Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 110

"Oh, okay, then eat something. I'll wake up Brother Hu."

"Don't call him, let him continue to sleep."

"That won't work." Tan Wenbin didn't listen to the woman and went to the bedside to shake Hu Yiwei. "Brother Hu, Brother Hu, wake up, it's time to eat."

Hu Yiwei unconsciously reached out and patted it, then continued to sleep while hugging his arms while mumbling.

"If you don't come soon, it will be cold." Zeng Yinyin said, then turned and left.

Tan Wenbin stretched out his right hand, clenched his fist slightly, and imitated Brother Yuanzi's method, using the knuckles of his ring finger to knock on Hu Yiwei's forehead three times.

Sure enough...it’s useless.

Hu Yiwei continued to sleep soundly.

Tan Wenbin took out a mind-clearing talisman from his pocket and stuck it on the other person's forehead with a "snap".

The Qingxin Talisman is taking effect.

Hu Yiwei slept even more soundly, not even talking in his sleep, only the sound of thunderous snoring could be heard.

"This……"

Tan Wenbin took off the Qingxin Talisman, took out the Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll Lucky Talisman, and stuck it on.

The talisman paper did not change color.

This shows that Hu Yiwei had long been free from the influence of the evil spirit, and he was simply exhausted and unable to get up.

The effect of his previous mind-clearing talisman actually helped him sleep deeper.

There's no way, I really can't wake him up.

It is better to deal with the next thing first, and then find an excuse to go out and find Brother Xiaoyuan and let him make the decision.

Tan Wenbin took out toiletries from his backpack and as he walked out of the room, he took another look at the welded well in the yard.

He walked into the kitchen, where the small dining table was placed and the coffin was still there.

Zeng Yinyin was holding a basin of clothes in her hands. She glanced at him and said, "There is a water tank in the back. I'll take you there."

The water tank is behind the kitchen, with a wooden ladle on top.

While Tan Wenbin was brushing his teeth, Zeng Yinyin was washing clothes next to him.

Her hands were very white, almost bloodless.

Moreover, Tan Wenbin noticed that the other person was washing men's clothes in the basin.

But originally, there was no man in this family.

Hu Yiwei and I came here last night. We only washed our feet before going to bed and didn’t change our clothes.

After brushing his teeth, Tan Wenbin washed his face with a ladle, then asked casually:

"Whose clothes are so big?"

"My man's."

"You remarried?"

"No, these are his old clothes. I plan to wash and dry them and give them away. You city people don't understand how hard life is in the countryside."

"Oh, that's how it is."

Tan Wenbin knew that unless people were so poor that they could not survive, the living would still feel that it was unlucky to look at the belongings of the dead.

When I was doing vegetarian feasts with Uncle Li in the past, I often saw the host pile up the clothes and personal belongings of the deceased and burn them.

Although Min'an Town is a town in the mountains, life there is far from being so difficult. Can you wash the clothes of a dead person and give them away as a favor?

Or was it that what she actually washed was her man's daily change of clothes?
Although it was Hu Yiwei who went to her bed last night, it was not Hu Yiwei who actually did it.

Zeng Yinyin was very quick and efficient. After hanging the clothes, she wiped her hands with a towel, then motioned for Tan Wenbin to sit down while she went to the stove to get the rice.

It's rice soup, with yesterday's leftovers, some vegetables, and water cooked in a pot.

This is a very popular form of breakfast nowadays, regardless of region.

After all, most families are reluctant to go to the store every morning to buy steamed buns, fried dough sticks and soy milk to take home.

In case there wasn’t enough leftover rice, I also put some noodles in it.

When Zeng Yinyin turned around to get her own bowl, Tan Wenbin deliberately turned his back to the coffin, took out the lucky charm from his arms, grabbed the edge of the charm, and threw it into the bowl. It didn't change color, which meant that the food was for human consumption.

"call……"

He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly put the talisman paper back into his pocket.

Tan Wenbin held the chopsticks in his right hand and held the bowl in his left hand, but the bowl was not hot.

I took another bite and it tasted good, but a little warm.

"How is it?" Zeng Yinyin asked.

"delicious."

Not hot, just right for your mouth.

Tan Wenbin finished a bowl quickly.

Zeng Yinyin: "There's still some in the pot."

