Hearing Xie Xiaofeng speak so casually, the villagers all showed delighted expressions.

After a pause, the village chief looked at Xie Xiaofeng with a pained expression and said, "Young man, I have an uninvited request. This old lady has always been a respected elder in our village, kind-hearted and particularly good to the villagers. We hope that when the time comes, you can persuade her to pass on peacefully, rather than use..."

The village chief did not finish speaking and appeared very embarrassed.

"Don't worry!" Chen Hao's eyes twinkled. "We will definitely persuade the old lady to move on, and if it really doesn't work, we will use the gentlest method to help her transcend!"

A gleam of light passed through the village chief's eyes! He suddenly stood up from his chair, tightly grasping Chen Hao's hand, his face full of excitement as he said, "Really? Thank you so much!"

A quarter of an hour later, the village chief left the house with the villagers.

At that moment, Tang Jing suddenly hugged Ye Yuqiao's waist and said in a pleading voice, "Yuqiao, I'm so scared to sleep in a room by myself, please sleep with me tonight."

"Tang Jing!" Chen Hao glanced sideways at Tang Jing with a look of disdain. "She is my girlfriend! Are you trying to steal her from me? Besides, isn't there a single, handsome young man right here!"

With that, Chen Hao clapped a hand on Xie Xiaofeng's shoulder. Immediately, Xie Xiaofeng's eyes sparkled as he teased, "Exactly, if you're really scared, I can make a sacrifice for a companion tonight!"

"Both of you are jerks!" Tang Jing snorted disdainfully and then turned to Ye Yuqiao she was hugging tightly and asked, "Yuqiao, won't you take pity on me?"

"Okay!" Ye Yuqiao smiled slightly. "Tonight, the two of us will sleep together!"

Chen Hao was taken aback and asked darkly, "Why? I haven't agreed yet!"

"So stingy!" Tang Jing rolled her eyes at Chen Hao. "It's just borrowing your girlfriend for one night. I don't care whether you agree or not, Yuqiao is mine tonight!"

"If only I could borrow her for a night too!" Xie Xiaofeng accidentally let his inner thoughts slip out.

"Ah!" The other three were all stunned.

Xie Xiaofeng laughed awkwardly and hastily waved his hands, explaining, "Just joking!"

"Xie Xiaofeng!" Chen Hao glared furiously at Xie Xiaofeng, his left fist clenched and raised high in the air.

"Yuqiao, let's go to sleep! Let those two jerks fight it out here," Tang Jing said, leading Ye Yuqiao into one of the rooms.

Lying on the warm kang bed and covered by a thick cotton quilt, Tang Jing turned to gaze at Ye Yuqiao's cheek and couldn't help exclaiming, "Yuqiao, you are really beautiful!"

Ye Yuqiao was taken aback; this was her first time sharing a bed with someone other than Chen Hao, even though it was also a woman, she still felt somewhat uneasy inside. After a pause, she turned her head to look at Tang Jing and smiled slightly, "Tang Jing, you're quite cute too!"

Suddenly, Tang Jing leaned in and kissed Ye Yuqiao's smooth cheek, then laughed, "Haha, I will definitely boast to that jerk Chen Hao tomorrow and tell him I kissed his girlfriend last night!"

Ye Yuqiao was stunned! This was her first time being kissed by someone other than Chen Hao, and it was by a girl.

"Ah!" Tang Jing showed a look of panic and quickly explained, "Yuqiao, please don't mind. I kissed you because I consider you a close friend."

"Close friend?" Ye Yuqiao frowned slightly, the term felt somewhat foreign to her.

After pondering for a long while, Ye Yuqiao's blurry eyes suddenly cleared up as if cleansed, and then she leaned forward and kissed Tang Jing's cheek, laughing in a dazed manner, "Right, we are close friends!"

"Yuqiao!" Tang Jing was overjoyed, then hugged Ye Yuqiao tightly and kissed her cheek multiple times, saying, "Your cheeks are really smooth, no wonder that jerk Chen Hao likes to kiss you so much!"

Ye Yuqiao gave a shy smile.

"From now on I want to sleep with you every night!"

"Hm?" Ye Yuqiao hesitated. "I bet that jerk Chen Hao won't be happy about that."

"Never mind him!" Tang Jing said with a light chuckle, her eyes closed.

"By the way, do you think that jerk and Xie Xiaofeng will end up like us?" Ye Yuqiao asked.

Tang Jing let out a laugh and said, "How could they! I can't believe you would ask such a cute question, Yuqiao. Don't worry, they won't!"

By the second day, the sky was still dim as dawn approached, and since Ye Yuqiao was not quite accustomed to sleeping with others, she rose early. After silently leaving the room, she headed straight for Chen Hao's.

