Chapter 6, A Paper Boat

After she finished speaking, she walked out. This sentence also made my heart skip a beat, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

I looked outside the cave; the sky was dim, yet I could see Tan Dongyu grinning.

I felt a sudden panic in my heart. The current issue is that the old lady seems manageable, but the daughter-in-law... is not manageable.

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At that moment, I noticed a claw mark on my wrist, thin like a chicken's claw, dark blue in color. I thought that Tan Dongyu had come to touch me while I was asleep, so I wiped it with a cloth a few times, but it wouldn't come off

It seems that things have become quite serious

Sigh... Jiang Xiu sighed as he looked at the furniture in the room without speaking, quietly smoking his pipe.

Because the mark of this dark claw seems to be imprinted inside my body, I was so frightened that I hurried back to find Jiang Xiu. When he saw the claw mark, he was also a bit taken aback. I recounted everything that happened yesterday to him, and he furrowed his brows tightly, saying that something was amiss

We hurried up the mountain and soon found the house. This was also an old house, presumably purchased from someone else. A middle-aged man was leaning on a chair basking in the sun. At a glance, I recognized him as the neighbor from back then. This neighbor was named Jiang Suiyin, and I used to address him as "Uncle" when I saw him.

After the sun sets, I walk to the door of the house and say a word of apology for the disturbance before entering to start pouring rice. Once I have completed all of this, I go back into the room, tie up the umbrella, and then lie down on the bed to rest

I was anxious and asked how far I needed to run. Finally, he handed me a pen and paper and said earnestly: "Write a letter home on this. If you don't need to run, then forget it. If you do need to run, I will give this letter to your parents. You must at least go ten miles away and not return for four days and four nights. If I call you during that time, you can come back and check. If I don't call, then consider that there is no home, no parents, and no me for you, and never come back again." If you need to run, I will give this letter to your parents. You must at least go ten miles away and not return for four days and four nights. If I call you during that time, you can come back and check. If I don't call, then consider that there is no home, no parents, and no me for you, and never come back again.

My mother shook her head, but my father said he had seen her in the neighboring village a few years ago

I hurriedly apologized and asked what would happen if the boat floated away

I said I knew the direction of the sunset and pointed to the west. Only then did he feel at ease. At that moment, I couldn't help but ask, "How far do I need to run?"

Jiang Xiu learned that this was Jiang Suiyin, and politely said: "I came over for no particular reason, just heard that your wife has passed away. A while ago, my cousin's son also passed away, and I thought to have him recognize a godmother in the afterlife. What do you think? If it's acceptable... I would like to have your wife's birth date and time."

He said that something was not right and that he would ask my parents around noon. Throughout the entire morning that followed, I saw him frowning, as if he were deep in thought

"How could it possibly float?" I couldn't help but laugh, but as soon as the words left my mouth, I noticed Jiang Xiu's serious expression, which was not at all like a joke.

I couldn't help but frown; it seems that Tan Dongyu still has a trace of awareness, but whether that awareness is truly his own remains unknown. I pushed him away again; I am well aware of what it means when both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law want to harm me, it is clear to me that both sides wish to do me harm

Perhaps this time I pushed too hard; after Tan Dongyu fell, his head struck a rock, and he actually started to bleed. For a moment, I felt a bit anxious and hurriedly asked if he was alright, but he still numbly told me to leave.

He said in a deep voice: "We all know how the old woman died; her son didn't even give her rice to eat, only allowing her to eat rice husks. In the end, she couldn't bear the torment and committed suicide. But this daughter-in-law, I always thought she was hanged by the old woman. If she was hanged by the old woman, then she must have thought the same way; sending rice over would have sufficed to appease her."

That night was particularly quiet, and Tan Dongyu did not come to find me, allowing me to sleep soundly until dawn. When I woke up, I instinctively reached for the umbrella, only to hear a crisp sound; the umbrella had actually broken.

Suddenly, a person swayed in at the door, their face obscured by shadows, making it difficult to discern their features. Judging by the figure, it was a woman with particularly large breasts, reminding me of my deceased daughter-in-law. She was dressed in a floral cloth outfit and wore a pair of slippers, her toes exaggeratedly pointed. As she walked, she hunched her neck, as if trying to hide her head in her shoulders. She approached me, and before I could react, that sharp voice rang out again.

