Seltsame Geschichten - Kapitel 12
"You're just going to look at me like that?" Tan Dong felt a pang of heartache.
Tang Wan nodded: "I only feel at peace when I look at you."
Tan Dong held Tang Wan tightly, feeling pain all over his body and heart. He couldn't remember where he had seen a sentence that said the feeling of love is heartache. No matter when or where, no matter what the situation, even if you are in a long embrace, as long as you think of the other person, that heartache will immediately envelop your heart.
At this moment, Tan Dong felt that he had nothing to fear for Tang Wan's sake.
Tan Dong glanced back at the thin man in black, a surge of power coursing through him. Whoever tried to harm Tang Wan, he would stop them, even at the cost of his own life.
If he has no fear of death, then what else could he possibly be afraid of?
His heart skipped a beat. In that instant, he thought again of the blood-soaked, knife-wielding boy from his dream.
The mountains gradually faded into the darkness of night, leaving only indistinct outlines high above, indicating their distance from the sky. Even in those dim outlines, layers could still be discerned, and the endless, winding mountain range could still be felt. The rain that had fallen all day finally stopped, or perhaps the car had driven out of the rain-affected area. The headlights were the only light in the world, shining directly outwards but only illuminating a short distance along the mountain road. The darkness that followed the light seemed even more profound. The bright areas were the unchanging asphalt road, many places already potholed and uneven. Vision became useless in the night car, but you couldn't close your eyes, because the atmosphere of the mountains and darkness permeated every corner of the carriage. They were colorless and odorless, yet exceptionally real and clear; countless impressions of wildness and primitiveness would rush at you the moment you closed your eyes. And those impressions all came from our indirect experiences in daily life, the source of which was the absurd and terrifying stories woven from movies and novels.
Such a journey is extremely uncomfortable; almost everyone is thoroughly weary of being on the bus. You have to do nothing, yet you can't bear it. You know Sleepy Hollow is ahead, but you don't know when you'll arrive. The mute driver can't offer any help at this point; you can only estimate the distance to Sleepy Hollow based on your own imagination. At this moment, everyone feels a surge of helplessness and loneliness, indescribable yet lingering. You can only place your hopes on the end of this journey. On the bus, everyone's simplest and most realistic hope is to find a light in the dark mountains.
A single lamp signifies a certain existence, inspiring endless warm imaginings that one can rely on.
The car continued driving in the darkness, but now it was faintly discernible that it was no longer climbing upwards, but gradually descending. Suddenly, my gaze found a target. Looking up through the car window, I could see thick clouds piled up in the gray sky, with wispy edges around the clouds, and the gray sky against the backdrop gradually brightening.
The distance between the mountains seemed to grow vast, which gave travelers a glimmer of hope.
But in reality, the car continued for nearly an hour, and when it reached the bottom of a mountain, it finally stopped winding and the road ahead became straight. Driven by anticipation, Shabo Xiaofei even stood on the hood of the car, staring intently ahead. The others also stared intently at the windshield, hoping for some change in their view.
The road ahead suddenly turned uphill, but the slope was very gentle. Moreover, there was a strange change at the end of the road; the darkness had faded considerably, but you couldn't call it light, as no light could be so faint.
But such changes have already brought joy to everyone.
The ramp finally came to an end. The car then switched to driving downhill.
At that moment, Shabo and Xiaofei in the front of the car let out a soft cheer, while Yang Xing in the back quickly ran behind Xiaofei, letting out moans of pleasure. Even Tan Dong and Tang Wan couldn't help but stand up to get a better view. Only the thin man in black in the back seat remained seated, seemingly asleep, or perhaps completely indifferent to the end of the journey.
—His target was never Sleepy Hollow.
Ahead of the car, though still quite far away, faint lights could already be seen. These lights clustered in a small area within sight, like fireflies in the darkness, exceptionally weak.
But the light itself is enough to make travelers who have been lingering in darkness for a long time ecstatic, and the place where the light is is undoubtedly the destination of the journey.
Sleepy Valley. A canyon slumbering in darkness.
Shabo opened his eyes, and the sunlight, barely contained by the curtains, fell directly on his face. He was momentarily startled, then remembered that he was in Sleeping Valley. Looking at his watch, it was already 11:00 AM. He got out of bed and drew back the curtains, letting in a flood of sunlight. The thought of being so close to the girl named Forget-Me-Not instantly lifted his spirits.
Qin Ge, who shared a room with him, was no longer there. He hurriedly dressed and washed up, then went outside to look for other people.
