Chapter 76: Joyful Wedding, Mourning Cry 7 Part 1
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The television in the room continued to broadcast a program, and the noisy sound from it added to the awkwardness in the room where the two men did not speak to each other.
The middle-aged man gestured for Yan Shixun to sit on the sofa while he remained standing, his gaze subconsciously darting towards the window with eyes that held a hidden fear.
It was as if he was afraid of something outside the room.
In this moment, when he wanted to find out about the current situation of his friend from decades ago, everything seemed dangerous to him. It was as if there were vengeful spirits and restless ghosts lurking outside the window and by the door, waiting to prey on someone. Only this small locked room felt safe.
Yan Shixun calmly observed the middle-aged man’s reactions while also taking in the room’s decor.
The room appeared typical of a bachelor’s dwelling. It was neat, but lacked personal items. It seemed like the room’s owner had put minimal effort into their own life and only focused on the bare necessities of survival.
But in stark contrast to the meager clothing, the room was filled with numerous religious artifacts.
Not only is there a small Buddhist altar on the table, inside of which sits a Maitreya Buddha statue, with a fierce expression devoid of its usual smile. Additionally, there’s a large painting of the Horse King hanging on the wall behind the television.
This figure, commonly referred to as “Horse King” by the general public, is revered in Taoism as Ma Lingguan, the Great Emperor of Huaguang, one of the Four Heavenly Guardians of Taoism. He is known for using fire to suppress evil spirits.
Yan Shixun recalled the well he had seen in the backyard through the window earlier.
The young man had claimed it was for warding off evil spirits, but in reality, it was used to suppress them.
A well is associated with water, yet this one was dry.
Ma Lingguan is skilled with fire, but water can extinguish fire.
One ghost and one deity, one water and one fire, in opposition to each other.
Clearly, the middle-aged man believed that there were ghosts or spirits haunting his surroundings, and he had a profound fear of these entities. This fear had led him to hang an image of Ma Lingguan in his home, hoping to harness the deity’s power for protection.
Furthermore, in Buddhism, Maitreya Buddha is regarded as the future Buddha, often depicted as constantly smiling and approachable, as he resides in the Western Pure Land and brings happiness. However, what Yan Shixun saw now was a Buddha image devoid of its usual benevolent and serene expression, no longer radiating the joy associated with the Pure Land. Instead, it appeared fierce and angry.
What had this Buddha statue witnessed?
Not only that, but as Yan Shixun’s gaze swept around the room, apart from the two statues representing Buddhism and Taoism directly in front of him, he also noticed many decorations.
There was a Bagua mirror hanging by the window, two peach wood swords intersecting above the door frame, a Dharma mirror on the bedside, and yellow Taoist talismans posted everywhere.
There were also various scattered items like copper coins, wooden fish, gourds, cinnabar, and more. This room of the middle-aged man didn’t look like a bedroom; it seemed more like an exhibition of all items that could ward off ghosts in both Buddhism and Taoism. It left Yan Shixun furrowing his brows in thought.
What had happened to this friend of the breakfast shop owner after the owner fled to another place? What had caused him to become so peculiar, to disdain his life, and to fear ghosts?
“Yang Guang…” The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment and then asked, “You mentioned you know Yang Guang, are you his friend? How is he doing now?”
“And what about Yang Hua? Is she okay?”
With his gaze shifting away from the room’s decorations, Yan Shixun looked at the middle-aged man and calmly replied, “Yang Guang is doing fine now, but Yang Hua is dying.”
“Crash!”
The cup slipped from the middle-aged man’s hand, crashing to the ground and shattering into pieces.
The man, originally intending to use drinking water to conceal his nervousness, was now in a state of shock. He practically jumped out of his chair, ignoring the water that had splashed all over him and the broken glass at his feet. He lunged towards Yan Shixun.
“What did you say?” The middle-aged man’s voice trembled visibly, and his hands shook as he tried to grab Yan Shixun’s shoulder. However, Yan Shixun gracefully sidestepped, avoiding the man’s grasp.
