Geisterbestattung

Kapitel 11

Zhang Lili was her good friend, but women are all the same; they rarely have the ability to make calm judgments, except for making a big fuss about many things. She was really afraid that if Zhang Lili found out about this, it would cause a huge uproar in the hospital overnight, and Li Hui's pride would never allow such a thing to happen! She would rather endure any hardship alone than face the ambiguous looks and gossiping of others.

What about Director Chen? His age and experience earned Li Hui's admiration and trust. He was a good person, and aside from being overly cautious, he was truly a reliable man. But now that this has happened, how will he view her? What will he think about the "privacy" hidden within this "death timeline"? A once clean and carefree Li Hui will instantly transform in his eyes into a terrifying woman tainted by the evils of society!

--Do I really have any "secret" things to hide?

Li Hui was taken aback by this pointed question.

A few days ago, she could have remained calm and collected in the face of this question, but not now. A "death timetable" and a man named "Da Dun'er" had ruined everything. From now on, Li Hui was a woman with a privacy!

She used to be pampered, protected, and spoiled by those around her, so she always thought she was the best, the purest, and the most worthy of scrutiny. But now, the myth has been shattered, and she has realized that she is just an ordinary person living in this mortal world, eating grains and being prone to headaches, fevers, and diarrhea.

At that moment, some very distant memories suddenly flooded her mind.

Some old memories, long buried deep in her mind, gradually surfaced and became clearer: the pale face of an infant who had died due to her negligence.

Three years ago, shortly after graduating from medical school, Li Hui was working in the obstetrics department of a maternity hospital for the first month. One night, she was on night shift with Dr. Wang, the chief physician at the time. Dr. Wang had a family emergency and had to call her back temporarily. Before leaving, she instructed Li Hui to call her immediately if any pregnant women came to the emergency room, as she would come to the hospital right away because she lived in the backyard of the hospital.

In the middle of the night, a family member of a woman in labor knocked on the door. Li Hui got up and went out to see what was happening. She found that the baby's hair was already showing, and she quickly arranged for the delivery.

Amidst the busyness, a nurse reminded her if she wanted to call Dr. Wang. Li Hui felt that her opportunity to practice her independence had arrived. She had always wanted to complete a delivery on her own to test herself, and she felt that she was fully capable of it.

The cervix was dilated normally, and a natural birth shouldn't have been a problem. However, the baby's head was too large, and after struggling for a long time, it just wouldn't come out. The mother was about to go into shock, and the baby was also in danger, so Li Hui had no choice but to use forceps. She used all her strength to pull the baby down. But the baby, whose little head was stretched into a long gourd shape by the forceps, didn't move at all after birth.

It's a baby boy!

Li Hui hurriedly picked up the baby and patted its bottom a dozen times, but the child, who had been tormented for almost half the night, showed no breath. Li Hui was terrified. Ignoring the dirty umbilical cord blood, she leaned over the baby's mouth and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. But the baby remained silent, neither crying nor making a sound.

Li Hui remembers that she was covered in sweat at the time, her internal organs felt like they were on fire, and she wished that the dead baby was herself.

The most terrifying thing was that the moment she placed the child she was about to give up on on the table, the little guy opened his eyes for a second. She felt a trace of resentment in those small eyes that were not normally blind, which chilled her to the bone.

The conclusion at the time was that the mother was brought to the hospital too late, the fetus had been asphyxiated for too long, but the rescue was timely and the delivery process was not problematic.

Although no one pursued the matter afterward, only Li Hui knew in her heart that if she had acted decisively and performed a cesarean section on the pregnant woman, the baby could have been saved. It was her misjudgment that caused her to miss the opportunity.

Three years have passed. Li Hui buried this matter deep in her heart, never daring to think about it. If it weren't for the "death timetable," she would have truly thought she had forgotten about it.

Strictly speaking, she caused the deaths of two infants after arriving at the maternity and infant hospital.

The first reason was my negligence at work, and the second was that I was late for work a few days ago.

If what the elders say is true, then now, aren't two little lives coming to claim her life?

"Watch your head!"

Now, when Li Hui thinks back on that clue, she feels it's like the vengeful cry of a baby who died with a swollen head and aggrieved state.

Do ghosts really exist?

Finding creditors

It was late at night. Li Hui hesitated for a moment at the building entrance before slowly walking inside.

The doorway was pitch black, and her eyes struggled to adjust. Involuntarily, she reached out and groped around. Suddenly, her hand felt an electric shock as she touched something soft, which then let out a sharp cry: "Ah! DOUB!"

"LE_QUOTATION" was a girl's voice. Then, a dark shadow flashed before her eyes. "Who?" a man asked in a low voice.

