We got on the bus at the back door of Yucheng No. 1 Middle School around ten in the morning and drove all the way back to Lianghe Town.
It took "only" more than eight hours in total, and we arrived at our destination at 6 p.m.
I was surprised when I looked at the familiar buildings at the entrance of the town on the provincial road.
"Uncle Yao, did you drive too fast today? It didn't take ten hours."
Yao Tianlin answered with a smile.
"No, Brother Wu, it's because the country's infrastructure is developing rapidly. The road conditions from the main urban area to Fubei and Lianghe Town have been improving. And this time we took a new, closer road. Road. It is said that the highway has also begun to be planned..."
I see!
Under the sunset light in the evening, I looked at the familiar streets of the small town and the various shops along the street, and I was filled with emotion.
"I'm back. I've only been away for half a year, but it feels like a long time."
I know that this is because the changes in the environment are so different-the difference between a small town and a bustling metropolis will bring a sense of dislocation in time.
When I return to Wujiacun, this feeling will probably be even more obvious.
Because the ancient street where Lao Cao’s coffin shop is located is relatively narrow, the large bluestone slabs on the street were paved more than a hundred years ago!
Of course cars can't get in.
So I asked Yao Tianlin to park the car at the street corner and I could just walk in myself.
"Thank you Uncle Yao and Auntie."
"Brother Wu, you're welcome. That's right."
Yao Nan pursed his lips.
"Humph, why don't you thank me, my deskmate?"
I smiled and scratched my head.
"thank you too."
Yao Nan raised the phone in his hand towards me.
"Remember to call and text me when you have time!"
I laughed.
"There is no mobile phone signal in Wujiacun. But I will definitely come to Lianghe Town again during the holidays. I will contact you then and invite Dachun and Zeng Jin to have a dinner together."
"That's a deal! If you don't come, I'll beat you when school starts next semester."
She bared her teeth and raised her fist.
Yao Tianlin quickly scolded.
"Xiao Nan, what are you talking about? Brother Wu, please ignore this girl."
I waved my hand and said it was okay, then said goodbye to their family and walked along Qingshiban Street to Lao Cao’s coffin shop.
Soon, we arrived in front of the coffin shop.
I shouted excitedly.
"Old Cao! I'm back."
Then he raised his feet and stepped across the threshold, and saw Wang Hu controlling a feather duster and wiping dust everywhere.
Hearing my voice, he was so excited that the feather duster fell down with a "clack" and floated back while shouting.
"Boss Cao! Brother Wu is back, Brother Wu is back!"
"Really? This is more than two hours faster than the time mentioned on the previous phone! Miss Bai, Yuan Fei, and Xiao Li haven't arrived yet."
With a slightly surprised voice, Lao Cao rushed out of the kitchen.
He wore an apron and held a spatula in his hand.
?
There was a question mark in my mind.
"Old Cao, what are you doing here? Cooking for yourself? Why are you cooking when Uncle Tiger is here?"
Before he could speak, Wang Hu, who was floating in the air, said with a smile.
"Brother Wu, you don't know something. Boss Cao was very happy when he knew you were coming back. He said he had to cook a few dishes himself to express his feelings."
Well……
In fact, it’s not necessary!
Probably because my expression was a little weird, Lao Cao waved the spatula in his hand and laughed.
"You brat, what's that disgusting look on your face? Before Xiaohu came to the coffin shop, I was the one who cooked for you most of the time! Especially when you came back from school for a midnight snack after studying at night."
"Okay, okay, let's try your cooking skills, Lao Cao."
I walked over and hugged him hard.
"It's really the time for young people to grow up! It's only been half a year since I last saw you. Xiao Wu, you have grown a little taller again, and your body feels stronger and stronger."
I could feel the emotion in Lao Cao's tone.
Although we regard each other as close friends and equals, he is about the same grade as my grandfather. Maybe in Lao Cao's heart, I am still a bit like his junior...
At this time, Xiao Yuan, a stupid bird, just happened to fly in the door - it set off a little later than me and flew back directly from Yucheng.
I have to say, this bird monster is so convenient!
It hovered in mid-air, spreading its wings, looking arrogant.
"Wow! Old man Cao, little tiger, I'm back. I'm making a grand debut, don't you feel radiant? Why don't you hurry up and beat the gongs and drums to welcome him!"
Snapped……
I slapped the pretender into an open coffin next to him.
It made Lao Cao and Wang Hu laugh.
"Xiao Wu, please rest by yourself first. Xiaohu and I will continue to cook in the kitchen at the back. It is estimated that other people will come over after eight o'clock later. Let's celebrate tonight!"
"Okay! Lao Cao, you and Uncle Hu are busy first. I'll go upstairs and take a look around."
Madoka flew out of the coffin and landed on my shoulder, cursing me - I ignored the fat guy and treated it like a mosquito.
Went up to the second floor.
Looking at the small room where I have lived for three years, I feel that every corner is so familiar!