“How could Yang Hua die? It’s impossible! Her sister… her sister is still alive. She shouldn’t have died!” The middle-aged man didn’t care about Yan Shixun’s reaction; he urgently sought an answer, wanting to prove that Yan Shixun’s words were a lie.
The caution and gentleness he had shown in front of the younger generation earlier were now completely gone.
The man, now in his forties, seemed to have reverted back to the fear he experienced decades ago. He was still that powerless young man who couldn’t change anything and could only watch helplessly as tragedies unfolded before him.
Yang Hua’s sister?
Yan Shixun felt a strange sensation stirring in his heart when the man mentioned Yang Duo.
According to Yang Guang’s account, Yang Duo had been buried alive by the villagers decades ago. He had even witnessed Yang Duo as a vengeful spirit. There was no possibility that she was still alive.
If that’s the case, why did it sound like from this man’s tone that Yang Duo could still play an important role, protecting her sister? Where did this unwavering confidence come from?
For now, Yan Shixun put his doubts aside and looked at the anxious man. “You need to calm down. Speaking so loudly, aren’t you afraid of someone hearing us outside?”
His words struck a chord of fear in the man. It was as if he suddenly realized something, nervously turning to look back at the door. When he heard no sounds from outside, his earlier tension began to ease.
Seeing the man regain some composure, Yan Shixun spoke again, “Don’t worry, Yang Hua is not dead yet. However, she’s in grave danger.”
“Moreover, you mentioned Yang Hua’s sister just now. Frankly, I doubt that Yang Duo can protect Yang Hua. It’s actually Yang Duo who has caused the dangerous situation Yang Hua is in.”
The middle-aged man murmured, “How is that possible… Yang Duo, she’s a good girl.”
“Perhaps even the best of child, after being dead for several decades, can become completely different from what you remember.”
Yan Shixun said, “I’d like to confirm something first. Did you not know that Yang Duo has already died? Why did you say just now that Yang Duo would protect Yang Hua?”
The middle-aged man smiled bitterly and shook his head slowly. “I know. But the way Yang Duo looks, you can hardly call it dead. They say rest in peace, rest in peace, but…”
He sighed and his voice choked up as if he were avoiding something, unable to continue.
Yan Shixun noticed the middle-aged man’s expression. He knew he couldn’t push too hard right now. The man didn’t fully trust him yet and was still holding back. Moreover, the man’s mental state was on the verge of breaking down, if he pushed too hard, it might backfire.
He deliberately revealed the dire situation of Yang Hua.
Because as soon as the middle-aged man asked about Yang Guang and then immediately inquired about Yang Hua, it became clear that, compared to Yang Guang, whom he knew inside out from their childhood, Yang Hua was causing him more worry and guilt. The man was eager to know that Yang Hua was safe and sound before continuing the conversation in a more relaxed manner.
Yan Shixun wanted to extract more information about what happened decades ago from the man and understand why the village head’s family was involved in activities like maintaining a ghost-restraining well and displaying so many ghost-repelling items in the man’s room.
So, he decided to start by addressing the matter that concerned the man the most. By quickly breaking down the man’s emotional defenses during their first meeting, when the man was still guarded. He hoped to shatter the barrier of his heart and make him reveal more information out of anxiety and confusion.
The man’s reactions were also telling Yan Shixun that——
Something was amiss with Yang Hua.
In fact, after Yang Guang and Yang Hua fled the village, there were other things that happened that Yang Guang didn’t know about, apart from what he told Yan Shixun.
Otherwise, the man wouldn’t have mentioned “rest in peace.”
Yan Shixun’s thoughts circled, and he said, “I’m friends with Yang Guang. After Yang Hua had her troubles, Yang Guang was too busy taking care of her to leave. So he entrusted me to make this trip to the village, seeking a way to save Yang Hua. Yang Guang consulted a master, who said the issue was with Yang Hua’s younger sister. The one who tied the bell should be the one to untie it, meaning we must return to the village of that time to find a way to save Yang Hua.”
