Ghost Stocks

Chapter 11

The Chinese have a long history of drinking yellow wine. Yellow wine is more popular in the south, with the famous production area being Shaoxing. It's less common in the north, hence its limited production areas. However, a special type of yellow wine called Jimo Laojiu is produced in Jimo, Shandong. Jimo is now under the jurisdiction of Qingdao and is only 20 kilometers from Liuting Airport.

Ghost Alley is located in Jimo. This isn't some mythical place; it's a real alley. If your curiosity is really strong, you can go and see for yourself. Feng Junzi, also driven by curiosity, couldn't resist going to see it for himself after hearing everyone's descriptions.

Ghost Alley is just an alley, a typical passageway between rows of houses. However, Ghost Alley is unique in two ways: First, it's extremely long, with no side streets—over a mile long. If you enter, you either have to turn back or go directly to the other end; there are no turns. Second, the houses on either side have neither windows nor doors. For some reason, all the doors and windows face the opposite direction of the alley, making it a completely enclosed passageway, except for the two exits at the beginning and end. Walking through this alley, you might hear many sounds—sounds emanating from the houses on both sides—but you will absolutely not see a single person. This alone is enough to frighten the timid.

The residents living on both sides of Ghost Alley seemed to live in peace. It was a working-class neighborhood, and of course, the truly wealthy wouldn't live in such a place. The alley was eerie even in broad daylight. Even in the height of summer, standing at the entrance of the alley, one could feel a chill in the breeze blowing through it, and faintly, one could hear sounds like ghostly wails.

What's it like inside Ghost Alley? Nobody knows for sure; no one's been inside for many years. Occasionally, mischievous kids would stand at the alley entrance after school, testing their courage. A few of them would cautiously enter the alley, but after only a few steps, someone would always scream, and then they'd all run back like madmen, as if the slowest would be dragged in by something. Xiao Gao and Xiao Tang had similar experiences when they were little.

Feng Junzi is a person who loves the unusual and always looks for trouble. When he heard about such a place, he naturally wanted to check it out. His flight was at nine o'clock the next night, so he had a whole day to spare. He kept pestering Xiao Gao to take him to see Ghost Alley, and Xiao Gao had no choice but to agree.

The next day, Feng Junzi slept in again, not leaving Haier Mountain Villa until noon. Xiao Gao drove him to the airport, making a detour to Jimo to see the legendary Ghost Alley. The mountain air was fresh, and the jagged rocks and peaks that looked menacing at night became beautiful scenery under the sunlight.

Feng Junzi saw a spring on a mountain peak not far away, where water flowed down from between the rocks like a thin ribbon. He pointed to the spring and asked Xiao Gao, "Is this Laoshan mineral water?"

"Yes, there are many mountain springs here. I hadn't noticed before. It must have rained a few days ago."

"It's related to rain, but this spring water is groundwater, not rainwater."

"Groundwater? Where would the groundwater level be so high? It's gushing out from the mountain!" Xiao Gao asked curiously.

"The groundwater level on flat land is certainly not this high. The rise in the groundwater level is due to the pressure of the mountain. Because of the pressure of the mountain, groundwater will seep out from the cracks in the rocks, which is the mountain spring. Of course, the more rain there is, the more groundwater there will be, and the more mountain springs there will be."

Feng Junzi actually only had a superficial understanding of geomechanics; he was just chatting idly with Xiao Gao. As they talked, the car left the Laoshan Scenic Area and headed towards Jimo.

As they approached Jimo city, Xiao Gao saw a large group of people gathered outside the gate of a construction site by the roadside, making a racket and doing something he couldn't understand. Xiao Gao muttered to himself, "What are these migrant workers doing gathered there? This is a project of the Jimo municipal government, and it's already completed."

“They’re demanding their wages. The building is almost ready for handover, but they haven’t received the outstanding payments. The contractor owes these migrant workers six months’ wages, and they’ve come to collect the debt today,” Feng Junzi replied without hesitation.

"How can this be? Is nobody going to do anything about it?" Xiao Gao asked angrily.

"Nobody cares right now, but don't worry, someone will start paying attention after a while. It won't work if they don't."

"Why? Who would care?" Xiao Gao asked curiously.

