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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 79: The Dream of the Red Chamber (Part Eight)
What is my uncle doing? Why is he so eager to meddle in other people's business? If he has nothing better to do, he could go over there by that wild tree and clean up the pile of dog poop! But I can't say that out loud; once I open my mouth, everything will be ruined, and it might alert what I'm trying to find.
Since I can't speak, I can act. First, I regretted not bringing any cigarettes, but luckily I had two red bills in my pocket. I took one out to see if I could bribe the old man. As the thought crossed my mind, my fingers were already digging into my pocket, pulling out a red bill. I flicked it towards him, but he hesitated and didn't reach for it. I quickly gestured with my eyes for him to take the money.
"What are you doing? Do you know how much this is worth? You think giving me a hundred bucks will make me go away?"
I was stunned.
The old man misunderstood me. Look at me—I'm refined and handsome; there's no way I look like a thief. This old fool must be blind to think I'm up to no good. I felt indignant and bewildered, doubting his sanity. Even though there hadn't been a soul around for ages, it wasn't like I was desperate enough to steal trash. Besides, nowadays plastic isn't worth much anyway; what would be the point?
I waved my hand, indicating that I wanted to pass through. He understood and said, "You’re not looking in the right place. Go around that way; there's a door over there. Just push through." His advice made sense, but it was useless for me. My route was all messed up; without the Soul Searching Incense, I was at a loss.
Forget it; maybe I'll just give him another red bill and see if that works. As I pulled out the last red bill from my pocket, it had already turned completely dark. I handed the money to the old man.
He sneered, "Don't give me two hundred; I'll give you five hundred if you hurry up and leave."
The second Soul Searching Incense was about to burn out, and it was a shame to waste such a good opportunity because of this stubborn old man. With a resigned sigh, I pointed and shook my head as I retraced my steps. On the surface, it looked like I was going back the way I came, but in reality, I was unwilling to give up so easily when my target was right there behind that crowd.
I moved aside, planning to wait until the old man left before sneaking back to see if I could slip through that crowd. Quietly, I walked until I stood about five hundred meters away from where I'd pushed through earlier. The night was thick around me; at this distance, I could no longer see the old man.
If I couldn't see him, then he surely couldn't see me either.
I stood under a crooked tree by the roadside, surrounded by darkness on all sides. It was so dark that when I finally took out my phone, I didn’t turn it on yet; instead, I planned to wait until the old man left before using the mobile flashlight to illuminate my way into the crowd.
I waited and waited—squatting down then standing up again—until even my toes felt cold before finally making my way toward the crowd. Walking in the dark like this required caution as well; I'd have to watch out for drainage channels along the roadside. Earlier in the afternoon, I'd noticed a drainage channel overgrown with weeds.
The drainage channel was deep, seemingly filled with stagnant water, and it emitted a faint, foul odor of mud.
In the countryside, there are all sorts of creatures, such as snakes. In autumn, snakes search for caves to prepare for hibernation, so they like to hide in the grass and slither about.
I fear nothing except snakes. Just thinking about their slippery, cold, long, and slender bodies gives me goosebumps. I continued to walk cautiously, but I still hadn't seen any crowd. While I was wondering about this, I suddenly heard a loud bang, and then a dark mass appeared ahead, moving.
What was that? I wondered, quickly pulling out my phone to turn on the mobile flashlight and shining it at the moving object.
I couldn't help but curse under my breath. Damn it! It was truly a case of a thief being caught by another thief. An old man was stealing from the crowd; when he was illuminated by my phone's light, he didn't have time to see who had shone the light on him. He dropped the scattered items from the crowd and took off running.
Before long, I heard the distant noise of a fire tricycle sputtering away; he had driven off.
I looked at the mess left behind by the crowd and couldn't help but laugh despite the situation. I put my phone away and walked directly toward the scattered items. The light from my phone was limited; I could only illuminate the path beneath my feet, which was uneven and full of sharp edges. Looking at these edges made it clear that this area used to be farmland, and this path was a muddy road.
The road was two meters wide, and the purpose of the crowd gathering might be related to the construction debris that had fallen here. At the edge of the crowd, where I had just entered, there was a spacious two-lane main road. The road was empty and devoid of traffic, making this area look like a forgotten corner—particularly desolate and cold.
Now I walked along this muddy road with my phone flashlight on, wary of disturbing any "people" in the nearby building.
I could no longer make out the outline of that building; it was too dark. On the left side of the muddy road, close to that building, there was a deep drainage channel as wide as the muddy road itself. However, there was no flowing water at the bottom; it too was overgrown with weeds and weed seedlings.
On this late autumn night, the chilly air sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't hear any roosters crowing or dogs barking; there were no insects chirping—only my footsteps echoed in the silence, accompanied by the rustling sound of weeds swaying in the cold wind. At that moment, I began to doubt my judgment: in such an incredibly desolate area, could there really be someone still living here? Wouldn't it be unbearably lonely?
Normal people wouldn't choose to live like this unless they weren't human at all—or even if they were human, they certainly weren't normal. Having grown up in solitude and loneliness had made me immune to it; thus walking along this dark muddy road didn't make me feel lonely.
The muddy road was not as easy to traverse as the main road; occasionally my shoes would kick up mud with sounds louder than my footsteps. At that moment, I turned on my phone but didn't call Qin Jian; he must be anxious. Besides him, it seemed no one else in this world cared about my well-being.
Thinking of this brought a tinge of melancholy to my heart.
Feeling that I had reached my destination, I stopped, took a deep breath, and instinctively touched the tip of my nose. It was icy cold. Thankfully, I had worn an extra layer; otherwise, on such a cold night, walking alone would surely lead to a cold.
I walked to the edge of the forest and stood quietly for a moment. At that moment, I felt like a drifting ghost, floating into this unfamiliar place, wanting to rest. I could guarantee that if someone happened to glance my way without paying attention, they would be terrified.
I hid in the darkness.
A vast expanse of trees surrounded the two-story building, providing me with cover. I blended into the shadows, indistinguishable from anything else.
It was too quiet here.
This place truly wasn’t meant for people to linger; within several miles, there wasn’t a single intact house. The only structure left standing was this two-story residential building that hadn’t been demolished. To an ordinary person, it might seem insignificant, but perhaps this family was indeed the infamous Nail Household.
But how could just one family live here without fear? I remembered that old man from before—wasn’t he just a thief who took advantage of others?
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