Seltsame Geschichten

Kapitel 19

"Ask whom?"

"The singer."

Shabo paused for a moment, then immediately understood Qin Ge's meaning. Without hesitation, he shouted, "If the person in this grave is the Forget-Me-Not, let me hear your song now; if not, then remain silent."

The singing came suddenly, without even a moment's pause.

Shabo was completely overwhelmed by the song. At that moment, he felt no fear, only sorrow. Such a beautiful and ethereal girl was truly resting in this mound of yellow earth. He had come here with great difficulty and high hopes, only to find that the person he was looking for was no longer in this world.

At that moment, Shabo was overwhelmed with grief and indignation. He placed his hands on the tombstone, and two streams of hot tears welled up in his eyes.

Qin Ge, watching from the side, was quite skeptical. Although he had experience using the internet, he couldn't understand the emotions that could arise online. In his view, how deep could the feelings between two complete strangers, who had never even met, possibly be?

He stepped forward, patted Shabo on the shoulder, and whispered, "She's gone."

The song still lingered in her ears, but it had gradually faded into the distance, finally disappearing into the whisper of the wind. Qin Ge thought that the woman in white had probably used her song to let her know she had left, fearing that Sha Bo might ask something else.

Shabo stopped grieving, looking dejected and listless.

He came to Sleeping Valley solely to see the girl named Forget-Me-Not, but now that she is no longer in this world, Sleeping Valley has lost all meaning for him.

He said in a low voice, "Let's go back."

—Let's go back. Back to Nightsleep Inn, or should we embark on our journey home?

On the way, Qin Ge and Sha Bo remained silent. Qin Ge glanced at Sha Bo, knowing that he was already considering leaving. Humans have a natural tendency to escape, which is understandable. Besides, Sha Bo and Wangyoucao were ultimately just online friends who had never met.

The return journey seemed particularly long; the mountain paths and ravines we had just traversed now appeared to stretch on endlessly.

"Don't you want to know who the woman in white who led us here is?" Qin Ge asked.

"What does it matter who she is? She just wants to tell me that the forget-me-not is gone."

“But look at that grave and the tombstone, it’s obviously quite old. If Forget-Me-Not really is no longer alive, then it must have been a long time ago. But you were chatting with her online just ten days ago. Don’t you think there’s something strange about that? Perhaps her sudden disappearance was to make you come to Sleepy Valley to find her.”

Shabo frowned; Qin Ge's deduction was reasonable.

"Since she has been dead for many years, could the person you are chatting with online be her ghost?"

Sha Bo had already considered this issue, something he didn't want to face, so he refused to think about it any further. When Qin Ge brought it up, he felt a renewed sense of resistance.

“There are no ghosts in this world. It’s just that some things are too mysterious for people to understand, so they attribute them to ghosts and gods,” Shabo said.

"If there are no ghosts, how do you explain the fact that the deceased Forget-Me-Not was chatting with you online?" Qin Ge pondered for a moment, then continued, "Then there can only be one explanation left, which is that someone is impersonating Forget-Me-Not to chat with you. Anyway, online, you have no way of knowing who you are talking to on the other end of the network."

Sha Bo paused for a moment, then agreed with Qin Ge's deduction. He added, "Forget-Me-Not is just a screen name; there's no question of impersonation. But the person I was chatting with clearly lured me in with the image of a real girl."

"Judging from the current situation, if Forget-Me-Not is really dead, then what would be the purpose of the person you were talking to who led you to Sleepy Valley?" Qin Ge said. "Moreover, she left behind clues."

Shabo frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Could it be that she has something she can't solve and needs someone else's help?"

"Then what is the problem that can't be solved?" Qin Ge stared at Sha Bo, noticing that Sha Bo had regained interest in the matter.

“Forget-me-not,” Shabo blurted out. “It must be related to the forget-me-not.”

"The Forget-Me-Not has died, so what could possibly be related to her?" Qin Ge further guided Sha Bo.

Shabo pondered, unable to come up with an answer for the moment. Qin Ge then said emphatically, "There is only one thing, and that is the death of the Forget-Me-Not Grass itself."

