Chapter Five: The Oddballs in the Courtyard

The boss lady finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Oh, I am not one to gossip behind others' backs, but that Ma Yian is indeed a bit strange. He has been here for over half a year and I haven't seen him do anything serious. He just wanders around every day, and then brings a bunch of odd-looking people with him, which is quite unseemly. The most irritating part is that he leaves his address with me, thinking I am the receptionist of his company, as if I am specifically here to handle his receptions... I haven't seen him do anything serious, just wandering around every day, and then bringing a bunch of odd-looking people with him, which is quite unseemly. The most irritating part is that he leaves his address with me, thinking I am the receptionist of his company, as if I am specifically here to handle his receptions..."

This little radish head, in a moment of anxiety, has the taste of corn husks. I felt a bit like laughing, but still asked seriously: "So tell me, how will you help me solve this?"

Xiao Zhong Huang stared at me and said, "First, let's discuss how much you can offer."

I say that our chance encounter does not constitute a friendship

I said no, I didn't ask for a single cent, didn't I just say that?

Little Radish Head led me into the room, saying not to think too much, she just had a moment of insanity

Little Radish led me into the house and then shouted to the two-hundred-pound girl, "Feihua, we have a guest, go get a glass of water."

He is not very old, yet he possesses a considerable presence. When he gets angry, the chubby girl trembles in fear, sticks out her tongue, and hurriedly leaves.

I tentatively extended a finger, and Xiao Zhong quickly shook his head, saying no, no, one hundred is too little

Little Radish did not answer my question, but instead asked back: "Who are you?"

He slightly opened the iron gate, and I squeezed in with difficulty, only to see that there were indeed other people in the yard—two old men dozing off on bamboo chairs in front of the house, a plump woman standing by the water tank in the yard, weighing over 200 pounds, and a sturdy man squatting in the corner, muttering to himself—this guy looked to be in his twenties, bare-chested, with a broad back and a strong build, his body glistening in the sunlight like a bodybuilder on television. A plump woman standing by the water tank in the yard, weighing over 200 pounds, and a sturdy man squatting in the corner, muttering to himself—this guy looked to be in his twenties, bare-chested, with a broad back and a strong build, his body glistening in the sunlight like a bodybuilder on television.

one hundred

The chubby girl, upon hearing this, responded with a sound, turned to glance at me, and surprisingly ran into the house in a rather bashful manner

Xiao Zhong, with a slight pout, said that he had his own matters to attend to and was quite busy. Moreover, this matter does not require Brother Ma to intervene; I can handle it for you.

The girl was momentarily taken aback, then replied earnestly: "I am a fish, and I should be in the water"

The matter I encountered is quite bizarre, with many unusual aspects, and the child's words and actions are also different from those of ordinary people, which instead adds to my trust in them

Noticing that my expression was off, the boss lady seemed to come to her senses, smiled awkwardly, and said no, it's nothing; by the way, how long have you known Ma Yian?

After reaching an agreement, Xiao Zhonghuang began to speak to me: "Let me tell you, in this matter, you have found the right people by coming to us"

After I finished my lengthy explanation, he said somewhat impatiently: "Alright, alright, I understand. The gist of it is that you encountered some misfortune, and then someone tampered with you. Fortunately, Brother Ma saw it. He was busy at the time and didn't explain it to you in detail, so he gave you this talisman to help you stay safe. He also mentioned that if you couldn't handle it, you should come over here, right?"

I did not say a word, sitting in front of the sofa in the living room, the chubby girl named Feihua brought a cup of boiled water and placed it on the coffee table. Little Luobutou greeted, "Our conditions are poor here, we only have boiled water, please don't mind, drink..."

Xiao Zhong saw the somewhat incredulous expression on my face and immediately became annoyed, saying, "Hey, are you looking down on me or what? With this trivial matter, Brother Xiao Zhong can handle it for you directly. What, you don't trust me?"

Just when I was feeling quite embarrassed, the little girl next to me shot a glare at that girl and said, "Do you have any brains? If you can't speak properly, then don't say anything."

After confirming, he glanced at me, then looked behind me, and then waved at me, saying, "You can come in first."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhong jumped up in surprise and exclaimed, "No way? This is impossible! Do you know how precious the things he gave you are? That talisman paper, produced in Longquan Mountain, do you know where that is? And the cicada bone, as well as the three whiskers of the Kunlun leopard cat, do you have any idea how much all of these are worth together?"

The words of the grocery store owner left me pale; I had set aside a large amount of work and taken leave to come here, hoping that this Ma Yian could assist me. However, her remark "crazy" left me somewhat bewildered.

How come you are soaking in water

Little Radish took the note, checked it, and confirmed that it was indeed Ma Ge's handwriting

I took out the yellow silk pouch with golden edges from my pocket, handed him the note from inside, and said: "I had a chance encounter with Mr. Ma, but he mentioned that if I had any questions, I could come here to seek his assistance"

What kind of madness am I talking about

At first, I did not take this little brat seriously and even intended to greet the adults here. However, upon entering, I found that the two old men on the bamboo chairs did not move at all, the tall guy was squatting in the corner watching ants, and the chubby girl was being very submissive to him. It was then that I set aside my disdain.

