Chapter 54: Not an Ordinary Person

  Zhang Yunhao suddenly changed his tone, leaving me astonished. It was clear that he didn't want Zhao Dongyang to know the truth. Zhao Dongyang said calmly: "Whether it's a story or true, according to what you just said, the thing that grabbed your foot in the water should be a water ghost."

  We looked at each other in dismay, and I asked him how he could be sure that it was a water ghost. Zhao Dongyang said that apart from a water ghost, it couldn't be anything else, let alone a human being. I said that if it were a water ghost, Zhang Yunhao and Nianian would have been dead long ago. I've heard that water ghosts are very ferocious, drinking human blood and eating people's eyeballs and fingernails. Zhao Dongyang said that not all water ghosts harm humans, some of them just like to play tricks.

  Zhang Yunhao disagreed and asked Zhao Dongyang, "You seem to know a lot about the water ghost?" Zhao Dongyang replied, "I guess so, I often watch supernatural and horror movies."

  Can you believe it?

  After dinner, we went home separately. I saw Zhong Ling'er being silent and worried, so I asked her what was wrong. Zhong Ling'er said that in Zhaojia Village, there was an old woman who was a colleague of her mother's, specializing in exorcising evil spirits and ghosts, and summoning souls when she was young, and was very famous. However, eighteen years ago, she suddenly stopped and hid herself away. The old woman's husband was surnamed Zhao, perhaps because the old woman had exorcised too many ghosts, leading to revenge from the vengeful spirits, her husband and son died early, leaving behind only a grandson. When Zhong Ling'er said this, she let out a soft sigh.

  After being in contact with Zhong Ling'er for so long, I also learned from others that her father had passed away very early on. I don't know if this has anything to do with her mother being a shaman. If it does, then the sigh she let out just now was probably because she empathized with that old woman's situation.

  I didn't know how to comfort her for a moment, so I asked: "Do you think Zhao Dongyang is the grandson of that old lady?" Zhong Ling'er said it was possible.

  I passed by a pharmacy and grabbed some medicine for treating typhoid fever. After returning to the apartment, I wrote the old man's name and birthdate on the talisman that Zhong Ling'er gave me, then burned it together with the medicine in an iron basin. Zhang Yunhao suggested burning some money for the old man as well, but I said there was nowhere for him to use it in such a remote area.

  After the medicine had been reduced to ashes, we each returned to our own rooms to rest.

  Because this house has four rooms and one living room, each of us four people occupies a room.

  I couldn't sleep thinking about what happened today, so I went to knock on Zhang Yunhao's door. He wasn't asleep either and let me in after opening the door. He said he knew I would come find him. I told him not to misunderstand, that I didn't come to hit on him. Zhang Yunhao pretended to be surprised and said: "If you're not here to hit on me, what are you doing here? You should go knock on the other two rooms' doors instead! Especially your wife Lele, she's probably naked right now waiting for you to knock on the door!" I seriously told him to get serious, did he say something in the restaurant today?

  Zhang Yunhao coughed dryly and said seriously, "Yes, I omitted a part." He closed the door while speaking and said softly, "At that time, Zhong Ling'er was there, so it wasn't convenient for me to say it out loud." I told you now you can tell me the complete version.

  "You'd better go and take a look yourself," said Zhang Yunhao. "When you see the terrain there, maybe you'll understand what I'm saying." I thought for a moment, this is also good, I was thinking of going to see if the old man could receive the medicine I burned for him tomorrow. Zhang Yunhao reminded me to bring the yin-yang knife and ask He Suo to go down and take a look at the situation when we arrive. Even if there really are water ghosts below, as long as He Suo is with us, we don't have to worry about being harmed by the water ghosts.

  I remembered the stone statue and asked Zhang Yunhao if he had seen it after entering the cave, Zhang Yunhao said no, maybe at that time the situation was urgent, he was thinking of saving Niu Niu who fell into the water, so he didn't notice. I told him the situation at that time, Zhang Yunhao was very surprised and said he remembered clearly, his horse whip was thrown on the ground, it's impossible to get on top of the stone statue.

  But why was his horse blanket draped over the stone statue?

  It cannot be ruled out that there are two possibilities: one is that someone put it on, and the other is that the stone statue itself was covered.

  At that time, there was no one else in the cave, so this possibility can be basically ruled out. Then, did the stone statue pick up the horse whip from the ground and put it on itself?

  So it seems like the stone has life!

  In this case, it can be consistent with what Wu Lele saw.

