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墨書 Inktalez
Outside the window, there was nothing but emptiness. I thought to myself that Soybean must not have shown up.
I said through the glass, " Soybean, I wanted to help you, but you’ve been naughty, trying to harm me time and again. I don’t trust you anymore."
After I spoke, there was no response from outside.
The light from inside the room spilled through the glass, limiting my view. Since there was no sign of him, I decided to close the window.
Just then, an old, hoarse voice suddenly rang in my ears.
"Saning," it called out.
That single call sent chills down my spine. My hand froze on the curtain as I looked outside; this voice definitely wasn’t Soybean’s.
"Who is it?" I asked aloud.
The cold wind outside made the glass creak with a "whoo whoo" sound. My gaze remained fixed on the window, feeling a chill run through me. After pulling the curtain shut, just a few seconds later, there was a knock on the glass.
I quickly pulled back the curtain and shouted, "Who is it? Come out, stop lurking around!"
The first thing I saw was half a face. I initially thought I had encountered a ghost again, but upon seeing that half face, I immediately closed the curtain. Then came the voice from outside: "Saning, it’s your Third Uncle." The voice sounded like stones grinding against each other.
"Is it really you, Third Uncle? What do you want at this hour?"
I still hadn’t opened the curtain.
"Saning, come out. Third Uncle needs to talk to you about something."
"Can’t it wait until tomorrow? I want to sleep now; I'll come by your place tomorrow."
"You little rascal, how can you speak to your Third Uncle like that? Open the curtain for me." Third Uncle used to scold me like this when I was young. To be honest, I still felt a bit intimidated by him.
Hearing Third Uncle yelling at me, I pulled back the curtains. Outside, Third Uncle's face looked grim, the wrinkles making him appear a decade older than his actual age.
"Third Uncle, go ahead," I said.
"Come out," Third Uncle replied.
At that moment, I really couldn't go out. For some reason, I felt an unusual trust in that woman's words. I didn't respond to Third Uncle.
He noticed my hesitation and finally said, "Saning, it's fine if you don't come out. I'm here to tell you that Soybean didn't mean to harm you."
I stared at Third Uncle. He claimed Soybean had no intention of hurting me, but I found it hard to believe since Soybean had indeed attacked me before.
"Third Uncle," I called out.
Third Uncle looked up at me. After a moment of silence, I asked the question that had been troubling me: "What was the real cause of Soybean's death?" As soon as I asked, Third Uncle seemed taken aback, followed by a fit of coughing, his expression turning extremely grim.
He said, "Saning, if I told you Soybean drowned, would you believe me?"
I shook my head to indicate that I didn't believe him.
Third Uncle continued, "That poor child, the true cause of death was actually..."
But just then, Third Uncle suddenly smashed my window when I wasn't paying attention. Startled, I stumbled back as he reached through the broken glass and grabbed the hem of my shirt.
Third Uncle's face twisted into a menacing expression as he said, "Saning, I want to borrow something from you." His voice grew increasingly terrifying.
Damn! A man in his sixties or seventies shattering my window in the middle of the night and pulling at me for something—this was truly frightening!
I broke free and retreated to my bed.
Third Uncle was left with no way to deal with me.
I looked at Third Uncle, feeling a surge of anger. "Do you really want to trade my life for your grandson's?" I was genuinely furious.
After his slip-up, Third Uncle's emotions became agitated. "I don't want your life; I just want you to give me that box."
I turned to glance at the box beside my bed, then back at Third Uncle. Finally, I said, "Third Uncle, this box is a relic left to me by my grandmother. I can't give it to you."
Instantly, Third Uncle's demeanor shifted to one of disappointment.
"Actually, Soybean's true cause of death is..."
I was immediately intrigued by this statement. To be honest, I was very curious about Soybean's cause of death; it felt like reading a mystery novel where you want to know the ending as soon as you start.
I waited for Third Uncle to continue, but to my surprise, he turned and walked away without looking back.
Staring at the broken glass and the empty outside, I began to doubt whether this was all just a dream.
After Third Uncle disappeared, I slowly calmed down. At that moment, I realized my palms were completely damp with cold sweat.
I wiped my forehead, which was also slick with perspiration, and then drew the curtains shut.
Lying in bed, I couldn't sleep all night. The image of Third Uncle in a frenzy kept replaying in my mind. What could be hidden inside that Wooden Box?
And what exactly was Soybean's true cause of death? Third Uncle had come over and left me hanging.
Now there was one more person coveting the Wooden Box, and I felt increasingly uneasy. My thoughts circled back to Soybean's true cause of death until I found myself tossing and turning until four in the early morning. A cold wind blew in through the window, lifting the curtains and sending a chill through me.
I turned on the light, hoping to find something to block off the broken glass.
But when I reached the window, I saw Soybean standing outside, his face expressionless and cold. I froze for a moment before gasping in shock.
I thought to myself that this grandfather-grandson duo really seemed determined to stick around.
"Brother..." Soybean called out.
I nervously took a few steps back.
"Brother, I won't hurt you."
I thought to myself that if you weren't scared, that would be strange. I stopped only after retreating a bit further from the window, fearing that Soybean might suddenly act like his grandfather.
"Brother, I'm here to tell you something."
Damn it, both the grandfather and grandson spoke in the same way. Are they trying to trick me with a different approach? Just as I was about to retort, Soybean continued without pausing.
"Brother, don't believe what my grandfather says; he's just trying to deceive you."
Upon hearing this, I couldn't help but ask, "Why?" My emotions were starting to rise.
"Is your death related to Third Uncle?"
Soybean fell silent for a moment before saying, "Brother, this is a secret. I can't tell you right now. It's almost dawn; I have to go."
With that, Soybean vanished from sight.
I sat on the bed in a daze, wondering what was going on. Did Third Uncle do something to Soybean? Or was it possible that Soybean was actually harmed by Third Uncle?
But Tiger's Poison doesn't harm children! How could Third Uncle be so cruel? There must be another secret hidden within this, and besides, Soybean's words might not even be true.
After that, I nearly watched the sky brighten.
Faint sunlight streamed in through the window as I stepped outside, brushing my teeth and washing my face. My mom had also gotten up early and asked when she saw my haggard appearance, "Saning, did you not sleep well last night?"
I simply murmured in response, not wanting to share what had happened the previous night for fear of worrying them.
After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I noticed that my mom was dressed quite formally today. I asked her where she was going, and she said she was taking me to the temple.
There is a temple nearby, just two or three miles from our village. However, there is only an old man living there, and he isn't a monk; he can be considered the caretaker of the temple.
So usually, when we visit the temple, we just pay our respects to Guanyin and don't inquire about karma or anything like that.
I didn't really want to go, but my mom insisted on dragging me along, saying it was to ward off evil spirits.
With no choice, I left the house with her and headed toward the temple. But not long after we stepped outside, I saw a crowd gathered at Third Uncle's doorstep.
Seeing this, my mom hurriedly squeezed her way through the crowd.
I sighed, thinking that this old man was no longer the same person I once knew.
"Third Uncle is dead," I heard someone say before I could get closer. My first reaction was disbelief. How could that be possible? Just last night, he had smashed my window and held onto me tightly; he had quite a bit of strength then. How could he just die?
I wasn't convinced, so I moved closer to the crowd.
But just as I was about to approach, my mom stopped me. She said, "He just died; you young people shouldn't look at him. It's bad luck!"
Hearing her words, I asked in disbelief, "Is Third Uncle really dead?"
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