Ghost Stories Series 10

Chapter 12

"It is a ball of light, bright and without impurities. But look at them, their hearts are all colors, no longer pure."

"Oh, how amazing! I can see their thoughts, and you can see their souls, how wonderful!"

"Mind reading?"

Can you see our thoughts?

Why did God give us such power?

"Can you really see our thoughts?"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, let me answer them one by one."

"Tell us your name first!"

"I don't know who I am, just call me Peanut."

"Peanut? What a strange name."

"Hehe, when I was in the hospital, I really liked eating crunchy peanuts, so everyone called me Peanut Worm. But I prefer people to call me Peanut, it's simple and fun."

"So, Peanut, look at him, do you think he truly loves me?"

Wu Huan held Yu Fu's arm tightly, his soul blazing with light, as if to devour everything in the world. Yu Fu's soul flickered for a moment before igniting like fire. Wu Huan was unaware of this subtle change, and Yu Fu himself was oblivious.

But the woman named Peanut saw it.

"Well, how should I put it? He truly loves you. It's just that he hesitated for a moment. But that's already very good, you know, among the men I've seen, he's the most steadfast."

Peanut paused for a moment, then continued:

"After talking for so long, I still don't know your names!"

"My name is Yu Fu, and her name is Wu Huan."

Peanut turned around and saw Wu Huan's angry expression, and couldn't help but smile.

Women in this world always pursue unconditional love, but unconditional love is fleeting, which is why women always complain about men's infidelity. The truth is complex, the human heart is unpredictable, and love, hate, and passion are natural. And that's good enough; the ultimate shore of happiness always exists, yet can never be reached, so people will always have a goal to pursue.

"Hehe, you two are so in love!"

Peanut winked mischievously at Yu Fu, putting on an innocent look, which made Wu Huan even more jealous.

"Yes, we love each other because we found each other."

Yu Fu answered earnestly. Throughout this time, Wu Huan's hand never left Yu Fu's, and his heart never left Yu Fu's heart. Peanut saw an overlapping of thoughts, all differences connected in a beautiful way, radiating the light of love. Peanut sighed and stepped out of the shadows.

"Let's go to the square, it'll be lively tonight."

But when Peanut saw the shocked expressions on Yu Fu and Wu Huan's faces, it was as if they had seen something terrifying, and that thing was right behind her. Peanut was startled; her expression stiffened, and she slowly turned around, only to see a beggar standing in front of her, a strange smile on his filthy face, looking very eerie.

"Oh, it's you!"

Peanut didn't seem surprised; instead, he showed some pity.

"You shouldn't think like that. Even if you robbed and raped me, would you be happy? You've almost forgotten why you fled your hometown. You've forgotten the deaths of your wife and children. You don't want revenge anymore. If you continue like this, you'll even lose the courage to die. You're not a man!"

Peanut's words ignited the light in the beggar's soul, like a beacon in the dark night. Two lines of tears rolled down his face, his distorted expression suppressing the pain in his heart, yet he could not utter a word. He could only bow deeply and then leave without looking back.

"That man's soul, in an instant, went from pitch black to bright, like a modern-day eyebrow ruler. It was truly a miracle!"

Yu Fu said, his eyes still fixed on the direction the beggar had gone. Wu Huan suddenly let out a surprised scream.

"Ah! People can be saved!"

Yu Fu woke up with a start and, together with Wu Huan, stared at Peanut with delighted eyes, making Peanut a little embarrassed.

"Are you...are you alright?"

"How could nothing be wrong? We saw hope for the world, hope for the salvation of humanity, how could nothing be wrong?"

"Oh, you mean that person? He wasn't a bad person to begin with, he just occasionally went astray."

"Isn't everyone struggling in the moment of going astray?"

"Even if what you say makes sense, the poor are not necessarily pure in heart, and the rich are not necessarily without kindness; those who receive help may not be grateful, and those who do good may not seek reward; the upper and lower classes have difficulty communicating, which divides the world and makes people different, but they are always trying to communicate. Although they can never be integrated into one, they fill everyone's heart with hope."

Yu Fu and Wu Huan stared at Peanut in surprise, but Peanut seemed like a different person and continued:

"People in high society occasionally pity the lower class, while the lower class often envies the upper class. But no matter who it is, once they leave their original class, they no longer understand the mindset of that class. This is the exclusiveness of human nature, determined by the environment."

