Snail Senior Brother

Chapter 441 The Ghost Mansion Scheme

"You're giving me a gift?"

I stared in surprise at Old Ghost's plump face.

"Yeah, are you looking forward to it?"

"Looking forward to what? Is this even the time for gifts?"

Hearing Old Ghost say that, I felt a pang of sadness. "Then we won't be in touch anymore."

"No, after all, we are separated by yin and yang!"

"Damn it, you should stop it. When you were writing on my palm just now, I clearly felt your fingers were warm. How dare you say separated by yin and yang."

"That's because your heart was warm."

"Nonsense, don't go on and on."

"You really don't believe me?"

"Of course, I don't believe you."

"Then look at my hand."

Old Ghost snapped his fingers. I felt a puff of smoke come from his hand, and then a puff of smoke came from my eyes, and then I knew nothing more. When I woke up, only the phone was ringing.

My head was pounding. I rubbed my forehead and took out my phone from my pocket. It was Old Tie's call.

"What's up?"

"You finally answered the phone. You scared me to death. Where are you?"

I looked around the glass and saw a road sign under the dim streetlight. Then I told Old Tie, "Jianshe Second Road, isn't that the new outer ring road we built?"

"What are you doing out there?"

I wanted to say Old Ghost brought me here, but I saw Old Ghost was no longer in the driver's seat. He didn't want to expose his whereabouts, so I changed my mind and said, "The designated driver drove me here."

"The designated driver is beside me."

"Oh, it's okay, I'll drive back."

"How will you drive back?"

"I was drinking, but there was no one on this outer ring road. I'm sober now. I'll drive slowly along the side. You call a taxi to pick me up."

"The keys are with me?"

"What?"

At this moment, I felt a chill. The car was off. Old Tie then said that the keys were with him. Now the situation was truly bizarre. Without car keys, without a designated driver, the car itself brought me to the outer ring road.

"We've encountered a ghost."

"Stop talking nonsense, come pick me up first."

...

Old Tie took a taxi to pick me up, brought the designated driver, and drove the car to Qingzi's pancake shop. It was already late at night. I had already called Lin Han to let her know I was safe. Lin Han asked me what happened. I said I had drunk a bit too much and was sobering up at Qingzi's pancake shop before going home.

Lin Han told me there was a hangover medicine sold at the pharmacy tonight. I was already sober, but I still promised her I would buy some. So, at the pharmacy next to the pancake shop, after buying the hangover medicine, I went back inside. When I entered, I found the atmosphere was not right.

...

Xu Xiaoting, draped in Qingzi's clothes, her face pale, shivered. Qingzi remained silent. Old Tie, limping, went to find a bottle of beer, rolled up his trouser leg, and opened the beer with his "Blade Runner" leg.

"This is a late-night gathering, Brother Qing. Since we're at the shop, why not show off your skills again and make some pancakes? We can keep drinking."

"Can you still drink?" Qingzi asked me.

"Of course!" I raised the hangover medicine in my hand.

After Old Ghost wrote the character "解" (jiě - to solve, to untie) in my palm, my heavy heart was swept away. A troubled mind needs a soothing remedy, and Old Ghost's "解" was the best medicine.

Honestly, at this moment, I truly wanted to have another late-night gathering.

"Tang Nan, I'm so sorry. I originally wanted to treat you to a meal, but I didn't expect to encounter a ghost. You were almost taken away by a ghost."

Xu Xiaoting said with a crying voice, she didn't seem to be faking it at all, truly scared, her face pale.

"What ghost?"

Qingzi sighed and took over the conversation. "It's really a ghost. The place where we ate, wasn't it called Ghost House Private Kitchen?"

"Ah, yes. What about it?"

"At that time, you threw up there. We were about to leave. Xiaoting paid the bill, and then we left."

"Isn't that normal?"

Old Tie, drinking beer, continued the story. "At that time, we called a designated driver. When we went down, I realized I hadn't brought my phone. I didn't think about it when we left because I hadn't taken my phone out at all. But when we went back, I found there was no one at the place where we ate, and my phone was just lying on the ground."

I looked at Old Tie, and Old Tie looked at me.

I turned to look at Xu Xiaoting and Qingzi. They nodded at me, their expressions still somewhat terrified.

"It wasn't long ago. The shop disappeared," Qingzi continued, his expression and tone still shaken.

Moreover, at this moment, Xu Xiaoting added salt to the wound. "I distinctly remember a friend telling me that Ghost House Private Kitchen was delicious. But I just called around, and no one knows about this Ghost House Private Kitchen."

"If no one knows, how did you know about it?" Listening, I became interested.

"I think we encountered a ghost."

I looked at Old Tie, who frowned. "What do you want to ask?"

"You also think we encountered a ghost."

"Otherwise?"

Even Old Tie believed it. This guy grew up with antiques; he even believes this? Logically, he shouldn't. I wasn't at the scene, but the scene must have been more terrifying. After all, we saw the proprietress cooking when we were eating.

"Is there anything even weirder?"

Seeing that I didn't believe him, Qingzi wanted to persuade me further.

"What is it?"

Qingzi looked at Xu Xiaoting. Xu Xiaoting clutched her purse tightly. Qingzi persuaded her, "Just show him."

It was a lady's purse, and it looked quite valuable. However, with a husband who owned forty branch stores, using such a bag was within reason. I opened the bag and found a stack of hundred-yuan bills, with a few pieces of paper tucked in between. Upon closer inspection, they were paper money used for the deceased.

"What's going on?"

"When we paid the bill, I got change, about ten-odd yuan. I didn't pay much attention and put it in my wallet. After we realized it was a haunted house, we took out our wallet and saw that the change had turned into money from the underworld," Xu Xiaoting said.

"Give this to me."

As soon as I finished speaking, Qingzi snatched the wallet back. Xu Xiaoting also said, "Tang Nan, I'm the one who caused this. Whatever disaster or hardship comes, my husband and I will bear it. This has nothing to do with you. You just had a child, don't get involved in this spooky business. Misfortune is secondary; I'm afraid there's a risk to your life."

"If I take it, I'm afraid the spooky stuff will stick to me. Will it be fine if you two keep it?"

"No, that's not how it works. Tang Nan, you saved our lives. We've lived a good life for two years and are content. Even if this little ghost is looking for you, let us two bear it for you. Trading two lives for one is enough."

"What if it's more than two lives?"

Qingzi was stunned. Xu Xiaoting said with a bitter smile, "Then it's also our lives."

Seeing their expressions, I burst into laughter, bewildering Qingzi and Xu Xiaoting. I looked at Old Tie. "Do you think so too?"

Old Tie looked at me, his eyebrows suddenly raised. "I can sense you've returned."