This little turnip head has a dirty little face, wearing obviously too small and tattered clothes. At the age of five or six, which should be a time of innocence and joy, it instead bears a guarded expression, creating a striking sense of incongruity

What is going on?

Xiao Zhong Huang seemed a bit nervous, touched his nose, and then asked: "When Ma Ge gave you the pouch, how many did he ask for?"

After the chubby girl brought the water over, she stood opposite me, her pair of eyes staring intently at me, making my heart race. Just as I had relaxed a bit from the little radish's instructions, the chubby girl said: "Will she drown? Even if she holds her breath and stays underwater for three days and three nights, she will be just fine..."

I recall the events of that day, my face filled with horror, and I asked, do you mean to say that I encountered a ghost? Is there really such a thing as ghosts in this world

Xiao Zhong Huang said, "Pah, pah, what kind of feudal superstition is this? What I mean by 'encountering evil' is not what you think. I...

The girl smiled at me, revealing a set of white teeth, and said hello

This woman was chattering incessantly, and I immediately recognized it. I hurriedly took out some money and bought a rather expensive pack of cigarettes. Only then did she smile and point to the east, saying: "It's over there in that courtyard."

Xiao Zhong said angrily, forget it, forget it, there's no point in talking to someone like you who is outside the circle, don't mention that spendthrift, just tell me how much you can offer here

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, because what I meant in my earlier conversation with him was actually one thousand. I didn't expect this child, who appeared honest and steady, to be so young and not ask for an exorbitant price. Therefore, with the mindset of negotiating with a client, I chatted with Xiao Zhong Huang for a while and we discussed three hundred.

Uh ... ...

I expressed my gratitude to the proprietress, then walked to the large iron gate that was tightly shut, contemplated for a moment, and then knocked on the door, calling out: "Is anyone home?"

I was taken aback and said, "You?"

This girl appears to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. Despite her slender and petite figure, she possesses a remarkably delicate appearance, with her brows and eyes exuding a certain charm that is quite captivating

Once the chubby girl left, the little carrot head spoke to me like an adult: "Hello, my name is Zhong Huang, the very same Zhong Huang from 'The winds of Zhongshan rise in the pale yellow, millions of heroic troops cross the great river.' My brother Ma has gone out, and I am in charge here. If you have any matters to discuss, just let me know."

Her words left me completely at a loss for how to respond, so I chuckled awkwardly a couple of times, recalling what the landlady had just said; indeed, everyone in this courtyard is quite peculiar

Before the chubby girl could finish speaking, the little radish head turned dark with anger and said, "If I tell you to go, then go. What are you standing there for? When my brother left, how did he instruct you? Who is in charge here?"

I have been on the road for quite a while, and indeed I am very thirsty. After exchanging a few pleasantries, I picked up the cup and drank it all in one go

I am concerned that his comprehension ability is limited, so I made a special effort to explain the details very clearly

As for how precious it is, I do not know, so I asked how much it costs

Xiao Zhong Huang said that this matter of yours is a case of encountering evil spirits, do you know what encountering evil spirits means

I hesitated for a moment, then asked: "Is Mr. Ma Yiao present?"

He holds considerable authority here; a single remark made the girl lower her head, and immediately after, she dove straight into the water

With Ma Yian's advice in hand, I did not hesitate much and immediately spoke to the child Zhong Huang about my situation

The little one spoke in a way that left me stunned and confused, but I could roughly understand that what Ma Yian had given me was very precious

Putting down the water cup, just as I was about to speak, Little Radish Head pushed aside the chubby girl next to her: "You go watch Haini in the yard, so she doesn't choke on water and drown."

As soon as I heard this, I thought, oh dear, this is a trick, this little brat... If it weren't for the good impression that Ma Yian had given me earlier, I would have genuinely feared it was a scam. Thus, I suppressed my thoughts and asked, "How much do you want?"

However, these individuals all exhibit somewhat peculiar states, immersed in their own worlds, completely ignoring me and showing no regard whatsoever.

I called out several times, but no one responded. I recalled what the landlady said about Ma Yian going on a long trip, which made me quite depressed. Just as I was about to leave, the iron gate creaked open a little, revealing a small gap. A little turnip head peeked out, its dark and shiny eyes sizing me up, and then it asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Just as he was about to deliver a lengthy discourse, a sudden sound of "bang, bang, bang" came from the iron gate outside the courtyard, and a woman with a hoarse voice shouted loudly: "Ma Yian, Ma Yian, come out here!"

I nodded and said yes, yes. Where has Mr. Ma gone? Can you get in touch with him?

If it were a beautiful woman, such shyness would be quite captivating, but this chubby girl gives me a rather chilling feeling. It was only when I walked past that large water tank, which has a diameter of 1.5 meters, that I discovered a thin, small girl actually soaking inside it.

I followed the direction of the proprietress's finger and saw a small courtyard and two low, two-story brick houses

However, in broad daylight, it struck me as quite strange to see a girl dressed in white soaking in the water. I couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, and she looked back at me with a curious expression. Feeling a bit embarrassed from her gaze, I nodded at her and said hello