Zhao Yan followed the middle-aged man, holding the remains.
He Jing and Zhang Lei followed closely behind.
"Xiao Zhao, are we burying the remains directly? Shouldn't we buy a coffin or something?" Zhang Lei asked.
Zhao Yan shook her head. "There's no time to buy a coffin. For now, we can only place the remains in the pit. That will be fine."
"If you have a heart, after everything is done, you can come back to pay respects. Orphaned spirits are very pitiful, with no one to offer them sacrifices or incense money for years."
"Yes, we must pay respects when we have time," He Jing said.
Led by the middle-aged man, Zhao Yan arrived at a plot of land.
"Burying the body here might not be suitable. We still need to properly prepare a burial site and erect a tombstone."
"For now, we'll just temporarily bury the body in this land."
The original burial site had a lot of standing water, so placing the body there again was clearly not an option.
"I'll have someone take care of it right away," Zhang Lei said.
Zhao Yan first dug a pit, carefully placed the remains inside, and then filled the pit.
After finishing, Zhao Yan distributed incense sticks and had everyone light three sticks and pay their respects to the remains.
Zhao Yan burned some joss paper, and for now, that was it.
"Alright, now we can go buy a coffin and a tombstone."
"If they can make it quickly, I can lend a hand."
Zhang Lei asked doubtfully, "Xiao Zhao, to make a tombstone, we need to know the deceased's name. How can we make one without a name?"
Zhao Yan replied, "I'll tell you tomorrow morning."
He Jing asked, "Xiao Zhao, do you know the name of these remains?"
Zhao Yan shook her head. "No, I don't know yet."
This statement left them somewhat bewildered.
However, the abilities Zhao Yan displayed convinced them, so they didn't probe further.
The program director spoke, "The show is still ongoing. Everyone, please adjust your state."
Upon hearing this, they immediately adjusted their demeanor. As they walked into the courtyard, their expressions were relaxed.
This variety show was designed to be relaxing and enjoyable.
"Xiao Zhao, you should go take a bath. Pengpeng, wash the bamboo shoots you dug up yesterday," Zhang Lei said.
Zhao Yan said, "Okay." She had been carrying the remains all the way, and some things might have gotten on her.
After taking a bath and changing her clothes, when she came out, Zhang Lei and the others were busy picking vegetables.
She joined the vegetable-picking team and then went with them to the fields to plant rice seedlings.
Zhao Yan was adept at these farming tasks.
In the evening, Zhang Lei prepared four dishes and one soup.
Every meal involved teasing Liu Peng, which was a must.
Despite what happened that morning, everyone tried to appear more relaxed, chatting and laughing as if nothing had occurred.
"Sister Zhao, what song do you like? I'll play it for you," Mu Jun said, sitting down with his violin.
"Play your most impressive piece," Zhao Yan replied.
Mu Jun nodded and immediately began playing.
After listening, Zhao Yan clapped her hands. "Impressive, very impressive."
He Jing and the others sat in a circle and beckoned to Zhao Yan. "Xiao Zhao, come sit with us. Let's play Truth or Dare."
Truth or Dare. She had heard of it.
After sitting down, He Jing took out a deck of cards.
"Whoever loses has to play Truth or Dare."
"Let's play train derailment."
"Whoever gets rid of their cards first wins. Whoever has more cards loses."
He Jing demonstrated the game for Zhao Yan, fearing she wouldn't understand.
The rules of the game were simple, and Zhao Yan quickly grasped them.
Since it was a game, she saw no need to cheat.
If she wanted to cheat, she could have attached a luck-altering talisman to herself and naturally changed her fortune.
To her surprise, her luck was quite good. After a few rounds, her cards were all gone first. He Jing and Zhang Lei were left with a pile of cards.
The sound of dripping water echoed from the roof.
They all looked up, first at the ceiling, then glanced out the window.
Just as they were wondering how to exit the game, they suddenly had an excuse.
Playing games with Zhao Yan, she lost every round, completely disheartening them.
"It's raining. Let's call it a day!" Zhang Lei said, putting the cards down.
If he continued to lose like this, his reputation as a fortune teller would be ruined.
Liu Peng stood up. "I'll go collect the clothes outside."
Saying this, he walked outside.
As soon as he stepped outside, he felt the rain intensifying.
He collected the clothes hanging on the bamboo pole.
While collecting them, a gust of wind blew against his face, making the clothes sway from side to side.
Liu Peng had just taken down a piece of clothing and raised his hand halfway when he saw a woman walking forward on the main road in front of the courtyard.
The woman was drenched by the rain.
Liu Peng walked over quickly and said, "It's raining heavily. Where are you going? If you're not in a hurry, why not come over and take shelter from the rain!"
The woman turned around and said something.
The rain was so heavy that Liu Peng couldn't hear a single word.
He shook his head at the woman, indicating he couldn't hear.
The woman raised her finger and pointed in the direction ahead.
Liu Peng followed the direction the woman pointed.
He was startled when he saw where the woman was pointing.
The direction she pointed was the new grave pit they had dug that day.
Looking at the woman's clothes now, he felt a chill run down his spine.
The clothes were too familiar.
They were the new set of clothes that Zhao Yan had asked him to get from the suitcase that day. He had personally seen Zhao Yan dress the remains in them.
Connecting these thoughts, his face instantly turned pale.
"Ah! A ghost!!"
Liu Peng turned and ran frantically forward.
As he reached the doorway, he collided with Zhang Lei.
Fortunately, Zhang Lei was heavy and didn't fall, merely being pushed back a few steps.
Before Zhang Lei could speak, Liu Peng exclaimed in panic, "Ghost! Teacher Zhang, there's a ghost!"
"What nonsense are you talking about, kid? Where's the ghost!"
"Over there, there really is a ghost. She's wearing the clothes Sister Zhao gave the remains. It's terrifying."
Liu Peng pointed at the main road, his hand trembling with fear.
Zhang Lei frowned and, disregarding the rain, looked ahead. There was no one on the road. He wanted to say something to Liu Peng, but seeing his state, he swallowed his words.
He patted Liu Peng's clothes to comfort him. "Go take a bath quickly. Don't you feel uncomfortable with the rain on you?"
"Also, today's events will affect everyone. But you shouldn't make such a fuss. It would be bad if you scared Teacher He and Mu Jun."
"I understand, Teacher Zhang, but I really saw it. You have to believe me. It was right there, really."
Zhang Lei hummed. "I believe you, I believe you. Go wash up quickly."
Upon hearing this, Liu Peng knew Zhang Lei didn't believe him and likely thought he was suffering from shock.