“But, let’s not talk about the fact that Yang Hua is too weak to leave the house now, Yang Guang, in their situation, going back to the village means certain death; it’s too dangerous.”
Yan Shixun lied with a calm face, as if what he was saying was the truth.
From the man’s reliance on items used to exorcise spirits, Yan Shixun could sense the respect and dependence the man had for the master who could perform such exorcisms. To make the man reveal what Yan Shixun wanted to know, he needed to provide the man with a trustworthy anchor to rely on.
However, this anchor couldn’t be Yan Shixun, who the man didn’t fully trust yet, but rather a third party.
So Yan Shixun didn’t reveal the truth but offered an explanation that would be more convincing to the man.
The middle-aged man, no longer suspicious, looked at Yan Shixun with a trusting expression. He said, “The one who tied the bell should be the one to untie it, right?”
Seizing the opportunity, Yan Shixun continued, “Both he and Yang Hua have been living happily together in another city. You should know that if something happens to Yang Hua, Yang Guang wouldn’t be able to live alone. At that point, these two people who finally escaped from the village would both meet a tragic end, destroying their happiness.”
“Is that the outcome you, as a common friend of Yang Guang and Yang Hua, want to see?”
Yan Shixun’s words greatly shook the middle-aged man.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and seemed to make a decision.
“Alright, what do you need to find in the village to save Yang Hua? I will help you.”
As he recalled past events, the middle-aged man sighed nostalgically and said, “It was our carelessness back then that led to this situation. We never expected our uncles and cousins to be so ruthless, causing Yang Duo’s rescue to fail. We owe Yang Hua’s family this, and I will repay it.”
“Back then, I already helped Yang Guang once, so helping him again won’t make much of a difference. I don’t have much to live for anyway,”
Once he had made up his mind, the middle-aged man’s expression toward Yan Shixun was no longer guarded.
Seeing his goal achieved, a faint smile appeared on Yan Shixun’s lips.
“I’m not familiar with the village, and I don’t know what to look for to help Yang Hua. But after listening to the master’s words, he pointed out a few characteristics. How about you tell me about what happened back then? This way, I can match the characteristics mentioned by the master and figure out how we can help Yang Hua.”
The middle-aged man nodded and began openly discussing the events of the past.
Back then, the middle-aged man was a child from Jia Village named Yang Han.
He and Yang Guang had been friends since childhood. Their friendship was so strong that they once imitated the Three Brothers Oath from a radio show, joining hands with a girl from a neighboring village in the fields. They used a small mound of earth with a few straw stalks as a statue and an incense burner. Together, they bowed and swore brotherhood.
Yang Guang patted his chest and told Yang Han that after becoming sworn brothers, they would be closer than real brothers. If anything happened to Yang Han’s family, Yang Guang would take care of everything and told him not to worry.
Yang Han watched Yang Guang, who had a determined look in his eyes, and was momentarily stunned. He quickly agreed, saying that as long as Yang Guang needed him, he would be there, even if it meant risking his life.
Then the group of children looked at each other and burst into laughter, deciding to leave their farm work and head to the market for some fun, with the intention of coming back later to “conquer the world.”
At the market, a girl their age was captivated by the vibrant decorations on a vendor’s cart. So the children decided to pick out beads with their respective names and string them together on a decoration. Each one of them would have their own, considering it a symbol of their brotherhood.
Yang Han solemnly accepted the finished red string decoration from the girl’s hands, promising that as long as the decoration remained, their bond would endure, and they would always stand by each other’s side.
Back then, they thought it was just youthful chatter, but little did they know how prophetic their words would turn out to be.
The grand ambitions they had imagined didn’t come to fruition, and instead, the youngsters encountered chaos first.
Yang Guang fell in love with Yang Hua and happily told Yang Han that he planned to propose to Yang Hua after finishing the construction of his new house.
Yang Han was thrilled; he had never seen Yang Guang so happy before. Because of Yang Guang, he too began to secretly anticipate the scene of himself marrying a bride and daydreamed about what kind of person his future bride would be.
