488. Grandpa’s Ghost Story【20/60】
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It was already nine o’clock at night.
Lin Nan was sitting in a rickety tricycle as she arrived in front of her grandpa’s house.
She gently knocked on the door a few times and waited, but there was no response. Stretching on her tiptoes, she peered through the window and saw that the house was dark.
Looks like nobody’s home?
While Grandpa and Grandma weren’t exactly night owls compared to young folks, when you compared them to other old folks who played mahjong until dawn, these two were practically full of energy.
She sighed softly, cradling her bulging little belly, and turned to the convenience store not far away.
At the wedding banquet, she’d been too restrained and embarrassed to eat much, but later, following her two cousins to the street for barbecue, she ended up stuffing herself.
Too bad her second cousin was leaving tomorrow; otherwise, when they went up the mountain late at night in a couple of days, at least she’d have company. With more people around, if they did happen to encounter a ghost, it wouldn’t be so terrifying.
Her cousin Lin Jin flaking on her was understandable; after all, Lin Nan’s situation had spread like wildfire. The wedding had included everyone in the village, and such explosive gossip? Well, once the banquet ended, everyone knew all about it.
She’d only meant to share the news with a few familiar cousins and some neighbor aunties, but now Lin Nan felt like she couldn’t show her face in the village at all.
She was about to explode from embarrassment, okay?
Taking her sweet time, she arrived at the convenience store and peeked inside, spotting a few middle-aged folks glued to the TV.
To the outside, the place looked like any ordinary convenience store. However, when one stepped past the curtain into the back room, it was packed with middle-aged and older people, three tables of mahjong already heated up.
“Whose girl is this?” an old auntie asked, peering over. “Who are you looking for?”
The old auntie was the store owner. Lin Nan had called her “cousin” since she was little, thinking it was just a term of endearment, only to learn later that they actually shared some distant bl**d relation—and even Grandpa couldn’t clarify how Lin Nan should address her.
“Looking for Grandpa…” Lin Nan replied softly, craning her neck to catch sight of the crowd.
Maybe it was the mention of “Grandpa,” but he turned his head from the game, recognized Lin Nan, stood up, and squeezed through the crowd.
At that moment, Lin Nan finally spotted her grandpa. A smile instantly bloomed on her face as she rushed over.
“Why didn’t you give me a heads-up before coming?” Grandpa maintained his usual lean and stern expression, but his tone was gentle, “Have you eaten dinner yet?”
“I have.”
“Your granddaughter? Never met her before, huh?” The old auntie came up, cheerfully complimenting Lin Nan, “You’re so pretty! Got a boyfriend yet? How about considering my boy?”
As she spoke, she reached out to pinch Lin Nan’s cheeks, but Grandpa swiftly swatted her hand away, glaring, “Keep your hands to yourself! You’ll scare her!”
“I thought we agreed—you’d let them meet!”
Grandpa tugged Lin Nan toward the exit, muttering under his breath, “Her boy isn’t good enough for you! He’s as scrawny as a monkey!”
Lin Nan chuckled awkwardly. Grandpa had a strong grip, making her wrist ache, yet she didn’t dare pull away.
Once outside the convenience store, Grandpa finally released her hand and turned to ask, “Has your mom come?”
“No, I came back just for my cousin’s wedding. It’s just me.”
“Cousin? What are you doing over there?” Grandpa strode toward the house, mumbling, “If I had known you were coming, I would’ve bought more groceries. Now there’s nothing at home.”
Grandpa had a habit of buying fresh ingredients every morning. Usually, after dinner, there were only leftovers, and by late night, he’d be drinking white liquor while munching on the remains.
But he’d never pull out leftovers for Lin Nan.
Reaching the little villa along the street, Grandpa opened the small door with his key and hurried upstairs.
“I’ll make your bed; you can watch some TV downstairs.”
Although Grandpa had just recovered from a recent illness, he seemed healthier than Lin Nan, bustling around energetically. While his frame may have been small, he was surprisingly strong.
Lin Nan felt far more relaxed as she settled in a chair on the first floor, switching on the TV to find something interesting.
Grandpa soon returned, completely ignoring Lin Nan and threw the front door wide open.
“What are you doing leaving the door open?” Lin Nan asked, tilting her head in curiosity, but saw that Grandpa had hopped on his electric bike and zoomed off.
This grandpa… does he always move at light speed?
With a wry smile, Lin Nan rubbed her temples. She had intended to take a shower, but now she was forced to set that thought aside and wait for Grandpa to return.
About half an hour later, feeling more bored than tired, Grandpa rolled back into the house.
The second he stepped in, he scolded Lin Nan without skipping a beat: “Can’t you close the door? Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold with the draft blowing in?”
After wrapping up his lecture, he slid a bowl of freshly bought kn*fe-cut noodles in front of her before parking his electric bike in the corner and shutting the door.
Lin Nan couldn’t help but feel exasperated. She had said she had already eaten, yet here was Grandpa specifically getting her a bowl of her favorite kn*fe-cut noodles.
And how could she refuse…? The smell was wafting up her nose like the sweetest temptation.
Rubbing her slightly swollen belly, she swallowed hard, popping open the takeout box and picking up disposable chopsticks.
“Oh, by the way, Grandpa, are there ghosts on the back mountain?” After slurping down a couple of bites, Lin Nan suddenly looked up and asked.
“Ghosts?” Grandpa paused, then nodded, “There used to be.”
Lin Nan’s face stiffened: “There really are ghosts?”
“I saw one decades ago; you probably encountered ghosts when you were little too.” Grandpa, who had gone to grab some leftover food and a bottle of white liquor from the kitchen, sat down next to her.
Pouring himself a glass, he took a sip of the liquor and plunged into memories: “Decades ago, this place was chaotic, with bandits and thieves in the mountains… Back then, I was probably in my twenties. That night, there was no moon, and it was dark as pitch…”
Lin Nan’s body instinctively tensed, her mind racing as she imagined the pitch-black of the night. She stared nervously at Grandpa, waiting for the continuation of his story.
However, that usually serious face suddenly broke into a smile: “Just kidding! There are no ghosts!”
“Huh?”
“You’re into superstition? What century do you think you’re in? You still believe in this nonsense? You’re a college student, for heaven’s sake! Where’s your education gone?” Grandpa chuckled and poured himself another glass of liquor, “Want a sip? A little liquor is good for your health.”
Lin Nan was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly shook her head, refusing the white liquor.
This grandpa, who usually seemed so stern, suddenly pulling a prank was a bit much to handle.
The contrast was just too intense!
