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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 7: Scared to Death
"Tell me what happened at home today?" Mi sat down next to me, her body devoid of warmth, and I felt cold just by her presence. I couldn't let her feel like she was a ghost, a lingering spirit unwilling to leave, so I pretended everything was fine and continued, "You still haven't told me what happened. It feels like a thief broke in."
"Rongrong came by."
"Chi Xinrong? What did she come for?"
"I'm not sure, but when she arrived, she easily opened the door and even tried to get into my room. I... don't blame me..." Mi seemed a bit hesitant as she clutched my arm and continued, "I scared her."
"You managed to scare Chi Xinrong? I'm really impressed. Tell me how you did it."
"When she entered the room, she looked really angry as she glanced at the photos on the wall. Then she said, 'You like dead people, not living ones; you're such a weirdo.'"
"And then what did you do?"
Mi covered her mouth and giggled, then with a serious expression mimicked Chi Xinrong crossing her arms while looking at the photos: "Ma Qi, you like dead people and not the beautiful living ones right in front of you; you're just a dead pervert."
Then Mi transformed back into herself. She floated lightly out and attached herself to the photo. When Chi Xinrong got closer, Mi threw her a flirtatious smile, startling Chi Xinrong into stepping back, thinking she was seeing things. She rubbed her eyes vigorously and looked again.
At that moment, Mi quieted down and focused intently on Chi Xinrong.
"Strange, it looks like..." Chi Xinrong couldn't bear to look anymore and turned to leave. Just then, the Mi in the photo reached out and gently tapped her. Chi Xinrong was terrified and shouted nervously, "Who’s there?"
The room fell silent, with only Chi Xinrong and the Mi in the frame.
Chi Xinrong muttered to herself, "Was that just an illusion?"
Suddenly, the Mi in the photo smiled widely at the bewildered Chi Xinrong, her tightly closed lips moved to shout, "Rong Jie!" This shout scared Chi Xinrong so much that she stumbled out of the door, forgetting to lock it with her key.
The question arose, where did Chi Xinrong get the key to the rental apartment?
Mi said, "She called someone to say she forgot her key and paid a locksmith a high price to come and open the door, and while he was at it, he made a copy of the key."
"Chi Xinrong really knows how to handle things."
"Brother Qi, you won't blame me for this?"
"No, Chi Xinrong is quite tricky; it's good for you to get back at her a little."
"Haha, thanks, Brother Qi."
"Well, tonight I'll take you out for a ride."
"On a bike?"
"The neighbor has a bicycle; I'll go borrow it."
"Okay."
I went to borrow the bicycle from the neighbor, who looked surprised and asked, "Your girlfriend came over, forgot her key, and called a locksmith? You just found out about this?"
"She... yeah, I just found out." It was hard to explain. Besides, Chi Xinrong wasn't my girlfriend. If I didn't have a girlfriend, then my conversation with Mi would be awkward. Although the walls here were relatively soundproof, there could still be issues. Thinking about it made me decide against explaining; I just mumbled something vague.
"I saw it at the time but didn’t ask. Besides, if she is your girlfriend, it doesn't really concern me, does it? By the way, what did you come to see me about?" This neighbor had such bizarre thoughts; it was amusing. If it were me, I would definitely ask more questions. Otherwise, how could one allow thieves to roam freely in these residential areas? There were even reports of thieves in Baymax brazenly moving out with valuable items from host families.
I borrowed the bicycle from the neighbor. He happily lent it to me and then quietly asked some questions about Feng Shui and Bagua.
"How did you know I could do this?"
"I heard them talking privately about an amazing Feng Shui Master who came here, and I noticed you." I'm not very knowledgeable about Feng Shui; I only understand a bit on the surface. The Feng Shui Master they mentioned might not be me. People living in this area come from all walks of life, so perhaps they really got it wrong. However, I couldn't just tell him he was mistaken; after all, I'm the one who deals with the dead—I'm a Mortician.
If I said that, it would only backfire. If he didn't mind, then it wouldn't matter, but if he did, I definitely wouldn't be able to stay here. Although I have a basic understanding, for an ordinary person, even that could be enough to impress them. So, I briefly explained the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Seeing that I spoke confidently, my neighbor invited me into his home several times.
Since moving here, I hadn't really had a proper conversation with anyone, so it was a good opportunity to get to know my neighbor better. I casually walked into his house and sat down, offering some light comments on the arrangement of his living room.
My neighbor introduced himself as Agui and mentioned that he was a taxi driver.
Agui's living room wasn't particularly well-decorated; at least, I didn't see anything that could bring wealth or good fortune. However, a strange talisman taped above the door caught my attention. It was odd that he didn't pay attention to the Feng Shui of his living room but had a piece of Yellow Paper there for some unknown purpose.
I shifted my gaze away from the Yellow Paper and addressed the matter directly: "You should place a pot of lucky bamboo or some ivy in this living room. The five elements support each other through earth; thus, plants can benefit the family's financial luck. Also, the decoration should ideally be square."
"Oh!" Agui seemed to understand: "No wonder! Last year while driving my taxi, I encountered something eerie that still feels stuck in my throat; it was so terrifying that it left me unsettled."
Taxi drivers inevitably encounter all sorts of strange occurrences. I rarely interacted with taxi drivers myself; I've only heard stories from my grandfather. Just like what a certain horror writer said, taxi drivers often experience bizarre events—stories about strange bills could very well be true.
In this world, if something exists up there, it can be brought to the screen and turned into movies or TV dramas. Writers often draw inspiration from worldly matters to create horror stories.
Agui poured me a cup of tea and politely said, "This is Pu-erh Tea that my wife brought back from her trip to Yunnan; it's aged tea. Give it a try."
"Thank you."
"Is your sister-in-law at work?"
"Ah, I'm embarrassed to say that after an incident last year, I've been having nightmares frequently and am afraid of trouble, so I rarely go out."
I took a sip of the so-called Pu-erh Tea and watched Agui jokingly hold up a disc-sized piece of Pu-erh Tea, saying, "How much did you spend on such a peculiar tea, sister-in-law?"
"This piece cost several hundred. It's a rip-off from the trip," Agui seemed to complain.
"Well, it can't be a total rip-off. It's a case of 'one wants to pay, and the other wants to take.' You spent very little to fly to Yunnan, so how could you expect not to spend some money before coming back? If that were the case, travel agencies would go out of business!"
"That's true."
"Let's skip the tea for now. Tell me what happened, and I'll see if I can help you."
Agui put down the tea, sat across from me, and ran her hands through her hair in frustration. Slowly lifting her head, she looked at me seriously and said, "This matter weighs on my heart like a huge stone, heavy enough to drive me to the brink of collapse."
"Well, since that's the case, you need to talk about it; otherwise, you'll definitely get sick."
"I think so too, but I'm just afraid of being blamed for it."
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