I carried the groceries and fruits to the police station to report the theft of my electric bike. The officer on duty quickly took down my statement, noted my contact details, and instructed me to wait. They assured me that once they located my vehicle, they'd give me a call. However, I was convinced I wouldn't see that electric bike again.

Jinhua Town was about twenty miles from our village, making it impractical to walk back. The journey was too far. I hailed an electric tricycle, a vehicle for hire, and settled into the seat. The driver, an older man, headed towards our village.

On the way home, my mood was bleak. Not only had I lost money during the market trip, but our only means of transportation had also vanished. Simultaneously, Chen Yuanshan's words echoed in my mind, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that he might not be a charlatan.

"Could it be that I'm really haunted by Yin energy?" I mumbled to myself.

The driver dropped me off directly at Aunt Wu's place. She sat in her yard, shelling peanuts.

"Aunt Wu, I went to the market to buy groceries, and I lost the remaining money and my phone. On top of that, our electric bike is gone. I took an electric tricycle back, but I don't have money to pay the driver. Can you lend me ten bucks?" I almost felt tears welling up as I explained to Aunt Wu.

She didn't say anything but stood up, pulling ten bucks from her pocket. "Hurry up and pay the driver," she said.

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I nodded at Aunt Wu, took the ten bucks, and rushed outside to give it to the tricycle driver.

"Oh, Aunt Wu, my dad retrieved the body of that girl who jumped into the river and got ten thousand bucks from her family. Did you know about it?" I asked.

"Yeah, your dad came to my house earlier and bragged about it. He even flaunted the money he earned in front of me. He mentioned something about saving it for you to marry our Qiu Ping in the future."

Hearing Aunt Wu's words, my face turned bright red. Qiu Ping, mentioned by Aunt Wu, was her daughter. We grew up playing together, like childhood friends. While I admitted having a fondness for Qiu Ping, I only saw her as a sister. The thought of marrying her had never crossed my mind.

"Aunt Wu, these groceries are from my dad. He wants you to make a nice meal for both of us for lunch. The fruits are a little gift from me."

"Take the items to the kitchen. I'll finish shelling these peanuts, then I'll start cooking when you're done." Aunt Wu happily accepted the groceries and fruits.

After delivering the goods to the kitchen, I didn't leave Aunt Wu's house. Instead, I entered the eastern room, sat on the kang, and stared into space. I didn't dare go home; I feared my dad's reaction to the lost money, electric bike, and phone. He would surely scold me.

"Why the long face?" Aunt Wu walked into the room, noticing my furrowed brow. She wore a concerned expression as she approached.

"Aunt Wu, I lost my phone, the electric bike, and the money. If my dad finds out, he'll definitely scold me. I don't dare go home now."

"If it's lost, it's lost. It's not like you did it on purpose. I'll take you to see your dad. Explain the situation, and if he scolds you, you don't have to go home. You can stay here with Aunt Wu." She took my arm and led me towards our house.

Our village, once comprising over forty households, now had less than twenty. People moved to the city or the town, unwilling to stay in this remote village. Houses were scattered across a wide area, and our house was about fifty meters away from Aunt Wu's.