Chapter 408: Night Owl
“My sister has a daughter who’s only three months old. She has been crying for the past two days and isn’t drinking milk. She will wake up after sleeping for a while. Then, she will keep crying. I’ve asked the doctor to take a look. She’s still the same.”
Mdm Chen looked at her and said, “You cured Xiao Yuan Zi last time, so I would like you to take a look at my niece.”
“I see!”
Lu Sheng asked, “Where is that child now?”
“She’s at our house. The child is crying so we didn’t dare to carry him to town.”
Lu Sheng nodded. “Okay. Sister-in-law, wait with Brother Liang for a while. I’ll inform my uncle.”
“Okay!”
Lu Sheng told He Qin said that she had something on and asked him to look after the counter. Then, she went to greet Shi Yi and Yu Mingyue before leaving with Liang Ping and Mdm Chen.
Liang Ping and Mdm Chen borrowed Li Zheng’s ox cart.
In order to speed things up, Lu Sheng hurriedly let Liang Ping ride the ox cart himself. She and Mdm Chen rented a horse carriage and returned to the village first.
The carriage had just stopped outside the door when Lu Sheng heard the cries of a baby and the sounds of adults coaxing the baby.
After Lu Sheng paid the fare, she hurried into the Liang family’s courtyard with Mdm Chen.
Mdm Chen’s sister was called Chen Xiaofang. She was only seventeen years old. She married into the same village and was a little tanned and skinny.
Perhaps because she was too worried about the child, her eyes were red and swollen.
“Sister is back!”
When Chen Xiaofang’s husband saw Mdm Chen walk in, he called out.
“Well… Xiaofen, didn’t you go and find the witch? Why did you bring a girl back?”
When Chen Xiaofang’s mother-in-law saw Lu Sheng following behind Mdm Chen, she could not help but frown.
This young lady was not even as old as her daughter-in-law. What could she see?
Being questioned, Lu Sheng did not say anything. She only smiled faintly and nodded at them.
When Aunt Yu heard that, she hurriedly explained for Lu Sheng. “Sister, don’t underestimate our Lu Sheng. Yuan Zi also cried for no reason previously. It was all thanks to Lu Sheng that our Yuan Zi recovered.”
Mdm Wu was doubtful. Her son, who was also Chen Xiaofang’s husband, said to Lu Sheng, “Miss, please take a look at my daughter and see what’s wrong.”
Lu Sheng nodded.
Mdm Chen hurriedly said to Chen Xiaofang, who was still coaxing the child, “Xiaofang, bring the child over quickly.”
“Coming!”
Chen Xiaofang replied hoarsely and hurried to carry the child over.
Lu Sheng reached out and said softly, “Let me hug her.”
“Sorry for troubling you!”
Chen Xiaofang sniffed and sobbed.
Lu Sheng smiled faintly and carried the child over.
Strangely enough, the child stopped crying after Lu Sheng took over.
However, the burping sounds were still there.
“Good child!”
Lu Sheng patted the child’s back lightly and said to the few people in disbelief, “Please pour some hot water.”
“Oh, I… I’ll go!”
Chen Xiaofang wiped her tears and hurried to get some water.
Lu Sheng said to her, “Feed the child some water. She has been crying for too long.”
“Okay!”
Seeing that the child had stopped crying, Chen Xiaofang felt relieved and agitated.
After drinking the water, the child’s burping finally stopped.
Seeing Lu Sheng smile at her, the child suddenly waved her hands and giggled at Lu Sheng.
“She’s smiling!”
Mdm Wu clutched her chest and heaved a sigh of relief.
“Thank you, Miss!”
Chen Xiaofang and her husband hurriedly thanked her.
Lu Sheng stuffed a peace charm into the baby’s clothes and returned the baby to Chen Xiaofang.
“Thank you!”
Chen Xiaofang received the child. Seeing that she did not cry anymore, she could not help but cry.
Her husband hurried to persuade her not to cry lest she scared the child again.
“Lu Sheng, what happened?”
Mdm Chen walked over and asked softly.
When Mdm Wu and Aunt Yu heard that, they looked over, seemingly waiting for her to give them her answer.
Lu Sheng looked at Chen Xiaofang’s husband and asked, “Do you often hear night owls around your house at night?”
“Night owls?”
Chen Xiaofang’s husband was stunned and looked at Chen Xiaofang suspiciously. However, Chen Xiaofang shook her head and said, “I didn’t pay much attention.”
“Yes!”
Mdm Wu suddenly spoke.
“I did hear it two days ago. It was already very late then. Around midnight, I went out to take a look because I was worried that the heavy snow would collapse the pigpen. I did hear the screams of night owls. Moreover, they were in our backyard.”
Mdm Chen frowned. “Could it be that my niece’s behavior has something to do with the night owls?”
“This… can’t be, right?”
Wasn’t night owl a type of bird?
Mdm Wu did not dare to relate her granddaughter’s abnormality to the cries of night owls.
“You have to believe that!”
Aunt Yu said in a low voice, “Look, the child was crying non-stop just now. After Lu Sheng took over, she stopped crying. Isn’t something up?”
When Mdm Wu heard that, she felt that it made sense. She had indeed witnessed her granddaughter stop crying after Lu Sheng took over.
However…
“Miss, what happened? Why did you mention the cries of night owls?”
Lu Sheng explained faintly, “Not all night ours are birds. They might be transformed from other things. Especially those who like to call out at night, they’re mostly evil.”
Mdm Wu nodded, not fully understanding. “Does that mean my granddaughter cried because she heard the cries of night owls?”
“Yes.”
Lu Sheng nodded and said, “This thing will appear frequently when there’s a child at home. When you hear it, remember to chase it away. Otherwise, it will summon the child’s soul.”
“What?!”
Mdm Wu was shocked. “What about my granddaughter?”
“Miss, was my daughter also…”
Halfway through her sentence, Chen Xiaofang’s tears flowed uncontrollably.
“Please don’t panic.”
Lu Sheng glanced at the child and said in a low voice, “This child’s soul is still there. It’s just that her soul was frightened, which made her feel uneasy. I’ve already given her a talisman to pacify her soul. As long as she carries it with her, she’ll be fine.”
“Thank you, Miss!”
Chen Xiaofang’s husband passed a red paper bag to Lu Sheng. “This is a token of our appreciation. Please accept it.”
“No need.”
Lu Sheng blocked it with her hand and smiled faintly. “Since they’re sister-in-law’s relatives, they’re family. There’s no need to be so formal.”
“Ah…”
Chen Xiaofang’s husband looked at Mdm Chen hesitantly.
Mdm Chen smiled and said, “Since Lu Sheng has said so, take it back.”
The coins were nothing to Lu Sheng, but it was indeed a huge sum to her sister’s family.
Lu Sheng reminded them kindly, “Remember this next time. When you hear a night owl’s cry, remember to chase that thing away.”
They nodded silently and agreed.
Chen Xiaofang’s husband said, “Speaking of which, there’s a strange thing happening in our village recently.”
“What strange thing?” Mdm Chen was curious.
“Yes, at the back of the mountain, we often hear the sound of carriages rolling and people walking at night.”