Feng Junzi replied thoughtfully, "Did you see those mountain springs? They'll gush out when the pressure is too great, and even spurt out when the pressure gets too high. Sometimes it's very dangerous. The number of migrant workers like this is growing larger and larger in cities these days. If they can't get paid to go home, they'll become stranded in the area. If this group of dissatisfied people gathers more and more, it could cause trouble at any time, like a powder keg. After a few incidents, the leaders will take it seriously."

"Why is this happening?" Xiao Gao then asked.

"To be precise, it's about defusing the fuse of the bomb, making your position secure. It's like the stock market releasing some positive news every now and then to trigger a rally. Just wait and see."

“Teacher Feng is right,” Xiao Gao suddenly realized something and asked Feng Junzi, “Teacher Feng, you’ve never been here before, so how can you be so sure that this group of people are also here to collect debts, and you know so much about it, that the government hasn’t paid for the project and the contractor owes the migrant workers six months’ wages?”

"Yes! How did I know?" Feng Junzi was also taken aback. The thought had just popped into his head naturally, as if he had known all along that he would see this. Feng Junzi looked out the window in surprise. He had been to Qingdao before, but had never been to Jimo, yet the scenery he was seeing now seemed familiar.

Feng Junzi stopped talking and stared fixedly out the window. The car drove into the city of Jimo, and then drove through the bustling city center to the suburbs on the other side.

Feng Junzi looked at the street and thought to himself, "I should turn right at the next intersection."

Sure enough, at the next intersection, Xiao Gao turned the steering wheel right. Feng Junzi was even more certain that he had been to this place sometime in the past, but he also knew clearly that he had never been to Jimo, Shandong since birth. Feng Junzi silently planned the next route the car would take, but the more Xiao Gao drove, the more alarmed he became, as the route was exactly as he had predicted.

Finally, they arrived at the legendary Ghost Alley. Feng Junzi got out of the car and looked at the alley, which was exactly as described in the legends. A narrow alley was formed behind two rows of houses, winding and seemingly endless. Although it was broad daylight, it had an eerie feel to it. Feng Junzi's inexplicable memories, however, became increasingly clear. He "remembered" that there should be an old locust tree not far from the alley entrance. He turned his head and looked; sure enough, there stood a solitary old locust tree not far away.

Feng Junzi's vague impression seemed to extend only to the entrance of the alley. He had no idea what lay inside, and this gave him a complex feeling. On one hand, he felt inexplicably afraid, but on the other hand, his curiosity grew even stronger. In any case, he decided to go in and take a look. After all, it was broad daylight, and the sun was blazing; it couldn't be too terrifying.

He said to Xiao Gao, "Wait for me at the other end of the alley, I'm going to make a trip."

"Teacher Feng, are you really going in? Don't blame me for not going with you. I think I'll wait for you here. You might come back after walking a short distance."

"Alright then, if you wait here for a while and I don't come back, then come and pick me up over there." With that, Feng Junzi straightened his collar and stepped into the familiar yet unknown world.

Part 2: Ghost Alley 3 - The Endless Alley

In the winding alley, there was nothing but a thick layer of fallen leaves swept in by the wind, never swept away. Walking on them made a rustling sound, always sounding like footsteps behind him. Feng Junzi wanted to turn around several times, but restrained himself. He didn't know who had told him that three flames on a person's shoulders and head ward off evil, and that turning around abruptly would extinguish them.

As he walked, a sense of fear slowly crept into his heart. Feng Junzi really wanted to turn back, but he didn't want Xiao Gao to laugh at him. So, he steeled himself, straightened his back, and strode forward with his head held high, hoping to get through the alley as quickly as possible. Feng Junzi thought he was walking fast, but if someone were watching, they would have seen that he was actually walking very slowly. His steps were large but his feet were light, as if he were afraid of stepping on an ant. His chest was upright, but his waist was slightly bent.

Feng Junzi didn't find anything ridiculous about his posture and continued walking forward step by step. After some time, he suddenly realized something was wrong. The alley, though not short, was only a little over a mile long, easily walkable in fifteen minutes. But Feng Junzi had been walking for at least half an hour, and he was still in the alley?

Feng Junzi really wanted to turn back, but at the same time, another thought came to mind: "Maybe I'm almost at the exit, just a few more steps and I'll be there. If I turn back now, it'll take another hour. I should hurry on." Feng Junzi continued walking forward, and after walking for an unknown amount of time, the alley ahead was still winding and the exit was nowhere in sight.

