The Nightmare Experience of a Useless Person

"Brother, how about I tell you the story of Man Niang tonight?"

Perhaps once she understands Man Niang's goodness, her brother won't have any bad intentions. Yu Qingjun plans to chat with Jiang Zhiyang all night so that he won't have time to go out.

Yu Qingjun told him how Manniang left the Liu family, how she cured and saved people, how she was loved and respected, and how she led her disciples to a good life.

However, how can one expect good results from approaching a problem with preconceived answers? Through her story, Jiang Zhiyang repeatedly confirmed that Man Niang was a ruthless, hypocritical, and utterly unethical woman who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

Yu Qingjun described it vividly, but Jiang Zhiyang dismissed it with disdain. In the middle of the night, he still interrupted the story that was halfway through.

"Qingjun, let's rest. Your brother is tired and has things to do tomorrow."

Why? Why must you leave? Yu Qingjun's heart wavered.

"When we have some free time, let's plant that hydrangea in the mountains. Next year, the year after, one year in a row, the hydrangea will bloom all over the hillside," Jiang Zhiyang suggested.

He got up and tucked his sister in. Yu Qingjun could only obediently lie down, but the soft bedding was not comfortable at the moment.

She closed her eyes, silently made up her mind, and waited anxiously.

Sure enough, he left again.

Yu Qingjun's heart was also broken...

After he tiptoed to close the door, Yu Qingjun also got up. This time, she also brought the bone knife that Manniang had given her to put under the bed.

Manniang said that the bone knife was dug out of the ashes. The fire burned down the house, but the bone knife was the only thing that remained intact. It must have been an extraordinary item that her father and mother had carefully kept and placed under the bed, firstly to ward off evil spirits, and secondly to keep as a memento.

For many years, this bone knife had protected her and brought her good fortune. Now, she would use this bone knife to protect Manniang and bring her good fortune. She put the knife in her sleeve and followed at a distance.

Meanwhile, perseverance pays off. Just as Jiang Zhiyang was getting drowsy, he heard rustling footsteps not far away. The sleepy man immediately became alert and secretly got up and crept into a corner.

The two people who came were one in front of the other. It seemed that the one in front was an old woman, who was holding a baby in her arms. The baby had a rag stuffed in its mouth and was making muffled whimpering sounds. Behind her was a middle-aged man carrying a bundle, hurrying after the old woman.

Jiang Zhiyang followed at a short distance. Presumably, the two men were also feeling guilty and just wanted to get things over with quickly, so they didn't notice that there was someone tailing them.

"Mother, do we really have to do this?" the man asked hesitantly.

"You've already kept Yan Yan, and this second child is another daughter. How can you possibly keep this one?"

"Besides planting flowers, I can find other jobs. Everyone's into business these days, so we can still find a way. Mother, let's keep her here..." The man tugged at his mother's hand, his voice full of pleading.

"In business, most of the business owners are big bosses from out of town. Our meager resources wouldn't even cover their losses in a single day. What are we supposed to do? All these people are counting on you!"

"No! No, Mother!" The man knelt down, sharp pebbles hitting his knees and cutting his skin.

"Am I heartless? If Erlang hadn't suffered this misfortune... leaving behind that widow and her child, they would have made a living by doing some handicrafts with their books and zither. Could you have driven them out? Me, Wanyi, Yanyan, the five of us can only rely on your one acre of land, Dalang! Am I heartless?!" The old mother tried to lower her voice, but it was already hoarse and exhausted.

"If you're going to stop me today, you might as well push me down; that way you'll save a tael of gold!"

The man couldn't stop him; he knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. His voice was filled with his suffering and the pain of losing half his life.

No one spoke again, followed by hurried footsteps and faint rustling sounds, probably because the cloth ball had fallen out of the child's mouth. The baby let out a sharp, piercing cry, and soon, all sound ceased.

Only the deathly silence of the mountains at dawn.

The man bit his lip hard, barely managing to suppress his sobs. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he desperately kowtowed towards the well. Small pebbles struck his forehead, leaving bloody marks, and blood trickled down his nose, mingling with his torrent of tears.

Jiang Zhiyang witnessed everything and couldn't help but shed tears. He bit his arm to stop his sobs, as shock and grief pierced him like a steel thorn from the top of his head.

He could do nothing, he knew he could do nothing.

That life that should have been held and carefully protected was smashed into a bloody mess at the bottom of the well, a bloody pulp indistinguishable from human flesh. That soul, which had not even developed its intelligence, felt the terror and cold at the bottom of the well. Would it be afraid?

No one could give him the answer.

As dawn broke in the east, amidst the rising clouds and rosy hues, a life was lost in this peaceful scene. The cries I had heard before, like this one, ended in a final, silent farewell.

Those two people left.

Jiang Zhiyang dragged his heavy legs forward, and the well finally came into view.

The well was low and small, covered with layers of yellow talismans, one on top of the other, and surrounded by a dense ring of incense ash and twigs left after the incense had burned out.

He turned around and met the gaze of the man guarding the well. The man who appeared in his blurry vision had a calm look in his eyes.

Can a person become this numb?

He wanted to speak, but he had no right to criticize.

The other person spoke first, "There's nothing we can do, nothing we can protect."

He took down the bundle left by the mother and child by the well. "This is the money they gave to their daughter so that she wouldn't be bullied by other wandering ghosts when she crosses the bridge. They weren't heartless after all."

Jiang Zhiyang didn't quite understand what that meant, but it probably meant that after killing someone, you pay some money to buy some psychological comfort.

"I told you to stay put, why didn't you listen?" It was Man Niang's voice, with Aunt Jing beside her.

"Was it you? Or all of you? Did you condone all of this?" In an instant, Jiang Zhiyang's cowardice vanished; all he wanted was to know the truth.

"Me? Who am I? Do I have such great power?" Man Niang closed her eyes, as if she couldn't bear to look at this world.

……

At that time, she was just a spirited nineteen-year-old girl. It was already difficult for her to walk in this world alone, let alone with six women traveling with her.

She was an unknown female doctor who had not yet completed her apprenticeship. She encountered setbacks everywhere in the countryside. The clinics refused to take her in, so she could only treat poor people from small families who could not afford medicine. Soon, the money she had at home was gone. But besides practicing medicine, Man Niang knew nothing else.

To make a living, the group of them had no choice but to live in the mountains. Those who knew needlework would embroider handkerchiefs to sell in the streets, while those with strength would help the landlords farm and earn meager wages. On weekdays, they would go into the mountains to dig up wild vegetables and fruits to supplement their income.

Looking at the family in this dilapidated house, their difficult and impoverished life, their faded and desolate dreams, all in utter ruin! The proud Man Niang was disheartened and powerless.

Finally, on that day, she encountered a turning point in her life.