I Went Back to the Village to Make a Wish, and the Ceremony Made Me Numb to Death.

Su Yue, 28 years old, had been working as a salesperson in the city for five years. His company closed down, his rent was due, and his girlfriend broke up. With only 3,000 yuan left in his pocket, he returned dejectedly to his hometown of Qingshigou Village in western Henan after many years of absence. The old house is dilapidated, half of the courtyard wall has collapsed, and the house is full of dust. When Su Yue was cleaning up the old house, he found an old, palm-sized wooden sign in the corner of the attic. It was engraved with vague patterns, and it felt cold to the touch. The moment he touched the wooden sign, an overwhelming sound flooded into his mind. "Hungry... I'm starving to death..." (The dying jujube tree in the yard) "I want to drink water... I'm so thirsty that the leaves are curled up..." (The wilted vegetable seedlings at the door) "This two-legged beast is back... Will he feed me?" (The neighbor's skinny old yellow dog) "If the drought continues this year, the whole family will have to drink from the northwest wind..." (The voice of Uncle Li next door) Su Yue was so frightened that he threw the wooden sign away. Instead of stopping, the sound became even louder. Only then did he realize that he could hear everything