Zapatos de cristal

Capítulo 14

"In the concentration camps of the Germans during World War II, there were workshops like this. They would first tattoo exquisite and beautiful patterns on the bodies of young Polish girls with fair and smooth skin, then fatten them up, and finally poison them. After that, they would cut off the skin with the patterns and make various exquisite and gorgeous lampshades..." Fang Jian seemed to get more and more excited as he spoke, unaware of Ningxia's nausea.

"Can you please stop saying such disgusting things!" Ningxia frowned and interrupted him.

"Oh! Sorry! My professional habit is kicking in again!" Fang Jian quickly steered the conversation back on track. "I think this butterfly looks like a work of art. First, the butterfly pattern is tattooed on a part of a person's body, and then the skin is cut off with a tool... But it's also possible that it was cut off after the person died. Don't be afraid! This kind of thing was very common among those lovesick men and women in ancient times!" Fang Jian quickly comforted Ningxia.

"In other words, in ancient times, when a man and woman who deeply loved each other died, the surviving one would leave behind a hair or something from the other's body to express their true feelings. This butterfly, in particular, is very likely a symbol of their love, which is why it was left behind by the other person, making it equivalent to a token of their love!" Fang Jian stated his conclusion with great certainty.

"But you also said that this butterfly is no more than twenty years old?" Ningxia was still puzzled.

"It's not impossible for modern people to go crazy! It's just a bit strange that it happened in that Ming Dynasty house!" Fang Jian added, "I'll go back and check the records... Hmm... You mean there's a picture of a phoenix riding a dragon on the screen wall in that big house?"

Ningxia nodded.

Fang Jian frowned: "This is rather strange! Could there really be such a daring person in the Ming Dynasty? Perhaps... we should go and take a look tomorrow!"

"Aren't you going to work tomorrow?" Ningxia reminded him.

"Oh right! When I came out, I also saw a locked room!" Ningxia suddenly remembered the room on the first floor that was locked with a large iron padlock.

"Why didn't you go and see what was going on?" Fang Jian seemed even more anxious after hearing Ning Xia's words. Ning Xia glanced at Fang Jian, then hesitated before saying, "Lin Wei pulled me away!"

"I knew he had something going on! Humph!" Fang Jian's face darkened. "Take me to that old house this weekend!"

"Huh? What?"

Fang Jian glanced at her with some displeasure: "What are you thinking about? You're so focused!"

Ningxia blushed and looked around in a panic at the dirt road, which now split into two paths. One path led to the farmhouse that Lin Wei had taken her to, while the other meandered towards the old house.

"Go up from the right!"

The minivan bumped along the dirt road to the right, splashing muddy water that had been soaked by the rain onto the car windows, turning the world outside into a muddy mess. Finally, they reached the path that had led into the old house that day. Fang Jian parked the car by the roadside, put on a raincoat, handed one to Ningxia, and stepped onto the path, a mixture of mud, gravel, and withered leaves.

Just like last time, Ningxia was filled with fear of the trees growing wildly in the mountains. Fortunately, this time she was wearing the raincoat Fang Jian had prepared, which helped her avoid being snagged by the branches. As they got closer to the old house, a burnt smell filled the air.

Finally arriving at the tall bushes, Fang Jian looked inside, then turned around: "Is this the place?"

"Go in from that side!" Ningxia pointed to a gap that was blocked by trees.

The two struggled through the bushes and finally arrived at the old house. A strong smell of burning wafted over, and the scene before them shocked Ningxia.

That old house, the one I visited with Lin Wei a couple of days ago, is now nothing but a pile of broken bricks and tiles. The charred bricks and wood beneath the ruins show that the place was recently burned! The burnt smell in the air just now came from here.

"What happened?"

Ningxia was shocked. She rushed to the main gate, but the once majestic gate had vanished without a trace. It was impossible to tell where the hall or the courtyard was. Apart from a mess of smoldering broken wood on the ground, only the stone water trough in the first courtyard and the blackened screen wall remained, their original shapes still discernible. Everything else was a complete remnant of the old house. Everywhere were the ruins left after the fire.

"It looks like a fire that just started!" Fang Jian kicked the wooden stakes on the ground, which were still faintly glowing with firelight, and frowned.

"This fire spread so fast! How could it be burned like this in just two days?" Ningxia's voice was filled with immense panic. What caused the fire?

"Could it be that someone deliberately set the fire? He..." Fang Jian raised his head, looked at Ning Xia, and seeing her extremely gloomy expression, swallowed the rest of his words.

"You mean, Lin Wei?" Ningxia continued Fang Jian's question.

"I don't know! It could be a wildfire!" Fang Jian looked around again. "But look, all the dead branches around this house have been cleared, obviously to prevent the fire from spreading through the forest and causing a wildfire! And there's a smell of gasoline on the ground!" He then smelled the charred soil on the ground.

