The main story line is fictional, and any similarities are purely coincidental.

Unit stories are based on real-life life event fantasies. Don't take it seriously!

July 2000.

On the side of the newsstand, there was a shade, and a young man who looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old was sitting there, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt that was already a little dirty, and a few newspapers were messily placed next to him.

He also held a newspaper in his hand, but his eyes did not fall on the headline news that "a haunted old house in Yujiang District caught fire", but kept sweeping over an area between the newspapers, and finally his eyes stayed on a job posting.

Then he stood up, walked to the front of the newsstand, picked up the landline phone on the counter, and dialed a number.

He can't remember the first call, and if he can't find a job again, he'll have to sleep on the streets at night.

His name is Qin Ding, a student who has just failed the college entrance examination, and came to this strange city four days ago.

It wasn't because of a spur-of-the-moment decision, but because three years ago, his parents disappeared while participating in an excavation on a secondment by the archaeological institute here.

He was still in his first year of high school at the time of the accident, and the whole incident was learned through the vague descriptions of his relatives, and no one could tell what happened.

It was difficult to accept it, and there were many questions, and his academic performance and life status became a mess.

During these three years, the only thought that supported him was that after graduating from high school, he would come to the city to find out the truth himself.

And now when he is eager to embark on the road to find the truth, he overestimates the sinister nature of society, and as soon as he gets off the train, his wallet is stolen.

There was only 10 yuan left in his pocket, and in order to save, he hadn't eaten a full meal for four days.

He had to find a job as soon as possible, even if he was given very little money.

The phone went through, and it was a man's voice over there.

"Hello?"

"Hey...... Hello, you guys are recruiting here. Onboarding? ”

"Yes."

"That'...... What are the requirements for recruitment? ”

"I need your birthday."

"Huh? Birthday...... Horoscopes? ”

"Yes, it's the date of birth. There is also a condition that you need to be able to write. ”

"Oh...... Writing is definitely no problem. That one...... Is it food and lodging? What about wages? ”

"Including food and lodging, but you give me the eight characters of your birthday first, you need to see if you meet our conditions first."

Qin Ding paused, always feeling that something was strange. His hand accidentally touched his shriveled trouser pocket, and he didn't hesitate any longer.

"August 30, 1985"

"Is this your lunar birthday or solar birthday?"

"Gregorian calendar."

"Okay, wait a minute! ………… You fit our requirements very well, how often do you come to work? ”

"You...... You haven't said the salary is ......"

"Five thousand, including food and shelter."

Five thousand? Qin Ding almost screamed.

In 1997, his parents were the backbone of the archaeological team, and their combined monthly salary at that time was less than 2,000, which is not a small amount even now in 2000.

A record. If you can have such a high salary, is the treatment in big cities more generous? You won't meet a scammer.

Qin Ding thought in his heart and hesitated. His emotions seemed to be felt on the other side of the phone.

"What do you call you?"

"Oh...... My surname is Qin. ”

"Mr. Qin, the salary I just said is only initial, if you perform well in the future, the salary can be doubled, and if you are satisfied, you can sign a long-term contract."

"You ...... Is it just a matter of entering information? ”

"Yes, but it's not a computer, you need to write it by hand. Anyway, it's not easy, and the things entered are more special, so our salary will be higher. ”

"Oh, that's it!"

"If you think it's okay, you can report it now, but ......"

"But what? There won't be any deposit, right? ”

"No deposit is required, but there is a probationary period for this."

"Probationary period?"

"I'm talking about this probationary period, not for us to try you out, but for you to try out the job.

Because the information entered is relatively special, you need to get used to it. If, during this time, you feel that you are up to the job, you can end your probationary period and go straight to becoming a permanent employee. ”

Qin Ding was blindsided, and at the same time, curiosity also crept up in his heart.

He looked at the job posting in the middle of the newspaper again, and there was no address written on it.

"What's your address?"

"The old house at No. 4 Qingshi Lane, Yujiang District. Mr. Qin, how many times will you come? ”

Qin Ding glanced at the sunset in the west and wiped the sweat from the back of his neck.

"I'll go now, but later."

"Dayan District can take No. 28 to us, and I'll wait for you there."

Qin Ding was stunned, he remembered that he didn't reveal where he was.

"I ...... Didn't say I was there, did you? You...... How do you know ......?"

The man over there laughed.

"The phone number that starts with this is Dayan District, and you can only take No. 28 to No. 4 Qingshi Lane."

Qin Ding breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay, then I'll leave now." ”

"Well, I'll wait for you at the mouth of the alley."

After paying the phone bill, there are still five yuan.

The job feels a little weird, but the pay is really enticing. Now he can't care so much, let's try it first.

There are still quite a few empty seats on the bus, and the shady noodles on one side are full. Qin Ding didn't have water in his hand, he was very thirsty, so he didn't sit on the vacant seat on the sunny side, but stood at the car door.

The two aunts sat on the side of the door, chatting quietly.

