Chapter 48, Grocery Store
It was not until they arrived in Fengdu County that Zhou Qiao found out that Fengdu is the same place as the rumored "Fengdu". It has a special nickname, also called "Ghost City". Fengdu in the legend represents the underworld and is where the dead souls live. The place is the land of the underworld, located at the intersection of the Yin and Yang worlds, which is the watershed between the human world and the ghost world.
Zhou Qiao and the other three were driving the female ghost's body along a road in Fengdu County. As evening approached, there were few pedestrians on the street. Zhou Qiao found a veil to cover the whole body. Fat Brother and Yang Gan were covering the body, but no one noticed. ,
Zhou Qiao discovered that Fengdu County is indeed known as a ghost town. They had not gone far and saw several shops selling coffins and doing Feng Shui business on the street. Various paper money and ghost coins were scattered on the street, and pedestrians on the road Not surprised at all, obviously already accustomed to it!
As we walked, we came to a grocery store in the center of the county. The signboard read He's Grocery Store. According to the female ghost, her family lived in a small courtyard behind the grocery store.
It was just approaching evening, but the shop was already closed. Yang Qian stepped forward and knocked on the door.
"Dong dong...dong dong..."
After waiting for a while, I heard footsteps coming. The door of the shop was opened from the inside, and a middle-aged man about forty years old wearing gray cloth walked out. The man was thin, with a pale face and dull eyes. He looked like The sick look should be the father the female ghost said.
The thin man saw Zhou Qiao and the others and asked, "Who are you? Is something wrong?"
Zhou Qiao and others did not say anything, but took a step back, and casually removed the mask of the corpse of the female ghost behind them, revealing her face. The man was stunned for a moment, and when he saw the corpse's face clearly, he stood there and stood there for a long time. When he came to his senses, tears fell down, his knees softened and he knelt down on the ground, holding the body of the female ghost and crying bitterly.
"Xiaoxiao, my child..."
The man cried so hard that he broke down in tears at the end. He had regretted it as early as when his daughter disappeared. He regretted that he should not have sent his daughter to that cannibalism school. He regretted that he had not believed his daughter's words. He had a ten thousandth hope that his daughter was still alive, but now that he saw his daughter's body, he knew that his daughter had left him forever, without even a chance to compensate him. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel even more grief-stricken. Pricked on her daughter's cold body, she cried sadly.
Alas, if I had known this, why bother in the first place? This female ghost's old father may be pitiful or not pitiful. Over the years, he has never fulfilled his responsibilities as a father. It's just a pity for his lovely and beautiful daughter. She He was even underage and had no time to enjoy the beautiful life in this world. He died like this, Zhou Qiao muttered in his heart.
Listening to the middle-aged man crying for a long time, Zhou Qiao didn't know how to comfort him, so he held back a sentence for a long time.
"Uncle, please...give me my condolences and accept the change!"
After waiting for a long time for the man to calm down, Zhou Qiao explained his relationship with his daughter. After hearing this, the man wiped his tears and choked up and said, "Thank you, thank you for helping to bring my daughter back."
"It's okay, it's just a little effort."
Zhou Qiao looked at the environment in the store and continued: "Isn't your wife at home?"
The man raised his head and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said: "Oh, her, she and I have been separated since the child disappeared. At first, she blamed me for being stupid and instigated by her to send the child into that wolf's den. Now even my intestines are broken. I regret that my child will not be able to come back... Now I am the only one left here." After saying this, He Zhiguo's face turned gloomy, his heart full of melancholy, and he could not hide his sorrow for the days when he was about to face a lonely life in the future.
After a while, he finally said, "Come in first, I'll make you a cup of tea. Thank you for all your hard work this night!"
Zhou Qiao and the others did not refuse. Together with the middle-aged man, they placed his daughter's body in a clean courtyard behind the grocery store and settled it before they sat down on a bench outside.
There was a table in the courtyard with some sundries on it. Soon a steaming pot of tea was brought to the table, still smoking, and the courtyard was soon filled with the faint fragrance of tea.
