Perte de contrôle précise

Chapitre 19

It took her a while to finally say, "No need." After hearing so many terrifying things, she really wanted to go to Sister Li's house, but it wouldn't be convenient for her there.

Another call came in:

"Why aren't you answering the phone, sis? Don't you know Mom's worried sick?"

"Sister Li from work just called and told me..."

"Alright, alright, I'm not listening to her. Mom told me to tell you that people were talking about it during the day. They said this pervert knows martial arts, can walk through walls, and can scale rooftops. Mom said they knew about these womanizers when they were young. They prey on young women, raping and then killing them. They all have sleeping pills on them; they can put one in your face and you'll pass out, and then he can do whatever he wants. Mom told you to lock the doors and windows, turn on the lights, and go to sleep without taking off your clothes."

He Fangmei felt a tightness in her chest and had no appetite for cooking.

While it was still light, I quickly checked the balcony again and again. Before I could feel completely at ease, the phone suddenly rang again. I don't know why the phone was ringing so loudly today. It made my heart pound. I clutched my chest and picked up the receiver. It was my sister's voice again:

"Mom's telling you! Scatter soybeans on the balcony, or even green beans if you don't have soybeans! She's telling you to do it now! Mom said if you don't have any, borrow some from the neighbors, and pay them back tomorrow after you buy some..."

That's one way! But no matter how much they searched, they couldn't find a single bean in her house.

Maybe Sister Chen across the street could have one?

She knocked on the door across the hall, and Sister Chen was delighted to see her, insisting that she come in and sit down. She noticed Sister Chen had laid out a lot of yellowed paper on the floor, with a ten-yuan note on top, as if she were doing something. Seeing her puzzled expression, Sister Chen chuckled.

"Isn't this superstition? These past few nights, I've been dreaming every night that my grandma comes to me, asking me to go home with her. She always comes in a boat, calling me to get on. The boat is huge, packed with people, with no room to spare. So many people I knew from my childhood are on it. When I wake up, I think about my parents, my second aunt, my youngest aunt, my eldest uncle, my eldest aunt, my eldest cousin, and my third cousin—not a single one of them is alive! They're all gone! Aunt Li downstairs gave me an idea: burn some paper money for your grandma! If she calls you again, don't get on the boat. But that's a problem, it's just a dream! How can I not get on the boat? I have to go downstairs to burn paper money soon… Oh dear, I've been so busy rambling on about these things. Is something wrong, little sister?"

After she explained why she needed to borrow soybeans, Sister Chen said:

"It's still good to have a mother! Someone cares about you and loves you! Auntie has been through a lot and has a lot of experience."

As she spoke, Sister Chen went to the kitchen to find her some soybeans. A moment later, she came out with two dirty hands and said:

"Little sister, don't worry, I'm sure I have some. I just haven't eaten it, so I don't know where I put it. You sit here and don't rush. I'll let you sit here. I've sold the TV, so you just wait!"

"Sister Chen, don't bother. If it's not there, then forget it. This is just to clear up any doubts. What a coincidence! I think I heard a phone call in my room. I have to go back."

"I heard that the serial killer was a weirdo, he knew some kind of martial arts, and he could even use qigong to summon souls. He had drugs on his hands, and if he slapped one on a woman's face, she would faint. He could write words on a woman's body, and once he wrote something on her, she would obey his every command. My mother said that when they were little, they were frightened or offended some ghost or spirit, and the adults would find a witch to call back their souls. Only rich families could afford to hire an old Taoist priest to write words and draw talismans on their bodies and in their houses, so that the ghosts and spirits wouldn't dare to offend them."

"Really? I heard he killed the woman bit by bit. He made her take off all her clothes, put on pantyhose and high heels, and drank and played cards with her before killing her little by little. This guy must be crazy!"

He Fangmei said that she really wanted to stay with Sister Chen a little longer. Sister Chen was not only beautiful and charming, but also very popular. The two of them got along very well, caring for each other deeply. She loved listening to Sister Chen talk; she was always cheerful and optimistic. Her husband had run off with another woman and couldn't make ends meet. He wrote to her asking for money, and she actually sent him some, but she herself struggled to even afford food. Just now, Sister Chen had casually mentioned selling the television, which suddenly made her heart ache, and she couldn't stay any longer. She knew that Sister Chen's old television had only sold for 50 yuan. Sister Chen said, "50 yuan is still money! My parents toil in the countryside, their sweat dripping onto the ground, and they can't even save 50 yuan a year." Thinking of Sister Chen made her feel terrible. Why did a good woman like Sister Chen have such a hard life? Why did bad women have such an easy life?

Someone knocked softly on the door:

"It's me, Sister Chen, little sister."

Sister Chen came in carrying soybeans and went straight to the balcony.

He Fangmei panicked and stopped her, saying:

"Thank you, Sister Chen, you went through so much trouble to find this place, I don't even know how to thank you, and you still want to give me..."

