Chapter Four: [Dream or Reality?]
The third night after the funeral.
Funerals in rural areas are very tedious, especially for local villages. Everyone comes to give a hand.
During the day, the funeral is lively, but at night, everyone has already scattered.
The villagers helped set up the mourning hall and the tent. The team that performed the funeral rites and the banquet chefs were also called by the village head — otherwise how could Chen Yan, a 22-year-old young man, understand all these?
Over these three days, Chen Yan didn't cry much.
Firstly, when one is deeply sorrowful, they might not feel like crying.
It's merely that the emotions are blocked, and only after everything is over and slowly processed, can he cry freely.
Secondly... These three days, he was too busy kowtowing. Every guest that came, the filial son and grandsons would kowtow together.
The Old Chen Family had only Chen Yan left, and the old lady had no relatives at all.
In the large mourning hall, only Chen Yan wore mourning clothes.
Over these three days, he didn't know how many times he had kowtowed, his head felt dizzy.
This night, kneeling in front of the mourning hall, guarding the vigil, Chen Yan felt as if he was dreaming.
Looking at the coffin in the mourning hall, his grandmother was lying inside.
And... those wreaths and funeral couplets filling the room.
Hmm, on the largest wreath by the door, it read: Forever Remembered.
The signature was: West Lake Little Horse.
When Boss Ma came to pay his respects, he was very low-key. When he left, he seemed regretful, holding Chen Yan's hand and babbling for a long time, and gave him a business card with his private number.
However, after asking around, he found out that Chen Yan hadn't learned his grandmother's skills, he was just a fresh graduate, naive and foolish.
Chen Yan actually suspected that Boss Ma's attitude had become distant.
All the experiences of these days flashed before Chen Yan's eyes like a movie, leaving his mind exhausted.
In fact, he hadn't slept for two days.
It was already past midnight, just after twelve o'clock. Chen Yan was kneeling on the cushion in the mourning hall, feeling weak.
Over these two days, he barely ate anything, the only thing he consumed was the stir-fried soybeans with shredded pork that his grandmother had left before she passed away.
Yes, he didn't waste a single soybean, he ate it all.
After those two days, he didn't eat anything else.
It was just that his heart felt stifled, he didn't feel hungry.
Kneeling on the cushion in the mourning hall now, his vision was blurry.
At that moment, suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew, making Chen Yan shiver.
Looking up at the main hall door, it was closed.
Where did the wind come from?
Just as he thought this, the main hall door suddenly swung open silently...
A rush of cold air came whooshing into the room!
In the dead of night, the door opened on its own, a gust of eerie wind... right inside the mourning hall!
Isn't that terrifying?
Chen Yan swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay calm, and tried to get up to close the door.
But in the next second, his calmness was shattered by the scene before him!
In the courtyard outside the main hall...
Suddenly, in that empty space, two figures appeared out of nowhere, standing in the yard.
Then they floated towards the door!
Yes, they really floated in! Without visible legs!
On the left was a black-crowned, black-robed, black-faced figure; on the right was a white-crowned, white-robed, white-faced figure.
Chen Yan was dumbfounded!
If he hadn't drunk much water today, he might have wet himself!
Chen Yan felt his legs go weak, unable to stand, collapsing against the wall!
His mouth opened, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Don't laugh at his fear.
In the dead of night, inside a mourning hall! This scene, this atmosphere, suddenly encountering these two!
In your position, you'd wet yourself too!
The two figures floated into the main hall, the surroundings instantly filled with cold air.
They both raised their heads, eyes fixed on the shrine in front of the coffin.
Chen Yan's throat tightened, his heart pounded wildly.
Then suddenly, these two figures bowed deeply towards the shrine.
Chen Yan was stupefied.
This... such a grand gesture?
Suddenly, his throat loosened, and his tense muscles relaxed.
Chen Yan finally squeezed out a voice: "Are you here to take my grandmother's soul?"
Hearing this, the two figures turned in unison to look at Chen Yan.
"This filial grandson, what are you saying?", the one in black clothes spoke.
Chen Yan swallowed hard, mustering up courage: "I said, are you here to take my grandmother's soul?"
Finally understanding him, unexpectedly, the two figures shivered in unison upon hearing Chen Yan's words.
As if they had heard something extremely frightening.
The one in white clothes waved his hands: "Oh!! We don't dare! Who would dare use the word 'take'!"
