She removed all the branches and turned it into a long stick.
In one hand, she used the stick to knock down the fruits from the pointed branches of the bayberry tree, while in the other, she held an empty basket to catch them.
Over an hour later, two baskets were filled, and the loaded bayberry tree had been picked clean.
She threw away the stick, sat down at the foot of the tree, and looked up at the trunk. âI wonder which branch you, the hanging big sister, had your neck hung on? Iâve come back and forth so many times, but you never showed up to greet me! Iâm still waiting to see you swinging on the tree.â
âCome on out.â She said in a friendly tone, âAfter Iâm done with the bayberries, I might not come back. Considering how often Iâve been here before, we could be friends, right? Donât worry, I, Su Qingyue, am friends with both the living and the dead. Being my friend is reliable!â
âHeheâ¦â A muffled male voice chuckled.
The sound drifted with the mountain breeze, and it was unclear where it came from.
Su Qingyue shrank back, âGhost Older Sister, werenât you a red-clothed female ghost? How did you turn into a man?â
It was silent.
Silent except for the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the tree branches.
âOh, I get it now.â Su Qingyue suddenly realized, âSo in fact, the one who hung themselves on the tree wasnât a woman or a man, but some kind of half-human, half-ghost eunuch, right?â
âPfftâ¦â She couldnât help but let out an almost inaudible muffled laugh again.
Su Qingyue narrowed her eyes, her figure flashed to the concave part of a nearby mountain rock, and in an instant, she grabbed the throat of the person hiding behind the stone. It turned out to be Li Gui, âItâs you?â
Li Gui couldnât have expected her to be so fast. He struggled as she choked him,
âLet go quicklyâ¦â
Instead of letting go, her grip on him tightened, âWere you following me?â âNoâ¦â He reflexively replied.
âThatâs good.â She finally released him, âThen what are you doing here?â âThe village kids saw you come to Hanging Neck Mountain several times, soâ¦
âReally?â She didnât believe him, âThere are ghosts here. Arenât you afraid?â
His facial expression changed slightly, âWhat did you see?â
Seeing his guarded look, she smiled and suddenly said, âI saw your old lover. A woman in a red dress. You were having a secret rendezvous with her here, and you deliberately said this mountain was haunted.â
His eyes flashed with surprise as he immediately refuted, âI donât have an old lover. Iâve never said this mountain was haunted.â
Su Qingyue quickly put the pieces together, âOn this mountainâ¦â She pointed at the bayberry tree, âThere was indeed a woman who hanged herself on this tree. Only, there are no ghosts. You made up the ghost story to have a convenient place to meet up with your lover. Of course, you wouldnât admit to spreading that rumor; youâd just dress up as ghosts for others to see, so theyâd pass along the tale.â
He still wanted to deny it, but she snorted and said, âStop pretending! If you keep denying it, itâs just too disingenuous. The day before yesterday, I saw the woman in red. She was closer to the foot of the mountain. It wasnât raining yet, and the sun was shining. Donât tell me that ghost could appear in broad daylight. She must have come to meet you and then saw me on the mountain, so she hurried away. Unfortunately, it started raining, and she had to take cover, which is when my third brother spotted her.â
Patting his shoulder, she said, âDonât worry, it was a rainy day, so my third brother couldnât tell if your lover was a human or a ghost. As for meâ¦.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om