From the oval courtyard, you can get a glimpse of the edge of the lake.
There were many tall and straight pines and cypresses planted nearby, with weeds growing underneath and a yellow path beside. On the path, a villager passed by carrying two buckets. He seemed to be extremely afraid of the lake water, and he took every step carefully, occasionally turning his head to look at the lake.
Chen Ling's vision was limited by distance and direction, so he took a few steps forward and walked to the edge of the courtyard.
Only then did I see that there was a well next to the lake, and three or two villagers were standing next to the well, preparing to draw water.
Chen Ling turned around and looked at Jiang Yu: "What did you see on the lake?"
"Ghostly aura." Jiang Yu stood beside the young man and pointed, "Where are you looking?"
There were three or two locust trees standing at the location the man pointed to. The trees were not very thick, and their branches were spread out widely. The three trees were connected together, forming a large shady area.
The reason for such a good growth is not only because of the suitable climate and sufficient water, but also because they like shade.
Chen Ling couldn't help but think of the hundreds of years old locust tree near his ancestor's grave when he moved his grave.
Pursing his lips, he asked in a low voice: "Did that old locust tree accompany you for many years?"
Jiang Yu glanced at him and said calmly, "I don't know."
Chen Ling was unhappy, "How could you not know? Don't be perfunctory."
"I'm not being perfunctory. I really don't know." Jiang Yu said, "Before you came, I was sleeping all the time and had no idea how things around me were developing."
Chen Ling began to climb up the pole: "Then why do you keep sleeping? Are you sleepy?"
That’s not possible.
According to his daily observations, Jiang Yu was not much different from other ghosts. He did not need to sleep at all and would only close his eyes for a short time to rest occasionally.
Chen Ling always felt that the "sleeping" mentioned by men was probably forced.
Thinking about the bloody spell on the other person's back, his brain suddenly connected it to the story of the sealed evil demon he had heard before.
We are already lying in the same bed, so it is better to be honest about some things, otherwise when your enemies come to your door one day, you will be standing there confused and unable to help.
Chen Ling looked back at Wu Weiwei, pulled the man away, and said seriously, "Jiang Yu, tell me honestly, were you... were you sealed in the Jiang family by some powerful sorcerer?"
Jiang Yu: “… I don’t.”
Chen Ling: "Then why are you sleeping?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the old ancestor looking away, as if he was reluctant to mention it.
Chen Ling became more suspicious: "Are you hiding from some enemy?"
After asking, I felt it was unlikely.
Jiang Yu crawled out of the grave and has been in the world of the living for so long, and he has another identity - a ghost messenger. If he really had an enemy, he would have come to him long ago.
Jiang Yu raised his hand and rubbed his brows, saying helplessly: "Because I'm bored."
Chen Ling was confused: "..."
As if he felt that this answer would damage his cold and steady image, the man pulled the young man downstairs without saying a word, and did not forget to call out to Wu Weiwei, asking him to catch up quickly.
Chen Ling raised his eyes to glance at the back of the man's head, and wanted to ask, since you are so bored, why don't you go out for a walk? If you don't want to go far, dancing on your own grave can also kill time.
"Brother Jiang." He lowered his voice, "How long have you been sleeping down there? Wouldn't it be better to just cancel the union in the underworld?"
Jiang Yu said without even turning his head: "No, no one dares to say anything."
Chen Ling reacted very quickly: "No one dares to say anything about my absence from work. Brother Jiang, you are not a hands-off boss, are you?"
Jiang Yu turned around and pinched the young man's cheeks with his slightly cold hands, "Walk properly and stop asking questions, okay?"
Chen Ling stared at the man's face silently for two seconds. His light-colored eyes were still as beautiful as ever, but there was a hint of guilt in them.
He nodded solemnly and changed the subject according to the other party's meaning, "If you don't want to ask, then don't ask. But your tone just now really sounded like you were acting like a spoiled child."
Jiang Yu closed his eyes, suddenly pulled the man closer, and covered the young man's lips with force.
This time the kiss was very restrained. After rolling hard a few times, he asked, "Are you still like me?"
