Ever since delivering the girl's body to her family, strange occurrences seemed to revolve around me. Walking towards Aunt Wu's house, I couldn't shake the feeling of eyes watching me from behind.

Upon reaching Aunt Wu's doorstep, I halted, looking back over my shoulder. Nothing was there; everything was calm. However, this calmness made me profoundly uneasy.

"Zhihui gege!" (Brother Zhihui), Autumn Ping, seeing me standing at the gate, skipped out of the house and greeted me with a smile.

"Ping Ping, when did you come back? Took a few days off?" I asked, walking into the yard, smiling at her.

"I got a monthly leave this morning, just got back less than an hour ago. I can stay home tomorrow, but I need to return to school by noon the day after tomorrow!"

When Autumn Ping was in junior high, I thought of her as an immature little girl. However, since she started dressing up in high school, I noticed her maturing, no longer that naive girl.

Aunt Wu cooked all the meat and seafood I bought, fried peanuts, made cucumber salad, two appetizers, totaling eight dishes.

For some reason, despite the delicious spread, I had no appetite.

"Autumn Ping, Uncle is giving you a thousand bucks. Buy yourself a couple of nice outfits, get whatever you want to eat. You look thin!" After finishing the meal, my dad took out a stack of money and handed a thousand to Autumn Ping. He then handed another thousand to me, instructing me to buy a new phone.

"Uncle He, I can't accept this money. You worked hard for it!" Autumn Ping politely pushed back the money my dad offered.

"Uncle He had a lucky day today and made good money. Take it." I pushed back, but my dad insisted, handing the money to Autumn Ping.

Autumn Ping glanced at the money in her hand and then at her mother.

"Uncle He indeed made good money today. Take it," Aunt Wu chimed in, supporting Autumn Ping's acceptance.

"Thank you, Uncle He!" Autumn Ping thanked my dad and put the money away.

After lunch, I accompanied my dad, and we had half a bottle of beer. I struggled to drink and barely ate. The food tasted bland, like chewing on dry wood.

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"I'm full. You guys enjoy!" I put down my chopsticks and excused myself.

"Zhihui, you hardly ate anything. Is my cooking not to your liking?" Aunt Wu asked, pointing at my half-eaten rice.

"Aunt Wu, it's not your cooking. It's me; I don't have an appetite. Maybe I caught a cold when it rained this morning!" I tried to explain.

"Zhihui, your complexion does look a bit off. We have cold medicine; let me get it for you!" Autumn Ping offered, heading inside to find medicine.

After taking the medicine, I still didn't feel well. I left Aunt Wu's house, but on the way home, my condition worsened. When I arrived near our house, a sudden strong wind blew, leaves rustling like applause. The sky darkened, followed by lightning and thunder, similar to the morning storm. It happened unexpectedly. I ran a few steps and, with a splash, a torrential rain began.

Since I wasn't afraid of thunder, I don't know why, but today, every flash and rumble sent shivers down my spine.

Looking at the thunderstorm, recalling the morning's body retrieval, and my grandfather's warning about not retrieving bodies in an upright position or during a thunderstorm, I felt a creeping sense of fear. The rain, expected to be short-lived, continued until past eight in the evening. The river rose rapidly, almost reaching the banks.

After lunch, my dad and Uncle Lin went to the town's bathhouse. They might not return until later. Uncle Lin, known for his laziness, owned substantial land, earning a decent income.

I wasn't planning on sleeping, given my uneasy state. However, my heavy body succumbed, and I fell asleep on my kang.

In a half-conscious state, I suddenly saw a drenched young girl in my room. Her upper body wore a white short-sleeved shirt, and the lower body only had black lace-edged panties. Barefoot, she trembled, standing in the center of the room.

"I-I'm so cold, so cold!" she repeatedly shouted towards me.

I felt like I was paralyzed, only my eyes could open, unable to move or speak.

A chilling wind swept through the room, causing me to shudder. I couldn't help but swallow hard, goosebumps forming. When the wind blew the wet hair away from the young girl's face, I was stunned.

"S***!" I exclaimed, leaping off the kang, turning on the lights.

When I looked back at the doorway of my room, the door was wide open, and the drenched figure was gone.

"Must be a nightmare!" I reassured myself.

I got up to close the door, but noticed several puddles on the floor, oval-shaped, about thirty by twenty inches. Following the water, I found similar puddles in the middle room, extending to the front door. They looked like footprints, as if someone stepped out of the water and onto the floor.

Feeling a sense of dread, I thought of theft, especially after my dad earned a significant amount from retrieving the body. The phrase "greed for wealth, harm to life" flashed in my mind, sending shivers down my spine.

I locked the doors and windows, grabbed a rolling pin and a kitchen knife, pondering the legal consequences if I were to harm a potential intruder.

Unsettled, I didn't plan to sleep, but my body, fatigued and unwell, betrayed my intentions. As I dozed off, the rhythmic barking from the neighbor's dog, Black Tiger, echoed. Then, the door creaked open.

Assuming it was my dad, I tried to wake up, but my eyes felt heavy. Eventually, I fell asleep.

In my half-conscious state, the drenched young girl appeared again in my room, crying about the cold, her voice echoing.