mtl008 Chapter 446 Ghost knocks on the door
Chapter 446 Ghost knocks on the door
Early in the morning, as soon as Li Xiangyang got up and opened the courtyard gate, he saw a figure outside the gate hesitating, sometimes approaching and sometimes retreating, seemingly unable to make up his mind.
"Who?" Li Xiangyang asked softly.
The figure was clearly startled, as if caught red-handed, and stammered for a long time without being able to speak.
When Li Xiangyang caught up with the person, he discovered that it was Zhang Weiping.
Zhang Weiping looked haggard, with dark circles under his eyes, clearly having not slept all night.
Upon seeing Li Xiangyang, he felt as if he had found a savior, yet he found it difficult to speak, simply standing there rubbing his hands, his gaze shifting uncertainly.
"Is something wrong at home right now?" Li Xiangyang asked, guessing that he was willing.
He didn't get along with Zhang Dashan and had very little contact with his family, which of course had nothing to do with Zhang Weiping.
Although Zhang Weiping is Zhang Dashan's son, he still has a sense of shame. Plus, the old Party Secretary taught him from a young age that apart from being a bit arrogant, he's a pretty good person.
This is also why Li Xiangyang agreed to let him join the village's hunting team.
"Yes... Brother Xiangyang, something really happened at home, and we need your help." His voice was so low it was almost inaudible.
"Let's talk inside." Li Xiangyang stepped aside to make room for him.
Zhang Weiping hesitated for a moment, but ultimately followed Li Xiangyang into the courtyard.
Upon seeing this, Li Xiaoyun got up to make tea.
When the tea was served, Zhang Weiping just held the teacup, his fingers trembling, and a few drops of tea spilled onto the table.
"What's going on? Why are you so nervous?" Li Xiangyang asked directly.
Zhang Weiping lowered his head, his voice muffled: "It's my dad...something happened to him."
Li Xiangyang frowned.
Zhang Dashan had caused him a lot of trouble in the past, and Zhang Weiping absolutely could not come to him for help unless he had no other choice.
So he was genuinely curious about what had happened.
What happened to your father?
"This...he...he's being haunted by a ghost!" Zhang Weiping said, his eyes filled with terror. "It started last night, and it's been going on all night!"
Li Xiangyang was taken aback, then chuckled: "What kind of ghost is knocking? Ghosts don't exist these days!"
Zhang Weiping panicked: "It's true! I heard it with my own ears! My dad caught a chill while fishing a couple of days ago and has been sick ever since. I've been watching over him these past two days, and last night there was definitely knocking on the door, and someone coughing outside the window... My dad is terrified right now, he keeps muttering about retribution."
Seeing Zhang Weiping's flustered appearance, Li Xiangyang knew he wasn't lying, but the whole "ghost knocking on the door" thing was utterly absurd. However, the fact that Zhang Weiping was willing to lower himself to beg him meant he must be desperate.
"Are you sure it wasn't some prank by someone in the village?" Li Xiangyang asked.
“No,” Zhang Weiping shook his head, “At first, as soon as there was a knock on the door, I rushed out, but there wasn’t a soul in sight! Several times in a row, my mother and sister heard it clearly…”
Seeing how convincingly he described it, Li Xiaoyun became a little nervous and gently grasped Li Xiangyang's hand: "Could it be... that there really is something unclean?"
Li Xiangyang patted his wife's hand reassuringly: "There are no ghosts or monsters. It's probably just someone trying to scare Zhang Dashan. He's offended quite a few people over the years."
Turning to Zhang Weiping, Li Xiangyang asked, "How is your father now?"
"Oh no," Zhang Weiping shook his head, "he's completely terrified, sitting motionless on the kang (heated brick bed), muttering incoherently, saying he's sorry to so-and-so... My mother is crying."
After a moment's thought, Li Xiangyang decided to go and see. Although he had a grudge against Zhang Dashan, he couldn't just stand by and watch him die, out of consideration for their past relationship in the village.