Chen Hao was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling when Yuqiao walked in. His excitement was unmistakable as he immediately tossed off the covers and said to Yuqiao, "Yuqiao, come in! I couldn't sleep all night without you by my side!"

As soon as Yuqiao slipped under the covers, her unique scent instantly permeated the world within. "Girlfriend, can't you sleep without me either?" Chen Hao asked as he pulled Yuqiao into his embrace.

"Mhm!" Yuqiao closed her eyes.

Chen Hao held Yuqiao tight and said, "Since it's still dark, let's sleep a bit more."

"Mhm, boyfriend, hurry and lull me to sleep! Sing a song or tell a little story."

"Sure thing!" Chen Hao agreed softly, and then began to whisper the story of the Tortoise and the Hare into Yuqiao's ear. As Chen Hao told the story, Yuqiao gradually fell asleep, and the snow outside the window grew heavier and heavier.

It wasn't until lunchtime that Chen Hao, Ye Yuqiao, Xie Xiaofeng, and Tang Jing got up, and the village head, along with several villagers, served them a few tables full of delicious dishes and meats in hospitality.

In the afternoon, with heavy snow falling outside, the group could only stay indoors. After spending a night in shared quarters, Ye Yuqiao and Tang Jing had become as close as best friends, chattering non-stop under the covers, and shooing Chen Hao and Xie Xiaofeng out of the room several times when they tried to join the conversation.

With nothing else to do, Chen Hao and Xie Xiaofeng then sat on opposite sides of the warm kang bed and played a game of staring each other down.

Night fell.

After dinner, the village head and several villagers led Chen Hao and his companions to a simple dwelling at the easternmost edge of the village.

Just as the village head described the night before, as soon as they entered the dwelling, a clatter of "clang clang" sounds came from the kitchen, where it was pitch-dark and eerily quiet.

"Guys, let's step out and not disturb your work," said the village head.

"Mhm!" Chen Hao nodded.

After the village head and the villagers had gone, Chen Hao and his party went into the kitchen. After turning on the light and activating their Yin Yang Eyes, they saw a hunched old grandma with whitening hair, a Yin Soul, busily frying dishes, her cooking sending a delicious aroma wafting into their nostrils.

"Can you see me?" the old lady asked in surprise, looking at them. Although she was a deeply resentful ghost, she appeared very kindly.

The four were taken aback and nodded, suddenly feeling a bit at a loss.

It was only after the grandma had fried three dishes and served them that Xie Xiaofeng spoke, "Grandma, it's time to let go of some things."

The old lady gave a warm, affectionate smile and then shook her head, her wrinkled cheeks full of sadness. After brushing her silvery hair back, she said in a hoarse voice, "I died, and so did my son, but I've never managed to find him. All I can do is fry these dishes like I used to, hoping he'll smell the scent and find his way home!"

"The dishes made by a mother always taste different from others, right?" said Tang Jing with a hint of sorrow in her tone. Having lost her own mother at a young age, eating a dish made by her mother had always been her wish.

"Yes!" the old lady smiled at Tang Jing. "My son always loved the dishes I made, especially this sweet and sour pork. We were poor back then, and I only cooked it for him during the New Year. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and the sweet and sour pork is ready, but my son can't come back."

Moved by the old lady's deep love for her son, the four of them sympathized.

"Grandma, could your son have gone to the Netherworld?" Xie Xiaofeng asked.

The old lady shook her head, "My son was so filial. He wouldn't die and then not come back to see me even once! I died the day after his accident, and I looked around in the mine where the accident happened, but I couldn't find him. So, I can only wait at home until he comes back."

"Grandma, the food you cooked smells amazing!" Chen Hao abruptly changed the subject, his eyes locked on the steaming dishes on the table. "May I eat some?"

"You scoundrel, what are you saying!" Tang Jing scoffed disapprovingly. "This is the meal that grandma prepared for her son, how can you have the nerve to ask?"

"It's alright, it's alright!" the old lady said with a laugh, waving her hand dismissively. "As long as you don't mind that these were cooked by an old ghost like me, then eat as much as you like. If it's not enough, I'll cook a few more dishes for you."

"Thank you, grandma!" Chen Hao said with a light chuckle, then promptly sat down and picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork with his chopsticks, popping it into his mouth. After swallowing, Chen Hao gave the old lady a thumbs-up, "It's delicious! You guys should try it!"

"You shameless guy, you really have some nerve!" Tang Jing glared at Chen Hao with a dark expression.

"Yuqiao, try some!" Chen Hao pulled Ye Yu next to him and then fed a piece of the pork to her. "Grandma, we won't eat for free. Don't worry. Tomorrow night, on New Year's Eve, your son will surely join you for the reunion dinner!"

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