"What I'm waiting for is Brother Chang's words" Xiao Sheng Zihuo stood up and dragged Chang Tai's hand: "It's better to choose a day than to hit the day, let's go now, it's too late, I'm afraid that there will be no evidence." ”

Chang Tai didn't break free, followed Xiao Shengzi, and the two of them went to Yujuan Village all the way.

For Fei Ju Village, Xiao Shengzi is already familiar with the way, and took Chang Tai all the way to Wang Laifu's house. When I arrived at the village, it was just after noon, although it was the weather at the end of October, there was still a trace of summer heat, at this time, most people were resting at home, so after entering the village, they did not meet anyone.

The two nieces in the family died one after another, and Wang Laifu was sad in his heart, so he didn't go out to do business these days, but stayed at home to deal with the afterlife. When he arrived at his house, before he entered the door, he heard Wang scolding people in the house, first scolding Wang Laifu, saying that he had no ability to forget it, and he still raised two nieces for nothing, and now he is still staying at home to handle some funerals, and he doesn't even do business, which is to let their mother and son drink the rhythm of the northwest wind next.

Then he seemed to be scolding his son, saying that he was not angry, and he worked hard to send him to a private school to study, but he didn't even get in. Wang Laifu's son argued a few words, and then heard Wang's crackling and more intense swearing, saying that he had poured mold for eight lifetimes before he met this unproductive man, plus an angry son. He also said that in another year, he will reach the age of his son's marriage, and Wang Laifu, who has no interest, is afraid that he will not even be able to get the money for his next appointment.

Chang Tai and Xiao Shengzi stood at the door with their hands raised, listening to the shouting and scolding in the room, and they didn't know whether to knock on the door or not. was hesitating, suddenly heard a muffled sound, followed by a middle-aged man who was pushed out in frustration, because his leg knocked on the door panel, so his brows frowned slightly, and there was a touch of pain on his face.

Wang Shi seemed to be a little puzzled, chased out, raised his eyes and saw Chang Tai and Xiao Shengzi standing at the gate, his face changed instantly: "Who are you two?" ”

"Catch Chang Tai!" Chang Tai said, pointing to Xiao Shengzi next to him: "Sheng Demei!" ”

"It turned out to be a fast catcher in the capital, I remembered!" Wang's gaze stayed on Chang Tai's face for a moment, then changed to a smiling face, clapped his hands, and greeted him: "I remember, this Chang Daren is the one who saved us in the woods, and this Sheng Daren has also seen it." The two of you came to the door today, but for the loss of my eldest niece's body? Oh, it's really hard work, in fact, we don't want to trouble the masters in the yamen, if we really can't find it, it's also the child's life. ”

For people like Wang, Chang Tai has seen a lot, and he doesn't bother to pay attention to it, so he said directly to Wang Laifu: "Is the spirit shed still there?" ”

"There are no orders from adults, and the small ones don't dare to be demolished, but these days are windy and rainy, and I'm afraid that they won't collapse." Wang Laifu walked over with a slight limp.

"It's okay, we just want to go back to the scene." Chang Tai said, motioned for Xiao Shengzi to step forward and helped Wang Laifu.

Wang Laifu smiled gratefully at Xiao Shengzi.

Wang snorted softly behind his back, Xiao Shengzi heard it, glanced back at her, but saw Wang's face with him, smiled awkwardly, and explained: "I'm worried that he will do something wrong and cause some trouble to the two adults." ”

"Since Madame is so worried, then it is better to ask Madame to take us there!" Chang Tai made a solemn face, and Wang felt a sigh in his heart.