The one in black clothes, despite his ghastly black face, managed to force a few smiles.
The two looked at each other, then back at Chen Yan, their tone surprisingly polite:
"We are here to escort the elder back for her appointment."
Chen Yan suddenly felt his brain wasn't working again.
In the next second, Chen Yan saw a transparent figure rising slowly from the coffin, it was his grandmother!
Looking solemn... ahem! Not right.
No, looking sweet... also not right.
Yes, although she appeared a bit translucent.
Grandmother floated to the ground, then...
Black and White immediately bent down, with a crack, the two famous Deceitful Officers kneeled!
Such a grand gesture!
Chen Yan was dumbfounded!
What kind of scene is this!
If Yama were here, they would only bow this grandly!
Is grandmother truly dead? Why does it feel like she is more prestigious in death than in life?
... Back for an appointment?
From sorrowful drama to feel-good story?!
Grandmother seemed to scrutinize the two Deceitful Officers, then after a few glances, she nodded and waved her hand, floating out of the room.
Chen Yan stared at his grandmother, instinctively reaching out, seemingly wanting to say something, but his mouth felt dry, unable to speak a word.
At this moment, grandmother suddenly turned back, smiled gently at Chen Yan.
Then, Chen Yan heard his grandmother's voice in his ear.
Her voice wafted, distant and near... hmm, just like people speaking in thrillers.
"Good grandson, didn't I tell you not to be sad?
Grandma left something for you. Go to the well in our yard, ten steps south from the well, dig down."
Just this one sentence, no more.
Watching grandmother and the two Deceitful Officers slowly float out of the yard...
Then, they disappeared from sight.
Chen Yan suddenly shivered, then snapped awake!
He leaned against the wall, the mourning hall was empty, the door closed tight.
He stood up, opened the main hall door, seeing the quiet night outside, the empty yard, where were those figures?
Touching his back, it was drenched in sweat!
A breeze blew, his body felt cool.
Chen Yan steadied himself: Was that a dream?
Recalling the dream's scene, it was too vivid, too clear!
Leaving him uncertain whether it was just a dream or real.
Chen Yan was an atheist.
But... actually, he's like most young people in this world.
I'm an atheist, but that doesn't stop me from fearing the supernatural~
A few seconds later, holding onto a strange thought, Chen Yan suddenly stood up, got a shovel from the corner, and headed straight to the well in the yard!
Chen Yan recalled his grandmother's words from the [dream]: ten steps south from the well!
An hour later, Chen Yan was panting, sitting on the ground, the shovel stuck in the dirt.
Beside him, in an empty pit.
The pit was deep, Chen Yan truly exerted himself.
Digging further down, he might as well make a new well!
"It was indeed a dream, wasn't it?"
Chen Yan laughed and cried.
But deep down, he felt a slight unease, unwilling to give up.
The dream was too strange, too clear.
Normally, when one wakes up from a dream, the memory is hazy, at best, one remembers the gist. How could it be so clear?
Unwilling to abandon, Chen Yan pondered:
Maybe grandmother made a mistake? Not south, but north?
Mustering up his strength, he took ten steps north of the well, continued digging!
Half an hour later...
Chen Yan steadied himself, catching his breath.
No... could it be west?
Seeing dawn break, the village roosters began to crow!
In the yard, circling the well, almost forming a trench!
Except for a few earthworms, not a single hair!
"Uh, it was really just a dream?" Chen Yan frowned at the main hall.
Grandmother's large portrait inside, smiling kindly.
After a moment, Chen Yan patted his head.
He seemed to understand.
Yes, there must be a problem!
Grandma, she was short-legged!
Grandma was only about 1.5 meters tall, Chen Yan is 1.8 meters tall.
Grandma's ten steps, and my ten steps, could they be the same?!
This time, recalculating the distance, he dug seven steps south of the well.
Half an hour later, with a clang, the shovel hit something hard!
Chen Yan's heart trembled! Indeed, there's something!
Chen Yan's heart pounded, he quickly collected the shovel, knelt down to dig with his hands, pulling out a small box from the dirt.
Holding the box, he returned to the main hall, placed it on the ground, then closed the door.
Dry-mouthed, heart in chaos, he opened the box.
At the top, there was a letter.
[Two updates are completed today. From now on, two updates daily.
Update time is tentatively set for every night after twelve o'clock, two consecutive updates, what do you all think?
If you have any suggestions, please let us know, and we will adjust accordingly.
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