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Hearing her grandmother's words, Su Jin'er was stunned. It turned out that the baby that had lunged at her earlier was not trying to kill her but was after her body. But why her?
Her grandmother sighed and said, "I know you have questions, but all I can tell you is that your constitution is weak and easily attracts unclean things. That's why I want you to leave here. Compared to us, you are actually the most dangerous one."
No wonder her grandmother had always wanted her to leave. But now that there was such a powerful Vengeful Spirit here, how could she possibly leave? What would happen to her grandmother if she did?
"I know you're worried about me, but don't worry! I will be fine. You should leave here tomorrow!"
"But, Grandma, I can't leave you here alone." After a pause, she continued, "If ghosts really exist, then does Qiangzi also exist? I will go find him for help tomorrow."
Su Jin'er suddenly felt like she must be crazy. Not only did she believe in the existence of ghosts in this world, but she also inexplicably wanted to seek help from a ghost. If others found out, they would surely think she was insane.
Chu Feifan was still hesitating whether to reveal what had happened yesterday morning because he wasn't sure if the events of the past few days were real or if he had just experienced a terrifying nightmare. This nightmare had truly shaken him to his core and completely disrupted his worldview.
"Foolish child!" Her grandmother gently stroked Su Jin'er's hair. "Rest for a while! It will be dawn soon."
Su Jin'er nodded, feeling the rough skin of her grandmother's hand. Looking at her grandmother's head full of white hair made her throat tighten. She turned away and quietly wiped away her tears.
"Grandma, you should rest too! I'll keep an eye on her," Chu Feifan said as he noticed beads of sweat forming on his grandmother's wrinkled face; it seemed like there were even more wrinkles than before.
"Alright then!" Her grandmother trembled as she stood up, her legs shaking. Chu Feifan supported her and helped her back to her bedroom.
After returning, Su Jin'er continued to cry: "Grandma has aged so much; I really wish time could slow down."
But this was just her fantasy; time is fair. It gives everyone the same amount of time and will not slow down for anyone who wishes it not to leave.
Thinking of this made Su Jin'er even sadder.
Chu Feifan looked at her suddenly sorrowful face, and her sadness made the red mark on her face stand out even more.
"It's normal for people to age. Nothing in this world will change because of your sadness or grief; the only thing we can change is ourselves, because we cannot change this world."
Although Chu Feifan's words were a bit harsh, they were the truth. Su Jin'er took a deep breath and said, "Yes, I understand."
The two fell silent again. Su Jin'er glanced at Chu Feifan, who had been keeping his head down, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought you here."
Her words left Chu Feifan stunned; he didn't quite understand. "Ha ha, do you think I'm afraid?"
Su Jin'er didn't answer, but her eyes were the best response.
Chu Feifan forced a smile. It was natural to be scared when faced with something so terrifying, but it wasn't fear that gripped him; it was something else.
"Do you really not remember what happened yesterday morning?"
Su Jin'er shook her head. After getting drunk, she couldn't remember anything. Did something happen?
"I saw Qiangzi yesterday morning." He hesitated for a long time but decided to say it anyway. "It sounds absurd, but we clearly saw that evil spirit, didn't we? So I thought I should tell you."
Su Jin'er frowned; she found it hard to believe.
"Ha ha, I find it hard to believe too! But it's the truth. After you got drunk, you shouted Qiangzi's name loudly. Since I was some distance away and the grass was quite tall, I thought it would be better to get closer to you. However, when I reached your spot, I found you were gone. Strangely enough, even Qiangzi's grave had vanished. Although I was terrified at the time, I didn't know why; it felt like Qiangzi had taken you away, so I asked him to bring you back."
After hearing Chu Feifan's words, Su Jin'er was startled. She had only casually mentioned wanting to ask Qiangzi for help; could his soul really be present? The fact that she had encountered an evil spirit already seemed unbelievable, and hearing Chu Feifan's words made everything feel even more bizarre.
"Is everything you said true?"
"Yes, and I even saw him carry you back. However, your appearance was very clear at that time, while his was blurry, so I could only see a man without being able to make out his features."
"How can you be sure he is Qiangzi then?"
