The backdrop can also be propped up.

Unable to ignore these sound equations, she could only try to distract herself by watching the flickering flames in the small stove. This bright light offered her some solace.

The noise-making action stopped, and it was quiet for several seconds.

Fang Cheng thought that the thing must have left. He was just about to get up to get some firewood to add to the fire when he looked up and saw an old woman's face reflected in the kettle.

The old woman had a thin layer of white hair on her face, a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, and looked very fierce.

Looking at the old woman's face, Fang Cheng thought of the cat-faced old woman her parents used to scare her when she wouldn't sleep when she was a child.

The old woman's eyes had no pupils, so it was impossible to tell where she was looking, but Fangcheng could be sure that the old woman was looking at Fangcheng's face through the reflection of the kettle.

Fang Cheng was startled, but he managed to keep his expression unchanged. He then got up, picked up the small lamp, and walked towards the pile of firewood placed by the door.

Fang Cheng bent down to pick up the scattered firewood on the ground, and heard very obvious footsteps behind her—the old woman was following her.

Fang Cheng gathered more firewood; nothing made her feel safer than the light from the fire.

The old woman walked behind Fang Cheng but didn't do anything. Fang Cheng continued to ignore the cat-faced old woman, sat back down in front of the small stove, and put firewood into the stove one by one to make the fire burn brighter.

The old woman continued to follow behind Fang Cheng, maintaining the same posture they had been in.

Fang Cheng thought the old woman was just watching her and wouldn't do anything, and she had just relaxed a little when the old woman suddenly stretched out a hand that looked like a chicken claw and put it on Fang Cheng's shoulder.

Fang Cheng's pupils dilated, and his hand holding the firewood trembled, but he still managed not to shout or turn around.

The cat-faced old woman placed her hand on Fangcheng's shoulder without any sense of boundaries, and then brought her hairy, wrinkled face close to Fangcheng's ear.

Through the reflection of the smooth copper surface of the kettle, Fang Cheng saw the old woman with the cat face open her mouth, and at the same time, he heard a hoarse, rough voice.

"Knock, tap, click..." The cat-faced old woman spoke like a rusty, long-neglected machine. Her words were useless; her only function was to keep brushing past Fangcheng's ears and cheeks, making him afraid.

Fang Cheng lowered his head, focusing his gaze on the leaping flames in the small stove, avoiding any further indirect eye contact with the cat-faced old woman.

The leaping flames offered some comfort to Fangcheng's heart, which was pounding like a deer. She added the last piece of firewood she had taken herself to the stove, hoping that the water in the kettle would boil as soon as possible.

The kettle started boiling, and Fang Cheng knew that the water would be boiling soon.

The cat-faced old woman stopped talking when she heard the kettle scream, but she still brought her head closer and rested it on Fang Cheng's shoulder.

Fang Cheng kept reciting the core socialist values ​​in his mind.

The kettle's screeching sound gradually subsided, replaced by a gurgling sound.

Fang Cheng waited a while longer before taking the kettle off the stove and standing up to make tea.

As she stood up, the cat-faced old woman seemed surprised by Fang Cheng's sudden action, and plopped down on the ground with a loud thud.

Fang Cheng didn't care. She silently kept telling herself to hurry up and leave, while her hands trembled as she found the tea set, put in the tea leaves, and poured hot water into the teacup.

The cat-faced old woman didn't come any closer this time. Fang Cheng thought she had left and turned around to get the small lamp, only to find that the cat-faced old woman was sitting there staring straight at him.

Fang Cheng, eyes wide open and body stiff, walked step by step to the lamp like a puppet. As he bent down to pick up the lamp, the old woman with the cat face suddenly reached out her hand.

That withered, brittle hand rested on Fang Cheng's hand, the bluish-gray skin covered with clearly visible small, dark purple bumps.

Fang Cheng took a deep breath, held it, and picked up the lamp.

The cat-faced old woman didn't hold onto the lamp tightly in Fang Cheng's hand. After Fang Cheng picked it up, she let go and continued to look at Fang Cheng with her eyes, which only had whites.

Fang Cheng still didn't dare to exhale. She quickened her pace in placing the tea set on the plate, took the biggest step of her life, and left the kitchen as fast as she could.

Once she was away from the kitchen, Fang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, but she wasn't sure if the cat-faced old woman had followed her. So she whispered to Lu Renkui and the system WQBYRZM in her pocket, "You two keep an eye on things and see if that old woman is still here."

Upon hearing this, Lu Renkui stuck his head out to look, and then reported to Fang Cheng: "She didn't follow us; she must have only been in the kitchen."

"That's great." Fang Cheng sighed softly, then lowered his voice and asked the two little figures, "Do you know who that cat-faced old woman is?"

“That old lady was one of the servants at the tea shop,” the system WQBYRZM replied, “but she contracted a strange illness and died. What we are seeing now is her spirit.”

“She can actually give players some clues about what happens at night,” the system WQBYRZM continued. “However, the chances of her revealing this information are very small; you have to complete some tasks before she can speak.”

"Oh, is that so?" Fang Cheng looked down at the road, pondering to herself: I should tell Bai Xingyi about this. She's a chef, spends a lot of time in the kitchen, and will likely run into that old lady more often.

"What do I need to do before that old lady will reveal that useful clue?" Fang Cheng asked.

"Hmm... First, you need to go to the third floor of the largest building in the tea shop." System WQBYRZM replied after checking the original plot.

The third floor of the largest building in the tea shop? Is it the third floor of the place where we met this morning? Fang Cheng wondered, head down. Then someone reached out and stopped Fang Cheng. Fang Cheng was startled, looked up, and saw it was Gu Huayang.

Before Fang Cheng could finish his question, Gu Huayang grabbed him and pulled him towards him, saying anxiously in a low voice, "Come here, come here first."

Fang Cheng, somewhat bewildered, carried his plate and hid behind a pillar with Gu Huayang. The two crouched together, Gu Huayang looking extremely nervous.

Seeing that Fang Cheng had been caught, Gu Huayang breathed a sigh of relief. After making a shushing gesture to Fang Cheng, he frowned and looked in the direction Fang Cheng had just come from.

At this moment, Fang Cheng could only keep her thoughts to herself. She saw Gu Huayang look up and gaze around for a while, then pull his head back down.