"You know, the old house in Bluestone Lane was on fire the night before."

"What's the fire?"

"I don't know the specifics, but I read the news that several old houses have burned down."

"Shhh...... It's a remote place, and it seems to be a little evil, so it's not always rumored to be haunted. ”

"We don't know if it's haunted or not, anyway, the government protected the historical building a few years ago."

"I'll hear that a few kids went on an adventure......"

“……，……”

"Eh, it's time to stop."

Qin Ding watched the two aunts get out of the car one after the other, and muttered in his heart.

Old mansions? Is that where he's going to apply now? Haunted there?

Qin Ding didn't think about it anymore, don't care about the old mansion, he was very unfamiliar with everything in the city, maybe the place he was going to was not the same as the one rumored to be haunted.

The bus seemed to have been on the bus for a long time, and he was the only passenger left on it, and the place was indeed a bit remote.

The sound of the newspaper station sounded, and the bluestone lane station arrived.

Qin Ding got out of the car and looked around, there was no half a figure on the street here, and there were all old-fashioned buildings with shadows nearby, and it looked a little old.

On the left side of the street was a long wall, and as he walked forward, he saw that there was a house in the wall that was almost entirely grayish-black, as if it had been caught on fire.

Could it be that this is really a haunted old mansion? What about Mansion Four? It's probably not the same place.

Before he could find the sign of the number four word, he saw a person standing at the entrance of the alley not far to the right.

The man was probably in his fifties, of medium height, with a square face and eyebrows, and very bright eyes. He wears a white Chinese short coat on the top, a pair of white loose trousers on the bottom, and a pair of black cloth shoes on his feet, which looks like what he wore when practicing boxing.

Qin Ding tentatively walked over there, but before the man got close, the man had already smiled.

"Mr. Qin?"

Qin Ding felt that he was not yet twenty years old, and he was a little embarrassed to be called like this. He smiled a little when he saw the man's kind face.

"Hello! Is it a recruiter? ”

Qin Ding looked into the alleyway behind the man, and the outline of a large roof appeared in the depths.

"Yes, come with me, it's not far from the office."

The man said as he walked ahead and led the way.

Qin Ding asked casually: "How many old mansions are there in this place?" I mean, number four, is there still number five? ”

The man stopped, the corners of his mouth moving.

"You may be mistaken, No. 4 Bluestone Lane is just a landmark, and this old house belongs to No. 4 Bluestone Lane."

Qin Ding couldn't help but speak, this is too big.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I ...... Misunderstood. ”

He suddenly thought of the rumors of a haunting again, but inquired directly, obviously it was not appropriate and polite at this time.

He didn't ask any more questions, silently following behind and observing his surroundings.

Although the sun is setting in the west, the sky is still bright, the deep alley is not narrow, and the bluestone pavement has a quaint taste.

The man walked to the deepest part of the alley, where there was a wooden door.

"Let's go inside."

Qin Ding nodded and walked in.

It is a large compound with a main room and a side room. In the corner of the courtyard, there is a small looking low house, which is probably a storage place, and on the wall that connects the low house, there is a wooden door leading to the other courtyard.

In front of the main and side rooms, there was a porch that was not too long, and the paint on the pillars had lost its original color, and it was a very dark brown, which looked like a dried blood stain at first glance.

Unexpectedly, the wood-framed windows of the main room are inlaid with glass, which is somewhat out of place with the old feel of the place.

I don't know if the color of the building in the past was like this, or if it has experienced the fading of wind, frost, rain and snow, there is a dark or light gray texture here, which makes Qin Ding feel a kind of weirdness in his heart while watching, which is also mixed with a trace of creepy, like walking into an old house in a ghost movie.

The man pushed open the wooden door of the main room and walked in, Qin Ding following behind him.

The room was not small, but it was a little dark, and there was a cold feeling, which was in stark contrast to the sweltering heat outside. Qin Ding thought to himself, maybe this is the characteristic of the old house, warm in winter and cool in summer.

There was no strange musty smell in this house, on the contrary, there was a faint smell of sandalwood in the air, and he felt that this place should have been inhabited before.

The sight swept over the room, and it was quite neat. As soon as you enter, there is a writing desk by the window on the left side.

In one corner of the desk, there are several wooden boxes, and on the other side there is a large book with a leather cover and some sticky notes, as well as a small unopened packaging box and a lotus-style candlestick with a half-cut white candle, and a flashlight and a box of matches on the other.

On the wall behind the desk, there is a very conspicuous vertical mark, I don't know what has been hung there for a long time in the past. In the adjacent area, there are two chairs and a small table. There is also a large gray-white stone jar with a lid in the corner.

Qin Ding looked to the right again, where there was a wooden bed and no bedding.

He looked up and saw that the house was crisscrossed with thick wooden beams, but there were no wires or lamps, and the place was clearly not electrified.

The man turned around, still smiling.

"Mr. Qin, this is where you will work in the future."