"Hehe, even if I could see his face clearly, I wouldn't know if he is Qiangzi! After all, I don't know him. But it was raining at that time, so everything was unclear. After he handed you over to me, he disappeared. I carried you down the mountain, and when we reached the bottom, it had stopped raining. Strangely enough, even the mud on my legs was gone."
This not only puzzled Chu Feifan but also left Su Jin'er confused. The two fell into silence one after another.
Before long, dawn broke, and they had only slept for a short while. As Su Jin'er opened her eyes, she felt a splitting headache. However, she quickly recalled what had happened the night before, and her mind became alert.
"Feifan, where is Grandma?"
Chu Feifan squinted and rubbed his temples. "She should be sleeping."
Su Jin'er quickly got out of bed and ran to her grandmother's room, but Grandma was not in bed. Chu Feifan followed her out.
"Grandma isn't here."
"Could she be cooking?" No sooner had he spoken than Grandma walked in from outside.
"Why aren't you two sleeping a bit longer?" Grandma asked while coughing.
"Grandma, why aren't you resting more? It's fine for us young people to sleep less."
Grandma waved her hand and said, "When people get old, they sleep less. It's nothing to worry about. Since you are all awake, let's have a meal! After eating, you can go back!"
After saying this, Grandma turned around and left the room before they could respond.
Su Jin'er watched Grandma's hunched back; she seemed to have aged a lot. However, even so, she understood Grandma's temperament well—once she made a decision, no one could change it.
The meal was heavy with silence; no one spoke. Afterward, Grandma helped them gather their clothes and then walked them to the village entrance without saying a word.
"Grandma, why don't you come with me? Dad and Mom miss you very much!" Su Jin'er suddenly cried out. She had a terrible premonition in her heart, as if after this separation from Grandma, she would never see her again.
"Alright, just go! Don't say anything more."
"Grandma..."
Grandma turned to leave but paused to take a small bottle from her pocket and handed it to Su Jin'er. "The mark on your face may take some time to disappear. Use this; apply a little before bed each night. Do you understand?"
Chu Feifan glanced at the red mark on her face; it looked as if someone had slapped her, except there were no fingerprints—more like a piece of red paper stuck on her skin. This mark diminished her beauty significantly and even made her face look somewhat frightening.
"Okay, I understand. Grandma, are you really not willing to come with us?" Su Jin'er pleaded once more without giving up.
Grandma said nothing and turned to leave.
Su Jin'er watched Grandma's figure disappear behind the dirt mound before leaving with Chu Feifan. After they left, Grandma's silhouette reappeared behind the mound, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.
Sitting in the car, Su Jin'er couldn't calm her heart. She was very worried about Grandma's safety. They had just been sent off by Grandma, leaving her in danger. She felt like a soldier fleeing from the battlefield, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Alright, don't be sad. I believe Grandma will be able to get through this. We would only be a hindrance there."
Su Jin'er did not respond. Although she knew that Grandma was doing it for her own good, she felt a lump in her throat that she couldn't swallow or spit out, making her feel like she was going crazy.
After an unknown amount of time, perhaps she cried herself to sleep, leaning against Chu Feifan's embrace, with tears still glistening at the corners of her eyes.
Chu Feifan gently touched the red mark on her face, feeling a bit warm and noticing that her skin seemed to be moving, as if something inside was writhing. This made Chu Feifan feel alarmed.
He took the small bottle that she had tightly clutched in her hand, twisted off the cap, and a foul odor immediately wafted out. He quickly pulled the bottle away but still pinched his nose to take a look inside. It contained a milky white paste that resembled lotion typically used by girls; however, while lotion has a pleasant scent, this one was so foul it made him want to vomit.
He replaced the cap. This was something Grandma had given Jin'er; it couldn't possibly be harmful to her. So he put the bottle back into his backpack.
The vehicle rocked like a cradle, and many people enjoyed sleeping on the bus, with Chu Feifan being no exception. His eyelids grew heavier and finally closed in exhaustion.
When they woke up again, the bus had already arrived at their destination. Su Jin'er rubbed her sleepy eyes and got off the bus with Chu Feifan. During this time, many people cast curious glances at them, solely because of the mark on Su Jin'er's face.
However, Su Jin'er herself did not know what the mark looked like, and Chu Feifan did his best to prevent her from seeing any reflective surfaces. Still, he could only shield her from seeing it outside; once they reached their dormitory, she would inevitably see it!
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