  However, according to Wu Lele, the stone statue turned into a small person the size of a palm, which is indeed a bit unbelievable.

  Then I chatted with Zhang Yunhao for a while, and I'm ready to go back to my room to rest.

  As soon as the door opened, a person suddenly appeared in the living room. She sat upright on the sofa, her back to this side, motionless.

  It's Zhong Ling'er.

  My heart suddenly skipped a beat, and for an instant, I felt like I had a guilty conscience. Why? Because just now, Zhang Yunhao and I were discussing her in the room, and I didn't know if she had overheard us or not. I walked over and casually asked, "Ling'er, aren't you asleep yet?" Zhong Ling'er looked up at me and asked, "Are you hiding something from me?" I was taken aback and hastily said no, what would I hide from you? Zhong Ling'er said, "You can see ghosts, you have yin-yang eyes, what else can you do?" I said that apart from this, I couldn't do anything else.

  Zhang Yunhao walked out with a smile and said, "You two really have a good atmosphere, talking about love in the middle of the night. Wouldn't it be more romantic if you went to your room or the balcony?" I asked what's wrong, are you jealous? Zhang Yunhao snorted and said he wasn't jealous at all, he was going to find Wu Lele, but as soon as he finished speaking, Wu Lele came out of her room and asked Zhang Yunhao what he wanted. Zhang Yunhao mysteriously said, "Let's talk in the room." Wu Lele glanced at me and Zhong Ling'er, then walked into Zhang Yunhao's room with him.

  I and Zhong Ling'er both fell silent, I felt very awkward, so I said it's late, let's go rest, Zhong Ling'er said okay, got up and walked towards her room. I glanced at Zhang Yunhao's door, thinking of going to knock on the door to see what they were doing inside, but thought about it and gave up.

  Back in the room, sitting on the bed, thinking of Wu Lele in Zhang Yunhao's room, I don't know why, my heart feels tight and anxious. The two of them are at a young age, living together as man and woman, just like dry wood and fire, who knows what will happen between them? I feel that I must go and stop them, but as soon as I stretch out my hand to the door handle, I withdraw it again. What right do I have to stop them? Am I not only fond of Zhong Ling'er? What happens between them has nothing to do with me.

  But I just don't want anything to happen between them, as for the reason, I also can't make it clear.

  I took a deep breath and came to Zhang Yunhao's door, knocked on it.

  It rang for just a moment before the door opened. Zhang Yunhao smiled and asked, "Jiage, what's up?"

  I looked around the room, didn't see Wu Lele, and asked where Wu Lele was. Zhang Yunhao said: "On the bed." My heart sank, rolled onto the bed? I looked at the bed and found that the quilt was spread on the bed, slightly bulging underneath, as if there really was someone underneath. I felt uncomfortable, angrily asking: "What are you two doing on the bed?" Zhang Yunhao smiled mischievously: "What else can we do? Of course, we're rolling in the sheets."

  "It's impossible, Lele is not that kind of person!" I deceived myself.

  Zhang Yunhao stroked his chin, looking thoughtful, and furrowed his brow to ask: "She's not that kind of person? Then what kind of person is she?" I blurted out: "She wouldn't dare roll onto your bed."

  "That's right." Zhang Yunhao continued, "She should roll onto your bed instead."

  The more I listened, the more uncomfortable my heart became. Suddenly, I heard a burst of giggles coming from behind the door. I walked over to take a look and found Wu Lele hiding behind it, stifling her laughter. It dawned on me that Zhang Yunhao and Wu Lele were in cahoots, playing a trick on me.

  Zhang Yunhao said to Wu Lele with a smile: "I told you, I owe you 100 yuan, give it to me!" Wu Lele hummed and said to me angrily: "It's all your fault, you made me lose 100 yuan, you pay for it." Then she stretched out her hand and asked me for money. I was confused and asked what they were doing. Zhang Yunhao said: "It's simple, I bet with Lele that you would come knock on the door within three minutes. If I'm right, she gives me 100 yuan. If you don't come, I'll treat her to a chicken." Zhang Yunhao patted my shoulder twice and said proudly: "You really came knocking on the door, and it was within two minutes! You're really something, Brother Hao is amazing! Haha..."

  I returned to my room with a scowl on my face.

  I picked up my phone to check the time and found a message from my cousin Wen Xiang, I was thrilled and couldn't wait to read it.

  Wen Xiang sent a message saying: Xiao Dao, I have news about your dad.