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墨書 Inktalez
I looked at Auntie in surprise, but she held my hand tightly. Her expression suddenly darkened, and she said, "You go ahead."
I was momentarily stunned and didn't move. Hadn't Auntie taken a liking to Wang Wei? Why was she asking me to go first?
In fact, I had already agreed to see her daughter, so it didn't matter who went first. I didn't refuse; I simply asked her to let go of my hand, and I would go ahead.
Auntie forced a smile and slowly released her grip, looking somewhat tense, as if it were her daughter getting married instead of me.
Clay Bodhisattva seemed very alert, sticking close to me and tugging at the hem of my shirt. I told Clay Bodhisattva to let go.
"I’m just holding onto your shirt," Clay Bodhisattva said.
"Let go."
Clay Bodhisattva muttered a few words under her breath before finally loosening her grip, but I clearly heard her cursing me. I didn’t pay it any mind.
By this time, the sky was gradually darkening, and the last rays of the setting sun had disappeared.
When Auntie went out, she took the umbrella with her. Everyone left without locking the door; instead, Auntie opened the umbrella first.
She then asked me if I wanted to take cover.
I thought to myself, is Auntie out of her mind? It’s late at night and not raining. Why would I need to hide under an umbrella?
I said no, and Auntie turned to ask Wang Wei. Wang Wei, being straightforward, replied directly, "Auntie, it's not even raining. Why are we using an umbrella?"
Auntie said, "My beautiful daughter told me that I should carry an umbrella."
"Wang Wei said, 'What kind of strange habit does your daughter have?'"
Auntie felt a bit displeased at Wang Wei's words. What did he mean by strange habit? This was a custom.
I didn’t ask what custom could be so peculiar.
Clay Bodhisattva walked beside me, looking bored. The village wasn’t large, but the terrain was quite complex. The houses weren’t lined up next to each other; instead, they twisted around some winding paths, with some slopes that needed to be climbed.
So even though some houses were not far apart, they couldn’t be seen in a straight line.
Auntie led us around the bends, but crucially, she didn’t bring any lights. Once night fell in the countryside, it was basically like being blind with eyes wide open. We had to use our phone flashlights to illuminate the path ahead.
However, my phone battery was running low; I estimated it wouldn’t last much longer.
The path wasn’t far, just a few twists and turns.
Auntie held an umbrella and walked in front. It was nighttime now, and the light from my flashlight stretched Auntie's shadow on the ground. As Auntie walked, her shadow swayed along with her steps. I walked alongside her.
But later, as the path became narrower, Auntie moved ahead.
I walked second, Clay Bodhisattva third, and Wang Wei brought up the rear.
After walking for a while, I couldn’t help but ask how much farther we had to go. Auntie said we were almost there. I kept checking the time, but after half an hour, there was still no end in sight.
Wang Wei, perhaps feeling uneasy at the back, shouted, "Let’s hurry up; I keep feeling like something's behind me."
After another quarter of an hour, Auntie stopped walking. In front of us stood a house; it had a flat roof and looked like it was just one room.
Upon reaching the door, Auntie suddenly stopped. I had been curious for a while about why Auntie's daughter, despite not being married, chose to live separately from her.
Once we arrived, Wang Wei eagerly exclaimed, "What are we waiting for? Let's go in and take a look!"
In front of the house was a relatively open space. Wang Wei had already walked ahead, boldly trying to move forward, but suddenly Auntie pulled him back.
The light in Wang Wei's hand was still flickering, and he looked at Auntie, who was also staring back at him.
Wang Wei asked, "Auntie, what are you doing? Didn't you say we were here to see your daughter?"
Auntie lowered her voice and said to Wang Wei, "If you go in now, you must marry my daughter."
Hearing this, Wang Wei nearly agreed on the spot because the girl in that photo had indeed been attractive. He glanced at me, but I remained silent.
However, judging by Wang Wei's expression at that moment, it was clear he was conflicted. Soon enough, he took a step back.
Only then did Auntie shift her gaze back to the house.
I then saw her loosen her grip on the umbrella, which fell to the ground. To my shock, she knelt down.
At that moment, I felt something was off; it was unusual for a mother to kneel before her daughter.
Although I sensed something was wrong, I couldn't pinpoint any specific issue because they seemed just like ordinary people—no different at all.
After Auntie knelt down, I asked, "Auntie, what are you doing?"
The expressions of the three of us changed.
I suddenly felt an urge to leave this place. I glanced at Wang Wei, signaling that it was time to go, and I had already shifted my feet.
But just then, a cold breeze swept through, and I heard a loud bang as the door swung open, seemingly pushed by the wind.