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" Ningxia simply didn't believe Fang Jian's deduction.

Hey! Stop right there!

Suddenly, a dozen or so people in green police uniforms turned in from the side road in the direction of the Gutan Clubhouse.

"What are you doing here?" The middle-aged man in the lead frowned and shouted when he saw Ningxia and Fang Jian.

"Ah! ...You are...?" Fang Jian was also surprised.

"What brings you here?" the middle-aged man asked again.

"I, we originally wanted to go...over there...to the farmhouse, but..." Fang Jian stammered, making up a lie like a fool, even Ningxia suspected that he was really scared.

"We are forest police. We just put out the fire yesterday, and we're here today to check if there are any embers! What are you doing here?" The middle-aged officer in the lead asked, his tone becoming more amiable, with a hint of confusion.

"We! We... we just happened to see these charred houses by chance, driven by curiosity!" Fang Jian quickly smiled.

"Get out of here quickly! It would be bad if the embers caught fire!" the middle-aged police officer said coldly to Fang Jian, clearly displeased with the curiosity of these young people.

"Okay! Let's go right away!" Fang Jian hurriedly pulled Ningxia, who was standing there silently, and walked back from the bushes they had come from.

"Young man! You're really bold!" the middle-aged police officer said, and ordered his men to start checking the source of the fire.

"Captain! Captain!" a policeman suddenly shouted.

"What is it?" The middle-aged police officer frowned, about to turn around, then turned back: "Aren't you leaving yet?"

"Okay!" Fang Jian and Ning Xia hurriedly left the scene.

"Report!...There's a charred skeleton over there!...It looks like a human skeleton!...!"

"What?" The middle-aged police officer exclaimed in surprise and ran over.

Fang Jian and Ning Xia, who were hiding under a mound of earth, were greatly surprised after hearing the above conversation. When they heard the middle-aged police officer make a phone call to the Public Security Bureau and begin to cordon off the scene, they quietly left.

The two remained silent throughout the journey, especially Ningxia, whose mood was extremely heavy. She didn't know why the fire had inexplicably destroyed the old house. Could it be related to Lin Wei?

After Fang Jian brought Ningxia back, he ran off in a hurry, looking anxious.

"...A sudden wildfire destroyed a property on Lengshan Mountain next to the Gutan Club two days ago. According to Mr. Lin Wei, the general manager of the club, it was an ancient building left by their ancestors. The more than one hundred Ming-style villas that the club now owns are modeled after this ancient building from hundreds of years ago! The police are currently investigating the accidental fire!..." The sound of a reporter reporting from the scene came from the TV news. Ningxia turned off the TV in frustration. The news did not even mention the skeleton found in the ashes.

A crisp ringtone sounded from her phone. When she looked at the caller ID, she saw it was Lin Wei. She hesitated, unsure whether to answer, but finally pressed the green button.

"Hello?"

"Ningxia! Why did it take you so long to answer the phone? You scared me to death!" Lin Wei's anxious voice came from the other end.

"What do you have to be afraid of?" Ningxia asked coldly.

"Did you know? The old house we visited was destroyed by fire the day before yesterday! I'm really worried about you!"

"Really? That's clearly property left by your family's ancestors. How could you not know that when you went with me?" Ningxia said casually.

Lin Wei suddenly fell silent, and after a long while he finally spoke: "I, I don't want to scare you, that house, that house..." He stammered.

"What happened to that house?" Ningxia hurriedly asked.

"Where are you now? I'll come over and we'll talk!" Lin Wei suddenly suggested.

Ningxia initially wanted to refuse, but after a moment's hesitation, she said softly, "I'm at home! Come over!"

"Okay! Wait for me!" Lin Wei hung up the phone hastily.

Ningxia checked the time; it was already 10 p.m. She regretted asking Lin Wei to come over. After thinking for a moment, she dialed Fang Jian's number, only to hear a "not in service area" message on the other end.

"That Fang Jian, I can never get through to him on the phone when he needs something!" Ningxia hung up the phone, somewhat annoyed.

Meanwhile, Fang Jian was at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, harassing his brother-in-law, Wu Linshan.

"Brother-in-law! Please help me out and show me the skeleton that was found in the old house today!" Fang Jian pleaded with Wu Linshan.

"I just wanted to help my friend. Why don't you tell me the age characteristics of that skeleton?" Fang Jian was still unwilling to give up.

"The remains were only delivered half an hour ago, and the forensic doctor is still examining them. How can I tell you? Even if I knew, I can't just tell you! How can you be so inconsiderate! You should go back now; I have important business to attend to!" Wu Linshan was very displeased with Fang Jian's persistent pestering and rudely gave him the order to leave.

"But..." Fang Jian tried to stall for time, but Wu Linshan interrupted him: "But what? Do you want your sister to know that you're meddling again? Have you forgotten your lesson from last time?"

