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墨書 Inktalez
I didn't know how to entertain them, so I just let them sit down first.
After a few casual exchanges, Zhang Dexin cut to the chase and said, "Saning, I have a Wooden Box here. Take a look."
Just as I was about to respond, my dad came back from outside. When he saw so many people in the room, he was clearly taken aback. Although my dad wasn't much of a talker, he understood manners.
He then asked me, "Saning, are these all your friends?"
I nodded and said they were my friends. I intended to continue the conversation, but my dad walked straight into the inner room and came back with something. He said, "Saning, take good care of your friends. Don't let them wander outside tonight."
I knew exactly what my dad meant; the rumors about ghosts haunting the village had been spreading like wildfire. As someone who had experienced it firsthand, I understood the terror involved.
After my dad left, Jianjian, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked me, "Are there really ghosts here at night?"
This abrupt question caught me off guard for a moment.
Finally, I just replied with a sound of acknowledgment.
Zhang Fatty chimed in, "Don't be scared! Jianjian, I'll protect you. Besides, there are no such things as ghosts in this world."
But unexpectedly, Jianjian's next statement left Zhang Fatty speechless. She said, "I've seen a ghost; I'm not afraid of ghosts."
For some reason, instead of feeling normal after hearing that, I felt a chill run down my spine.
Zhang Dexin couldn't help but glance at Jianjian in surprise.
I suddenly felt that Zhang Fatty's girlfriend was strange—different from ordinary girls.
Zhang Dexin laughed awkwardly and redirected the conversation back to the box. He took out the Wooden Box and placed it on the table.
This Wooden Box looked very similar to the one my grandmother had left me, but upon closer inspection, there were still differences.
“Saning, take a look at this Wooden Box.”
Just as I was about to look, Jianjian suddenly stood up and said she wanted to explore around. Clearly, Jianjian had no interest in the box. She asked, “Are you going to be my tour guide?”
I hadn’t even opened my mouth to respond.
Zhang the Fatty jumped in again, saying, “Jianjian, I’ll be your tour guide. I’ve been here a few times before, so I know it well.”
I had something to say, but Zhang the Fatty interrupted me again, “Saning, just relax and keep Uncle company while we check out the box! Jianjian and I will go for a little stroll; don’t worry, we won’t go far.”
The biggest feature of this village is that it’s completely open; anyone with a bit of direction sense wouldn’t get lost.
Zhang Dexin urged me, “Saning, it’s fine. Just let them go for a walk while we continue examining this box.”
So, I stayed with Zhang Dexin to look at the box. After a while, I admitted that I didn’t understand it. Zhang Dexin suggested that I take out my own box for comparison.
I found an excuse to decline.
However, Zhang Dexin told me that after the funeral here was over in a few days, when we returned to the city, I would definitely need to visit the East City Ruined Temple.
He mentioned the East City Ruined Temple again.
This reminded me of Wang Wei’s warning not to trust Zhang Dexin.
Zhang Dexin’s name was no longer publicly known; everyone referred to him as Zhang the Fortune Teller. If it weren’t for Wang Wei telling me, I wouldn’t even know what Zhang Dexin’s name was.
Wang Wei may be untrustworthy, but Zhang Dexin certainly deserves consideration.
The East City Ruined Temple had subconsciously become a place I absolutely did not want to visit. I didn’t respond to Zhang Dexin but forced a smile instead.
Zhang Dexin continued talking while I listened. After a while, my mother returned. She has a straightforward personality and immediately asked upon seeing a big fat man sitting in our home, “Who is this?”
I briefly introduced myself, and my mom said that he was a colleague's uncle. She added that since Saning would be alone in the city, I should take good care of him.
Zhang Dexin responded, and my mom poured him a cup of tea, then mentioned that Third Uncle's funeral was busy and asked me to look after Zhang Dexin.
Soon, it was just me and Zhang Dexin left in the room. It was the first time I felt so uncomfortable in my own home; I suggested we go out for a walk.
Zhang Dexin didn’t refuse. As we walked outside, he kept bringing up East City Ruined Temple and Wooden Box. I increasingly felt that Zhang Dexin had ulterior motives.
By this time, it was almost mealtime, so I led Zhang Dexin back. Just then, we ran into Zhang Fatty and Jianjian.
