inside the car was cramped, and his tall frame wouldn't allow him to move.My apathetic reaction quickly lost his interest.However, he didn't hesitate to do what needed to be done. After finishing, he...Getting your car scraped or bumped is commonplace now. My brother got out of the car nonchalantly, too lazy to even check if the car was dented, and instead, he helped the person riding an electric bike get up first.

"Hey man, you're riding like a bullet! What's the rush Good thing I was going slow, or you would have really flown away." My brother helped him up while checking if he was faking an accident.

The man riding the electric bike looked to be in his fifties or sixties. He was dressed and behaved simply, not like someone who would try to cheat you.

"I, I'm hurrying home! Sorry, are your cars expensive They're too expensive, I can't afford it!" The old man was a bit anxious, pushing his electric bike while anxiously looking at my brother.

My brother waved his hand and said, “Big brother, you’re so honest. I won’t ask for your money. Let me help you pack your things…I was worried you were trying to scam me.”

The old man, upon hearing this, widened his eyes and said: "I'm an honest person! I don't do these heartless things! If you don't want me to pay... then, I'll just leave, alright"

"Don't rush, your stuff is so loose. Secure it first before you go, or it will fall apart after a while!" My brother took out a bundle of ropes from the trunk to help him fix it.

Archie and I got out of the car to help too. Actually, we wanted to see what this humanoid figure was all about. My brother and his friends were helping pick up things and secure them. I "carried" this cloth-wrapped humanoid figure down from under the hood.

I thought it would be heavy, but as soon as I picked it up, it was light as a feather. "Whoosh," it went up in the air.

"This feeling... Could it be paper"

I'm completely dumbfounded, what a mess.

"Oh my! Don't touch, don't touch! Outsiders aren't allowed!" The old man rushed over excitedly, trying to snatch it away.

My older brother shielded me, smiling and saying, "Don't get worked up, big brother. My sister isn't after your things. She's just helping you tidy up…"

He took the thing from my hand while talking, then touched it himself a couple of times to confirm.

Actually, there's no need to confirm. I already felt the bamboo strips inside; it's just a paper man wrapped in cloth. It looks quite heavy, but it's actually light as a feather.

The old man snatched it away, carefully holding it, and muttered, "I'm not afraid you'll take my things, it's just that this thing can't be touched by women!"

"This isn't wrapped in cloth, is it I only touch the cloth and nothing inside. And our young mistress is so light-footed, she wouldn't damage anything." Archie tried to defend himself with a flimsy excuse.

The old man's expression relaxed upon hearing this, he didn't expect that kid Ach would be so good at getting under his skin.

"It's not that I'm afraid you'll break it...it's that this thing, women can't touch..." The old man said mysteriously, and reminded us: "Young people, don't touch these things randomly, they are magical!"

How magical is that I took a closer look at the old man's car. There were incense candles, some drinks, white wine, gold and silver ingots in large plastic bags, and paper money wrapped in grass paper...

This looks like ceremonial supplies.

"Hey bro, I'm looking for a place to eat around here. Any recommendations Like a farm-style restaurant" My brother asked.

The old man pointed us in a direction, then hopped on his electric scooter and repeatedly reassured my brother not to worry about paying him before speeding off.

My brother followed him in his car for a while, and discovered that he turned onto a rural path. There was a village in the distance, with several farm-to-table restaurants at the crossroads.

"This old man's house must be having a funeral, right Let's find out later. In rural areas like this, news travels fast over ten miles." Ach said.

Both my brother and I are used to talking to strangers. We ordered a lot of dishes, and during the cooking breaks, we chatted with the restaurant owner, asking about local gossip, especially weddings and funerals.

The boss was a gray-haired, thin old man. As soon as we told him about the paper figures wrapped in cloth, he immediately shook his pipe and said, "I know this... People in your city don't have this custom, but we do."

"What customs" My brother quickly followed up.

