The morning shift ended, and I arrived home in the afternoon.

"Assalamu'alaikum, Mom!"

A deep reply came from the house. I parked my motorcycle in front of the house and locked it.

I went inside, and as usual, I ate first after washing my hands. My stomach was so hungry.

While I was eating, my mom smiled at me. Unusually.

"Are you the boss now, Le?"

Jreenggg! Knowing my mom, it must have been Mr Ranu or Jono who had gone home first to tell her. Hmm... I think she had something up her sleeve.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

"You know, my mom's prayers have always been for you to be successful. Well, my prayers have been answered, you can now be successful," my mom patted my shoulder.

"Amen, O Allah, thank you, Mom," I smiled at my mom.

"So you understand now, right?" My mom smiled back.

"What, Mom?" I was surprised.

"Remember, Mamak's kitchen allowance has increased fivefold, too!"

Wow! That's right. Oh, Mom, Mom. If I'd known this, I'd have given my entire salary to you, and I'd be happy. He... he... he...

"Ready, Mom, ready, Commander!" I smiled.

Mamak walked forward, but before she could reach the door, she looked back at me.

"Oh, Nan, Nadia was looking for you. She said she had some. It is important to do. Since you weren't here, I gave her your phone number." Mamak walked through the door.

Nadia? Looking for me? It was like a volcano erupting in the middle of the day. How could a woman as beautiful as Nadia, who was being fought over by the village youth, be looking for me? Something else important to do.

"Wow, your crush is Mr Kusrin's daughter. Be careful, Le! You'll get scolded every day. Ha... ha... ha..." Mamak just walked out, and her head suddenly popped out the side of the door. It was so startling, like a ghost. "Oh, Mom, Mom. Nadia wouldn't want me."

"Heh, you shouldn't think like that, Nan. If it's meant to be, it won't go anywhere. You chase it away and let it come by itself. Ha... ha... ha..."

It seemed like that was the case; Mom was either mocking or praying for me, "Amen, Mom, amen."

Mom left again, and I continued eating. But... why was Nadia looking for me? It didn't take long, maybe three seconds. My phone rang. A new message, of course.

"Assalamu'alaikum, Adnan. Come to my house tonight after Isha. I have something important to do, Nadia."

"The tip of my heart is loved, the side dish arrives. It's true what Mom said, let it come by itself... Mom's prayers really do work. Wow, I'm getting excited. What's wrong with Nadia calling me to her house?

Oh well, I'll go there tonight. It's already late afternoon, and Asr prayers are coming. @ @ @

That night, because everyone had gone home late and the factory was working half a day, I went to Mr Kusrin's house, the village headman and Nadia's father.

I knocked on the door and said hello. A woman's voice greeted me from inside.

Nadia came out and opened the door, "Come in, Mr Adnan."

I entered, and Nadia was also sitting in the living room. Nadia's mother was in the living room watching television, probably a soap opera. Her voice sounded angry, as soap operas usually do.

"Just a moment, Mr Adnan," Nadia excused herself to go back for a moment, and after a few minutes, she came out with tea and snacks. Hmm... that means we're going to have a long talk, which makes me even more confident.

Her innocent and sweet face, combined with her black hijab in the night, really made my heart race.

"Mr Adnan!" Nadia's voice startled me.

“Eh.. Yeah, yeah,” I was a little surprised because I was daydreaming about seeing her face earlier, “What’s wrong, Nadia, why are you suddenly looking for me?” While talking, I took the tea from the glass and held it. It was still a little hot, so I took a sip. It was really sweet, as sweet as she made it, he.. he.. he..

"It's about the old house left behind by Mbah Pati and the mystery in our village, Mr Adnan."

Suddenly, she brought that up, and I felt goosebumps all over me. From there, Nadia enthusiastically started telling the story. This time, I listened intently; she had called me to discuss the mystery of our village.

I listened to everything she said, even though I was also captivated by her beautiful face. She spoke with such enthusiasm, while I listened, mesmerised by her face.

There was no second chance; she was indeed an angel who descended from a rickshaw—or, sorry, mistakenly, descended from the sky. Masyaallah, what a beautiful face God created. I was truly captivated.

"What do you think, Mr Adnan?"

Now, do you understand what Nadia just told me? So, don't be captivated by her beautiful face. You'll miss the story, right?

So, Nadia has been investigating the old house left behind by Mbah Pati and the mystery in our village.

First, she checked all the way down to the sub-district and district levels. She found that my village was just like any other. Bulan Indah Village is the same as Mang Krimo's village, located next to Pucuk Lebah. We receive the same amount of aid: one harvest at a time. So why does it seem like we receive this much aid?

If the reason is that our village head has a channel with the central government, then there should be data and reports. Unfortunately, there are no reports, and the aid was recorded only once.

This means there's a problem.

Second, Nadia investigated the unusual activity at the old house belonging to the late Mbah Pati. All the ghosts and fears seemed to be designed to discourage anyone from approaching the old house.

She said she passed the old house during the day and saw someone inside. When she approached, the house seemed to become quiet again, and there was no one else there.

"We have to investigate, Mr Adnan. I hope Mr Adnan will accompany me in investigating."

Nadia's feelings were actually not much different from mine. She only went to the sub-district and district offices for data. It seems Nadia was ahead of me in searching for that data. "Why is Nadia so intent on investigating this case?" I became curious.

"Because..." Nadia's gaze suddenly shifted, she looked to the side, and her eyes seemed to recall something. "The late Mbah Pati was the one who helped my family when we were in debt, and she also financed my early college education. She refused to pay her debts back then."

"So... I want to clear her good name, and she was a very good person. She taught me the Quran when I was little."

"Just like me, that means. The late Mbah Pati was indeed a good person.

"Okay, Nadia, so... when shall we start?"

Tomorrow morning, I received news that every Saturday afternoon, Mbak Murni is sometimes seen at the end of the village. I suspect... she goes to that old house, I don't know what business she has."

Mbak Murni? The beautiful widow?