I sighed and stopped the carriage directly.
He Pheasant and Dong Feng still don't know why.
I got out of the car and quickly returned to the side of the thatched cottage.
In the past, I might have thought that I was hallucinating, but now, I will not underestimate the clues of anything.
There is still nothing next to the thatched cottage.
However, there are mottled water marks on the ground, forming footprints and reflecting light slightly.
My pupils tightened and I quickly took out the compass, but the pointer still didn't change.
These footprints are not those of a ghoul, but those of a normal person?
I looked carefully for a long time, but the watermark was too blurry and there were no dents, so I couldn't tell how big the feet were.
But there were people watching us from the side, which made me more wary.
After I returned to the carriage, He Zhi asked me cautiously what was wrong.
Dong Feng also looked out, looking very cautious.
"Someone is following us, but it's not a corpse or a ghost." I paused and answered.
After getting on the car, he drove his horse away in the direction pointed by Dong Feng.
He Zhi looked back from time to time, being extra cautious.
Dong Feng's family lived further downstream, where there was a section of the river basin where the water flowed in, forming a depression, and two corpse-retrieving boats happened to be in it.
More than ten meters away, it was facing Dong Feng's house.
The lights in the earthen hut in the courtyard were still on, so it was obvious that someone was at home.
When we arrived at the door, Dong Feng got out of the car and opened the door to let us in.
At this time, the door of the earthen house in the courtyard opened, and an old woman in her fifties or sixties came out. She started to look wary, but after meeting Dong Feng, she calmed down a little.
"The child's father? What is this?" The old woman's voice was dry and she quickly walked to Dong Feng's side.
"This is Mr. Li, he is Mr. Yin and Yang, and this is He Pheasant, the ghost woman." When introducing He Pheasant, Dong Feng obviously glanced at the ghost knife and mourning stick on He Pheasant's waist.
The old woman looked obviously surprised, and she immediately showed a lot of respect to me.
"Go and get some ginger tea, and then find a set of clean clothes for Mr. Li." Dong Feng immediately ordered.
"We don't need any clothes. Just prepare Jiang Cha. We need a room. We brought dry clothes so that Yin and Yang can change." He Zhi spoke immediately and quickly took out a clean Tang suit from the car.
The old woman immediately made a gesture of invitation.
As for Dong Feng, he walked a little faster and entered another room.
The old woman invited He Zhi and I into a room. Although the room was small, it was extremely clean.
He Zhi handed me the clothes and asked the old woman to arrange an empty room for her.
The old woman was stunned for a moment, then whispered: "Miss He, you and Mr. Li are not married?"
I was a little embarrassed, but He Zhi lowered his head and pushed open the door, closing it behind him.
After changing my clothes, I twisted the wet clothes and hung them on the chair next to me.
When he pushed out the door, He Zhi was sitting at the wooden table in the main room, and the old woman just brought a pot of ginger tea.
As for Dong Feng, he was sitting on a small stool on the other side. There was a brazier between the table and the stool, and the charcoal fire was glowing red.
I sat on the other side and warmed myself up by the fire. I took a sip of ginger tea and felt much better.
"It's too late, Mr. Li, have a good rest tonight. I have to wait until dawn before I can go find out the news." Dong Feng said in a low voice.
I nodded and said a good word.
Not long after, the old woman brought some more food, including salted fish, bacon, and porridge.
After we had something to eat, we went back to our rooms to rest.
It's just that I didn't feel very sleepy. I lay on the bed and couldn't fall asleep for a while.
I took out the drawn face picture, looked at its facial features, and remembered it more and more deeply.
I am also thinking about where my mother will go.
Will she go back "home"?
I think there is a possibility. Although I have no idea about the Li family, and I don’t want to go there, in order to quickly find my mother’s whereabouts, I decided that when Dong Feng goes to inquire about the news in the city tomorrow, maybe I can ask his wife My son took me to Li’s house.
I closed my eyes and forced myself to fall asleep so that I could have enough energy for the next day.
A night without words is also a night without dreams.
After waking up the next day, I entered the main room.
Just as Dong Feng was about to leave, he whispered a few words to me about his plans and the time of his return.
I told him about going to Li's house, and Dong Feng immediately called the old woman out.
After a few words of explanation, Dong Feng left immediately.
At this time, another teenage boy happened to come to the door, brought a lot of fresh vegetables, and called the old woman Zhang Grandma.
The child looked at me and then hurriedly said to the old woman: "Grandma Zhang, my father asked me to tell you that you have to tell Uncle Dong that someone drowned in the water and let him go and take a look at it at night."
Grandma Zhang looked slightly shocked. She nodded and said she understood, and gave the child some change.
The child just trotted away.
It's very common for people to drown in the water. I just went ashore last night. There are almost no corpses in this river basin, so I don't care about it.
Grandma Zhang didn't even mention it. She made breakfast and served it on the table.
At this time, He Zhi also left the room. It was obvious that she had a good rest and was full of energy.
While eating, I told He Pheasant what we were going to do today.
He Zhi nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
After finishing the meal, Grandma Zhang took us out of the yard and walked towards the village.
Although this is a village, because it is too close to Hongsong County, there must be nearly a thousand households in the village, and the entire village is larger than an average town.
Grandma Zhang told us that the Li family is now in dire straits.
If they knew that the eldest lady back then actually died after giving birth to a child, and she was still a yin and yang, I wonder what the Li family would think.
When she said this, Grandma Zhang's eyes were filled with envy and also with sadness.
I frowned, Dong Feng must have said something about me last night.
I basically didn't hesitate and said directly: "After Dong Feng comes back, Grandma Zhang, please tell him and don't tell anyone who I am again."
"As for the Li family, I have nothing to do with them."
Grandma Zhang didn't dare to say anything else. She nodded carefully, with even more regret on her face.
After walking for about ten minutes, we arrived at a brick house with a fence outside.
This is obviously not the big house of the Li family I thought. Grandma Zhang told me that when the Li family was dilapidated, they moved out of the big house. The house was bought by wealthy nobles in the county and is now abandoned.
There is an old man doing farm work in the yard.
He raised his head and glanced at us, his eyes wandering and squinting, then lowered his head and continued working.
Grandma Zhang was about to knock on the courtyard door.
I raised my hand to stop her, and after a moment of silence, I asked her to go back first.
Grandma Zhang whispered that Old Man Li was Miss Li's father, and left in a hurry.
He Pheasant and I were standing outside the courtyard, and He Pheasant was also looking carefully at the courtyard.
Suddenly, He Pheasant said: "There is Yin Qi in this yard, there must be a ghost last night..."
