La collection complète des cercueils fantômes de Yellow River

Chapitre 25

"What's wrong?" Ouyang's voice became anxious. "When did I lie to you? Where are you?"

The concern in his voice made me even more heartbroken. I sobbed loudly, trying to shout, but could only manage a weak sound: "Your headache is fake, Li Yuntong's story is fake too, you've all lied to me, it's too much..." I couldn't make a sound anymore. Ouyang was still saying something when I hung up the phone, crying my heart out, and slowly walked forward while holding onto the wall.

I don't know how I got to the door of No. 6 Yunsheng Street. Sometimes I thought I'd never get there. My phone kept calling out in my pocket like a vengeful ghost, so I just turned it off. When I entered the dark stairwell, I had almost no strength left. The steep stairs felt like an insurmountable obstacle. I simply didn't have the energy left. I didn't care how dirty the stairs were, so I sat down on the ground, staring at the doorway, hoping someone would come in and help me, yet also hoping no one would come and just leave me sitting there alone.

Less than two minutes later, hurried footsteps sounded at the doorway, as if someone was running. The light from the doorway was quickly blocked, and I squinted at the person who entered. It wasn't until he was right in front of me that I could see his face clearly. He was a stranger, about my age. I wanted to ask him to help me up, but I felt a little embarrassed. Without hesitation, he walked straight to me, bent down, and looked at me. "Jiang Ling, I saw you crying. What's wrong?" Hearing him call my name, I looked at him more closely, and after confirming that I didn't recognize him, I asked curiously, "How do you know my name?"

He paused for a moment, his expression seemingly a little somber, but quickly smiled again and said, "I heard the girl you live with call you that," he casually pointed outside, "I live in that building, so I'm your neighbor." I didn't look at where he was pointing; I didn't have the mind to think about that right now.

"Oh," I nodded. "Could you help me up? I'm sick and can't climb the stairs."

"Huh?" He immediately reached out and touched my forehead. I avoided his hand, lowered my head, and remained silent. My mother had always told me to be wary of strangers, and I had always done so. But now, I didn't want to be wary of this stranger anymore. Even people I knew and trusted so well could conspire to deceive me; I didn't think even a stranger would do that. Now, among the people I knew, I didn't know who I could trust. Recalling their behavior, it seemed like no one could be trusted. Compared to them, strangers were actually safer; at least there was a fifty percent chance they might be good people.

The stranger was initially startled by my avoidance, but quickly gave a wry smile. He crouched down and examined my face closely: "You look very pale." The warmth in his voice made me look up at him. His face was right in front of me, filled with worry and bitterness. "You've been crying. What happened?"

I shook my head, not wanting to say anything more. I stood up, holding onto the handrail. He reached out and helped me, and we slowly went upstairs together. We didn't speak the whole way. I felt very tired; the stairs seemed endless. I don't know how much time passed, but we finally reached the third floor.

"Thank you," I said.

"No need, you should go inside and rest," he said, looking at me carefully again. "Did you buy some cold medicine?"

“I bought it,” I said, waving my bag at him. “Thank you!”

“You have a fever and you wanted to sleep, right? Don’t be shy, go inside and get some sleep.” He still stood there, not moving. I was a little anxious, and with my head down, I said apologetically, “Thank you, you can go downstairs now.” He then suddenly realized what I meant and laughed twice, “You’re still the same.” It sounded as if he had known me before. I stared at him suspiciously. He turned and walked towards the stairs. After taking two steps down, he suddenly turned back to look at me. The stairwell was very dark, and I couldn’t see his expression, but I felt that his eyes were faintly glowing.

“Jiang Ling,” after a brief moment of eye contact, he suddenly sighed deeply, “look at me more.”

I found his words strange and didn't know how to respond, so I could only force a smile.

“I’m a little worried,” he said slowly. “You don’t like to cry, especially not in the street. This is the first time. What happened?”

I became increasingly puzzled—who exactly is this person? How does he know me so well?

How do you know I don't like to cry?

Why are you crying?

I didn't have the strength to ask any more questions, so I waved and said, "Goodbye, thank you for today."

He nodded: "Okay, you should get some rest. If your fever doesn't go down after taking one cold medicine, you must see a doctor."

"Um."

He finally walked away, turning back every few steps, and I kept watching his back. This person was really strange. I didn't know him at all, but his every word and action made him seem like an old acquaintance. Every time he turned around, although I couldn't see his face clearly, I could feel his concern.

I waited a while until he disappeared around the corner of the stairs before I hurriedly opened the door, slipped inside, poured myself a glass of cold water, took a pill, threw myself onto the bed, and fell asleep without any warning.

27

Just as I was sleeping soundly, Xu Xiaobing shook me awake: "Dinner's ready."

My mouth was dry, I had no appetite, and all I wanted to do was sleep: "I'm not eating."

Xu Xiaobing got angry again: "What's wrong with you? I cooked a meal and you won't even eat it? Why are you going to bed so early?"

"I have a fever," I said simply.