Yu Fu remained silent, pondering Peanut's words, his thoughts running deep. Could a classless society truly exist? Is it really difference that drives progress? An individual's place in society, and their self-awareness, keep the world in a state of perpetual flux. Is this reality?

"My mind-reading ability is not enough to change humanity. Minds are rigid, like castles; a thousand charges will only result in a thousand failures. How can good here save evil there? Even if you can read all the good and evil in human nature, even if you can change all the evil thoughts you see, you cannot change the whole world!"

Peanut was in tears, but the fire of his soul burned like another sun.

"Evil that has been altered will rise again, and good that has died will awaken. Let this world under the cover of night develop according to its own order!"

<Eleven> The Truth

The rich enjoy comfort, yet find it unpleasant; the poor yearn for comfort, but can only dream of it. It's a grand dream under the night sky, and no one knows who will wake first.

The dark green sky shimmered with streaks of light, whispering secrets—angels, demons, or wandering ghosts.

Is this show coming to an end?

Was that person saved?

Will he see the truth of the world?

"Let me go and give them more hints!"

Suddenly, a dark green fireball rolled down from the sky, skimming the ground at breakneck speed, cracking like an egg hatching. When it came to a stop, an old woman with faltering steps appeared in a corner of the city. A mysterious smile played on her lips as she bent down and blended into the unsuspecting crowd. Peanut suddenly listened intently, as if he had heard something, his expression focused.

Yu Fu listened intently, but all he heard was the sound of the wind, whistling along with joyful laughter.

Nothing unusual happened, and the three continued walking forward, navigating the city on the edge of humanity.

Only those on the margins are clear-headed; they can set aside all other factors and think independently about the subtleties of the world.

Christmas Eve, a sea of joy. "I used to have a stall here, a long time ago."

"Oh, you said that."

Wu Huan responded to Yu Fu with affection. Peanut watched the two of them curiously, smiling slightly.

"In just one day, you seemed to have gone through life and death together. Your love is so profound, it's amazing!"

Yu Fu turned and smiled, taking Wu Huan's hand, and said calmly:

"Some people love for a lifetime, but it doesn't compare to someone else's moment, because while they're in love, they're already thinking about the next chapter."

The peanut-faced man's expression turned serious, showing a hint of reverence.

"Those who know how to love have hope."

The voice startled the three men, who turned around to see an elderly woman, around seventy or eighty years old, leaning on a cane. Her clothes were odd but not dirty. As the three stared at her in surprise, the old woman smiled back at them. Clearly, this old woman could see Yu Fu and Wu Huan.

"Young man, one who knows how to love others is an awakened person, and an awakened person is saved!"

"ah?!"

Yu Fu and Wu Huan exclaimed in surprise. It was unbelievable that the old woman could actually see them. Just a few hours ago, they thought they would disappear into the crowd forever, but now someone could see them and say things that seemed to be true.

The world is unknown and full of variables.

"Is it strange? Actually, I'm a... how should I put it, a witch! Hehe!"

The old woman's smile was elegantly wrinkled at the corners of her mouth; aging seemed merely a loose outer layer, while her inner core still burned with a fiery passion. The witch raised her hand, drew a circle in the air, and then pushed it open, like a door in the wall leading to another world. Yet the people around her continued to walk and laugh, seemingly oblivious to the astonishing scene unfolding before them; couples still gazed at each other, and vendors still hawked their wares.

"Come in, let me show you the truth of the world!"

The witch's smile, like a spell, lured Yu Fu and Wu Huan forward, like children under the magic flute. Peanut hesitated for a moment, but ultimately his desire for the truth overcame his fear, and he stepped into that unknown land of monsters.

This is a vast, empty place, bathed in a soft, bright light. There are no towering buildings or crisscrossing streets, only endless pedestrians. The mountains and streams seem to float in the air, silent and still, like a silent film. The pedestrians, expressionless, rush towards their destinations. Occasionally, they meet, stop, and stare at each other, tears welling in their eyes. They are searching for something, or perhaps escaping from something, never stopping. Occasionally, someone will stop for no apparent reason, gazing at the mountains or trees in the sky, letting out a silent cry or two, their contented gaze radiating happiness.

"Is this...is this the truth of the world?" Yu Fu asked.

"Whose truth is this?" Peanut asked.

Peanut's question made the witch laugh happily. Suddenly, she waved her hand, and the illusion disappeared. The road was still uneven, and Christmas Eve was still joyful. Only in the middle of the crowd stood a girl with a blank expression. An old woman was smiling in front of her. The witch turned around mysteriously and suddenly disappeared into the chaotic crowd.