Chen Ling shook his head like a rattle and said hurriedly, "It doesn't look like that anymore!"
He touched his burning ears, pushed the man forward, then turned around and glared at Wu Weiwei.
He heard it all when he was kissed just now, and the person who was left behind kept screaming in the background!
While Jiang Yu wasn't paying attention, he took a step behind and waited for Wu Weiwei to catch up, and whispered, "What were you doing just now, the background sound of the dubbing?"
"No." Wu Weiwei's serious expression lasted only three seconds, then he chuckled and nudged his brother Chen with his shoulder.
"Actually, you two are quite sweet." He sighed, "So sweet that I want to fall in love."
Chen Ling: "If you want to talk, then talk. If you don't talk, you're not a human being."
"Where can I find a partner?" Wu Weiwei counted his shortcomings on his fingers. "I have no education, no ability, no money and no house. I can't find a girl with these conditions."
Chen Ling suddenly paused, holding his chin and looking him up and down: "If you can't find a girl, find a boyfriend."
Wu Weiwei: "Don't accuse me of anything. I'm very straightforward."
"Not necessarily." Chen Ling also counted on his fingers, "You didn't feel disgusted when you saw me and Brother Jiang kissing. On the contrary, you were interested. Also, before that, Brother Jiang and I were still in a pure gay relationship, but you were so smart as to say that we did it."
Seeing that the people next to him were silent, he clicked his tongue deliberately.
Wu Weiwei suddenly felt embarrassed: "I, I was just gossiping."
"Your neck is red." Chen Ling looked very carefully. Although it was not obvious, it was indeed red.
He grabbed the young man who was about to leave and asked in a low voice: "Are you a closeted person?"
Wu Weiwei's mind suddenly went blank.
Chen Ling patted his shoulder and offered an idea: "No need to hide it. Our family is very open-minded. Whether you like men or women, we will support you."
A few simple words that sounded like a joke yet serious actually made Wu Weiwei start to reflect on himself.
Like girls? Not necessarily.
He grew up with his blind adoptive father. A fortune-telling stall and a few dollars in his pocket were all they had. How many girls would be attracted to a man like him
Others looked down on him, so he stopped thinking about it. As time went by, he no longer had any desire for love. Even in his beautiful dreams, all that appeared was an indistinguishable outline of a man or a woman.
As for men…
Wu Weiwei frowned in distress. He was not at all repulsed by the thought that he might like men!
What the fuck is going on!
Wu Weiwei felt restless and his pace fluctuated, and he walked faster and faster without realizing it, and soon rushed to the front.
Chen Ling shouted at his back: "Walk slowly, the stones on the road are a bit slippery!"
The stone slabs paved on the dirt road have experienced countless wind and rain, as well as friction from human soles, and almost every one of them is a little smooth and flat.
Wu Weiwei didn't hear clearly and turned back to ask, but he stepped on a round bump, slipped, and fell down, spraining his ankle.
He sat on the ground, hugging his right leg in extreme pain, cursing in his heart. What terrible luck he had! He didn't get any food stuck in his teeth when he drank water, but he fell flat on his face when he walked.
Chen Ling ran over, grabbed his arm and helped him up: "Are you okay?"
"Something happened. I sprained my foot." Wu Weiwei said with a bitter face.
Chen Ling looked up and around. There were new two-story buildings and old bungalows with courtyards nearby.
He said, "Wait here for me. I'll go ask about accommodation."
Just as Wu Weiwei was about to hop on one foot, his brother Chen pressed his shoulder in a warning tone. He lowered his head in frustration and said, "Okay."
In the square with a yard, some villagers were squatting on the ground cutting grass for feeding the pigs.
When she heard the knock on the door, she turned around and saw two strangers. She immediately asked coldly, "What's the matter?"
Chen Ling politely explained his purpose, but the other party immediately stood up and walked over, slamming the open gate shut.
Chen Ling covered his nose which was sore after hitting the wall, and asked Jiang Yu with a gloomy face: "Brother Jiang, how about we contact the village chief as well?"
Jiang Yu took the young man's hand away and blew into his nose: "Let's go."