She didn't say anything more, but touched my forehead and gasped, "It's so hot? You need to see a doctor."

"No need, I've already taken my medicine." I was almost asleep.

"No, you have to see a doctor, you'll burn yourself to death." She forcefully pulled me up, and I felt dizzy and fell back down: "I want to sleep."

"Then eat something." She nudged me. I hummed in response, too lazy to pay her any attention. All I could hear was her clattering as she went out in her slippers and then clattering back in. A breath of warm air brushed against my head, and I turned my head away in annoyance.

"Quick, eat something and I'll let you sleep." Xu Xiaobing shook me, and I had no choice but to sit up. She handed me a bowl of rice porridge with vegetable juice. Although it was only half a bowl, it still felt heavy in my hands. Xu Xiaobing held the bowl, frowning, "You really should go to the hospital." I scooped a small spoonful into my mouth, chewed it a couple of times, but couldn't taste anything. It felt like chewing a piece of wood, and I felt a little nauseous, so I pushed the bowl away and refused to eat. Xu Xiaobing tried to persuade and scold me, but I just ignored her and fell asleep again soon after.

I slept soundly, and when I woke up it was already past six in the morning. The room was filled with the smell of steaming rice porridge. I sat up, and a damp towel fell from my forehead. I clumsily grabbed the towel and slowly got out of bed. The cold medicine didn't seem to be working at all; I still felt so hot, my whole body was weak, and the ground felt like it was floating when I walked.

Xu Xiaobing was busy in the kitchen. When she saw me come out, she quickly came over and said, "You're awake? I made some rice porridge. Would you like some?"

"Why did I suddenly think of making porridge?" I went into the bathroom to wash up.

"It's for you," Xu Xiaobing said helplessly. "You didn't eat anything yesterday, and you had a fever all night. I kept applying cold water to your head, but your temperature didn't come down..."

Hearing this, I paused in my work: "You didn't sleep a wink last night?"

"No, how could I sleep with such a high fever..." She yawned. "You'll definitely need an IV drip today, so you need to eat something." I looked back at her; she had dark circles under her eyes, which seemed to be all because of me.

I felt a strange sense of gratitude. I never expected Xu Xiaobing to take such good care of me; it seems I really didn't understand her.

However, I quickly realized that Meng Ling might have lied to me, just like everyone else, which made me feel terrible. I wanted to think about it seriously, but my head was spinning and aching, and I couldn't concentrate.

After barely finishing most of a bowl of porridge, Xu Xiaobing went to work, reminding me to definitely see a doctor.

“If you still have a fever tonight, I’m not going to take care of you anymore,” she threatened.

I lay on the sofa and watched TV for a while, then got up and went to see a doctor. Luckily, I got paid yesterday, otherwise I wouldn't even have money for medical treatment.

There was a small hospital not far from my door. I took my temperature; it was 39.5 degrees Celsius. So I dutifully spent the whole morning on an IV drip. By the time I left the hospital, my temperature had dropped to 38 degrees Celsius. I felt a little better; my muscles weren't as sore, but my headache hadn't lessened at all. After lying in bed for so long, I felt a bit stuffy, so I took a slow walk along Yunsheng Street. I saw a small restaurant along the way, and even though it was almost noon, they still had congee with preserved egg and lean pork, so I went in and ordered a large bowl of congee. After the fever subsided, my appetite improved a bit; my lost sense of taste and smell seemed to have returned, and I realized how hungry I was. I picked out the lean pork and put it on the table, then just focused on drinking the congee. A girl about my age sat opposite me, staring blankly at me.

"What would you like to order?" the proprietress asked the girl as she walked over.

"Century egg and lean pork congee," the girl said.

The proprietress turned and left. I slowly sipped my porridge. The shop wasn't crowded; besides the two of us at our table, only two or three young people who looked like students sat in the corner, whispering. After five or six minutes, the proprietress came back and asked the girl, "What would you like to order?"

I looked up at the proprietress with a puzzled expression. The girl didn't show any surprise, and gave a wry smile: "Century egg and lean pork congee."

The proprietress turned and left again.

The proprietress wasn't very old, maybe 40 at most, but her memory was terrible. I shook my head, finding it somewhat amusing.

Less than two minutes later, the proprietress came back and asked the girl again, "What would you like to order?"

"Century egg and lean pork congee," the girl replied as if reading an official document.

I finally couldn't hold back anymore: "Boss lady, you've asked her three times already."

"Oh?" The proprietress looked at me suspiciously. "Impossible, right? She just came in."

“She arrived before me,” I said. “I’ve almost finished my porridge, and hers hasn’t even been served yet.”

"Really?" The proprietress looked at me and then at her with a puzzled expression, then smiled and said, "I'm sorry, it'll be quick, just wait a moment." She turned and left, and the girl smiled gratefully at me, and I smiled back.

She had just taken a couple of sips of porridge when the proprietress came over again, standing next to the girl with an expression that said she had never seen her before: "What would you like to order?"

"Century egg and lean pork congee," the girl and I said at the same time.

