Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 90: A Strange Scene
The woman remained silent, gazing lovingly at the statue before her. In front of the statue was an incense table, on which sat a delicate square box. I felt like I had seen this square box somewhere before, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't recall where.
Looking back at the statue, I couldn't help but admire the skill of the sculptor. If one didn't pay close attention, they might truly believe it was a living person standing there. The statue was incredibly lifelike, with a serene smile on its face, wearing a pair of glasses that gave its gaze a deep and contemplative quality, as if it were lost in thought or about to speak.
The lips were slightly parted, as if in motion, and the enigmatic expression sparked endless imagination.
"Who is she?" I asked.
"My daughter," the woman replied.
At this point, I thought it unnecessary to ask further questions; any intelligent person would understand. The woman's daughter had long since passed away, which explained the existence of this statue. The wontons she had purchased were meant for this figure.
The implications were chilling. The black-clad woman resembled a ghost wandering through the night, going to the wonton shop at such an hour not for herself but to buy wontons for a dead person. It wasn't something to dwell on too much, yet as I considered it further, an uneasy shiver ran down my spine.
I resolved never to return to Liu Chao Shou Wonton Shop again.
"Do you want to see her?" I suddenly feared looking at that square box again, as memories of a dream flooded back—dreaming of blood filling that very box.
"Yes." The woman's eyes were fixed intently on the statue, filled with tears she struggled not to let fall.
"Auntie, what was her name? How old was she? What did she do before..." As I spoke, I realized this was why she wanted me to hear her story.
"Her name was Li Aihong. She studied abroad in Japan and died there... Our last conversation was when she was buying wontons... My daughter didn't even like wontons; she bought them for her roommate. But... she died..." Tears streamed down the woman's face as her gaze remained locked on the square box. "The wontons never made it; she died... I must fulfill her wish and deliver the wontons to her friend."
"How can I help you, Auntie?"
The woman sniffled and forced a smile. "I want to know how she is doing over there, what she needs. I want to know how she died."
She was crying, and my heart ached. I, too, was a child without a mother, longing for one. Unfortunately, this mother had lost her beloved daughter. I had to help her. I comforted her, "Auntie, take a rest. I can help you."
"Thank you. You don't even know my name. I'm Li Mingliang."
"Oh!" I thought it was curious that her daughter shared the same surname as her, but I wisely held back my questions. It wouldn't be good to provoke her tears again now that she had managed to stop crying.
I could only sense; if her daughter was in spirit form, I would surely be able to sense her presence.
I slightly closed my eyes, focused my mind, and extended my palm gently between her daughter's spirit tablet and the statue. At first, my consciousness felt like a still pond without any ripples. After a while, something intruded into my awareness—a sigh—
After the sigh came a splash of blood red, screams, crashes, thuds, cries for help, immense vibrations; pain surged through my entire body. I trembled and broke out in a sweat. Suddenly, a blood-soaked woman appeared in my consciousness. Her blood-dripping eyes stared at me as if she had something to say. But just then, Li Mingliang used a towel to wipe the sweat from my forehead, and the girl instantly vanished.
I couldn't sense any information about her anymore. I opened my eyes to find Li Mingliang looking at me with concern. "Did you see her?"
"Auntie, it might be that I'm too exhausted to retain the information coming through. But don't worry; I will help you fulfill your wish. For now, I can't continue and need to rest."
"Oh, okay." Although Li Mingliang agreed, I could see the disappointment in her eyes.
What I experienced tonight was overwhelming—going to that Gao Sheng's house and then to Gong Elder's place before being taken by Li Mingliang. I truly hadn't rested properly; everything that had intruded into my consciousness was so bloody and terrifying that I feared continuing would be unbearable. That's why I told Li Mingliang that it wasn't possible right now and that I'd come back another day.
As I left Li Mingliang's home, I left my phone number behind. She walked me to the door, and when it opened, I realized it was an old house in disrepair. It seemed to be on the outskirts of town; thankfully, there was a rural road and a bicycle that Li Mingliang insisted I take with me.
I looked at the village sign: Yihe Village.
Riding a bicycle was something from years ago; even my old motorcycle was faster than it, but that old motorcycle has already been dealt with by the fat guy. I'm slowly saving up to buy a car. With a car, I would have some face. Driving as a Mortician, how impressive!
Damn, I hadn't slept a wink all night, yet I still found time to think about all sorts of things. The car zipped along the road, while a thin layer of frost pressed down on the crops by the roadside. In the distance, everything was shrouded in mist, and several farmhouses were emitting smoke.
The rural morning brought fresh air, tired eyelids, and an overwhelming desire to sleep.
The scent of dawn filled the air—cold wind, cooking smoke, and early risers. With unfamiliar faces around me, I felt like a wandering soul lost in the night, moving from one village path to another until I finally reached the Main Road leading to the city. My phone rang.
I answered and saw it was Qin Jian calling.
"Hey, Lao Qin."
"Ma Qi, where are you?"
"Let me check... North Gate, over here in Yihe Village."
"What the hell? Why did you run all the way out there for no reason?"
"I don't have a sister. Do you? If you do, set me up with her! Sigh! Last night was strange; please don’t scold me. I just want to find a place to sleep."
Qin Jian snapped back, "Still thinking about sleeping? Gong's family is in trouble."
"I'm just a person. What can I do about his family's troubles?"
"Stop joking, I'm coming to get you."
Qin Jian hung up the phone. I could imagine what had happened at Gong Elder's house without him going into detail; Sha Doctor was dead.
Li Mingliang's bicycle was quite nice, and I couldn't just leave it behind. Before Qin Jian arrived, I kept an eye out for anyone coming from the direction of Yihe Village and stopped one of them. "Hey, do you know Li Mingliang from Yihe Village? This bike belongs to her..."
"I don't know her, don't bother me."
"What kind of person is this?" I continued pedaling, watching the passing vehicles, worried that Qin Jian might miss me. After a while, I spotted Qin Jian's car and got off the bicycle to wave at him from the roadside.
Qin Jian pulled up beside me and hesitated when he saw I had a bicycle. What should we do? We couldn't just abandon it. We had no choice but to put the bike in the trunk and head straight to Li Mingliang's house.
But to our surprise, we were too late.
Comment 0 Comment Count