"Could I be stuck in a ghost wall?" Feng Junzi thought carefully about the explanation of ghost walls in the book: In the open field or at night, since there are no reference points around, if a person's stride is longer with one leg than the other, they may end up walking in circles back to the starting point. But this phenomenon is impossible in alleys. Feng Junzi thought, "Could I have walked into a circle? Is the alley entrance shaped like a '9' here?" But then he remembered that he had never seen a three-way intersection on the way here, so theoretically it was impossible for him to have walked into a loop.

A nameless terror enveloped Feng Junzi. He finally understood why this alley was called Ghost Alley. Feng Junzi had no other choice but to grit his teeth and continue walking. The sunlight gradually dimmed, time ticked by, and the alley showed no end. Suddenly, a cold wind blew by, and Feng Junzi shivered, suddenly feeling an intense urge to urinate.

Feng Junzi now understood why some people wet their pants in fear; he was in a similar situation. Normally, in this deserted alley, Feng Junzi could easily relieve himself against any wall, but now he dared not. He suddenly remembered a story he'd heard at Haier Villa the previous night: A man walking at night suddenly felt the urge to urinate, so he found a secluded spot in the roadside woods. When he returned home, he discovered his bundle was missing. The next day, as he sat at home, someone walked straight in, threw the bundle he'd lost at him, and cursed, "You old bastard! Yesterday we were all chatting in a circle, and you barged in and took a dump!"

Walking through the ghost alley, Feng Junzi thought of ghost stories, and goosebumps rose all over his body. He cursed himself inwardly, "Can't I think of something righteous and inspiring to bolster my courage?" So he thought of singing, and after thinking for a while, he could only think of one song, "We Workers Have Strength," so he started singing.

The sun on the horizon wiped away its last rays and disappeared below the horizon where Feng Junzi couldn't see it. This was just as Feng Junzi was about to start singing. Feng Junzi had only sung half a word, before he could finish the powerful "we" in "we workers" song, when suddenly his voice was as if pressed back down by an invisible hand.

Feng Junzi opened his mouth wide, unable to utter a sound, his eyes staring straight ahead into the distance—how could there be anyone else in Ghost Alley?

Part 2: Ghost Alley 4 - Can You See Me?

Feng Junzi did indeed see a person standing not far ahead, sideways to Feng Junzi, neither moving nor speaking. Feng Junzi immediately felt a buzzing in his head, as if all the blood in his body rushed to his head. This feeling couldn't be called fear anymore; perhaps extreme fear makes one's senses almost numb. Feng Junzi was quite surprised that he hadn't fainted.

Feng Junzi didn't faint, partly because the person he saw wasn't as terrifying as the legendary ghosts and monsters; on the contrary, if they hadn't appeared here, this person seemed rather pitiful. The person in front of him was a young girl, and she looked quite pretty.

The girl in front of him seemed to have appeared suddenly when Feng Junzi wasn't paying attention. The May dusk still held a hint of chill, yet the girl wore a moon-white long dress, making her slender figure appear somewhat thin. From the side, her features were beautifully sculpted, like a marble sculpture by an artist, partly due to her delicate skin and partly due to her pale complexion.

Feng Junzi stopped when he saw her, but the girl seemed not to see him at all, simply standing there quietly lost in thought. After a few seconds, or perhaps a few minutes, Feng Junzi finally couldn't help but cautiously greet her, "Hello, little sister!"

Unexpectedly, the girl was startled by Feng Junzi's voice. She quickly retreated a distance, staring at Feng Junzi with her dark eyes, and asked timidly, "Who are you? How dare you come here alone? You gave me quite a fright."

The moment the girl spoke, Feng Junzi felt as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders. People's emotions can change very quickly sometimes. Feng Junzi was scared half to death just now, but now that he saw that the girl was startled by him, his fear vanished without a trace. Not only was he no longer afraid, but he also felt a little embarrassed.

Feng Junzi even found the girl's voice sweet and pleasant, especially in this deserted alley. He didn't answer her question but instead asked, "How dare a little girl like you come here? Who are you?"

The girl answered timidly, "I live here. You barged in and startled me. How did you see me?"

Feng Junzi: "I was startled when I looked up and saw you standing there in a daze. I'm so sorry."

The girl didn't answer Feng Junzi's question, but instead asked, "How did you see me?"

