Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 84
Lu Yan reached far, the light seemed to extend even further than Lu Yan, obscuring the path ahead. All that was visible was a stretch of golden light forming horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines that extended into an unseen distance. Dai Bin's driving skills were comparable to Qin Jian's. My purpose for getting out of the car wasn't just to buy fruit for Qin Jian; I also needed to find a restroom.
This was Fruit Street, where the scent of various fruits filled the air. People came and went, and under the illumination of the lights, the fruits appeared particularly fresh.
I didn't buy any fruit. Spotting a sign by the roadside indicating the location of restrooms, I hurriedly made my way there.
It was a free restroom, dimly lit with only a feeble fifteen-watt bulb at the entrance casting a faint glow. A pungent odor assaulted my senses. Damn, a free restroom must be filthy; just smelling that odor was enough to make anyone hesitate.
If it weren't for my urgent need, I wouldn't have wanted to go in. I thought to myself that as a man, I could just find a spot and relieve myself.
However, before I even entered, I vaguely noticed an old man sweeping the floor. He seemed to struggle with his task, dragging a grimy broom across the ground with great effort.
"Excuse me, sir, is it alright if I come in?"
The old man ignored me and turned to sweep inside. I found it strange; his eyesight must be quite good. If it weren't for my mobile flashlight, I wouldn't have been able to see clearly and would have had to tread carefully.
I was most afraid of stepping in something unpleasant.
I entered and found a squat toilet. Don't get me wrong; as a man, I naturally stood to urinate. Here, there were no urinals specifically designed for men; all they had were squat toilets. I stood over one and relieved myself. In less than two minutes, I hadn't heard the old man leave; overall, the restroom was eerily quiet—not even the sound of dripping water.
I remembered that the old man had turned to sweep inside. After zipping up my pants, I casually shone my mobile flashlight around. Damn! There was nothing inside but a wall—the wall separating the men's restroom from the women's.
Could it be that the old man was hiding in one of the stalls? But why would he hide? I checked each stall one by one with my phone. When I reached the last stall and saw it was empty, my heart raced. As a mortician, I wasn't afraid of dead people or ghosts; what scared me were living humans.
The bathroom is inherently a place that collects dirt and grime, and it's normal to find unclean things in particularly filthy areas. Thinking back, that old man was right; in the pitch darkness, how could he possibly see and still be sweeping?
It struck me as amusing. Was it just that I didn't see clearly at night, or was my judgment impaired after drinking? Either way, it felt quite eerie. Returning to Fruit Street, I noticed that there were significantly fewer pedestrians than before.
The stalls were mostly deserted, with some vendors already preparing to pack up. I had no idea what fruits Qin Jian's mother liked, so I chose the most expensive and visually appealing ones to buy. The fruit vendor was a woman who looked somewhat familiar, though I couldn't recall where I had seen her.
This woman appeared dejected and listless; when she saw a customer approach, she lacked the enthusiasm of other vendors. It was clear that the fruits were laid out for sale, and it was up to me whether I wanted to buy them or not. If I were a woman, I certainly wouldn’t buy fruits from her.
"Buying these?" she asked.
"Yes."
Her tone was devoid of warmth, as if I had offended her in a past life. She packed the fruits I selected into a bag and weighed them: "Eighty-six dollars and fifty cents; I'll charge eighty-six." I pulled out a bill without her even glancing at it, and she took it while making change.
Carrying the heavy bag of fruits, I walked a few steps but couldn’t help turning back to look at her. She had returned to her chair while others busily packed up their stalls; she sat there like a wooden figure, lost in thought. Perhaps I was overthinking things—seeing ghosts in the bathroom and encountering this gloomy woman while buying fruits.
Look elsewhere when buying fruits, and you’d always see a cheerful face. After purchasing, no matter the amount, the vendor would send you off with a smile and invite you to come again.
This woman seemed troubled! What kind of trouble was unknown; it could be emotional distress.
Having drunk alcohol myself, my judgment wasn’t as sharp as usual. Stumbling slightly, I loaded the heavy bag of fruits into the car. Dai Bin couldn’t help but complain about how late it was; he had been a chauffeur for quite some time but had never encountered such an odd employer as us.
I didn’t care much for his complaints. Looking at Qin Jian, who was sleeping soundly, it seemed he hadn’t slept well for several nights due to the bizarre accident on Xingxi Road South Section. Otherwise, how could he be sleeping so deeply now? Following Qin Jian’s route, we twisted and turned for quite a while, but it felt increasingly desolate as we went along.
It was just like arriving in the suburbs.
At this moment, Dai Bin suddenly remembered that there used to be a Blue Moon Square in this area, but it had been transformed into Taling a year ago.
What is Taling? It was clear to everyone that it was a place for storing ashes. Looking at the exquisite tower, which supposedly housed Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Dai Bin and I exchanged glances, unsure of what to do next.
"Bro, don't mess with me. I'm just the driver. Why don't you wait here while I head back?"
"No way, it's better to ask around," I thought. Perhaps Qin Jian's mother worked here, and he had drunkenly revealed her workplace to us. Only by thinking this way did it seem reasonable. I got out of the car and shook Qin Jian awake. He blinked at me, then looked at Dai Bin in the car and asked, "Are we there?"
"Yeah, we're here."
"Oh, then let's get out." With my help, Qin Jian got out of the car, his eyes bleary. Shen Zhi looked unclear as he asked, "WeChat payment?"
"Hold on with the WeChat payment; take a good look at where we are," I reminded Qin Jian, pulling him toward the entrance. Above the door were several large characters: West Suburb Taling.
"Taling?"
"See clearly now? This is the address you gave me. Isn't your aunt working here?"
Qin Jian fell silent, took out his phone, and with a gloomy expression made the payment to Dai Bin via WeChat.
Only after seeing the money come through did Dai Bin finally get out of the car, grumbling a few words: "What bad luck to end up in this place; I wonder if there's still a last bus."
At this time, it's rare to find the last bus.
Watching Dai Bin grumble and walk away, Qin Jian silently led me toward the entrance. His expression was strange, particularly gloomy, as he kept walking straight ahead. Finally, we arrived at the door of a house, which was clean and tidy, surrounded by cypress trees.
In a situation like this, just the two of us, seeing the cypress trees would likely scare an ordinary person out of their wits.
"Go inside," Qin Jian said in three words, moving like a wooden puppet into the house. I didn't dare to ask too many questions and followed behind him, my hands still carrying a lot of fruit.
This was when Qin Jian was not himself; during such times, I usually refrained from unnecessary chatter.
As we entered, my eyes widened in shock.
It wasn't just because I saw beautiful women; it was because I encountered something unsettling. The walls were covered with photos of the deceased, and beneath the grid-like altars were names. I gasped in horror and anxiously asked, "We're here to find your mother, not to pay respects to someone, right?"
Comment 0 Comment Count