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墨書 Inktalez
Was everything that just happened merely an illusion? Or did ghosts really exist?
He looked around in disbelief, where was the boy's figure? The silent mountain peak had only him holding Su Jin'er, standing quietly. The rain continued to fall, and the wind kept blowing. He just couldn't quite tell whether it was reality or a dream.
He struggled to walk down the mountain while holding Su Jin'er. The path here was not like the asphalt roads in the city; even when it rained, there was only a bit of water. But this was a mountain path, muddy everywhere. With every step, it felt as if he might slip. Mud and water clung to his feet and pant legs, making it difficult to lift his feet. Yet, he had to protect the girl in his arms and ensure she didn't fall.
When he reached the bottom of the mountain, he was surprised to find that the ground there was dry; it hadn't rained at all.
Could it be that only the mountain had rain? How strange! Even stranger was that he discovered his clothes were dry too; even the mud that had made it hard for him to lift his feet had vanished.
Could there really be such bizarre occurrences in the world?
He found it hard to believe, but everything that had just happened forced him to accept it.
Looking at Su Jin'er in his arms, he decided it would be best to take her home first; as for other matters, they could wait for later.
By the time he returned to his grandmother's house, it was already noon. His grandmother was preparing lunch and looked surprised when she saw Chu Feifan carrying Su Jin'er. She asked, "What happened to Yaner?"
"She got drunk; I'm going to put her in her room," Chu Feifan replied as he entered and laid Su Jin'er down in her room.
When he came out, his grandmother was waiting for him outside. She handed him a cup of water and said, "Did you encounter something unusual?"
Chu Feifan hesitated for a moment before recounting what had happened on the mountain.
After listening, his grandmother's expression changed slightly, and she said, "You may have truly encountered Qiangzi's ghost. Fortunately, his heart is still kind; he didn't take Yaner away."
"Are you saying that when Su Jin'er disappeared, it was Qiangzi who took her?"
"I think so, and the wind and rain you encountered were probably illusions created by him, which is why when you got down the mountain, you realized it wasn't raining at all."
Grandmother's words surprised Chu Feifan: "Could there really be ghosts in this world?"
Grandmother smiled and said, "As I always say, if you believe, there are; if you don't, there aren't."
"Alright, stop thinking about it. Just focus on studying your science knowledge; there's no need to worry about these things. Let's eat!"
Chu Feifan nodded.
After dinner, Grandmother said she wanted to go check on Niu Er's baby and asked Chu Feifan to stay home and watch Su Jin'er before leaving.
Chu Feifan went to check on Su Jin'er and found her still sound asleep, her complexion already restored to a healthy color. She must have been drinking for the first time!
Thinking about what had happened on the mountain earlier, he felt a wave of fear. What if Qiangzi really took Jin'er away? What would he do? This thought sent a chill down his spine. However, he reasoned that although Qiangzi was not killed by Jin'er, he died because of her. So even if he forcibly took Jin'er away, there would be nothing he could do to stop it. Perhaps everything that had just happened was just an attempt to scare himself.
He didn't know how long he had been asleep when he suddenly woke up beside Su Jin'er's bed.
Maybe it was because he was too tired; he had slept very soundly. When he woke up, Su Jin'er was no longer in bed, and he jumped up from the chair.
He wasn't sure if it was just in his mind or if it was truly darker here than in the city, but night had already fallen.
"You're awake?"
Su Jin'er and Grandmother were sitting in the main room eating.
Chu Feifan awkwardly smiled and said, "Sorry, I overslept."
"Don't worry, don't worry, come, sit down and eat!" Grandma cheerfully served him rice.
"Feifan, how did I get back?"
"You don't remember?"
"Uh-huh!" Su Jin'er nodded, then tilted her head back and said, "I only remember that I seemed to have toasted Qiangzi, and after that, I can't recall anything."
Chu Feifan thought for a moment and said, "If you don't remember, then forget it. However, I think Qiangzi doesn't hold it against you and still cares about you."
Su Jin'er exclaimed in surprise, "How do you know that?"
"Uh! Well, by the way, Grandma, how is that baby doing?" Chu Feifan deliberately changed the subject.
The smile on Grandma's face faded, replaced by sorrow: "That child seems unwilling to let go of her parents, so she has already taken her brother away."
For a moment, they didn't understand what 'taken away' meant, but soon both showed expressions of shock.
Su Jin'er asked, "Do you mean that the baby has died?"
"Yes, she died around noon. What a pity!"
"But didn't you seal her last night?"