I felt a chill sweep over me, from head to toe

After returning home, Jiang Xiu wrote Shi Rongrong's birth date and time with a brush on a piece of yellow paper, and then folded the yellow paper into the shape of a paper boat. He handed the paper boat to me and said earnestly: "Today, there is no need to take a detour. After the sun sets, go into the house and say 'I apologize for the disturbance.' Once inside, one bowl should have rice, and the other bowl should not have rice. Make sure you remember this. When the time comes, light an incense stick and keep a close watch on the paper boat. As long as the incense burns, if the paper boat remains completely still, then fill the other bowl with rice as well and continue to sleep under the umbrella. Make sure you remember this. When the time comes, light an incense stick and keep a close watch on the paper boat. As long as the incense burns, if the paper boat remains completely still, then fill the other bowl with rice as well and continue to sleep under the umbrella. If the incense burns particularly fast, and the paper boat inexplicably starts to float..."

As the sky grew darker, there were sounds in the room once again, and footsteps approached me. ... I stared intently at the floor by the door, where a shadow was reflected once more, but the problem was ... . ... the shadow did not stop.

Tan Dongyu is just a person who idles away his time in the village, lacking proper nutrition and appearing quite emaciated, naturally weaker than I am. I casually pushed him aside, cursing at him to get lost. At that moment, I dared not delay and continued to walk in circles, causing Tan Dongyu to fall to the ground from my push. Initially, I thought he would give up, but to my surprise, he chased after me again

"Are you saying that the daughter-in-law was not hanged by the old woman?" I asked, trembling.

"Jiang Cheng, let's go. That mother-in-law and daughter-in-law want to kill you. They were discussing how to harm you during dinner yesterday." He held onto me, speaking as if pleading like someone from https://m.hetushucomcom.

I simply decided not to care anymore and continued to walk in circles. Tan Dongyu should have just scraped his head; he sat on the ground, looking at me just like he did yesterday.

Yesterday, that shadow stopped at the door, but today it continues to move inside. I feel as if my heartbeat and breath are about to cease, as it is clear that that person is about to enter.

After lying down, I felt a bit uncomfortable. This old house has not been maintained for a long time, and there are several holes in the walls that have been left unattended. Through one of the holes, I could see Tan Dongyu sitting in the yard outside, his eyes fixed intently on me

Jiang Xiu agreed, and then without even eating, rode a small motorcycle to take me to the neighboring village. The road was bumpy, and it took us ten minutes to reach the neighboring village. Upon arrival, Jiang Xiu's first task was to find the village chief and inquire if there had been any new single men who had moved in over the past few years

Perhaps it is a reluctance to assist me, or perhaps it is a desire not to offend the beautiful sister; in any case, she is now somewhat impatient

My body trembled incessantly, fearing that she might do something to harm me. After standing beside me for a while, she suddenly spoke again

I said something is not right

After I finished speaking, I stared intently at her face, wanting to see what she truly looked like. However, the sky was dim, and the shadows seemed particularly heavy for some unknown reason, leaving only a dark blur, obscuring her features. Upon hearing my voice, she stood calmly beside me, and I had a sense that she was also looking at me, gazing into my eyes

I suddenly have a conjecture; could this be considered a kind of plea? That is, Jiang Xiu asked me to bring rice over, which is a request for the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to protect me. However, the problem is that they already seem a bit impatient.

Oh, send some rice and stay for two more days

I was so startled that my body trembled; it was clear that I needed to get up. I quickly said, "The rice delivery is here, staying for a night."

Here, each village corresponds to a family, and the decisions are primarily made by the clan leader. The village head must consult the clan leader when handling affairs, otherwise, matters may not be resolved properly. Typically, the eldest elder in the main house of the clan serves as the clan leader, thus possessing a clear understanding of village affairs

After finishing their work at noon, my parents returned to cook. Jiang Xiu hurriedly asked, "Do you know where the neighbor across the street is living now?"

He then continued, "Then you run, run for your life, never look back, run west, do you know which way is west?"

The clan leader informed us that two bachelors had moved in, one five years ago and the other one year ago. Jiang Xiu said to look for the one who moved in five years ago, and the clan leader then provided us with the address of that bachelor

Jiang Suoyin was taken aback for a moment, then said it was no problem. He went into the house and took out a family genealogy, opening it up for us to see. We then learned that Jiang Suoyin's wife was named Shi Rongrong, and her birth date and time were also recorded in it. Jiang Xiu thanked Jiang Suoyin and even gifted him a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, then pulled me outside.

Subsequently, I felt a bit anxious