That night, there was heavy snow and another severe cold.

The area around Hanqiao in Weishui County is where poor people live.

On Youfang Street, in front of a dilapidated gate hung with white sails, it was wrapped in white and looked desolate.

In the past two days, many people stopped in front of this door.

First of all, this is because this door has been empty for more than 20 years, and now people have moved in again, which naturally attracts the attention of neighbors.

Secondly, I wanted to see how the famous shoemaker in Hanqiao had fallen into such a state of decline - in the past few years, the old shoemaker's business was very good, so he naturally saved some money and moved to a place that only rich and wealthy people could afford.

The Tianqiao area. Unfortunately, I failed to live up to expectations. I lost all my wealth by entering Tongbao Gambling House. I even sold the small house in the Tianqiao area and had to move back to my ancestral home in the Hanqiao area.

The third time, of course, the old shoemaker was so angry that he died. The house was surrounded by sorrow and joy for several days, and it also attracted some people who were watching the fun.

At the second watch, with heavy snow falling, the watchman and the manure carrier met in the streets and chatted briefly about the changes in the shoemaker's family in the past few days.

But after they walked past, what they didn't know was that there was an alley just outside the dilapidated mansion.

A figure had already listened to all these small talk.

In the heavy snow, the figure stood in the darkness of the alley, silent and like a dead thing. After the watchman and the dung carrier walked away from each other, he walked back quietly.

He clearly looked like a rickety old man in his teens, stepping on the soft snow without leaving any traces.

Very weird.

The figure came to the dilapidated door of the shoemaker's family, lightly kicked on the wall, and then, as if it were weightless, it rose up with the cold wind and fell into the courtyard silently.

In the doorway, in the room.

The square-faced young man settled the old woman who had just fallen asleep, turned around, closed the door gently, and turned into another small room.

Inside the house, the traces of its use as a mourning hall have not yet been completely removed. Money and paper are scattered, incense and ashes are piled up, and a few swaying oil lamps flicker, bringing a hint of warmth.

On the wall hangs the thin portrait of the old shoemaker.

At the base of the wall, there is an old wooden bed.

The square-faced young man came to the bed, took out a cloth bag from under the pillow, and felt the cold and hard touch of broken silver inside.

In the silence, he seemed to be very tired from taking the old shoemaker up the mountain during the day. He lay down, hugged the cloth bag tightly, wrapped himself in a quilt, and fell asleep.

Half asleep and half awake, whether because of the cold weather or depression, the square-faced young man suddenly sneezed!

Ah sneeze!

He sniffed, turned over, and was about to go back to sleep.

But suddenly I heard a loud bang!

It sounded like something heavy hitting the ground!

The square-faced young man was suddenly startled, woke up, and lit the oil lamp.

But he saw the portrait of the old man above his head. I wonder if it fell to the ground because of the heavy wind and snow.

The square-faced young man crawled out of bed, picked up the portrait, sighed, and muttered,

"Dad, I'm sorry for you."

"But don't worry, I have already borrowed a lot. It will be enough to borrow some from Zhou Yuanwai's son tomorrow."

"He has a good relationship with his son, so he will definitely not be stingy."

"After I borrow the money, I will go to Tongbao Gambling House and win back everything I lost!"

"When the time comes, I will take my mother back to the Tianqiao, and then move your grave to the Mingyue Mausoleum. Don't worry!"

While he was talking, a cold wind blew in from the window and blew out the oil lamp!

The square-faced young man could not help but shudder. He stretched out his hand tremblingly, wiped it black, and hung up the portrait of the old shoemaker.

Just about to get under the covers and go to sleep.

But suddenly I heard someone talking in my ear!

"Hang it backwards!"

The square-faced young man was stunned for a moment. He groped for the portrait in the dark. It felt wrong. It was indeed hung backwards.

This is disrespectful!

After he rearranged it, he subconsciously blurted out, "Thank you!"

