The night is like a tide pushing the dusk across the streets and alleys of the city, with lights one after another creating a night scene of thousands of lights.
A red lantern was hung at the county government office. In the red light, the guards carried the wooden boxes on the two donkey carts in and out of the government office's backyard. The county magistrate Zhou Shenghuai frowned slightly. Inside were some gold and silver ornaments belonging to the original wife of the Li family.
, he was a little displeased by taking back the deceased's belongings so casually, but if his niece liked it, it would be up to her temperament.
"...These things are just left in Li's house. Why move them here? If you want to live there, we will move there in a few days."
The slim figure on the side was dazzling with a hairpin, and she approached gently. Seeing that there were no guards walking around, the woman took the county magistrate's arm, and said with a sweet voice in his ear: "Cousin, I like it, we are already here anyway.
Yes, I will put it in the room to play with, and I want my cousin to help my niece choose a few pieces to wear."
"You...well, it's up to you."
The woman was the daughter of one of his cousins. After her husband died, she returned to her parents' home. Later, Zhou Shenghuai went home to visit his relatives. The two of them got along in a vague way. When he returned to Qingshan County, his niece followed him quietly.
People in the yamen knew to some extent the private relationship between the two, and they would not gossip about Zhou Shenghuai's benefits, and they would avoid suspicion when seen from a distance.
After the county magistrate and the two entered the backyard mansion huddled together, they came out and went back to the yamen gate to continue unloading the remaining two boxes. One of them walked to the eaves with the wooden box and suddenly cursed: "What a bad luck!"
!”
"What's going on?"
Another officer came over with a wooden box in his arms. Following his companion's gaze, he saw the door plaque above the county government office. I don't know when it was stained with blood. There were also a few bats on the ground with their heads broken. They must have flown and hit the plaque.
.
"What a weird thing, why do these flying squirrels still hit each other?"
"I'll clean it tomorrow..."
"OK."
The two of them looked at the few dead bats on the ground and muttered. They felt unlucky for the things that appeared at night. They were long and seeping, so they hurried in with the wooden box and closed the Yamen.
The two donkey carts left, and a thin layer of mist gradually rose up along the long street.
…
The backyard of the county government office.
The paved road passed through the flower garden, and the backyard in front was brightly lit. The maids in the house were quickly cleaning up the leftovers on the table. Zhou Shenghuai took a sip of fragrant tea and sat at the head of the central hall, looking at the young maids with good figures.
She was much worse than his niece, but she was finally pregnant, which made him envious for a long time.
Thump thump thump…
From the stairs on the side of the hall, Zhou Xiaoniang came down with a gold hairpin with rain flower beads, placed it in her bun, and looked at Zhou Shenghuai who was drinking tea.
"Cousin, how about this hairpin? Is it suitable for me?"
"Very good."
Hearing the perfunctory words, the woman glanced sideways, stamped her feet angrily, and went back upstairs.
Zhou Shenghuai felt that such a beautiful person would look good in anything she wore, especially if she was filial... Bah, he quickly stopped his thoughts.
Thump thump thump…
After a while, footsteps came down the stairs again. This time the beautiful woman changed to a jade bracelet and put it on her slender wrist. This time Zhou Shenghuai complimented her, and then Zhou Xiaoniang went upstairs with a bright smile, humming a tune as if dancing.
Get up and dance.
The wooden boards on the roof creaked, but the clear and moving music did not break.
"The rouge is like jade...the beauty is as beautiful as a painting...the smoke is lingering in the furnace, and the tulle comes from nowhere to cover it up...what a beautiful young man..."
He had heard too many elegant poems, and sometimes it was a great pleasure to listen to such secular and erotic poems. Zhou Shenghuai closed his eyes, crossed his legs, kicked the hem of his robe with his toes, and tapped the armrest with his fingertips.
When did my little girl learn such words? When she sings them, she really has a unique style.
It’s just that you can’t just sing it to others casually.
At this moment, footsteps sounded outside the house, and embroidered shoes kicked the hem of her skirt. A woman in a purple and white dress ordered the servant holding a wooden box to walk through the door, and also walked toward the county official who was sitting in the house.
The short body was blessed with a gift.
Zhou Shenghuai nodded with a smile and waved her away. He felt that his niece's smile was so charming.
It's a pity that her late husband can't enjoy it anymore.
It's really short-lived.