Yang Hua’s younger sister threw herself into Yang Han’s arms, giggling, and said, “Brother is also thinking about a bride, huh?”
Yang Han blushed deeply and hurriedly stuffed a piece of candy into the little girl’s mouth, asking her not to talk nonsense.
“Brother, will your future bride be me? Since Yang Guang is marrying my sister, doesn’t that mean you have to marry me?”
The little girl continued to talk while munching on candy, her curious eyes fixed on Yang Han. Her words seemed to carry a sweet charm that left Yang Han feeling dizzy and disoriented, unable to find his bearings.
However, the youngsters’s beautiful dreams were ultimately just fantasies, unable to resist the authority of the older generation who were in charge.
Especially in villages where the traditions of the clan run deep, it’s the clan leader and the elders who have the final say in everything.
“We haven’t been able to have a son in our family for so many years, just two worthless daughters. When I die, I won’t even have someone to offer incense for me. Can you, our respected elders, bear to see me suffer like this?”
After once again being pressed by his cousins over the lack of a son in his family, Yang Hua’s father couldn’t contain his anger any longer and directly confronted the clan leader with frustration.
The clan leader was moved by Yang Hua’s father’s words. After going to the ancestral grave to offer incense, he returned and explained that the ancestors had told him the reason why Yang Hua’s family couldn’t have a male heir was due to their wrongdoing. When Yang Hua’s father was young, he defied the clan’s decision and married Yang Hua’s current mother, which angered the ancestors and the land god.
To ensure they could have a son, they needed to use Yang Hua to make offerings to the land god, to atone for Yang Hua’s father’s transgressions and appease the wrath of the land god. This way, they would be blessed with a male child.
Yang Hua’s father gladly agreed to this, and the other villagers had no objections. Everyone was happy. Uncles and cousins who came to visit congratulated Yang Hua’s father, saying that Yang Hua marrying the land god was a great thing and a sign of his good fortune.
The only person who wasn’t pleased was Yang Guang, who had heard rumors from his own village.
Yang Guang found Yang Han and wanted to ask him if this was true.
Because Yang Han’s father was one of the elders in the clan, although he didn’t like the title and always asked people not to call him that, saying that things had changed, and they should call him the village head now.
But it couldn’t be denied that Yang Han’s father had the qualification to enter clan meetings and knew a lot of information in advance.
Yang Han was also shocked by the news brought by Yang Guang.
He overheard his parents’ conversations, hearing his father lamenting the poor girl and how she was about to be gone, and his mother consoling his father, saying he had already tried to persuade and argue them so this wasn’t his fault.
For Yang Han, it was like a bolt from the blue.
Knowing that this matter was indeed true, Yang Guang became extremely anxious. He crossed the mountains overnight to the neighboring village. After everyone had gone to sleep, he hastily brought Yang Hua out of her house. He only had time to explain a few words to her in a hurry before running out of the village.
They ran, and they kept running!
They didn’t dare to stop for a moment.
It wasn’t until early the next morning when Yang Han was urgently awakened by his older brother and told that something had happened that he learned what Yang Guang had done the previous night.
“I thought that Yang Guang would consider Yang Hua’s family, knowing what kind of people lived in the village, and wouldn’t be so radical. That’s why, at that young age, I told Yang Guang everything I had overheard.”
Yang Han sighed as he explained to Yan Shixun. “Unfortunately, I underestimated Yang Guang’s determination to save Yang Hua, as well as the villagers’ resolve.”
“For many years, I couldn’t sleep well, and I would wake up from nightmares, always remembering that scene, and deeply regretting that I had directly told Yang Guang everything back then. We were both too young, and we should have been more cautious, much more cautious. Unfortunately, at that time, neither of us understood…”
Yang Han shook his head with a bitter smile, as if he wanted to go back in time and change what had happened. “I often think that if it weren’t for me, Yang Guang wouldn’t have known about this, and he wouldn’t have taken Yang Hua away. In that case, maybe there would have been a chance for things to turn around, and Yang Duo wouldn’t have died.”