It turned out to be a couple in love, making out in the passageway by the front door. There are so many places to date these days, yet people are still having affairs here! Li Hui hurriedly walked around them, heading upstairs without looking back.

"Ugh, she touched my butt," the girl behind me muttered coquettishly.

"She's a woman too, it's alright," the man reassured her.

Li Hui thought to herself, "This building entrance is terrifying. People coming in from the outside have no idea what's hidden inside. I'll have to be extra careful when I come back at night from now on."

As she walked, she kept looking up at the building, hoping that no brick or anything else would fall from up there and hit her on the head!

The "watch your head" warning only expires after midnight. But then another new warning brings new dangers that threaten her life. She's had enough of this vicious cycle!

Li Hui thought that only by finding the baby's parents as soon as possible could she be freed from this predicament.

The motion-sensor lights on the stairs were broken on several floors, but no one had fixed them. Only three floors from the first to the sixth floor had lights on. To dispel her fear, she deliberately stomped her feet heavily as she walked up, hoping the lights on the other floors would illuminate her way.

I've often come home late from get off work or out socializing before, but I've never felt the stairwell as terrifying as I do now.

Even in the most luxurious and comfortable homes in China, the stairwells are always dark, dirty, messy, and unsanitary. This is especially true in company dormitories, which lack property management; walking up the stairs at night feels like traversing hell.

Li Hui felt someone was following her, but after turning around several times, she didn't see anything. Her heart raced, her blood rushed to her head, she stumbled and staggered, and she felt like she was suffocating.

I've never felt that the sixth floor was as high or as difficult to climb as it was today.

Panting heavily, Li Hui arrived at her doorstep, glancing back every few steps. She then hurriedly turned around to check behind her, making sure no one was following her, before stopping to rest for a moment.

Just as she was about to take out her keys, the motion sensor light went out, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness. Her heart clenched instantly, and she stomped her feet frantically.

The light came on, and Li Hui was surprised to see a folded piece of paper stuck to the door. It was white and looked exactly like the "death timetable"! Her heart started pounding, her hands and feet went weak, and she stood there stunned.

Wait! Let me think, let me think. She said to herself, as if someone was preventing her mind from working smoothly.

After what seemed like an eternity, the motion-sensor light went out again, and she suddenly woke up, stomping her feet to turn the light back on. Then, she looked around and, not finding anyone lurking, went to retrieve the note.

She didn't dare to immediately figure out what was on the note, so she decided to go home first. Only when she was behind closed doors could she concentrate on studying this terrifying thing.

The door was firmly shut behind her, and Li Hui carefully locked it again, just to be sure. Then, like a real underground worker, she peeked through the crack in the door to listen for any sounds outside before tiptoeing to the sofa and sitting down. With her trembling hands, she opened the note that had made her heart race.

"Li Hui: I've come to see you. Where have you been? Call me when you get back. Lili, today."

Letting out a long breath, Li Hui collapsed onto the sofa, unable to move. She realized that she was extremely weak, both physically and mentally, and couldn't withstand even the slightest disturbance.

She listened to her own breathing, her breaths shallow and long, like a dying person taking stock of how many breaths she had left and how much longer she could hold on.

Zhang Lili's home phone was constantly busy. Li Hui dialed and dialed until she got tired and stopped. It seemed that she had been getting very close to that Mr. Yang lately. Talking so much on the phone was not Lili's habit. The call must have been from the other party, and it must have been a man.

Li Hui thought of Da Dun'er. It had been almost an hour since they broke up, but he hadn't called yet. She wondered if he had bought a new phone. For a businessman, a day without a phone was unimaginable. Perhaps he didn't want to call her; he didn't want to reopen old wounds so soon.

It was 9 p.m.

Li Hui couldn't help but stretch out one hand, bending down one finger at a time to count the hours. Three hours until midnight! Good heavens, how was she going to endure those three hours?

She forced herself to go to the bathroom to check the new security grille that had been installed during the day. This time, Da Dun had someone he knew specially make the iron grille; it was very sturdy and welded very firmly.

Li Hui walked to the window, and upon seeing the dark courtyard outside, her heart trembled. She no longer had the courage to lean out of the window, but hurriedly reached out and pulled down the blinds, fearing that the guy with the big head down and grinning at her would suddenly appear outside the window.

She showered, her eyes constantly glancing at the mirror, as if the thing from her nightmares might reappear at any moment. But all she saw was her own pale body, covered in fading purple patches of bruises. These purple wounds made her skin appear even paler and bloodless. Normally, the wounds shouldn't be soaked in water while they're healing, but Li Hui had to shower every day; she felt she couldn't live without it. Now, she hurriedly finished showering, dried herself off, and changed her clothes.