This was a small inn, but clean and tidy, and the rooms were standard rooms with all the necessary facilities. Last night, the mute driver parked the car on this small street, pointed to the inn, and gave a thumbs-up. Everyone understood and eagerly got out of the car. The street was no more than ten meters wide, and the bluestone pavement was meticulously laid, with long, rectangular stone slabs in the middle and square slabs on both sides. Although the joints were uneven, they looked quite layered. The walls of the shops on both sides of the street were over ten feet high, the lower half of which was made of stone blocks, while the upper part was made of strips of wooden planks, with square wooden lattice windows. The eaves protruded three steps, forming a corridor below. The shop signs were all carved from wooden planks of various shapes, and some red and yellow flags fluttered under the eaves. Most of these shops had already closed, with only a few inns still lit. The inn in front of them had a nice name—Night Sleep Inn.
The owner of the Nightsleep Inn was a man in his mid-thirties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a white shirt, and black trousers. His hair was slightly curly, and he exuded a scholarly air. When Shabo and his group entered, he was indeed reading a book. Upon seeing the guests, he calmly greeted them with a smile.
"Welcome to Sleepy Valley, welcome to Nightsleep Inn."
The boss later introduced himself as Jiangnan.
Shabo walked out of the room and into the front of the shop. Jiangnan was still sitting in the same spot as last night, holding a book. Sunlight streamed in from outside, neatly dividing the dimly lit shop into two sections.
Shabo walked over and sat down on the south bank of the river.
Jiangnan nodded and smiled, put down his book, and asked Shabo if he slept well last night. Shabo nodded and praised, "I didn't expect there to be standard rooms in this small town. I was probably too tired last night, and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Before I knew it, it was already noon."
Jiangnan smiled and said, "You're quite early. Apart from Qin Ge, all your other friends are still in their rooms and haven't come out yet."
Shabo laughed, "Everyone has been traveling for several days to get here, and we're all tired."
Shabo looked at Jiang Nan's fair face and asked, "Mr. Jiang, you're not a local from Sleeping Valley, are you?"
“I’ve been in Sleepy Hollow for almost ten years, but I never thought that people could still tell at a glance that I’m not a local.” Jiang Nan laughed self-deprecatingly.
"You've lived here for ten years, so you must be very familiar with the people in this town."
“Sleeping Valley is only a few miles in circumference, with a population of just a few thousand. After living together for ten years, even if I wanted to, it would be difficult not to be familiar with it.” Jiang Nan paused for a moment, then continued, “You’ve come here to find someone, haven’t you?”
Sha Bo paused for a moment, then took out a photo from his pocket and handed it over: "I would like to ask Mr. Jiang to help me see if the person in the photo is from your town."
Jiang Nan took the photo, stared at it for a while, and a look of doubt appeared on his face: "I've been here for ten years and have never seen this girl before, but the background of the photo looks like a vineyard on the mountain. It's really strange."
Shabo was already very nervous, and his disappointment was evident on his face after hearing Jiang Nan's words. Jiang Nan looked at Shabo, and seemed to understand something. Just then, a woman in a light green dress came in from outside, and Jiang Nan called out to her, "Xuemei, come and take a look. Is this girl from Sleeping Valley?"
The woman in the green dress was of medium height, clearly a young woman, with a full and rounded figure and rather pretty features, though a hint of coldness lingered in her eyes. The young woman, named Xue Mei, approached, took the photograph in her hand, and remained silent for a moment, her brows furrowed, as if trying to recall something. Sha Bo and Jiang Nan stared intently at her.
Xuemei put the photo back on the table and shook her head expressionlessly: "There is no such person in this town."
After speaking, she didn't say goodbye and went straight through the shop to the backyard.
Jiang Nan smiled wryly and said to Sha Bo with a hint of humility, "Xue Mei is my wife. She is very kind-hearted, but she is a bit aloof and doesn't like to interact with outsiders."
Shabo was disappointed and didn't care about Xue Mei's indifference at all. He thought that if the Forget-Me-Not wasn't from Sleeping Valley, then his trip would have been a complete waste. The long journey wasn't the problem; the key was that he had thought he would find the Forget-Me-Not once he arrived at Sleeping Valley, but now, after being doused with cold water, he was depressed and lost interest in everything.
“Xuemei is a native of Sleeping Valley. She said the girl in the photo isn’t a local, so she definitely isn’t.” Jiangnan looked sympathetic and asked cautiously, “Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
Shabo remained silent, beginning to doubt whether coming to Sleepy Hollow was the right decision. You simply can't see a person's true face through the virtual world of the internet, and besides, the internet itself is a virtual platform where all sorts of people can play whatever role they want. While the internet provides a new way of communication, it also spreads deception to the fullest extent in people's lives. But Shabo simply couldn't believe that the seemingly innocent and pure girl, and the words she whispered to him in the night, were all lies.
