, then said pitifully, "Yes."
Xie Zhao's arms were the safest fortress in the world. Cheng Yaoyao lay in his arms for a while and finally agreed to get out of bed.
Xie Zhao held Cheng Yaoyao with his injured hand, picked up the basket on the ground with his right hand, and the two walked towards home together.
After walking a few steps, there was another rustling sound in the woods, and a white figure loomed behind the woods. This time, it was Xie Zhao who noticed it and stopped abruptly.
Cheng Yaoyao stood beside Xie Zhao, his shoulder blocking his view. He asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Xie Zhao said calmly, "It's nothing. Sister, hold my hand tight."
Cheng Yaoyao burst into tears: "You saw it too, didn't you?"
Cheng Yaoyao's mouth was covered by Xie Zhao, unable to make a sound. Her hands tightly grasped Xie Zhao's wrists, and she felt numb from her toes to her head. She didn't believe in ghosts in the world before, but she could even travel through a book, so what was impossible?
Cheng Yaoyao patted Xie Zhao's wrist, signaling him to let go.
Xie Zhao slowly loosened his hand and whispered in her ear, "Don't make a sound."
Cheng Yaoyao whispered, "What did you see?"
Xie Zhao did not answer, but whispered: "Don't look around, let's move forward."
Xie Zhao's attitude of keeping a low profile made Cheng Yaoyao even more nervous. Cheng Yaoyao held Xie Zhao's hand tightly, almost sticking to him, and followed him as he walked quickly. The footsteps of the two people rustled in the darkness, and the occasional cracking sound of a branch being stepped on could stimulate Cheng Yaoyao's fragile nerves.
Just as he was daydreaming, he heard another sound from the front, faint and sobbing. The night wind blew across his skin, and goose bumps instantly appeared on Cheng Yaoyao's back. He cried, "...You, did you hear it?"
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"Don't be afraid." Xie Zhao protected Cheng Yaoyao behind him, and finally a hint of anger appeared in his tone: "Playing tricks!"
The two took two more steps forward, and Xie Zhao picked up a stone and threw it at the source of the crying, growling, "Who's there!"
"Ah!" The crying stopped abruptly, and a scream was heard. It was the voice of a girl, who sounded very young.
The mist just dispersed, and the moonlight illuminated the path. Cheng Yaoyao poked his head out from behind Xie Zhao, only to see a girl about fourteen or fifteen years old looking at Xie Zhao with horror on her face, tears still wet on her face.
The girl was wearing an old dress that was too big for her and looked extremely thin. She looked like a living person.
Xie Zhao said: "Is it you?"
The girl then took a few steps back in panic, holding a basket tightly in her arms, and stared at Xie San without saying a word.
Cheng Yaoyao stepped forward and said to the girl, "Don't be afraid, we are not bad people. Do you know her?"
The latter question was directed to Xie Zhao. Xie Zhao said, "She rode in a tractor a while ago."
When the girl saw Cheng Yaoyao, a look of surprise appeared on her face. Although she was still sobbing, she said, "I know you. You are that Cheng Yaoyao."
Cheng Yaoyao breathed a sigh of relief and complained, "Why are you crying here alone? It's so scary."
When the girl heard this, she held back her tears and murmured, "I... I want to send some dried sweet potatoes to the master's house, but it's too dark, I don't dare to go..."
Cheng Yaoyao asked, "You're going alone so late? Where is your grandfather's house?"
The girl whispered, "In the next village."
Cheng Yaoyao turned to look at Xie Zhao, who explained, "We have to go through the woods ahead. It's quite far."
Cheng Yaoyao said: "It's so dark over there!"
Xie Zhao pinched her palm, and Cheng Yaoyao stopped talking. The girl shivered violently and finally started crying again.
Cheng Yaoyao didn't expect that a single sentence would scare someone to tears. He turned around and looked at Xie Zhao. Xie Zhao said, "You can't walk alone at night. Go tomorrow."