Fang Jian, feeling embarrassed, had no choice but to leave Wu Linshan's office.

As Fang Jian walked through the corridor, he saw Xiao Li hurrying over with a stack of documents.

"Xiao Li! Why are you in such a hurry?" Fang Jian, with his sharp eyes, caught sight of the word "skeleton" on the document in Xiao Li's hand. On a whim, he stopped him.

"Fang Jian! I don't have time to talk to you anymore, the captain is waiting for these documents!" Xiao Li said apologetically.

"What documents?" Fang Jiancheng asked, taking advantage of Li's inattention, and deliberately moved closer to the documents, his eyes unconsciously glancing at them.

Xiao Li realized Fang Jian's motives, quickly snatched the documents away, and laughed, "Fang Jian! Don't let me get scolded!"

"Just one look! Just one look!" Fang Jian pleaded hastily when his trick was exposed.

"No! The captain instructed that you cannot see any classified information!" Xiao Li insisted.

"Fang Jian!" Wu Linshan suddenly appeared at the office door and shouted. The two were startled. Xiao Li stopped arguing with him and walked towards Wu Linshan's office, while Fang Jian had no choice but to leave disappointed.

However, Fang Jian was quick; he caught a glimpse of the words "male, between thirty and forty years old" on the first page of the file. After leaving the police station, he thought for a moment and dialed Ningxia's mobile phone, but it was switched off. Fang Jian was a little surprised; was she asleep so early? He then dialed Ningxia's home landline, but after ringing for a long time, no one answered.

Fang Jian sensed something was off, so he immediately drove his borrowed minivan toward Lingyun Road.

The minivan drove into the quiet street of Lingyun Road and stopped under the dim streetlights. He parked the car in a corner next to the entrance of Ningxia's building and prepared to walk towards Ningxia's building.

As soon as he got out of the minivan, Fang Jian vaguely felt a sudden gust of cold wind behind him. Before he could turn around, he was struck heavily on the head and lost consciousness...

In a quiet teahouse not far from Lingyun Road, Ningxia and Lin Wei sat on opposite sides of the clear, clean glass window, watching the steam rising from their teacups, lost in thought.

"You mean, that house was haunted?" Ningxia finally spoke softly after a long pause.

"Yes! Our family's house has been uninhabited for decades. After my grandfather passed away, my father went to study in the city and stayed there. My father has no other siblings, so the house has become deserted. We only go to the house with my father to visit it during the Qingming Festival and the Winter Solstice each year."

However, more than a decade ago, when I was still in middle school, I went back to visit my ancestral home and heard from nearby villagers that shadowy figures had appeared inside, sometimes even in broad daylight. Some of the bolder villagers had even gone inside and seen strange things. As a result, residents near the ancestral home moved several miles away and sealed off the access roads. In the end, only that one house remained. The rumors became even more intense, and almost no one dared to go there anymore.

When my father heard about it, he scolded the villagers, seemingly not believing it at all. But strangely, after returning home for the winter solstice, my father began to fall ill and passed away two years later.

Since then, we have never been there again. Later, when I started building the clubhouse, I went there once or twice occasionally, but I found it strange and never dared to go in again until that day when I went in with you! Lin Wei said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip of tea.

"What exactly did those villagers see?" Ningxia was very curious.

"It seems like I saw something like a hanged ghost, but I don't know the specifics!" Lin Wei looked at Ning Xia. "I was afraid that telling you would scare you, so I wanted you to just take a look and leave. I didn't expect you to be so brave and curious!"

Ningxia took a sip of her green tea and said quietly, "Even so, you can't pretend you've never been there! I don't like being lied to!"

"I'm sorry!" Lin Wei's expression was somewhat heavy, and Ningxia vaguely sensed a hint of helplessness in it.

Lin Wei did not speak.

Ningxia frowned and looked at him: "You've seen him before?"

Lin Wei raised his head, a pleading look in his eyes: "Ningxia! Don't go looking for the truth anymore! Let's stop here!"

"Why?" Ningxia asked angrily, pressing, "Do you know that woman in red?"

"No! I don't know her!" Lin Wei immediately shook his head. "Su Yun must have seen what those villagers saw, and that's why she was frightened! Those are all fabricated stories; I don't believe them at all!"

"But I also received a call from that woman the night before last, so how do you explain that?" Ningxia recounted the incident of receiving a call from that strange woman that night.

"What? You received a call from her? How could this be?" Lin Wei looked very surprised, as if he didn't want to believe Ning Xia's words.

"You know her, don't you?" Ningxia was certain that Lin Wei knew something, so she stared at him and pressed for an answer.

"No! I don't know him!" Lin Wei's expression was somewhat flustered, but more so heavy. He stopped speaking, his lips were tightly closed, and his eyes were fixed on the night outside the glass window.