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墨書 Inktalez
Ye Chenfeng quietly tied the Ghost-Collecting Gourd under his grandmother's small bed, unsure if it had any suppressive effect.
At first, his grandmother went about her daily routine without any noticeable abnormalities. However, after a few days, he noticed that she seemed to be growing weaker, speaking less, and after his parents left for work, she would shut herself in and sleep all day.
When mealtime came, she always made excuses about not having an appetite and refused to eat.
His parents were worried about her condition but, due to their work commitments, they couldn't provide much care and ended up leaving the matter to Ye Chenfeng.
He wanted to continue observing his grandmother, but the weight of Shen Binghan's situation pressed heavily on his mind. He was eager to uncover the truth and learn about his grandmother's true identity. Thus, he decided to sneak out of the house and hoped to discover the truth behind Shen Binghan's death and what kind of being his grandmother truly was within two days.
Ye Chenfeng lied to his parents, saying a classmate had invited him for a cycling trip. The journey wouldn't be far—just a round trip of three or four days at most.
His mother would definitely disapprove of him going, and Ye Chenfeng felt that during this visit home, they were particularly attentive to every little thing.
Even if she didn't agree to let him go, there was little she could do; she couldn't watch over him twenty-four hours a day. They still had to work to earn money and pay the mortgage. Life in the big city was nothing like in the countryside—everything from food to basic needs cost money.
This was something his grandmother often said: how wonderful life in the countryside was, with vegetables grown in the fields and grains harvested from the land. Even the fresh air was thousands of times better than in the city.
Now, however, his grandmother no longer spoke those words; instead, she sat blankly staring at one spot all day long.
As Ye Chenfeng's father put it, this was a serious sign of his grandmother's dementia.
When Ye Chenfeng mentioned his plan for a cycling trip to his father, it wasn't a discussion; it was simply a statement. His father could only helplessly remind him to return safely and early.
Stepping out of the house, Ye Chenfeng felt that the air was refreshing.
Ye Chenfeng felt like a little bird that had just gained its freedom, ready to spread its wings and fly high. The destination this time might not be a good place and carried a certain level of danger.
As he traveled from the city to the county, Ye Chenfeng saw Ding Li waiting impatiently at the designated bus station exit.
He blended into the crowd, approached Ding Li, who was anxiously looking around, and suddenly covered her eyes.
Ding Li immediately guessed it was Ye Chenfeng and exclaimed in surprise, "Is that you, Ye Chenfeng?"
Being recognized so quickly took away the fun.
Ye Chenfeng uninterestedly released his hand and took Ding Li's hand to find Men'er Gou's shuttle.
Upon finding the shuttle, they still had half an hour to spare. They casually entered a snack shop to fill their stomachs before heading to a nearby funeral home to buy a candle.
The boss of the funeral home noticed the young man with a little girl buying so many candles and secretly speculated that they must be for some kind of worship. He recommended they purchase some talismans as well, mentioning that when going to pay respects, bad luck could easily attract evil spirits.
Hearing the boss's tone, which suggested he knew quite a bit, Ye Chenfeng casually asked, "Can you catch ghosts?"
In a world filled with fake mediums trying to swindle money, Ye Chenfeng was unsure if this person had any real skills. However, after his simple question, the boss began to speak at length about ghost-catching techniques and boldly claimed to be a descendant of Mausoleum Taoists.
"If you can catch ghosts, then come with us," Ye Chenfeng invited.
The boss remained unmoved, raising his finger and mimicking a gesture of counting money. "Let's be clear; we need to settle this first."
Money truly is a powerful thing; with money, one can make even ghosts work for them. Without it, nothing can be done.
Ye Chenfeng had no money to hire someone to exorcise ghosts, so he could only take out his cash to buy a stack of talismans and a seemingly decent Peach Wood Sword. With little money left in his pocket, he still needed to save enough for the return trip.
After wrapping these items in layers of newspaper, before he could even load them onto the car, someone called out, "Su Bei."
Hearing someone call Su Bei's name, Ye Chenfeng instinctively stopped to see who was calling and where Su Bei was.
In his heart, the name Su Bei held a special significance, tied to an indescribable connection he couldn't quite articulate.
What that connection was, he couldn't say.
Ding Li didn’t know who Su Bei was; she simply noticed that Ye Chenfeng had stopped walking and followed his gaze. A middle-aged woman was approaching them, her eyes vacant and her expression a complex mix of a smile and surprise as she stared intently at Ye Chenfeng.
"Who is she?"
Ye Chenfeng shook his head. "I don't know her."
Seeing Ye Chenfeng's expression, Ding Li realized he truly didn’t recognize the woman before them.
The woman trembled as she raised her hands, tears welling in her eyes. Slowly, she reached out as if to touch Ye Chenfeng's face. Startled, he stepped back repeatedly. "Who are you? I don’t know you."
"Su Bei, I'm your mother. Don’t you recognize me?"
Ye Chenfeng was taken aback. Is she crazy? How could she mistake him for her son?
Ding Li was equally shocked and quickly explained, "Auntie, you've mistaken him. He’s not Su Bei; he’s Ye Chenfeng."
"No, he is Su Bei, my son Su Bei." The woman’s eyes brimmed with tears, holding back her cries as she stubbornly gazed at Ye Chenfeng, as if afraid that a blink would make him disappear.
"No, no, I really don’t know you."
"Su Bei, stop playing around. Mommy won’t be strict with you anymore. Please come home with me, okay?" The woman pleaded, grabbing Ye Chenfeng.
