Starting with taking in female college students

Chapter 41 Ni Youlin's Home

"Your mother is a good-for-nothing. She hasn't come back even once in all these years. We all consider her dead! But you're different. When you were little, I told your grandfather to keep you and raise you. Most people in Yanling Village are surnamed Song. There are so many neighbors and relatives; it's not like we can't support a little girl like you! But what did Song Laosan say? He said a child can't be without a father, so he made you run between the two places! Ha... Have they acknowledged you all these years?"

The old lady stared at Ni Youlin and then started banging on her.

Her mouth was truly like a knife; her words were harsh and full of sarcasm.

However, Chen Rang also realized that her malice towards Ni Youlin was not as exaggerated as Ni Youlin had expressed or imagined.

Some things are true, such as her forbidding Ni Youlin from attending her grandfather's funeral; however, according to her statement and local customs, it seems there's really no way to criticize her or say that she went too far.

And there are other things...

It's probably just that Ni Youlin is overthinking things. For example, she might think that the villagers are forbidding her from coming back and have absolutely no goodwill towards her.

While it's true that people dislike her—that much is undeniable—it's mostly just gossip behind her back. The villagers of Yanling Village still treat her like family, but they're angry at her current situation and her choices, feeling she's not living up to expectations.

So in the end, it was this girl who was weak-willed, indecisive, and prone to overthinking.

And then there's her grandfather, who perhaps hoped she could have a better, wealthier life. Unfortunately, as an illegitimate child, she was never acknowledged; her biological father didn't care about her.

Ultimately, this situation pleased neither side, leading to the current predicament.

Chen Rang sighed inwardly, unsure of what to say for a moment.

But just then, a deafening burst of Korean music suddenly blared from behind. The three of them looked up simultaneously, only to see Zhang Jun opening the car door and getting out, clutching his head and looking around.

The jarring music quickly shattered the serious atmosphere, and Chen Rang couldn't help but smirk.

But he had to admit that Zhang Jun's appearance was perfectly timed.

Seeing that the old lady and the black cat next to her were both staring at Zhang Jun, they finally stopped attacking Ni Youlin. He leaned over and gently patted Ni Youlin's shoulder, signaling her to finish visiting the grave first before talking about anything else.

Ni Youlin pursed her lips and turned around to kneel down again.

"What was that thing just now?! Brother Chen Rang, did you see something?! Holy crap, that almost scared me to death!"

Zhang Jun came running over, shouting and yelling.

He looked like he'd seen a ghost, his face extremely pale. This guy was usually quite polite, but right now he didn't bother to greet the people around him, just kept stomping his feet and muttering to himself at Chen Rang.

Immediately, the old lady's face grew increasingly pale.

These elderly people, who place great importance on tradition and still hold some outdated folk customs, regard their ancestral graves as extremely sacred. Normally, anyone who dares to casually wander over would be scolded, let alone someone like Zhang Jun who was causing such a ruckus!

She didn't know Zhang Jun, so she blamed Ni Youlin.

Seeing that Ni Youlin ignored her and was silently burning paper money by herself, she snorted and turned to leave, unwilling to say even half a word.

The black cat sized up the group for a moment, then wagged its tail and followed.

Soon, the old man and the cat disappeared into the thick black night.

"..."

Zhang Jun felt his body warm up, and his rationality returned. He wasn't afraid of the burning paper money, but he said embarrassedly, "Brother Chen Rang, did I do something wrong? But something really did get into my car just now, and it scared me half to death."

"Why didn't that thing lure you away?"

Chen Rang glared at him, annoyed. "Go turn off the music! What kind of mess are you making? If you attract even more people, do you believe they'll come and beat you up with hoes?"

"oh!"

Zhang Jun suddenly realized what was happening, scratched his head, and quickly ran back.

When he got to the car, he wasn't so afraid of the noise anymore. But after looking around and not finding anything unusual, he couldn't help but think of something, and a chill ran down his spine. He quickly locked the car and ran back.

After a short while of this, Ni Youlin finished burning everything that needed to be burned.

According to the customs of Sarawak, a string of firecrackers should be set off at this time, signifying that the ancestors are invited to come up and enjoy the offerings. However, Ni Youlin's situation was clearly different; she had only planned to sneak over before, so Chen Rang did not buy any.

He was starting to regret it, but there was nothing he could do now.