"How can I go to that kind of place? Oh, I didn't mean that, I mean, I'm a woman, I don't have a lot of legs and feet, and I have to take care of the children at home! Bless you, a poor dead ghost, why don't you hurry up and lead the two adults to see the shed. Wang saw that he couldn't make it up, so he squeezed Wang Laifu with his eyes: "Hurry up, don't delay the work of the two adults here, people are not like you, they are tolerances, and they are busy with many things." ”

Wang Laifu bowed his head in response, smiled slightly bitterly at Chang Tai and Xiao Shengzi, and said, "Two adults, please come with me!" ”

On the way, Chang Tai was silent, but the conversation between Xiao Shengzi and Wang Laifu was non-stop.

"Is the Wang family often so fierce?"

"Not either!" Wang Laifu's voice was not loud, and he could hear the helplessness and struggle in his heart: "Actually, her temperament was still good in the early years. Ever since my sister was old and I brought my two nieces over to raise her, her temperament has been getting worse day by day. ”

"Wang's family doesn't want you to raise two nieces?"

"To be honest, this kind of thing is a woman's reluctance. But my sister died early, leaving behind such two poor children, and my brother-in-law, although he is still alive, has added a son, and if I don't care about them, no one will care about them. Speaking of this, Wang Laifu also added: "I can't help it, my brother-in-law's newly married one is even more powerful than my family, and when he gave birth to a son, he is even more like a mother, what she says, my brother-in-law listens to anything." Later, I also heard the news that she was going to sell my two nieces to the city as maids, so I went to pick them up. When they went, they all came, saying that they were sold to the city as maids, but who can guarantee that they would not send people to that kind of place. I'm just such a sister, just like these two nieces, I don't have the ability to be an uncle, and I can't watch the two nieces being sold into the fire pit. ”

"I can't!"

"That's what I said, so I brought people back. Although my family is fierce, what should be eaten, what should be drunk, and what should be worn is not less. It's just that he doesn't have a good temper and likes to scold people. It's also blamed for my lack of ability, my family has a large population, I earn little, and I can't eat well, so don't I have to be numerous? Listen to it, endure it, and it's over. ”

"Your eldest niece, is it called Qiaoqiao?"

"Yes, the big name is Sister Qiao. We rural people all hope that the girl will be ingenious and marry into her mother-in-law's family in the future, so that her mother-in-law's family can treat her. When I arrived at my house, I shouted that it was convenient, so I called her Qiaoqiao, and the little one didn't have time to choose a name at the time, so I called her sister. ”

"Qiaoqiao fell into the well and died?"

"Yes!" Wang Laifu said, raised his head, pointed to a house not far ahead, and said, "Just the well over there!" That house turned out to be the old ancestral hall of the Wang family in our Yujuan Village, the well was the deepest, and it was the most convenient to draw water, so where did the laundry and cooking go at home. ”

"Let's take a look!" Chang Tai said and walked to the well.

This well, at first glance, is an old well, and the wellhead is very bright because of long-term polishing. The wellhead is raised from the ground, and the edges are bluestone. According to Wang Laifu, the well is half-hidden on weekdays, because he is worried that when he is pumping water, he will accidentally have another accident. Moreover, when drawing water, people usually stand outside the bluestone, so that the slightly raised bluestone can also play a role in blocking and buffering.

On the day when Qiaoqiao fell into the water, there happened to be two light rains, so the edge of the wellhead was a little slippery, and I didn't know that it was the forgetfulness in the village, and the stone used to cover the wellhead was removed and not put down, so Qiaoqiao had an accident.

"What time did the accident happen?"

"At noon, it's time to cook. So there are not many people on the street, and there is an old ancestral hall here, so except for those who fetch water, they usually don't come here. ”

"Who found out first about the coincidental overboard?"

"The one in my house." Wang Laifu said and sighed: "At noon that day, she was cooking at home, so she asked Qiaoqiao to go to the well to fetch some water and come back to wash her clothes. Who knew that the meal was ready, and she didn't see Qiaoqiao come back, so she thought Qiaoqiao was playful, and scolded all the way to find it. Who knew that when he arrived at the mouth of the well, he saw the wooden barrel, but he didn't see Qiaoqiao, and then he found that Qiaoqiao had fallen into the water. When it was salvaged, the people were already out of breath, and they were cold all over their bodies. Ay! Tell me, after a hundred years, what face will I use to see my sister, first Qiaoqiao, then my sister, I! Wang Laifu said, squatting down in annoyance, and slapping his face with his hand.