Shabo was startled, immediately horrified. Qin Ge's words were like a rope, stringing together the series of strange events that had happened to him. The story could be this: Forget-Me-Not had been dead for many years, but her death concealed a secret. Someone didn't want this secret to remain buried, so they impersonated her, communicating with strangers online, leading them to Sleeping Valley, and leaving clues, hoping that those searching for Forget-Me-Not would uncover the truth. Such a story was too legendary, but at this moment, it was the only explanation.

Shabo was speechless, needing some time to accept this reality.

"The person who brought you here once sent you a photo online. If she wanted you to investigate the truth for her, she wouldn't have used a fake photo to deceive you. But when you came to Sleeping Valley, the person who saw the photo said they had never heard of this person in Sleeping Valley. This is obviously puzzling," Qin Ge continued. "Logically speaking, there are only two possibilities: one is that Forget-Me-Not isn't a person from Sleeping Valley, but only has a relationship with someone in Sleeping Valley. In that case, others really wouldn't know that this person exists."

“What’s another possibility?” Shabo asked.

“That means everyone is lying.” Qin Ge’s expression grew increasingly grave.

Shabo shook his head, clearly disagreeing with Qin Ge's latter deduction. Although so many unusual things had happened in Sleeping Valley, it was truly inconceivable that the townspeople would collectively lie about something.

Qin Ge didn't insist and continued along the line of thought: "Let's assume that the Forget-Me-Not Grass is only related to one or a few people in this town. Then, finding these one or a few people becomes the key."

"Although Sleepy Valley is not large, it still has several thousand people, so finding it is not an easy task."

"But the person who led you here left clues for you."

Shabo was taken aback and immediately said, "You mean the pattern of that thick cross?"

Qin Ge nodded and said, "It is precisely because finding someone related to the Forget-Me-Not Grass is the key that the person who led you here left this pattern time and time again. This pattern must be related to the person we are looking for."

“But what exactly does that thick cross pattern represent?” Shabo asked, puzzled.

“This is not something that can be deduced from nothing. I’ve been investigating the Sleepy Valley region these past few days, and I haven’t seen any other place with this kind of thick cross pattern.” Qin Ge pondered, “Since we can’t solve the mystery of this thick cross pattern for the time being, let’s think about it from another angle.”

Shabo remained silent, but turned to stare at Qin Ge, clearly waiting for him to continue.

Qin Ge said, "That tombstone actually left us with another clue."

Shabo thought that apart from the pattern on the top of the tombstone, there was nothing unusual about it.

Qin Ge said, "All the tombstones have names."

Sha Bo's heart skipped a beat; he had already thought of the clue Qin Ge had mentioned. The name on the tombstone was Yan Xueping. He had a feeling of déjà vu when he first saw the name, but he couldn't figure out why. Now Qin Ge had the same feeling, which meant that the reason for that déjà vu was something they had experienced together.

Qin Ge was clearly also thinking hard, and for a moment the two of them were speechless, silently moving forward.

After deducing along the way, things became much clearer, and they returned to the small streets of Sleepy Hollow. The town was completely silent; the streets were as quiet as if they were asleep, or as if countless mysterious things were hiding in the darkness on both sides, spying on those who stepped onto the streets, waiting for their chance to strike.

Night Sleep Inn was located in the middle of the small street. Qin Ge and Sha Bo soon arrived at the inn's door. The moment they entered, Qin Ge inadvertently looked up and saw the inn's gray sign with green lettering. The sign was clearly quite old; the paint was peeling off, but this only added to its antique charm.

Qin Ge paused for a moment under the sign, and only when Sha Bo turned around to look at him did he quickly catch up.

The innkeeper, Jiang Nan, was still reading under the lamp. When Qin Ge and Sha Bo returned to their room, he looked up, gave them a brief greeting, and then continued reading.

Back in his room, Qin Ge closed the door, his expression unusually cold. Sha Bo was about to wash up when he saw Qin Ge's expression and knew he must be thinking about something, so he sat on the bed without disturbing him, letting him ponder.