“I am a sinner, an indirect accomplice in Yang Duo’s death. However, now that Yang Duo is already gone, we can’t afford any more trouble for Yang Guang and Yang Hua, who have finally managed to escape. Otherwise, my years of persistence will become a joke, and everything we’ve done will be in vain.”
Yang Han slowly bent down, his hands clutching his head. His murmurs gradually grew quieter, as if he had completely immersed himself in memories and pain from the past.
Yan Shixun watched Yang Han in this state and calmly said, “Yang Hua is very weak right now because she has been possessed by a ghost. Perhaps you know something? What happened to Yang Duo afterward? Can you tell me?”
Yang Han didn’t seem to hear Yan Shixun’s voice and remained lost in his own world, muttering incomprehensible words.
Yan Shixun furrowed his brow, stood up, and walked toward Yang Han. He deftly began to perform a calming spell, hoping to help Yang Han regain his composure.
However, as he stood up from the small couch, he caught a glimpse of something outside the window behind him. It seemed like something had just flashed by.
Yan Shixun’s gaze sharpened, and he quickly rushed to the window to look outside.
However, outside the window, there was only the deep night sky. The distant village lights that could be seen from the fourth-floor height, and the dimly lit village road illuminated by the yellow street lamps.
Tree branches swayed in the wind. Forgotten blankets left outside to dry fluttered about, casting eerie shadows that stretched and danced on the village road.
Chapter 76: Joyful Wedding, Mourning Cry 7 Part 2
In the deserted village road in the dead of night, it felt as if a host of ghosts were about to emerge, silently prowling through the dark hours.
Outside the courtyard, there were only ghostly shadows.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
The door suddenly rapped.
Even the usually composed Yan Shixun was startled for a moment, his heart rate irregularly spiking before slowly returning to normal.
In the end, Yan Shixun glanced at the scene outside the window one more time but still didn’t spot anything unusual.
It was only then that he turned around and gently reminded Yang Han, who was still lost in his memories, “Someone is at the door looking for you. Why don’t you go and check?”
“Second Uncle!” came the lively voice from outside the door, the voice of the young man Yan Shixun had encountered earlier.
He remembered that this young man was called Yang Tu.
Yang Tu continued knocking on the door, saying, “Second Uncle, you’re probably not asleep yet, right? Hehe, I know you too well. You never sleep, so don’t pretend to be asleep now. Come down and lend a hand. Grandpa said we should help the guests make their beds because we’re short of people.”
Seeing that Yang Han was still sitting in the chair, muttering and rambling incoherently, showing no signs of waking up, and the knocking on the door outside was becoming more urgent. The door handle was being twisted, making a clattering noise. Yang Tu outside was growing increasingly anxious, but he couldn’t push the locked door open.
Before understanding the situation in the village, Yan Shixun couldn’t afford to be suspected without cause.
However, with Yang Han in his current state and only two people in the room, if Yang Tu came in, he would inevitably suspect that something had been done to Yang Han.
Strangers tend to be wary, and regardless of what he had or hadn’t done, Yang Tu’s perception of him would take a nosedive. Once suspicion takes hold, it’s hard to shake off, making it difficult for Yan Shixun to inquire further if needed.
Yan Shixun immediately made a decision: he couldn’t let Yang Tu see Yang Han in his current state.
He glanced at Yang Han, who was still murmuring, and walked swiftly toward the door.
“Weird, why did Second Uncle lock the door? Is he asleep? That shouldn’t be the case; it’s not even his bedtime yet. Isn’t he supposed to be watching TV…?”
Yang Tu was standing at the door, muttering in confusion about the locked door, when suddenly the door opened.
However, it wasn’t his Second Uncle who came out but one of the people from the TV crew he had just met.
“Are you here to find your Second Uncle?”
Yan Shixun smiled, intentionally softening his facial expressions to appear more approachable. He said, “He told me that he’s really angry with you for talking nonsense downstairs tonight, and he doesn’t want to deal with you today.”