"I'm full, thank you." Tan Wenbin looked around and asked, "Why don't they come down to eat?"

"They've already eaten."

"Can I... meet Miaomiao?"

"What did you do to see her?"

"I think some things may not be appropriate for the person involved to say, and as a friend, maybe I can give some advice."

"Miao Miao is already engaged and will be getting married next month."

"I heard about it."

"Then you are not suitable to participate now." Zeng Yinyin put away the dishes and chopsticks, "You can persuade Yiwei to go back early, let him forget Miaomiao and start a new life."

"It's hard."

At this time, Zeng Yinyin suddenly said: "In this world, nothing is difficult except death."

"I think what your family did was not fair." Tan Wenbin tried to get as much information as possible, "At least you should see it through to the end."

Zeng Yinyin paused for a moment, then said, "That's a good idea."

"what?"

"There's nothing fun here, let's go."

"I think the scenery here is very nice and beautiful." Seeing that the other party was unwilling to continue to reveal to him, Tan Wenbin could only go to Brother Xiaoyuan, "I want to ask you something. There is a family named Xue in this village. His son is Xue Liangliang, a student at Haihe University. He is good at making money and has a bright future."

"do not know."

"do not know?"

"There are many families in this town, and there are many surnames. Apart from our neighbors, we don't interact with people with other surnames."

"Oh, I see. I'll go out and ask around. Thank you for your hospitality."

Tan Wenbin left.

Zeng Yinyin looked at the kitchen door for a long time, then she scooped a bowl of soup and rice from the pot and placed it under the coffin.

She placed a pair of chopsticks upright in the bowl.

This is not solid rice. It has too much soup and cannot be eaten with chopsticks.

But after releasing his hands, the two chopsticks stood upright.

……

Tan Wenbin returned to the room first and put on his backpack.

On the bed, Hu Yiwei was still sleeping soundly, and the bright red color on his crotch was gradually turning black.

Although it is obvious that something is wrong with this home, the risk factor is still within the tolerable range.

Let’s meet up with Brother Xiaoyuan first.

Tan Wenbin left the house, walked out of the alley and came to the main street.

Although Min'an Town is not as populous as Shigang Town in Pingyuan, it is still a town after all. It is normal that some townspeople do not know each other.

Tan Wenbin found a convenience store in the town, bought a bottle of drink, and then asked the auntie in the store about Xue Liangliang's home.

However, the aunt's response surprised Tan Wenbin.

The aunt said that she had never heard of anyone with the surname Xue living in the town.

A guess immediately emerged in Tan Wenbin's mind: Could it be that Xue Liangliang's father was a son-in-law who later became independent and changed Xue Liangliang's surname back to Xue?

Even Tan Wenbin himself felt that this speculation was a bit far-fetched.

After leaving the store, Tan Wenbin began to ask questions from the townspeople. He felt that the Xue family should be quite famous here. After all, Brother Liangliang was always considered "someone else's child."

But the result was that no one knew there was such a family in the town.

At this moment, Tan Wenbin finally realized the seriousness of the problem.

If he couldn't find the Xue family, it meant that he couldn't find Xiaoyuan and Runsheng who had already moved into the Xue family in advance.

He took out the pager from his waist and found no record of being paged.

It shouldn't be like this. It's already ten o'clock in the morning.

Last night, Xiaoyuan might have felt that it was late and the store was closed, so he didn't page me. But now it's already this late and Xiaoyuan hasn't seen me, so he will definitely ask Runsheng to page me as soon as possible.

Tan Wenbin returned to the store again, picked up the phone and started calling the discount store.

"Beep...beep...beep..."

The phone kept ringing but no one answered.

This is impossible. Even if Lu Yi is in class and not in the store at this moment, there must be people in the store during daytime business hours.

I called twice more, but still no one answered.

Tan Wenbin hesitated for a moment and called his father's office. "Beep...beep...beep..." The call was connected, but no one answered.

He even called Aunt Zhang's grocery store in Siyuan Village, but the same thing happened.

Finally, he called the paging station.

During this period, there were many paging stations across the country, and paging station operator was also a very popular profession.

But this time, no one answered the paging call, and I couldn't hear the sweet voice of the operator.

