Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1044 It’s Your turn

She could see things invisible to ordinary people, and feared she would have to deal with these evil spirits in the future. Her parents were terrified and prayed to the gods, hoping to restore her to normalcy. However, these eyes, like a mark she was born with, remained with her forever. As a child, she would often point to empty corners and talk about a woman in white crying and an old man sighing. Her parents thought she was talking nonsense, but one day, she accurately described the appearance and catchphrase of the long-deceased neighbor, forcing them to believe her. From then on, they were wary of her, worried that these things would hurt her and that others would learn of her uniqueness and ostracize her. At school, she kept to herself because she could see all sorts of "friends" around her classmates: kindly elderly people, mischievous children, and even ferocious ghosts. She dared not tell anyone, so she kept to herself, silently enduring this loneliness and fear. Life at nursing school was relatively simple. Everyone was busy with studies and internships, and no one paid much attention to her unusual behavior, which allowed her to relax a little. But now, looking at the old ghost in front of her, full of regret, she felt a mixture of emotions. She knew that the reason why the old man was reluctant to leave was because of his obsession with the money for those three bowls of wontons. To ordinary people, the money for three bowls of wontons was insignificant, but in the old man's heart, it was a burden that had been weighing on him for thirty years. "You..." Lin Mo was about to say something, but the old man raised his head, and his pair of misty eyes seemed to penetrate the steam and looked straight at her: "Girl, I know you can see me."

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat, and she tightened her grip around the thermos. Although she was used to dealing with these "things," being exposed so bluntly still flustered her. Seeing this, the old man let out a bitter smile. "Only someone like you could be so calm about a 'thing' like me." He paused, then slowly began to recount a story from thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, he was a lazy young man, doing nothing all day, scraping by on odd jobs. One day, dizzy with hunger, he wandered over to Chen's wonton stall. Unable to resist the sight of the steaming wontons, he shamelessly asked Old Man Chen for three bowls. Old Man Chen, a kind man, took pity on him and gave them to him without a word. After he finished, he said he had no money and would bring it back another day. Old Man Chen smiled and waved his hand, saying it was okay, telling him to live a good life. But he later left Old Street for some reason, and when he returned, everything had changed. He had always wanted to pay back the money for the three bowls of wontons, but was always delayed by various things. It was not until he heard that the old couple of the Chen family died in the fire that he regretted it. Over the years, he has been wandering around the old street, guarding this wonton stall, hoping to have a chance to repay the debt, but separated by life and death, he can only watch everything, but can do nothing. "I know it's too late to say anything now, but if I don't pay back the money, my heart will not be at peace, and I won't be able to leave in peace." As the old man spoke, tears flowed from his cloudy eyes, dripping into the soup bowl, but no ripples appeared. Lin Mo listened quietly, a pang of sadness welling up in her heart. She could feel the old man's deep guilt and understand his obsession. She thought for a moment and said, "Uncle, don't be too sad. Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen are kind people. They won't blame you." "No, not blaming me doesn't mean I won't pay it back," the old man shook his head stubbornly. "This is my debt, and I must pay it back." Lin Mo looked at his resolute eyes and an idea came to her mind. She pulled a small cloth bag from the drawer, which contained her earnings for the day. She counted out a few coins and placed them on the table. "Uncle, consider this your payment. Don't worry, Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen will know if they're still alive." The old man looked at the money on the table, then at Lin Mo, his eyes moistening again. "Young lady, this is so embarrassing..." "It's okay," Lin Mo said with a smile. "Just consider it me helping you fulfill your wish." The old man gave her a deep look, then slowly stood up and bowed deeply. "Thank you, young lady. Thank you for letting me go with peace of mind." As he bowed, his body became increasingly transparent, finally dissolving into a thin wisp of green smoke, disappearing into the rainy night. The rain continued to fall, but Lin Mo felt a warm warmth in her heart. Looking at the money on the table, she seemed to see the kind smiles of Grandpa Chen and Grandma Chen. She knew her grandmother was right. Perhaps the ability to see ghosts was a debt from heaven, but this debt also gave her the opportunity to help these souls trapped in the human world and free them. She cleared the dishes and turned off the lights at the wonton stall. As she walked home, the raindrops fell on her face, cool yet comfortable. She looked up at the night sky. Although it was overcast, she believed that after the clouds parted, the bright moonlight would appear. Back home, she lay in bed, but sleep remained a distant thought. The image of the old man, his words filled with regret, kept replaying in her mind. She thought, perhaps she would encounter more such souls in the future, each with their own obsessions and unfulfilled wishes, and she would do her best to help them. That night, Lin Mo had a dream. In it, she was back in her childhood. Grandma Chen was smiling as she added wontons to her bowl. The aroma of the wontons seemed to linger on her nose. The next morning, Lin Mo arrived at the wonton stall early, ready to open for business. While cleaning, she found a rusty copper coin in the corner, a very old style. She picked it up, wiped it, and held it in her palm, feeling the weight. She knew it might be a thank-you gift from the old man, a token of recognition. She carefully put the coin away and began to prepare the day's ingredients. Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating her busy figure with warmth and brightness. She knew a new day had begun, and her journey to "repay her debt" had just begun. Chapter 2: Faded Candy Wrapper The next morning, the first rays of sunlight, like carefully cut golden gauze, silently filtered through the eaves of the old street, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone pavement. The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth after rain, mingled with the aroma of fried dough sticks wafting from a distant breakfast stall. Lin Mo yawned and reached for the wonton stall's roller shutter. The clattering sound of metal rubbing against metal was particularly clear in the quiet morning. Just as the rolling door slowly rose and was about to open completely, her eyes were attracted by a glimmer of light coming through the crack of the door. It was a yellowed glass candy wrapper, with the edges already curled, as if it had been twisted countless times by the years. The sunlight shone through the candy wrapper as thin as a cicada's wing, casting tiny and brilliant colored spots on the ground. Red, yellow, and orange, interwoven together, looked very much like the orange-flavored hard candies she had eaten as a child. Lin Mo stopped what she was doing, bent down, and carefully picked up the candy wrapper. The moment her fingertips touched the candy wrapper, a faint and cold breath spread along her fingertips. She felt a slight movement in her heart. This feeling was somewhat similar to the breath of the old ghost yesterday.