Yan Shixun raised a slender finger to his lips, making a “shh” gesture, and then pointed toward the half-closed door behind him, which he had concealed after coming out. With a friendly and considerate demeanor, he whispered to Yang Tu, “You better not provoke your Second Uncle tonight; he seems really mad at you. It looks like he might want to give you a beating. He’s holding back for now, but if you keep appearing in front of him, it might not end well.”
Growing up in the village, Yang Tu was known for his simple and cheerful nature. He had never encountered someone like Yan Shixun, who could fabricate a lie with such a calm demeanor, not showing any signs of guilt or deceit. Even his facial expressions were perfectly controlled.
Because Yan Shixun’s expression was so gentle and warm. The words he spoke resembled Yang Han’s usual demeanor, it only added to his credibility.
So Yang Tu didn’t suspect anything. He simply lowered his head, feeling regretful, and said, “It was indeed my fault. I knew that talking about Uncle Yang Guang’s matters would hurt Second Uncle, so it’s only natural for him to be upset with me.”
Seeing that Yang Tu believed him, Yan Shixun naturally closed the door and placed his hand on Yang Tu’s shoulder, half-leading him away from the door. He did it so naturally that Yang Tu didn’t suspect anything.
Yan Shixun said, “You mentioned wanting to arrange the bedding, right? We can handle it ourselves; you don’t need to trouble yourselves.”
Yang Tu hesitated and replied, “But my grandfather said…”
“Shh,” Yan Shixun put his finger to his lips, smiling as he said, “Then let’s keep it a secret from him. We’ll handle it together without telling him.”
Yang Tu nodded instinctively, completely unaware of anything amiss.
Since during the room allocation earlier, Yan Shixun had been paying attention to Yang Han’s footsteps, he hadn’t participated in the room allocation process.
However, this worked out just fine. Since he hadn’t finished his questions for Yang Han yet, he decided to stay in one of the rooms on the fourth floor. This way, he could easily come back to speak with Yang Han when there were no other people around.
With his thoughts sorted out, Yan Shixun casually pointed to the vacant room across from Yang Han and said that he would stay there.
Downstairs in the living room, the crew members were dining and playing games, erupting in laughter from time to time. The originally empty small building now felt livelier.
Moreover, as several of the guests were seasoned individuals from the entertainment industry, adept at socializing, it was hard for anyone to feel a grudge when they wanted to strike up a conversation. This helped the village head and his wife become more comfortable with the guests, and they all shared hearty laughs, fostering better relationships.
The younger generation, on the other hand, was cheerfully and warmly urged by the village head to join in the work.
Yan Shixun mingled among the youngsters, listening to their conversations, gradually piecing together information about the village from their dialogues, and occasionally joining in to guide the conversation towards the topics he wanted to know more about.
The youngsters didn’t notice Yan Shixun’s underlying motive and willingly shared information about the village.
As observed when the production crew passed through the village earlier, due to their proximity to the highway and the village head’s openness to new ideas, they had learned from organized publications. This progressive mindset led the villagers of Jia Village to actively engage with outsiders.
Especially when truck drivers passed by on the highway, the village head enthusiastically introduced them to the local agricultural products. Because of their low prices and good quality, some merchants were happy to collaborate with the village, resulting in a significant increase in income for the villagers. As there were no middlemen exploiting price differences at the agricultural market, Jia Village villagers earned more money than those in other villages.
Consequently, Jia Village began to thrive. The villagers organized themselves to learn from the merchants, taking their products directly to the outside market. During this exchange, many middle-aged and young villagers experienced the outside world and encountered new ideas they were previously unaware of.
Gradually, Jia Village, which was originally located on the outskirts of the Yang clan’s territory, increasingly distanced itself from the traditional thinking and behavioral patterns of the clan and developed its own ideas.
The people of Jia Village began to feel that it was time for a different way of life. They no longer wanted to blindly follow the so-called dreams of their ancestors and the dictates of clan leaders and elders. Instead, they believed it was important to adhere to the laws and regulations of the outside world, particularly those of the city.