"I didn't expect her resentment to be so strong. If only your grandfather were here."
"Grandma, can't you do anything?"
"I can only hold her down for a moment; she will break free soon, so I must think of a way before she escapes."
Grandmother's words made Su Jin'er’s heart tighten. She thought about the immense resentment of that baby and wondered if, because Grandmother had sealed her, the baby would blame Grandmother and bring disaster upon her!
Thinking of this made her even more afraid. She nervously looked at Grandmother and asked, "Grandma, will she drag you into this too? If that's the case, wouldn't you be in danger as well?"
Grandmother hadn't expected Su Jin'er to think of this so quickly. She had intentionally concealed it, but it seemed Su Jin'er had figured it out anyway.
"No, she only wants to take revenge on the parents who killed her," Grandmother said with a smile.
Although Grandmother was smiling, Su Jin'er knew she was just comforting herself. This matter was definitely not that simple; the Vengeful Spirit's resentment was so heavy that it wouldn't let go easily. Grandmother must be trying to reassure herself.
She secretly resolved that she wouldn't leave until this matter was resolved.
Just as she was thinking about this, her phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and saw it was Ruan Hongmei, so she answered immediately.
"Hello! Hongmei, how's everything at school?" she asked cheerfully, just to mask her inner unease.
There was no immediate response from the other end. After a few seconds, Ruan Hongmei's voice came through: "Everything is great here! How about you? Is it fun?"
"Yeah, of course it's fun."
"When are you coming back?" Ruan Hongmei's voice sounded a bit strange, as if she had something to say but didn't want to.
"It's really fun here, and I haven't been back in a long time, so I want to spend more time with Grandma." As she said this, she glanced at Grandmother and noticed that although Grandmother was smiling, there was a fleeting look of worry on her face.
"I see! Alright then! Enjoy yourselves and take the opportunity to strengthen your bond." After saying this, Ruan Hongmei hung up before Su Jin'er could respond.
"That girl really moves fast," Su Jin'er said with a wry smile as she placed her phone on the table.
"Isn't your schoolwork important, Yaner?"
"It's fine, I can catch up when I get back to school," Su Jin'er replied cheerfully.
In truth, her grandmother was urging her to leave, and the more she did so, the less Su Jin'er wanted to go.
"Oh! That's good. Even though I'm happy to have you here, I'm afraid it might delay your studies."
After dinner, the three of them sat in the yard chatting. Su Jin'er shared stories about life in the city while Chu Feifan quietly listened, occasionally chiming in. The laughter of the three created a peaceful and serene atmosphere that made the night feel calm, as if all unpleasant and ominous things had vanished.
As it grew later, her grandmother's eyelids became heavier. Su Jin'er said, "Grandma, if you're tired, you should go to bed!"
Her grandmother seemed genuinely tired; she stood up and nodded, saying, "When you get old, it's easy to feel sleepy."
Su Jin'er escorted her grandmother back to her room, helped her tuck in under the covers, and then stepped back outside where Chu Feifan was quietly gazing at the sky.
She sat down on the chair next to him and asked, "What's wrong? Missing home?"
Chu Feifan shook his head with a bitter smile. "What’s there to miss about that emotionless home? I just thought of my grandmother. In my memory, it seems like I never really met her."
Chu Feifan's words startled Su Jin'er. Indeed, she had never heard him mention any family members other than his brother and father; even his mother was rarely mentioned.
"It seems like you've never talked about your mother."
Upon hearing Su Jin'er's words, Chu Feifan's body trembled slightly before he replied, "My mother committed suicide when I was just starting to remember things. That's one thing I remember very clearly."
"I'm sorry!" Su Jin'er said apologetically, although she had already thought that his mother might have passed away, she did not expect it to be in this way.
"It's okay!" He sniffed hard, trying to hold back his tears.
"Actually, I have no idea why she committed suicide. Every time I asked my dad about it, he would scold me harshly and tell me never to ask that question again. Although I still couldn't help but ask later on, the result was a severe beating. So, as I grew older, I stopped asking altogether, even forgetting the word 'mother.'"
Su Jin'er felt a pang of heartache; how could he possibly forget? Children instinctively call for their mothers; it's something they cannot forget. The only explanation is that he is forcing himself to forget, hoping to never think of it again.
She stood up and walked over to him. At this moment, Chu Feifan's face was already streaked with tears. He forced a smile and said, "Am I being foolish?"
"No, if it were me, I think I wouldn't be able to bear it at all."
She let Chu Feifan lean against her, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her side and crying.
At that moment, he felt utterly helpless.
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