"The truth? This is the truth of the world?"

Yu Fu was still bewildered, while Peanut and Wu Huan searched for the witch's figure in the crowd, but to no avail. Yu Fu raised his head; the sky was dark green, the clouds were gray, and there was no starlight. Between this and that, where was the truth?

A voice seemed to be asking him from the depths of his being: Have you awakened? Are you ready? Will you speak out for truth and justice? These questions weighed heavily on Yu Fu, making it hard for him to breathe. He instinctively thought: I have long since awakened, while most people are still asleep, detached from the progress of society. How can I, alone, move the great wheel of the world?

Peanut noticed Yu Fu's fleeting thoughts and grabbed him, reprimanding him sternly:

"You think others are out of touch with society, but in fact you are out of touch with society. You have closed yourself off in a narrow circle, living a self-righteous life and thinking that this is the whole of life. In fact, you are just floating on the surface of the city, like a mayfly that lives for a day and dies at night. You have never seen a moment of reality, let alone the whole of life."

These words filled Yu Fu with shame and embarrassment. He recalled what he had once told Wu Huan: "The kind of person you are determines the kind of things you will encounter." The problem wasn't with others; he himself was the root of the problem.

After this last bit of resentment disappeared, Yu Fu found himself radiating an incomparably dazzling light, and the souls of the passersby around him became pure because of him. Wu Huan took a deep breath, and her soul's light also illuminated the world in an instant.

Human beings in this world, with their bodies seeking comfort and their souls seeking suffering, believe that through suffering they can achieve transcendence. Humanity will always be this way, tormented by both body and soul until death arrives; no one can escape it. Even saints crave comfort, but their souls constantly remind them that there are still those in the world suffering hidden within, making comfort feel like a pincushion. Therefore, the suffering of saints, or those with pure souls, is far greater than that of ordinary people; their difficulties far exceed those of those whose minds have been idle; and their inner torment far surpasses that of those numbed by societal pressures.

All of this will never be realized unless one stands at the heights of humanity and thought.

Yet, human adaptability is also terrifying. Just as soldiers on the battlefield quickly become accustomed to death, even numb, after a major battle, this is both a strength and a weakness of humanity. Adapting to small evils makes one accept larger ones, and accepting larger evils leads to the belief that evil is acceptable. If one person's evil is acceptable, then two people's evil will be tolerated by society. If two people's evil is tolerated by society, it will encourage more people to commit evil. With so many people committing evil, humanity cannot eliminate it, so one can only adapt to the environment, becoming part of the silent majority for survival. This is the footprint left by herd mentality and adaptability in social development. We must think deeply and analyze this problem thoroughly before we can find answers and the courage to face it.

"None of us are saints, and we are bound to commit sins, but our souls can still be saved. We need a clean environment, away from filth, to be saved."

Peanut said this at the end of the road: "The sea is in front, the road is behind, and it's pitch black on both sides."

“Truth is always born in the grave, it has always been so.” After saying this, Yu Fu paused for a moment, then suddenly turned to Peanut and said, “It’s time to return.” Peanut also turned his head, a smile blooming on his face, as relieved as a flower in full bloom.

"When did you find out?" Peanut asked. Yu Fu replied, "Just now, at the moment you said you were saved." Peanut was taken aback, then smiled and walked towards Yu Fu. The two of them merged into one, gradually becoming indistinguishable from one another. Shadows overlapped, hearts overlapped, intertwining to form a complete person.

"What's going on?"

Wu Huan was shocked. Yu Fu smiled slightly and explained:

"Peanut never existed; she was just the feminine part of my subconscious. Now that she's back, I'm a complete man again."

Is this also part of the truth?

"Oh yes, the truth is everywhere, everything is the truth."

<12> City Lights

The night road stretched endlessly, seemingly without end.

Yu Fu no longer knew where he was headed; he felt both clear-headed and confused, a profound sense of bewilderment. His long-dormant self-confidence was being rebuilt, sprouting with difficulty like a seed beneath the earth, akin to rebirth. Yu Fu occasionally stole glances at Wu Huan, finding her pure and innocent, her face radiant with a clean smile, her eyes clear as a pool of blue water. This woman, who had endured countless nightmares, was a reborn woman; she had told the past, regardless of whose fault or sin it was.

The future is hopeful and full of sunshine.