By guarding the highway and opening up their minds to new ideas, the people of Jia Village hoped to lead better lives in the future.
Furthermore, when Jia Village villagers met people from other villages during major holidays and ancestor worship ceremonies, they would mention the trends in the outside world, encouraging them to learn from the world beyond the mountains and the clan. They advised them not to stick to the clan’s rules that had been in place for hundreds of years. They were alive but rotting away like corpses.
However, most of those villages scorned Jia Village’s ideas and thought they were foolish, attributing it to a lack of blessings from their ancestors.
As time passed, the people of Jia Village, who had their good intentions misunderstood and were treated poorly, stopped bringing up these matters. However, during ancestral rites or major festivals, they became even more reluctant to meet people from those villages.
“You came from the outside; you haven’t heard the things they say. My dad can’t stand it, let alone you. It’s nauseating, like dealing with an old zombie. If it weren’t for the ancestral hall and the family tree being together, who would want to meet them?”
One of the youngsters rolled his eyes, expressing a mix of anger and disdain as he said to Yan Shixun, “Anyway, my family hasn’t been back for over ten years. Nobody cares about people like us, so it doesn’t matter. They find us annoying, and we find their words nauseating, like they’re from some ancient era, like they’ve crawled out of a different era.”
“Don’t say that; they’re still considered elders.”
Next to them, another person, shaking their blanket, playfully nudged the young man who had spoken earlier. “But my family doesn’t go either. My mom said, ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ My younger sister was only ten back then. Every time we went, those people would insist on marrying her off and suggested that my mom marry her to an elderly widower from the neighboring village. That really annoyed my mom, so we haven’t gone back since. Haha, isn’t it more fun to celebrate the Spring Festival at home, eating, playing cards, and enjoying ourselves? Why go back and be uncomfortable?”
“But Yang Tu is different, right?”
One of the youngsters said.
Then, several youngsters all turned their gaze to Yang Tu, who was busy cleaning dust on the other side.
“As the eldest son, the eldest grandson, you have to go back, or else your grandpa will drag you to the ancestral worship every year. It’s too pitiful.”
One young man clicked his tongue and said, “And because Yang Tu still refuses to get married, he’s been scolded quite badly. One year, I even saw him crying because of it.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. After all, when we go back to our village, it’s our grandpas who’s in charge, right? Isn’t the village head just like the clan leader? I haven’t heard that clan rules are greater than the law.”
Another person shrugged and said, “Besides, isn’t this a fine tradition of our family? Second Uncle doesn’t get married, and Yang Tu doesn’t get married either. Anyway, their dads doesn’t care about this matter, so what do the others count for?”
Yang Tu, who was mentioned by name and inexplicably pitied, turned his head blankly, looked over, and took a while to react. He immediately laughed and scolded, “You bunch of gossips.”
“I really don’t plan to get married. Whoever wants to get married can get married. I don’t want to harm any good girls’ families.” Yang Tu shrugged: “Doing harm to others and oneself, I’m not going to do it.”
The clear aversion of these youngsters to the clan’s values surprised Yan Shixun.
Jia Village did indeed seem to have an open-minded mindset.
However, not only Yang Han but even Yang Tu seemed to have a deep-seated disgust for marriage. This indicated that the events that Yang Guang and his family had experienced back then had a profound impact on both of them, extending even to the younger generation.
Looking at it this way, the events that happened to Yang Hua’s family back then were undoubtedly significant and possibly far more shocking than what Yang Guang knew.
Yan Shixun’s gaze fell upon Yang Tu.
The impact of the events that had affected Yang Hua’s family in the past seemed to have a much stronger effect on Yang Han than Yan Shixun had initially anticipated. If Yang Han’s emotions were to become too overwhelming and he couldn’t bring himself to discuss what happened that night, Yan Shixun considered the possibility of turning to Yang Tu for answers.
Considering Yang Tu’s reactions and the close and harmonious relationship between him and Yang Han, it seemed highly likely that Yang Han had confided most of the details of the past events to Yang Tu.