On our side, if a household has a funeral, they usually burn paper people as companions. And they don't burn one pair, just one.

"Just one" Archie's face paled a little. The previous commission he had taken, that middle-aged woman specifically requested only one paper doll, to burn for her deceased husband "to keep him company".

“Yes, especially those who are unmarried... you understand These days, it's hard to even find someone for a posthumous marriage. So they burn paper figures of She Lao Tai as companions, outsiders definitely can't touch them! The old man you met was probably Old Wu from Dong Village... his family has been unlucky.”

The boss tapped his pipe and mumbled, "He had two sons. The older one was a bright student at first, but for some reason, after high school, he fell ill with a strange disease and went insane. We villagers couldn't do anything about it; we could only keep him locked up at home. He was afraid his son would run out and die somewhere unknown, so he even had the blacksmith weld chains on him for many years... Recently, he passed away."

Although it's not nice to say so, but it does drag down a family, and the child himself suffers. This is considered a bad omen, we all went and hung a memorial... Someone said, this child is unfortunate, he lived to almost thirty years old, never had a wife, lonely and single-handedly walked away, it's best to ask She Lao Tai for a paper figure, the paper figures from She Lao Tai's family are so lifelike! We here have a good reputation! You can't easily get one!

"Grandmother She, I looked at the notes on my phone, this is the place where Grandpa called us to ask for paper figures,"

From the boss's tone, it seems this old woman, She, wasn't just living in seclusion. It sounds like she's quite famous here

"That's because the state doesn't allow feudal superstitions now, otherwise Old Madame She could have her own museum! Her paper figures are more lifelike than clay ones!"

My brother coughed, putting on an air of ignorance and asked, “How lively can a paper man be It's just made of paper, isn't it A few drops of ink for the eyes, and some red paper for the mouth.”

The boss glared at my brother and whispered, "What you're saying is just an ordinary paper figure. Mrs. She's paper figures look almost indistinguishable from real people... Back in the old days, there were even rumors that her paper figures' eyes could move..."

What's the point of having moving eyeballs Our Aunt Zhang back home is still able to work...

It seems that Old Madam She's "territory" should be around here.

"Boss, you've piqued our curiosity. We'd love to see it for ourselves. Could you point us in the right direction Where does Old Lady She live"

"You've come this far, just walk back to where you came from, on the way there's a sign for Wuji Town, go that way and you'll know. " The boss served us our food and gestured for us to eat quickly: "You want to see it, go early, it gets kinda scary when it gets dark."

> >

Wu Jizhen, this name sounds quite profound.

During the old days, this area seemed to be a hub for folk funeral practices. Along our way, we saw many old houses with rusty iron frames supporting signs at their entrances. Many were black backgrounds with white lettering—however, most were closed up and deserted, seeming like an abandoned district awaiting demolition.

Occasionally, I see one or two billboards advertising "sex products," which are very out of place.

"This road... seems like more than just people walking on it..." I reminded my brother. There were traces of paper ashes from charms along the roadside, in those inconspicuous small pits and paths.

"Where would such a yin-yang practitioner live Surely, it must be a place of vibrant chi and auspicious feng shui! It has to be a place of balance - half yin, half yang -"

"Oh my god!" Archie suddenly exclaimed, startling us.

My brother slammed on the brakes and shouted, "What are you doing all jumpy! This place is so narrow, if you're not careful, we'll crash into the house!"

"Look, look quickly..." Archie pointed ahead, his face full of terror.

At this time, the only light source nearby was the neon sign of that adult store, its red and green colors gradually changing and shining on the stone pillar in front of our car, on the right hand side.

Behind the pillar, a figure with only half its body visible, pale and wearing a black small hat, was "moving". Its body shook slightly, and through the windshield, it stared straight at us. Miao Wang City. Before me stretched an expanse of emptiness. On the clear, wide river surface, fishing rafts glided past, and on either bank, stilt houses rose one after another.If it weren't for a t...