The girl lowered her head and stood still.
Cheng Yaoyao was puzzled and said, "It's really dark ahead, and..." Cheng Yaoyao swallowed the words "there's a ghost" and said, "How can a girl walk alone at night? What's wrong with your family?"
These words seemed to poke the girl's heart. She sobbed and said, "My grandmother asked me to go. If I didn't go, she would beat me and not give my brothers and sisters food..."
Cheng Yaoyao angrily said, "What kind of woman is this! Listen to me, your life is more important, what do you plan to do if you get beaten up? Come back with us."
The girl looked embarrassed, and her fear of her grandmother was obvious. She looked back and forth several times between the way she came and the way ahead, hesitating and not daring to move.
Cheng Yaoyao impatiently pulled Xie Zhao and threatened her: "If you don't leave, we will leave!"
The girl hurriedly said, "I...I'll go with you!"
The girl stumbled after them, looking absent-minded. Cheng Yaoyao spoke to her for a few words but she didn't respond. Xie Zhao took them back to the village through a shortcut, and sent the girl to the alley before returning to Xie's house.
The lights were on in the yard. Grandma Xie and Xie Fei were waiting in the yard. When they came back, Grandma Xie came up to them and complained, "Why are you back so late? I've told you so many times not to go out at night on Ghost Festival. Why are you still here so late?"
Cheng Yaoyao looked innocent and pointed at Xie Zhao from behind. Xie Zhao put down the basket, took out the big jar and checked it. Fortunately, the goat milk was not thrown away, and his sister wanted to drink it.
As soon as he looked up, his grandmother scolded him and beat him with a pomelo branch: "You little bastard, I taught you not to be disobedient!"
Xie Zhao: “???”
Cheng Yaoyao said to Xie Fei with a smile: "That little lamb is so funny. I fed it a lot of tomatoes."
Xie Fei was so envious: "I want to go tomorrow too!"
Grandma Xie said angrily, "No one is allowed to go! Tomorrow is the Ghost Festival, everyone stay home, especially Yaoyao and Xiaofei. Yaoyao, come here too, and smear yourself with pomelo leaves, make sure you don't get any dirty stuff on you!"
Cheng Yaoyao said with a bitter face: "I want to fight too?"
"Of course." Grandma Xie said seriously, "When we were kids, we never went out at night in July. When we came back from outside, we had to wash ourselves in a basin of water to avoid bringing home anything dirty."
Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Fei both shouted, "Grandma, please stop talking. It's so scary!"
Grandma Xie took some pomelo leaves and gently hit Cheng Yaoyao a few times: "Who told you to be disobedient and go out! All right, I'll boil some water with the pomelo leaves, and you can ask Zhao Ge'er to get you a bath."
Grandma Xie and Xie Fei were already sleepy, and seeing Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Zhao returned safely, they went back to sleep. Xie Zhao hung the goat milk into the well to keep it fresh, and went to the kitchen to fetch water for Cheng Yaoyao.
The tub needed seven or eight buckets of water to be full. Xie Zhao carried the tub back and forth several times before filling it up. His heels were stepped on by Cheng Yaoyao several times. He filled the tub without saying a word, and put the last bucket of hot water aside before suddenly turning around and catching the little tail.
Cheng Yaoyao screamed softly: "What are you doing!"
Xie Zhao had no expression on his face and picked her up: "You're such a clingy person."
Cheng Yaoyao snorted: "You are a big liar."
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"Hmm?" Xie Zhao uttered a syllable to express his confusion.
Cheng Yaoyao looked down at him and said, "You obviously secretly took tutoring lessons with the teachers in the bullpen, and you even made bets with me and beat me so many times. You're cheating!"
