Blutiger Handabdruck - Kapitel 6
Pan Xiaolu pondered for a moment, then became a little frightened: "How could I not remember anything?"
This question also troubled Xu Haicheng. He recalled yesterday's events vividly: Xu San opening the wooden box, utterly shocked; Pan Xiaolu rushing to catch the thief, looking heroic; and the victims, the old man and his daughter... He frowned slightly. The two of them were as dim as the lights in a subway station. He remembered that the old man had a pair of special eyes, but what about his daughter, the little man? He vaguely saw that she was wearing a large scarf and had two braids.
What happened to Pan Xiaolu after she left that caused her to lose her memory?
I wonder if Xu San will remember?
Thinking of this, Xu Haicheng had an idea and said to Pan Xiaolu, "Later, let's go ask Xu San." Xu San was a habitual thief, and in principle, he wouldn't easily let people know where he lived. However, Xu Haicheng had been dealing with him for a long time and had some connection with him, so he knew where he was staying.
It was said to be late, but it was actually much later than expected. Xu Haicheng hadn't worked for half a year, and a lot of things had piled up. After finishing the most important ones, it was already afternoon. The two changed into casual clothes and drove to Ronghua Lane.
The original dilapidated walls of Ronghua Lane have long been demolished, and the newly built walls are snow-white, appearing particularly bleak against the dark gray sky. The names of the developer and builder, written in red ink at the corner of the wall, are very neat, yet still give the impression of bloodstains.
As the car drove through the alley, Xu Haicheng was momentarily lost in thought, recalling the night he and Fang Li sneaked into Zhong Dongqiao's house. It was a cold day, and the alley was covered with remnants of snow; for some reason, the snow seemed particularly glistening in his memory.
Walking through the entire Ronghua Lane, the world unfolding before my eyes is a chaotic, messy, and dirty place, as if I had suddenly traveled from the city to the countryside, or from the 21st century to the early 20th century. This place was originally a small hill, formerly known as Luanfenpo (Disorderly Graves Hill), which, as the name suggests, was a place where murders and corpses were dumped long ago, and it was extremely remote.
As Nampo City expanded and renovated, vagrants displaced from the city center flocked here, setting up makeshift homes. The city sent people several times to clean up this chaotic graveyard, driving away the unemployed, demolishing temporary structures, and planting trees. However, without supervision, the hillside was once again filled with temporary structures, littered with white garbage, and plastic bags flying in the wind.
Part One, Section 12: Chapter Two, Part Two of the Formation of Calamity (6)
Xu San's home is located here.
However, Xu Haicheng couldn't remember which house it was. All the houses looked so similar—narrow, simple, and the windows, covered with newspapers or plastic, trembled in the wind. His and Pan Xiaolu's searching behavior was perceived as suspicious peeking by the neighbors, who watched them warily from behind doors and windows.
Xu Haicheng was wondering whether to call out to Xu San when he heard the creaking sound of the door opening. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw Xu San hiding behind the half-open door, beckoning to him furtively.
Xu Haicheng was taken aback by his expression and actions. He looked around; the sky was dark, with heavy clouds pressing down on his eyebrows. White plastic bags hanging from the branches fluttered in the wind like white banners, and peeping eyes flickered through the cracks in the walls of the dilapidated houses. This place certainly made one feel uneasy and uneasy.
Xu San's home was, strictly speaking, a small garbage dump. The sofa was an old-fashioned spring sofa, its middle section completely collapsed. A quilt of indistinguishable original color lay piled on the bed, and a dilapidated, makeshift wardrobe stood in the corner. The wind squeezed in through the cracks in the door and walls, creaking and squeaking.
"Why are you acting so suspiciously?" Xu Haicheng asked, looking at Xu San, who had been hiding behind the door for a long time after closing it.
"Captain Xu, if I hadn't run fast yesterday, we probably would have been wiped out," Xu San said, still shaken. He then turned and saw Pan Xiaolu following closely behind Xu Haicheng, greeting her with a grin, "Pretty policewoman, we meet again. Xu San knows he was wrong, so please don't arrest me."
Pan Xiaolu looked astonished and didn't dare to say a word, only staring at Xu Haicheng.
"You still remember her?" Xu Haicheng breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Xu San's memories had also vanished along the way.
Xu San looked at Xu Haicheng in surprise and said, "Of course I remember, I saw this beautiful policewoman yesterday."
What happened to you after I left yesterday?
Xu San pointed at Pan Xiaolu in astonishment, "Why don't you just ask her?"
Xu Haicheng was unwilling to say that Pan Xiaolu had lost her memory, so he glared at him and said, "Just answer honestly when I ask you."
"Understood, Captain Xu." Xu San's playful smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. "After you left yesterday, I followed this pretty policewoman out of the subway station..."
