“Hey, isn’t the female master here? Ask the master to analyze the situation”, someone jeered.
Yun Qin was still thinking about the evil spirit mark on Mr. Zhao’s body. Just as she was about to activate her “Insight” ability to take a look, she replied, “If the entire village makes stuff for the dead, it is indeed easy to perpetrate some sort of taboo.”
Everyone was in an uproar and started to discuss among themselves. Yun Qin, on the other hand, recalled Mr. Zhao’s appearance in her mind and activated her “Insight” ability.
Some time ago when she saw Mr. Zhao, he was still happy in his old age and his children were filial. Now, Yun Qin could sense that Mr. Zhao was unhappy and slightly afraid.
Combined with the rumors of “livestock dying” in the Zhao village, Yun Qin felt that this was not a simple matter.
Since she had discovered some clues, Yun Qin decided not to delay and immediately set off.
Taking advantage of the fact that the old men and women were chatting fervently and not paying attention to her, Yun Qin rushed to the address in Zhao village that the old man mentioned.
After driving out of the bustling capital and passing a small river, Yun Qin saw a small blue and white villa.
According to the old men and women who were familiar with Mr. Zhao, this villa was his home.
Yun Qin parked her car on the side of the road, walked to the front door, and looked inside.
The cement floor in the courtyard was a mess. On the left, the floor was covered with hay straws and chicken droppings. On the right, there was a small dog house. On the side of the dog house, there was a bowl filled with rice mixed with soup. However, there was not a single animal in the small courtyard.
“Is anyone there? Mr. Zhao?” Yun Qin asked loudly.
It was close to evening and the sun was setting. However, this small villa was completely silent, as if no one lived here.
Yun Qin called out a few times. Seeing that there was still no response, she gave up resentfully.
This villa was located upstream of the river. It was the only building in the area since it was still some distance away from the main strip in the village.
Mr. Zhao and his wife, who usually lived here, were not at home. Where did they go?
Just as Yun Qin was at a loss, she heard footsteps behind her. Then, she heard an old woman’s voice, “Who are you?”
Yun Qin turned around and saw that it was an old lady in her seventies. There was also a black ghost mark on her wrist.
“Hello, Grandma. My name is Yun Qin. Are you Mr. Zhao’s wife?”
The old lady sized her up and asked warily, “Yes, I am. Who are you?”
Yun Qin smiled kindly and said, “I’m traveling and here to take some photos. I know Mr. Zhao from the village, so I came to visit him.”
The old lady saw that the girl in front of her was thin and had clean eyes. She did not look like someone who committed crimes, so she let down her guard and opened the door for Yun Qin. She said, “My husband went out to pick herbs. He’ll be back later. Come in and have a cup of tea first.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Yun Qin successfully entered the door and received a cup of hot tea from the old lady. She then sat down on the small stool in the courtyard.
Looking at the mess on the ground, Yun Qin was a little puzzled. She could not help but ask, “Grandma, what’s going on? Have you raised chickens before?”
The old lady also sat down next to her. Looking at the yard, she sighed. “The chickens probably caught the plague that is going around the village. They all died yesterday.”
“Plague?”
From Mr. Zhao’s wife’s description, Yun Qin learned about the ‘plague’ that caused a huge disaster to this small village.
A few days ago, the chickens, ducks, and fish in the village suddenly began to die on a large scale. Initially, the villagers thought that it was some kind of plague, so they either burned or buried their dead livestock. However, the plague still spread to every corner of the village, and every household suffered.
Even Mr. Zhao’s family, who lived in a more remote area, did not escape the plague, and his dozen or so chickens all died.
The village chief explained that this was an extremely infectious livestock plague, but it would not infect humans. Every day, the public announcement was to remind every household to deal with the dead livestock and not to spread it outside.
“Why don’t you get the disease departments to come and take care of it?” Yun Qin was a little surprised.
The old lady shook her head and said, “The villagers don’t allow it. They said that once the officials are here, they would “clean up” the village, including the entire village’s livelihood.”
The village where Mr. Zhao lived was commonly called Zhao village. However, its original name was Lao Guan Village, and outsiders always called it “Coffin Village”.
The reason for this name was because every household in this village relied on making coffins, wreaths, paper figurines, ghost coins, and other sacrificial items to make a living.
The coffins and burial items needed by the surrounding villages and towns were all purchased from Coffin Village.
“If that’s the case, then there’s no other way.”
Yun Qin nodded to show her understanding. After all, compared to some livestock, the livelihood of the entire village was naturally more important.