No wonder Xie Zhao could answer such difficult questions and questions he had never seen before. He must be really good at it. Cheng Yaoyao studied hard to prove that he was not dumber than Xie Zhao, but he still lost miserably! Thinking of the bets he had lost to Xie Zhao before, Cheng Yaoyao was furious.
Xie Zhao said confidently: "You didn't say I couldn't ask the teacher for help."
Cheng Yaoyao said angrily: "You are making excuses!"
Xie Zhao said: "No."
Cheng Yaoyao pushed him angrily: "You keep talking back, I don't want to bother with you anymore!"
"Okay." Xie Zhao put Cheng Yaoyao down and turned around and walked out quickly.
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Cheng Yaoyao was stunned: "You..."
As soon as Xie Zhao left, the storage room became exceptionally quiet. The dim light flickered, the straw hat and raincoat hanging on the wall looked like a human figure, and there was also a shadow on the window...
Xie Zhao closed the door of the utility room, but before he could close it, a slender hand reached out and grabbed him: "Stop!"
The dim light illuminated Xie Zhao's deep features, and a faint smile flashed across his eyes: "I'm at the door, don't be afraid."
Cheng Yaoyao cried and said, "I don't want to be alone...that's not what I meant!"
Xie Zhao's aura suddenly became stronger, so strong that Cheng Yaoyao felt embarrassed, and hurriedly explained: "The room is too dark, I'm scared."
Xie Zhao stared at her expressionlessly: "Let me stay, you know what will happen."
"What are you thinking about?" Cheng Yaoyao resisted the urge to roll his eyes and said, "Come in and talk."
The room was filled with the faint and bitter scent of grapefruit leaves and the smell of burning candle wicks. Perhaps it was because Xie Zhao was there, or perhaps it was because a few more candles were lit, the red candles were glowing warmly, and Cheng Yaoyao was soaking in the water comfortably, with her hair hanging down like seaweed.
Xie Zhao had a scarf covering his eyes and tied behind his head. Cheng Yaoyao checked carefully several times and found nothing. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, with an unhappy aura emanating from his body.
Cheng Yaoyao lay on the edge of the bucket and chattered to Xie Zhao: "The lamb rubbed my hair with grass."
Xie Zhao said: "Then just ignore it."
Cheng Yaoyao said, "But it's so cute, can we take it home and raise it? I'll be responsible for cutting grass for it anyway."
Xie Zhao said: "No."
Cheng Yaoyao groaned, "I want to have a pet."
Xie Zhao asked, "Don't you raise chickens?"
"..." Cheng Yaoyao rolled his eyes to the sky, and then thought of something else: "How about using goat milk to make caramel milk tomorrow?"
Cheng Yaoyao's sweet voice was endless, and the sound of water stirred up countless fantasies. The scent of grapefruit leaves, candles, and soap mixed together, but Xie Zhao could accurately distinguish the subtle scent of roses.
Xie Zhao was distracted for a moment, sweat broke out on his forehead, and his lips were tightly pursed.
Cheng Yaoyao said a few words, but Xie Zhao didn't answer. She yelled again in anger, and Xie Zhao came back to his senses and said, "If you yell again, grandma will hear it."
"...Humph." Cheng Yaoyao said righteously: "I'm just worried that you'll be bored, so I'm trying to find something to talk about."
Xie Zhao's lips curled up slightly: "It's not boring. I can think about many things."
"What are you thinking about?" Cheng Yaoyao realized something was wrong when he asked this question, because Xie Zhao had already spoken.
"Miss you."
Cheng Yaoyao held her breath and sank directly to the bottom of the water, spitting out a string of bubbles. Xie Zhao, you big rascal! Cheng Yaoyao held her breath for a while, and suddenly a hand reached into the water, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her out of the water.
The water splashed up high, and Cheng Yaoyao emerged from the water, gasping for breath: "Ahem...what are you doing..."
Xie Zhao patted her on the back and asked hurriedly, "Are you okay?"
Cheng Yaoyao was furious: "When did you take off your scarf?"
