Road Offerings

The candle flame flickered. The wind picked up the paper on the ground and threw it up and down like a prank, leaving it suspended in the air.

When Xiao Jiasheng drove closer, he realized that the paper floating in the air was not ordinary white paper, but paper money used to pay homage to the dead. There were also a few burning candles by the roadside.

"Don't blame me," Xiao Jiasheng muttered.

Tonight was the birthday of a boy in the class. The few of them were playing a little late. In order to return before the school closed its gates, he drove on this small path by the road. However, he did not expect to encounter some offerings by the road. He had heard from the older generation that the road offerings were to commemorate those who had died in a car accident. Under normal circumstances, ordinary people would not disturb them, but he had encountered them.

Suddenly, there was a screeching sound of brakes, and brake marks appeared behind the car because he saw a woman in a white dress suddenly appear in the middle of the road. Just a few steps away, the bumper of his car was about to touch the woman.

For some reason, Feng Nian suddenly appeared in his mind, as well as the words she had said to him: Don't go around at night.

Soon, he calmed down and rolled down the window. Xiao Jiasheng looked apologetic. It was all his fault for being distracted by the paper money floating in the air just now. Otherwise, he would have noticed someone passing by. "I'm sorry, I didn't notice. How are you? Do you want me to take you to the hospital for a checkup?" He noticed that the woman's face was very pale, as if she was frightened by him.

The woman in white shook her head. She was wearing a white dress that reached her knees. Her black hair reached her shoulders, and she was carrying a small baby in her arms. However, the baby was wrapped in layers of white cloth, and his face could not be seen clearly. The baby should be sleeping soundly. The loud sound of the brakes did not wake him up.

Although the woman said that she did not need Xiao Jiasheng to send her to the hospital, Xiao Jiasheng could not get over the barrier in his heart. The woman's face was extremely pale, so he could only continue to ask, "Why don't I send you and the child home? It's already so late, and it's not convenient since you're with a child."

The word "home" seemed to have touched the woman's heartstrings. She revealed a surprised expression that was especially abrupt on her pale face. She smiled and nodded.

At this moment, the baby in her arms suddenly let out a loud cry.

The woman's expression changed, and her appearance quickly changed as well. Her shoulder-length hair kept growing, and it had already been dragged to the ground from her back. Her pale face was covered in blood, and her white dress was dyed red by the blood. Her black eyeballs were protruding and about to fall out of their sockets.

"Ghost!" Xiao Jiasheng only had time to shout. He started the car, stepped on the accelerator, and drove past the woman without a care. He only had one thought, and that was to leave this godforsaken place and this ghost.

The woman was hit by Xiao Jiasheng and broke into two pieces. Her head rolled a few times before stopping at the side. The pair of black eyes on her head stared straight in the direction Xiao Jiasheng had left.

————

Feng Nian had not seen Xiao Jiasheng since the day she took her cell phone back from him. Today was the day the two classes had the same lesson. She wondered if she would run into him.

That day had been a little rushed. If Xiao Jiasheng had not been taken away, she was confident that she could convince him to do a divination. This way, she would be able to pay for her snacks this week. Over the past few days, the two paper figurines next door would come to her house from time to time to take advantage of the situation. Most of the snacks at home had been eaten. It was time to replenish some.

However, this English class was already halfway through, and Feng Nian did not see Xiao Jiasheng in the classroom.

The conversation between the two boys in the first two rows drifted into her ears at the right time.

"What's wrong with Jiasheng? He hasn't come to school since Ah Dong's birthday party that day." She recognized the boy who had just spoken. He was the one who called Xiao Jiasheng away that day. His name seemed to be Hong Yongxian.

"I called Jiasheng many times, but he didn't answer. I heard that his family called the school for sick leave," another boy beside Hong Yongxian replied.

Alright, he was sick. That meant that he was plagued by evil now. If he was sick, he should see a doctor. It seemed that she had nothing to do with it now. Feng Nian lay on the desk. It seemed that the week's worth of snack money had flown away. When she returned, she had to forbid the female ghost and paper figurines from eating snacks again. After all, she only had a bag of dried green plums left.

There were no classes in the afternoon. After the morning classes, Feng Nian returned to her rented house.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by the sour and smelly smell of dried plums. The source of the smell was on the table. She looked at the remaining bag of dried plums in the house and saw that it had been finished by the female ghost and her two paper figurine friends while chatting. After taking a few deep breaths, she told herself not to be angry. However, she wanted to punish the female ghost and paper figurines. From tomorrow onwards, there would be no snacks to eat. She would not even give them a few mouthfuls of instant noodles.

When the female ghost saw that Feng Nian had returned, her gaze lingered on the packet of dried green plums. She knew that they seemed to be a little dishonest. At the very least, they should have left one for her. It was all because the dried green plums were too delicious that she did not remember to leave one behind. However, they had work to do. It should be possible to exchange work for dried green plums.

The female ghost pulled the corner of Feng Nian's shirt obsequiously, indicating for her to follow her. The female ghost led the way lightly in front and brought her back to the bedroom. The originally messy bedroom looked much neater after being cleaned up by the female ghost and paper figurines.

When she saw the neat bedroom, she understood that this female ghost and paper figurines were exchanging labor for dried green plums. Alright, she could only blame herself for being in a hurry when she left in the morning. She did not even fold the blanket. She silently threw the sour dried green plums on the table into the trash can. Sigh, she really wanted to eat dried green plums.

Her cell phone rang, interrupting her desire for green plums.

"Granny Xiang, are you in the shop? I bought an old light bulb. I'll go over and change it for you."

Feng Nian's voice came from the other end of the phone. Granny Xiang was stunned. Yes, she still remembered that the light in her shop was broken.

That coffin shop had always used the kind of electric lights that were common in the countryside. The switch was a line that could be lit up as long as you pulled it. Even in the countryside now, it was rare to see it, but the coffin shop had never been changed. Some time ago, the light bulb had burned out and they could not buy an old light bulb, so they could only use candles to light it up.

After Feng Nian found out, she volunteered to help her buy it. She had only helped her keep the key, but she was very attentive to everything. What a good child.

"Granny Xiang?" Seeing that Granny Xiang did not answer, Feng Nian called out softly again.

"Xiao Nian, you can help me change it in a few days. Are you free today? Can you go and see someone?" Granny Xiang told her she wanted Feng Nian to see someone. That person must have encountered something dirty. His family was extremely worried now. Although they had looked for others, the problem had not been resolved. That person's family found Granny Xiang. Granny Xiang wanted Feng Nian to help.

Feng Nian naturally agreed. It seemed that it was not just this week's snack fees, but this month's living expenses!