1959Siheyuan, a Turnaround

After returning home, Li Weiguo ate a few bites of food and began to prepare to go to Guijie in the evening.

He took the solar flashlight he had taken out from the space last time, and asked Grandma Li to find him a headscarf.

Speaking of this flashlight, an interesting thing happened that day.

That day, Li Dajiang held the solar flashlight and pondered for a long time, but couldn't find where to put the batteries.

He even went to Li Weiguo to ask: "Weiguo, where did you buy this flashlight? Why is it different from others? Why doesn't it even have a place to put the batteries?"

Li Weiguo was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat in the middle of summer. He quickly lied to Li Dajiang and said, "Dad, I don't know either. This flashlight was sold at the pigeon market. I forgot to ask!"

Fortunately, Li Dajiang didn't ask too many questions, so he escaped this time.

Li Weiguo wanted to wear a headscarf, and Grandma Li knew what he was going to do. She didn't ask much, but just said: "Weiguo, we don't have much coarse grain noodles at home!"

Li Weiguo was stunned at first, then he smiled: "I know, grandma, I will bring some whole grain noodles back!"

Then, the grandfather and grandson tacitly agreed not to mention the matter again. Nowadays, everyone goes to the pigeon market to exchange things, but no one makes a big fuss or goes in groups.

In Li Weiguo's opinion, his grandmother was addicted to the special multi-grain noodles produced in the space.

In order to maintain the mystery, Li Weiguo went to the Pigeon Market every few days. He also specially used different grains in different proportions to make mixed grain noodles.

He felt that since he couldn't feed white flour to his family openly, he could do it secretly!

Every time he would mix wheat with three or four kinds of grains in the space, such as red beans, mung beans, soybeans, and sorghum, to make a special multi-grain flour that he would bring back for his family to eat.

These days, he saw his four younger brothers and sister gaining weight, and he felt extremely happy.

When night falls completely, the hustle and bustle of the city is gradually swallowed up by the darkness.

Li Weiguo, holding a flashlight, walked towards Dongzhimen with trepidation.

Finally arriving at the legendary Guijie Street, Li Weiguo felt a gust of cold wind as soon as he stepped into the alley.

He felt a chill on his back, but when he thought that he was now a time traveler with a system, the scene before him was no longer scary to him.

In the distance, the lights of flashlights flickered in the darkness. The streets were sparsely populated and not as lively as he had imagined.

There was a lantern every few meters in front of the roadside shops. The faint light not only did not add much brightness to the street, but made it seem even more eerie, like a "ghost street".

The dim light from the lantern made everything around seem hazy and indistinct, which was very creepy.

The street is unusually quiet now, completely different from the hustle and bustle of Pigeon City.

Even if someone is doing business here, they will lower their voices and speak softly, as if they are afraid of disturbing something.

Li Weiguo subconsciously covered his face, turned on the flashlight, and walked carefully towards the first stall.

Following the halo of the flashlight, Li Weiguo raised his eyelids and saw clearly that there was an old man sitting behind the stall, smoking a pipe leisurely.

What surprised him was that the old man was not wearing a mask and had a white beard.

Before Li Weiguo could speak, the old man said, "Young man, is this your first time here?"

Li Weiguo was stunned at first, then he realized that his action of staring at the other person's face had exposed himself.

He calmed himself down and said, "Yes, sir, this is my first time here. How did you tell?"

The old man chuckled, exhaled a puff of smoke, and slowly said: "The people who come to Ghost Street here, the regulars all have their own ways and styles.

You're looking around with curiosity and nervousness in your eyes. If you're not a novice, what are you?"

Li Weiguo scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "Master, you are really good at judging people. This is indeed my first time in Guijie. Don't say that I feel a little nervous right now."

The old man smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, young man. This Guijie has its own rules. You will get used to it slowly."

Li Weiguo looked at the old man and asked, "Uncle, how long have you been setting up the stall here?"

The old man narrowed his eyes and recalled: "It's been a long time. I've met many people here and experienced many things."

Li Weiguo came closer out of curiosity and asked in a low voice, "Uncle, I heard that you can find good things in this ghost street. Is that true?"

The old man took a puff of his cigarette and said slowly, "That depends on whether you have good eyesight. Whether this place is real or fake depends entirely on your own ability."

Li Weiguo asked again: "Uncle, do you have any treasures here that I can take a look at?"

The old man pointed at several items on the stall with his pipe and said, "Take a look for yourself and see if there is anything that catches your eye."

Li Weiguo shone the flashlight carefully, but the light was dim and he couldn't see clearly, which made him more and more unsure.

The old man seemed to see what he was thinking and said, "Don't be anxious, young man. You have to be patient when buying things."

Li Weiguo nodded and asked curiously, "Uncle, why is Guijie called this?"

The old man smiled and said, "It's a long story. In the early days, this place had stalls in the middle of the night and transactions were conducted in secret, just like a ghost, so it was called Guijie."

Li Weiguo listened attentively and asked, "Can you tell me the rules here? This is my first time here and I have no idea what to do!"

The old man took a puff of his cigarette and said, "In Guijie, don't ask too much about the origins of things. You have to accept the agreed price. Once you buy something, you can't regret it. And don't shine a flashlight on someone's face. It's a big taboo!"

This was the second time Li Weiguo heard this taboo. He was really curious about why it happened and why there was such a strange rule!

"Uncle, why can't you take a photo of your face? Are you afraid that others will recognize you? And why don't you cover your face?"

The old man laughed and scolded, "You little bastard, I didn't cover my face because no one in Guijie looks at the seller's face. You're the first one. I don't let you show your face because the owner is afraid, but for the sake of you, the buyers!"

Li Weiguo became even more curious: "Uncle, what do you mean by that? I still don't understand..."

At this time, the old man didn't say anything, but continued smoking.

At this moment, a slight breeze suddenly blew, and the lanterns began to sway. The light and shadow flickered, illuminating the looming figure, and the atmosphere became even more eerie.

Li Weiguo couldn't help but shudder.

The old man saw that Li Weiguo was timid and said, "Don't be afraid, young man. This kind of wind is a common thing."

Li Weiguo forced a smile and said, "Uncle, I'm still a little nervous."

The old man then said, "It will get better slowly. It's always like this the first time. Don't look at the seller's face because... not all sellers... are... human!"

Hearing this, Li Weiguo stood up suddenly. Fortunately, the wind had passed, otherwise he would have peed himself to death.

The old man seemed very satisfied with Li Weiguo's performance and nodded with a smile.

His smile made the surroundings even more terrifying: "Sir, I didn't offend you, did I? You are just trying to scare me!"

"Haha... who asked you to look at my face?"

Li Weiguo was simply speechless. He thought he had met a good person, but he didn't expect him to be a bad guy.