No seré tu muñeca

Capítulo 3

Last night, Liu Feng had already embarked on her journey to the underworld.

Mu Yan knew that when people shed all pretense, all that remained was naked desire.

For example, bloodlust.

For example, violence.

Liu Feng could easily harbor murderous intent because of her husband's lukewarm attitude towards her that night, and then easily find an excuse for herself; she had simply encountered a counterexample of a snail fairy.

The coffin being sold was merely a selfish excuse.

The movement of the wind and the fluttering of the flag are nothing more than the movement of the mind.

In front of the camera are a pair of dilated pupils, filled with vigilance and fear.

In this dark space, we wonder what those eyes could see that could frighten its owner so much and cause them to behave so strangely.

There was a knocking sound on the door, as if it were coming from behind a very thick wall.

Then, there was another 'thump-thump', this time not knocking on the door, but rather like knocking on some stone wall.

"Brother Li, I brought you food. Don't worry, I didn't light any lamps." A sweet female voice rang out, and Li Si knew it was his childhood sweetheart, A-Ling.

Li Si walked out of his residence, or rather, climbed out.

He had just been in a thick stone coffin.

The stone coffin was placed in his home.

Although it takes a lot of effort to get in and out each time.

He had no choice but to survive.

He was afraid.

The moonlight outside was bright and clear, but inside it was pitch black; all the windows were boarded up.

It is completely opaque.

"Thank you, Aya."

Listening to Li Si wolfing down his food, Aya reached out and touched the man she had secretly loved since childhood. "How long has it been since I could only feel your face, your person, your expression like this? Brother Li..."

"I'm sorry, Aya."

"Brother Li, there's something I want to tell you, I..."

"Aya, you should go back. Your parents will worry if you come out so late."

"Aren't you going to listen to what I have to say?"

Li Si put down his chopsticks and groped his way back into his stone coffin.

The next day, lively sounds of gongs and drums could be heard outside the coffin.

Li Si had no interest in listening to what the gongs and drums meant; he only knew that it meant it must be daytime outside, and the sun must be shining brightly.

As long as he stays here peacefully, he has nothing to fear.

Yes, he's not afraid. He's managed to get through all these years, hasn't he?

He trembled involuntarily.

Is he going to spend half his life in this coffin?

He didn't want to, but he didn't have the courage to face it.

Wherever there is a light source, that thing is everywhere; he can only find peace by hiding in the darkness.

He was a coward, even though he had killed someone for Aya when he was a child, but that was an accident.

He recalled things he shouldn't have thought about, and was filled with boundless terror.

He comforted himself, telling himself there was nothing to be afraid of.

At least he's safe now.

Even if it's just to eke out a living.

How much time has passed? It must be past midnight, why hasn't Aya arrived yet?

Li Si's stomach started growling loudly, much to his dismay.

Hungry.

In the darkness, the passage of time is imperceptible.

Actually, it has been three nights since Aya left that night.

Li Si remembered that there should have been a stockpile of steamed buns in the cupboard above the stove, although cockroaches and rats might have crawled over them, but...

They painstakingly dug a crack and carefully surveyed the surroundings.

It was pitch black; it was very safe.

Like a blind man, Li Si relied on the route he remembered in his mind to touch the steamed bun.

Sure enough, it has changed.

"Who?" Li Si suddenly turned around and shouted into the house.

"I only sell my coffins to the dead."

Li Si remembered that voice; it belonged to the man dressed in clean white.

That night, it was also like this; the wind was strong, the wooden planks on the windows came off, and moonlight shone in.

He ran out of the house in terror and ran wildly all the way.

Then, he heard a voice.

"Do you need to buy a coffin?"

Recalling this point, Li Si pondered the meaning behind the visitor's words: "The item was sold to me, so it's mine. It's none of your business how I use it."

The surroundings were quiet for a long time, so long that Li Si thought the person had left, when the voice started again.

"I only sell my coffins to the dead."

"No, you can't take it away, you can't."

Li Si screamed in the darkness, groping around haphazardly. When he touched the stone coffin, it was as if he had grasped the last straw, and he hurriedly crawled inside.

I'd rather die than come out.

Several days later, Li Si's body was found dead in a stone coffin in his home.

The neighbors gossiped and stared at the room with its windows sealed shut with strange looks.

A-Ling had already married someone else, and what she wanted to say that night was that she was getting married; what Li Si heard the next day was the sound of gongs and drums for A-Ling's wedding.

The authorities determined that Li Si starved to death in his coffin.

There were no signs of homicide at the scene.

As for why Li Si wanted to starve himself to death, the government had no clue.

Based on information obtained from the government, Chu Fan found A-Ling.

