Chapter 2, The Abandoned House in the Wilderness

The old man's friends quickly waved their hands and said, "Old Gao, we are all of a certain age now, so please do not bring us any trouble"

"Qin Ge, hurry, take a look." I was just bowing my head to drink when Caihua poked me, signaling me to look quickly

The old man got up and angrily walked into a room, dragging out a woman and hitting her without hesitation, cursing as he said: "You shameless wretch, what are you shouting for in front of so many people? You are embarrassing me. Today, I must beat you to death."

"I don't want it anymore; keeping it will just drive me crazy. I want to live a few more years. Since there are many people today, whoever wants it can take it away. After all, it's just 8,000 yuan; I might as well feed it to the dogs." The old man has a stubborn temperament, and it is evident that this Chunlan has often upset him.

I am getting a bit impatient, "Cauliflower, it's been half an hour, why haven't we arrived yet? Could we have taken a wrong turn?"

Following the direction of Caihua's finger, I could see, through the moonlight, the small mounds of graves on the hillside, with tombstones standing in front of them. There were faint flickers of ghostly lights, confirming that what Caihua said was true, and I felt a slight sense of relief in my heart

After walking for a mile, Caihua did not enter the village but chose a narrow path to walk in. Upon seeing this, I noticed that the surrounding area was filled with wild grass that was as tall as a person. I wasn't very familiar with him, and if he were to betray me, even if I were buried alive, no one would know.

"Come on, Qin, you can't be that timid," Caihua said, pointing to a small hill ahead. "Do you see that? That's the graveyard. It only takes about ten minutes to get there. I heard the ghostly wails of a female spirit there last time; it was quite thrilling. I guarantee you'll enjoy it later."

Cauliflower was in so much pain that he was jumping on his feet, raising his fist as if to hit me. Both of us had drunk a bit too much and ended up fighting in front of the old man and his friends

Old man, who is this woman? Calling out in the middle of the night is disgraceful and affects the mood for drinking

However, when I see this fellow with thick eyebrows and big eyes, sporting a full beard, he certainly does not look like a good person. Being unfamiliar with the place, I am afraid this guy might deceive me.

"Palanquin, what palanquin?" I mumbled to myself, not giving it much thought, assuming it was just a local dialect for a vehicle.

As I looked, the cauliflower's face was both green and dirty, covered in bits of grass. I estimated I looked about the same. Then I glanced at the old man; his complexion was steady, and he certainly did not resemble a ghost. I rubbed my face and could only swallow my doubts.

The old man set down the wine bottle, pounded his feet and thumped his chest, and sighed, "What a waste of good firewood and good women, at my age, I no longer have the ability for this. I can no longer manage this little wretch, and instead, I have to endure her daily tantrums. Whoever wants her can take her away; I would rather have some peace."

Both Cauliflower and I stared wide-eyed and hurriedly asked, "Old Gao, are you serious about the picture book, or are you joking? How could you not want such a beautiful young wife

As soon as I looked, I thought, damn, this road is full of potholes, with large sycamore trees lining both sides, their leaves rustling ominously, resembling a scene from a horror movie, quite eerie and frightening. I said, "Brother, it's just this one mile; why not take us in? I'll pay you more."

I am not afraid of ghosts; having visited so many haunted places, it all seems like utter nonsense. There are fundamentally no such things as ghosts or monsters in this world. To be honest, I would even welcome the chance to see a ghost, just to find some excitement.

The revelry was in full swing when I heard a woman's cries coming from inside, sobbing and wailing, sounding quite tragic

Caihua and I went to knock on the door, and the one who opened it was a rosy-cheeked old man in his sixties, with a water pipe in his mouth and wearing flip-flops. The villagers are very hospitable; after casually asking a few questions, he welcomed us inside.

As the wine and meat went down my throat, my naturally hearty disposition, along with that of the cauliflower, led me to indulge in the feast. The old man and his friends were also persistently urging me to drink.

After speaking, Cauliflower chuckled at me with a sly grin, "Brother Qin, look at how beautiful this little wife is. Why don't we buy her?"

The friends nearby also got up and greeted us warmly. Savoring the delicious aroma of the food and wine, both Cauliflower and I had been busy for most of the evening, feeling both tired and hungry. After exchanging a few polite words, we took our seats.

Upon hearing this, the old man became even angrier. He furiously picked up the wine bottle from the table, ready to smash it at Chunlan, saying, "You shameless, lewd creature, how dare you defy me!"