After hanging up the phone, Tan Wenbin clenched his fist and lightly hit the counter.

"What's wrong?" The aunt looked at her phone display in confusion. She had been calling for such a long time, but no one answered.

"Auntie, is your phone broken?"

"Broken?" The auntie pressed the speakerphone button and dialed a number. The number on the other end answered quickly. The auntie urged the other party in dialect to send more goods next time. After the other party agreed, she hung up the phone.

"It's not broken, it's fine."

The auntie was cracking melon seeds and looking the young man up and down. If he hadn't been well-dressed and carrying a mountaineering bag, she would have suspected that this guy was deliberately making fun of her in the middle of the morning.

Tan Wenbin picked up the phone again and called the discount store, but still no one answered.

After hanging up the phone, he took out some money and bought some more bagged snacks.

The auntie handed him the food with a smile. The snacks were within their expiration date, but the bags were covered in dust. In town, bulk roasted snacks were easier to sell.

Tan Wenbin walked out of the store and sat down on the riverside promenade.

There were several tables of elderly people sitting there drinking tea, and there was a storyteller telling a story.

They spoke in the local dialect, which he couldn't understand.

Looking at the calm river surface, there were farmlands and green hills in the distance. It was a beautiful scenery, but he was not in the mood to appreciate it.

Either there's something wrong with the town, or there's something wrong with me.

Perhaps the most reasonable option now is to leave this town as soon as possible, or at least go to a place where I can make a phone call.

But I came here to solve the problem. If I leave when I encounter the problem, then there is no point in leaving.

After the storyteller finished a segment, Tan Wenbin approached him and started a conversation with him. After leaving Zeng's address, he gave the storyteller some money and promised that if someone could find him through him, he would give him another one.

Afterwards, Tan Wenbin took out paper and pen and started writing notes. He wrote many notes in a row, all with his name and address, and then distributed them to the shop owners.

After doing all this, Tan Wenbin did not rush back to Zeng's house, but wandered around the town. He looked like a backpacker on a trip.

I came here late at night yesterday and it was pitch dark and I couldn't see anything clearly. Now I can observe and appreciate things carefully.

It’s just that the Huizhou architectural style is indeed rich in cultural heritage and beautiful, but when you feel uneasy and fearful, the environment here can amplify your emotions.

Every household with an open door seems to have a secret, and every alley has a sense of weirdness.

After strolling around until almost one o'clock in the afternoon, Tan Wenbin decided to go back to Zeng's house. Before leaving, he went to the shop to buy some meat and some grain and oil.

As soon as I entered the house with these things, I saw Zeng Yinyin standing there.

"I thought you were gone."

"No, I just came out for a walk."

"I've had lunch."

"I've eaten too." Tan Wenbin put the things on the table and ate some snacks.

Zeng Yinyin took a look and said, "No need to buy anything."

"It should, it should."

How can I continue living here without buying something?

Now that I can’t contact Brother Yuanzi for the time being, all I can do is continue to stay in Zeng’s family.

Zeng Yinyin didn't say anything and put the things into the kitchen.

When Tan Wenbin returned to his room, Hu Yiwei was still sleeping soundly. It seemed that he had been exhausted last night.

Of course, the consumption is not just about doing that kind of thing, the more important thing is being possessed by evil spirits.

However, if he continued to remain unconscious, he would have no reason to see Zeng Miaomiao.

Tan Wenbin reached out and patted Hu Yiwei's face, but he still didn't wake up.

For the entire afternoon, Tan Wenbin moved a small stool and sat by the well in the yard.

There was a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of mineral water at his feet, and he looked like he was taking a rest in the sun.

Zeng Yinyin never came out after returning to her room, and the old lady and Zeng Miaomiao who had made the remarks last night did not come down from the second floor either.

Plus there is Hu Yiwei who is still sleeping soundly.

There were obviously many people in the room, but Tan Wenbin felt like he was the only one there.

Another thing is this well... Although the manhole cover is welded shut, you can still sense the cold air leaking out from the gap, which feels a bit like a crack in a freezer.

At dusk, Zeng Yinyin came out of her room and went to cook.

At this time, Hu Yiwei finally woke up.

"I'm so hungry... I'm dizzy." Hu Yiwei lay on the bed, covering his stomach with one hand and his forehead with the other.