Led by Ni Youlin, the three of them quietly returned to the village, acting like thieves.

Her home was located on the western edge of the village, a small two-story house with a narrow area of ​​about fifty square meters. There were no neighbors on either side of the house, and behind it was a large bamboo forest, which felt somewhat eerie and lonely when you got closer.

The presence of unburnt paper money scraps on the ground near the entrance, along with half-burnt firecrackers scattered in the corner, made the place feel particularly oppressive.

Ni Youlin's mood visibly dropped again.

She fumbled for her key in the dark and opened the door, but instead of turning on the light immediately, she stepped aside to let Chen Rang and Zhang Jun go in first. After closing the door, the living room was now dark with three people standing there. Only then did she fumble for the light switch and the room became bright.

There are no windows in this living room.

As long as the door to the next room is not opened, you can hardly see anything from the outside; at most, you can see a little light shining through the crack in the door.

It's a bit like burying your head in the sand.

Chen Rang looked at Ni Youlin, but she ignored everyone else, her eyes fixed on the large black photo frame on the long table against the wall in the living room. The photo frame contained a black and white picture of a bald old man with a blank expression and deep sorrow in his eyes.

"grandfather!"

Ni Youlin let out a sob and rushed over to hug the photo frame to her chest. Her movement even knocked over a extinguished candle cup next to her, which spun twice and fell to the ground.

Ni Youlin, however, couldn't care less about anything else and just hugged the photo frame, sobbing uncontrollably.

"..."

Chen Rang and Zhang Jun exchanged a glance, both speechless for a moment.

He felt a little awkward standing in the middle of the living room, so he moved to a spot against the wall and stood solemnly. Seeing Ni Youlin sobbing uncontrollably, he couldn't help but go over and pat her on the back.

"Alright! Stop crying. Your grandpa is watching you. He definitely doesn't want to see you like this. Before he passed away, he probably hoped you could be strong so he could rest in peace, right?"

Upon hearing this, Ni Youlin immediately took it to heart. Her wailing turned into sobs, though the tears still flowed.

She sobbed for a while, finally calming down a bit. Wiping away her tears, she carefully placed the photo frame back on the table and leaned it against the wall.

Chen Rang also picked up the candles from the ground, checked them, and found they were still intact and usable.

So he asked Zhang Jun for a lighter, and silently lit both candles, illuminating the two flames on either side of Ni Youlin's grandfather.

He bowed to the old man, feeling a slight regret that there should have been an incense burner with three sticks of incense burning in front of the portrait. However, perhaps because no one was home, the villagers who helped with the burial hadn't prepared one, and Chen Rang didn't know where to find one.

He only took advantage of the moment when Ni Youlin was standing in front of the portrait in a daze to look around the living room and the kitchen in the back.

The house was cleaned fairly well, and nothing seemed to be missing, which was good.

About half an hour later, Ni Youlin finally calmed down a lot. Her eyes were as red as a rabbit's, and the whites of her eyes were all bloodshot. She didn't say anything, but bowed to Chen Rang and Zhang Jun to thank them, which startled Zhang Jun, who quickly waved his hand.

"What are you planning to do next?"

Chen Rang remained calm and questioned Ni Youlin. It was getting late; could she stay here alone with her grandfather and deal with the things that would happen tomorrow?

As for him and Zhang Jun, it's not appropriate for them to stay here overnight; they will definitely have to go back that night.

"I……"

Ni Youlin hesitated again.

She wasn't a girl who was good at making decisions. Her experiences growing up had made her more accustomed to following arrangements and orders from others. She had almost never encountered a situation where she could make her own decisions, and this was the first time she had to make a decision on her own.

So Ni Youlin looked at Chen Rang pitifully.

"If you still plan to come back, you have to get along well with the villagers. You've noticed, haven't you? They're actually quite stubborn but soft-hearted. They buried your grandfather fairly well. Putting aside some customs and things related to you, at least they treated your grandfather very well."

Chen Rang spoke frankly and expressed his opinion from a relatively fair perspective.

After all, the old man had just been buried; it was best not to go far on the first night. In the past, it was customary to wait until the seventh day after death, when the deceased would come back to visit. Although this custom is no longer observed, we still couldn't let the villagers criticize us behind our backs.

Of course, ultimately it will depend on her own choice.