She Makes Me Believe in Science - Chapter 27

Inside Weishui Town Hospital

“Wait, wait, wait! You’re telling me how your rib got broken?” Qi Buyu, biting into a steaming hot meat bun, stared in shock at Ji Shixing lying on the hospital bed. Her doe-like eyes were bright and incredibly expressive.

Ji Shixing’s gaze remained fixed on the meat bun. She hadn’t eaten since last night, and the various aromas wafting through the room were making her mouth water.

At the same time, she didn’t forget to glare at Song Qian, who was eating noodles nearby. “Song Qian kicked it and broke it.”

At least she had enough of a conscience to get her to a hospital, Ji Shixing thought, swallowing another mouthful of saliva as she watched the bun.

Qi Buyu was about to take a bite of her third bun when she noticed Ji Shixing’s constant swallowing. She asked hesitantly, “Do you want one?”

But as soon as she asked, she pulled the bun back. “Oh right, the doctor said you can’t eat yet.”

Ji Shixing: “…”

Qi Buyu sat down in the seat next to Song Qian and familiarly offered her a meat bun. “Sister, you’re amazing. Have you studied mixed martial arts or something?”

Ji Shixing’s eyes went wide.

Amazing!? She’s amazing!? My rib is broken and she’s the amazing one!?

Song Qian glanced awkwardly at the person on the bed who was gritting her teeth in anger. “I’ve taken a bit of Taekwondo.”

As they spoke, the ward door opened, and Lin Qing and Liu Changsheng walked in one after the other.

“We’re back. We handed that troublesome little snake over to the local investigation unit. It wasn’t some ‘Guardian Spirit,’ just a semi-spirit mooching off Song Fu’s family, though their luck really has been terrible lately.”

Seeing Liu Changsheng return, Qi Buyu immediately waved her over and offered the remaining buns in the bag.

Liu Changsheng glanced at them and turned her head away. “I don’t eat meat.”

“Ah, you don’t eat it,” Qi Buyu said regretfully. She then took one out and sighed. “We can’t waste food. Since you won’t eat it, I guess I’ll have to force myself to finish your leftovers.”

Liu Changsheng’s lip twitched almost imperceptibly before she turned her gaze toward Ji Shixing.

“I heard your rib was broken by a kick?”

Song Qian: “…” Stop asking, please stop asking. If you keep asking, the whole town will know I kicked someone’s rib into pieces.

Sure enough, Ji Shixing pointed a finger at Song Qian and nodded vigorously.

Lin Qing had only just found out as well. He had assumed the giant python was responsible, but…

Song Qian buried her head in her noodles, thinking that it was her own fault for dressing as a ghost to scare her.

Wait…

“Oh no!”

Lin Qing had just set his things down and was about to take a drink of water. Seeing Song Qian’s look of terror, he didn’t dare drink and asked with his hand still raised, “What’s wrong?”

“Wang Dachuan and his wife!”

They had rushed to the hospital overnight and completely forgotten about the two people in the pavilion!

Lin Qing hurriedly took a couple of gulps of water, grabbed his satchel, and prepared to leave. He paused at the door and looked back at Liu Changsheng. “Senior, are you coming?”

Liu Changsheng turned her prayer beads, sparely glancing at him. “No.”

“Alright then,” Lin Qing said, sounding a bit dejected.

By the time Lin Qing and Song Qian rushed back to Weishui Village, a crowd had already gathered around the square. People were pointing and whispering, their faces full of terror.

After parking the car, Lin Qing threw the door open and rushed over.

“What happened!?”

Grandma Song saw Lin Qing get out and called to him anxiously, “Xiao Lin is here!”

The crowd instinctively parted to let him through. Song Qian followed behind Lin Qing and her grandmother. Hidden from view, Ji Wuxin was slumped over Song Qian like she had no bones.

“Dachuan—”

The people in the center of the crowd were Wang Dachuan and Xiuhe. Wang Dachuan was lying on the ground, his face a ghastly shade of gray. His arms were raised stiffly, and his fingers were bent and twisted at impossible angles. Song Qian tried the position herself; a normal person’s fingers couldn’t possibly move that way.

“What’s wrong with him?” Lin Qing knelt to check Wang Dachuan’s eyelids, then felt his pulse and abdomen.

Seeing Lin Qing was like finding a piece of driftwood in the middle of the ocean for Xiuhe. She knelt before him and kowtowed repeatedly. Before Lin Qing could stop her, her forehead was already bleeding.

“Master, save him! Master, save him! I beg you, save our family!!”

Lin Qing pulled her up. “Stand up first. Tell me, what happened to him?”

Xiuhe’s hair was a tangled mess, and her clothes were soaking wet as if she’d just been fished out of the water. Her face bore visible bruises and slap marks.

“Last night, after Sensen and…” Xiuhe didn’t know how to explain Ji Shixing, so she stole a glance at Song Qian.

“After they left, Dachuan and I stayed in the pavilion. Everything was fine at first, but just before dawn, the pavilion suddenly started shaking. It shook so violently that Dachuan and I were thrown into the lake. I was terrified and kept splashing toward the shore…”

Xiuhe began to cry as she spoke. “When I climbed onto the bank, I realized Dachuan hadn’t come up. He… he’s usually such a good swimmer…”

Xiuhe couldn’t continue, tears falling like broken strings of pearls. Seeing this, Grandma Song finished the story for her.