Then in the corridor, he looked at the Lingyun paper horse figures and said with a smile.
"I haven't seen you for half a year. Have you helped Lao Cao deal with any troubles during this time?"
Of course they won't answer me.
I nodded and went downstairs.
Just from the corner of his eye, he seemed to see a smile appear on the face of the paper man.
…
eight pm.
Others came to the coffin store one after another.
A furry gray shadow swooped across the threshold and ran directly into my arms. The chubby body twisted around and made squeaking sounds.
A little boy's voice rang in my mind.
"Brother Wu, are you back? Huihui misses you so much!"
I rubbed the soft hair on its back vigorously.
"Hui Hui, I miss you too. Let me see, have you gained weight? Have you increased your cultivation level? Have you listened to your sister Su Su and practiced hard?"
Madoka folded her wings and stood on the edge of a coffin nearby, saying with some displeasure.
"Fox, at your age, you're actually not too young. You're still pretending to be young by getting into Wu's arms like a little kid, aren't you ashamed? Humph."
I'm too lazy to pay attention to it. This damn fat bird just can't say anything good.
Immediately afterwards, a huge rabbit also jumped in from outside.
"Brother Wu, long time no see."
"Hello, Miss Susu."
I also said hello to Bai Su.
So I chatted with them about various interesting things about my six months of schooling in the city...
When talking about the fat squirrel named "Little Song", they all found it very interesting. Bai Su smiled and said that she really wanted to meet the lively squirrel girl.
Another half hour later, Yuan Fei also came.
He was also carrying several kilograms of braised pork in his hand.
He said he bought it when passing by a barbecue restaurant in the town's pass. There are pork head meat, braised beef, pig tail, braised large intestine, etc... just perfect for drinking!
"Xiao Wu is back? That's great. Look, the braised pork I brought is just for catching the wind. Let's..."
Before he finished speaking, a shadow flashed before his eyes.
With a sigh, he took the bag from Yuan Fei's hand. Then there was a burst of arrogant laughter.
"Wow! These braised meats from Xiao Yuanzi belong to me, Master Bird. No one can compete with me."
Madoka held the bag in her pointed beak and stood on the cabinet in the corner.
Earned with pride.
Yuan Fei: "..."
I laughed.
"Uncle Yuan, don't pay attention to this fat bird. If it dares to eat alone, let's stew it!"
Everyone laughed too.
Nine p.m.
Lao Cao and Wang Hu worked together to prepare a large table of dishes, and set up a large table in the middle of the room for everyone to sit around.
I'm a little strange.
"Old Cao, why hasn't Brother Li come yet?"
"this……"
Lao Cao also felt a little strange.
"The night before yesterday, I asked Xiaohu to go to the small wooden house by the river to inform him."
Wang Hu also said.
"Yes! Master Li also said at that time that when Brother Wu comes back from the city to see us old friends, he will definitely come back on time unless he is drunk. Unless there is some emergency."
Oh, that's how it is……
I nodded thoughtfully.
"Then it seems that Brother Li suddenly has some important and important work."
But it doesn’t matter, the friendship between us is a life-long friendship!
It's just a so-called "reception banquet" with a tongue-in-cheek nature. It's understandable even if you can't come. Anyway, I plan to stay in Lianghe Town for two or three days, and I can go find Li Miao alone during the day tomorrow.
Lao Cao also patted me on the shoulder.
"Eat, eat! Brother Li can't come. He must have his own reasons."
So, a large table of us chatted while eating, talking about our respective lives and experiences in the past six months.
I talked about some of the things I encountered in the city, including partnering with brothers Niu Bi and Niu Deheng, who were both from Taoist temples, to run a "supernatural" business, including subduing a female evil cultivator who was not too bad, and including several trips to Eling. Ghost market…
Speaking of these things, Lao Cao and the others were amazed.
It is said that with Xiao Wu's physique, he can encounter all kinds of weird things wherever he goes!
As for Lao Cao himself, he had also encountered a serious corpse haunting in the past six months.
I went to a small village in the south of Lianghe Town to help carry the coffin of a child who was said to have accidentally slipped and drowned in the river.
Unexpectedly, the child didn't drown, but was pushed down by a gangster in the village who was jealous of their family!
The child didn't want to leave, and the coffin couldn't be lifted.
After Lao Cao and Daniel tried several times, the child actually opened the lid of the coffin and jumped out of it!
Then he went straight to the gangster's house in the village.
They rushed to catch up, but they didn't have time. The child Zixu had strangled the gangster to death - his neck was completely cut off, and it was hanging limply on his neck!
This zombie killed a living person, and its ferocity immediately increased.
If he was still seeking revenge before, now he just wants to kill a living person when he sees one.
In the end, there was nothing he could do, so Lao Cao used the magic paper technique again to subdue the child's corpse. Then, after sealing and exorcising the evil spirits, the remaining bodies were laid to rest...