“Okay, I’ll go take a look.” Li Xiangyang stood up and said to Li Xiaoyun, “You wait at home, I’ll be right back.”
Li Xiaoyun nodded, but then said worriedly, "Be careful."
Zhang Weiping breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him repeatedly, tears welling in his eyes: "Brother Xiangyang, thank you! My father... thank you so much for your help."
Li Xiangyang waved his hand: "We're all from the same village, why talk about this? Let's go."
The two left the Li family's courtyard, walked through several paths, and arrived at Zhang Dashan's house.
Pushing open the door, I was greeted by a room filled with gloom and despair.
Zhang Dashan huddled on the kang (a heated brick bed), his eyes glazed over, muttering something to himself. Zhang Weiping's mother and sister stood by his side, their faces filled with worry.
“Mom, Xiangyang is here,” Zhang Weiping said to his mother. “He’s here to help take a look around.”
With red eyes, Zhang's mother stood up, forcing a smile: "Thank you for your trouble, Xiangyang."
Li Xiangyang nodded and went to the kang (a heated brick bed). Zhang Dashan seemed not to notice his arrival, still talking to himself, looking dazed.
"How long has he been like this?" Li Xiangyang asked.
“He was terrified in the middle of the night last night and hasn’t recovered since,” Zhang’s mother said, wiping away tears. “He says he did something wrong and is being punished; the underworld officials have come to take him away, and his illness is incurable… No matter how we try to persuade him, he won’t listen.”
Li Xiangyang frowned, scrutinizing Zhang Dashan. His face was ashen, his eyes unfocused; he was clearly in great shock. Li Xiangyang took two steps forward, knelt down in front of Zhang Dashan, and softly called out, "Uncle Zhang?"
Zhang Dashan didn't react at all, his eyes still vacant. Li Xiangyang called out a few more times, and seeing no response, he simply slapped him on the shoulder: "Zhang Dashan!"
The palm strike used some force, and Zhang Dashan's body jolted, finally reacting. He blinked, recognized Li Xiangyang in front of him, and suddenly grabbed his hand: "It's you...it's you who came?"
“It’s me,” Li Xiangyang nodded. “I heard you have something to do?”
Zhang Dashan's eyes were filled with fear: "A ghost...a ghost is knocking on the door...the underworld officials...the underworld officials have come to take me away..."
Li Xiangyang was speechless for a moment, thinking to himself that this old man usually acted like a tyrant, but he never expected him to be so timid. He deliberately put on a stern face: "Uncle Zhang, what ghosts are there in this world? Who's trying to scare you?"
Zhang Dashan shook his head, his voice trembling: "It really happened... I heard it clearly..."
Li Xiangyang found it increasingly strange. Although Zhang Dashan had indeed done many bad things, this ghost knocking on the door was too bizarre.
"Alright, if you say so, then so be it. We haven't taken you away yet, so there's still room for negotiation," Li Xiangyang said. "I'll stay here tonight and see if it's a human or a ghost. Don't be afraid; they say hunters have a strong aura of killing intent. It's probably a real underworld messenger; with me here, it won't dare come."
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Zhang Dashan's eyes, but it quickly faded again: "It's no use... it's retribution... retribution..."
Li Xiangyang frowned and asked coldly, "What guilty conscience do you have? Tell me, and I'll help you resolve it."
Upon being asked this question, Zhang Dashan trembled, then lowered his head and stammered, "I...I've been the team leader all these years...I've embezzled public grain...and when we were reclaiming wasteland, we dug up some treasure, and I sold it right away...and..."
"Enough!" Li Xiangyang stopped him, thinking to himself that the old man had indeed done something wrong, no wonder he was so frightened now. But in front of his family, he couldn't press him any further.
Li Xiangyang looked at Zhang's mother: "Aunt Zhang, don't worry, leave this to me. You two get some rest during the day, I'll come over and keep watch tonight."
Zhang's mother nodded repeatedly, tears streaming down her face, "Thank you, Xiangyang, thank you..."