“Then Xiuhe went to find Er Jinzi, who was up early for work. Er Jinzi fumbled around in the water for ages before he found Dachuan. He wasn’t breathing when he was pulled out, but they pumped the water out of him until he started breathing again.”

“Who is Er Jinzi?” Lin Qing looked toward the villagers behind him.

“Me, me, me!” A dark, thin, short man grinned as he squeezed out from the crowd.

Lin Qing frowned. Wang Dachuan was a burly man; an average person wouldn’t necessarily be able to pull him, let alone in the water.

“Did you find Wang Dachuan in the middle of the lake?”

Er Jinzi thought for a moment, looking up as he recalled the scene. “Not really. I didn’t dare go too deep when I went in. Someone died in that lake before, so I was scared too.”

“It was only a couple of steps in when I felt Dachuan’s head!” Er Jinzi’s eyes went wide, and he gestured wildly as he continued. “That scared me so much my legs went weak! Who falls into water and just stands there? This whole thing is cursed!”

“You’re saying he was standing in the water?” Lin Qing caught the detail. “Are you sure?”

“Positive!” Er Jinzi’s tone was serious, not at all like he was joking. “My god, I reached out and touched a freezing cold face. I thought I’d grabbed a water ghost.”

The villagers behind him all let out a collective “ugh,” clearly unconvinced.

Lin Qing felt the faint rise and fall of Wang Dachuan’s chest and looked at Xiuhe. “Is there any straw? Get some straw and lay it by the door, then let him lie on it.”

Xiuhe’s face went pale. Why would a living person sleep on a pile of straw?

***

It was mid-summer, and the midday sun was so hot it made people’s hair feel scorched. The onlookers had mostly dispersed. A few strong young men helped carry Wang Dachuan home. Xiuhe spread a layer of thick straw by the door, and Wang Dachuan lay stiffly on top of it.

Song Qian watched Lin Qing busily looking for talismans, brushes, and ink. Now that he was sitting calmly on a stool drinking tea, she couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Do you know what’s going on now?”

“The ghost of the female corpse came by last night. She took Dachuan’s soul.”

“So you know how to deal with her?” Song Qian still remembered the array that had locked her out last night, though out of respect for Lin Qing’s pride, she didn’t mention it.

“I don’t.” Lin Qing set his teacup down and picked up the car keys—the car still belonged to Ji Shixing.

“So, I’m going to get backup.”

“Then what about things here!?” Song Qian looked at Wang Dachuan’s eerie posture, feeling a chill.

Lin Qing’s voice drifted back from a distance: “You keep watch here, I’ll be back soon!”

Song Qian couldn’t help but curse him in her heart.

Choosing a spot far from the door, Song Qian prepared to find a show to watch.

“Not this one.”

The screen scrolled up slowly, paused for two seconds, and scrolled again.

Ji Wuxin browsed for a long time before finally finding the family drama she hadn’t finished.

“Watch this one!”

Song Qian felt like smashing the phone into her face. She gritted her teeth and was about to speak when someone arrived at the door.

It was Ji Jiusheng.

“Uncle Ji?” Song Qian stood up quickly, slipping her phone into her pocket. “Why are you here?”

Ji Jiusheng gave a soft smile. “Can’t I come?” He really couldn’t wait any longer.

“Of course you can, it’s just… it’s just…” Song Qian was hesitant. Based on Uncle Ji’s appearance, he was likely here to ask about what she’d said at dinner. She didn’t know how to bring up ghosts and gods.

“You can see ghosts, can’t you?” Ji Jiusheng stared intently at Song Qian, his fingers gripping tight enough that his knuckles were turning white.

He had waited over twenty years for this day. Song Qian returning with Lin Qing had given him hope.

Song Qian was stunned. Even Ji Wuxin let out a surprised “huh.” “How does he know?”

“Yes,” Song Qian answered truthfully.

Ji Jiusheng’s eyes instantly turned red, and he even began looking around the space near Song Qian. “Then, is there… is there a girl with you?”

Song Qian instinctively looked at Ji Wuxin. Of course!

The jade was a gift from Uncle Ji; he knew there was something special about it!

Noticing her reaction, Ji Jiusheng followed her gaze. “Here? Is she here!?”

“Uncle Ji…?”

Realizing he had lost his composure, Ji Jiusheng’s lifelong manners quickly calmed him down, though tears flowed uncontrollably. “Sorry, Sensen.”

“Uncle Ji, do you know something?” Song Qian touched the jade at her chest, as if hinting at its secret.

Ji Jiusheng saw the gesture, and his entire body suddenly relaxed, as if a weight on his chest had finally been lifted. His smile became more genuine. Even though he was in his forties with graying hair at his temples, Song Qian could catch a glimpse of the high-spirited youth he once was in that smile.

“Sensen, there are indeed things you should know. I’ll go talk to your grandmother first. Once you’ve handled things here, I’ll tell you everything.”

Ji Jiusheng left, humming a song he liked in his youth, clearly in high spirits.

Ji Wuxin snorted. “How strange.” She didn’t like this old man.

Song Qian accompanied Ji Wuxin through four or five episodes of the drama before Lin Qing returned, followed by a cheerful Qi Buyu and Liu Changsheng.

So this was the “backup.”

“I thought the Senior said she wasn’t coming?” Song Qian was curious how Lin Qing had convinced Liu Changsheng.

Liu Changsheng sighed, thinking about the extra fifty thousand yuan in her bank account. “They offered too much.”

Song Qian: “Oh.”