As for Yuan Fei, he still travels around several counties and prefecture-level cities near western Chongqing and eastern Sichuan, helping people read Feng Shui and catch ghosts and eliminate demons.
However, the ones I encountered were all ordinary things, nothing extraordinary and not worth mentioning.
Bai Su, on the other hand, was practicing with Hui Hui on Luojiao Slope, occasionally carefully looking for some possible traces left by the python demon who failed to overcome the tribulation that year...
The life was very ordinary.
According to her joking statement, she almost wanted to follow me to the city to see the world. Especially in Eling Ghost Market, where humans, ghosts and corpses coexist harmoniously, shopping and trading together, Bai Su is very interested!
Huihui also clapped his paws and applauded, saying that he could see me more often this way.
He does not mean that.
Although Bai Su might have said it casually, maybe she really had a thought like this?
I thought to myself.
"It's not good for monsters to stay in the city for a long time. Big cities are too popular and the world is noisy, which is not conducive to the practice of monsters - especially Bai Su, a good monster who likes peace and quiet."
"But if it's Gele Mountain on the outskirts of the city, it's also a big mountain with lush forests. Although it's close to the city, its primitiveness and aura of heaven and earth are no worse than those in Lianghe Town. It can even give birth to psychic old pine trees and that... Chubby squirrel demons, snake demons, etc.”
"It might be more feasible for Bai Su and Huihui to live in the forest of Geleshan? And maybe they can have a good relationship with the squirrel demon, which can give themselves a backup plan."
The more I think about it, the more I think it’s feasible!
But don't rush this matter. Wait for a while to find an opportunity to have a good chat with Bai Su.
We haven’t seen each other for a long time, and there seems to be endless things to say.
Chatting, eating and drinking...
By the time the banquet was over and it was past midnight, everything was truly silent.
These two guys, Yuan Fei and Xiao Yuan, were actually drunk!
They were all lying on the table, motionless.
In particular, Xiao Yuan is very funny. His wings are like human hands covering his head from both sides, leaning against Yuan Fei. There were bursts of purring sounds...
Hui Hui and Bai Su were more honest. They curled up in a coffin and slept soundly.
Although Wang Hu is a ghost, he can breathe alcohol!
He was still drunk at this time, and his translucent body was like a balloon, floating around the room...if he bumped into something, he would pass through it.
Extremely fun.
I looked at this warm and interesting scene and smiled.
"It's great to have such a group of good friends around me... It's a pity that Master is not around. If in the future, after I have seen the world of mortals and experienced all the prosperity of the world, it would be great to find a remote mountain and swamp with Master to live in seclusion."
"I don't know, Master, where is she now? How is she doing? Will she be in danger if she takes revenge alone? Master..."
In a daze, Master's smiling face seemed to appear in front of him.
I drifted off to sleep.
When I woke up the next day, it was already three o'clock in the morning.
Yuan Fei had something to do and had already left.
Bai Su and Huihui returned to the cave in Luojiaopo - Xiaoyuan, the damn fat bird, also followed them to play.
I planned to go to the cabin next to the woods by the river to meet Li Miao.
"Let's go, Xiao Wu, I'll go with you! Xiao Hu, keep an eye on the coffin shop. If any guests come in, hide away, but don't scare them. If bad guys come, scare them to death!"
"Haha, I understand, boss. You and Brother Wu can go with ease. Nowadays, social security is much better than before. There can't be bad people during the day. What's more, what kind of thieves and robbers would come to the coffin shop?"
Wang Hu also made a joke.
So, Lao Cao and I left the town and headed north to the Sichuan River.
Arriving in front of Li Miao's small courtyard, I felt a little strange.
Very quiet.
There was no movement at all!
Usually when we come here, Heizi will already start barking while still some distance away.
Sometimes they even stand up and open the door for us with their front feet like human hands.
So I shouted at the top of my lungs.
"Heizi! Brother Li! Are you two at home?"
No response.
Apparently no one was home.
Lao Cao and I looked at each other, both confused.
"Brother Li hasn't come home yet? Did he go away from home?"
Lao Cao nodded.
"It's also possible. Those of us who live in the underworld are actually in the service industry who use people's money to help others eliminate disasters. Brother Li is quite famous on the water in the nearby area. Maybe someone from other towns is looking for him to do work. .”
"That makes sense. Lao Cao, let's go in and take a look first?"
When it comes to our situation, it's not impolite to go into the house and take a look.
And I don’t know why, I feel a little uneasy for no reason!
I raised my hand to create an invisible airflow, and rolled open the simple wooden bolt of the courtyard door.
I sat down at the stone table in the middle of the yard, planning to wait and see.
Under normal circumstances, even if you go to another town to help recover corpses, you should be back today, right?
Without thinking of waiting, I waited until evening again!
Just when Lao Cao and I had no choice but to go back to the coffin shop, suddenly!
I saw a dark shadow rushing into the yard from outside...
