Country Paranormal Archives

Chapter 27 The White Shadow in the House
After entering the house, I found that the old man's house seemed a little strange. I couldn't tell why it was so strange for a while, but I had an intuition that this house might be abnormal.Before he recovered, there was a sudden squeak, which made grandpa jump in fright. Looking back, it turned out that the old man had closed the gate. Why are you closing the gate in broad daylight!

"The wind is a bit strong, and there is no fire at home. The only way to keep warm these days is by closing the door." The old man smiled, and there was a hint of apology in his cloudy eyes.As soon as the door was closed, the room went dark instantly. Fortunately, the bright tiles above the head and a few damaged tiles could still let out a little light, so that the house would not be as dark as night.

"Oh, no wonder I said why it's already morning and I haven't seen your old man open the door. At first I was afraid that you would make a waste of a trip when you were not at home. Finally, when I saw that the door was not locked, I thought it might be because you didn't get up. It turned out to be That’s the thing. That’s right, the days go by too fast, and it’s going to be the beginning of winter in a blink of an eye, and it’s getting colder and colder, you always have to pay attention to your health, and if you run out of firewood, just tell us juniors, I I'll bring you some." Grandpa responded, feeling a little uncomfortable in his heart, after all, the old man was lonely and had no fire at home, how could he live in such a cold day.Although the old man didn't say anything, the grandfather also guessed that there must be not much firewood at home.If I can take care of cooking, I can't take care of the brazier, and I have to send some chopped firewood to the old man tomorrow...

"It's okay, it's okay, how can I always ask you to send this to that? I'm a lonely old man, and I won't die from the cold. Besides, at such an advanced age, I should go to the King of Hell to do business. Living is the burden of the neighbors in the village." The old man waved his hands as he spoke, and his tone was a little slow, as if he was struggling. "Cough, cough..." Before he could finish speaking, the old man couldn't help coughing, and his face turned red, probably because he had caught a cold.

The temperature inside the house seemed to be lower than outside, and a trace of cold air rushed up from the soles of the feet, and the cold grandpa shivered instantly.Oh, is this house leaking air or something, why is it so cold, like an ice cellar, where can people live?No wonder the old man's hands are so cold to the touch. When he has time, he will take some business with him, and then find a few people from the same village to help the old man pick up the roof tiles, tidy them up, and repair any broken ones.And the window paper must be pasted up again, otherwise it will not freeze to death at home this winter, and I don’t know how the old man lives alone on weekdays. How can he sleep at night with this temperature?
The furnishings in the house are very simple, and you can see everything clearly at a glance.The tables and chairs were still placed in the middle of the main room, a table and four chairs were neatly arranged there.Every time I come to the old man's house, it's like this, the tables and chairs are neat and tidy, and even the positions haven't changed at all.It’s because it’s too tidy that it looks a bit weird. It doesn’t look like my own home. I usually put the chairs against the corner and only take them out and put them around the table when eating. Even if there are guests, it’s casual. Move towards the house.Perhaps it was due to the habit of the old man, grandpa didn't think much about it.

As soon as he entered the house, Grandpa put the things in his hands on the table and rubbed his hands that were a little frozen.It was really cold that day, and my hands were numb and painful after being exposed to the air for a while.The table is an ordinary square table in a farmhouse, the yellow paint on it has peeled off, and the part where the wood is exposed has been eaten by moths, and there are densely packed small holes.

There was a pot of tea and two teacups on the table. The spout of the pot was still steaming, and it looked like it had just been boiled. One of the cups was already filled with water, and there were still a few small pieces of yellow-green tea leaves floating on the water surface. Just by looking at it, I feel a little more warmth on my body.The other glass was empty, but it was placed on the other side of the table.

"Come, come. The tea you just made, drink some to warm your body. The wind is so strong this morning, the road must be freezing..." The old man picked up the kettle and poured tea into the empty cup on the table. Glowing light green verdure, traces of white air rising upwards.

A column of white light above the head happened to hit the old man's tea pouring hands directly. They were hands full of stories. The wrinkles were like ravines, and the age spots showed the age of the owner of these hands.The most prominent thing is the old man's nails that are longer than the average person, which looks a little hideous.

My grandfather also asked me before if I wanted to help cut the nails. I thought it was because the old man was too old to see or his hands were too weak to cut it. At that time, the old man said that he had been used to it.But every time I come back, the old man's nails are always that long, with a pointy arc at the front end. I don't know if it's been left for a long time or what. It is the claw of a feline.

The gurgling water poured from the spout into the porcelain cup, and the cup was filled in a second or two.After the old man finished pouring the water, he handed the cup to grandpa, who quickly took it with both hands.The color of the soup in the small white porcelain cup was green, and the heat radiated from the rim of the cup, and the hands felt a little warm.Two teacups and a pot of water. Thinking of this, Grandpa finally figured out what was wrong.

Yes, this is the teacup!How could they have placed two neatly beforehand, in different directions on the table!If the old man drinks tea alone at home, he only needs one cup, not to mention the other three cups are placed on the small coffee table not far away.Did anyone come here just now or the old man already knew he was coming?Grandpa pretended to be calm and suppressed the question in his heart without even thinking about it. It's better not to ask about this matter.