"Brothers, please have tea. If you don't mind, just stay here for one night!" The middle-aged man poured tea for them.
Bian said politely.
He looked at the sky outside and it was already as dark as night. "Then... I'm sorry for bothering you!" Zhou Qiao and others picked up their teacups and thanked them.
"You're welcome! My name is He Zhiguo, you can just call me Uncle Zhiguo!"
"Uncle Zhiguo, please find an auspicious day to bury your daughter's body as soon as possible so that she can rest in peace as soon as possible!"
Zhou Qiao looked at He Zhiguo and whispered.
He Zhiguo looked hesitant after hearing Zhou Qiao's words, sighed, took out a box of cigarettes from his pocket, took out a few and handed them to Zhou Qiao and the others.
Zhou Qiao and the other two people didn't smoke and quickly declined. Seeing this, He Zhiguo took out a struck match and lit it, took a few deep puffs and murmured:
"Hey, I know that too, but...it may have to be postponed for a few days."
He Zhiguo continued, "Because the day after tomorrow is the annual Ghost Festival. It is said in our place that on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, the gates of ghosts will open wide and hundreds of ghosts will walk at night. At that time, the evil spirits will appear and the evil spirit will be very strong. In our place
It is the intersection of yin and yang,
Although I don’t understand Feng Shui, I have learned from childhood that I should not violate taboos, and I have to be extremely careful during this kind of festival. I am also afraid that my daughter’s body will be attacked by evil spirits during the burial, and it will be terrible if it causes trouble!
"
"Oh, that's it! I didn't expect that the Ghost Festival is coming soon. No wonder we saw few people on the streets and money flying around when we came all the way..." Zhou Qiao and the others suddenly realized.
"Tonight, if you have nothing to do, the little brothers should try not to go out at night, so as not to be targeted by evil spirits! During the day, you can walk around and see the Fengdu City and the Gate of Ghosts in the human world. There is nothing else in our place, but some Feng Shui
The magic weapon is quite famous. If I bury my daughter as soon as possible after July 15th, then my wish will be fulfilled."
Zhou Qiao, Yang Qian and Fat Brother were exhausted after a day's journey. They didn't care about an empty room arranged by Uncle He Zhiguo. Zhou Qiao slept on the only bed in the room, which was actually a board.
A quilt with a slightly musty smell was placed on the bed. Yang Qian and Fat Brother made the floor, and soon they were snoring like thunder...
Zhou Qiao quickly fell into a deep sleep, and the female ghost named Xiaoxiao in the dream was grateful to him. Even though she could see her father again after the separation between yin and yang, she was still happy, knowing that her father had regretted her and she had fulfilled her wish.
....
The next morning when Zhou Qiao woke up, he saw a chubby figure shaking in front of him. When he opened his eyes, he saw a silly face smiling at him.
"Holy crap, who is this!"
Zhou Qiao was startled and almost screamed!
"Haha, Brother Zhou, you're awake!" Yang Qian walked in with a smile from outside the door.
"What time is it? You guys got up so early," Zhou Qiao said in confusion, rubbing his forehead.
"It's almost noon, I didn't expect you, Brother Zhou, to be able to sleep better than the two of us!" Yang Qian teased.
"Uh... haha... aren't you tired from not sleeping in bed for a long time?" Zhou Qiao said awkwardly, touching his nose.
Seeing the chubby little boy next to him looking silly at him, Zhou Qiao looked at Yang Qian and asked him to explain.
"He...Uncle Zhiguo said he was from the house next door. He accidentally fell into a well while playing when he was a child. Fortunately, it was a dry well. He was rescued in time and saved his life. However, he may have been too frightened. I was so scared that I am now a fool.”
Uncle Zhiguo said that this child always liked to run around with Xiaoxiao. Later, when Xiaoxiao went to school, the silly child was locked in the house by his family, and they only let him play outside occasionally. Today, it happened that his family went to the roadside early to burn paper. He sneaked out here.
Chapter completed!