Just as she reached the entrance of the hall, everything suddenly went black, and she knew nothing more.

Li Hui walked alone through the alley. The alley was very long, with no village in sight and no shops nearby. She couldn't remember how she got there.

This was a narrow alleyway, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, reminding her of the servants' quarters of Master Shen Wansan in Zhouzhuang. Behind that grand mansion in the water town, there was another courtyard where dozens, even hundreds, of his servants lived.

Li Hui once curiously ventured inside to explore. It was a narrow, winding alleyway, barely wide enough for one person to walk through. It was long and dark, with a small door on each side, leading to a house.

As Li Hui walked through, she imagined that this once famous, wealthy, and powerful tycoon of Suzhou had actually built such a cramped and cramped alley for his servants! How could the maids not be on edge when passing through here? In this narrow and quiet alley, if a man came along at the same time, wouldn't they just have to obediently be taken advantage of?

Just like the creators of those clichéd riddles like "How can a man and a woman safely cross a narrow bridge when they meet?", this Mr. Shen, the architect, is truly creative.

Li Hui walked through the narrow alleyway, lost in thought. She was terrified that someone, male or female, might suddenly walk towards her from the opposite direction.

As she walked, she discovered a small door ahead!

I went up and knocked. No one answered.

Then, to her surprise, she discovered another small door ahead. And then came one small door after another, close together, stretching forward until it disappeared from sight.

She knocked on door after door, but no one answered. Night had fallen, but no lights were on in any of the houses. Terrified, she turned to go home, only to find countless identical little doors suddenly appearing behind her, just as before.

Standing still, she repeatedly turned back and around, and after doing this several times, she could no longer figure out which way she had come from.

Above, a sliver of sky appeared against the pitch-black walls, revealing a cold, bluish-black hue.

Li Hui's hair stood on end. She found a small door and pounded on it desperately, shouting as she did so:

"Open the door! Open the door! Open the door!"

The door did open, but she couldn't see who opened it. It was dark inside, and there was nothing there. Just as she was wondering what was going on, she suddenly heard a voice at her feet: "Auntie, who are you looking for?"

Li Hui suddenly looked down and saw a small thing that was flashing a faint glow. On it was a small face that looked up at her, pale and with a familiar expression in its eyes.

She finally saw clearly that it was a naked baby! Its face was covered in lanugo, its genitals were visible, and its entire body was covered in dense wrinkles from the womb. Strangely, the little one burst into tears the moment it saw Li Hui's surprised expression.

Li Hui wanted to run, but she didn't. She realized with a start: Oh my god, the child is still alive! She should quickly return the baby to his parents, and all the grudges would disappear!

She crouched down, intending to pick up the baby, but the moment her legs bent, the door slammed shut, and the baby's cries could still be heard from inside.

"Open the door! Open the door! Open the door!"

When Li Hui knocked on the door again, she found herself facing only a cold, hard wall. Looking closer, she realized that all the small doors in the alley had disappeared.

Then, the baby's crying suddenly stopped.

In the quiet room, the shrill ringing of the telephone suddenly broke out.

The phone rang more than ten times, then stopped. A little while later it rang again.

Li Hui was woken up by the noise. She felt sore all over and realized she had fallen asleep on the living room floor. The phone was still ringing incessantly. She tried to get up, but had no strength at all; her head felt throbbing, and she was drenched in sweat. She had a fever.

The phone kept ringing incessantly, and she struggled to get up and grab the telephone on the coffee table.

"..." She felt a burning sensation in her throat and couldn't make a sound.

"Is this Li Hui? Why are you sleeping so soundly? Are you feeling unwell again?" It was Zhang Lili.

"...I have a fever..."

Did you take your medicine?

"No."

"I'm going to die! Take your medicine now! Should we go to the hospital?"

"Need not."

"Okay, let's talk about it tomorrow. Take your medicine and get some rest."

Li Hui put down the phone; the wall clock already showed past ten o'clock. Had she been asleep on the floor for over an hour?

She recalled the terrifying dream she had just had.

The baby is alive! What a desperate wish that was in her subconscious. If that child were still alive, perhaps these terrible things wouldn't have happened.

Was the scene in her dream a hint that her child's home was in a narrow, long alley?

But there are countless narrow and long alleyways in Shanghai, so where can we find one?

She couldn't remember the name of the nurse who delivered her baby three years ago; she only remembered that the nurse was petite and had a large, round forehead. But the nurse had been transferred two years ago, and she didn't know if she was still in Shanghai.

When Dr. Wang learned about the baby's death, he specifically asked Li Hui if she was a first-time mother. He then said, "It's alright, they're still young, they can have another one."