As for the tea in the cup, Grandpa squinted his eyes slightly and sniffed at the end of his nose, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, turned the cup, swallowed and tasted it, after a few mouthfuls, his stomach gradually warmed up.Although the taste of this tea is not very good, it has an unusual fragrance.

"How about it, can I still drink my tea, haha..." The old man looked at his grandfather and asked with a smile, the wrinkles on his face instantly gathered, making him more kind and friendly.

"This tea is good, very fragrant. By the way, I haven't given you what I brought here." Grandpa picked up the bag on the table and opened it, ready to show the old man the cotton coat and eggs.

Because the eggs and rice are packed in a small bag and put together with the cotton coat in a big snakeskin bag, grandpa was more careful when handling them, for fear of dropping the eggs on the ground.Eggs at this time can be regarded as a relatively luxurious food. Except for the holidays, the family is not very willing to eat them.

Gently put the small bag containing the eggs on the ground, and grandpa took out three cotton coats from the snakeskin bag. "Here, my old lady made three cotton clothes for you, a cotton jacket, a cotton trousers, and a cotton vest with a chest protector inside. Except for the old cloth used for the lining, everything else is new, cotton It’s also stuffed thickly, here, let me show you. There are a few catties of eggs in this small bag, plus some rice, I don’t know if it’s enough, if I’m done eating, I’ll bring you some more…”

"Oh, thank you for your trouble, I don't even want to wear such a good cotton dress!" The old man became happy when he saw the thick cotton coat with fine stitching and smooth fabric, and the brilliance in his eyes instantly lit up.It can be seen that a little bit of kindness to the old man will make him very satisfied.The tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop, the child wants to support but the relatives don't wait.Perhaps, for the elderly, their requirements are not high.A little warmth, a little care is enough.

"Isn't it because you're afraid that you'll always be cold? As juniors, we must ensure that you have enough food and clothing, otherwise people will poke your spine and say you're not filial. Haha, you can just treat us as your own relatives anyway. If you need anything, just tell me. I live nearby, and it only takes about [-] minutes to climb the mountain. If you, the elderly, are not feeling well or are running out of food and supplies at home, please ask someone to send me a message." Grandpa Scratching his head habitually, he said generously.

"Oh, it's just a burden for you. I'll just accept the cotton coat and eggs. Thanks to you, I guess I can survive this winter in peace." Tears flickered in the old man's eyes, My heart is also full of emotion.At such an old age, if there are still people who care about it, it must be because they have done good deeds in their previous lives.

"Look at what you always say, not only today's winter, even ten years from now, you will still be alive and well, you are our old birthday star, you even survived the time of hunger, The blessing is great, it must be as written in that book, the blessing is like the East China Sea, and the life expectancy is longer than Nanshan!"

"Only you can say some auspicious words to make my old man happy. Well, I'll accept this thing. I don't know how to say thank you. It's meaningless to say more. If you have time, come here for a drink. Tea, there is nothing to entertain at home, as long as you don’t dislike it. To be honest, this person is old, and he is not afraid of death or immortality. However, he is still a bit boring on weekdays, and he just wants to talk to more people.” No children and grandchildren Around the knees, without his wife to accompany him, no relatives to take care of him, the old man has been too lonely these years.

Hearing this, Grandpa felt very sad. Thinking of his mother who had passed away for many years, tears came down involuntarily. The son wanted to raise him but he would not wait for him. I should visit the old man more often when I have time. People, sometimes sending things is not enough.

Grandpa said decisively: "Well, I'll come over as soon as I'm free. By the way, it seems that this house needs to be repaired. In a few days, I will find a mason to come over and help you repair the roof with the villagers. Also, the rafters should be strengthened, and the windows need to get some plastic sheeting for you to fix. The paper will be torn if the wind is too strong. That's it for today, I should go, and I will come to see you next time. .”

"Okay, okay, thank you for your kindness, I'll see you off..." The old man said good three times in a row, and followed his grandfather to send him out.Grandpa blocked it, "It's only a few steps away, it's windy outside, I can walk by myself, you old man, don't be so polite." He opened the door and waved goodbye to the old man, just a few steps away Step over the threshold.

The old man's movements were also very nimble, and he followed his grandfather in one or two steps, ready to see him off for a while.Grandpa didn't think much about it, he smiled and signaled not to see him off, and tried his best to close the door to prevent the old man from coming out.Every time before leaving, the old man would send himself a long way.It's a downhill road when you get out of the house. It's not good for the elderly to fall and touch them when they are old.Seeing the action of grandpa closing the door, the old man also pretended to be angry and said: "I don't even allow delivery, really!" Although the tone was complaining, but there was a smile on his face, how could he not understand grandpa's kindness.

The old man let go without fighting with his grandfather, and the door closed with his strength. At this time, a black cat who didn't know where it came from slipped out of the door, purred and disappeared into the weeds. .Only the long "meow..." was still echoing in the wind.

After walking for a long time, Grandpa remembered that the old man's family didn't seem to have ever raised a cat.Otherwise, why haven't I seen it before?Could it be the wild cats on the mountain or other cats coming to look for food?Not like it either!With doubts in his stomach, Grandpa walked towards home.With the orange-yellow sun shining behind him, the old man's single house seemed more and more cold and lonely.Behind the door that hadn't been closed just now, a pair of cloudy eyes were watching Grandpa's back.

(End of this chapter)