After a short silence, Father An breathed a sigh of relief, sat down in his chair and said, "Ah Zhen, go and prepare dinner, we have a guest today." ”

"No... I have to go back," Yu Siqi noticed that it was almost six o'clock, and the time passed so fast.

"At least we'll have dinner before we go," said Schyitz, who walked into the kitchen, "I'll go wash the dishes." ”

"Hmm... Well...", he didn't refuse, he just felt that some of the things just now were a little weird, so he looked at Father An, who was deep in thought, and asked, "Aren't you going to tell me anything more?" ”

"Of course," Father Ann looked up at him, thought for a moment, and said, "I'm glad you passed the test, which proves that my intuition and inferences are correct, but it also raises a new question. ”

"What's the problem," Yu Siqi asked.

"Very bad question," said Father Ann, taking a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, carefully unfolding it, folding the postcard in the box and putting it at the bottom of the paper, and stuffing it into Yu Siqi, "You can read it." ”

When he took the paper, he found that it was quite old, and it was covered with small notes, each with a difficult sentence written on it, but some of it had been annotated:

I wander through the wilderness,

Wandering in endless darkness,

The people of Iraq are gone, and the saints are powerless,

The undead are whispering, the dead are roaring,

And I was lost in the gaze of the abyss,

It was not my intention to go astray,

But the mistake has been done, and I will do the power against the sky,

In the body of atonement, to redress injustice,

If the heavens do not allow it, I will cover the heavens and the moon,

If the earth does not follow, I will cover it with three feet of earth.

Yes, life and death coexist;

Yes, the land of the new pines;

There is no yellow spring above the underworld.

"What does that mean?" Yu Siqi asked confusedly: "This poem-like poem doesn't look like a poem, and it feels like it's awkward to read, and it's middle two." ”

"It was written by a priest in the diocese seventy years ago, and it was kept in thirteen boxes that he had hidden in Siasong. And you're the one who opened the last box. Fr. Ann said thoughtfully: "There are fallen people in the Holy Gate, and we and other clergy are also very distressed!" Not to mention that he also deliberately chose thirteen boxes. ”

13 Is there any special significance? I love the number 13. Yu Siqi asked puzzled.

"Westerners are as taboo as we hate 4," said Fr. Ann, "and you may have heard the story of the Last Supper, where it is said that the last time Jesus and his disciples had their last supper was on the 13th and the number of people who attended it was exactly 13, and of course Judas the Betrayer was the last thirteenth to attend. ”

"It's just a legend, so what?" Yu Siqi asked: "It's just an ordinary number, take me personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with this number itself, on the contrary... People who think the numbers are problematic may be the real problem. ”

"Perhaps." Father Ann said unexpectedly perfunctorily.

"Hey, Zhen, you seem to have one less egg." Shi Yizhe's voice was unusually high-pitched.

"I don't need you to remind me, Mr. Shi." Ah Zhen didn't mean to bother at all, and walked to the table with a large plate of sandwiches.

"How many times have you said it, don't call me 'sir' and 'teacher'," Shi Yizhe followed behind Ah Zhen very unhappily with a pot of hot and sour soup.

"Well, well... Let's eat first...", Father Ann clapped his hands and said, "Let me clean up the things on the table first, and help me carry them, this thing is still a bit difficult to do alone." ”

Helping Father An carry the heavy and heavy silver box off the table, Yu Siqi felt that the girl named Ah Zhen might not be as weak as she seemed on the outside.

Looking at the sandwiches served, Yu Siqi felt that there seemed to be no problem with the priest's family eating this thing, but there was a little too much lettuce, and he would have to take it away later.

However, Father Ah and the others began to eat directly, without any warning, and for a while there was only the sound of knives and forks and cutlery clashing on the table.

Probably unable to stand such an atmosphere, Yu Siqi picked up the fork and asked, "Don't you pray?" ”

"Oh... Why do you care about that thing? Father An drank the hot and sour soup and said, "There are fewer chili peppers in today's soup, Ah Zhe." ”

"There's no chili powder anymore, I'll remember to buy it next time I go out." Shi Yizhe licked the jam on the fork and said, "The jam I bought this time tastes very good, where did you buy it?" ”

"There's a shop in the basement of the shopping mall where you took me last time that specializes in kitchen cooking, and it's very complete with everything in it, and there's nothing wrong with it except that it's not cheap." Ah Zhen said with interest.