Sister Chen patted her on the shoulder:

"Little sister, I'm not looking down on you, but you might not know how to shoot! You have to shoot where he might land, otherwise it'll be a waste of your time!"

He Fangmei felt a surge of warmth in her heart and was speechless for a moment. She then tried to speak:

"Sister Chen, have you finished sprinkling on your balcony?"

Sister Chen didn't even turn her head:

"Why would I throw it away? I'm already this old, why would I be afraid of dying? I'm not as young, beautiful, educated, or capable as that girl. What hope do I have left?"

He Fangmei was taken aback. She had never heard Sister Chen say such discouraging things before, and she didn't know how to comfort her.

Sister Chen spread the soybeans evenly on the balcony floor with her hands, then stood up to check her window. Seeing that the latches were rusted, she said, "You wait here," and rushed out. She returned a short while later with pliers and wire, and used them to tighten the window on He Fangmei's balcony. Then she squatted down again and spread the soybeans evenly with her hands, muttering to herself as she did so:

"It's a pity there's no man around. Maybe I should connect the power cord to the balcony and turn it on, so he'll get shocked every time he reaches out. Let's see if he dares to come in then!"

He Hongmei made a vow in her heart that she would definitely take Sister Chen out for a couple of days in a few days!

Sister Chen stood up and saw her staring blankly, then chuckled:

"Good girl, don't worry about me. I'll take good care of myself. Besides, we have a security door on the first floor, right? I don't believe he can get in! What are you afraid of?"

Watching Sister Chen leave, she had a lot to say but couldn't get it out. Sister Chen never spoke like that; she was always so optimistic. Sister Chen's words today left her feeling uneasy, sad, and also a little strange.

She washed herself quickly. A woman is a woman; she can skip meals, but she can't skip washing her face and body. As she washed, she thought of the blood on the floor, the pantyhose, the high heels, and the fruit knife—it must have been stuck there—she shook her head hard to stop herself from thinking about it; the pain there was making her tremble and giving her goosebumps.

Hearing a knock at the opposite door, she looked through the peephole and saw Sister Chen carrying something downstairs. A little while later, she went to the balcony to look at the fire burning below. The leaping flames licked at the darkness, starkly bright in the deep night, their color a strange, shifting mix of yellow and red. Black butterflies fluttered and danced from the leaping flames, one after another swallowed by the boundless night sky.

Sister Chen held a wooden stick and flicked the licking flames, which seemed to want to set her on fire as well. The flames bit her face, turning it red, black, and white in turns, making He Fangmei's heart pound with fear.

He Fangmei, dressed neatly, sat in the living room watching TV. She didn't want to go to sleep until midnight, listening to other people's TVs, which seemed to be on quite loudly as well. She wanted to go to the balcony to check on the others, but she was afraid of the darkness outside; she only felt safe in her brightly lit room. She heard faint footsteps on the stairs. Who was coming home so late? As the footsteps grew closer, she thought, "How could it be…?" She shrank back in fear, but the footsteps had already stopped in front of her own door. She could still hear them slowly approaching and then slowly moving past her and Sister Chen's door.

She wanted to call Sister Chen quickly, but was afraid it was too late and Sister Chen would already be asleep. She involuntarily turned her head towards the balcony window and saw what looked like a dark, blurry human head reflected in the windowpane. She could also see two small eyes staring at her fiercely, and the teeth in the mouth were so black that they were indistinguishable.

During the day, people are busy with their work and forget the fear of the night. When night falls and the whole city is in bed, people enter their most relaxed, vulnerable, and tranquil moment. Without letting go of everything and falling asleep in the night, people cannot regain their vitality; it is the night that gives birth to the vibrant life of the day. Without the tranquility and complete relaxation of the night, the city would not have the dazzling brilliance of the day.

When it was time to go to work during the day, Sister Li said:

“I’m the kind of person who can’t stop nagging once I start. After I called you last night, my husband scolded me, saying I was a piece of trash and that I wasn’t speaking like a human being and was trying to ruin you. How could I talk like that! Actually, what I wanted to tell you last night was that you’re having a tough time on your own. That pervert is so cruel to women, stripping them naked and forcing them to drink and play cards with him, slowly killing them. Who could stand that? Why don’t you go back to your parents’ house for a few days? Come back after this is over! But once I started talking, my mouth started running wild…”

He Fangmei smiled bitterly:

“How can I go back? My mom’s house has my younger brother, his wife, my sister, and their kids—seven or eight people crammed into a two-bedroom apartment. As the eldest sister, how could I possibly go back and join in the fun?”

"You're just always so stubborn! Actually, I've already moved halfway back home. If your brother-in-law is on night shift, I'll go home. I don't care! It's seven or eight people crammed together! What can we do? Survival is the most important thing!"

Later, Sister Li quietly pulled He Fangmei aside and whispered in her ear:

"Guess! Guess quickly! What was that good news I told you about yesterday?"