Tan Wenbin took out some compressed biscuits from his backpack and handed them to him. As for the mineral water, he had already finished it.

No one would put a lot of water in their bag, but he did have things like water purification tablets in his bag.

Tan Wenbin came to the kitchen and prepared to get a bottle of water.

Zeng Yinyin was standing by the stove, cooking with a spatula, but there wasn't much steam coming out of the pot.

Tan Wenbin walked around the stove and found only sporadic sparks in the stove hole.

"Want to light a fire?"

"No, it's almost out of the pot."

"Oh."

Tan Wenbin nodded, went to get the thermos, opened a stopper, and touched the bottom with his finger. It was warm, so he tried the second bottle, which was still warm, about the same temperature as the water he used to wash his feet last night.

"Um, is there any hot water?"

"Isn't it all?"

"It's just warm, not hot."

"It was hot, so I deliberately warmed it up."

"That's it."

Tan Wenbin could only choose one bottle to take away. When he walked through the stairs in the hall, he looked up again and the door was still closed.

After returning to the room, he poured a glass of warm water for Hu Yiwei and handed it to him, reminding him:
"Save some room, dinner will be coming soon."

Hu Yiwei's mouth was full of biscuit crumbs. He asked a little embarrassedly: "Binbin, do you have any pants? Can you lend me a pair?"

Apparently, he noticed the marks on his crotch.

Tan Wenbin took out a pair of trousers from his bag and handed it to him.

Hu Yiwei was so emotional that he borrowed a car and drove directly to ask for an explanation, so he didn't bring any luggage except money and cigarettes for the journey.

Tan Wenbin’s mountaineering bag is fully equipped with basic equipment.

He and Yin Meng, one each.

Runsheng’s is an advanced version, because he also has to bear Xiaoyuan’s share.

"Thank you, brother. I'll give you whatever the price is." Hu Yiwei prepared to take money out of his pocket.

"No need, we are all brothers, let's not talk about this."

"How can this be possible? You paid for the gas when we came here."

"Don't be polite with me, remember to do your job."

Hu Yiwei slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, yes, business!"

He was wondering why he had forgotten about this.

After eating, Hu Yiwei was able to recover. They were all men, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about. He took off his pants and underwear and changed into Tan Wenbin's pants, which was considered as a neutral position.

"Binbin, I'm sorry you laughed at me, but I had a wet dream last night."

Tan Wenbin touched his nose. What man’s wet dream caused bleeding in the dream?

Of course, most boys, after having seen the incident, generally would not give themselves the opportunity to have a wet dream.

"Brother Hu, you must ask to see Zeng Miaomiao during dinner later."

"I will!"

"After you've made your point, you should go back. You didn't take too long a leave. Don't let your work be delayed because of a past relationship."

"Well, Binbin, I understand what you said."

The door of the room was pushed open, and Zeng Yinyin stood at the door. Just like in the morning, she said, "The meal is ready, come and eat."

It was still the small kitchen table, next to the coffin.

But there was only food for three people on the table.

Hu Yiwei asked: "Where is Miaomiao?"

Zeng Yinyin was holding a tray with two dishes, two cups of rice wine, and rice in an arc shape in a small bowl.

"They eat it up there."

"Sister Yin, let Miaomiao come down. I'll talk to her and then I'll leave."

"She doesn't want to see you."

"I know she doesn't want to see me. I just want to get an explanation. Our divorce was so inexplicable. She should come out to see me. Please help me tell her that I don't want to pester her, really."

"Okay, I'll go and tell you."

"Thank you for your help, Sister Yin."

"You guys eat first. After you eat, we can talk."

Zeng Yinyin went upstairs carrying a tray.

Hu Yiwei sat at the small table in the kitchen, his chest rising and falling slightly, and was organizing his words.

Tan Wenbin left the table and came to a corner of the hall. He saw Zeng Yinyin walk to the door of the second floor, grab the door knocker and knock three times gently.

There seemed to be a sound of a lock falling from inside.

Zeng Yinyin pushed open the door, and before going in, she turned around, looked down, and met Tan Wenbin's eyes.

Then she went in and the door closed.

At this moment, Tan Wenbin really wanted to use violence to force his way into the second floor to see what was going on inside and what Zeng Miaomiao's current condition was.

