Die Landschaft ist wie ein Gemälde

Kapitel 32

This question has been on my mind; I also want to know the answer.

Back at the hotel, Mingyang turned the air conditioning up really high. I said, "Look! This is Da Senlin's room. You can rest here. I'll go next door."

To my surprise, he turned me around, and with a "thud," we both fell onto the bed.

"What are you doing?" I jumped up, but he grabbed me again: "Don't move! I'm so sleepy! Get some sleep!"

How could I not be sleepy after fighting ghosts all night? I actually fell asleep.

When Da Senlin returned, the streetlights were just coming on, and the house was dark and gloomy. He pushed the door open, and I jumped up like a spring. Our eyes met, and there was an awkward silence. "We...we were so tired that we fell asleep."

Da Senlin remained silent. Mingyang, as if in a dream, asked, "Diluo, are the visas all processed?" He then sat up. True to his nature, the young master immediately rang the bell for a waiter: "Clean the room and bring up three dinners."

The receptionist said in slightly broken Mandarin, "I'm sorry, sir, we don't have a restaurant here, so we can't arrange dinner."

Mingyang glanced sideways at the great forest: "What kind of lousy place is this?"

"It's a small border town, so make do!" he said into the phone. "Whatever! Send three fast food meals."

"No."

"Surely you have instant noodles?" Big Forest was getting impatient.

The other party tactfully hung up the phone, and Da Senlin handed several red and green notebooks to Mingyang.

"You really know how to get things done quickly, even in such a small place."

I went to turn on the light. The moment my hand touched the switch, I saw a white light flash, like a raccoon dog, darting swiftly towards the end of the corridor. I quickly slid to the side and looked through the door, but the hallway was empty; there was nothing there. I closed my eyes to calm myself, and my heartbeat gradually slowed down.

"What's wrong?" Big Forest asked me.

I forced a smile at him: "It's nothing."

"When is the flight?" Mingyang asked.

"I'll take the train first thing tomorrow morning, then transfer to a plane," said Big Forest. "I'll go to the front desk and book another room."

"No need!" Mingyang came up and put an arm around my shoulder. "We'll share a room, you can go sleep in Ruoxi's room!"

"Huh?" I shook my head like a rattle-drum. "Big Forest! Go book a room right now!"

Mingyang whispered in my ear, "What if you see a ghost again at night?"

My heart jumped again...

It was a bit comical for the three of them to eat instant noodles together, especially since they were all sweating and making a mess. Mingyang ate the fastest. After he finished, I asked him, "Are you full?" He patted his stomach and said, "I think I'm still a little hungry."

Section 81: The "Ghost Building" at the River Estuary (9)

"Let's go for a walk!" Big Forest put down the instant noodle box, looked at his watch, and said, "It's only a little past eight o'clock. The night market barbecue should be starting soon."

After he said the word "barbecue," I saw Mingyang's Adam's apple bob noticeably.

Are you hungry?

"Huh?" He stared at me blankly.

I saw you swallow.

He actually blushed: "You're observing me?"

No way.

"That's not hunger, little girl, that's craving."

Anyway, the instant noodles were completely tasteless. The three of us left the hotel and suddenly had the idea to take the bus. "Let's take it!" Mingyang pulled me onto a bus.

I asked him, "How do you know which stop to get off at if you haven't even seen the license plate?"

He said nonchalantly, "I can get off wherever I want! Anyway, with Di Luo with me, I'm sure I won't get lost."

I pouted and said to him, "Mingyang, you're a bad kid, a kid spoiled by the big forest."

“Yes!” he said nonchalantly. “I can be even worse. If you don’t believe me, don’t sleep tonight and observe me closely.”

My face immediately turned bright red, but he laughed triumphantly: "Di Luo, we'll get off wherever you like!"

I suddenly realized that taking the bus with three people was quite amusing. I put my hands in their pockets, and they flanked me like two guardian deities, while their other hands gripped the handrails, so I didn't have to hold onto anything. Just as I was chuckling at this little bit of smugness, I suddenly couldn't laugh anymore.

I saw large spiral patterns appear on the window directly opposite, getting deeper and larger. Looking around, I saw the same spiral patterns, like cracks, on all the windows. The car started to lurch, and the windows seemed ready to shatter at any moment. I stared at the windows nervously, my heart pounding.

Suddenly, the wind blew and the car body shook, and the entire piece of glass shattered with a "bang," the glass fragments flying into the car. I screamed and tried to back away, but I couldn't move; the two people next to me held me firmly.

"Little crow, what's wrong with you? Stand still! Otherwise you'll fall." It was Mingyang's voice. He was holding me tightly, not moving an inch.

I looked back at him in horror, then at the great forest, and he looked at me strangely too. Looking at the windows again, they were all intact. I felt my legs go weak, and my body trembled.

"I'll find you a seat!" Big Forest let go of one of my hands, looked towards the back of the bus, and said, "There are empty seats there, go over there."

“No,” I said, still nervously. “If we’re going to stand, the three of us will stand together; if we’re going to sit, we’ll sit together. I won’t separate from you.”

The Great Forest smiled gently: "Then let's wait for someone to get off the bus!"

The car continued on its way. I could no longer laugh; my face was pale, and I felt dizzy, wanting to lean against something. The car suddenly stopped, and I was thrown towards the forest by the momentum, but he carefully helped me upright. Mingyang called out, "Little Crow, come quick! There's a row of empty seats in the back."

The three of us sat in the last row, swaying rhythmically with the car. To my left was still the bright sun, and to my right, the vast forest. Each of them held one of my hands, or rather, I held one of theirs. I stared blankly at my feet, my gaze drooping at a forty-five-degree angle, until I felt the hands I was holding harden and gradually lose their warmth. I was wondering what was going on! I turned to look at the bright sun, then at the vast forest, and shuddered with fear.

