Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The woman ran, her bony chest heaving violently.
Gasping for breath, she made Ye Chenfeng feel a pang of sympathy, prompting him to slow his pace to keep up with her.
She claimed she had forgotten her surname; everyone called her Sister Guai.
Her name was not important; what mattered was that she said she had been trafficked.
In fact, the name Sister Guai came from the fact that she was taken as a victim.
She did have a name, but she refused to reveal it, not even to Zhang Bi.
Moreover, Sister Guai knew that Ding Li had come with several others to Zhanglin Village. While she didn’t know where those people had gone, she was aware that Ding Li was to marry an ugly old man, a match arranged by her man and the village chief of Zhanglin Village.
It was one thing not to listen, but hearing Sister Guai say this made Ye Chenfeng furious.
This was the era of democracy; who dared to force someone into marriage like that?
Sister Guai continued, “The village chief, Zhangtou, is like a local emperor. After a plague swept through, many died or fled. Those who remained were unable to attract women from outside, so the men left behind couldn’t find brides. Without brides, they couldn’t expand Zhanglin Village. The chief suggested buying women from outside—regardless of their looks, as long as they could bear children.”
Seeing that the woman was struggling to keep up, Ye Chenfeng decided to carry her on his back.
But Sister Guai shook her head and said, “Big brother, if you promise me you’ll take me away from this hellhole when you leave, I’ll be content.”
“Okay.” Looking at this pitiful woman—skinny and poorly dressed—made Ye Chenfeng’s heart ache. He thought of his mother back home. This woman was about the same age as her and had come from far away with hopes of working in the big city but fell into the hands of traffickers along the way.
He also thought about how she might have been able to have a child or two with Zhang Bi, but given her age and the fact that she had been locked away in a dark room for so long, she had become emaciated and malnourished. Ultimately, it was because she could no longer bear children that Zhang Bi had let her go.
Chief Zhang of Dog Village said that once a woman gives birth, she will wholeheartedly follow Zhang Bi for the rest of her life.
Zhang Bi did not inform the village chief about Sister Guai's release. He felt pity for her, after all, she was the woman he had slept with, and in a moment of weakness, he let her go. He only reminded her not to wander out where others could see her. Now that Zhang Bi was not home, Sister Guai stepped outside and encountered Ye Chenfeng and others who were looking for Zhang Bi to discuss matters.
Sister Guai had been in Zhanglin Village for over ten years, yet it was the first time she had personally touched a fifty-yuan bill. As she accepted the money, a flicker of joy stirred in her withered heart. She thought about using this money to catch a ride and escape back home to reunite with her family.
“Auntie, have you heard about Sun Hong?”
Sister Guai replied, “I haven't heard anything. It seemed like they were quite busy recently. I heard strangers talking in the house; there was a woman with a very crisp voice, but I didn't see her. Zhang Bi was afraid I would run off with these people, so he locked me up whenever someone came by. This time he relaxed his guard; otherwise, I wouldn't have seen you.”
“What about the plague?”
“The plague was caused by Sun Family Coffin Shop. They placed bodies infected with the plague in their coffin shop, and it spread from there, resulting in many deaths. The people from Sun Family Coffin Shop also died overnight.”
Ye Chenfeng thought to himself whether Sun Family Coffin Shop was related to Sister Sun mentioned in Ye Feng's diary and if there was any direct connection to the girl hiding in the graveyard.
“Sister Guai, how do you know for sure that everyone from Sun Family Coffin Shop is dead? Wasn't there anyone left alive?”
“Who knows? There were five people in total at Sun Family Coffin Shop. Excluding the sister who married far away, there were two children—a brother and a sister. Unfortunately, the brother had just gotten married... what a pity…”
“Newlywed? The bride died?”
“I’m not sure; Zhang Bi wouldn’t tell me these things.”
“Can you tell me what happened with the plague?”
“It starts with numbness in the legs and weakness throughout the body, then they foam at the mouth and fall into a deep sleep.”
Ye Chenfeng felt that this was less like a plague and more like a poisoning phenomenon.
As he walked and ran, a house appeared before them.
This household was celebrating a joyous occasion, with bright red characters pasted on the wooden door, standing out prominently. The ground was littered with remnants of fireworks and firecrackers, and sounds of laughter and drinking could be heard from the courtyard.
"Sister Guai, you should hide away and wait for us over there, or better yet, go back the way you came and pretend nothing happened. This will be beneficial for your escape later," he advised.
Sister Guai stopped, looking at Ye Chenfeng with concern. In a sincere tone, she said, "Alright, but you must be careful."
Ye Chenfeng nodded and added, "When you return and see my three brothers, tell them not to worry and to wait for me calmly."
Sister Guai nodded but then recalled something and said, "Zhangtou is ruthless; you must be cautious of him."
"Don't worry. I have good fortune on my side; nothing will happen to me," he reassured her.
Sister Guai hurriedly left, quickly disappearing from Ye Chenfeng's sight.
He turned back to look at the house with smoke curling up from the chimney. The glaring red characters that resembled blood made his heart feel heavy with mixed emotions.
With determined strides, he approached the entrance, having prepared a red envelope as a gift and readying himself for any conversation with Zhang Bi and the others.
