After going upstairs, Grandma Ji went back to her room and lay down. It was already late at night, and there was no more shrill doorbell ringing. The whole house returned to silence.
The feeling of being spied on disappeared, and Ji Mingxia only then realized that the ghost had left.
He stood in the living room and waited for a moment, turning off the lights downstairs one by one, then went upstairs, sneaked into Grandma Ji's room and took a peek.
Grandma Ji has fallen asleep.
She was so tired that she fell into a deep sleep in just a moment.
After confirming that although she was affected, she was still safe, Ji Mingxia felt relieved and returned to his room.
He was completely sleepless.
In just a few short minutes, the scene of Grandma Ji suddenly aging kept replaying in his mind. Ji Mingxia was angry and anxious, but he had no idea where all these weird things came from.
He had no idea where to start, and he wished he could find Yu Ning immediately and ask Yu Ning to help him analyze it all.
Yes, Yu Ning is in the capital now, and his phone is unreachable...
Banana Leaf Village has been haunted for a long time, and no one has found a solution. All the residents have become ostriches, choosing to continue living in Banana Leaf Village by pretending to be deaf and dumb.
Although Ji Mingxia has the golden finger of traveling through the book, the village of Jiaoye Village is not mentioned at all in the original work.
There was no way to predict the plot in advance. He had been back to Jiaoye Village for less than a day.
His intelligence is at an average level. How can he find the problem in such a short time
Ji Mingxia never dared to overestimate his abilities. He always felt that his greatest strength was his self-knowledge.
But now that Grandma Ji has become like this, Ji Mingxia can’t just watch Grandma Ji grow old.
A person in his seventies, but looks like he is in his nineties. Although Grandma Ji is not alive now, if that ghost comes a few more times, Grandma Ji is afraid...
Thinking of this, Ji Mingxia's heart was in a mess. At this moment, the cold touch of the ring made Ji Mingxia's brain clear up.
His hand unconsciously touched the blood-red ring. The cool feeling made Ji Mingxia inexplicably think of Yu Ning's fingertips.
Ji Mingxia forced himself to calm down.
During this period, he and Yu Ning frequently encountered ghosts, and every time Yu Ning did an analysis, he would tell him about it.
He is not Yu Ning, but he can learn from Yu Ning and imitate Yu Ning's thinking.
Thinking of this, Ji Mingxia immediately stood up, went to the desk, found a pen and paper, and listed out the suspicious points he had observed after entering Jiaoye Village.
First of all, for Ji Mingxia, the most shocking thing was the scene he saw tonight.
After the ghost knocked on the door, when the doorbell power was turned off, the dark shadow outside the door disappeared.
At that moment, Ji Mingxia briefly thought that the ghost had left.
But soon, he felt something unusual at home.
Then, a ghost appeared on Grandma Ji's body, chewing something in big mouthfuls. After the ghost disappeared, Grandma Ji became tired and old at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if several months of her life had been devoured by the ghost.
After witnessing the changes in Grandma Ji with his own eyes and comparing the Grandma Ji in Ji Mingxia's original world with the tired and old Grandma Ji at this moment, the question that had been lingering in Ji Mingxia's mind for a long time was finally answered.
Why does Grandma Ji look two or three years older than the grandma in the original world
It’s not because of the age difference or physical reasons, it’s just this ghost that’s causing all this trouble.
Moreover, based on Grandma Ji’s words, it can be confirmed that the entire Jiaoye Village is now shrouded in the shadow of ghosts knocking on the door.
Today, after Ji Mingxia returned to the village, the first living person he met was Aunt Cheng. With a quick glance, Ji Mingxia discovered that Aunt Cheng was different from what he remembered. She seemed to be much more shriveled and older.
At that time, Ji Mingxia thought it was his illusion, but now he suddenly understood that whoever's door the ghost knocked on every night would have his lifespan sucked out that person's lifespan that night.
Thinking of this, Ji Mingxia wrote the word "Shouyuan" on the paper.
So, the question now is, why does the ghost absorb life span
This world is full of mysterious objects, and ghosts purposefully absorb lifespans, most likely driven by humans.
In the entire Jiaoye Village, who is suspected of doing such a thing
Ji Mingxia used a simple process of elimination.
In his world, the death of his parents in a car accident had also happened, so it was ruled out that he was affected by the mysterious object.
According to Grandma Ji, what remained was that an octogenarian couple passed away at home, and... a mother and son with cancer, although frail, were miraculously cured and returned to Jiaoye Village.
On the day they returned to Jiaoye Village, two unknown middle-aged men died in the village.
Not long after, two more young men disappeared.
From here on, the nightmare of Jiaoye Village began, and no one in the village was spared.
Ji Mingxia looked at the clues listed on his homework paper, his eyes lit up, and he circled "mother and son with cancer" almost without hesitation.
This was the turning point of all events.