Why have they all turned into wooden figures?

I yelled and jumped up from my seat, trying to run towards the door. Immediately, two strong hands reached out from both sides and grabbed me at the same time, while someone shouted, "Watch out! Hold on tight, don't be thrown out!"

The voice sounds so familiar.

I turned around and saw two familiar faces again. They were still the same people, not at all like wooden figures.

I was helped back to my seat, and Mingyang wrapped his arm around my waist: "I need to hold on tight to you, you're such a worry." Da Senlin smiled, let go of my hand, and moved to a seat by the window.

But I started to sob.

What's wrong?

Why did the nightmare start before I was supposed to be dreaming? How terrifying!

"You just bounced out of the way, thankfully you didn't fall." Mingyang chuckled and handed me a tissue, but I kept sobbing. Was I the only one who saw that hallucination? Why couldn't Mingyang, who also has ghost eyes, see it?

When the car stopped again, Da Senlin gestured for us to get out.

Come and try some Yunnan teppanyaki!

"Green tea-flavored grilled meat!"

"Authentic grilled fish, grilled rice cakes, and potato skewers!"

The shouts of vendors and the thick smoke from the barbecue wafted far and wide; even standing at the bus stop, you could smell it when the wind blew. Mingyang's stomach was probably rumbling with cravings; he grabbed me and ran towards the barbecue stall: "Boss! I want flaming beef! Extra chili!"

Section 82: The "Ghost Building" at the River Estuary (10)

I tugged at his sleeve, a little embarrassed: "You ate so much!"

"Everything can be faked, except for the stomach."

"You don't act like a young master at all."

“You can treat me like a beggar too,” he said calmly. “There’s no difference between a prince and a beggar; they both yell when they’re hungry. Like this—three more pitchers of beer, ice cold, please.” His voice was full of energy, reminiscent of Pavarotti.

I whispered to him, "I don't drink alcohol!"

"No one is born knowing how to do this, so learn it!" She didn't stand on ceremony, grabbing a handful of grilled lamb skewers and shoving them into my hand. "Eat up! You're too thin! Women need to be a little fuller!"

Before I could even free my hands to teach him a lesson, a pitcher of ice-cold beer had frozen my hands: "So cold."

Big Forest reached out to take my cup: "Don't force yourself if you can't drink it."

Mingyang said, "Little Crow! There are so many things in life that you don't try, it's a pity. Give it a try, maybe you'll fall in love with ice-cold beer."

The two men standing before me were like ice and fire; one conservative and cautious, the other unrestrained, passionate, and forthright. The ice-cold beer in my hand had gradually warmed with the heat of my skin, yet I hesitated. This time, I decided to listen to Mingyang and take a large gulp like him: "So bitter!" I muttered, squeezing one eye.

Mingyang laughed heartily: "After a few more sips, you'll get used to it. Once you've tasted all the flavors of life, then life is truly worthwhile."

I tried taking small sips again, and sure enough, I could feel a sweet aftertaste and a faint, refreshing foam.

"Is it delicious?" Mingyang ate the meat without any hesitation, cutting a large piece off the hot plate and handing it to Da Senlin.

But Big Forest took the tray, picked up the roast beef, and went to the side.

I asked Mingyang, "Is he angry?"

"No way! I'd be driven crazy if I kept getting angry." He ignored me, took over from the barbecue stall owner, and went to grill skewers himself, humming a familiar samba tune that he couldn't quite place. I laughed at him, "You're just like a beggar prince."

"Your evaluation is very high!" He was very happy, and sang non-stop, shaking his head as if he had drunk two kilograms of liquor.

I looked back at the great forest's silhouette. Why did it always walk alone? It was like a nobleman, but a noble beggar, always lonely and unhappy, out of place in a joyful and lively atmosphere.

Next to the barbecue night market were stalls selling small commodities, and Mingyang pulled me along for a stroll: "You girls just love to hunt for little things at these flea markets."

The great forest followed behind, silent.

"Isn't it good to have good quality at a low price?" I asked him back.

“Okay! But if you go to a high society party, I’ll dress you up like a queen and make you the center of attention,” Mingyang said. “Everyone will look up at you like they’re watching fireworks, exclaiming in amazement: Wow—so beautiful!”

“I don’t like it,” I said. “What’s the point of dressing up just to be complimented on? A simple life is the happiest. Besides, fireworks are beautiful, but they disappear too quickly. I don’t want my life to fade away in the blink of an eye; that would be even more tragic than the ephemeral beauty of a night-blooming cereus!”

"Wow—we're talking about life," he said, stretching out his arm and drawing a huge circle. "What a big topic!"

My attention, however, was already focused on things like stirrups, pipes, and animal-skin bags. It was quite remarkable; the stall owner had collected various small items that caravans used to carry. It was as if we were rediscovering fragments scattered in the complex corners of a distant history.

"Go back!" the Great Forest advised. "We need to get up early tomorrow."

See, he's such a rule-abiding person.

We walked back the way we came, but I developed a phobia of taking the bus. Mingyang pushed me onto the bus and whispered in my ear, "Actually, I saw some strange things on the bus just now, and I think you saw them too."

"Huh?" I looked up in surprise.

He was giving me a silly smile.

"What did you see?" I asked cautiously.

The voice whispering in my ear sounded like a demonic whisper: "I saw you turn into a block of wood when you sat next to me."

"Huh?" I was so surprised I couldn't close my mouth. He saw it too? Did I turn into a wooden statue? "Then why didn't you scream?" He seemed calm and collected, as if nothing had happened.

He winked at me: "Has a ghost been following you?"

I nodded.

He laughed and said, "Then I'll tell you the secret to breaking through the illusion."