Ba ethnic group's bewitching charm - the executioner

Chapter 1

Ba ethnic group's bewitching charm - the executioner

prelude

That winter was particularly cold.

The snow has been falling for two days and hasn't stopped. At night, the snowflakes drifted silently, obscuring the neon lights and music. The city slept in the snow, leaving only a few lights shining softly from the windows, offering a warm hope to the homeless.

Snowy nights are not as quiet as we perceive them to be.

Occasionally, a car would speed by on the street, its headlights like swords piercing into the depths of the snowy night.

—I could hear the sounds of children playing nearby. If I followed the sound, I might find a series of messy footprints on the snow, but I couldn't find any people.

There must be other things we can't see active in the snowy night, such as radio waves in the air.

"My friend, what's on your mind that you'd like to share with us?"

"I've been listening to your program for a long time, and I really enjoy the Night Talk show. Today is the first time I've called, and I can't believe I got through on my first try. I heard that your hotline is very difficult to get through."

"You are very lucky, my friend. I hope this luck will stay with you every day."

"Alright, now I'm going to tell you my story. Maybe you'll think my story is very ordinary, and that you've heard it many times before. But if this kind of story happened to you, you'll understand how I feel right now."

"Now begin your story. My listeners and I are ready to listen."

“I fell in love with a girl. The first time I saw her, I knew I would never fall in love with anyone else. She worked in a flower shop. I could have been very open to buying flowers from her, talking to her, getting to know her, and pursuing her. But I was very timid. Every time I secretly watched her outside the flower shop, my heart would race. I didn’t know if I could still speak like a normal person when I actually stood in front of her.”

"Falling in love with someone else is a sweet thing. You should muster up your courage and confess to her."

"Yes, that's what I thought too. Then one evening, I finally mustered up the courage to go into the flower shop. That was the first time I spoke to her. Although I was incredibly nervous, I did pretty well that day. I told her I wanted to buy 99 roses. She smiled slightly, as if she was already used to customers like me. While she was choosing roses for me, she casually struck up a conversation with me, asking if it was my girlfriend's birthday. You see, it wasn't Valentine's Day or any other holiday, which is why she thought that. I hesitated for a moment, then told her that I had fallen for a girl, but I had never had the courage to confess to her. Today, I finally made up my mind to go to her."

"The girl believed me and even gave me advice. When she handed me a large bouquet of roses, she wished me luck in winning her heart that night. I took the flowers, my mind was a mess, and I had a sentence stuck in my throat, but I just couldn't say it. I must have looked really pathetic at that moment, because the girl looked at me with pity but didn't say anything."

"I knew that if I had just walked out of the flower shop that day, I might have missed out on the happiness of my entire life, and I didn't know when I would have the courage to stand in front of her again. So, I handed that bouquet of roses to her in one go, and in a trembling voice, I told her that the girl I liked was right in front of me."

"I think the listeners in front of the radio right now are just as nervous as I am; we all want to know what will happen next."

“It’s not that simple. Just as I finished speaking, someone called the girl’s name from behind me. I turned around and saw another man just coming in from outside. When the girl saw him, she left me and went to the man’s side, took his arm, and told me that this was her boyfriend.”

"That's a shame. But there are many good girls in this world, so you don't need to be sad..."

“I’m not sad. Like I said, from the moment I saw her, I knew I would never fall in love with anyone else in my life. I’m not the kind of person who backs down when faced with difficulties, and even if I knew she had a boyfriend, I wouldn’t give up.”

"Persistence is important, but sometimes giving up can bring relief."

“I understand that, and I thank you for your understanding. But I’m not making this call today to complain, but to share my joy with everyone.”

"Joy? That girl broke up with her boyfriend?"

“I told you things weren’t that simple. After buying the flowers that time, I never went to the flower shop again, but I still would hide outside and peek at the girl whenever I had free time. About half a year passed like this, and then one day, the girl didn’t come to work. I waited for three days, and I couldn’t hold back anymore, so I went to ask another girl in the flower shop. And guess what? Something really happened.”

"The girl wasn't a local; she rented a room in the old town. Three nights ago, a fire broke out, and it burned quite badly. Four fire trucks from the fire department went, and it took more than two hours to extinguish the fire. The burned people were taken to the hospital. That girl was really unlucky; among the injured, she was the only one who survived!"

