Ghost Bride 2

Chapter 9

I understood, and stood up to say goodbye: "Take care, Uncle, I'm leaving."

He asked me what I planned to do?

I simply said, "Their family should be buried together. Although they are not from Shebupo, they will have a home in the Xishan Cemetery, and I will give them a proper burial."

"Daughter!" he called out to me as he stood up.

I turned around.

Is there really a ghost in our yard?

I smiled at him and pointed to my temple: "The ghost is here!" I pointed to my heart: "Here! The ghost in your heart is what torments people."

He called me back and said one last thing: "Be careful! Those traffickers have guns. There are still some who have escaped..."

I nodded to him, preferring to believe that justice will prevail.

In fact, humans are more cunning than ghosts.

I had a bank card on me. Although I didn't remember where it came from, I knew it used to belong to Mingyang, and the account holder was Di Mingyang. I rarely used this card unless absolutely necessary or in an emergency. I went to the county to withdraw several thousand yuan in cash and had the old coffin shop in the village make a fine coffin. The coffin was very large, big enough to hold four people.

After the coffin was made, I asked the village committee cadres to help dig up the body from under the jujube tree in the backyard. At first, they were unwilling, but I said that the person lying here had died unjustly, and if he was not buried with the body, I was afraid that his vengeful spirit would not be able to dissipate, and this village would not have peace for a hundred years. Upon hearing this, the villagers immediately began to work.

The man in the jeep asked me what treasure I was looking for: "I heard that landlords in the past buried gold and silver pots underground. Is it possible that I can dig up a few gold ingots with one shovel?"

I gave him a sly smile: "No! There are two children buried under this tree."

He was stunned, almost fainting. He immediately thought I was joking: "Only a fool would take that seriously! You're teasing me again!"

But I didn't tease anyone. The soil under the tree was lifted up, and a human head was gradually revealed. It was a small head, the head of a boy. Due to the corrosion of the soil moisture and the absorption by the tree roots and leaves, most of the remains had rotted. The skin on the face was loose, and it was difficult to tell whether it was the older brother or the younger brother.

Woohoo—

The jeep ran off to vomit. Apple was also startled: "Ruo...Ruoxi, who is this?"

I couldn't bear to look and walked out of the yard: "He's a poor boy..." I glanced back at the jeep, "Don't throw up. If this child were still alive, one day he could grow up like you, go to school, and even fall in love... It's a pity that he's been deprived of all these rights..."

Several kind-hearted young men from the village came to help. They carried the coffin from Grandma's house, along with the larger coffin containing the two younger brothers, up the western hill and began digging the pit. I told them to wait a moment; there was a poor woman to the north who must want to reunite with her husband and children. Let's go and invite her over!

The coffins were finally closed.

After a long, mournful cry, the crowd began to pile soil around the pile. I suddenly noticed that more and more people were reaching out to add the soil, more and more…

People continued to come up the mountain, all carrying shovels. Some young men bowed respectfully to the grave mound after filling it with soil. I asked them what they were thanking for, and they said they had heard about the haunting of the Lan family, and that thanks to these vengeful spirits, the suffering people were rescued, and their sisters were able to return home.

Section 24: Stranded Memories (3)

Apple stared wide-eyed at me and asked, "Ruoxi, is your house really haunted?"

Just as I was about to answer, I saw a young woman holding a child's hand in each hand, standing at a distance watching us. A strong wind blew, and the illusory figures developed ripples like cracks in water before gradually disappearing.

I patted Apple's head: "Hmm. Some people are afraid of ghosts, while others hope they will appear. Ghosts can test people's moral conscience. Ghosts originate from the heart; if the heart is righteous, one will naturally not be afraid of ghosts."

"I find your words increasingly enigmatic," she said, shrugging the large Jeep beside her. "Did you understand?"

The jeep shook its head.

I stretched as I walked down the mountain. School was about to start, time to go back to school! A new life was about to begin.

Apple and the Jeep nodded vigorously, like chickens pecking at rice: "Yes, yes, that's right. The thing we felt most about this trip was our stomachs..."

I looked at them both with a puzzled expression.