Chen Ling touched the tip of his nose foolishly, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
"Let's go." Jiang Yu rubbed the young man's head lovingly.
The house where the village chief lives is not a newly built small building, but a traditional house with a courtyard. From the outside, it looks no different from other houses. The interior is simply decorated, and it is obvious that it has been specially renovated.
It would be inappropriate to go to the village chief's house empty-handed, so Chen Ling bought a few bottles of Erguotou and bags of braised food at the village store. As soon as he entered the village chief's house, he put the things on the ground and went up to shake hands with the village chief.
No matter who you are, you will feel happy when you are valued and treated with just the right amount of enthusiasm.
The village chief said with a smile: "Come if you want, buy something."
Chen Ling: "Of course I should."
The village chief took out a bag of soft red plums, shook out one and lit it for himself, then asked Chen Ling and Jiang Yu if they wanted any.
Seeing that the two refused, he put the cigarette back, crossed his legs out of habit, and squinted his eyes through the smoke: "The scientific expedition team that came here to explore told me that they have new members. If my guess is correct, it should be you two?"
"Village chief, there are not two, but three." Chen Ling said, "Another one has a sprained foot and is currently waiting for us on the edge of the field below the courtyard."
The village chief hurriedly said, "How did you sprain your ankle? I have some medicine here." He turned around and said to his wife who was sitting outside picking vegetables, "Cui Fen, go get some plaster."
The woman outside let out a sigh and quickly brought over a piece of medicine.
Chen Ling took it: "Thank you."
Cuifen shook her head and said softly, "The roads in the village are not easy to walk on, especially some of the stone slabs have been polished for many years and are very slippery. You have to be careful." Thinking of something, she paused and lowered her voice unconsciously, "Especially by the Blue Lake, you have to be more careful."
Her clothes had a strange smell, like the smell of burnt paper or incense candles.
Chen Ling guessed that she had just helped with the funeral of a couple who had just died in the village.
He collected his thoughts and turned to look at the village chief: "Village chief, my two colleagues and I want to find a place to stay tonight. I wonder if you have a suitable place."
The village chief asked back, "You just went to the bungalow at the bottom of the courtyard to ask, right? I just came back from outside at that time and saw everything."
Chen Ling said embarrassedly: "We were rude."
The village chief curled his lips: "It has nothing to do with you. Li Dong's wife has that kind of personality. She doesn't like others to go to their house."
Chen Ling just thought that the other person was just like that and didn't ask any further questions.
Seeing that the two were not interested in gossip, the village chief changed the subject in a sullen manner and talked about business: "There is an empty house in the village. It is behind the bamboo forest not far from Li Dong's house. There is a small second floor. The owner of the building is out working and is not at home. If you want to move in, I will call and let him know."
Chen Ling didn't care where he lived, as long as it didn't leak rain or wind. "Thank you for the trouble."
"No trouble." If the house is rented out for a short period of time, the village chief can make some money as a middleman, which is what he wants.
Soon, the village chief communicated with the owner of the house and agreed on two hundred yuan a day.
Chen Ling secretly sent a text message to Li Hongyu, and learned that they also rented for this price, so he agreed: "Okay, I will pay the rent day by day, okay?"
"Okay." The village chief put out his cigarette and stood up eagerly, "Let's go, I'll take you there."
When he walked out of the main room, he suddenly turned around and said, "By the way, bedding and other things have to be rented separately, thirty yuan per bed, how about that?"
"…" Chen Ling was speechless. This guy is a money-grubber. "Okay."
The village chief walked forward a few steps and stopped again. Chen Ling became alert and thought that this time he would probably talk about three meals a day.
As expected, the village chief said with a smile: "Little brother, our farm vegetables are all freshly picked, three meals a day..."
Chen Ling took a breath and quickly took the initiative, "... It's calculated by meal. If necessary, I will tell you in advance. Each meal will be made at the standard of 75 yuan."
The village chief calculated that he could make money at this price, so he rubbed his hands and said, "It's settled."
Chen Ling then breathed a sigh of relief and motioned for him to lead the way quickly.
