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墨書 Inktalez
I saw a ghost...
For Jianjian, I was momentarily at a loss for words. In the narrow alley, the cobblestone path glistened darkly under the beam of my phone's flashlight.
Jianjian's black hair fell to her shoulders, and her pale face was somewhat frightening, especially as she spoke, exhaling white mist in the slightly cool air of early spring.
I saw a ghost... Jianjian looked at me intently, as if questioning me. I remained silent, my mind racing with thoughts.
Her first words echoed in my mind: I have seen ghosts; I believe in ghosts.
After a long pause, I finally said, "Zhang Fatty is looking for you. Let's go; don't make him worry."
Jianjian fixed her gaze on me, completely ignoring what I had just said. Instead, she asked, "Have you seen a ghost too?"
At that moment, it was nearly nine o'clock.
I suddenly felt my breathing become heavier as Jianjian pressed me further.
She seemed to have a strong belief in ghosts. When she first mentioned wanting to see one, I thought she was out of her mind. I would do anything to avoid encountering a ghost, yet she actively sought one out.
What else could it be but madness?
I remained silent, neither confirming nor denying her question, tacitly accepting it.
"Let's go!" I urged Jianjian again. But then she suddenly grabbed my hand and said, "You must know where ghosts appear; take me there now." I was pulled forward a few steps.
"Crazy," I said as I shook off Jianjian's hand.
After I pulled away, Jianjian stood frozen for a few seconds, her mind seemingly blank, as her expression revealed.
But a few moments later, she squatted down and began to cry, hugging her knees tightly and suddenly sobbing.
I glanced around; if someone saw this, they might think I was bullying her.
I quickly took out my phone and called Zhang, the chubby guy. Within a few minutes, he rushed over after the call connected.
Zhang asked Jianjian what was wrong.
Jianjian cried heartbrokenly, and Zhang's concern was evident in his voice.
I watched from the side, thinking that this girl was really not normal. But then Jianjian suddenly said, "My mom is dead..."
In the dead of night, while a funeral was being held in the ancestral hall, Jianjian mentioned that her mother had died.
People in the countryside are a bit superstitious; they believe that as long as there are enough people around, ghosts won't dare to appear.
I guessed that Jianjian must have seen Soybean earlier.
But then Zhang said something surprising: "Jianjian, hasn't your mom been dead for ten years?"
As an outsider listening to their strange conversation, I carefully pondered over their words but found no clarity.
Logically speaking, if Jianjian's mother had been dead for ten years, why was she only bringing it up today?
Just then, I heard a voice whispering in my ear, "Brother..."
I immediately gasped, feeling an overwhelming sense of tension. I wasn't too sure about Soybean right now, and I was afraid that Soybean might harm Fatty Zhang and Jianjian.
I urged them to leave quickly.
However, Jianjian, who had been crying moments ago, suddenly grabbed my sleeve and asked me insistently, "Can you see ghosts? Can you see my mom?"
I was anxious because Soybean's voice calling me "brother" echoed in my ears again.
I was worried something might happen.
Yet Jianjian kept repeating her question about whether I could see ghosts.
I felt a surge of irritation and replied, "Who told you that I can see ghosts?"
Fatty Zhang, supporting Jianjian, awkwardly said to me, "Saning, I told Jianjian that."
I was momentarily speechless. But seeing Jianjian's attitude towards Fatty Zhang, I quickly realized that he must have been lying to trick her into believing I could see ghosts; otherwise, she wouldn't have come here to play with him.
This Fatty, once again dragging me into trouble for the sake of flirting.
Taking a deep breath, I solemnly told Jianjian, "I'm just an ordinary person; I can't see ghosts."
Fatty Zhang added, "Saning really can't see ghosts. I was just teasing you before; I didn't expect you to believe it. I'm sorry." His tone was sincere.
I glanced at Fatty Zhang and decided not to waste any more time. I instructed him to take Jianjian into the ancestral hall. There were many people there, including some older folks who were still conducting funeral rites, so it should be safe.
We arrived at the ancestral hall. Jianjian had stopped sobbing, her gaze had turned cold, while Zhang the Fatty kept trying to comfort her.
I glanced over and thought to myself that this Zhang the Fatty was probably doomed; you can't fool women. A kind lie is still a lie!
As I approached the ancestral hall, I noticed Zhang Dexin was still staring at a Soul Banner.
I called out to Zhang Dexin, but before I could say anything further, my phone rang. It was the woman's voice on the other end.
She said to bring Zhang Dexin along to the temple.
I asked if it was now, and she confirmed it was. Then the call ended abruptly.
At that moment, Zhang the Fatty was still trying to soothe Jianjian. I called out to Uncle Zhang, and Zhang Dexin looked at me in confusion. I smiled back at him.
I directly expressed my intentions to Zhang Dejiang and threw in a few compliments about him being Zhang the Fortune Teller or something like that.
Initially, Zhang Dexin agreed wholeheartedly.
However, halfway there, this old fatty suddenly said to me, "Saning! You promised Uncle Zhang you'd take me to the temple, so you have to agree to one or two things in return!"
I glanced at Zhang Dexin and thought about how we were already on our way and that she specifically wanted me to bring him along.
The surroundings were pitch black; fields stretched out on both sides, and the croaking of frogs filled the air, but...
"Uncle Zhang, what do you want?"
Since that woman wanted me to go to the temple, it must mean I really lost something during the day, and now she wanted me to retrieve it.
Walking home at night used to be nothing out of the ordinary for me. During my university days, I would often find myself on familiar paths after dark, so it felt routine.
However, this time, an unsettling aura had crept in.
My mother had warned me about the person living in the temple, implying he was not a good person, but she never explained why. It suddenly struck me that she might have been hiding many things from me. These matters had seemed irrelevant before, but now they felt alarmingly personal.
I took a deep breath, waiting for Zhang Dexin to continue.
Zhang Dexin chuckled, his cheeks jiggling as he spoke. "About that wooden box of yours..."
Before he could finish, I interrupted him. "Uncle Zhang, is there anything else besides that wooden box?" We were both quite concerned about it.
To be honest, if Zhang Dexin were to leave now, I would feel genuinely uneasy. Soybean might be lurking in some corner, watching me.
Zhang Dexin laughed again. "I knew you wouldn't show me the box. How about this: when you get back to the city, you can accompany me to the East City Ruined Temple?"
Another dilapidated temple; I hesitated before responding.
Zhang Dexin continued, "I'll go with you to the temple now, and you'll go with me later. That way, we're even."
After thinking it over, I finally agreed.
As we walked along the road, we still had about two hundred meters to go. In the darkness of night, that distance was hard to gauge; it seemed like the temple wasn’t lit at all.
It was already past nine when we reached the entrance of the temple.
Just as I was about to step inside, Zhang Dexin grabbed my arm.
Zhang Dexin said to me, "Young man, don't be too hasty."
I had no idea what Zhang Dexin was up to. I only saw him pull out a plate, which had many pointers and small inscriptions indicating directions.
I had seen something like this on television; it was likely used for feng shui.
Holding the feng shui plate with a serious expression, Zhang Dexin muttered, "This shouldn't be..." Then he turned to me and said, "Saning, go inside."
I responded with a slight "mm," and the beam of my flashlight illuminated the temple.
As I entered, I called out, "Is anyone here? I'm here to pick something up!"
I didn't know what to call that old man, but thinking of his somewhat peculiar face made me feel a bit uneasy. The temple was eerie.
Although it was dedicated to deities, staying in such a place still felt somewhat unsettling.
Just then, someone called out, "Saning..."
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