Sold into a ghost marriage? Four-year-old and his thuggish father go on a killing spree.

"Bang."

The sound of the door being gently closed was particularly jarring in the quiet night.

Inside the room, only Gu Niannian remained, along with a kerosene lamp that flickered in the wind.

She sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) in a daze, her small body motionless, but the scene from just now kept replaying in her mind.

Aunt Su Xueqing's face turned deathly pale in that instant, and her eyes were filled with terror.

And that hand that was trembling slightly, unable to be controlled.

This is so abnormal!

Who exactly is that man in military uniform with two five-pointed stars on his collar?

Why did he make Aunt Su so scared?

This enormous mystery instantly enveloped Gu Niannian.

She had a vague feeling that she had inadvertently touched upon Aunt Su's deepest and darkest secret.

In the following days, although Su Xueqing still came every night, she was clearly somewhat distracted.

She no longer brought those precious books, often lost focus during lectures, and the genuinely gentle smile on her face became somewhat forced.

Gu Niannian was very sensible and didn't ask any more questions.

She knew that some scars shouldn't be easily reopened.

She could only repay Aunt Su's guidance by studying twice as hard.

That afternoon after school, Gu Niannian and Zhou Xiaomei walked together on the path back to the village.

"Niannian, shall we take a shortcut? It'll be much faster if we go through the back of the mountain!" Zhou Xiaomei excitedly suggested, pointing to a path half-covered by weeds in the distance.

On the back mountain of Chengjiawan, near the foot of the mountain, there is an old house that has long been abandoned.

With its blue bricks, gray tiles, and tall gatehouse, it's clear that this used to be a wealthy family's home.

The village elders said that it used to be a landlord's courtyard. Later, the landlord was overthrown, and his whole family disappeared. The house was left empty and uninhabited for decades, and it had long since fallen into disrepair.

The village children all called it the "haunted house".

"No, no, my mom won't let me go there!" A male classmate who was going with me immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum. "They said they can hear crying inside at night, and some people saw green lights in the windows!"

"Exactly! My brother Er Gou said that last time he was passing by after dark, he saw a white shadow float by, and he was so scared that he lost one of his shoes!"

The children chattered excitedly, creating a terrifying atmosphere, their faces showing a mixture of fear and curiosity.

Gu Niannian has never believed in these supernatural legends.

But she shook her head and said to Zhou Xiaomei, "Let's take the main road; it'll be safer."

However, just as she inadvertently glanced up at the old house hidden in the woods, her pupils suddenly contracted!

A wooden window on the second floor of that old house was open a crack!

The villagers all said that no one had been inside that house for decades, and the doors and windows had long been nailed shut, so how could it possibly be open?

Was it blown open by the wind?

But there wasn't a breath of wind today, and it was incredibly muggy.

A thought suddenly flashed through Gu Niannian's mind.

Could there be someone inside?

This discovery stirred something within her.

She didn't make a fuss, but silently remembered it in her heart.

The next day after school, she deliberately lagged behind, and only after all her classmates had gone far away did she quietly go around to the path leading to the back mountain.

Pushing aside the waist-high weeds, the gloomy old house came into view.

Half of the courtyard wall had collapsed, revealing a dark, overgrown courtyard.

Gu Niannian, like a nimble kitten, tiptoed and approached silently.

She went around to the side of the house and sure enough, she saw that the window was still open.

Not only that, there were also several blurry, fresh fingerprints on the dust on the windowsill!

There are really people!

Gu Niannian's heart was pounding.

She didn't rush in, but instead carefully observed her surroundings.

Soon, she found several crumbs of biscuits near a broken dog hole in the back wall.

It was the cheapest kind of coarse grain biscuit that the supply commune sold for five cents a tael.

The biscuit crumbs were very fresh, and you could even smell a faint aroma.

Gu Niannian frowned.

Who would hide in a place like this?

Is he a fugitive? Or just some mischievous kid from the village?

She didn't make a sound and quietly withdrew.

For three days in a row, she would come over to check on things every day after school.

She discovered that the window opened and closed at a different angle every day.

More and more traces appeared around the dog hole, including cookie crumbs and discarded wild fruit pits.

This shows that the people inside are active every day!

On the fourth day, she finally got her chance.

That day, the sky was overcast, as if it was about to rain.

As usual, Gu Niannian hid behind a large tree in the distance, observing quietly with extraordinary patience.

Just when she thought she would get nothing again today, a small, thin figure suddenly emerged from the dog hole in the back wall of the old house!

He's a teenager!

He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with messy hair and wearing a faded, worn-out jacket. His face and hands were covered in grime. He peeked out furtively and looked around warily.

After confirming that no one was around, he crouched down and quickly slipped out, heading deeper into the mountains.

Gu Niannian's heart was in her throat.

She waited until the other person had walked a little further away before slipping out from behind the tree and cautiously following them from a distance.

The boy seemed very familiar with the mountain environment.

He navigated the winding path with practiced ease, finally arriving at the edge of a clear mountain stream.

He squatted down, scooped up a handful of water, drank a few mouthfuls greedily, and then began to vigorously scrub his face.

When he washed the dirt off his face and looked up, Gu Niannian could see his face clearly.

It was a face that looked sallow and thin from long-term malnutrition, but his features were quite delicate, especially his eyes, which, in the dim light, revealed a clarity and stubbornness that did not belong to his age.

He doesn't seem like a bad person.

Gu Niannian made a judgment in her mind.

Perhaps it was the mountain breeze rustling the leaves, making a "shushing" sound.

The boy turned around abruptly, like a startled rabbit, and immediately spotted Gu Niannian under the tree not far away!

Eyes facing each other.

The boy's face turned deathly pale in an instant!

The clarity in his eyes was instantly replaced by immense panic, and without saying a word, he turned and ran!

"etc!"

Gu Niannian hurriedly ran out from behind the tree, her clear voice echoing in the quiet valley.

"I won't tell anyone!"

The thin, running figure suddenly stopped.

The boy stopped and stiffly turned around, staring intently at the little girl in front of him, who looked no more than six or seven years old and had pigtails, with a look that was a mixture of fear and doubt.

He couldn't believe his ears.

"What...what did you say?"