They went around to the courtyard to pick up Wu Weiwei, bypassed Li Dong's bungalow, went up all the way, passed through a bamboo forest, and then they saw the two-story building at the back.
The building is brand new and it’s likely that it has only been lived in for a few days after it was renovated.
The village chief couldn't help but start gossiping again: "The owner of this house is called Shen Dazhuang. He said he made some money working outside and came back to repair the house to support his father in his old age... Oh, by the way, he is a single parent. His mother was difficult to deal with when she gave birth to him and died in the hospital. His father was both a mother and a father to raise him, which was not easy. And in order to protect his child from being wronged, he has remained single and has not found a partner."
Realizing that he had strayed off topic, the village chief smiled awkwardly, forced himself back to the topic, and sighed: "Alas, who knew that his father was not so lucky. He died of illness in the old house just after the house was built."
Chen Ling asked in confusion: "Are there many people with the surname Shen here?"
Shen Mingyue, Shen Mingliang, and an uncle who is a Taoist priest, make three of them in total, and now Shen Dazhuang’s family has been added.
"Many." The village chief had mixed emotions when talking about his last name. "My last name is also Shen. Our Blue Lake Village is named after the lake, but a long time ago, it was also called Shenjia Village. If we trace it back, we all have the same ancestor. If the situation hadn't changed decades ago, someone would have contacted our scattered branches to escape together, and we would still be scattered today."
When a tree grows branches and leaves, each branch has its own extension direction.
Reunion is of course good, but when such a reunion is built on the basis of family decline, it does not seem so good.
The village chief smiled and pointed forward: "Go up this fork in the road."
Chen Ling walked along the path he pointed to, climbed a few steps, and entered the open courtyard.
A 30-centimeter-high brick circle was built at the edge of the yard. In the corner were several overlapping empty flower pots. Next to the flower pots was a relatively simple small shed with rows of rabbit cages.
The village chief followed the young man's line of sight and said, "After the house was repaired, Shen Dazhuang and his family came back to live there for a short while. They said they wanted to raise some rabbits to sell and they didn't go out. But no one knew what happened. Not long after, they suddenly sold all the rabbits at a low price and hurried back to the city to work."
He was somewhat disappointed with this kind of half-hearted behavior, and sighed and said: "Few young people nowadays can do one thing well and steadily."
After saying that, he took out the key from his pocket, inserted it into the keyhole, turned it lightly, and the door opened.
The village chief pulled out the key and walked in first. The few pieces of furniture in the room were not covered with dustproof cloth. They were all exposed and covered with a thick layer of dust.
The village chief fanned the dust particles flying in front of his nose and frowned, saying, "This room needs to be cleaned thoroughly. Wait for me while I go back and get some cleaning tools."
As soon as he left, Chen Ling slammed the door of the main room.
The bright light was instantly replaced by darkness.
Wu Weiwei was stunned by his sudden action, "Brother Chen, what, what happened?"
"There's something in the room." Chen Ling walked straight to the square table and pulled aside the old dark red tablecloth.
Under the tablecloth, there was a huddled old man hiding. His soul was very weak. When he realized that he was discovered, he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of black water in an attempt to attack.
Chen Ling dodged sideways and the talisman in his hand flew out, immobilizing the opponent.
This ghost was not very aggressive, and his consciousness did not seem to be very clear. After being restrained, he did not make any noise or noise, but just stared at the door. It seemed that the attack just now was just his stress reaction when facing danger.
After all, Chen Ling is a living person, and he can't lend his Yin energy to a ghost: "Brother Jiang, you see the soul is about to dissipate."
Jiang Yu looked over and the young man immediately came over, hugged him affectionately, and said flatteringly: "Give him a hand."
A faint yin energy poured out from the man, circled around his soul, and then seeped into his soul body.
Chen Ling clearly felt that the negative energy emanating from the soul was much stronger than before. Even Wu Weiwei, who couldn't see the soul, couldn't help but shiver and said he felt a little cold.
He asked: "Brother Chen, what is going on? Why is there a ghost in this house?"
