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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 59: Endless
The road to the Smoke Shop was well-paved. I quietly gave a thumbs-up to Qin Jian and intertwined my fingers with Mi's, following Qin Jian into the house in single file.
Peng Hai shook a cigarette out, stuffing the rest into his bag without paying us any mind. Lighting it up, he introduced us as if we were family: "My sister came back from outside like this, barely alive. She does nothing but eat, drink, and sleep." It was clear he was quite annoyed with Peng Yan, wishing he could just throw her out like trash.
The room was dark, but Peng Hai quickly turned on the light. The interior revealed a bed with someone lying on it, disheveled and staring blankly at the ceiling as if in a daze.
"Where did your sister go?" I kept Mi protected behind me, letting Qin Jian handle the conversation with Peng Hai. As he asked questions, I quickly scanned the room.
Shoes were scattered chaotically on the floor, along with crumpled papers and peeling plaster on the walls. A dusty peony painting hung there, untouched for years since my last visit. To my surprise, I also spotted an unfinished cross-stitch frame discarded in the corner; its white fabric had turned dingy. Overall, the room looked like it hadn't been tidied in ages—messy—and there was a pungent smell of traditional Chinese medicine lingering in the air.
"My sister came back from the hospital after getting drunk and then just became like this—like a puppet. She eats when it's time to eat, drinks when it's time to drink, sleeps when it's time to sleep, and ignores everything else."
"Is she sick?" Qin Jian asked, referring to the strong smell of medicine.
Peng Hai replied, "It's my sister who's sick. She won't go see a doctor. I went to an old Chinese doctor and got some herbal medicine based on her symptoms. I forced her to drink it, but it did nothing. How am I supposed to get married with her like this? You’re her friends; why don’t you take her away?"
"That's not possible; we can't do anything."
"Can't do anything? Since you’re her friends, you should at least chip in some money to buy her some nutrition or something." Peng Hai was truly shameless, thinking we were some charity organization trying to swindle our money.
Qin Jian continued to argue with Peng Hai while I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought. Since Peng Yan looked like this now, how had she gone to the hospital and appeared before me repeatedly? Could she be splitting herself into multiple forms or experiencing Soul Separation?
The possibility of splitting herself was slim; she didn't have that ability. Soul Separation also seemed unlikely because after such an event, she wouldn't be able to return her original soul.
Qin Jian would definitely refuse to give any money.
Mi was filled with sympathy and reached for her bag several times but was stopped by my glance. Now she was close beside me; seeing Peng Yan in such a state and Peng Hai's unreasonable behavior made her a bit scared. She tugged at my sleeve: "Brother Qi, let’s go!"
"Alright, I'll give you money." It wasn't that I feared Peng Hai; I felt sorry for Peng Yan. She clearly belonged at home yet appeared in different places at the same time—A City and City Hospital.
City Hospital is a key Grade A hospital in the city, and getting a nursing job there requires real skill. When I first saw Peng Yan, she didn’t seem particularly outstanding. How did she manage to become a nurse at City Hospital?
I wanted to ask Peng Hai in detail, and I wasn’t worried about him recognizing me. It should be fine to inquire about the matter directly. “Qin Jian, could you step out with Mi for a moment? I need to talk to this brother here.”
Qin Jian was anxious to leave and didn’t want to spend any unnecessary money without my permission. He was furious when he heard I was going to pay him.
“Are you sure Mi and I can’t listen? Then go ahead!”
Qin Jian left with Mi, leaving just me, Peng Hai, and the wooden-like Peng Yan lying on the bed.
“Peng Hai, what happened with your sister? You might as well tell me; maybe I can help you.”
Peng Hai sized me up from head to toe, his eyes lighting up with surprise and anger. “It’s you? Ma Qi, you bastard! My sister is like this because of you.”
“Hey, what does this have to do with me? Don’t throw around baseless accusations.”
“Ma Qi, did you really hug my sister? Is that true?”
Hearing Peng Hai’s words felt like a thousand Alpacas charging at me. Memories flashed through my mind like a movie: Peng Yan’s mother’s tomb, her chanting sutras to help wandering souls, and in a moment of desperation, I had picked her up and run.
“Yes, that night I did hug her, but it was also to save…” Before I could finish my sentence, Peng Hai’s fist was already flying toward my face. I swiftly dodged and used the grappling techniques I learned from Qin Jian to pin Peng Hai down. His arm was twisted behind him as I said clearly, “Your sister Peng Yan is not my type. I have a wife who came along this time. That night, I saved your sister; don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
“Aiya… let go… My sister knows everything clearly; it’s you who likes her! You even told her to go to the city, and then she bought a fake diploma with money and got in touch with connections to become a nurse at City Hospital. As a result, she almost made a mistake with the medication and got kicked out by those people. She was even forced to drink sewage as punishment, and when she came back, she became this neurotic mess.”
I released Peng Hai just as Qin Jian and Mi came back in. They must have overheard what Peng Hai said.
Qin Jian wore a serious expression that suggested ‘stay away’ as he addressed Peng Hai. “Your sister is breaking the law; we weren’t aware of her unfair treatment. Also, don’t casually accuse Ma Qi of hugging your sister; his wife is right here.” Peng Hai widened his eyes and took another deep look at Mi, his gaze like that of a venomous snake trying to memorize her appearance. It made me want to punch him again as I slowly shifted my gaze away from his greasy face full of acne.
He looked wronged as he said, “I’m not lying; it’s what my sister said herself—Ma Qi wants to marry her and will only love her for life.” He deliberately raised his voice while glancing deeply at Mi again.
I was furious; Mi looked skeptical and no longer leaned toward me but shot me a confused glance before making an excuse about it being too stuffy in the room and stepping outside.
I raised my fist and yelled at Peng Hai, “Peng Hai, you little brat!”
“Ma Qi, calm down; he’s just trying to provoke you,” Qin Jian reminded me. It was then that I noticed Peng Hai smirking at Mi while pretending to be angry.
“Qin Jian, let’s go.” I was just looking for trouble; it had nothing to do with me how Peng Yan was doing. It wasn’t worth coming all the way here to deal with this nonsense. Qin Jian and I walked out one after the other, and Mi leaned against the car door, playing with her phone, seemingly texting someone.
“You can’t just leave like this; you have to take some responsibility for my sister,” Peng Hai said as he saw us about to leave. In a desperate attempt, he grabbed a hoe and blocked our way at the door, glaring at us.
Mi looked up in surprise, “What do you want us to be responsible for? What happened to her?”
“He hugged my sister; he should take responsibility,” Peng Hai pointed at me, confident that he had me cornered.
“I hugged your sister? Where did you see that?” I was furious. If it weren’t for Qin Jian repeatedly stopping me, I would have punched him and argued right there.
“My sister’s.”
Maregebi, when I arrived, Peng Hai was still a kid who hadn’t even grown up yet. He didn’t understand anything and blindly believed whatever Peng Yan said. I couldn’t let this go on; I needed to address the issue directly: “Your sister’s? Then please ask her to repeat it.”
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