The truth struck him like a hammer blow, leaving him completely bewildered.
Jiangnan stared at him cautiously, then said, "Perhaps this girl is someone neither Xuemei nor I know. How about I take you to ask the old people in town when we have some free time?"
Shabo gave a noncommittal reply, his mind still preoccupied with the question of whether the Forget-Me-Not was deceiving him.
Just then, two more people came out from the guest room; it was Tan Dong and Tang Wan.
Tang Wan had a good night's sleep and looked much better; her fair skin had a rosy glow, and with her clearly well-groomed appearance, she exuded a graceful beauty. Tan Dong hadn't slept all night again, but because he had slept in the car the previous day, he was in relatively good spirits. They came out of the room with all their luggage.
Jiangnan went to greet him, looking at the large bag in Tan Dong's hand with a slight puzzlement.
Tang Wan smiled and said, "Boss, we'd like to check out."
"Weren't you going to stay in Sleepy Hollow for a few more days? Why are you checking out now?" Jiang Nan paused for a moment, then continued, "I guarantee that my inn is the best in Sleepy Hollow."
"We're checking out not because there's anything wrong with the room," Tang Wan said, her expression somewhat apologetic. "We just wanted to find a hotel with some local charm."
Upon hearing Tang Wan's words, Jiang Nan felt relieved and nodded, saying, "That's something I hadn't expected. When I opened this inn, I only thought about creating a comfortable environment for tourists to the greatest extent possible, but I didn't expect that many city people come to our small places just to find a kind of primitive charm."
Jiangnan shook his head, seemingly disappointed that he hadn't thought of this.
But as soon as Shabo heard Tang Wan's words, he immediately knew she wasn't telling the truth. They moved out of here simply to avoid the skinny man in black.
—What magic does that frail, skinny man possess that makes them so afraid of him?
On the way to Sleepy Valley, Yang Xing had already guessed that Tan Dong and Tang Wan were hiding from someone. When the thin man in black appeared, Tan Dong immediately became alert and attacked ruthlessly. Surprisingly, the thin man wasn't afraid of the burly and powerful Tan Dong. He was kicked to the ground twice, but each time he stubbornly got up and walked back to Tan Dong. If Sha Bo hadn't held Tan Dong back then, who knows what might have happened.
Perhaps Tan Dong really will kick the skinny guy to death. But why is he avoiding the skinny guy? Clearly, he's the one who's afraid, not the skinny guy.
This has nothing to do with me, Shabo thought. Let them go wherever they want.
Tan Dong and Tang Wan walked out of the store. As they passed Sha Bo, Tan Dong remained expressionless, as if he hadn't seen Sha Bo at all, while Tang Wan smiled. The smile was gentle and captivating on her handsome face. Sha Bo stared intently at her smile until she brushed past him and walked out the door.
Shabo noticed Tang Wan's beauty for the first time, thinking to himself that she was such a captivating girl. In that instant, he felt a pang of loss, because his travel companions were missing such a girl.
"Are we really going to move out?" Tan Dong asked Tang Wan.
"Yes, we'd better move out so you can sleep peacefully at night."
So, Tan Dong and Tang Wan packed their things and went out onto the street. The cobblestone street was exceptionally clean, washed clean by last night's rain. Most of the shops on both sides were unadorned, with some selling local specialties and souvenirs displaying their goods under the eaves in front of their doors. The street was long, and after walking a short distance, there was a high slope. They thought this was the end of the street, but after crossing the slope, the street continued before them. The town's buildings were mostly constructed using local materials, employing large sections of stone, making the houses exceptionally sturdy. Due to their age, the cobblestones had been polished to a mirror-like shine by time, but the seams had become dark and covered with a kind of green moss.
"Where are we going?" Tan Dong asked Tang Wan.
"Go forward, get away from that skinny guy."
"What's there to be afraid of about that skinny guy? I can knock him down with just one punch."
Tang Wan shook her head, remaining silent. Tan Dong also fell silent; at that moment, he realized that the skinny man might not be as simple as he had imagined. At the train station in the Yi town, his two full-force kicks had knocked the man to the ground, yet the man was completely unharmed afterward. He knew he was trying to stop him from boarding the train, yet he didn't back down, clearly having come prepared. Wasn't such a person terrifying?
But Tan Dong knew he wasn't afraid of the skinny man; what he feared was himself.
What frustrated him even more was that he couldn't let Tang Wan know the secret in his heart.