"...The miserable rain outside the house splashes on the window lattice, and the mist and fog show something strange..."
The voice is also nice, especially the bed... Zhou Shenghuai twirled the tip of his beard, and the smile on his face suddenly froze. His fingertips that touched the armrest froze in an instant, and he stared blankly at the door.
The person who passed by the door was my cousin. Who was the person who just asked me whether her hairpin was good-looking and sang a song upstairs?
The originally clear and moving music upstairs suddenly stopped.
The candle flame stayed quietly in the lampshade. At some point, only Zhou Shenghuai was left in the hall. In the dead silence, the corridor suddenly creaked softly, as if someone had taken a step.
Zhou Shenghuai couldn't help but tremble slightly. He subconsciously raised his face and looked at the stairs, the guardrail and the aisle. There was a pair of embroidered shoes and a purple and white skirt.
"Little... mother..."
He called softly, but could only see the hem of his skirt gently stroking, but no one responded at all. He hurriedly called the maids, servants, and even the servants, but no one came.
In an instant, Zhou Shenghuai was sitting on pins and needles, with a layer of cold sweat breaking out all over his body.
squeak~
The stairs made a slight noise, Zhou Shenghuai trembled, and quickly looked at the stairs. The embroidered shoes were still there, but in his field of vision, there was an extra strand of hair hanging at the corner of the stairs, as if his head was sticking out, extending sideways little by little.
More and more, it is a head wrapped in long hair.
His feet were on the stairs, his head sticking out from the side... In the dim candlelight, his head slowly turned, and a white eye looked straight through the hanging hair.
Zhou Shenghuai was so frightened that his legs couldn't control his movements, his heart was beating wildly, and he slumped against the back of his chair.
Facing the door outside, the lanterns under the eaves, and the stone lanterns outside, the red light was extinguished instantly, and darkness spread towards the house as if alive. The next moment, a few candles flickered in the brightly lit hall.
of extinguished.
squeak~
squeak~~
There was a sound in the darkness like something walking up the stairs.
"ah……"
Zhou Shenghuai finally called out. He hurriedly touched the candlestick beside him, took off the lampshade, tremblingly touched the fire stick on the table, broke it open, blew hard, and hurriedly lit the wick.
The huge flame slowly rose. When Zhou Shenghuai carefully turned to the stairs while covering the flames, he felt a chill on his back. He instinctively turned his face slightly, and a pale face poked out of the darkness. On his shoulder, he lightly touched the candlestick in his hand.
Blow gently.
"call."
The candlelight went out instantly, and the dim hall fell into darkness again.
"ah--"
The miserable screams immediately echoed throughout the hall.
In the adjacent building, a beautiful woman was taking out the gold and silver jewelry one by one from the wooden box, comparing them on her body, and then put them on the quilt and spread them out one by one.
"When did you choose this?"
From the third box, Zhou Xiaoniang took out a puppet wearing a dress, with messy hair, and a dirty face looking at the woman in front of her in a dull and cold manner.
After watching it for a while, Zhou Xiaoniang threw it directly to the chair next to her. At this time, her uncle's voice was faintly heard outside. She was stunned, got up and pushed open the window lattice, leaned over and looked at the middle room, which was dark.
one slice.
"Why are the lights out? Are you planning to spend the night at my place?"
week……
Small……
mother……
Suddenly, an ethereal voice came from behind her. Zhou Xiaoniang was stunned for a moment, and slowly turned her head in astonishment.
The candlelight standing on the table dimly reflected the dim light of the puppet on the chair. The wooden sculpture moved slowly at this time, turned its head to look at her, and opened its mouth with a strange smile.
…
The night wind blew through the quiet long street, resounding with the ethereal sound of clappers.
Chen Yuan closed the book and yawned. He looked at the master who had fallen asleep while listening to the story in the book. He smiled and took a piece of clothing and put it on the old man. He waved his whip and the old cow mooed.
Yin, he walked slowly into the street with his hooves pulling the carriage.
The sound of shafts and hooves gradually disappeared into the mist.
The open page of the book placed next to the old man on the bed of the carriage.
"In Huangchuan Maozhi, Mr. Lu often heard that there was a strange person in the neighboring county. He was good at exorcism and harmed people invisible. He had been causing trouble to the village for an unknown number of years. He was later killed by a thunderstorm and left a book called "Suppressing Victory..."