But he knew very well that he did not have the ability to cover up the consequences after forcing the matter to be exposed.

The reason why he was assigned to a separate line was, firstly, because Runsheng's personality was not compatible, and he and Fan Shulin were not very close, so they could not be connected to this line; secondly, because Xiaoyuan had to be accompanied by a strong person. Sitting back in the kitchen, Tan Wenbin said, "Brother Hu, help me get a thermos."

"okay."

When Hu Yiwei stood up, Tan Wenbin took out the Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll Lucky Charm and tested the food, finding no problem.

Picking up the chopsticks, Tan Wenbin took a mouthful of rice and was stunned. He took another bite of vegetable and frowned.

The meal in the morning could be explained as being prepared early and I got up late, but the meal in the evening was just prepared, so why was it still warm?

Is there nothing hot in this house?
After a while, Zeng Yinyin came back empty-handed. She sat down at the table, picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

Hu Yiwei asked: "Sister Yin, where is Miaomiao?"

Zeng Yinyin swallowed the food in her mouth and showed an obscure smile on her face:

"Don't worry, you'll be able to see her after dinner."

……

Yin Meng didn’t know who was the person peeping inside the room door last night, but after being illuminated by the flashlight once, those peeping eyes never appeared again.

Putting a chair behind the door, Yin Meng went back to bed and went to sleep.

She needed to rest and couldn't really let herself get into a bad state, but even when she was sleeping, she would just turn a blind eye.

Early the next morning, the sound of chopping wood could be heard in the yard.

Yin Meng pushed Zheng Jiayi awake. Zheng Jiayi yawned and said in a lazy voice, "Mengmeng, I'm so sleepy. I want to sleep a little longer."

"Have you forgotten your parents' illness?"

Zheng Jiayi sat up immediately.

"Go down and wash up first."

"Go down and wash up. Do you want to carry your bag?"

"I am used to it."

When passing by the other two bedrooms on the second floor, Yin Meng stopped again to listen, but heard no movement inside.

When I arrived at the yard downstairs, I saw a man chopping wood who was less than 30 years old. He was wearing a vest, shorts, and cloth shoes. He was very tall and thin.

"Brother Daqiang."

Zheng Jiayi greeted enthusiastically

"Jiayi, haha." Daqiang waved his hand. "My parents went into the mountains to collect goods early in the morning. Breakfast is on the table."

Yin Meng fetched water from the well, and after washing up with Zheng Jiayi, they went to the kitchen.

There were bowls of porridge and pickles on the small table.

Yin Meng picked up the porridge, smelled it, and found nothing wrong with it. She now had a keen enough ability to distinguish food.

After just one bite, I found that the porridge was not only not hot, but even cold.

But the problem is that the weather is not really cool yet.

I tried another piece of pickled vegetable, and when I bit it, it felt a little icy.

It felt like breakfast had been deliberately hung in a well and suppressed.

Yin Meng looked at the groove under the stove. All the thermos were gone, including the one she found containing a mouse last night.

Should we capture that Daqiang, tie him up with the exorcism whip in our bag, and torture him to interrogate him?
As soon as this thought arose, Yin Meng dismissed it.

Let’s look for Brother Xiaoyuan first.

"Mengmeng, let me invite you to have breakfast outside." Obviously, Zheng Jiayi also found this breakfast unpalatable.

"Ah."

When the two came out, they found that Daqiang, who was originally chopping wood, was missing.

The axe fell where it lay, without even gathering up the chopped wood.

"Hey, where is Brother Daqiang?"

Zheng Jiayi bent down, helped him clean up, and then piled them all in the corner.

Yin Meng glanced at the pile of firewood. Most of the firewood was covered with moss, and in some places, there were even some mushrooms growing on it.

Firewood is a consumable, which means that this family hasn't burned firewood for a long time.

After leaving Zheng's house, Yin Meng first went to ask about Xue Liangliang's location.

Zheng Jiayi does not live here, and her understanding of Min'an Town is not much better than that of Yin Meng, an outsider.

But after asking around, the two of them always got the same answer: I don't know if there is any family with the surname Xue in this town.

As for Xue Liangliang, the student who was admitted to Shanghai University, no one has heard of him.