BecauseYan Shixun had been lost in thought for quite some time, his gaze attracted Yang Tu’s attention.
Yang Tu turned his head in bewilderment, looking at Yanshixuan with a puzzled expression, not understanding why he was staring at him.
But because his companions had just mentioned Yang Han, Yang Tu suddenly realized…
“Why did you go to Second Uncle’s room just now?”
Yang Tu exclaimed, “I can’t believe my Second Uncle actually let a stranger into his room; that’s incredible! Have you met my uncle before?”
Hearing this, the relaxed laughter of the youngsters suddenly stopped, and they all turned to Yan Shixun with surprised looks.
“Second Uncle hates it when anyone enters his room the most, right? How could this happen?”
“In the summer, Second Uncle doesn’t even open the door or windows. He sealed the cracks in the window facing the backyard with glue. How could he meet a stranger?”
“I’ve never been in Second Uncle’s room. When I tried to enter as a child, Second Uncle chased me out. His terrifying expression scared me so much that I wet my pants.”
“Yang Han is really nice. I talked to him briefly when I went upstairs.”
Yan Shixun calmly said, “It might be because I’ve read a few Taoist scriptures before. So Brother Yan Han invited me to have a brief discussion. It didn’t take long, maybe just a few minutes. When Yang Tu came to find me, I was about to go downstairs.”
Yang Tu blinked, thinking that given his Second Uncle’s personality, if someone had actually read books, especially Taoist ones, he might indeed be more receptive. After all, his Second Uncle liked collecting such things. Every time they went to the market, he would ask them to bring back Taoist items. He would also request them from people who left the village.
Although Yan Shixun had only just met Yang Han that day and didn’t know much about him, he managed to make an educated guess about Yang Han’s character based on the layout of his room and the conversations he had with the youngsters. This led him to provide a reasonable explanation.
As a result, although the youngsters found it a bit puzzling, they all accepted this explanation.
“Alright, we’re done with this floor’s bedding. Let’s go upstairs,” Yang Tu said with a grin to Yan Shixun. “Make sure you don’t tell Grandpa, or I’ll be in trouble!”
Yan Shixun smiled, “Don’t worry.”
How could I disturb the snakes in the grass?
……
Outside the small building filled with laughter, the village under the night sky was eerily quiet.
The only sounds were the faint, approaching footsteps, like the noise made when a stick hits the ground.
But it also sounded like the hollow thud of bones knocking together.
Every place not illuminated by the lights had sounds intermingling. They came from the fields covered with crops, from behind the small courtyards, and from under the corners of houses.
On the village roads devoid of people, the dim lights cast empty spaces.
Only occasionally, a pale bone or toe ventured into the edge of the light, quickly retreating.
The sound grew closer and closer, and closer…
After enjoying a satisfying meal and exchanging greetings with other guests, Bai Shuang got up contentedly. She smiled at the other guests and then decided to go upstairs to organize her luggage.
After all, there were only a few girls among the crew, including her and some staff members, so they had to coordinate their shower schedules.
The variety show celebrity, who was enjoying a cheerful conversation with the village head, waved his hand and then turned back, fully engrossed in listening to the village head as he recounted stories from the mountains’ past.
However, as Bai Shuang stood up and blinked, she felt like she saw something.
She subconsciously turned her head to look out the window again.
However, the ample light inside the small building made her squint her eyes for a long time, but she couldn’t see anything outside clearly. She could only attribute it to her eyes being momentarily dazzled by the bright light, causing her to retain an image of what she had seen when she looked at the dark area earlier, creating an illusion.
After all, she had a vague feeling that what she had just seen seemed to be something slender and white.
Now that she thought about it carefully, it seemed somewhat similar to the pale, cold fluorescent lamp nearby?
Bai Shuang only wondered for a few seconds, then dismissed the matter from her mind without dwelling on it.
In the quiet backyard, the well covered by heavy stone slabs remained untouched by the light leaking from the small building.
A splash of blood-red suddenly fell onto the completely dark well cover.
The blood-red eyes opened.
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