am I supposed to callI trembled and pressed my brother's hotkey, hearing the dial tone ring several times before anyone answered —"Click-clack." The sound of high heels echoed down the alley beside...Dad glanced back over his shoulder and said slowly, "This thing's got a sensor, we must be close to our destination."

Need I say more

Since I set up an auction company specializing in "art," my channels have expanded significantly.

My family used to run a shady business, mainly dealing in illicit items. Later, I leveraged my wife's family background to legitimize our wealth and wholeheartedly supported my father-in-law's patriotism. Being her husband wasn't easy.

But to me, personal hardship doesn't matter; a man must always shoulder the family responsibilities.

Marriage, starting a family, establishing oneself in society, honoring one's wife and children, respecting the elderly and loving the young...

I looked at the Buddhist abbot next to me and silently flipped him off in my head.

Respect for the elderly and love for the young

In your forties, before reaching fifty, you start acting like an old man, what will happen then

"Dad, I'm not saying this to offend you, but you won't attract any older women like that."

The old man was taken aback: "What would I have the old woman like to do"

"...You should at least find a partner, right"

"No."

"Old Chen's cooking is too rough, Qin Yaya's dishes are like something out of science fiction, Xiao Qiao went to Nanshan for recuperation, we're almost starving!"

"Why don't you just hire a chef"

"The chef isn't family, I always feel he can't be trusted. We can't tell our family secrets to outsiders..."

"No way, I'm a virgin!"

“……”

All the way, I bickered with my old man until we reached the place that widow had set up for us.

People in this circle usually tend to be solitary, even if they live in densely populated areas, they prefer to keep a low profile and avoid mingling with ordinary people.

The house at the back of this village, that's the address the widow gave us.

She was already standing on the mound of earth at the doorstep, waiting for us.

"...This woman spends all day with negative energy, and she's still so vibrant Something's fishy..." Dad stroked his chin, reminding me.

Indeed, those who can dig sand, unearth graves, and rob tombs are all ruthless and heartless. But no matter how capable you are in this line of work, on the surface, you have to be low-key and humble.

This woman is quite bold in her words and actions. She doesn't shrink back at all, and is even quite sharp-tongued. Either she is confident beyond measure, or she is a desperado.

“She wouldn’t be desperate enough to do something like this, if she wasn't afraid of death. Why would she come to us It must be these shoes causing her family and mind unrest.” The old man analyzed: “When you question her later, ask about her children.”

"Good."

I parked my car on the side of the road. Not far away was a dilapidated shrine, a small "temple" dedicated to some deity. After I got out of the car, I went over and lit three incense sticks, not knowing if this place was blessed or not.

The widow dressed conservatively in the village. She walked up and said softly, "How did you get here so smoothly I thought you would take a detour... Every time my men come over, they take a long way around."

"We're pretty powerful, aren't we" I clapped my hands and looked at her two-story house.

It's just a common two-story farmhouse, not very complex in structure. There's a main hall downstairs and rooms upstairs. The courtyard is a little messy and there's a well covered up.

"Do you still have a well in this courtyard" He stood at the entrance and looked inside.

"My husband's family land, well, we demolished the old house and rebuilt it years ago. It's been over ten years now. That well ran dry ages ago, and we filled it in long before that!" The widow clutched her coat tighter.

She was too round and full, she couldn't even zip up her clothes.

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This style, it's no wonder if someone comes knocking on a widow's door.

"Originally, both of my children lived here because it's more low-key and discreet, but ever since something happened with one of my subordinates, I haven't dared to live here anymore."

"Shoes are generally not easy to sell because the pronunciation is unlucky. Even experts don't accept shoes that have been soaked in water from a corpse. We didn't pay attention when we were distributing goods, and somehow, one of my subordinates took it away."

"At first, I didn't realize anything was wrong. It wasn't until I heard rumors that my subordinate died in Hong Kong that I started to get scared. Our province is most famous for the Mu family's ghost-related business dealings, so I came to you guys... If it were just an ordinary haunting, I wouldn't be afraid."

I looked around her house, both inside and out, but didn't see anything unusual. It seemed normal at first glance, yet there was a strange aura surrounding me.

All in all, standing here can make one feel a bit agitated and oppressed.

"Why did you lock the front door" I pointed to the entrance of the hall.

There was still a yellow talisman hanging above, which had been motionless at first. After we anchored nearby, it began to flutter in the windless air, making a rustling sound.

The sound seemed to echo the thumping in our car's trunk.

"You... you didn't get another shoe, did you" The widow eyed me warily.

"So what if it is, so what if it isn't Why are you making such a fuss Just tell us what happened... I have to get home."

I'm not really interested in these spooky things anymore, probably because I've seen a lot of "big scenes," so I'm too lazy to pay attention to these small skirmishes.

Now the only things that occupy my thoughts are my family and those who have wronged me with sorcery.

Those people's roots are overseas. I don't have the ability to go overseas and eradicate them at their source, so I can only be careful on all fronts and prevent these people from reaching my family and friends.

Especially now, Qinyi is pregnant and Xiaoqiao has gone to Nanshan, only occasionally coming back. I rarely leave my small shop at home.

Qinyi's a broad-minded woman. Even when pregnant, she doesn't act fussy at all. She refused her mother-in-law's invitation to stay in the big villa for her pregnancy and insisted on living with me instead.

When I am away from home, I feel uneasy, even though there's Old Chen, Da Bao, the old lady Wu, and that cat Ling guarding it. Ordinary riffraff wouldn't dare come near, but I still can't shake this feeling of unease.

He was worried about her and the little one she carried in her womb.

"Hey! What are you daydreaming about!" Dad slapped me, pulling me back to reality.

This old man narrowed his eyes with an experienced look: "Kid, when you were at home, I didn't see you so worried. Now that you have a wife, it's different. You go out and seem like you're daydreaming. Sure enough, raising a son is for nothing!"

"Cut the chatter..." I rubbed my nose and turned to the widow, asking, "Where are your children This house is locked up. Where do you all live"

I kept the shoes in the house and didn't let the children stay there anymore. I temporarily moved them to a small inn at the village entrance, saying that our home was being fumigated for pests.

The widow said that her daughter had been walking lame one evening and stood straight at the edge of a dry well. Thinking it was just the child being playful, she called out a few times to get her to bed.

After that, there was nothing unusual. But after a few days, she noticed that every night her daughter would limp down from the second-floor room and stand by the well.

"And, her movements became more and more strange, her head gradually drooping down... That day when I saw her, her head was already hanging down to her chest. At a glance, it looked like her neck was broken, I almost got scared to death!"said, "Mom, you're being so rude!""Let it be considered rude, for this matter is of great importance. I'll play the old man card and act entitled just once!" Madam Lin took a deep breath.“Miss Mu, we...