Yin Meng went to the town's store and asked the aunt first, and got the same feedback.

She picked up the phone and called the paging station to call Xue Liangliang, but no one answered.

Then I called the school discount store, but still no one answered.

After calling several times, she asked the aunt if there was any problem with the phone. The aunt called and ordered the goods in front of her, indicating that there was no problem.

Yin Meng realized that there was a big problem.

Not giving up, she pulled Zheng Jiayi aside and continued asking questions.

Then, the two came to the promenade along the river.

This is considered the leisure and cultural center of the town.

Two tables of elderly people were drinking tea, and another elderly person was telling a story.

After the old man finished his storytelling, Yin Meng went up to him and asked if anyone had come to him to inquire about the situation. The storyteller shook his head, indicating no.

Yin Meng asked him to help keep an eye out, and also told him her name and the alley address of Lao Zheng's house. Finally, she took out a banknote and put it in the iron box in front of him.

"Thank you, girl. Thank you, girl. Can I tell you a story?"

"no need."

Yin Meng went to various shops to ask, and then asked others to help her keep an eye out.

After completing this process, Yin Meng felt inexplicably irritated.

Because she knew very well that they could think of the same methods as she could, and they would only do them better and more meticulously than she could.

This town is so small and there aren't many outsiders. If someone asks this question, people on the street or shop owners will definitely have a deep impression. However, when I communicated with them before, I had no idea about it at all.

"Meng Meng, what's wrong with you?"

"I am fine."

"Shall we continue looking now?"

"Let's stop looking and go back."

The two returned to Zheng's house and found the door closed.

Zheng Jiayi went up and pushed the door, and it opened.

Then, my aunt's voice came from behind the door: "You're back."

Then she herself came out, wearing the same clothes as last night.

"Aunt, you're back?"

"Well, I'm back."

"Is uncle back too?"

"No, Daqiang came into the mountains to find us. He took over my shift, so I came back to prepare lunch for you. Why didn't you have breakfast? Didn't Daqiang tell you?"

"Aunt, Daqiang told me, but I wanted to take my friend to try our special breakfast, so I saved some space before going out."

"Oh, so are we still going to have lunch at home?"

Zheng Jiayi looked at Yin Meng, and Yin Meng shook her head slightly.

"No, Aunt, let's go out to eat later."

"Row."

My aunt walked into the house and went straight upstairs.

Yin Meng went to the well to fetch some water, washed her hands and face.

There's something weird about this house and the people in it.

It’s a pity that I can’t find Brother Xiaoyuan, so I can’t report these clues at the moment.

The two went upstairs again, and when they reached the corner of the stairs to the second floor, Yin Meng pointed to the stairs that continued upwards.

"Mengmeng, that's the attic, right? I've never been there either."

"Then go and have a look."

Yin Meng walked upstairs. Although it was an attic, it was not cramped and seemed to be cleaned regularly, so it was not dirty.

An old red coffin was placed there.

Zheng Jiayi was frightened by the coffin and hid behind Yin Meng.

"It's okay. I used to sell coffins."

Yin Meng walked to the side of the coffin. The materials used for the coffin were not very exquisite, and the painting craftsmanship was also very ordinary. An elderly person with a little means would not choose it as his or her coffin.

"Jiayi, your grandparents passed away a long time ago, right?"

"Yes, the last time my parents came back, they went to visit grandpa's grave."

My grandparents are gone, so why are there still coffins in this house?
Although Zheng Jiayi's uncle has not been met yet, judging from the age of her aunt, it is far from the time for the couple to prepare funeral supplies in advance.

Just as Yin Meng put his hand next to the coffin, wondering whether to open it and take a look, the figure of his aunt appeared at the door.

"Why are you here?"

Zheng Jiayi replied: "Let's just stroll around."

"My relatives are renovating their house, so they temporarily put the old coffins prepared by their elderly family members in our house."

Yin Meng took back her hand and said, "Oh, so that's it."

"There are a lot of rats at home. Don't run around. You might get scared by the rats, haha."

"Yeah, we get it."

Yin Meng and Zheng Jiayi came to the room on the second floor. Zheng Jiayi sat beside the bed, while Yin Meng stood at the door.

"Mengmeng, let's go out to eat."