The two of them said to me in unison, "We're hungry!"

"Let's go, let's go!" I waved like a leader. "Whoever gets down the mountain first gets to eat his cooking tonight!"

As soon as they finished speaking, the two of them dashed off quite a distance. Suddenly, Apple stopped running: "Wait a minute! Ruoxi, are you kidding us? Whoever gets down the mountain first cooks!"

I chuckled at her and charged down the mountain first. Before I even reached the bottom, I heard gunshots...

I was immediately stunned.

Where did the gunshots come from?

I ran too fast and suddenly burst out of the tall grass, exposing myself to a group of menacing people.

Skinny guy? I recognized him at a glance—the human trafficker who lived in the west wing!

No way! The skinny guy has already been arrested and taken to the police station. How could he possibly be out here committing crimes again?

Without thinking twice, I sensed danger and knew I had to run! I turned to run up the mountain, but it was too late. The group of men rushed up and grabbed my neck tightly.

"It was this girl who betrayed me! I'll strangle you today to avenge my brother!" The skinny man gritted his teeth and squeezed me harder. Only then did I realize that this skinny man was not the same skinny man as before; they looked the same, but their voices were different.

My uncle was right. There are still some of these traffickers who have escaped. I was too careless. Now they're probably going to fight to the death.

"Skinny, don't rush!" A bald man came over and pulled the hands that were stuck around my neck. "We've been ambushed on our way back. There are police hiding around here. Let's take this girl hostage first!"

The skinny man finally let go and dragged me up the mountain. My throat was so constricted I almost couldn't breathe, and my coughs were as hoarse and loud as a gong. I managed to squeeze out a few words: "Don't be so stubborn. It's not too late to turn yourself in, but it's impossible to go back to that cave on the mountain!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" the skinny man's eyes were practically spitting fire. "If you keep talking, I'll shoot you!"

A group of desperate criminals, but unfortunately their unwavering spirit was misused.

I saw two figures coming down the mountain, one after the other. I knew it was Apple, and there should be a large group of young people from the village following behind them. I turned my head and looked down the mountain again, and there were already people coming up.

"Damn it, you're really persistent!" The skinny guy shoved me toward the bald man, then turned and fired a shot.

"Boom - boom - boom -"

The loud gunshot made people's eardrums vibrate.

They fought back? Then the people entrenched at the foot of the mountain must be plainclothes officers.

Sure enough, the skinny man shouted down the mountain, "I have a hostage! Anyone who dares to come up here again, I'll shoot her!"

The vendors cleared the way with gongs, and the police, somewhat hesitant, gradually lagged behind. The skinny man shouted arrogantly, then disdainfully urinated down the mountainside as a sign of his contempt.

I saw Apple, only a few dozen meters away behind the shadows of the trees on the mountain, rushing towards me. I knew something was wrong; this girl was about to do something foolish. I saw Skinny pulling up his pants, and Baldy and the others laughing wickedly. I gritted my teeth and charged at Skinny. He lost his balance and fell headfirst down the mountain, the others frantically reaching out to pull him back. Taking advantage of the chaos, I quickly ran into a pile of tall grass, thinking that if I could get to another fork in the road, I could definitely stop Apple from coming, and we could escape together.

But before I could reach the other slope, I heard a gunshot behind me, and I was right in the center of the target.

The sound was deafening.

My eardrums were stimulated and I instantly went deaf; it was as if I couldn't hear anything at all.

The loess land is so close to me.

Indeed! I fell! My knee hurt so much I couldn't stand up. A bullet grazed my hair, and I could feel my heart pounding wildly. But before me seemed to be a completely different world; not the yellow weeds, not the familiar loess. In front of me stood neat rows of houses, like bamboo sheds, with a two-foot-high mezzanine above the ground. Where was I?

Section 25: Stranded Memories (4)

In the blink of an eye, a raging fire engulfed the rooftops, and a gigantic fire dragon seemed to leap through the air, turning everything in its path into scorched earth. Someone rushed towards me; I saw a face exactly like mine, tears streaming down her face, her eyes filled with rage. The gun in her hand was pointed at my head, and with a loud "bang," a spark flew from the dark muzzle…

In an instant, a black object flew over and blocked my view. When I saw it clearly, my heart and lungs ached with a spasm—a vast forest?!