“I think I know who the woman in white was who led us to the cemetery tonight,” Qin Ge said.

"Who?" Shabo's spirits lifted. The woman in white was the key figure in this matter; finding her would solve all his questions.

"Look at the back of that woman in white just now, doesn't she look familiar?"

Shabo nodded.

"The name Yan Xueping is written on the tombstone of Forget-Me-Not. The name seems familiar to us because we have seen another woman here, and her name is very similar to Forget-Me-Not's."

Sha Bo was taken aback, then blurted out, "Xue Mei!"

—Xue Mei. The proprietress of the Night Sleep Inn. Jiangnan's wife of six years.

Xue Mei always wore a green dress and had an indifferent expression. Sha Bo had only seen her twice so far, and on both occasions she didn't even glance at him, as if he had disappeared from her sight.

—The white-clad woman I saw tonight looked a lot like the dead madwoman He Qing. He Qing was plump, and Xue Mei was also a mature young woman. The two women had very similar figures.

Upon hearing Xue Mei's name, Sha Bo immediately understood why Qin Ge's expression was so cold.

If the woman in white was indeed Xue Mei, she would have had many opportunities to get close to Sha Bo in this inn, but she preferred to lead Sha Bo to the cemetery, which clearly indicates that she was avoiding someone.

In this inn, the only person she could hide from was her husband, Jiangnan.

Shabo then recalled seeing Jiangnan outside earlier. Jiangnan had only greeted them casually, seemingly unsurprised that they were returning so late, which was highly unusual.

This can only mean that the owner of the Night Sleep Inn must be involved in this matter.

Shabo broke out in a cold sweat. When he first arrived at Sleepy Valley, he had shown Jiang Nan the photo of the Forget-Me-Not. If Jiang Nan was truly involved in this matter, then he must have been prepared. He had painstakingly cultivated Sleepy Valley for many years; he must possess extraordinary methods.

Shabo now only hopes that he will have the chance to see the woman named Xue Mei again.

He suddenly realized that Jiang Nan was still reading outside so late at night. Could he be waiting for Xue Mei to come back?

It was an eventful night, and the events that happened were all related to some people who stayed up late.

That evening, the mute man arrived early at the home of a woman named Ruyi. Ruyi was a widow raising a seven-year-old child. Ruyi was quite famous in Sleeping Valley; she was beautiful, with a petite yet voluptuous figure, and her delicate, almost frail appearance attracted the men of Sleeping Valley wherever she went. Ruyi claimed to be physically weak, unable to do farm work, and suffering from headaches that would last for half a day even if she thought too much. Therefore, Ruyi spent her days idly in Sleeping Valley. She used to enjoy visiting and chatting, but many of the women grew tired of her, so she started hanging out with a group of young men even younger than herself, playing mahjong and dominoes all day. These young men knew her character, so they didn't hold back at all, and she always lost more than she won in a day of mahjong.

Even so, Ruyi's life in Sleepy Valley was still considered moderately comfortable.

It's an open secret in Sleepy Hollow that her money comes from different men.

So, Ruyi's true identity was that of a prostitute, and the mute man who went to her place at night was, of course, a client. The mute man was quite pitiful; due to a disability he sustained as a child, he was already in his thirties and still couldn't find a wife. It seems that unmarried men are always a bit stronger than others, so the mute man spent a good four or five hours with Ruyi that night. The petite Ruyi had been through many trials over the years, and although the mute man was tall and strong, she wasn't afraid at all.

When the mute man came out of Ruyi's house, he was as limp as a noodle. He couldn't remember how many times he had slept with Ruyi that night, but now he felt like he had been drained of his blood by a vampire, his legs were light and he felt like he was walking on a pile of cotton.

That woman was so alluring; the mute man smacked his lips as he walked, seemingly still wanting more.

Sleepiness arrived as expected; at this time every day, the mute man would already be fast asleep. Tonight, he had worked too hard and stayed up too late, so all he wanted to do was go home early and get a good night's sleep.

