Chapter 1323: I Only Want You (21)
“There were lots of people in the village before the incidents happened. After the men in the village started dying one after another, there was barely anyone left in the village.” Madam Wang then led the two of them to the room. “The room isn’t exactly spacious, but it’s very clean,” she said.
An Xiaoning walked inside and scanned her surroundings to see that it was exactly like what Madam Wang had described. However, she found that the conditions were rather pleasant given that they were in a village.
She immediately agreed to rent the room and paid Madam Wang on the spot.
Madam Wang nodded and said, “You’re so decisive.”
“I’ll have to impose on you, then, Sister Wang. My husband and I will go to the town to buy some food and necessities now.”
“Hurry and go while it’s still early. But, Sister, your complexion is really good. You’re so beautiful too, a perfect match for your handsome husband.”
“We used to work in the city, so it was important for us to put emphasis on our appearance. However, we decided to move back to the village to do some business in the town so that we could be closer to our parents who are old in their years.”
“You two are such filial children. Alright, hurry along. The humans on the town were already scarce when you arrived, right?”
“Yes,” An Xiaoning answered.
“It’s really crowded in the day, though. The fair happens once a month. However, things are going to be cheaper since there are fewer people. You guys hurry and go.”
An Xiaoning and Fan Shixin proceeded to buy lots of items at the fair on the town. However, they did not spend much money since the items were all sold at a cheap price.
There was barely any evidence left in the Widows’ Village, especially since more than two decades had already passed. It was a tough case to solve, and she had no idea how much longer she had to stay there for. If luck was on her side, she would be able to find some clues and solve the case sooner. If not, she would have to stay even longer.
Although An Xiaoning told Madam Wang that Fan Shixin would be staying in the town most of the time, it was not actually the case. After all, if Madam Wang were to find out that Fan Shixin had stayed over, they would simply have to brush her off with an excuse. Besides, Fan Shixin was not afraid of the sinister presences that might be lurking around in the village with An Xiaoning around to protect him.
However, there was only one bed in the room. Thus, they decided to share it and have one blanket to themselves each. An Xiaoning had bought the mattresses and blankets from Madam Wang. They were all new and unused.
After fixing themselves a simple meal, An Xiaoning decided to have a chat with the women of the village in the afternoon and get to know them better. At the same time, she would also go out to take a tour around the village while Fan Shixin stayed in.
An Xiaoning headed to the village entrance and began chatting with the middle-aged women.
“What business do you and your husband run in the town?”
“We set up a restaurant, but it hasn’t officially opened for business yet.”
Madam Wang asked, “That’s great. Do you guys have children?”
An Xiaoning smiled and said, “No, we just got married and we don’t plan to have children just yet.”
“You must give birth early. It’d be easier for your body to recover if you give birth at a younger age. It’s only a matter of time before you have children anyway,” said Madam Zhang, who was in her sixties and had three children, all of whom were married. Hence, she was stress-free and looked much younger than her actual age.
“I’ll wait for another two years. By the way, the rickshaw driver who sent us here today told us that this village is really creepy, and we’ve also heard lots of rumors about the happenings here. Are they true?” An Xiaoning asked.
Madam Wang hushed her and said, “Lower your volume. We generally avoid talking about this in the village. Rumors about our village have been spreading like wildfire. They’ve been affecting us negatively. Those villagers who have moved away don’t even dare to admit that this place is their hometown. We really don’t know what’s going on.”
An Xiaoning nodded and asked, “Did it have something to do with the food and water supply?”
Madam Wang hurriedly explained, “Sister, there’s nothing wrong with our water supply at all, really. We drink straight from the tap every day and nothing has happened to us at all.”
“Good that nothing has happened. However, this is a village. Where does the water supply come from?” asked An Xiaoning, who had been dying to ask that question.
“It comes from the entrance of the village.” Pointing in the direction of the east, Madam Wang continued, “There’s a large reservoir over there, and all the water comes from that main tap. There are technicians in charge of tending to the water supply and checking the pipes so the water is absolutely safe.”
An Xiaoning too felt that the problem probably didn’t lie with the water supply. After all, all the other villages received water from the same reservoir.
Madam Zhang said, “But… it’s true that there are ghosts in that reservoir.”
“Sister, are there really ghosts?” An Xiaoning asked curiously.
“Of course there are. A drowning incident took place a few years ago. A child drowned in that reservoir by accident when he was playing with his friends nearby. The rest of the children came back crying and claimed that they had heard sounds coming from the reservoir and, thus, the child who had drowned looked inside the reservoir out of curiosity. In the end, he was grabbed by the neck and pulled into the water.”
An Xiaoning did hear stories about water spirits attracting the attention of others by letting out crying sounds and taking the chance to pull the innocent humans into the water.
An Xiaoning found that the stories she used to hear in the past seemed to be true.
If there were ghosts in the water, would the water really be safe for consumption?
The discussion ended because it started pouring and everyone left to head back to their own homes.
An Xiaoning and Madam Wang entered the house to see that Fan Shixin was cooking some food. Madam Wang laughed and said, “Your husband can cook? My husband is a far cry. All he does is wait for me to serve him like he’s a prince. You’re so lucky. I’m so envious of you.”
“Frankly speaking, I’m not a great cook and my husband does the cooking most of the time. It’s your husband’s blessing to have a wife like you.”
Green with envy, Madam Wang said, “Look at you, your complexion is so good. It’s time for me to cook. By the way, tell your husband to return to the town as quickly as possible after dinner. I’m doing this for your own good.”
“Thank you, Sister.”
An Xiaoning entered and sat on the chair while watching Fan Shixin cook.
“Fortunately, you know how to cook. Otherwise, we’re going to starve. However, did you use the water from the tap or the bottled water we brought here?”
“The water we brought.”
“I can put my mind at ease, then. I heard from the villagers that the water supply comes from the reservoir, in which there are ghosts. It sounds rather real, though. However, I still think we should be careful with what we consume. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”