Chapter - 98 - Speculating his Identity

"My grandfather said it, my father confirmed it, and even... she declared that I was born from her womb." Yi Minghuan knit his brows, his voice dropping to a murmur.

"Why lie to me if I'm not truly theirs?" he added.

Tang Li perked up at his words, her mind immediately conjuring up scenarios reminiscent of the novels she devoured.

"Perhaps you're a stolen child," she speculated. "Or you were mistakenly picked up at the time of birth and they were afraid to speak out for fear of trouble. It could even be that a wealthy family fostered you here and forbid them to reveal the truth. I can't pinpoint the exact scenario, but it's possible..."

Tang Li's excitement grew with each speculation, radiating joy. However, as Yi Minghuan scrutinized her expression, he found himself increasingly dumbfounded, as if witnessing the musings of a lunatic.

This left Tang Li at a loss for words, unable to continue her enthusiastic speculations.

"Hey, don't you think I might be onto something?! It's all plausible!" Tang Li nudged him on the arm with some hesitation when her ideas weren't met with support.

Yi Minghuan glanced at her and caught her fingers. He gave them a gentle squeeze and then released them. Shaking his head, he commented, "What you're suggesting is too far-fetched."

"But life is often dramatic and absurd," Tang Li replied, rubbing her tingling fingers, finding his ambiguous gesture of clasping her fingers oddly natural.

She wanted to think more about Minghuan's family drama, but felt that she was being self-indulgent. 

Yi Minghuan glanced at her and remained silent. Instead, he gathered some leftover burning paper, took a few steps forward, and squatted in front of another grave. Pulling out the grass, he started burning the paper.

"Whose grave is this?" Tang Li walked up to him, eyes fixed on the unmarked grave, she questioned in an unintentionally low.

"My little aunt," Yi Minghuan replied. He lit the paper, took a step back, and performed a kowtow. Tang Li followed suit, recognizing the significance of respecting elders.

Tang Li bit her lip, hesitated, and then asked, "Did you have a good relationship with your aunt? How did she die?"

His aunt's burial in the family cemetery was unusual. Women in this era get married early, especially in rural areas. They start getting married at the age of eighteen or nineteen. If they don't get married in their 20s, they are considered to be a spinster.

His aunt was buried in the family cemetery, and she obviously died before she was married. 

"I've never actually seen her," Yi Minghuan admitted. "When I was young, I came here with my grandfather. He always made me kowtow to my aunt, saying it was something I should do whenever I visited."

Tang Li gasped, feeling a strange sense of unease. She felt that there was something weird but couldn't exactly pinpoint what was wrong. She lowered her head, touching her chin and gradually got lost in her thoughts.

"Let's go; big sister is waiting," Yi Minghuan urged, stuffing the matches in his pocket and motioning for her to follow.

After a few steps, he noticed she hadn't moved from her place. Yi Minghuan thought of calling her, but then a mischievous idea struck him when he thought of her frightened expression from before.

He walked backward, watching her intently, curious to see when she would notice and catch up.

About seven or eight meters away, Tang Li still remained deep in thought, oblivious to what was going around her.

Yi Minghuan stood his ground and let out a sly, ghostly whistle towards her to see how she would react.

"Ahhhhhh!"

Tang Li jolted back to reality, screamed, and rushed toward Yi Minghuan, clutching him.

Trembling with fear, she asked, "Did you hear that? The ghostly scream?"

"...cough cough, no," Yi Minghuan replied, caught in her tight embrace.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to suppress a chuckle. The mischievous glint in his eyes betrayed his amusement, but he managed to maintain a composed demeanor.

Tang Li, still clinging to him, gazed up with wide, frightened eyes. "Are you sure? I swear I heard a ghost scream just now!"

Her voice trembled with genuine fear!

Yi Minghuan, deciding to keep the playful mood alive, replied with feigned seriousness, "Well, I didn't hear anything."....