“I rushed to the hospital and found the injured girl. She was still unconscious, her face wrapped in gauze, lying motionless in the observation room. Tears welled up in my eyes through the large glass window. I was truly heartbroken; it was unbearable to see such a beautiful and lovely girl like this. But this is reality, and only two words can describe it—cruel.”

“I stayed outside the observation room the whole time. The next evening, I saw the man again, but he didn’t remember me. He stood outside the glass for five minutes and then left. He never showed up again until the girl was discharged from the hospital.”

"There are still men like this in the world. Any girl who meets him is unlucky."

“Yes, but I’m actually quite grateful to him. If it weren’t for his heartlessness, how could I have won the girl I love? The girl lay in the hospital for more than half a year, and I visited her almost every day. Later, the girl said that it was my true feelings that healed the wounds of her body and soul. Without me, she didn’t know if she would still have the courage to live.”

"You are a good person, and my listeners and I will all wish you well."

"Wait, the story isn't over yet. Although the girl was discharged from the hospital, her face was badly burned. You can imagine what it must have felt like for a beautiful young girl to become an ugly monster. I understood her. I told her that I wouldn't despise her, and that I would be content as long as she was with me. But she still refused to face me. Until one day, when I went to look for her, I found that she was gone. All I found was a letter she had left for me."

"In that letter, she told me some other things. She was originally born into a wealthy family, but after a dispute with her family, she came to live in our city alone. Now, she doesn't want to face me with that ugly face, so she went home. She wants her family to take her abroad to the best plastic surgery hospital, and when she becomes as beautiful as before, she will come back to me."

"Ah! My friend, your story is truly full of twists and turns; it could be made into a movie."

"She left, and it felt like she took away my entire life. I still go to get off work and come home every day, eat and sleep, but I feel like a soulless walking corpse. The whole meaning of my life is waiting for the day she comes back. Thinking back on that period now, it's a bit scary. I don't know how I got through it. Fortunately, all the waiting came to an end today. Just this evening, my phone suddenly received a text message..."

"Was it sent by that girl?"

"That's right. I was ecstatic after reading that text message. She's back from abroad and will be flying back to our city tomorrow, which means I'll be able to see her tomorrow. This day has finally come, not just a dream. The snow outside is falling so heavily; my only worry now is whether it will affect the plane's scheduled takeoff tomorrow."

"I'm so happy for you. It's wonderful to be reunited with the girl you love. I'd like to ask, has she regained her former beauty?"

"I don't know. I asked her this question when I texted her back, and she said she wouldn't tell me because that would create suspense and make our reunion more meaningful. Of course, I don't care what she looks like, but I am curious, and I am very eager to know what she looks like now."

"Yes, I think that the listeners in front of the radio right now are just as concerned about this issue as I am."

Do you really care?

"Of course, we hope she can become as beautiful as she used to be."

"That's good, that's why I made this call tonight. Although she wouldn't tell me whether her plastic surgery was successful, after I pressed her repeatedly, she gave me a website address. She said she had already uploaded her photos online."

"Then what are you waiting for? If it were me, I would definitely go online first without doing anything else."

"I went to an internet cafe as soon as I saw the text message, but I hesitated. It wasn't fear; even if she didn't regain her beauty, it wouldn't affect my feelings for her. If her surgery was successful, what joy that would bring me! After all, every man wants a beautiful wife. So, I'm calling to share my joy with everyone. Although I don't want to visit that website before seeing her, I just can't help but feel so conflicted..."

"I understand, and I think the listeners in front of the radio understand too. You don't want to visit that website before meeting the girl you love, but you want someone to go and see her for you. The thoughts of people in love are really subtle, but in any case, I think many listeners still want to see what that girl looks like now."

"That's right, you're a really smart host, no wonder I enjoy listening to your show so much."

...

Radio waves are a net, densely covering the city. On such a snowy night, those gentle words and the love stories within them, like a bewitching flower in the darkness, quietly bloom in people's ears. It turns out that so many stories are hidden in our city. Although the protagonists in these stories are all ordinary people, we can still be moved by them, and quietly send them our blessings from the bottom of our hearts.