The busiest street in Taolin County is called Yulin Street. It is the busiest street in the entire county. People mostly shop here. An Shuyao wanted to open a store here because it has a lot of customers.
Her store will be promoted better.
It's just that most of the shops on this street are owned by households, and few people resell them.
An Shuyao saw a steaming wonton noodle restaurant. Although she came out after breakfast, it didn't prevent her from ordering more wontons.
In the past, she was too lazy to go shopping alone, but now that she had Lu Jin, she grabbed someone and went in happily.
"Ms. sir, do you want to eat?"
Lu Jin wasn't actually hungry, but he didn't want to disappoint An Shuyao, so he responded lightly.
An Shuyao said to the grandmother who was cooking wontons: "Grandma, two bowls of wonton noodles."
The person who cooked the wontons was an old woman in her fifties or sixties. She responded repeatedly and started cooking the wontons.
An Shuyao observed the shop, which was about 80 square meters. There were only about six tables inside, and there was a courtyard kitchen in the back. There was a weak coughing sound inside, as if he was coughing out his lungs.
The old woman cooked the wonton noodles and placed them in front of the two of them. She wiped her hands with a clean dry towel and went inside. She was not afraid that An Shuyao and Lu Jin would run away.
An Shuyao rubbed his hands, picked up the chopsticks and took a bite. The wontons were very hot and the taste was not very delicious, but it was pretty good in this small county.
An Shuyao was not picky about food, and Lu Jin ate slowly and without showing any disdain. After all, he had eaten all the dry and tasteless whole-grain cakes before.
After a while, a goddess wearing a red cloth and her hair tied with a black cloth came in from the door.
There were bells on her body that tinkled, and she held a cane in one hand and a broken porcelain bowl in the other. If it hadn't been for the yellow talisman paper attached to her body, An Shuyao would have thought she was coming in to beg for food.
When the old woman saw the goddess coming, she hurriedly ushered the person inside: "Aunt Luo, you're finally here. Come and see my son. Why is he vomiting blood?"
The two of them walked in. An Shuyao frowned and looked at the still shaking curtain. She was puzzled: "Ms. sir, isn't this vomiting blood a disease? Why do you need to ask a goddess to treat you?"
Lu Jin took his chopsticks and paused, and after a moment he said: "If you go to the medical center for long-term treatment and are not cured, some people will think that evil spirits have entered the body and just drive them away. This type of person who drives away evil spirits is called a goddess."
An Shuyao didn't believe in these superstitions. Many people believed in superstitions and would not go to the doctor when they were sick. Instead, they drank talisman water or something and died directly. In An Shuyao's eyes, this kind of behavior was seeking death.
The two of them had almost finished eating the wonton noodles. The wontons had thin skin and lots of meat, which was quite affordable. She was about to call the old woman to pay the bill when the old woman came out with Aunt Luo.
The old woman looked a little lonely: "Is there really nothing we can do?"
Taoist Aunt Luo shook her head, as if she was an old god: "The choice is all up to you."
The old woman stuffed a purse into Aunt Luo and watched Aunt Luo leave. An Shuyao said: "Grandma, pay the bill."
"Little lady, a total of ten cents."
An Shuyao took out the money and asked casually: "Grandma, why did you invite a goddess to exorcise evil spirits in this house, but is there anything dirty?"
The old woman looked worried: "I don't know, but I decided to sell this shop, and then take my son to Saigon Prefecture to see if it can be cured."
An Shuyao and Lu Jin looked at each other and continued to ask: "Why do you need to invite the goddess if you are sick?"
The old woman hesitated for a moment, sighed and whispered: "Actually, this house is haunted because there is a well behind the house. I heard that two people died in it a hundred years ago. Later, because of the war, my old man spent all his savings.
I settled in Taolin County. I bought this well and built a house here. I have been doing this wonton business for decades. Until my old man passed away half a year ago, my son Kang Jian, who was dependent on me, suddenly
I can't afford to be sick."
"I spent a lot of money on the doctor's visit, and the doctor couldn't explain why, so I invited the goddess. She said that the well behind me couldn't suppress the resentment of the evil spirits inside, and the resentment was eating up my son's body. She asked us to immediately
You can avoid this disaster by leaving Taolin County."
After saying that, she began to worry again: "This house is haunted, who would want it? The low price is too bad, and the high price can't be transferred out. I don't want to harm anyone. What if the evil ghost really escapes from the well and harms someone?"
, I really sinned."
Fierce ghost?
interesting.
An Shuyao didn't believe in these things. Even if they did, they were just pretending. She smiled and asked, "Is it convenient for me to go in and see your son?"
"I can buy your store."
The old woman couldn't believe that this young lady actually wanted to buy a store. She had said so much that normal people would have avoided this store for a long time.
She questioned in a questioning tone: "Little lady, even if I lower the price, I can't get it for even a few hundred taels from this shop. Are you sure you're not kidding the old woman?"
An Shuyao smiled and said: "Of course not, can I go see how your son is doing?"
How can the old woman not agree? Now she just hopes that An Shuyao is not lying to her. She really has no choice because of her son's illness and is extremely short of money.
"Ms. sir, do you want to go?"
Lu Jin shook his head: "You go ahead."
After An Shuyao entered the curtain, he stood up and left the wonton shop.
back room
After opening the curtain, there is a small courtyard. There is a well on the left side of the courtyard that is tightly covered by a wooden board and a stone is pressed on it, as if it is afraid of something jumping up.
The old woman opened the door, and a fishy smell came out of the house.
"I'd rather die if I live to a good old age, but my son got seriously ill in his thirties before he got married and had children. Even if I die, I won't have the shame to meet the ancestors of the Yang family..."
After talking, An Shuyao got a general understanding of the family's situation.
Her husband's surname is Yang, and people on the street call her Grandma Yang. She only has one son named Yang Xuan, who suddenly contracted a serious illness six months ago.
Grandma Yang's family has been living in Taolin County for thirty years. They have saved a small amount of money and can barely make ends meet. In addition, they have spent a lot of money on Yang Xuan's medical consultation. Now there is not much left.
The room was a little dark, the curtains were tightly closed, not a trace of light or wind came in. An Shuyao frowned and opened the curtains, but Grandma Yang couldn't stop her, and Yang Xuan's face was revealed.
His whole body was sore and swollen, and there was pus flowing from the scratched areas. His body exuded a peculiar smell. His face was ashen and he looked dying.
Grandma Yang shed tears silently. Because Yang Xuan didn't want to see her appearance, she asked Grandma Yang to lock him in the room. But now that he was not only seen, but also a woman, his emotions instantly became excited.