Zhang Fatty saw me and said, “Saning, I didn’t expect there to be a temple around here! Jianjian and I just visited it.”
Jianjian appeared unfazed, showing no signs of anything unusual.
I casually replied to Fatty, “As long as you had fun.”
But what surprised me was the next thing Zhang Fatty said; he mentioned, “The old man at the temple said to tell you to come by. He said you left something there!”
I was curious and asked Zhang Fatty, “He knows my name?”
Fatty replied, “Of course he does! Otherwise, how would I know he was talking about you?”
I was astonished inside but didn’t show it too much since I had never told that old man my name; this was my first encounter with him.
I had never believed in ghosts before and had never been to a temple. Just thinking about it made me check all my pockets, but everything was still there.
My belongings were simple: my phone, wallet, keys—nothing else.
What could I have left at the temple? Could it be my old Damn it? That seemed unlikely! If my mom lost something, she would notice right away.
My expression must have shown some uncertainty.
Suddenly, Jianjian walked over and said casually, “That old man wants you to come by tonight to get it. He said if you don’t come for it tonight, he’ll never return it.”
"Yes, yes, yes!" Zhang Fatty repeated three times.
I glanced at the two of them and thought it was quite a feat for them to become a couple.
I took them home for a meal. My mom was helping with a funeral, so she brought back a "Funeral Dish" for us to eat.
Yet, I was still puzzled about what the old man wanted me to fetch. After seeing my mom, I cautiously asked, "Mom, did you lose something?"
My mom, being impatient, quickly replied that she hadn't and then excused herself to help out again.
In our village, when there’s a wedding or celebration, every household usually sends someone to help out. The men would carry tables and do heavy lifting while the women helped with washing dishes and cooking.
So a funeral could really bring the whole village to life.
Jianjian asked Zhang Fatty, "Can you see ghosts here at night?"
I thought to myself that this woman must be out of her mind! Others would run away from ghosts if they saw one, but she wanted to see one—what was wrong with her?
Zhang Fatty, eager to impress her, said anything that came to mind: "Of course there are ghosts! Let Saning take us to see them tonight."
I cursed him silently in my heart but said aloud, "Zhang Fatty, even if there are ghosts, we shouldn't go looking for them..."
Before I could finish my sentence, Zhang Fatty chimed in, "Alright, Jianjian! Saning already agreed just now."
I was left speechless. Either way, I wasn't taking them out tonight.
Jianjian seemed indifferent toward Zhang Fatty, which made me feel that his affections were one-sided.
In the afternoon, I took them to the ancestral hall to see Third Uncle's funeral. Jianjian's gaze was sharp as if she was searching for something; I didn’t pay much attention.
Only Zhang Dexin seemed to focus a bit more on Jianjian.
Funerals are usually quite lively—there's music and noise, firecrackers going off, mournful songs being played, and eulogies being read. The atmosphere is quite boisterous; the older generation believes it helps send the deceased off in style. However, in my view, it’s meant to suppress the spirit of the departed and guide them on their way.
As dusk approached, Zhang Fatty suddenly rushed over to tell me that Jianjian was missing.
I asked him if he had searched the ancestral hall thoroughly, and he replied that they had looked everywhere but couldn't find her. My expression changed as I began searching the hall myself, but by around eight o'clock, there was still no sign of her.
Zhang Fatty was getting increasingly anxious.
Meanwhile, Zhang Dexin was staring intently at the white Soul Banner outside the ancestral hall.
Zhang Fatty came up to me and said, "Saning, do you think Jianjian got lost?"
With no trace of Jianjian inside the hall, we stepped outside. The village wasn't large, so we decided to split up and search. Since everyone in the village had gathered in the ancestral hall, the rest of the village felt eerily empty.
As I walked through the narrow alleys of the village, I awkwardly called out Jianjian's name. Just then, someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.
To be honest, things had been quite strange in the village these past few days. It was nighttime, and being tapped on the shoulder startled me.
I slowly turned around, bracing myself for the worst. I thought it might be Soybean or Third Uncle.
However, when I turned back, I saw it was Jianjian. Her expression was a bit odd, and just as my heart began to settle, her next words sent it right back into my throat.
"I saw a ghost..." she said to me.
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