Xiao Qiu was completely panicked. She usually believed in such things the most, and now that she had witnessed it with her own eyes, she felt even more creeped out.
She grabbed the sleeve of Qin Yihuai and shouted desperately.
"This won't do. This is summoning the soul. Please stop him quickly."
The leading man turned around abruptly when he heard what she said.
His eyes were as black as whirlpools, threatening to suck them all in.
"This is not summoning the soul. This is just our way of memorializing the dead."
Ye Zhinan gasped in shock. There was nothing she could do but quickly go to find the village head.
Fortunately, the village head was not far behind, looking a bit embarrassed. When he saw Ye Zhinan, he was like seeing a savior.
"What on earth is going on?"
She was extremely anxious. Although they were only staying temporarily, they were indeed guests in someone else's home and should be more accommodating. But this was just too terrifying.
"It's really a custom. A Yuan's father said when he was alive that he was afraid of the dark and didn't want to stay underground. He was also afraid that if his ashes were scattered, he wouldn't be able to find his way home. We've been doing this every year, and we're used to it."
Lu Yanlai also rushed over upon hearing the noise and happened to hear what the village head said.
She paused slightly, as if recalling something. Only when she heard Ye Zhinan calling her name did she suddenly come to her senses.
"Maybe you can talk to them and let this matter go."
The village head nodded in agreement. "There's a night market today. Why don't you go and have a look? Consider it a way to relax. By the time you come back, it should probably be over."
Just as Lu Yanlai was about to nod, she saw Xiao Qiu leading some people coming over.
Without saying a word, Xiao Qiu sat on the ground and started throwing a tantrum.
"You're the village head. You must be able to control them..."
"Shut up!"
Xiao Qiu's words were abruptly interrupted. The voice came from afar. When everyone looked over, they found it was A Yuan, wearing mourning clothes.
His eyes were red, and he was trying hard to hold back his tears.
The paper money was tightly clutched in his hand, already soaked with sweat and unrecognizable.
"My dad just wanted to go home. What did he do wrong? His ashes have been scattered. Are you just going to let him wander forever?"
A Yuan roared with all his might, then knelt on the ground and burst into tears.
Everyone dared not make a sound, and their gazes converged on him.
Even Xiao Qiu, who had been shouting just now, shut up. No one knew if she was scared or for some other reason.
A Yuan's cries were heart - rending, almost hysterical.
"Back then, my dad died in a fire while trying to save two children. He didn't even have a body left. He really wasn't afraid of the dark."
Ye Zhinan was deeply touched.
The fire back then had left scars on countless people. It was already a stroke of luck that they could pick themselves up, forget the past, and continue living.
Why should they be asked for so much more?
She was about to lead everyone away to the night market.
When she turned around, she saw that Lu Yanlai and Xiao Qiu's expressions had changed a bit.
A half - formed thought suddenly popped into her mind but was quickly suppressed.
It couldn't be that coincidental.
"I was wrong. I'm sorry for the kindness your father showed us back then."
Tears welled up in Xiao Qiu's eyes. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times in A Yuan's direction.
Ye Zhinan vaguely remembered that Xiao Qiu had twin children at home. They were very cute.
However, they had scars on their bodies. When she first came to the stockade, Xiao Qiu had secretly brought the children to see her.
She had said she was looking for a way to remove the scars.
Ye Zhinan wasn't a celestial being, and the medical technology here was limited. She could only shake her head helplessly.
But looking at the scars on the two children, they seemed to be burn marks.
"I interrupted your father's way home. If you're willing, I'm willing to help you bring your father home."
Xiao Qiu looked at A Yuan earnestly, but he shook his head.
"I can understand my dad, but I won't forgive you."
A Yuan sniffed and forced himself to stand up from the ground.
He glanced at the two children behind Xiao Qiu, and his eyebrows relaxed a bit.
Maybe these two children were his father's sustenance, and perhaps his father was still alive in a different way in this world.
"Let's go. Let's go to the night market."
Ye Zhinan knew that staying here now wouldn't do any good.
A Yuan was an extremely smart person. Although he seemed taciturn, he actually liked to make children happy.
After the children from the stockade went down the mountain, they quickly became good friends with him.
Maybe he had already known everything when he saw the scars on the two children.
It was already quite remarkable that he had been able to endure it for so long.
Xiao Qiu held Ye Zhinan's hand. "We still want to move out as soon as possible."
Maybe seeing the surprise in Ye Zhinan's eyes, Xiao Qiu quickly waved her hand and explained.
"No, actually the people in the village below have received our favor, and we've also been taken care of by them. I just don't want to make them sad."
Ye Zhinan understood. For them, seeing each other might also be painful.
She nodded and agreed.
"We're already making preparations. We just need your help. Then you'll have your own village."
Everyone's eyes sparkled, and they no longer felt scared. They all went home.
Ye Zhinan looked at Qin Yihuai not far away. They looked at each other from afar and both smiled.
...
Early the next morning, Qin Yihuai led some people to start work. The mortise - and - tenon joint structure was too complicated for Li Feilong and the others to understand.
"How am I supposed to know which hole to align with which? And you've made it so complicated. How can we finish it?"
Ye Zhinan pouted beside them, looking rather unconvinced.
Actually, Li Feilong didn't know that this was already the simplest method.
As long as they cut according to the blueprint and then assemble it, it was just like building blocks. They could build a house in a short time.
It didn't require much thinking, just the same mechanical actions over and over again.
But Li Feilong also had a point. The blueprint was too abstract after all, and they still needed to make a prototype.
"I'll get you something. It'll definitely be useful."
She secretly walked behind a tree, pretended to rummage through her bag, and took out a folding ruler.
She had thought it through carefully. An ordinary ruler would be too big to take out, but a folding one was easy to carry and not easy to be noticed.
The most important thing was to ensure her own safety so that she could better build and develop.
Li Feilong looked at the thing in her hand, his chin almost dropping to the ground.
"You just brought a stick that can fold. What's the use of that?"
Ye Zhinan waved it and showed it to them carefully.
"This thing is called a ruler. There are scales on it. As long as you cut according to the scales, there won't be any problems."
She had already come up with a plan. First, distribute the rulers to everyone, and then enlarge the blueprint in proportion. Even if they had no experience, they could barely manage.
"Is what you said really feasible?"
Qin Yihuai was also a bit skeptical. After all, the idea of enlarging in proportion was something he had never seen before.
"Whether it's feasible or not, we'll know after we make a prototype."