"Don't worry about money, that's what Xiao An should worry about." Shi Yizhe waved his hand and said.

"Wait, that doesn't sound right." Father Ann hurriedly said.

"Is there one?"

Under the double gaze of Shi Yizhe and Ah Zhen, Father An was finally defeated.

"Okay, I'll just pay for it."

Although the sandwiches don't look good, the ingredients of the hot and sour soup look bland. But Yu Siqi still ate as many as four yuan, so much so that he felt that the belt around his waist was trying his best to let himself go. With a little unwillingness, he looked at the small half of the hot and sour soup left in the bowl and put down the spoon.

At this time, everyone at the table had basically eaten, especially Father An, who was wiping his mouth with a napkin that he had touched nowhere.

"It's almost time for me to leave, thank you for dinner." When Yu Siqi was about to get up and leave, he was suddenly held down by Shi Yizhe on the side.

The latter spoke: "I thought Xiao An would tell you everything!" ”

"He did tell me a lot of ridiculous things, but it didn't have much to do with me, at most it was probably the box that scared me a little bit, and that's it. I have to deny that this mechanism is cleverly designed, but the things inside are ridiculous. Yu Siqi said with a yawn.

"Ah Zhe, let him go." Father An put down his napkin and looked at Shi Yizhe vigilantly.

"I don't agree with your actions, Xiao An, you are very irresponsible." Shi Yizhe said.

"I don't need you to remind me what to do and what not to do. Please don't forget, it's still the math I'm talking about. Father Ann stood up and said, his eyes a little frightened.

"So do you mean that you're going to make him the same as the hapless ones up there? Don't you really have a bottom line as a clergyman? Shi Yizhe also stood up, and his aggressive momentum made others think that he seemed to be angry.

"Wait a minute, why are you arguing, what else is it like those unlucky ghosts? It makes me uncomfortable to hear. Yu Siqi said.

No one responded to him, as if he didn't exist, and the quarrel rang out again.

"Are you condemning me? Haven't I tried anything? Don't you know how bad the situation is now? Why should we risk him to live in fear, wouldn't it be better to protect him secretly? Father An's voice grew higher and higher, and his emotions became more and more agitated, so that people could not feel a trace of solemnity.

"I don't deny your efforts, but I still want you to tell this kid everything, because he may be the last person to hear you tell the truth." Shi Yizhe said with a gentle expression, as if the momentum just now was pretended.

"Do you mean I'm doomed? You just want to see me achieve nothing? Father Ann sat down in his chair with a depressed expression, giving the illusion that he had aged more than a decade in an instant.

"That's not what I meant, you know... All the people in this room want you to succeed. Shi Yizhe turned his head to look at the stunned Ah Zhen and said, "I'm right, Ah Zhen." ”

Ah Zhen, who was cleaning up the dishes, obviously not the first time she had encountered such a situation, she did not say anything immediately, but poured all the dishes into the sink and put the water and dishwashing liquid in it. Walking back among them, he spoke.

"Although I feel a little sorry for the boss, I also think we need to make a change, otherwise if this guy dies on the street for no apparent reason, it will definitely not feel very good."

"Wait, why did I die on the streets for no apparent reason. I haven't done anything bad, and I haven't offended any underworld people, why do you say that? ”

"Well, well... Since you insist, I'll tell him, and it's up to him what to do next. ”

Father An took a deep breath, tried to calm himself, and motioned for Yu Siqi to remain silent.

"You may have noticed that the poem on that piece of paper is composed of 13 sentences, and we told you before the meal that these 13 sentences are kept in thirteen separate boxes." Father An said with a sad expression: "It is a pity that the volunteers who helped us open those twelve boxes have unfortunately left this world. ”

"What?" Yu Siqi couldn't believe his ears.

"Of course, they've been gone for some years. After all, it's been 70 years, and they died before I took over this mess, and they all died unexpectedly. Father Ann said.

"Then why did you let me open that broken box!" Yu Siqi asked angrily, "Why do I want to be the thirteenth victim?" For your so-called religious ceremonies? ”

"Of course not, do you think I want you to die in vain? Impossible! Fr. Ann raised his voice and said, "You remember that I said that it was a deduction and a gut feeling that I had always believed that the particular number 13 was the only way to put an end to this, and I went out of my way to visit you in order to confirm my thoughts. ”

"Thank you so much," Yu Siqi said angrily, "I'm sorry, it's too late." I'm not interested in your ideas and plans, it's time for me to go. ”

"Forgive me for refusing your request, since everyone wants me to tell you the truth of the matter, then I will not let you go easily. Don't worry, I'll drive you home later, don't worry about going home. Father Ann said in a lower voice.