"No, just eat something." Yin Meng took out a biscuit from her backpack, handed it to Zheng Jiayi, and then went back to stand by the door.

"Mengmeng, where should we start looking next?" Zheng Jiayi asked.

"Start looking from this house."

"Ah, I'm talking about your friend named Xue who is looking for you."

"Same thing. If we find his house, it will be easier to find the root cause of your parents' illness."

"Oh, so that's it. That's why." Zheng Jiayi nodded. She believed it.

"Jiayi, don't you think your uncle's family is weird?"

"I said last night that their family has always been very cold, and, in fact, I don't interact with them that much."

"Have you eaten yet?"

"I've eaten."

"Then let's go out."

Yin Meng took Zheng Jiayi away from the Zheng family and began to visit neighbors, looking for aunts and grandmothers who seemed to like chatting.

I learned from the neighbors that the Zheng family was famous for their introverted personalities. They didn't interact with outsiders on weekdays. There was even a time when relatives and neighbors would not invite them when they had things to do. Only his two brothers would come back once or twice a year.

In rural areas, no matter how introverted and unsociable a person is, he or she would not dare to not attend the weddings and funerals in the village.

Because everyone knows that this kind of thing will happen to their own family sooner or later. If you don't go to other people's homes, they won't come to you to help.

Unable to get any specific information from the neighbors, Yin Meng had to return to Zheng's house and sit down in the yard.

She was a little confused as she couldn’t contact Xiaoyuan.

It seems that at the moment, we can only continue to move forward according to the established pattern.

For example, while trying not to break up the relationship, find out the real secret of the Zheng family.

Yin Meng sat in the yard all afternoon.

She finally saw Zheng Jiayi's uncle. He came back carrying a fertilizer bag, and something was moving inside the bag.

Zheng Jiayi went up to greet him: "Uncle."

"Yes, Jiayi."

"Where's Brother Daqiang? Why didn't he come back with you?"

"He's behind me, I'm going to go pack my things first."

Uncle went in. Yin Meng originally thought that he would go into the kitchen, but he went upstairs directly with the bag on his back.

Then, after going up, he never came down again.

After a while, Daqiang came back. He was also carrying a fertilizer bag. The things inside were moving, and a faint squeaking sound could be heard.

After a simple greeting, he also went upstairs.

When it was dusk, my aunt came down from upstairs and asked, "You guys are going out to eat tonight too, right?"

Zheng Jiayi: "Yes, aunt."

"Then I won't cook for you."

"Aunt, call uncle and brother Daqiang down, let's go out to eat together."

"I can't afford to eat out."

After saying this, my aunt turned around and went upstairs.

Yin Meng discovered a problem, that is, this family of three... had never appeared together, always alone.

Before nightfall, Yin Meng and Zheng Jiayi went outside to buy some food.

When Yin Meng came back with the bag and went upstairs, he vaguely heard some special sounds.

But as soon as she stepped onto the last step of the second floor, the sounds suddenly became silent.

She and Zheng Jiayi returned to their room.

"Mengmeng, let's eat together."

"you eat first."

Yin Meng was still standing at the door, with her ear pressed against it.

"crunch...crunch...crunch..."

She heard the high-frequency sound again, although it was very faint, it was there.

Yin Meng made a "hush" gesture to Zheng Jiayi, and Zheng Jiayi nodded and even stopped eating.

Then, Yin Meng opened the door carefully, trying not to make any noise. When the door was open enough for her to slip out sideways, she raised her hand, grabbed the top, and "sent" herself out.

With its wooden structure, it is difficult to avoid the floor making noise, but the beams above are still solid and compact.

Zheng Jiayi opened her mouth wide when she saw this scene: Do those who study Chinese medicine have to practice Kung Fu?
Yin Meng "came" to the corridor on the second floor and could hear the sound more clearly.

The sound came from those two rooms, but there were three frequency sources, and all of them were close to the doors of the rooms.

Yin Meng used force from her waist to lift her legs up so that she would not be seen through the gap when standing at the door.

"Squeak! Crunch! Squeak! Crunch! ..."

It always starts with a quick, painful scream, followed by the sound of biting and chewing, and then the screaming stops, and then the next round begins.

I thought of the two bags of fertilizer that my uncle and Daqiang brought back and the mouse I found in the thermos last night.