Feng Junzi found it a bit strange and replied, "I just saw you like this, it's not like you're someone to be ashamed of."

The girl seemed a little surprised, and a little happy, and said to Feng Junzi, "Don't be afraid. I'm telling you I'm not human, I'm a ghost. Humans can't see me, but you can see me and even hear me. That's wonderful!"

Feng Junzi was startled, feeling his scalp tighten again, but while he was still afraid, it wasn't as terrifying as before. He had indeed thought, "Damn, this ghost alley is so eerie and empty, it's unsettling. Even encountering a ghost would be nice." He never expected his thought to come true. Perhaps the reason ghosts are frightening is because you never know where or under what circumstances you might encounter one. Actually meeting such a beautiful little female ghost face-to-face actually made it seem less scary.

However, Feng Junzi didn't quite believe the girl's words; she didn't look like a ghost at all. Feng Junzi forced a smile and said, "Don't joke with me. You're quite humorous. Let me introduce myself. My surname is Feng, and my name is Feng Junzi. I'm here to explore Ghost Alley today. Miss, what is your surname, and what brings you here?"

The girl smiled and said, "My surname is Qiao, and my name is Qiao Fangsi. You can just call me by my nickname, Piaopiao. I really am a ghost, or I can prove it to you."

Feng Junzi quickly waved his hand: "No need for proof, I believe you!" Although Feng Junzi didn't believe what the girl said, he thought that if it were true, she might conjure up something terrifying and scare him to death. Whether she was a human or a ghost, finding a way out was the most important thing. So he said in a flattering tone: "Little Ghost Sister Piaopiao, since you are a ghost and live here, could you help me get out of this ghost alley? I'm sorry, I seem to be lost. I've been walking all afternoon."

Piao Piao: "Since you can see me and are talking to me, I'll help you. Follow me, and I'll take you back the way we came."

Upon hearing that she knew the way, Feng Junzi quickly added, "Could you help me get there? I want to exit from another exit."

Piao Piao: "Ghost Alley has no other exit; you can only leave from the place you came from."

Feng Junzi asked in surprise, "Impossible, there are clearly two exits from the outside."

Piao Piao: "You don't know this, these two exits are not connected at all. No matter which end you go in, it's a dead end. That's why no one has ever walked through Ghost Alley."

Feng Junzi suddenly realized, but was still skeptical: "Isn't there a way to get from one end to the other?"

Piao Piao laughed again: "There is a way, though. Demolish the houses and remove the tiles. If you flatten the homes of the people here, you will definitely be able to get to the other side."

Feng Junzi laughed at Piao Piao's words and muttered to himself, "After going through so much trouble to navigate Ghost Alley, I still ended up going back the way I came. How embarrassing!"

At this moment, Piao Piao had already started walking behind Feng Junzi, saying as she walked, "Are you coming or not? If you don't come, I'm leaving."

Feng Junzi: "No, no, wait for me, I'm so scared to be alone in this awful place."

Piao Piao: "What are you afraid of?"

Feng Junzi: "Of course I'm afraid of ghosts."

Piao Piao: "I'm just a ghost, aren't I? Why are you scared now that I'm gone?"

“Yes, this is really interesting.” Piaopiao’s words made Feng Junzi laugh again. He also thought that this scene was indeed very interesting.

Piao Piao led the way, and Feng Junzi noticed that she was barefoot, yet her delicate, jade-like ankles remained spotless as she walked on the fallen leaves. Feng Junzi wanted to ask her why she wasn't wearing shoes, but for some reason, he refrained from asking. She didn't seem to be walking very fast, but Feng Junzi almost had to jog to keep up. The way back seemed much shorter than the way they came, and soon they could see the exit of the alley in the distance.

Piao Piao stopped and said to Feng Junzi, "You can go out by yourself. Someone is waiting for you outside, so I won't go out. It's rare to encounter someone who can make me reveal myself. Perhaps for some unknown reason, you and I have developed a connection. I will come to find you again."

Part 2: Ghost Alley 5 - The Ghost Girl Arrives

As soon as Feng Junzi stepped out of the alley, Lao Bi pounced on him like a gust of wind, grabbed him, and shouted, "Brother Feng, you're finally out! We all thought you'd been carried away by a ghost!" Feng Junzi looked around and saw two of his colleagues standing beside him, so he asked, "Where's Xiao Gao?"