We were about to turn away when the noise made us look back again.
Auntie began to sob, and my gaze was fixed on the doorway.
A chilling atmosphere started to spread around us, and I felt uneasy. "Let's go," I said. Clay Bodhisattva nodded in agreement and followed me.
However, Auntie spoke up, "Aren't you going to see my daughter now that you're at the door?"
Wang Wei replied, "We were going to check on her earlier, but you wouldn't allow it. Now we have no interest."
Auntie continued, "My daughter is very beautiful, and you all promised me before. Are you really going to deceive this old lady?" As she spoke, her tone turned into a whimper.
Seeing Auntie in such a state felt strange to me.
"My daughter has had a hard time these years; because she's too beautiful, no one has come to see her. Now that you're at the door, you won't even step inside."
Wang Wei said, "Stop crying; let's go in and take a look." After saying this, he turned to me and added, "Saning, since we're already here, let's just take a quick look."
I agreed with a nod. Of course, it wasn't out of desire for beauty; I simply thought Auntie was an ordinary person.
But for safety's sake, I let Auntie lead us inside. She didn't hesitate and quickly guided us in.
She practically rushed through the entrance, and soon we found ourselves in a single room where everything was visible at a glance.
The room contained a bed and a dressing table, and that was all.
It was spotless inside. After we entered, Auntie lit a candle. I stepped in and first checked for any ghosts. Once I confirmed there were none, I felt at ease.
On the walls hung several photographs of Auntie's daughter, who was dressed in Republic Era clothing, striking various poses. She certainly looked beautiful.
I couldn't help but admire her, but after scanning the photos, I realized I hadn't seen any living person. I couldn't resist asking, "Auntie, where's your daughter?"
"Didn't you see her?"
I was taken aback; I really didn't have time to play along with her antics. Was there anything else here besides the photos? Surely Auntie didn't just call us here to look at pictures.
"Wang Wei asked, "Is anyone here, Auntie?"
Auntie held an umbrella inside and said, "Didn't you see? She's right here. I'll take you to her."
At this point, I had pretty much concluded that Auntie might be a bit crazy. Based on her previous behavior, she certainly seemed unhinged. Simpleton indeed.
I called over Wang Wei and Clay Bodhisattva as we prepared to leave.
I stepped out first, but just as I did, I heard Wang Wei let out a strange cry. Turning around, I saw Auntie with her arms wide open, embracing Wang Wei.
I thought to myself that maybe Auntie had called us here because she didn't have a daughter at all; perhaps she had taken a liking to Wang Wei and wanted to marry him. The thought made me want to laugh for some reason.
Wang Wei struggled to break free from the embrace but couldn't manage it. Angrily, he said, "If you don't let go right now, don't blame me for being rude."
With that, Wang Wei prepared to take action.
Clay Bodhisattva remained completely indifferent, as if watching a play.
Wang Wei was being held by an Auntie, and his face looked quite unpleasant. Just then, Wang Wei suddenly called out to me, "Saning, come help me!"
I didn't move. If Wang Wei couldn't escape from an old lady's grasp, then he really wasn't much of a man.
I said to Wang Wei, "You handle it yourself."
"Exactly," Clay Bodhisattva chimed in.
Wang Wei looked both amused and exasperated, but I soon noticed that his expression changed.
Wang Wei's tone when he called for me shifted as well. I hurried over and grabbed the Auntie's wrist, saying, "Let go."
The Auntie stared at me and said, "Are you trying to become my son-in-law?"
I repeated firmly, "Let go."
I looked closely at Wang Wei and saw that his eyes were about to roll back in his head.
"What if I don't let go?"
I fell silent and simply pried the Auntie's hand open. At that moment, I realized how strong her grip was. Finally, after a few moments of struggle, I managed to free her hold with a burst of energy from my palm.
Once Wang Wei was free, he gasped for breath and immediately cursed, "Saning, that damn woman is definitely not human."
I understood exactly what Wang Wei meant.
I stared at Auntie, but her eyes changed, turning into a pair of blood-red orbs. Her once hunched body straightened instantly.
"What are you?" I asked.
But Auntie remained silent. Just then, Clay Bodhisattva shouted a warning. I quickly reacted, grabbing Wang Wei and retreating.
At that moment, a wave of black mist surged toward us. Wang Wei and I dodged swiftly, intending to exit the room, but to our surprise, the door was shut tight.
The interior became even darker in an instant.
I suddenly felt a chill of fear. I had no idea what this Auntie was; damn it, but one thing was certain—she was definitely not human.
I took a deep breath, and just then, my phone buzzed a few times, indicating it was out of battery.
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