Chapter 36: Going to the small town

Really, I’m not being unkind, because I wanted to cry myself. But my cheap master looked so wretched, and his tears were like those from chili peppers.

“This girl is really too infatuated. Emotions are good as long as they are real. You should keep good things beautiful, just as you keep a beautiful memory. Why hate because of infatuation and turn good things into tragedies?” Old Jiang wiped his eyes and suddenly said with a sigh.

I didn’t understand. This love and affection was probably a bit too far away from my 7-year-old self. I just felt sorry for Li Fengxian, and I also felt that she wasn’t really at fault. In fact, I felt from the bottom of my heart that she liked girls, and there was nothing wrong with that. It was just like me enjoying a bath in the gutter in the summer. I was just happy, and I didn’t hurt anyone or affect anyone.

“Brother, you really take it easy. Didn’t you say you liked Li Fengxian? Don’t you think it’s a pity that she likes girls?” The old woman suddenly asked.

“Well… I don’t know… I just secretly liked her, and besides, do you think it’s a pity that she likes girls?” Old Jiang talked for a long time, and then changed the subject to someone else.

“My thoughts at the time were actually very simple. I thought it was a shame that they weren’t together, but I didn’t think anything else.” The old woman’s response reflected the simple and honest nature of the villagers. She realized that she was wrong, was very honest, and wanted to give her blessing to others.

“Alas… actually, when I think about it, I remember when I was very young, I remember the way she looked when she came back to sing opera. I never thought that when I was in my teens, I would see her die on the grain field. Sometimes, I think that people’s lives are simply unpredictable. Like me, I have lived a long life in a simple way.” The old lady added.

“Well, it’s good to be simple, to think simply, to live simply, and to be content with what you have. Guessing and thinking, thinking and guessing, what’s the point? It’s not happy, and it’s not happy.” Old Jiang also sighed.

My bowl of cowpea rice has gone cold because I was so engrossed in the story. Now I have to eat cold rice. I glanced at my cheap master’s bowl. It’s so annoying. When did he finish eating so cleanly?

“After Li Fengxian died, what did the people in the village think? Did anything happen?” Old Jiang asked in a casual manner, as if he was still enjoying the story.

“Oh, I forgot to mention that after Li Fengxian died, her husband went crazy. That’s not the main thing. The main thing is that that year, more than 20 people in the village died, and it was all said to be a plague. I don’t know. I went to see it, and the way they died was so scary. Some people were spitting white bubbles, and some people’s mouths were so big… I just wondered if it was retribution. Those people seemed to be the most vicious people Li Fengxian had ever said. But it seems like they were sick. Before they died, they were all very weak, unable to eat, and sleeping all day long. The old woman replied enthusiastically.

“This strange thing? No one in your village understands it? No one called to come and see?” Old man Jiang suddenly asked.

“Yes, we did. We did,” the old woman said, slapping her thighs and speaking loudly.

“Oh, who was it that called for help? Who called for help?” asked the old man.

“I don’t know who specifically called it, but anyway, there were more than 20 people who died in the village. The foreign doctor who came first was either a foreigner or a student of Western medicine. He said it was a plague, but he couldn’t say which kind it was, and he couldn’t cure it. Later, a mysterious gentleman came to the village and said that Li Fengxian’s grave should be moved to the village cemetery, which is now the village cemetery, and that it would be better for everyone in the village to be buried there in the future. However, it really worked. Since then, no one in the village has died. It’s been a long time, and everyone has forgotten about this matter and doesn’t mention it much. The old lady answered in great detail.

My cheap master, however, let out a surprised sound. This was the first time I had seen him look so puzzled, but I didn’t care. He was always so weird.

“Sister, do you remember what the gentleman looked like?” Old Jiang asked anxiously.

“Oh, when you talk about this, I really can’t remember. I only know that there was such a person. I don’t remember what he looked like. I haven’t had any impressions for decades. It’s a bit strange.” The old lady was also a bit confused, but it was fleeting. After all, she was an ordinary person. If she couldn’t figure it out, she wouldn’t think about it if it was too far away from her.

After chatting with the old lady for a while, the old man and I were ready to leave her house. Of course, before leaving, the old man sincerely thanked the old lady for her hospitality, and I also thanked her very sincerely.

I didn’t say anything else, but I did listen to what he said, and it weighed heavily on my heart. In short, no one is born to do anything for you. People should be grateful and repay kindness.

When we left the old lady’s yard, Jiang Laoren’s face was very serious, and he was frowning and not knowing what to think.

I couldn’t stand the silence, so I simply asked, “Master, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just haven’t figured out some things. Let’s go and solve the problem of Li Fengxian first.” Old Master Jiang obviously didn’t want to talk about it, but he said that solving the problem of the ghost had successfully aroused my curiosity. Before today’s conversation, I deeply hated the ghost, but after today’s conversation, I felt a little sympathy for her. I really wanted to know how my cheap master would deal with her.

So, I asked carefully, “Master, you’re not really going to take Li Fengxian in, are you?”

“You’re so stupid! I just told you that ghosts are ghosts and demons are demons. You said I was smart and clever, but why did I pick such a stupid apprentice?” Old Master Jiang said he was smart and clever!

“It’s not like I wanted you to find me,” I whispered.

“What did you say?” Old Master Jiang glared at me, reminding me of the time he took off my pants and spanked me.

So I quickly said, “Master, what are you going to do about Li Fengxian?”

“We can only dispel its resentment and guide it to enlightenment.” The old man’s tone was quite emotional.

I didn’t ask Jiang what he was going to do, because I knew I wouldn’t understand anyway. I was just very curious about one thing, so I asked, “Master, Li Fengxian wasn’t a bad person when she was alive, so why is she so evil now?”

“Because it had a lot of resentment, and after it became a ghost, all the things it had done in its life turned into resentment. How much human emotion is left? To put it simply, if you make yourself a bowl of ginger syrup, and if you put too much ginger and too little sugar, then it will only taste of ginger, right? Li Fengxian died with resentment, and the resentment blocked all the other emotions she had when she was alive. To help her, you have to grant her wish, otherwise, you can only let her soul fly apart.” My cheap master was more than willing to answer my questions about this.

Next, the old man took me to the town.

I never thought that I would be able to go to the town with Jiang Laotou. I was so happy that I couldn’t stop smiling.

The village is not too far from the town. After walking along the yellow earth road, there is a paved road that leads directly to the town. Generally, the villagers walk, and even if there was a road at that time, they couldn’t see any cars.

In short, it took about two hours to walk to the town, which was really a piece of cake for the villagers who were used to walking on mountain roads.

But today, I not only followed the old man to the town, but also got into a car for the first time in my life.

It was a green Jiefang truck, which was really rare. While I was still in a daze, Old Jiang stopped the truck and begged the driver to let us get in. I don’t know what he said, but Old Jiang and I were allowed to sit in the back of the truck.

Sitting in the back, it was a position where the wind was blowing from all sides, and I was also with a pile of cement, but this did not in the least dampen my excitement. The moment I got on the bus, I felt how amazing this bus was, and it was definitely more amazing than Jiang Laoren catching ghosts. Sometimes you have to feel that the feelings and impact that modern technology brings to people are sometimes more powerful than metaphysics!