Xu San walked in front, Pan Xiaolu holding his wrist; at first glance, they looked like a close couple. Lao Tu Mao followed behind, carrying his precious wooden box, along with Xiao Tu Mao. As soon as they exited the subway station, Lao Tu Mao told Pan Xiaolu, "No need to trouble the police officers. The things in the wooden box are just family trinkets, worthless. We don't need to take any statements; let's just leave it at that."
Pan Xiaolu, however, was quick to condemn evil and had a naive personality. She tried her best to persuade the old man, saying that the police were there to serve the people and that it was no big deal.
But no matter how much Lao Tu pretended to Pan Xiaolu, she just shook her head, saying she wouldn't go to the police station and didn't want to bother the police officers.
Xu San, still reeling from the shock of seeing a pair of living eyes, grew increasingly puzzled and eager to open the wooden box to see what was inside. He then told Pan Xiaolu that the box probably contained something strange, which was why the person refused to go to the police station.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the old country bumpkin cast a sharp glance at him. He was dressed in a rustic style and acted cautiously, looking like an honest and simple farmer uncle, but that glance exuded a chilling aura, like a freshly sharpened knife.
Xu San was terrified, unable to understand how a person's eyes could change so drastically in an instant.
Pan Xiaolu was also startled by this glance, and vaguely believed Xu San's words. She felt that things were not simple, and became even more determined to take the old man and his daughter back to give their statements.
Old Tu lowered his brows and pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Pan Xiaolu with a smile and said, "Officer, I have something to tell you." His glare just now had been so fierce, as if arrows could shoot from his eyes, but his smile was like a spring breeze across a lake, warming one's heart. Pan Xiaolu found herself involuntarily tilting her ear to listen to him.
Xu San, a seasoned thief, was far more vigilant than Pan Xiaolu. He sensed something sinister in every fierce smile and sneer, radiating a dangerous aura. The more he thought about it, the colder he felt. Taking advantage of the conversation between Lao Tu Mao and Pan Xiaolu, he turned and ran back into the subway station. Just as the subway started moving, he saw Lao Tu Mao and Xiao Tu Mao descending the escalator. Despite the escalator being crowded, he seemed to have been cut out of the background by an invisible pair of scissors, standing out conspicuously, even his black cloth coat exuding a chilling aura.
Their eyes met from a distance, and Lao Tu Mao smiled ambiguously.
Part One, Section 13: Chapter Three, The Formation of Calamity (1)
Chapter Three: The Third Tribulation
In my childhood, my favorite movie was *The Killer*, starring Chow Yun-fat as the assassin Xiao Zhuang. I was particularly fascinated by the way he casually drew his gun with his trench coat swaying slightly. I imitated it hundreds of times in front of the mirror with a toy gun. Later, I wanted a real gun, so I wanted to become a policeman. Fang Li said, "I will become the best policeman..."
(Excerpt from "Police Detective's Diary")
Xu San's description was incredibly detailed; Xu Haicheng seemed to have personally experienced the scene, as if he had witnessed Lao Tu Mao's anger and laughter firsthand. Pan Xiaolu was completely stunned; she had experienced all of this herself, yet had no recollection of it whatsoever.
"Xu San, tell me honestly, what exactly did you see in the box?"
"Eyes, living, human."
Six words, divided into three groups, popped out of Xu San's mouth.
Xu Haicheng still found it unbelievable. A person's living eyes inside a wooden box? "Xu San, are you seeing things?"
"I'd rather I'm seeing things, Captain Xu, you have no idea how weird it is," Xu San said in a low voice. "I saw the eyeballs moving." As he spoke, he mimicked the way the eyes in the wooden box looked yesterday, quickly moving his eyeballs and giving a sidelong glance, a look that was both resentful and angry.
That sidelong glance was met by Pan Xiaolu, who was standing next to Xu Haicheng, and suddenly Xu San's room felt three degrees colder than before. Xu Haicheng also felt uneasy, recalling Xu San's shocked expression yesterday, and began to believe him. However, perhaps he didn't know he was mistaken. For example, what if the box contained a mirror, reflecting Xu San's eyes? Or perhaps it was actually an antique with a pair of black gemstone eyes, like the statue of the fairy sister Duan Yu saw in the cave, whose eyes also gazed with captivating beauty.
Seeing the expression on Xu Haicheng's face, Xu San knew he still didn't believe him and felt a little disappointed, thinking he'd wasted so much breath. He plopped down on the sofa, his heart sinking, his face turning cold. Xu Haicheng, with his exceptional ability to read people, naturally understood Xu San's thoughts and said, "Xu San, it's not that I don't believe you, this is just too bizarre..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xu San suddenly put a finger to his lips and shushed him. He then tiptoed to the window to peek out. Xu Haicheng and Pan Xiaolu were startled by his sudden outburst and involuntarily tensed up. They listened intently outside; there was the sound of wind rustling through the branches, the faint crying of a baby, and the arguing of a couple…
After a moment, Xu San breathed a sigh of relief and turned back.
Xu Haicheng, unable to bear it any longer, asked, "Xu San, what exactly have you gotten into trouble?"