Xie Zhao's face showed a trace of embarrassment: "I suddenly couldn't hear your voice. I called you several times but you didn't answer me. I thought you..."
Cheng Yaoyao scooped up some water and splashed it on his face: "I didn't drown! Haven't you seen people taking a bath? I do this all the time and can stay submerged for several minutes!"
The anxiety on Xie Zhao's face had not yet faded, but his eyes suddenly changed and he stared at her passionately.
…
"Sister, are you asleep?" Xie Zhao asked softly.
The person in his arms breathed evenly, hugged his neck softly, and his hair rubbed against his cheeks, making him feel a little itchy. Xie Zhao still walked around the room slowly, then sent the person back to the bed and gently put him in the quilt.
Cheng Yaoyao suddenly left Xie Zhao's warm embrace, and hummed as she lay on the cool mat, then turned over and hugged the soft quilt. Xie Zhao stuffed a small bamboo pillow behind her neck and gently pulled the quilt over her. Cheng Yaoyao rubbed the smooth small bamboo pillow, satisfied, and fell into sleep again.
Xie Zhao stared at her defenseless sleeping face. Since he coaxed her like this last time, Cheng Yaoyao had a new habit: she would not fall asleep until Xie Zhao held her in his arms.
Xie Zhao gently stroked her hair, and he was happy to coax her and bring out more bad habits in her until she could no longer leave him.
It has been many years since the Four Olds Movement began, and people in the countryside dare not openly express superstition, but there are still many taboos about the Ghost Festival. Early in the morning, Grandma Xie placed three cups of wine and three rice balls in the room as a sacrifice to the ancestors.
Cheng Yaoyao rubbed his eyes and went to pick up eggs. He found that there were two eggs missing today and shouted, "Xie Zhao, two of my eggs are missing!"
Xie Zhao, who was chopping wood, hit his axe against the woodpile and stopped. He walked over to see: "Why is there less?"
"Usually there are eight, but today there are only six." Cheng Yaoyao showed Xie Zhao the egg in his clothes pocket, "Did a weasel steal it?"
Xie Zhao said: "No, the holes in the corners have been patched up. Did you count wrong?"
"I can usually pick eight every day! A chicken lays two, so how come there are two less?" Cheng Yaoyao counted them again without giving up.
These chickens are fed with spiritual spring water and cicada monkeys, and they lay two eggs every day, and it has been like this for the past few days.
Grandma Xie also said, "Impossible! Wong Tai Sin has promised me not to come again!"
Last time, a weasel dug a hole to steal chickens, but was discovered by Xie Zhao before it could steal anything. But grandma didn't let us kill the weasel, and she put two eggs at the door, muttering for a while, saying that her family was not easy, and asked Wong Tai Sin not to come to her house to steal chickens in the future. Since then, the weasel has indeed not come again.
Cheng Yaoyao was puzzled by this - wasn't it because Xie Zhao sealed the cave?
Grandma Xie ordered some eggs, picked up a few hens and examined them carefully. Finally, she grabbed a reed chicken and said, "This hen doesn't lay eggs anymore. Since it's a holiday today, why not just kill it and make soup?"
Cheng Yaoyao and the other two agreed enthusiastically. After all, with the chicken someone gave them, there were four chickens in the house, so killing one would save the trouble of having a large team of people come to cut off the tails.
Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Fei were discussing enthusiastically how to eat the chicken. Xie Zhao also praised the deliciousness of the braised chicken. Suddenly, there was a burst of noise outside the door.
Cheng Yaoyao was the most curious, so he ran to the door to see that Auntie Yingui next door was rushing out. Cheng Yaoyao asked, "Auntie, what's going on?"
Auntie Yingui didn't even have time to take off her apron, and hurriedly followed the people to run towards the village entrance: "Someone was caught sneaking into the sapling yesterday, and the whore is being interrogated at the village entrance!"
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