But as soon as he finished speaking, an indescribable coldness seeped out from the tip of his heart, and spread throughout his limbs, bones, and internal organs in the blink of an eye!

I was so scared that my whole body was frozen! The two legs were fighting!

In the middle of the night, he and his wife were the only ones in the dilapidated house.

And in order to prevent his mother from finding out that he had borrowed money from someone to go to Tongbao Gambling House again, he also bolted the door of this room.

In other words, at this point, he should be the only one in this room!

In this case, who was speaking out just now?!

Thinking of this, the square-faced young man could only feel the blood all over his body, and everything froze.

Endless cold!

What's more, that sound of "hanging up backwards" sounds so familiar to me?

Why does he look so much like his dead father?

"You still want to gamble?"

Another cold question echoed in the ears of the square-faced young man, making his whole body shiver again!

Like a frosted wood, he turned his head stiffly, and through the faint light reflected by the white snow outside the window, the square-faced young man only saw a rickety figure standing behind him.

His face was pale and bloodless, his pupils were dark and breathtaking, and his wrinkled old face was eerie and terrifying!

Couldn't it be the old shoemaker who was buried during the day?

"Dad...Dad?" The square-faced young man was completely stunned and trembled as he spoke!

"You traitor! Do you still dare to gamble?" The ghost voice spoke again, angry and cold, as if coming from the land of the netherworld!

"Dad! Dad! I don't dare anymore! I don't dare anymore!" Fang Lian asked, his scalp numb with fright, heat surged between his legs, and he actually lost control!

He already felt guilty for the old shoemaker's death wish, but now that his body was buried and such strange things were being done, how could he not be shocked!

But the ghost figure didn't listen to what he said, and suddenly rushed to him less than an inch away, as if teleporting!

That green-white grimace and long scarlet tongue are about to touch the tip of the square-faced young man's nose!

"Son, if you dare to gamble again, dad will take you with him to save your mother from being angry to death!"

The extremely cold sound echoed in his ears, causing the square-faced young man to lose any ability to think for a moment.

I can only close my eyes tightly and keep nodding!

"Dad! The kid doesn't dare anymore!"

"My child doesn't dare anymore!"

"My child will pay back all the borrowed money tomorrow!"

"Dad! The child is wrong!"

"..."

The square-faced young man was just an ordinary man. He had never encountered such a ghostly creature. He couldn't help but scream hysterically in fear, which echoed throughout the streets!

He didn't know how long he shouted. It wasn't until the cold feeling completely subsided that he dared to open his eyes!

But there was nothing in front of him.

The whole person was paralyzed on the ground!

The only sound left outside the door was the worried sound of his mother knocking on the door!

The next day, the heavy snow stopped and the golden rooster broke at dawn.

It was still dark, and on the street, people gathered in front of the old shoemaker's dilapidated door, pointing and pointing.

It turned out that last night, when the square-faced young man was frightened, he made a loud noise, which woke up the neighbors.

Early this morning, the news that the shoemaker was haunted spread throughout half of Youfang Street.

How could these poor people miss such excitement? They came to check it out before going to the market to work.

But as soon as the door of the shoemaker's house opened, the square-faced young man who was wrapped up tightly took the borrowed money that was originally used as gambling capital, knocked on the creditor's door from house to house, and returned all the money.

Even if I passed by Tongbao Casino on the way, I wouldn't dare to take a second look!

Then, after resting for a few days, the square-faced young man seemed to be a different person. He got the shoemaking and repairing notes left by his father from his mother, and started running the business without mentioning the gambling thing again.

As for what exactly happened that night, the square-faced young man never mentioned it to anyone.

It's just that everyone guessed some clues from his overnight changes and his hysterical shouts of panic.

As for this story, as it was passed down orally, it was also polished by the storytellers under the overpass, magnifying the supernatural aspects in it, and telling it as a story to the tea drinkers passing by.
To be continued...