Chapter 5

Since Mrs. Zhou had told my mother to wait, my mother had no choice but to wait. After all, she was asking for help, and even if she was anxious inside, she had to show enough patience and sincerity.

After saying to wait, Mrs. Zhou fell silent, closed her eyes, and her whole body trembled. Then she lay on the table, taking a long time to recover.

After resting for a few minutes, Mrs. Zhou walked to the bed, ignoring my mother's surprised gaze, pulled the quilt over herself, and sat on the bed, her body still trembling slightly.

"Um... Xiuyun... Um... Could you... Um... make a bowl of ginger soup... Um... and bring it to me?" Mrs. Zhou said, her teeth chattering.

My mother responded and immediately went to make the ginger soup without asking any more questions.

This was the kindness and simplicity of the mountain people. Although she was worried about her child, she couldn't bear to see Mrs. Zhou in such a state, especially since Mrs. Zhou was helping her.

Pushing the door to the kitchen, my mother found someone sitting there. This sudden encounter really scared her, who was already on edge.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Mrs. Zhou's second daughter-in-law, sitting by the large stove.

"Why are you here? It's so cold, why don't you go to sleep?" After recognizing her, my mother sighed in relief and greeted Mrs. Zhou's second daughter-in-law.

"I'm stoking the fire, preparing to boil some water and make some ginger soup." Mrs. Zhou's second daughter-in-law said casually while adding firewood to the stove.

"Making ginger soup? What a coincidence, I'm also making ginger soup for your sister-in-law." My mother was quite surprised and helped Mrs. Zhou's second daughter-in-law add firewood to the stove.

"Yes, it's for my sister-in-law. She often drinks a bowl of ginger soup after doing her thing. I figured she would need it this time, so I hurried to make a bowl."

"Hehe, you and your sister-in-law have a really good relationship." My mother said sincerely. If it were true, Mrs. Zhou's second daughter-in-law was really something.

"My sister-in-law has had a hard life; I feel sorry for her." Mrs. Zhou's second daughter-in-law got up, scooped a ladle of water from the large water tank, and poured it into the boiling pot with a splash.

My mother didn't know how to respond, so she stood up, picked up the knife, and started chopping the old ginger on the cutting board.

The two of them worked silently in the kitchen, and before long, a bowl of steaming ginger soup was ready.

Then my mother carefully carried the bowl of ginger soup out of the kitchen, with Mrs. Zhou's second daughter-in-law following closely behind. As my mother stepped out of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou's second daughter-in-law sighed softly behind her.

"Big Sister Xiuyun, my sister-in-law has had a hard life."

Again, this sentence. My mother didn't know what to say, but the next words from Mrs. Zhou's second daughter-in-law really startled her, almost spilling the ginger soup.

"Sometimes I really feel that my brother-in-law hasn't left. I don't know if it's good or bad for him to keep haunting my sister-in-law. Her health is getting worse and worse."

After saying this, Mrs. Zhou's second daughter-in-law turned and went back to her room. She must have seen this situation many times and just needed to vent her frustration.

But my mother? She managed to steady the ginger soup, stood there for a long time, and finally came to her senses. Thinking about Mrs. Zhou's behavior in the west wing and the words of Mrs. Zhou's second daughter-in-law, she was already convinced to a large extent.

Women are always more emotional. Compared to men, such things are terrifying, but they also touch a softer part of their hearts. If the couple's feelings weren't deep, how could they still be together despite the separation of life and death?

Thinking of this, my mother felt more sympathy for Mrs. Zhou, and her eyes softened. When she entered the gloomy west wing with the ginger soup, she was no longer as afraid.

Feeding Mrs. Zhou the ginger soup, my mother's movements were gentler, perhaps due to a change in her mindset. After feeding her, my mother instinctively grabbed Mrs. Zhou's hand to warm it, but it was so cold that it was chilling.

Mrs. Zhou pulled her hand away, shook her head, and her eyes clearly told my mother that it didn't matter, that she was willing.

My mother sensed something, and Mrs. Zhou knew it. This time, things happened so quickly that Mrs. Zhou didn't have time to be cautious. In the past, when she did "business," she always went into the room alone.

If my mother hadn't noticed anything, Mrs. Zhou wouldn't have believed it.

At this moment, the two women had a tacit understanding.

Pointing to the stool, Mrs. Zhou gestured for my mother to sit down. She turned her head and started mumbling on the bed, apparently discussing something important. Her expression was rich, her speech rapid, and she even made some gestures.

