After transmigrating, he supported his family by working at a garbage dump.

"Mother, do you remember where Grandma Mi's house is?"

Xu Zhuzhu and her brother Xu An held hands, each with a chocolate bean in their mouth.

I saw her mother standing at the alley entrance, pacing back and forth for a long time, unable to remember which way to go to Grandma Mi's house.

Zhang He smiled a little shyly, "Of course I remember."

Xu Zhuzhu squinted. She felt that her mother didn't seem very reliable now, and didn't look like the person she remembered.

However, she didn't know that when Hei Tie came to her house for dumplings and gave her the address, she was busy keeping an eye on Zhang Xiaolin's steamed bun stall.

Zhang He was trying hard to recall what the blacksmith had said.

Beside the stream at the eastern end of the city, there is a mill, and behind the mill is Granny Mi's house. But Black Iron didn't say which side of the mill it was.

Looking at the fork in the alley leading to a mill, Zhang He was at a loss.

They originally went to find Grandma Mi at the food street where she usually set up her stall, but when the mother and her two children arrived, they found that not only was Grandma Mi's stall empty, but even the tables and chairs that the two elderly people used to leave on the street were gone.

I asked someone nearby and found out, "Grandma Mi hasn't been able to do business for more than half a month because she has to take care of Uncle Mi. Didn't you see her when you came last time?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang He, who had remained calm, immediately felt her heart clench.

It's said that Uncle Mi's illness is an old ailment that occurs every year and will be cured in four or five days. How come it's been more than half a month now and he still hasn't recovered?

Especially since the couple are getting old, she was worried that something serious might happen to them. To her, the elderly couple were like elders in the family, especially Grandma Mi, who always reminded her of her own grandmother.

Thinking of this, Zhang He was very worried. She thanked the man and took the two children and headed towards the east of the city, but hesitated at the entrance of the alley.

She really couldn't remember which way to go, but luckily the fork in the road wasn't too far apart, so even if she went the wrong way, she could just come back and go again.

Without further ado, they took the two children and headed towards the mill on the left.

As we approached the mill, we suddenly heard creaking sounds coming from inside, telling passersby of its advanced age.

The mother and her two daughters stopped in their tracks. However, the sound made it seem like someone was grinding something inside.

Unlike their mud house, this mill was built of wood, probably for public use. It had only a rough frame, and the walls were made of planks. The planks were not enough, so they were crooked and had large gaps.

Of course, this large gap is from Xu Zhuzhu's perspective as a little kid; from her mother's point of view, it might not be the same.

There aren't many people in the east of the city.

Today is market day, and it's still early. People living in the town are either doing business on the street or strolling around. The eastern outskirts of the city are quiet these days, and you won't see a single person for half a day.

Xu Zhuzhu didn't know exactly where Grandma Mi's house was. Hearing the sounds coming from inside, out of curiosity, she peeked through the crack and stuck half her head in.

Looking around, I saw a figure on the other side of the mill, head down, body bent, working.

Because the person was wearing a thick headscarf and had their back to them, Xu Zhuzhu couldn't tell who it was, but the figure and movements looked very familiar.

Xu Zhuzhu exclaimed in surprise and told her mother her question, "The person inside looks like Granny Mi?"

Upon hearing Xu Zhuzhu's words, Xu An also poked his head through another gap and indeed saw an old woman busy at work. He could see her more clearly from his side, and because of his good memory, he was certain that the person was Granny Mi.

She agreed with her younger sister with a look of certainty: "Mother, I also think it's Granny Mi."

Zhang He couldn't stick her head in, but she peered through the crack. Unfortunately, her view was blocked by several wooden planks inside the mill, so she couldn't see anyone.

The mill's door was on the other side. Although the wooden wall on this side wasn't sturdy, it wasn't so fragile that Zhang He could easily kick it down and get inside.

So he asked Xu An to call out twice to see if it really was Granny Mi inside.

Xu An did as Zhang He instructed and called out twice, but the sound of the water flowing in the mill was too loud and completely drowned out Xu An's overly refined voice.

After several calls, the person inside paused occasionally, but then there was no further response, clearly indicating that they had not heard Xu An's voice.

Xu Zhuzhu grinned, showing her big teeth, and could tell from her brother's voice that it wasn't loud enough.

Thinking it over, she took a deep breath, and after a few times, she suddenly took a deep breath, puffed out her cheeks, stuck half her head into the mill, and let out a loud howl.

"Grandma Mi—"

The sound of the young girl cutting through the water in the mill echoed throughout the mill and even the entire alley, making Zhang He feel a little embarrassed.

The people inside were completely stunned...

Meanwhile, in the mill, Granny Mi was intently grinding rice grains. When she got tired, she would stop to wipe her sweat, but she always felt that several burning eyes were staring intently at her, making her feel a little uncomfortable.

This is an old mill built by the government office. Although it is still usable, the people living in the east of the city prefer to use the new mill next to her house.

It's not for any other reason than that, according to legend, there was a widow in the previous generation who claimed to be out grinding beans with her daughter, but it turned out she was actually trying to have an affair there. She hid her one-year-old daughter in a wooden tub, but the daughter suffocated to death. Her mother-in-law discovered this and, ashamed to face anyone, she followed her daughter and hanged herself from the roof beam at the back.

She glanced at the crossbeam behind her out of the corner of her eye and felt a chill in the wind. As people get older, there are some things that, while not necessarily frightening, can still make them feel uneasy.

If the mill next to her house hadn't broken down, and if her husband hadn't been nagging about rice noodles all day, she really wouldn't have wanted to come and work at this mill.

Thinking that her old man was now lying alone in bed, unable to walk, and with no one to keep him company, she quickened her pace, wanting to finish quickly so she could go home.

Just as she was concentrating on her work, a loud "Grandma Rice!" suddenly rang out behind her, startling her so much that she almost knocked over the rice paste she had painstakingly ground for almost two hours.

She was quite frightened and it took her a while to calm herself down and turn around to look at the direction from which the sound came.

It was in a shady spot, but coincidentally, the sun was very bright that day, and that spot was very dark, so it was hard to see clearly. Suddenly, I saw a round, dark head peeking out from a crack in the wall. It looked like a child's head, and a chill ran down my spine.

Oh my god! It's like seeing a ghost in broad daylight!

Grandma Mi took several steps back and had to hold onto the stone millstone to steady herself. Despite her age, she was quite frightened.

He started cursing loudly, "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. If your mother doesn't love you, go find your wife. I've never done anything wrong, and I'm not afraid of you!"

Xu Zhuzhu listened to Granny Mi's incessant chatter before realizing that Granny Mi was treating her like a ghost, and felt somewhat embarrassed.

Zhang He heard cursing coming from inside. It was a familiar voice, and she recognized it as Granny Mi. She quickly spoke up.

"Grandma Mi, is that you inside?"

Grandma Mi's cursing emboldened her, but when she suddenly heard Zhang He's voice, she found it strangely familiar and recalled the shouts from earlier.

The more she thought about it, the more familiar it sounded.

He then moved closer to the wall and saw Xu Zhuzhu and Xu An, the two brothers, with their heads hanging there, blinking their big eyes and looking inside.

Zhang He also peered through the gap.

"Zhuzhu, An'an, what are you doing? And He Niang too!"

Grandma Mi smiled bitterly and touched her chest, then laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all. This was truly ridiculous!