Chapter 163: Do Not Look Back When Lowering the Coffin

"I guarantee there won't be a next time," I said with a flattering smile.

"Your guarantee! What good is your guarantee! When trouble breaks out, they won't give you a second chance at all. You're just too young and don't know the gravity of the situation. Go over there and stay away from me!" With that, Old Man Ma quickened his pace and walked forward.

Was he angry just like that? I had only sent a message, not really made serious contact. Besides, the New Year had already passed, and so much time had gone by, so there shouldn't be any major problems, right?

Just as I was wondering if I had really brought disaster upon myself, I saw Old Man Ma rapidly closing in on a youthful and pretty young woman, his hunched and withered body deliberately rubbing hard against her!

Damn it! I almost forgot this old fellow's true nature! So this was the real reason he told me to walk away!

The girl shuddered all over, startled. Old Man Ma instantly put his amazing acting skills to use, stumbling back a few steps while letting out a couple of groans, completely acting the part of an elderly, frail person who was past his prime!

This old fellow was truly pushing it. I couldn't do much when he used to pinch fat women at the vegetable market, but how old could this girl possibly be? At most she was in high school, still wearing her school uniform. This old guy was simply despicable!

The girl looked innocent and worldly-wise, and seeing Old Man Ma in this state, she quickly stepped forward to support him: "Old grandpa, are you alright?"

Old Man Ma accepted her support with peace of mind, his elbow intentionally or unintentionally brushing against her body.

Did this old fellow have any humanity left, preying on a girl this young! I couldn't bear to watch any longer and walked over.

"Grandpa, since you're getting up there in years, don't walk so fast, or you'll strain your back again!" I said, unceremoniously pulling his arm away from the girl's hands.

Old Man Ma looked at me with dissatisfaction, then said indignantly, "It's all because you're such an insensible brat! You didn't figure out the road beforehand. I was just trying to ask the young lady here for directions!"

The girl quickly chimed in, "Old grandpa, where are you heading?"

"Do you know how to get to Nangui Town?" Old Man Ma asked.

This old man wanted to go to Nangui Town? He hadn't mentioned it once all the way here.

The girl looked surprised: "You guys are going to Nangui Town too?"

I couldn't help being surprised either; could it be that this girl was heading there as well? I looked at Old Man Ma, and a trace of cunning was clearly flickering in his aged eyes. Did this old fellow know from the very beginning that this girl was going to Nangui Town?

Suddenly, I noticed a line of small characters printed on the girl's school uniform: Nangui High School.

Good grief! This old man had noticed it right from the start!

Old Man Ma feigned surprise and said, "Young lady, you're heading to Nangui Town too?"

The girl nodded heavily, looking somewhat relieved: "That's wonderful. It's getting a bit late, and I was actually a bit scared about traveling alone. Let's go together since we're heading the same way."

This girl really was entirely naive and innocent, actually daring to travel along the same way with people she didn't know. Fortunately, she ran into us; if it had been actual criminals, things would have turned out terribly.

I glanced at Old Man Ma, thinking that this girl probably assumed an old man of such advanced age couldn't possibly be a bad person. Little did she know that bad people grow old too.

We walked along toward the roadside with the girl. Her name was Nong Yiqiu, and her home was right in Nangui Town, where she also attended the local high school. Judging by her appearance, she seemed to have just returned from a car ride elsewhere, which was why she appeared near the bus station.

Wearing a school uniform while out during the holidays clearly showed she was an obedient and good student who didn't venture far often. I wondered why she was taking a long-distance bus back all by herself at this hour.

Nangui Town was a long way from here with no direct public buses, and the most convenient way was to take a taxi.

Once inside the taxi, Nong Yiqiu clutched her school bag, lowered her head, and remained completely silent.

I had noticed earlier that her condition wasn't very good; her eyes had red veins, and her spirits seemed extremely low.

"Young lady, are you heading out to attend a funeral?" Old Man Ma suddenly asked.

Why did this old man suddenly bring that up?

Nong Yiqiu looked at Old Man Ma in surprise: "H-How did you know?"

"I could just tell by how sad you look. Being older and having seen a lot of things, I can guess a thing or two. It must be someone very close to you, right?" said Old Man Ma.

I sized up Old Man Ma, wondering what scheme this old fellow was plotting.

The girl nodded with a downcast expression and softly replied, "It's my mother..."

She clearly lived in Nangui Town, yet she had to take a long-distance bus to attend a funeral elsewhere, and moreover, she was all by herself...

A vague thought occurred to me: "Did your parents divorce?"

She didn't respond, her expression growing even more desolate.

Old Man Ma glared at me, his eyes conveying that I should have kept it to myself and not blurted it out to make her sad.

It was this old fellow who brought it up first in the first place, yet he had the nerve to criticize me!

After a moment, Old Man Ma spoke again: "It was a burial, wasn't it?"

A trace of surprise flashed across the girl: "Even this you know..."

I became increasingly puzzled as to what Old Man Ma was getting at. How did he know it was a burial? Although quite a few impoverished remote areas in Guangxi still practiced earth burials, cremation was strictly promoted nowadays.

Old Man Ma chuckled twice and then said, "Didn't the older generation tell you not to look back after the burial?"

I looked suspiciously at Old Man Ma. What on earth had this old fellow noticed, to even know whether someone looked back after the burial? Could there be something bizarre about this girl?

I couldn't help but examine the girl, but aside from her increasingly gloomy expression, there was nothing unusual about her. There was no ghostly aura, nor any sign of being haunted.

"Mister, that's just superstition!" the driver driving the car said. "What era is this? No one believes that stuff anymore. There are no such weird things in this world. Back in the day, my dad also told me that looking back after a burial would make the deceased think you couldn't bear to part with them and follow you back..."

Thump! A muffled sound rang out as Nong Yiqiu's school bag dropped to the floor. She hurriedly picked it up and clutched it tightly to her chest.

She kept her head lowered, her complexion turning somewhat pale. This reaction was extremely abnormal, as if she were terrified of something.

The driver paused for a moment and glanced through the rearview mirror: "No way, you actually believe that..."

Old Man Ma waved his hand, signaling the driver to stop talking. The driver sensibly shut his mouth, focused on driving, and said no more.

Old Man Ma looked at Nong Yiqiu and said, "There really aren't that many weird things in this world. However, young lady, let this old man remind you: many things cannot be forced. You're still young, and you have a long road ahead of you."

The girl remained silent, her face almost buried in her school bag. After a long while, she murmured softly, "You don't understand..."

"Everyone has their own destiny, and running into each other is fate. If you ever need help, come to Number 47, Nanping Road, Nangui Town. I'll be there for a while. If I'm not around, you can also look for the boss there—Luo Zi, and give it to her."

Old Man Ma suddenly looked at me.

I was stunned. Give what?