A crowd of onlookers, unaware of the truth, voiced their indignation for the woman: "These unruly kids nowadays! Not only do they ignore their parents, but they also date early and pretend not to recognize their own flesh and blood."
Ding Li's loud explanations fell on deaf ears; the crowd only grew larger, filled with disdain and angry shouts from middle-aged men and women. The two of them found themselves unable to speak up, becoming public enemies in the eyes of the older generation.
Just as the situation escalated, a figure appeared before them.
It was Liu Wen from the Ancient River Town police station.
Liu Wen requested Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li to accompany him to the station for coordination.
Ye Chenfeng had things to do; besides, he had missed the shuttle and would have to wait until one o'clock in the afternoon for another one to Men'er Gou. This delay could lead to unforeseen consequences at home since his parents were unaware of his trip to Ancient River Town.
He remembered that his mother had a tendency toward hysteria; once her emotions spiraled out of control, she could act frighteningly. He didn’t dare risk provoking her but couldn’t refuse Liu Wen’s goodwill either. In the end, he reluctantly agreed to go to the police station.
Ancient River Town was neither too big nor too small. The local police station handled all matters within and around the town. So when Ye Chenfeng, Ding Li, and the woman who claimed him as her son arrived at the station, it was during one of its busiest times of the day.
Liu Wen led them into a small reception room at the back. Each received a cup of free water as they sat down, getting straight to the point.
Since the moment the woman identified Ye Chenfeng as her son, she had not left his side, remaining in a state of high alert as if afraid someone would take him away.
"Auntie, I really am not Su Bei; my name is Ye Chenfeng."
The woman shook her head slowly, pulling out a photo from her belongings. Her eyes were fixed on Ye Chenfeng as she pushed the picture in front of him.
Ye Chenfeng looked down at the photo, and Ding Li leaned in to take a look as well. The former was surprised, while the latter exclaimed, "You two look so much alike."
Liu Wen remarked, "It's not just that they look alike; I think they might actually be the same person."
The police officer at the station echoed this sentiment, leaving Ye Chenfeng feeling frustrated.
How could that be possible? His real name was Ye Chenfeng, and he had no connection to Su Bei whatsoever. Yet, how could they be so convinced that he was Su Bei? In his confusion, Liu Wen mentioned that he had suspected Ye Chenfeng was Su Bei the first time he saw him.
He then secretly took a photo and sent it to his family, who passed it along to Su Bei's home.
Su Bei's mother, the woman who mistakenly identified her son, saw the photo and was overjoyed. She immediately came to the station area, vowing not to return home until she found her child.
While Ye Chenfeng returned to the city with his family, Su Bei's mother searched tirelessly for him here. She was on the verge of a breakdown and appeared somewhat unhinged to others.
Now that she had finally seen him, how could she let him go so easily?
Ye Chenfeng felt helpless and decided to show his ID to Liu Wen. However, he realized he had forgotten it at home. In this desperate situation, he had no choice but to ask Liu Wen to bring Ma Yan as a witness.
When Ma Yan arrived, she confirmed that Ye Chenfeng looked exactly like this and that his name was indeed Ye Chenfeng, not Su Bei.
Even so, Su Bei's mother refused to let Ye Chenfeng go.
It was no good for anyone to be entangled in this situation.
Ye Chenfeng had no choice but to call home, honestly explaining that he had encountered a tricky matter.
As a result, Ye Chenfeng's parents rushed over from the city, bringing along his identification card.
The ID card indeed belonged to Ye Chenfeng, not Su Bei.
Liu Wen took the ID card, examining it closely before comparing it with Ye Chenfeng himself. He returned the ID card to Ye Chenfeng's parents and asked, "When did you replace the old ID card with the new one?"
Ye Chenfeng remembered that he had gone back to the city to get the new ID. He had lost the old one, possibly while watching Shen Binghan by the river or maybe it was left under Grandma's bed.
"Without the old ID card, how did you manage to get the new one?"
"We used the household registration book to replace it."
"Oh."
Liu Wen was at a loss and could only let Ye Chenfeng and his parents leave.
Su Bei's mother collapsed on the table, sobbing uncontrollably.
Ye Chenfeng couldn't bear to leave. He turned back to look at Su Bei's mother, feeling a pang of sadness in his nose. He told his parents to go back first while he stayed behind for a couple of days with Ding Li.
His mother insisted he leave, holding onto his hand and saying, "Don't cause any trouble when you get back."
"I'm an adult now, so stop treating me like a child. And I'm not your property, so don't try to control everything," Ye Chenfeng said, his anger flaring up. Su Bei's mother was crying sadly, nagging him like this when it was his own mother.
Seeing Ye Chenfeng lose his temper, his mother was taken aback and looked to her husband for help.
Ye Dad gave a wry smile, raised his hand, and patted Ye Chenfeng on the shoulder. "Just come back quickly and be safe."
"It's fine, you guys don’t need to worry!" After watching his parents leave, Ye Chenfeng quietly tucked Su Bei's photo into his pocket and quickly pulled Ding Li away from the police station.
Once outside, Ye Chenfeng looked up at the sky, furrowing his brows as he said to Ding Li, "Actually, I lied."
"You lied? Why would you lie?" Ding Li tried hard to recall what exactly Ye Chenfeng had lied about.
"Not long ago, I saw Su Bei in a car, and then we got separated."
"Something must have happened to Su Bei; otherwise, why hasn't she come back for so long? The Missing Person Notice has even been posted at your grandmother's place."
"Yes." Ye Chenfeng walked across the street but then turned back to hold Ding Li's hand. "I just have this feeling that something happened to both me and Su Bei, but I can't remember what."
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