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Chapter 4: Grudge (Part 2)
Could it be that Zhang Xian had unresolved grievances with her from a past life, or was it simply because her daughter was of a similar age to Zhang Xian that she couldn't help but think of her daughter, triggering the resentment within her?
Yet, this explanation didn't quite account for the outburst; what exactly caused Zhang Xian to attract such baseless hatred?
After rinsing her mouth and washing her face, Li Mingliang reappeared before me, completely transformed. She seemed calm now, serving me a cup of tea while methodically explaining its purity and how drinking tea could benefit vascular health and prevent blood lipid blockage.
I wasn't well-versed in the art of tea, but I had spent far more time drinking it than Li Mingliang had. I didn't need her to explain tea to me; I wanted to hear her stories instead.
Taking a sip, I found the tea too strong and bitter. Frowning, I set down the cup. Li Mingliang noticed my distaste for strong tea and said, "I made it strong on purpose so you wouldn't doze off while listening to the story."
Wow, this woman was quite cunning. The tea was already brewed; I couldn't just pour it out and start over without wasting time. So I nodded, indicating it was fine, and asked when she would start telling her story.
Li Mingliang took a sip of tea herself, pondered for a moment, then began to recount a story that had been bottled up inside her for a long time. When she spoke of her daughter Li Aihong, a smile appeared on her face as if her daughter were right in front of her; she stared intently ahead. There was nothing in front of us—just four walls and an office desk. I felt there was nothing wrong with being alone in a room with an older woman, so I left the curtain by the single hospital bed drawn open.
Li Mingliang described her daughter as a kind-hearted child who held no reservations against anyone. Whenever someone faced difficulties, her daughter would willingly do everything she could to help. Then, as she gazed at the single hospital bed, her voice trailed off. Slowly, she stood up and walked over to the bed, pulling the curtain aside as she said, "Aiwen is like this; even when my brother and I are here, you don't close the door."
Startled—
I wasn't afraid of ghosts or anything supernatural, but suddenly hearing her say that made me shiver involuntarily and glance at the bed again.
On the bed lay only white Order; the curtain blocked my view of it. But no matter what, there was truly nothing on that bed.
Yet in Li Mingliang's eyes, it seemed there was indeed something there—perhaps her daughter.
With the curtain drawn back, Li Mingliang turned around and smiled apologetically. "My daughter is quite carefree; aside from being serious about her studies, she has never been materialistic. She has shared countless clothes she liked with her roommates and generously offered food as well."
Such a girl full of virtues met with an unfortunate end.
"Do you know? My daughter helped elderly people cross the street, gave up her seat on public transport, and even let her friends stay in our home," she continued. At this point in her narration, her expression suddenly grew tense as she fixed her gaze on the curtain, as if fearing someone behind it might suddenly appear. She muttered some incomprehensible words under her breath.
What do you want, Aunt? Don't be afraid; I'm here!
"Aiwen is here, she's crying..." Li Mingliang stared nervously at the curtain, a complex expression on her face, torn between wanting to approach and being too scared. To calm her down and prevent her from scaring herself further, I grabbed her trembling hand. "There's nothing over there, you can continue your story." But before I could finish my sentence, as I held Li Mingliang's hand, my head buzzed, as if the entire world was turning upside down. My thoughts froze, and before me was a sea of blood red—Li Mingliang, covered in blood, glaring furiously. I shuddered, unable to react to what was happening as another unfamiliar scene unfolded.
In front of me appeared an unbelievable and particularly eerie sight, as if it had casually invaded my mind.
It felt like I had simply walked into this place; it was completely deserted. Withered grass clung to the trunk of a large tree, and a wooden swing hung from two relatively thick iron chains attached to the tree branches. Perhaps due to sun and rain, the swing had aged, its surface covered with a thin layer of moss that made it look like green wood.
The swing hung there motionless and lonely, with no one around to play on it. I looked closely; beneath the swing set, the cracked earth had long ceased to sprout green grass. The gnarled branches of the tree stretched out like giant arms reaching in all directions.
A Big Sophora Tree? A faded cloth ribbon was wrapped around the trunk of the Sophora Tree. I didn't know how I ended up here; it felt like a dream. A bit cold, I hugged my arms and surveyed my surroundings. In the misty haze, I spotted a metal double chair.
I walked over; there were water stains on the chair from droplets of mist condensing on it. I struggled to recall what I had done before arriving here and suddenly remembered wanting to help Li Mingliang. Touching her hand—was that how I got trapped in this sensation?
Wow, it felt like time travel—so real yet so surreal.
Creak creak—
What was that sound? Following the noise, I was stunned.
At some point, someone had sat on the previously empty swing set. From behind, I could only see her long hair flowing gracefully and her delicate figure. She sat on the swing like a vibrant butterfly dancing in the air, causing the swing to creak rhythmically.
Eager to understand where this place was and how I had ended up in this strange environment, I approached the girl without much thought.
As I drew closer to her, she was beautiful—captivating from any angle! It seemed she sensed my presence; she glanced at me casually and paused for a moment before gripping the swing's chain to stop.
When we faced each other, I couldn't help but admire my judgment—she truly was stunning, and her voice was lovely too. "Who are you? How did you get here?"
I didn't know how I had arrived and then asked her what her name was.
She smiled and said, "My name is Li Aihong."
Hearing that name, I was taken aback; it sounded so familiar.
Li Aihong told me she was here waiting for someone, a very good friend.
I guessed it couldn't be a boyfriend!
Li Aihong shook her head, saying no, her friend was female. I responded with an "oh" and casually asked what her friend's name was. She playfully replied, "Why should I tell you?"
I picked my nose to cover my momentary embarrassment and said shyly, "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine."
Li Aihong covered her mouth and giggled. After laughing enough, she suddenly pointed behind me and said, "She's here."
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