The mute man's home was in the northwest corner of Sleepy Valley, west of the river. To get home, he had to cross an iron chain bridge. As he stepped onto the bridge, the story Ruyi had told him about the madwoman dying on the bridge flashed through his mind. He quickly put it aside; he was a simple-minded man, and now drowsiness was making his head spin. He could barely keep his eyes open while walking, so he had no mind to think about anything else. Fortunately, he was born and raised in Sleepy Valley; even with his eyes closed, he could find his way home.

Walking with your eyes closed is nothing unusual, but the mute man really shouldn't have walked onto the suspension bridge with his eyes closed. By the time he realized this, it was too late.

He lost his footing, one leg sank into the ground, and then his whole body fell downwards. If the mute man hadn't been a burly fat man, things might have been a little better. As he fell, he immediately broke several planks of the bridge, and half of his body was hanging off the bridge, with only his chest being held in place by the planks on either side.

The unfortunate mute was one of the few people in Sleeping Valley who hadn't gone to the bridge to see the madwoman one morning, so he had no idea that a plank of the bridge where the madwoman was hanging was broken. His foot, which missed its mark, landed squarely on the broken plank.

The mute man's upper body was now exposed on the bridge, while his lower body dangled below. He struggled for a moment, then broke off another plank of the bridge, causing him to fall even further. If it weren't for his arms supporting him, he would have fallen off the bridge.

Old Wood, the carpenter from Sleepy Valley, was right; several of the bridge planks needed to be replaced.

The mute man's body was half-suspended in the air, his face deathly pale with fear. Although his body was as limp as a noodle, he still had the strength to climb up, but he couldn't climb, or even move an inch. Amid the sound of the flowing water, he could clearly hear the wooden planks his arms were wedged in making a slight cracking sound.

He didn't want to fall into the river.

The river wasn't particularly swift, but it was unfathomably deep, and the two banks were hundreds of meters apart. Given his current strength, he estimated he wouldn't be able to swim to the shore at all. The mute hung motionless on the bridge, wanting to call out, but being mute, he could only groan and moan, unsure of what to do.

Sleepiness had long since vanished, and the mute man's eyes darted back and forth, his greatest hope being that someone was on the bridge at that moment. That person only needed to give him a hand, and he could escape his predicament. So, when footsteps approached, the mute man, who had been limp all over, immediately perked up, turning his head towards the direction of the footsteps and groaning even more enthusiastically.

The moon was already setting in the west when the man walked from the west side of the bridge. The moonlight fell behind him, shrouding his face entirely in shadow. His gait was peculiar; his legs seemed to be bound with heavy weights, each step requiring effort to lift before slamming down heavily. His upper body, however, remained completely still, his arms hanging naturally at his sides without even the slightest sway.

At that moment, the mute man didn't care about any of that. No matter who came, he just hoped that person would reach out and help him.

The man walked very slowly; walking seemed to be a difficult task for him. But he finally reached the mute man. The mute man looked up, first offering a fawning smile, then making two soft "uh-huh" sounds. By then, he could see the man's face clearly, and his smile became more natural.

The man stood straight in front of him, and then finally reached out his hand to the mute man.

The mute man grasped the man's hand and felt its firm strength. He felt even more reassured; such a hand would have no problem pulling him out.

The person pulled hard, and the mute man slowly climbed out of the bridge hole.

Still shaken, the mute man quickly stammered his thanks to the newcomer. Unable to speak, he could only bend over, his hands waving in front of him. But suddenly, his smile froze on his face, replaced by a look of terror. His waving hands stopped abruptly, and then his entire body fell straight onto the man.

The man retreated quickly, and the mute man's body fell heavily onto the bridge. As he fell, his whole body began to convulse, and blood gushed rapidly from the corners of his twitching mouth.

He died without ever knowing why he died.

Chapter 20: First Visit to Sleeping Manor

The train station in Sleepy Hollow is just an open space; without a local's directions, you'd never find it. The skinny man appeared at that open space early that morning, carrying all his luggage. The minibus he had taken on his way there was parked there, its doors closed, and the driver hadn't arrived yet.