The proprietress turned and left again.

"You should call the owner over," I said to the girl, pointing to the restaurant owner who was playing video games on the counter.

The girl shook her head: "It's no use." She waved to the shop owner, who came running over enthusiastically: "What do you want?"

"Century egg and lean pork congee," she said.

"Okay," the boss said with a smile.

I thought she could finally have some congee with preserved egg and lean pork, but to my surprise, the owner didn't go to the kitchen after turning around. Instead, he went back to the counter and started playing his game again.

"Boss." The girl waved to him again, and he ran over enthusiastically once more, as if he had never seen the girl before, and asked with a smile, "What do you want?"

"Century egg and lean pork congee".

...

The owners were extremely friendly; they took turns coming over to ask the girl what she wanted to order. She repeated her order of preserved egg and lean pork congee over 20 times, and the two of them forgot about it each time. At first, I found it amusing, but later, I gradually realized something was wrong and felt a strange sense of dread.

Seeing my expression, the girl smiled and said, "It's okay, I'm used to it. I cried my eyes out at first." She pointed at me with her finger. "Do you believe me? As soon as you turn around, you'll definitely forget about me." If she had said this before I entered the store, I would never have believed it, but now I felt that she was telling the truth. She wanted me to turn around and try, but I didn't.

"How could this happen?" I asked her.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “That’s it.” A deep weariness was on her face, as if she didn’t want to say anything more. She beckoned the owner and his wife over and poured a large bowl of chili water on them. The two men were stunned for a moment, but when they came to their senses, they flew into a rage. Just as they were about to hit her, she stood up and walked behind them.

The owner and his wife looked bewildered. I stared at them intently, my heart pounding.

"Oh? My clothes are dirty!" the proprietress suddenly exclaimed. She hurriedly wiped her clothes with tissues, and at the same time noticed that chili water was dripping down the proprietress's clothes, so she quickly helped him wipe them as well. "You must have spilled the chili water."

"I didn't, it must be you!" the boss said.

Neither of them remembered what had just happened. The girl smiled at me from behind them. When they saw my surprised expression, they turned around, saw the girl, and immediately asked with smiles, "What would you like to order?"

"Century egg and lean pork congee," the girl said.

The congee with preserved egg and lean pork in front of me had long since cooled and solidified. After hearing "congee with preserved egg and lean pork" so many times, no one would like to eat it anymore. I stared at the girl in utter shock, not only because of what had just happened, but also because what had happened to her was slowly unraveling some tightly bound mysteries in my heart, and the truth seemed about to be revealed. Just as I was about to continue questioning her, my phone suddenly rang. I answered it, and it was my mother.

"Lingling, are you at work?"

"Yeah, what about you?" I replied while looking at the girl. She no longer sat in front of me, but wandered around the store, slowly admiring the colorful advertisements on the walls.

"The weather has been changing a lot these past few days, so be careful when changing your clothes to avoid catching a cold."

"I know, you should take care of yourself too." I didn't tell her that I had caught a cold, otherwise she would worry.

"I recently saw a girl wearing a pair of really pretty boots, so I bought them for you," she said happily.

"Huh? What style?"

...

I gradually lost track of time while we were chatting, and a strong longing for home welled up inside me. I wished I could go home right now. This feeling came very suddenly and was uncontrollable; I felt that I absolutely had to go back.

"Mom, should I go home tomorrow?"

"Don't you have to go to work? What happened?"

"No, I just missed you."

"Oh, you can come back whenever you want, but it'll be in a few days. I'm traveling these days... Your dad wants to talk to you!"

After Dad grabbed the microphone, they chatted for quite a while before hanging up. They're both currently traveling in Huangshan, and in their excitement, they thought of my brother and me, calling us separately. I'm overwhelmed by this sudden longing; if they weren't still out of town, I would have rushed home immediately.

Once longing begins, it cannot be ended. I sat in front of the now-cold congee with preserved egg and lean pork, my mind filled not only with my family, but also with relatives, friends, and former classmates. I thought of them one by one, feeling that I absolutely had to see them.

I absolutely have to see it!

I hurriedly stood up, forgetting everything else, and rushed into No. 6 Yunsheng Street, to room 302. I didn't even bother to take off my shoes. I just rushed into my room, pulled out my suitcase, and haphazardly stuffed my clothes inside. I didn't know exactly where I was going, but I knew I had to go to certain people and certain places I missed. Why did I have to go? I didn't know. It was just a necessity. Why did I have to eat? It's strange. People never need a reason to satisfy their stomachs, but why should there be a reason to satisfy the needs of the mind? If I had to find a reason, it would be that I was missing them, just as my stomach naturally craves food when it's hungry. I suddenly longed to see everyone I knew.

I just don't want to be alone.

While I was packing my luggage, someone knocked on the door. I angrily cursed, "How annoying!" and quickly went to open the door.

It was the same person who helped me upstairs yesterday. When he saw me, he smiled shyly and said, "Hello, I'm your neighbor across the street. I heard you were sick, so I came to see you."