Su Qing held the bone fragment in her hand and calculated with her fingers.
Then, her brows slightly raised, she muttered to herself:
"I never thought... I casually mentioned to her that I once lived in Huai County, and she actually reincarnated there. This fellow... truly fears loneliness."
Su Qing couldn't help but frown.
"Unfortunately, I only calculated that she is currently in Huai County, but not specifically who she is or where in Huai County she lives."
"However, since I can suddenly feel something and calculate her whereabouts,"
"Then her connection with me must not be simple!"
"Perhaps there's no need to search hard; just waiting at home, I might encounter her again."
Su Qing thought, then calculated with her fingers again.
Unfortunately, this time there was no result.
Let fate decide!
We will meet, we always will.
It's not yet time to force it.
"Master?" Leng Xiang asked, "Does Leng Xiang need to help Master search?"
Su Qing slightly shook her head and said, "There's no need for that for now! Let's wait a bit longer!"
Su Qing looked at the darkening weather and couldn't help but wonder where she had reincarnated.
When would be the fated time to meet?
The old beggar bid farewell to Su Qing and left the city gate.
He hurried towards the ruined temple in the mountains.
There was a ruined temple in these mountains...
The old beggar was illiterate and didn't know what kind of temple it was.
He only knew that no one had come here for a very, very long time...
The statues of gods in the temple were already broken! And the hanging scrolls and such had long since disappeared.
The courtyard in front of the temple was overgrown with weeds, as tall as a person, and even the roof had a hole in it.
However, although it was dilapidated,
few wild beasts passed by here; it wasn't cold in winter nor hot in summer.
It was considered an excellent shelter from wind and rain in these mountains.
So he also made it his home.
He had been living here with his granddaughter.
It had been about four or five years.
Just as the old beggar arrived outside the ruined temple, a little girl groped her way out from inside.
The little girl looked about seven or eight years old, exceptionally thin and weak, her clothes were dirty and full of patches.
But even so, she was well-groomed.
Her straw-like hair was neatly tied up.
Her face was also clean; at least compared to the old beggar, it was much cleaner.
But when the little girl opened her eyes, no pupils could be seen; her pale white eyes held no light.
Clearly, this little girl had an eye condition and had been blind since childhood.
"Girl, why are you out! Be careful not to fall!" the old beggar said quickly when he saw the little girl come out.
"It's fine, I won't fall that easily!"
The little girl smiled and said:
"Grandpa, what delicious food did you bring back today?"
The little girl's smile was exceptionally beautiful, as if it possessed a special charm.
Her smile was pure, without a hint of falsehood...
She was simply happy that her grandpa had returned safely.
The little girl was not actually the old beggar's biological granddaughter, but a child he had picked up on a snowy day.
The little girl, still an infant, had been abandoned by others on the roadside.
The child cried loudly from the cold on that snowy day, but no one was willing to take her in and add to their own burden.
In those days, life was hard for everyone, and death was all too common.
The old beggar, seeing the child's pitiful state, picked her up.
And raised her until she was this old.
Now, looking back, the old beggar also found himself laughable.
He couldn't even support himself, yet he still took on raising a little girl.
But despite the hardship, the old beggar had raised the child to this age!
Raising her as if she were his own granddaughter.
Not to say she was raised exceptionally well, but at least the child was alive and hadn't been sold.
That alone was already excellent.
The old beggar looked at the little girl's smile and couldn't help but smile along.
He reached out and patted her head, saying mysteriously, "Today, Grandpa met a great benefactor... and that benefactor was so beautiful!"
The old beggar slowly recounted his day's experiences to the little girl.
The little girl listened intently, her facial expressions exceptionally rich, as if she had experienced it herself.
As the old beggar spoke, he carefully took out the well-wrapped pastries.
Afraid of getting them dirty or broken.
He took out a piece, brought it to the little girl's mouth, and said:
"Girl, quickly try it! This was given by that great benefactor... it's really delicious!"
The little girl tasted a bit, and a sweet flavor spread through her mouth.
An expression of surprise couldn't help but appear on her face...
She had never tasted such things before...
"Grandpa, you try some too!"
The little girl quickly said to her grandpa.
The old beggar pretended to tear off a piece of dry food, put it in his mouth, and praised it repeatedly for being sweet.
Hearing her grandpa say that, the little girl also smiled.
The old beggar chuckled and said, "I won't eat the rest, girl, you eat it!"
The little girl quickly shook her head, hoping her grandpa would eat more too.
The grandpa and granddaughter had relied on each other until now, so their bond was naturally very strong.
The old beggar only pretended to eat the food, continuously saying it was delicious, but he didn't touch any of it.
He was old, had never tasted such things in his life, and now had no desire for them.
All he sought was to see his granddaughter happy.
It was already very hard following him...
He couldn't give the girl anything better; what he could give was only his very best.
The sun gradually set.
In the ruined temple, the two beggar grandpa and granddaughter chatted, passing the time.
In a flash, it was the thirteenth day of the seventh lunar month.
Around the Ghost Festival, business at Su Qing's shop also increased...
During this period, people needed to worship ancestors, so naturally, they bought paper money and incense.
And the prices at Su Qing's shop were relatively cheap, so business was naturally quite good.
Moreover, Su Qing, as the hall master, was also pleasing to the eye.
Sitting in the shop, Su Qing couldn't help but feel that good business wasn't necessarily a good thing.
She was used to leisure on weekdays, so suddenly being busy around the Ghost Festival felt a bit unaccustomed.
"After this, maybe I should hire someone to help." Su Qing had always managed the shop by herself.
Leng Xiang was good at housework but not at interacting with people; she easily got agitated and drew her sword, so she didn't come to help at the shop.
"After the Ghost Festival passes, I'll recruit some people," Su Qing thought, saying, "But I'm afraid it might be hard to find people, right? Never mind, I'll just put up a notice for now."
Su Qing shook her head, and seeing a customer arrive, she conducted another transaction.
Time slowly passed, and soon the sky grew dark.
Su Qing went outside the shop, looked up at the sky, and felt that it would most likely rain tonight.
Su Qing turned her head and said to the sparrows:
"Little ones, go tell Leng Xiang to bring me an umbrella."
Su Qing looked at the dark clouds, her brows slightly raised.
An uneasy feeling rose in her heart...
It wasn't a great disaster, just a feeling... that something might happen.
She slightly shook her head and returned to the shop.
"Sometimes, being too sensitive isn't necessarily a good thing!"
Evening.
The rain poured heavily...
Like transparent beans falling from the sky.
The rainwater washed over the roof, making a particularly loud pattering sound, like sifting beans.
But the violent coughing sound in the ruined temple in the mountains drowned out the sound of rain washing over its roof.
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