Chapter XVII
When Mr. Lu was leaving, he talked about it and depicted the horror of the empty house. When Xue Qian and I were left to face it alone, we couldn't help but tremble.
Fortunately, although Xue Qian's name is feminine, she is more righteous and agrees to stay with me for a month. But the premise is that no ghosts haunt him. In his words, it is enough to meet the Yin Ghost Woman once. If you are tossed by the evil spirit again, you will really not be able to live.
I had to pray silently, hoping that the month would be safe. Either there are no ghosts, or all of them are passing ghosts, and when Mr. Lu comes back, I will be relieved.
It's just that the night I just moved in, something happened.
I packed up some things at Xue Qian's house that day, and I went into the room with him.
Both of us felt a little bit of a thief, and neither of us would call this house an empty house, but a grocery store instead.
Xue Qian looked at the dusty daily necessities on the shelves and said: Do we sell these things or throw them away?
I shook my head: Who dares to move the things of the Yin Ghost Woman? Just let them sit here.
The two of us cleaned up the house a bit, barely managed to put two beds in the corner, and finally had a place to sleep.
I hung the picture of the Buddha on the wall, and I immediately felt that it was a lot more peaceful.
Xue Qian played with my big knife and put it under the pillow, and kept muttering: Ancestors bless, it's safe.
I said to him, "Can you stop talking like that, you're making me a little nervous right now."
Xue Qian muttered two sentences and didn't speak.
In this horrible room, the days are always extraordinarily short. We didn't stay long before it was getting dark.
Xue Qian saw me take out a candle and light it with a match, and couldn't help but be a little dissatisfied: this house is already terrifying, but there is no electric light, which is really unspeakable.
I waved my hand: let's make do with it.
The two of us sat on the bed, staring at the jumping flames.
Xue Qian said a little nervously: Zhao Mang, let's not sit like this, talk, it's better to talk.
I hummed and said a little dazedly: What are we going to say?
Xue Qian was speechless at first: That, what. Ay? Why don't you close the door?
I turned my head to look at the grocery store door, and it was still the same as when I first saw it, one door open and one door closed. It's like a mouth with missing front teeth, revealing the black hole outside the world.
Xue Qian pulled me up: Let's go, let's close the door.
The two of us walked to the wooden door and reached out to close it. However, what we didn't expect was that this door didn't move at all, and it couldn't be closed at all.
Xue Qian's face turned pale all of a sudden: Lao Zhao, it's not good, there are ghosts.
A layer of sweat also broke out on my head, but I was calmer than Xue Qian, I breathed a long sigh of relief, calmed down, and said: Don't worry, let's see what's going on.
I turned around and brought the candle on the table and shone the door carefully. When I took such a photo, I was stunned: Damn, this is not a door at all.
It looked like a door, but it was actually a narrow wall made of blue bricks, evenly plastered with a layer of mud on both sides, on which the texture of the wood was painted with varnish. If you don't look closely, you'll really think it's a wooden door.
Xue Qian touched her head: What's going on? Isn't it sick to get a fake door that can't be closed here?
I illuminated another closed door with a candle, which, as expected, was also made of bricks.
I feel a little hairy in my heart, as soon as these two doors open and close, I'm afraid there is something exquisite. I looked at Xue Qian, sighed, and thought: Fortunately, this kid is by my side tonight, otherwise, I wouldn't dare to sleep here.
Xue Qian and I slowly retreated to the bed and continued to look at the candle in a daze.
Xue Qian whispered: Lao Zhao. This door has to be blocked by something.
I hummed: I'll block it tomorrow.
The two of us talked with each other, and neither of us could sleep.
That's when I suddenly smelled a foul smell. I sniffed and asked Xue Qian: Do you smell it?
Xue Qian nodded: Well, it seems that something has gone bad. It smells of swill. When he said this, he didn't move.
I was looking for a source of flavor on the ground with my head down. Suddenly, Xue Qian patted me.
I looked up and asked him, "What's wrong?"
He didn't say a word, just stared straight at the door. The candlelight shone on his face, and it looked uncertain.
I was nervous by his expression, and quickly looked towards the door. This sight also scared me a lot.
I saw a small old man limping in. His legs and feet are obviously not very good, and he walks with a drag. My right leg tripped over the threshold, and I tried a few times, but I couldn't get in.