Upon entering the courtyard, everyone who was eating and drinking turned to stare at him.
Zhang Bi noticed him and cheerfully got up to walk over, announcing to everyone, "It's alright; this is a young brother from the big city here to celebrate with us."
Ye Chenfeng handed the red envelope to Zhang Bi, who then passed it on to the host. Someone automatically moved aside to make room for him to sit down.
In the countryside, the Nine Big Bowls were filled with large fish and meat, and big bowls of dishes that were overwhelming to look at. Just one glance was enough to kill any appetite. It felt as if these people had never brushed their teeth in their lives, with their yellowed teeth and the way they picked their noses and rubbed their eyes before reaching for the food made it even harder to swallow what was in front of them.
Ye Chenfeng knew about rural life, but it wasn't as bad as what he was witnessing now.
In his grandmother's village, despite the saying that "poor mountains and bad waters produce wicked people," it wasn't like this at all!
He had visited other villages where people were warm-hearted, simple, and kind. But what was going on with the people here? Were the stories Sister Guai told him on the way true or false?
Someone dipped their chopsticks into a bowl filled with remnants of food and then generously placed some dishes in front of Ye Chenfeng, flashing a wide grin with their yellow teeth as they said, "Eat, eat..."
Ye Chenfeng nodded but didn't reach for the chopsticks. He noticed that the person serving him had a chunk of eye crust in the corner of their eye.
Zhang Bi saw Ye Chenfeng not moving his chopsticks and came over to personally toast him, saying, "Good things bring good spirits; let's have a drink."
Ye Chenfeng smiled but didn't raise his glass. Instead, he joked, "I remember that in the countryside, it's the bride who toasts the guests. Why is it you, Uncle, doing the toasting today? Are you the one getting married?"
Upon hearing Ye Chenfeng's words, the guests all raised their hands in agreement, calling for the bride to come and toast.
These so-called guests were mostly middle-aged men who looked rather unappealing and drooled at the thought of teasing the bride. They were well past their thirties—most were in their forties or fifties.
There were also a few families present; one thin woman with yellow skin brought a pack of children who had already devoured an entire table of food.
Single men occupied two-thirds of the space, while only a few families were there.
Ye Chenfeng observed that many houses around were empty and uninhabited; less than half of the people here seemed to belong to this place.
Yet here he was, surrounded by so many people offering extravagant gifts.
The person giving the grand gift was not being unreasonable in asking the bride to toast.
There were others shouting, and Zhang Bi discussed with the village chief, deciding to let the bride come out and toast Ye Chenfeng once.
The bride appeared.
She was awkwardly supported by one person on each side as she approached Ye Chenfeng.
In fact, Ding Li had seen Ye Chenfeng the moment she stepped outside.
At that moment, her heart felt like it was being torn apart; she didn't know how to face Ye Chenfeng or how they could escape together from this place.
Ding Li had come with a group of people to Zhanglin Village.
They claimed to be reporters from the Provincial Television Station, looking to interview about something valuable. Ding Li told them about a small mountain village called Zhanglin Village far away, where there were some little-known legends and a particularly eerie story.
One girl named Sun Hong especially loved hearing her tell ghost stories.
The ghost stories were told by Ye Chenfeng to Ding Li.
Ding Li came to Zhanglin Village simply wanting to reunite with Ye Chenfeng; she arrived first, and he would follow.
Ye Chenfeng's plan was to visit Zhanglin Village before the New Year.
So Ding Li calculated that after they both calmed down, an unexpected reunion might reignite the spark of love between them.
Unfortunately, fate did not align with her plans.
The people here are quite unreasonable; they don't allow anyone to photograph the scenery and even resort to violence, driving Sun Hong and his companions away. In the chaos, she unfortunately got separated from Sun Hong, and that's how things ended up like this.
Finally, she locked eyes with Ye Chenfeng.
Ye Chenfeng raised his glass while she trembled, supported by someone, her hands numb from being bound with hemp rope. She shook the bottle of liquor, pouring half a cup of strong liquor into his glass, watching him tilt his head back and down it in one gulp.
Her heart felt as if it had been pierced by a sharp thorn—painful. "Don't drink like that; you'll get drunk."
Ding Li's eyes were red from crying, and she looked at Ye Chenfeng with weary, bloodshot eyes. Her complexion was pale, devoid of any joy befitting a bride.
Ye Chenfeng slammed his glass onto the ground, his expression grave as he stepped closer to Ding Li. "Who are you, Demon? How dare you come here so arrogantly, bringing disaster to Zhanglin Village and harming innocent lives? Is it not enough? Do you still wish to continue your wicked ways and drain men of their essence to become a devil?"
"What... what are you saying?" Ding Li's heart raced at Ye Chenfeng's words.
The patrons of Zhanglin Village who were eating and drinking were also taken aback by Ye Chenfeng's accusation.
Zhanglin Village had indeed faced many calamities; it started with a plague and then escalated to hauntings. In the dead of night, an eerie presence enveloped the village, with ghostly wails echoing through the air, disturbing the peace of Zhanglin Village. This led to the idea of holding a wedding to ward off bad luck.
Ye Chenfeng's words clearly had an impact, frightening everyone present, including Zhang Bi and the village chief.
Comment 0 Comment Count