Tang Wan only thought he stayed up all night to protect her, unaware of his struggles during the night. He hated his body, wishing he could tear himself apart in the darkness. Gazing at the sleeping Tang Wan, his heart ached terribly. He wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her, no one; he would dedicate his life to protecting her.
Finally, they reached the end of the alley. First, they heard the sound of water lapping against the riverbank, and then a wide river appeared before their eyes.
The river was swift, its spray surging towards the banks like waves. Tang Wan exclaimed in surprise and ran towards the water's edge. At the junction of the street and the river, there was a set of bluestone steps, where two women in blue cloth clothes were washing clothes. Standing on the steps, she could see the river and the scenery on both banks. Along the riverbank, houses of varying heights were densely packed, their sloping roofs covered with layers of arched black tiles arranged in an orderly fashion, like honeycomb holes. The tall walls formed embankments, and some wooden houses protruded above the river, supported by thick wooden piles.
——Stilted house.
Tang Wan never expected to see a stilted house here. Her memories of stilted houses all came from Shen Congwen's works. Western Hunan became famous because of Shen Congwen.
The river meanders from the mountain peaks upstream, its surface shimmering in the sunlight like a moving mirror. Several hundred meters upstream, a suspension bridge spans the river between the two banks. Thick iron chains hang naturally in an arc, densely covered with wooden planks. At this moment, sunlight streams down from the other end of the bridge, making it appear indistinct and hazy, as if shrouded in mist.
—A beautiful town. A beautiful Sleepy Hollow Valley.
"Living here would be such a wonderful thing," Tang Wan said wistfully.
Tan Dong stood beside her and put his arm around her shoulder: "Your decision is my decision."
"Then, shall we live here?"
Tan Dong hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "As long as I can be by your side, I will be very satisfied. I don't care where we are at all."
Tang Wan then smiled, leaning against Tan Dong, a long-lost smile spreading across her face.
On the stone steps, two women placed their washed clothes into a bamboo basket and carried it on their backs. They looked blank, as if they hadn't seen Tan Dong and Tang Wan at all. Tang Wan greeted them with a smile, and the two women exchanged a glance, staring at Tang Wan expressionlessly, still remaining silent.
Tang Wan asked them if they knew where there were houses for rent.
The two women thought for a moment, then one of them pointed in a direction, and hurriedly climbed the steps, disappearing from sight in no time. Tang Wanwei was a little disappointed, so Tan Dong came over to comfort her: "People in small places lack experience in communicating with strangers, so they are mostly like this, being reserved and introverted. You don't need to worry about it."
Tang Wan nodded, took Tan Dong's arm, and went down in the direction the woman had pointed.
Half an hour later, they appeared in the courtyard of a house. The house was built against the mountainside; entering through a passageway, they entered the courtyard. The courtyard was rather small, with large bluestone slabs paving the ground, and farm tools and odds and ends placed on both sides. Houses were built on three sides of the courtyard, with a covered corridor in front. The eaves of the corridor hung very low, making the courtyard dimly lit and giving it a musty, decaying smell.
Following directions, Tan Dong and Tang Wan found their way to the house and learned that the owner was an elderly woman in her seventies. Her two sons had gone to work in other cities, leaving the house vacant for a long time.
"Is anyone there?" Tang Wan called out from inside the courtyard.
The door to the west wing creaked open, and Tan Dong and Tang Wan immediately turned their gazes to it. The room was dark inside, with only some simple furniture vaguely visible, but no one was there. They exchanged a glance and then stepped towards the door. A stench of decay wafted out, and two figures suddenly appeared in the doorway like ghosts.
These were elderly people, their faces etched with deep wrinkles, a testament to their long and arduous lives. They wore matching blue coarse cloth jackets with diagonal lapels; the old woman had a black headscarf wrapped around her head, and the old man held a bamboo-handled, copper-mouthed pipe. Both were stiff, expressionless, staring blankly at the strangers who had appeared in their home.
Sunlight streamed down from above the courtyard, creating a stark contrast between the shadows and the light. Tiny dust particles danced in the sunlight, swirling around the doorway. The elderly couple standing in the darkness looked almost unreal.
Tang Wan's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly put on a smile.
"We heard that you have a house for rent, and we'd like to rent it."
The elderly couple remained expressionless, as if they hadn't understood Tang Wan's words at all.
"We want to rent your house. Can you rent your house to us?" Tang Wan repeated.
The elderly couple remained frozen in place, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Tang Wan's words. Their gazes were fixed on Tang Wan and Tan Dong, as if they were deep in meditation, or perhaps trying to figure out the origins of these two people.