Diary of Getting Rich Quick in the South

I didn't react at first.

He countered by asking her, "In what aspect?"

My mom glared at me, her face serious: "I'm asking you, are you and Su Wan really dating, like everyone in the village says? You absolutely can't do that, or you're not going to acknowledge me as your mother!"

I was both amused and exasperated, thinking to myself, "Where am I supposed to be?"

"Mom, don't listen to the rumors in the village. Back when Dad was still alive, some people said he took me and a few other men into that slut Yang Li's room and didn't come out until the next day. Do you believe that?"

My mom sneered, "Don't try to fool me. Don't think I didn't see the way you looked at Su Wan. It was completely abnormal! In just half an hour, you looked at her at least eight times."

Have it?

How come I didn't know?

However, I must say, my mother's intuition is really accurate. Now my heart is completely tied to Su Wan.

But I feel that what my mom said is different.

My feelings for Su Wan were worry and pity, fearing that she might do something foolish because of her grief, not love.

I sighed and said, "Mom, it's not what you think. I treat her like an older sister. You don't know that when Wan-jie heard the news of her cousin's accident, she almost committed suicide. I was afraid something would happen to her."

Seeing that I didn't seem to be lying, my mother finally breathed a long sigh of relief, took my hand, and said earnestly.

"Xiao An, Mom isn't old-fashioned. If you were to find someone who's divorced, Mom would accept it as long as you like her. But Su Wan is different. She's your cousin-in-law. If you date her, people will gossip about you behind your back."

I felt inexplicably irritated and said somewhat impatiently, "I know, anyway, I won't have anything happen between me and her."

"I'm relieved to hear that."

My mom finally felt relieved. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Xiao An, let me say something. Don't be angry. When we get home, find a reason to make Xiao Wan move out."

I understand what she means.

Rumors are circulating in the village that I have an improper relationship with Su Wan. If I continue to let Su Wan stay at my house, I don't know what others will say.

I'm not afraid, but my mother still lives in the village. What will the villagers think of her?

How could I possibly ask Su Wan to move out?

She was so good to me, treating me like family. Now I'm kicking her out because of rumors. How heartbroken will she be?

Seeing that I didn't say anything, my mother sighed helplessly.

"Xiao An, it's not that I'm heartless, I also feel sorry for Su Wan. I can pay for her to stay in the best hotels, but she can't stay at home. Your entanglement with a widow is bad for your reputation, and you still need to find a wife in the future."

I wondered, what's wrong with the widow?

She neither cheated nor swindled, nor committed arson, murder, or looting, and she didn't want to become a widow.

On my way home, I was still thinking about how to bring it up with Su Wan when she sent me a message before I even got home.

"Chen An, something urgent has come up at the company, so I have to head back now. Could you please offer incense to your cousin for me later? Thank you."

What urgent matter could the company possibly have that would call her back in the middle of the night?

I turned to my mom and said, "Mom, did you say something you shouldn't have to Sister Wan? She's already gone."

My mom was also surprised: "She left? Where could she go in the middle of the night? I didn't say anything. I was just discussing this with you. Could she have heard some gossip? You should ask her where she is. It's not safe for a woman to be out alone in the middle of the night."

I quickly called Su Wan, but she didn't answer and hung up.

But a message came back very quickly.

"Chen An, is something the matter? I was just about to rest."

I quickly asked her, "Wan-jie, where are you?"

"On the train."

I hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sister Wan, I know it's not a good question, but could you take a picture for me?"

At first, Su Wan disagreed, saying that she had already lain down, but then she said that a girl was sleeping in the next bunk and it was inconvenient.

But after I kept pestering her, she sent me a photo after about ten minutes.

She didn't show her face, just took a picture of her legs covered by a blanket.

Judging from the surroundings, it was indeed the upper berth on a train.

"Alright, Chen An, I'm really tired. I want to rest. Let's talk about it when we get home."

I sent her another goodnight message, but she never replied.

Back home, lying in bed, I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

I know Su Wan's personality; she's definitely not the kind of person who would leave without saying goodbye, especially not at a time like this.

And when did she find a job?

I looked at the photos Su Wan sent me over and over again, but I couldn't see any problems.

When I uploaded the image to Baidu and had it recognized, I realized it was a webpage image.

Could she still be in the village?

Thinking of this, I couldn't sit still any longer. I put on my clothes and rushed out, sending her messages as I went.

No matter what I said, she didn't reply to a single message.

It was already past 2 a.m., and everyone had turned off their lights and gone to bed. The village was quiet.

Our village is quite small, and there are no hotels or guesthouses in the village. If you want to find a place to stay, you have to walk for more than half an hour along the rural road to Bayi Village. There are many small roads, and people who are not familiar with the roads may get lost.

Am I just overthinking things?

Although Su Wan didn't get on the train, she's actually no longer in the village.

As I walked back in confusion, I suddenly heard a rustling sound and a woman's suppressed sobbing, which startled me in the middle of the night.

When I realized the sound was coming from my uncle's house, I was so scared my legs went weak.

He had been so focused on finding Su Wan that he hadn't noticed where he was.

People have died in this house, several people have died.

After my uncle built a new house next to my house, he rented the old house to an old woman from Guizhou who came to collect recyclables.

Every summer, she would carry her child in a baby carrier and sit shirtless at the doorway washing clothes.

The villagers have told her many times, but she doesn't care. She's gotten used to it and continues to do as she pleases every day.

Despite being a scavenger, she has exceptionally beautiful handwriting. The three children she brought are young but remarkably well-behaved.

The villagers all say that her child will definitely be successful when he grows up.

As a result of a fire, all four children, including the one who couldn't walk yet, burned to death in the house. After the fire was extinguished, the old woman went mad and hanged herself in the house just after the seventh day after the children's death.

Since then, few villagers have passed by this place, saying it's haunted and that they hear women crying in the middle of the night.

Even though I'm all grown up now, I still feel uneasy when I pass by.

Having heard so many stories about this since childhood, the fear ingrained in my bones surged into my heart as soon as I arrived here.

But the thought of Su Wan made me unable to move.

Could she be hiding inside?

She wasn't from the village, so naturally she didn't know about the rumors of the house being haunted. I was worried that she wouldn't be able to get a taxi to leave the village and would have nowhere to go at night, so I just found a place to stay.

Damn it, so be it if I die!

I gritted my teeth, braced myself, and pushed open the dilapidated wooden door to go inside...