Thinking of this, Ji Mingxia already had a general direction in his mind.
The night passed quickly, and the next morning, as soon as it was light, Ji Mingxia went downstairs.
There were few entertainment facilities in the village, and the villagers worked from morning till night, so even though Ji Mingxia got up early, he managed to catch the busiest time in the village.
The ghost knocking on the door had a huge impact on the entire Jiaoye Village. It didn't even need to wait until the evening. From the afternoon onwards, the village became deserted and almost no one went out.
But after all, we live here and we can’t stay at home every day without going out.
So the villagers of Jiaoye Village made good use of the morning time.
The early morning sun shines into the yard through the thin morning mist.
When Ji Mingxia went downstairs, Grandma Ji had finished practicing Tai Chi in the yard and was preparing to make tea in the living room.
Seeing Ji Mingxia getting up so early, Grandma Ji was surprised: "You didn't sleep last night?"
"I'm asleep." Ji Mingxia said, "I go to bed early and get up early."
Grandma Ji obviously didn't believe his words. Thinking of what happened last night, she thought Ji Mingxia was frightened. Grandma Ji said softly, "It's a good morning. Nothing happened. Go back and sleep for a while."
Ji Mingxia looked at her always serious face, and saw her looking at him worriedly, and felt an inexplicable pain in his heart.
Grandma Ji was already much older than the grandmother in his world. After what happened last night, she looked even more haggard, with more age spots and wrinkles on her face, like an old pine tree that was about to die.
Grandma Ji's guess was correct. Ji Mingxia really did not sleep all night. In her condition, it was impossible for Ji Mingxia to sleep.
However, in front of Grandma Ji, Ji Mingxia would not reveal his worries. He stretched and said, "I'm full and don't want to sleep anymore. I'll have breakfast first and go out to buy groceries with you later."
According to Ji Mingxia's plan, he wanted to take the opportunity to observe the people in the entire Jiaoye Village while buying vegetables, and when he got the chance, he would inquire about the news about the mother and son. It would be even better if he could meet them in person.
Unexpectedly, Grandma Ji said, "There are vegetables in the refrigerator, so you don't have to go out to buy them."
"Whatever is in the refrigerator, buy it now. I don't think there are many fruits left at home. Buy some later and I'll bring it back for you." Ji Mingxia said, "The vegetable market is still at the old location, right?"
"No." Grandma Ji said, "If you want to buy groceries, just stay at home and wait for dinner. I will arrange it later."
Ji Mingxia vaguely felt that Grandma Ji seemed to be very resistant to going out to buy groceries.
The more Grandma Ji refused to answer, the more curious Ji Mingxia became. During breakfast, he asked her in various ways.
During this period, Grandma Ji also expressed her impatience, but Ji Mingxia was very thick-skinned and continued to ask questions. In desperation, Grandma Ji could only say: "The vegetable market is closed. Now everyone goes to the supermarket to buy vegetables. I am an old lady. They deliver goods to my door for free every day. I don’t have to go out."
Ji Mingxia was stunned, and inexplicably thought of the small supermarket he saw yesterday.
Ji Mingxia met Aunt Cheng there. He remembered that the blood-red ring glowed at that time.
Thinking of this, Ji Mingxia immediately asked, "It's the small supermarket that was converted from a western-style building. Who opened that small supermarket?"
Grandma Ji raised her eyes and glanced at Ji Mingxia: "It was opened by Zhou Mei."
Zhou Mei
The name sounded familiar and yet distant. Ji Mingxia frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly his expression changed slightly.
Isn’t Zhou Mei the owner of that western-style building
In Ji Mingxia's original world, the owners of the western-style building had long since died of illness. After their death, the building was taken over by the government and converted into a coffee shop, which was once one of the popular check-in spots in Jiaoye Village.
When Ji Mingxia saw the small supermarket, he thought that the plot of this world had undergone subtle changes and the western-style building was rented out to open a supermarket.
Unexpectedly, the owner of the western-style building was not dead, but opened a supermarket instead
Ji Mingxia asked in surprise: "Is this Zhou Mei the one who recovered from cancer?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Grandma Ji not only did not answer him, but scolded him: "What does this have to do with you? Why are you asking so much? Finish your meal quickly and go back to your room to play with your phone!"
After that, Grandma Ji didn’t eat her meal and went back to the kitchen with the bowl in her hand.
Ji Mingxia stared blankly at Grandma Ji's back, not understanding why she had such a big reaction.
Last night, Grandma Ji had already told him roughly about the incident of the ghost knocking on the door in Jiaoye Village.
The reason he asked today was just to elaborate on the matter of the ghost knocking on the door, but Grandma Ji got angry all of a sudden, as if her reverse scale was touched.
The vegetable market is gone, and now if people in the village want to buy vegetables, they can only go to the supermarket.