"Bang—" A deafening gunshot rang out.

The ground around me was shaking, and several pairs of feet rushed towards me. Someone was cursing and shouting, "Kill her! Damn it, she should have been shot a long time ago! She ruined Skinny!"

The great forest before my eyes vanished in an instant, and everything returned to the western hills of Shebupo: yellow earth, yellow grass, dusty-faced people, and treacherous and evil merchants.

A gun was pressed against my head, the bullet already chambered. I knew—it was over.

"Bang—bang—"

Iron shot flew out.

Gunfire continued.

When the gunfire subsided and silence fell, I slightly opened my eyes and found myself unharmed.

Huh?

Look around again. The traffickers are lying on the ground.

The police quickly rushed over and pinned down the struggling trafficker. They saw me lying on the ground and asked, "Are you alright?"

I got up, my head was spinning, but I still managed to shake my head vigorously.

"It's good that everyone's alright. We've been tracking this group for several days. They're armed and extremely dangerous. If there's even the slightest chance to rescue the hostages, we can shoot them dead on the spot." One of the young policemen was particularly talkative.

The plainclothes officer next to him called out, "Let's go! Back to work!"

I sat on the ground, still stunned, watching the police escort the traffickers away. Apple rushed down, terrified, and collapsed at my feet: "Ruoxi!" Her breathing was rapid, her teeth chattering with anxiety, "Where are you hurt? Let me see!"

The jeep also rushed down the slope. The slope was too slippery, and he couldn't stop in time, falling to the ground. He crawled over and asked me, "Where are you hurt?"

I stared blankly at the apple: "If I was really injured, I must be dead. Those were real guns and bullets."

Apple kicked the Jeep hard in the calf: "It's all your fault! You were holding me so tightly just now."

I stopped her: "No! I have to thank the Jeep. You know how scared I was when I saw you about to rush at me? I have to thank him for stopping you..."

"Ruoxi!" She hugged my head and cried loudly, "Let's go back to school! Let's leave right away... This place is too scary..."

I patted her head to comfort her, but I couldn't hold back my tears: "Apple, I remember... my fragmented memories... the great forest... is dead..."

"Dead?" She stared blankly, her eyes as heavy as if filled with molten lead.

I was stunned.

How could I forget? The Great Forest was also the object of Apple's first crush.

"Dead?" Her lips trembled, tears streaming down her face. "I thought you'd be happy with him... I thought you two would be happy..."

The jeep stood there dumbfounded, looking a little embarrassed.

We both hugged each other and cried, and no one paid any attention to him...

When I left, Grandma's yard was empty, and Big Black was gone too. The day Auntie locked me in the Buddhist hall, it was turned into dog meat hotpot by Skinny. Grandma's empty house seemed to hold nothing for me to miss.

The sparrows in the trees chirped without a care in the world, and the fish in the river continued their shameless mating. We left this place of trouble on a long-distance bus, and the whole village gradually disappeared into the crimson glow of the setting sun, turning a blood-red hue. I turned back and seemed to see a shadow standing under the old locust tree at the village entrance. I tried to make out who it was—Uncle Guo. He waved his sleeve forcefully in my direction, and the sleeve, like a bubble, gradually disappeared. I knew, Shebupo, I might really be saying goodbye to you forever…〖LM〗

Section 26: Seven Years of Unresolved Issues (1)

Seven years unresolved

Exhausted from the journey, Apple dozed off on the shoulder of the jeep. The dim streetlights along the road cast flickering halos on the windows of the creaking cars. I wasn't asleep yet; a cool night breeze woke me up, and I rested my chin on my hand, staring blankly at the dark scenery outside the window.

Suddenly, I noticed a shadowy figure reflected in the window, as if it were about to step into the car from the outside. I shouted to the driver to stop the car, "There's someone on the road!"

The car came to an abrupt stop.

The ticket seller jumped off the bus, looked around, and came back on, full of complaints: "You must be seeing things! There's no one there! I didn't see a single ghost."

Nobody here?