Chang Tai glanced at Wang Laifu, walked to the well, and carefully examined it. Because of the coincidental fall into the well, this well is no longer used, and the top of the wellhead is also covered with thick wooden planks. The footsteps around were scattered, mostly caused by salvage and onlookers at that time, and there were no useful traces on the ground. But when inspecting the wellhead, Chang Tai still found something.

"When was the plank on this wellhead covered?"

After salvaging Qiaoqiao, the patriarch was worried that the people next to him, especially the children in the village, would have another accident, so he asked people to move this board over and cover the wellhead first. He also said that when Qiaoqiao's body was found and buried, the well was filled. ”

"So no one has touched this place since the board was put on?"

"It's okay who will move this, besides, after what happened to Hui Niang, everyone in our village is afraid of evil. Qiaoqiao fell into the well and died, which is an accidental death, and it is said that people who die by accident cannot be reincarnated, and the ghost will always wander around the well. Don't say it's someone else, even I, as an uncle, am alone in broad daylight, and I don't dare to go this way. It's not that I'm afraid, it's that I'm afraid of seeing Qiaoqiao's ghost, and I don't know what to say. ”

Chang Tai hummed lightly, and looked around carefully, and suddenly he found another thing wrong: "Qiaoqiao usually uses how many buckets do you use to fetch water?" ”

"One! She usually doesn't eat much, and her body is small, just a bucket, full of water, and she shakes it when she carries it. Therefore, when I am usually at home, I always fill the water tank at home in advance. ”

"So, the reason why Qiaoqiao went out to fetch water that day was because the water tank at your house was empty?" Chang Tai carefully recalled the situation in Wang Laifu's yard, in the courtyard of Wang's house, there was also a simple wooden shed, under which a few chickens were raised, and there were two water tanks standing next to the chicken coop, which were also covered with things.

"No, when I go out in the morning, the tank is still full. Later, I also asked, and my family said that it was because she forgot to cover the water tank when she was cooking breakfast, and as a result, bird droppings fell on it, and she saw that Qiaoqiao had nothing to do, so she asked Qiaoqiao to go to the well to fetch water. ”

"This kind of thing, often?" Xiao Shengzi interjected on the side and asked.

Wang Laifu nodded silently, it seems that this Wang family is not bad to the two sisters, but it is true.

"Okay, let me ask you again, did you just say that the Wang family went to look for Qiaoqiao and found the bucket next to the well, only to know that Qiaoqiao had fallen into the water?"

Wang Laifu nodded again: "That's what I said." ”

"Since Qiaoqiao only brought a bucket out of the house, and the bucket was on the bank of the well, what did Qiaoqiao do when he stumbled and slipped down?" Chang Tai stared at Wang Laifu's eyes, waiting for his answer.

Wang Laifu was also stunned, he stared at him embarrassedly, not knowing how to answer the question raised by Chang Tai. Yes, people who fall into the water are usually in the process of hitting the water, but if the water has already hit, why did Qiaoqiao fall into it again? If Qiaoqiao has already fallen in, then why did the bucket appear on the shore of the well? According to common sense, Qiaoqiao stumbled and slipped into the well, and the bucket should also fall down together, could it be that Qiaoqiao found something in the well when she was fetching water, and after she put the bucket away, she went over to check it, and then she stumbled and slipped down?

Looking at Wang Laifu's puzzled look, Chang Tai knew that the truth about Qiaoqiao's misfall into the water could only be done by starting from Wang's body, and figuring out the cause of Qiaoqiao's death, the secret of her missing body may also be revealed!

(Education 123 Literature Network)