Chen Ling raised his head, his eyes falling on the black and white portrait hanging in the center of the main hall wall, "He should be Shen Dazhuang's father."
Wu Weiwei didn't understand: "I remember the village chief said that his father died of illness in the old house. If he is going to show up, he should show up in the old house."
Just as he finished speaking, the village chief came back. Seeing the door of the main room closed, he was stunned for a moment and shouted at the top of his voice: "Little brother, why is the door still closed?"
Chen Ling opened the door: "There was a mouse in the room just now."
The village chief frowned and said, "There's nothing in this room, how come there are rats? Clean up first, I'll bring some rat poison later."
"Thank you, village chief." Chen Ling took it with both hands, passed the broom to Jiang Yu, raised his eyebrows and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Husband and husband work together, it's not tiring, let's work together."
Hearing the word "husband and wife", Jiang Yu immediately smiled, obediently took the broom and started cleaning seriously.
Wu Weiwei was amazed. He swore that when Brother Chen handed over the broom, he clearly saw Brother Jiang frowning, obviously unwilling. How could he be so obedient in just one sentence
Catching ghosts depends on talent, and when it comes to training her husband, Brother Chen is still as talented as ever.
The village chief had to take some kickbacks, so how could he just stand there and do nothing? He took the initiative to pick up the rag and started wiping.
Chen Ling wiped the sweat from his forehead and pretended to be gossipy. He asked, "Village chief, I see a photo of an old man hanging there. Did Shen Dazhuang perform a ritual for the old man here?"
"Yes." The village chief was thirsty. He unscrewed the water cup he brought with him and took a sip. He sighed, "Da Zhuang is a filial child. After his father died, he spent a lot of money to ask someone to carry the body to the new house, and also bought a good coffin. The ritual lasted for three days and three nights, and he knelt in front of the coffin and cried for three days and three nights. On the fourth day, when the father was buried in the early morning, he even shoveled the soil for his father himself."
Chen Ling and Wu Weiwei looked at each other and understood why the old man's soul appeared in the new house.
Chen Ling asked: "Village Chief, excuse me, did Shen Dazhuang's father drink water from the Blue Lake before he died?"
The scientific expedition team that suddenly arrived yesterday said that they came for the lake. Now when people ask about it, the village chief doesn't find it strange, but instead feels a little proud.
“Yes,” he recalled. “The next day after he drank the lake water, he stopped crying out in pain. Three days later, he passed away in the middle of the night with a smile on his face.”
The two-story building of Shen Dazhuang's house was not small, with a total of ten rooms. The few people only cleaned the two rooms where they were going to stay and the main room.
The village chief put away the used rag and broom and asked, "Are you hungry? If you are, I will ask my husband to make you something to eat. But it's free. This meal is my treat."
After a long journey, Chen Ling came to clean up without even taking a breath. He was exhausted. He nodded repeatedly: "Thank you, village chief."
The village chief turned and left, probably asking his wife to cook some meat.
Chen Ling slumped in a wooden chair beside the four-legged table. Wu Weiwei sat in another chair. While panting, he was still thinking about Shen Dazhuang's father: "Brother Chen, don't people normally go to the underworld after death? Why is Shen Dazhuang's father still here?"
Chen Ling lifted the tablecloth and glanced at the soul that had shrunk back under the table since the village chief came.
"Maybe it can't let it go and doesn't want to leave." He stared at the ghost face carefully. Except for the paler skin and darker pupils than ordinary people, it looks not much different from a living person. Unlike other evil spirits, they are always full of resentment or hostility.
The situation of Shen Dazhuang's father is very similar to that of Old Lady Yuan, whose ghost energy was taken away by the ancestors before, except that the yin energy and ghost energy are slightly heavier.
Chen Ling squatted on the ground, looked at the old and pale face and asked: "Don't be afraid, grandpa, we won't hurt you."
The old man looked at him timidly, and only when he was sure that the other party was speaking the truth did he relax his guard a little.
It was obvious that the old man was not very courageous. Chen Ling was afraid of scaring him, so he spoke softly: "Why are you staying in the house instead of going to reincarnate?"