Grandma Ji didn't want Ji Mingxia to go out to buy groceries. Now that Ji Mingxia asked about Zhou Mei, Grandma Ji also resisted.
It is obvious that there is definitely something wrong with this supermarket!
At the same time, Ji Mingxia also discovered that Grandma Ji might be hiding something from him.
Ji Mingxia has no way of finding out Grandma Ji’s secret for the time being, but he will find a chance to go to this supermarket.
If he does nothing, Grandma Ji could die at any time; if he takes the initiative to find out the truth, he may have a glimmer of hope.
Ji Mingxia knew very well that the supermarket was dangerous and with his rookie strength, he would probably get killed there, so he had no choice but to go.
This kind of thing had happened before. At that time, he was going to Quanzhuang, but Yu Ning was not there. This time was different. He was alone...
Thinking of this, Ji Mingxia held the ring and tried to cheer himself up.
He is a supporting character after all. According to the original novel, he didn't even have time to appear on the screen... Although the plot has completely changed now, his survival rate is always higher than that of others!
During lunch break, while Grandma Ji was asleep, Ji Mingxia quietly slipped out of the house.
After lunch time, Jiaoye Village became deserted at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The distance from Ji Mingxia's home to the small supermarket is not far. Along the way, Ji Mingxia was mentally prepared. He was even ready for a big fight as soon as he entered the supermarket. Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned the corner and the door of the small supermarket came into view, what Ji Mingxia saw was actually a medium-sized truck.
Several workers who were moving goods were coming in and out of the small supermarket, carrying all kinds of sacks and suitcases in their hands, as if they were moving house.
Ji Mingxia stared at the scene in a daze. Before he could figure out what was going on, a man who was moving things saw Ji Mingxia standing in the corner.
He waved at Ji Mingxia and shouted, "Mingxia, you're back?"
Ji Mingxia looked at his familiar yet unfamiliar face.
This is a young man about twenty years old, with short hair, dark skin, and a short stature, just over 1.7 meters tall.
He has a square face and big eyes, but strangely, his eyeballs are very small and he has a very obvious squint.
When he saw Ji Mingxia, the man immediately smiled.
Compared to his face, his teeth were exceptionally white, even eerily white.
The grinning mouth is filled with a full set of neat white teeth, and it looks like he has good teeth.
With lips and teeth like these, your smile should appear especially bright.
But maybe it's because his eyes are so small, but even though his smile is bright, the light can't penetrate into his eyes.
Ji Mingxia felt uncomfortable all over when she saw his smile. She wanted to look away and didn't want to see his face again.
It was this man who ran in front of Ji Mingxia after calling his name.
When he saw Ji Mingxia looking at him in confusion, the man immediately pointed at himself and said, "Me, Zhou Tao, don't you remember me?"
Zhou Tao
The expression on Ji Mingxia's face froze for a moment.
Of course he knew him, Zhou Tao, Zhou Mei's son.
Jiaoye Village is this small, and Zhou Tao is the same age as him. When they were young, Ji Mingxia often played with Zhou Tao.
Not long after Ji Mingxia’s parents passed away, Zhou Tao and his mother died of illness one after another.
Cancer has a certain chance of being inherited. The first person to be diagnosed with cancer was Zhou Tao, who was in the middle stage of cancer. Soon after, it was discovered that Zhou Mei was in the late stage of cancer.
In Ji Mingxia's original world, Zhou Tao and Zhou Mei tried very hard to cooperate with the treatment. However, modern human medicine has not yet conquered cancer. They eventually died in the hospital and were buried in the back mountain of Jiaoye Village.
Ji Mingxia's impression of Zhou Tao was frozen in his junior high school days when he had not yet fully grown up.
I didn't expect that Zhou Tao would be like this when he grew up.
Although Zhou Tao was not good-looking when he was a child, he was at least well-looking.
His eyeballs weren't that small, nor were his eyes squinting, and his smile wasn't that weird.
When people in the village saw the changes in Zhou Tao, they might think that Zhou Tao's appearance changed due to chemotherapy. After all, the cancer was cured, and this little impact on appearance was nothing compared to life.
Ji Mingxia had experienced several supernatural events, so when he saw Zhou Tao, the first person he thought of was Lin Siyun, who had used the blood-red ring.
Then he remembered the ghost that was climbing on Grandma Ji’s shoulder and chewing food last night.
At this moment, Ji Mingxia could confirm that the ghost knocking on the door in Jiaoye Village must be related to Zhou Mei and Zhou Tao, mother and son.
However, the next moment, Zhou Tao's words surprised Ji Mingxia.
"I finally waited for you to come back after the college entrance examination. I wanted to spend some time with you. What a pity..." Zhou Tao smiled and glanced at the small supermarket. "We have to leave here today."
"Are you going to leave Jiaoye Village?" Ji Mingxia asked in surprise.