The old man awkwardly clasped his hands and chuckled, saying, "This is my recent purchase from Yunnan, a wife named Chunlan. I will go and deal with this woman now"

After following the cauliflower for over half an hour into the grassy nest, the wild grass became increasingly dense, obscuring even the mountain tops. My mouth was full of grass and wheat, and my body was no better, covered in a pile of foul-smelling grass balls, which was quite infuriating

It seems that it was indeed purchased, what a pity, why can't I come across such good fortune

Cauliflower spoke as he walked, saying that Yema Slope is a village. Because it is located in the suburban mountainous area, the people in the village still maintain the custom of burial. All the deceased are buried in the back mountain, which has thus become a grave mound

As the car drove away, the surroundings became eerie, with the hazy moonlight casting shadows on the mottled road, heightening the sense of terror. The night wind blew, chillingly seeping into my collar, causing a layer of cold sweat to break out all over my body, and I was nearly sober from the alcohol.

I couldn't be bothered with him, lit a cigarette, relieved myself, glanced around, and faintly seemed to see a light in the distance

Cauliflower, look over there

This is exactly right. At your age, how can you still manage that? Next time, you should buy a companion who has already gone through menopause; that would be worthwhile. Caihua has indeed had a bit too much to drink, and her tipsy retort made Old Gao's face turn green.

Caihua, probably due to having drunk too much, was a bit dazed. Frowning and scratching the back of his head, he cursed, "Damn it, have I taken the wrong direction? This was the same path as last time. Could it be that I'm running into a wall?"

Thinking of this, I no longer had the mood to look for a female ghost. I picked up a stone from the grass and held it tightly in my hand. That damned cauliflower, if he dares to act, I will take him down.

Upon realizing that finding a female ghost was unlikely, I felt itchy and uncomfortable all over. Continuing to delve deeper seemed pointless, so I could only follow this fellow towards the direction of the lights. Upon arriving, I saw that it was a two-story small villa, standing solitary in a hollow of the mountain. At the entrance, there were two imposing stone lions, suggesting it was a place where wealthy individuals sought tranquility.

Upon hearing my generous offer, the driver became even more obstinate. Faced with no other options, and not wanting to truly harm the bird, I had no choice but to get out of the car

Damn it, I'll go to the taxi company to file a complaint another day, let's see if I can make this bastard pay. Cauliflower took out her phone to illuminate the way, stumbling ahead as she led the way

"Cauliflower, where are we going?" The dogtail grass rustled underfoot, entangling my feet like a hanged ghost. I stumbled and bumped into Cauliflower.

I became anxious upon hearing this, and I pinched him hard on his private part, shouting with red eyes: "You are already a rotten vegetable, what are you even buying women for? This woman, I, I have decided on her."

As Caihua and I squinted our eyes to take a look, I exclaimed, this old man's young wife not only has a handsome face but also a decent figure, definitely not like the kind of woman one would buy. In that instant, both Caihua and I were almost mesmerized.

Seeing that he was truly enraged, everyone quickly pulled him back and began to persuade him, saying, "Elder, let us discuss this calmly."

Upon entering the house, several people were gathered around the table enjoying hot pot. The old man said, "A few friends have come over for a late-night snack. If you don't mind, feel free to join us; after all, it's too late to call for a carriage now"

When I entered, I asked Cauliflower, "This old man can't be a ghost, can he? Just look around, there is only this one house, which is quite strange.

"You old man, so fierce and brutal, always resorting to violence. Following you, I might as well be dead." Although the woman did not dare to retaliate, she shouted defiantly, speaking in a dialect from another region, but it was likely still understandable.

Cauliflower slapped his forehead, "Damn, we really took the wrong path. There are people here; we must have circled back to the village. Forget it, it seems we won't find it today. Let's stay here for the night."

I scrutinized Chunlan carefully, and just then she was also glancing at me, as if hinting for me to help her escape. As the effects of the alcohol surged within me, I was about to speak up and demand something when Caihua slammed the table, her face flushed, and shouted, "Old Gao, how much do you want"

"Qin Ge, look at that old man’s rosy complexion; it’s already quite good that he hasn’t called us ghosts." Caihua said, spitting out a mouthful of grass particles.

As soon as I heard it was bought from Yunnan, I immediately laughed and said, "There are quite a few old bachelors from my hometown who go there to buy women, each one looking as if they were dug out of a coal mine, dark and ugly"