My mother waited patiently. Because of what Mrs. Zhou's second daughter-in-law had said, this scene seemed like a couple discussing something, but the distance between them was vast.

Thinking of this, my mother thought of her and my father, who had a deep relationship. She wondered if one of them left first, would they make the same choice? Thinking of this, she shed tears.

Only my mother could react like this. If it were my father, he would probably just feel eerie and terrified.

Just as my mother was feeling sad, Mrs. Zhou stopped her mumbling, her body trembled, and she opened her eyes again, threw off her quilt, and sat down across the table from my mother.

This time, Mrs. Zhou didn't waste any words and said directly, "I am Zhou Da."

Although my mother was mentally prepared for Zhou Da to still be around, hearing Mrs. Zhou say she was Zhou Da still frightened her. She stood up immediately and took a long time to sit down again.

Could this be possession? My mother, who had never left the countryside, had heard many stories about ghosts and spirits, and she knew about possession.

But the Mrs. Zhou in front of her, no, it should be Zhou Da, didn't waste any words and said straightforwardly, "I don't understand your child's situation. When you brought him in, I saw a group of very fierce spirits follow you. Do you understand?"

Hearing this, my mother's face turned pale. One was terrifying enough, but a group?

Thinking of my son being haunted by a group of ghosts every day, and our home being filled with ghosts, my mother felt like she was going crazy. She lost her composure and started to call out, "Old Chen, Old Chen..."

At that moment, she needed a man in the family to make a decision.

But just as her voice fell, Zhou Da shouted, "Don't call out. Men have strong yang energy, and I can't withstand the impact."

Fortunately, my father was in Zhou Er's room and probably didn't hear my mother's trembling voice.

However, Zhou Da's shout helped my mother regain some calm. She wasn't as afraid of Zhou Da anymore, knowing that he couldn't withstand the yang energy of men, which meant that ghosts weren't all-powerful.

In other words, there was hope for her son.

Seeing my mother calm down, Zhou Da continued without waiting for her to ask, "Don't blame me. I've been in the world of the living for a long time and am already very weak. When I saw you carrying your son in, I knew this was a difficult situation. I didn't want to get involved, but my wife begged me."

At this point, Zhou Da sighed and muttered, "Begging me to do good deeds won't help. With me and Yuerong like this, no amount of good deeds will help."

Zhou Da's words were quite tragic, but my mother, after hearing about the group of ghosts, couldn't focus on his and Mrs. Zhou's situation. She just wanted Zhou Da to continue and explain clearly.

She believed that if there was no solution, Mrs. Zhou and Zhou Da wouldn't have discussed for so long and wouldn't have looked like they had something to tell her.

By this time, my mother had completely calmed down, which allowed her to think clearly. So, never underestimate a woman's wisdom and her greater adaptability to adversity.

Sure enough, Zhou Da was satisfied with my mother's calmness and continued, "They threatened me. I wanted to check your son's fontanelle to see if there was any death energy, but as soon as I looked, they bared their teeth and threatened me. They are wandering spirits with heavy grudges. They are different from those who stay in the world of the living, and I am different from them. Even one of them, I would have to avoid. So, I couldn't do anything."

"What should we do then?" Hearing this, my mother finally asked. Zhou Da's description of the spirits haunting her son was so terrifying that she couldn't hold back.

"Let me finish." Zhou Da waved his hand and continued, "Ghosts see things differently from humans. I don't have much power, but I can see a person's fortune. For example, if someone is about to have good luck, their fontanelle will glow red, and I would avoid them even from a distance. If someone has neither good luck nor bad luck, their fontanelle will be blank. If someone is about to have bad luck, their fontanelle will have a grayish hue. If it's black, it's death energy, and they will either die or fall seriously ill. I wanted to do my duty and check your son for death energy and tell you about the spirits haunting him. But when I tried to look, I felt a blur. I wanted you to bring him closer so I could see clearly, but I was threatened. When I glanced, I saw a faint yellow glow on your son's head, which I don't understand."

Zhou Da explained the situation to my mother, but from his words, it was clear that he had no solution. My mother's question was in vain.

"Does that mean my son is doomed?" My mother couldn't help but feel sad. She had believed that Zhou Da had a solution, but the harsh reality made her lose hope.

But she was not willing to give up. Her strong unwillingness made her ask one more question.

"This..." Mrs. Zhou's face showed hesitation, clearly indicating that Zhou Da was hesitating.

Seeing this, my mother looked at Zhou Da with a pleading and hopeful gaze.