"Xiao Gao waited until dark but you didn't come out, so he got scared and called me right away. I brought a few people over, and Xiao Gao and two other people are waiting for you there."

A while later, Xiao Gao received a call from Lao Bi and arrived with two other people. As they walked, they shouted, "Teacher Feng, you're our company's treasure! We can't let you get lost in Ghost Alley. I waited until dark but you didn't come out. I couldn't get through on your cell phone, and I didn't know what to say to the police, so I had to call President Bi and the others."

Lao Bi said, "Hurry up and get in the car, we're going to miss our flight. We can talk on the way."

Feng Junzi: "Wait a minute, let me find a place to relieve myself."

...

As expected, Feng Junzi missed his flight. The next flight back to Binhai wouldn't be available until the following morning, so he had to return to Jimo and stay overnight. Lao Bi and the others had all gone home, and Xiao Gao, who was going to see Feng Junzi off the next day, also booked a separate room at the hotel.

After taking a shower, it was already past eleven o'clock at night. He lit a cigarette and lay reclining on the edge of the bed, thinking about the events of the day. In his hazy state, he seemed to hear a knock on the door. He got up to open it and was startled—standing outside was none other than Piaopiao, the female ghost he had encountered in Ghost Alley earlier that day.

After entering the room, Piao Piao smiled and said to Feng Junzi, "I told you I would come to see you again. I didn't expect to come so soon, did I?" After saying that, she walked to the armchair and sat down with her knees drawn up to her chest without any ceremony.

As the saying goes, times change. Seeing Piaopiao in his hotel room, Feng Junzi was not afraid at all; on the contrary, he was quite pleasantly surprised. Sitting alone late at night with a beautiful woman visiting was also a kind of refined pleasure.

Feng Junzi smiled and said, "So it's Ghost Sister. Welcome! I was just thinking of finding a chance to thank you properly later." As he spoke, his eyes began to wander, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally sneaking upwards along the hem of her skirt from her delicate ankles.

Piao Piao: "Don't thank me yet. Keep your thieving eyes open."

Feng Junzi smiled shamelessly: "Ghost Sister's sitting posture is not very elegant, I didn't mean to."

Piao Piao put her legs off the chair and said to Feng Junzi, "I can tell whether you did it on purpose or not. Don't forget I'm a ghost."

Feng Junzi was even less convinced that she was a ghost, and said, "Since you say that no one else can see you, but I can see you, can you explain how this happened? Then I will believe you."

Piao Piao: "I don't know either. I'm just a ghost, not a god. If ghosts knew how to manifest, wouldn't people see ghosts every day? I think maybe it was a special connection with you under certain circumstances, or maybe it's related to the yin energy in Ghost Alley."

Feng Junzi: "Stop soaking. This is a hotel, not a ghost alley."

Piao Piao: "That's the strange thing about psychic communication. Once you and I establish this connection, it's always there."

The Wind-Watching Gentleman listened with a disdainful look, and Piaopiao added, "Many people play games like Ouija boards or spirit writing, which are actually a way to establish this kind of connection, but their situation is not as special as ours. They can only use a pen or plate to transmit information."

Seeing that Piaopiao's story sounded more and more convincing, Feng Junzi shamelessly moved closer and said with a grin, "It seems we're on the same wavelength. You even met a soulmate from the underworld on this trip." As he spoke, he casually took one of Piaopiao's hands and then pretended to be surprised, saying, "I've heard that ghosts' hands are always cold. How come your hands aren't cold at all? They're about the same as mine."

Piao Piao didn't pull her hand away, letting Feng Junzi hold it, and said to him in a serious tone, "You're wrong. A ghost's hand isn't cold, because ghosts don't have body temperature at all. The temperature in the room is the same as the temperature you feel when you touch it."

Just as Feng Junzi was about to continue his unreasonable argument, Xiao Gao knocked on the door and walked in. He said to Feng Junzi, "I almost forgot. I have a report that I hope Teacher Feng can help me process after returning to Binhai. Here are the materials."

When Feng Junzi saw Xiao Gao come in, he felt a little embarrassed and quickly sat back down on the edge of the bed. He said to Xiao Gao, "Just put it here. I'll take care of it for you when I get back. Why didn't Lao Bi tell me?"

Xiao Gao: "This is a task that Lao Bi assigned to me, but I find it a bit difficult. I hope Teacher Feng can give me some guidance."