Step by step, a gentle breeze leads to a smooth path

Chapter 9 Too young and inexperienced

Song Tingnan continued his business as a peddler, and before he knew it, it was late autumn. The days were getting shorter and shorter, and it got dark very quickly.

It was another reading day for Tingnan, and she lost track of time while reading, prompting the administrator to remind her to go home.

The administrator is very friendly now; both children and adults like those who love learning, and they even help with sales.

She started running, carrying half a load of goods.

Every time I come back from the county town, I have to pass through this long, dark forest path. Today, when I arrived, it was completely dark, and there wasn't a single pedestrian on the road.

Song Tingnan's legs went weak with fear, but she forced herself to keep walking. "Whoosh whoosh whoosh..." Strange sounds rang in her ears, and the "rustling" sound under her feet followed her.

Ting Nan broke out in a cold sweat, wanting to cry but not daring to, for fear of attracting evil spirits.

Ghost stories I heard from my uncle while relaxing in the summer heat are now resurfacing in my mind.

In her panic, the branches on both sides would poke her. Waaah... Someone save me, Mom... Just thinking of Mom makes me hear her sighs. It's terrifying.

Hearing Nan roar, a flock of night birds took flight, and she began to sing at the top of her lungs the song her uncle had taught her: "The sun shines with boundless radiance, the eagle soars with outstretched wings, the spring scenery on the plateau is infinitely beautiful..." as she ran wildly...

I ran home in one breath, went into my grandmother's room, and only relaxed a little when I got close to the oil lamp.

Grandma, who had been waiting for a long time, looked in surprise at Tingnan, who rushed into the room covered in sweat and with a pale face. She hugged her worriedly and asked, "What's wrong, Tingnan?"

"What happened to you, I hear?"

"Grandma, I'm scared. Please turn the oil lamp up a little brighter." Ting Nan's voice trembled slightly.

Grandma looked Tingnan up and down; her clothes were neat and tidy, so nothing terrible must have happened.

Wanting to take a closer look, Tingnan forgot about washing up and crawled into bed, her body still trembling uncontrollably.

Grandma pressed for answers, but Nan didn't say anything and buried her head completely under the covers.

Song Tingnan developed a high fever in the middle of the night. Her grandmother, with her bound feet, repeatedly applied a wet towel to her forehead. At dawn, she asked Song Wanli to call the barefoot doctor.

She was a little scared. Had her deceased granddaughter become attached to Tingnan? Fortunately, the dark cloud that was about to fall on her house eventually turned around, and Tingnan's fever broke.

The person hasn't woken up yet, it's been two days, and they're having seizures from time to time. Even the barefoot doctor couldn't do anything about it.

Qian Shuzhen thought of Ting Nan's pale face when she returned. After all, she was still a little girl and might have been "frightened". She decided to call back her soul.

I went and told Song Wanli to cooperate that night.

Song Wanli readily agreed. He listened to Nan Tiansheng's business acumen, which helped him gain a good reputation. He also bought a lot of products from Nan Tiansheng himself, which brought him considerable profits.

He also felt somewhat guilty for letting Song Tingnan, a child, run around outside.

That evening, Tingnan lay in bed, and her grandmother lit three incense sticks, took Tingnan's coat, and went out.

After a while, Grandma's voice came from afar: "Tingnan, come home with Grandma, Tingnan, come home with Grandma, Tingnan, step over the threshold and come home with Grandma..."

The voice grew closer, and my uncle answered from inside the room, "He's back! He's back! He's back!"

Grandma called out as she walked to Tingnan's bedside, covered Tingnan with her clothes, and touched her forehead: "Tingnan, you're back, you've come back with Grandma."

Nanzhen woke up in the middle of the night and said she was hungry. She hadn't eaten for two days and one night. Her grandmother fed her a bowl of thick white rice porridge.

Grandma and my eldest uncle joined in the chanting for two more nights. I heard that this kind of "suppressing fear" either involves chanting for one night or three nights.

After listening for a long time, Nan regained her energy and told her grandmother about the scary experience that night.

Her grandmother told her that she had been frightened, and that if she was frightened in the future, she should call back her soul at that moment, "calling her own nickname three times and saying that she was going home to drink soup and eat." Ting Nan carefully remembered this.

Her grandmother took her out to check the carrying pole again. The pole was left untouched, but when Qian Shuzhen saw the disassembled bamboo rake inside, she understood.

A bamboo rake consists of a straight bamboo pole and rake claws, and is used to rake straw, dry leaves, etc.

To make things easier, Tingnan disassembled the bamboo poles, which were carried on his shoulders like a carrying pole, and the rake claws were placed in a bamboo basket. He would assemble them on the spot if someone wanted to buy one.

It just so happened that both bamboo poles had hollow ends that day. When walking against the wind, especially when running, the wind would blow in and make a whooshing sound.

As for the "rustling" sound, it's because Tingnan walked on sandy roads and the soles of her shoes were worn down. Mainly, it's because Tingnan is too young and inexperienced.