"It's my fault. If I had explained things clearly to my husband, Brother Li wouldn't have starved to death," A-Ling said with deep regret.

"Could you tell me the details?" Chu Fan softened his tone appropriately.

“When I was about eight years old, I went to see a shadow puppet show with my older brother, Li. There were many children my age, and everyone was pushing and shoving. I was pushed to the ground and scraped my skin. Li acted impulsively and got into a fight with the boy. The two of them rolled on the ground. The boy was a few years older than us, and Li was beaten black and blue. In a moment of desperation, he picked up a chair and threw it at the boy, tripping him. The boy fell backward onto the broken chair leg, and blood splattered onto the shadow puppet screen. That incident left a deep shadow on Li; he could never forget the scene of blood splattered on the shadow puppets. From then on, he became extremely sensitive to shadows. The situation worsened; he always said that someone was secretly following him. He was afraid to look at his own shadow. Eventually, he couldn't tolerate any light in his field of vision because it would bring a shadow, which he believed was there to take his life.”

Is he being paranoid and suspicious, like seeing a snake in a cup? Chu Fan felt a little sorry for him; he had brought this upon himself.

“Do you know how Li Si got that stone coffin? I questioned his neighbors, and none of them knew that Li Si had such a thing. If it was moved in later, a stone coffin couldn’t possibly go unnoticed, even at night, it would make noise.”

“I heard Li Si say that it was sold to him by a man dressed in white. At the time, the man only asked him if he wanted to buy a coffin. He wanted to use the coffin to block out the light, so he nodded and agreed. When he returned home, the stone coffin was already in his house.”

It really was that guy! Chu Fan concealed the ripples in his eyes without showing any emotion. "Did he describe what the man looked like like you did?"

This time, Aya knew nothing.

The wind moves the flag, which is nothing more than the mind moving.

At Li Si's grave, Mu Yan, dressed in pure white, recorded the transaction in the books.

My coffins are only sold to the dead.

The *Book of Jin* records: Yue Guangyu was a repairman who was later transferred to the position of Governor of Henan. He once had a close guest who hadn't visited in a long time. Guangyu asked him why. The guest replied, "Previously, when we were seated together, I was offered wine. Just as I was about to drink, I saw a snake in the cup, which I found very unpleasant. After drinking, I fell ill." At that time, there was a horn painted on the wall of the Henan government office, depicting a snake. Guangyu realized the snake in the cup was merely the shadow of the horn. He placed the wine back in the same spot and asked his guest, "Do you see anything in the wine again?" The guest replied, "I see the same as before." Guangyu then explained the reason, and the guest suddenly understood, and his chronic illness was cured.

Time and space

Author's Note: Allow me to indulge in a little self-admiration—the first three chapters were a bit scary, so this chapter will be a bit lighter. Let's balance work and rest, okay? (But does this seem to have nothing to do with work and rest??)

Feel free to share your opinions; your ideas are the source of our motivation!

brother

Author's Note: This chapter will be a little heartwarming, to lighten things up a bit~

A broken string of love

"Miss Song?" Although it was a difficult way to pronounce, Chu Fan had no choice in this era.

After marrying into an official's family, Song Meiniang shed her heavy makeup from her brothel days and adopted a simpler style that had a unique charm.

Song Meiniang smiled at Chu Fan, making Chu Fan feel extremely uneasy, as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

Chu Fan knew Song Meiniang because he had once served as a messenger for this courtesan and the owner of this mansion. Now that the two had consummated their relationship, his reappearance was naturally not a good omen.

"Should I deliver a letter?" Song Meiniang waved her slender fingers, dismissing the maid. "Unfortunately, my husband is not home."

The angelic face that hid a knife behind a smile made Chu Fan shudder again. What had he done to offend anyone? He had only sent a letter.

"Then I'll visit again another day..." Chu Fan smiled and backed down. He wasn't good at scheming against people, especially women whose hearts were as unfathomable as the bottom of the sea.

“Young Master Chu!” Song Meiniang’s tone was not loud, but it stopped Chu Fan in his tracks. “On this point, you and I are not outsiders.”

Heh~ Chu Fan was completely baffled by what she said. What was there that he dared not ask? Heaven knows what trap this woman had set for him to fall into.

Song Meiniang extended her slender fingers, smiling as she waited for Chu Fan to hand her the letter.

Chu Fan broke out in a cold sweat. He couldn't possibly break his professional ethics. In the blink of an eye, he said with a stern and upright manner, "Miss Song, please don't force me. Farewell."

Unable to wait to escape the clutches of evil, Chu Fan was puzzled, as he had clearly found out that the recipient was at home before going to the door.