"How did you grow up to be so big? The journey to the capital is long, how can the dry rations you brought from home be enough?"
Liu Yingying shook her head speechlessly, "Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you..."
Xue Ye;...
Okay, he really doesn't understand.
He and his mother had a difficult life from a young age, and even when he grew up a little, life at home was still tough.
He didn't starve to death because he learned to hunt.
But that often meant not knowing where the next meal would come from.
Anyway, his mother would never be like Liu Yingying, so far-sighted in order to make life more comfortable...
After buying the things, Liu Yingying took Xue Ye to a noodle shop to fill their stomachs before setting off.
However, before getting into the carriage, she still felt as if a gaze was watching her from the shadows, but when she looked back, she found nothing.
"What's wrong?" Xue Ye asked.
"It's nothing..." Maybe she's overthinking it.
As the carriage slowly drove away, a figure hiding in the shadows also quickly disappeared.
They soon arrived at the Sun residence.
"What! You said she left the county and went north?" Sun Boguang frowned subconsciously.
"Yes, but there are many cities in the north, and I don't know exactly where they are going..." the man answered softly, keeping his head down, as if he was afraid of being punished by Sun Boguang.
Sun Boguang remained silent for a moment, his fingers constantly stroking the white jade Pixiu thumb ring on his thumb.
The man swallowed hard, then dared to ask, "Third Master... should I continue to follow Madam Liu?"
Sun Boguang hesitated for only a moment, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes; "Go and keep an eye on her. If that woman wants to go to the capital, you know what to do..."
The man immediately understood Sun Boguang's meaning; "Yes, Third Master!"
After leaving the city, Liu Yingying's carriage traveled for three or four hours straight.
Although the journey was bumpy, fortunately, we did not encounter any major obstacles.
As the last rays of sunlight faded, dusk arrived as expected.
Liu Yingying glanced outside and realized that they were currently on a road in the middle of nowhere.
Then, lifting the curtain, he said to Xue Ye, "Let's hurry! Maybe there will be an inn or village ahead where we can spend the night. Otherwise, we'll really have to sleep in the wilderness."
Although Xue Ye did not give any response, he flicked his whip, prompting the horse to gallop faster.
A night breeze blew, causing the curtains on the carriage to flutter. A light rain began to fall, and the wind blew the drizzle onto Liu Yingying's face, making her feel a little cold.
In the pitch-black wilderness, under such weather conditions, it truly gave me goosebumps.
Just when they thought they would have to sleep in the wild tonight, they saw a house with its lights still on ahead.
Both were overjoyed and spurred their horses toward the light.
Only when they got closer did they realize that this was neither an inn nor a village.
On this desolate mountaintop, there stands only a simple stilted house, and with the eerie wind blowing late at night, it evokes a scene reminiscent of the Xiangxi corpse-driving tradition…
Liu Yingying stepped forward and knocked on the door; "Knock knock knock! Is anyone home?"
"Who is it?" came the voice of an old lady from inside the house.
Then came the creaking of the chair, followed by footsteps.
Then the door in front of Liu Yingying opened from the inside.
The moment the door opened, Liu Yingying couldn't help but gasp!
The old woman standing before her had a full head of white hair, a face full of wrinkles, and was less than four feet tall. She was holding an oil lamp and trying to look up to illuminate the face of the person who had come before her.
Liu Yingying also noticed that the old woman's hand holding the lantern looked exactly like that of a mummified corpse...
"Who are you people?" the old woman asked after looking them over suspiciously.
Liu Yingying quickly explained, "Grandma, we are travelers on our way. It's so late already. Could we stay at your house for the night?"
After saying that, she took out half a string of copper coins and was about to hand them to the old woman, "We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning, could you please do us a favor?"
Liu Yingying was generous; this half string of silver coins was enough for the old woman's expenses for a month, so theoretically she had no reason to refuse.
Sure enough, the old woman looked at the copper coins in her hand, glanced at the two of them again, and then stepped aside.
"It's windy at night, please come in!"
"Thank you, Grandma!" Liu Yingying's face lit up with joy, and she winked at Xue Ye, signaling him to follow.
But just as Xue Ye stepped across the threshold, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He looked around again, feeling that this place was very strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong...
"Come in quickly! What are you standing outside for?" Liu Yingying's urging voice came from inside.
Xue Ye didn't hesitate and followed him inside.
The old woman pointed to the storeroom on the first floor and said, "It's just my son and me living here. There aren't many rooms, so young man, you can sleep there tonight!"
Xue Ye didn't mind the location and nodded to the old woman, thanking her, "Thank you, Grandma!"
Then, the old woman said to Liu Yingying, "I'm an old woman, and I'm afraid you wouldn't want me to sleep with you. How about this, there's another room upstairs, which is where my daughter lived before she got married. You can sleep there tonight."
There was nothing wrong with what she said, and Liu Yingying naturally did not disagree.
She followed the old woman to the second floor of the stilted house and discovered that there were actually two rooms on the second floor.
The old woman pushed open the door to the first room and let her in.
"Alright, this is the middle of nowhere, and wild animals might roam at night, so don't go out recklessly."
Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed in Liu Yingying's eyes, but she said nothing and simply nodded her thanks.
After the old lady left, she locked the door and sat on the bed, but she couldn't fall asleep.
For some reason, from the moment she stepped into the house, she felt a sense of unease.
Even though there are two rooms on the second floor, the old woman insisted that she and Xue Ye live separately.
If, as the old woman said, only she and her son live in the house, then the room next door should also be empty.
She slapped her forehead. She should have just suggested that Xue Ye stay with her on the second floor, so that if anything happened at night, the two of them could look out for each other.
Since she gave so much money, it's not unreasonable for her to make this request.
But by now the old woman must have already gone downstairs to sleep, and it wouldn't be right for her to go down and disturb her...
Never mind, nothing should happen.
Liu Yingying tidied herself up quickly and lay down on the bed. The intermittent hooting of owls outside kept her awake…
That's strange...so strange!
The old woman said she lived with her son, but they had never seen him since they moved in.
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