I stood at a distance, tentatively asking, "Who are you?" What are you here for?
The old man heard me speak and looked up suddenly. I saw that her face was extremely thin, wrinkled, and that she looked like an old woman. Her voice was kind: Huh? Has the grocery store changed owners? Why did someone sue me that the owner was a woman?
I made up my mind and said, "Yes, it's a change of master." Are you a neighbor in the neighborhood?
The old woman nodded: Yes, I live around here. It's so late, and only you have the lights on here, so I'm here to buy something.
Xue Qian whispered in my ear: Lao Zhao, I'm afraid something is wrong with this old woman.
I waved my hand: don't make a noise, don't care if she's right or not, send her away first.
I boldly walked over and helped her lift her right leg and walked to the grocery store. As soon as the old woman entered, the room was filled with a strong smell of swill. It makes you want to cover your nose.
I held my breath and asked her, "What are you going to buy?"
The old woman rummaged through the shelves: I want to buy needle and thread.
I wondered in my heart: what kind of needle and thread to buy for this big night? But this is just thinking about it in my heart, I didn't say it, this old woman rummaged through the shelves, but there was nothing else unusual.
After a while, she smiled: I found it.
Sure enough, I saw her holding a needle in her hand and a roll of white cotton thread.
The old woman asked me: "Young man, how much is your needlework?"
I waved my hand: Forget it, no money.
The old woman touched her body for a while: How can you not want money. She took out a handkerchief and opened it layer by layer, but what was breaded in the handkerchief was not money, but half a steamed bun.
The old woman said a little apologetically: Otherwise, let my son return the money to you in a while.
I replied again and again: no problem, no problem.
The old woman turned around with satisfaction and walked out with a smile.
I looked at the back of the old woman, breathed a long sigh of relief, sat on the bed and said: It seems that this old woman is not a ghost.
Xue Qian sat on the bed and didn't say a word.
I poked him with my fingers: Why don't you speak? What's wrong?
Xue Qian turned her head with a pale face, and then cautiously pointed to the old woman just now: Look at her right foot.
I was taken aback by his expression, and then I looked seriously at the old woman's right foot. I saw my wife limping forward on both legs, and her right foot kept stepping on the ground. The toes will be forward, then backwards, or even the whole thing on the ground, with the soles of the feet facing the sky, and the ankles on the ground.
There is only one possibility in this case, the foot has been broken.
I panicked.
At this time, I was staring at the old woman and shivering, she suddenly turned around and smiled at me: "Young man, can you help me?"
It was only then that I realized that her right leg had been stopped by the threshold again.
I walked over with a shudder: Old lady, your feet?
The old woman was looking at me with a smile, but when she heard me lift her feet, her face suddenly changed. I saw that she didn't look right, so I quickly turned my head and helped her out.
The old woman stood at the door and said to me, "Young man, my son has sent you money, you can take it."
I was wondering when something landed on top of my head. I touched it, and it seemed to be a piece of paper. When I held it in my hand and looked at it, I was terrified.
This is a piece of paper money that is round on the outside and square on the inside, and it is lying in my hand with white flowers.
I threw my hand away, took a step back, and when I looked up to look for the old woman again, where was her?
I stood in the doorway in a panic. At this time, I saw a man with a basket in his hand, throwing paper money into the air one by one.
I silently read in my heart: I understand, this kid is her son. So, isn't this old lady really alive?
I was sighing in horror when someone slapped me from behind.
I shuddered at the slap, sat on the ground, and ran forward.
Xue Qian's voice came from behind: It's me, it's me, Lao Zhao, you are so excited, it's weird and scary.
I patted my chest, my heart was still beating violently, and I stood up from the ground: Old Xue, can we stop doing this? Are you going to scare me to death?
The two of us were chattering on the street. Suddenly, I heard a deep male voice: Have you seen my mother? Did you see my mother? Did you see my mother?
I turned my head to follow the sound and saw the man who threw the paper money coming over again.
I took a step back, stretched out my hand, and drank, "Don't come here." We didn't see anything.
The man let out a sullen sigh, and then continued to throw paper money into the sky, throwing it while muttering: Have you seen my mother? Did you see my mother? Did you see my mother?