"Okay... All right... Let me see what else you have to say! Yu Siqi said as he stared at Father An with a wary expression.

"Because of what happened seventy years ago, Sinsong City lost the support of the diocese and became a 'borderland'. After hearing the news, my mentor left his original parish and came to Sinsong City. He was excommunicated because he left his jurisdiction without permission. At that time, I was still an ignorant young man, and although I was very concerned about the whereabouts of my teacher, I could not make a correct judgment. Fr. Ann cleared his throat and said, "It wasn't until twenty years ago that I stumbled upon the news that my mentor had died in the city of Sinsong; Anxious to know the truth, I chose the same path as him, leaving the area under my jurisdiction without permission, renunciating my church membership and coming to this unblessed place. Why, you might ask, and is there any benefit to doing so? Not really! ”

Hearing this, Yu Siqi looked at Father An with a somewhat hideous face, and it was obvious that this memory was not a wonderful medicine for him.

"It took me about five years to finally find my mentor's hiding place, which is this Jiang family ancestral hall." "After asking a lot of questions from the locals, I knew that the mentor came to Sinsong City and joined a profession called private clinics. On the one hand, he secretly investigates the story of Xinsong, and on the other hand, he uses some of his personal opinions on medicine. One morning, however, I received a special patient who was reluctant to give his name and was a bit eccentric. However, in line with the professional ethics of a doctor, I still chose to treat him. During the treatment, he only told me two things. One is that he is actually the assistant of the mentor in Xinsong City, that is, my junior brother. The other thing is that the mentor and he are looking into something terrible and hope I can help him. Despite my slight doubts, I accepted his request and accompanied me in the search for any clues that the mentor might have left in Shinmatsu. Not long after, when I found Schyitz, the news reported about a hotel fire that killed him. So I didn't know his name or whether he was the mentor's assistant or not. ”

With a slight pause, Ah Zhen brought a plate of freshly cut fruit. And Shi Yizhe ate the cut pineapple unceremoniously, his expression was very indifferent.

"But it was his words that reminded me," Father Ann continued, "and while A-Zhe was working with me in this place to make this desolate place habitable, we discovered a dark chamber underground, with thirteen silver chests lined up side by side. Ah Zhe and I also found that twelve of them had been opened, and only the last chest against the wall could not be opened by any means.

But such discoveries have put us on the right track, haven't they? Ah Zhe and I both comforted ourselves in this way, but as the more information I and I left behind, we realized that this matter was not as simple as we imagined. Each box needs a specific person to open, it doesn't matter whether it's a man or a woman, whether it's old or young, what matters is that he or she must be someone who has lived in room 303 of apartment 23. ”

"What are you talking about?" Yu Siqi's calm heart suddenly raised his throat again: "It turns out that there is something wrong with that house?" ”

"The house itself may be fine, but the problem may be yours." Father Ann said.

"I don't believe it," Yu Siqi eagerly denied.

"You may not be aware of it yourself, but if you know that Room 303 has lived in hundreds of people in seventy years, you might want to examine yourself and what makes you so special." Fr. Ann said simply.

"This..."Yu Siqi was speechless for a while, and he really couldn't find any reason to refute it, so he just reached out and grabbed an apple and took a big bite of it.

"Starting tomorrow, I hope you will find time to participate in the investigation of the incident with us." Father An clasped his hands together, looked at Yu Siqi with a firm look in his eyes and said, "If you don't mind, just talk to that kid from Gong Chen about resigning." I believe that life is more important than work. ”

"But I have to eat... I have to feed myself! Yu Siqi looked at the leftover apple core in his hand and asked.

"Don't worry, he'll keep us." Shi Yizhe touched his belly with satisfaction and burped.

"Welcome, maybe you don't know what my name is." Ah Zhen playfully stuck out her tongue and said, "Xie Baozhen, just call me Ah Zhen, please give me more advice in the future." ”

"Looks like I'm going to have to sell these boxes," said Father Ann, sighing, "and it's not just you who want to resign!" ”