A scene reappeared in Yin Meng's mind:
Behind the door of one room stood Daqiang, and behind the door of another room stood my uncle and aunt side by side;
They kept reaching out, grabbing live mice from the fertilizer bags, and bringing them to their mouths to eat.

Suddenly, the sounds disappeared collectively.

The meal is over.

……

Early in the morning, after Li Zhuiyuan came downstairs, Xue's father and mother warmly treated him to breakfast.

They were really welcoming. The staple food for breakfast was rice, and they also fried three hot dishes.

It was the way Runsheng lit incense while eating that made them feel a little strange.

Li Zhuiyuan explained that Runsheng was often sick when he was a child. A wandering Taoist priest told him that if he took out one month every year to eat delicious food with every meal, he would be safe from illness and disaster.

Xue's father and mother were amazed and praised the Taoist priest for his great abilities.

After all, Runsheng is so big and strong that he doesn't look frail at all.

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan asked Runsheng to go out and ask people, focusing on the area near the convenience store.

He was sitting in the yard chatting with Xue's father, while Xue's mother was washing clothes. She even enthusiastically took out Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng's spare clothes to help wash them.

Dad Xue was having a very happy chat. At this moment, even apart from his own son, he liked this young man very much.

And Li Zhuiyuan really has the ability to make someone happy.

He had been learning this skill since he was a child, but later, especially after receiving the call from Li Lan, he didn't want to continue pretending, at least not to irrelevant strangers.

After leaving his great-grandfather's house to go to college, he became even colder towards outsiders.

It's not intentional, but I'm just too lazy to continue acting.

But this old skill that he had since birth has not been lost.

At ten o'clock in the morning, Runsheng came back and didn't find anyone.

"Brother Runsheng, go to the store and call Brother Hu Binbin, then call the store and ask them if they have any calls to the store."

"okay."

Runsheng went out, and Li Zhuiyuan began to try to guide Xue's father to talk about the "young expedition team".

It can be seen that Mr. Xue doesn't really want to talk about this, but in the end, he keeps asking questions.

After a while, Runsheng came back and brought a message:
"Xiaoyuan, I can't get through. I can't get through to the paging station. I've called all the numbers I remember, but still can't get through.

The phone was working fine. The lady in the store called the county wholesaler in front of me and ordered a batch of goods. "

"Brother Runsheng, go ask the shops on the main street and ask the owners to keep an eye out. Then go to a crowded place in town... that's the riverside promenade that Father Xue took us to yesterday. It's close to the gate archway and is a very conspicuous location."

"it is good."

Runsheng went out again.

Li Zhuiyuan continued to stay here.

He was not doing this to be lazy. Firstly, he wanted to continue to get information from Xue's father. Secondly, he had to stay here and wait for Yin Meng and Binbin to come to him.

"Uncle Xue, your family is very famous in town, right?"

"Of course not." Father Xue puffed out his chest proudly, "Who says I have a good son? Whenever the town builds roads or bridges, my family always contributes the most."

In fact, Li Zhuiyuan's question was in vain, because as soon as he entered the town, he went to ask the auntie in the grocery store, but the auntie didn't even bother to turn off the shop and enthusiastically took them directly to Xue's house.

This not only means that the Xue family is well-known in the town, but also means that they are popular.

Runsheng came back: "Xiaoyuan, I've already asked and greeted him. I also asked him to help keep an eye out for the storytellers in the corridor."

"Did you give me the money?"

"Ah... my money is in my bag. I left without my bag. Should I take the money out now?"

"Forget it. It doesn't matter whether I give it or not."

Runsheng asked: "Xiaoyuan, did something happen to us?"

After all, the call wasn't going through and it seemed to be directed at him.

However, Runsheng was missing one link, which was to find the house where Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng were living now, because these two lines were not clear when everyone set out.

Without facing it directly... Without the experience of finding this family, your understanding of the situation would not be that deep.

But Li Zhuiyuan can switch perspective here, because he has been sitting here for so long, and Yin Meng and Binbin have not come to him, which means another possibility.

Runsheng: "Xiaoyuan, Binbin and Mengmeng, were you delayed on the way and couldn't come?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head:

"I think they're already in this town."

---

There will be another chapter tomorrow during the day!
(End of this chapter)