Три призрака города

Глава 20

"Hey, daughter, is that guy your boyfriend? You didn't even tell your mom, are you having a secret relationship?"

No, that's not it.

"Alright, I get it. That kid's not bad. Two PhDs at 24. Is he some kind of bookworm with thick glasses? I initially thought he was in his thirties or forties. Daughter, never fall for a bookworm! Look at Old Liu's son-in-law next door, he doesn't know anything, all he does is read. I hate guys like that..."

"No, he's not wearing glasses, and he doesn't look like him." I looked at Gu Ming, then thought of Old Liu's son-in-law next door, and suddenly felt incredibly lucky.

"That's good. You're quite good at flattering me. I'm quite pleased with your flattery."

"good."

"Are you rich? You have two PhDs, how much is your annual salary? Do you have a car and a house? It's okay if you don't, you'll have them sooner or later."

"Mom... this... aren't we being a bit too materialistic?"

"Snobbish? Not at all, this is a serious issue."

"Don't think about it too much now."

"How could you be so silly? If there's something good, you should seize it. Aunt Wang across the street said something insightful to me the other day that I should have told you sooner."

"What did you say?"

"Whether you need to poop or not, just reserve the toilet!"

I was speechless. I decided that from now on, I would never let my mom get too close to Aunt Wang...

April 13, 2005, Another World Forum

I came to the mountains and forests, where flowers, grass and trees filled my eyes.

Yesterday, after a flight of more than an hour and then a car ride, Gu Ming said he would take me to a scenic spot. I was a little tired, so I fell asleep in the car without asking any questions. When I woke up, it was already 3 a.m., which meant it was the 13th. I found myself lying quietly in a bamboo house, with insects chirping softly outside. Looking at the rustic furnishings around me, I knew I was definitely not in the city.

I sat there in a daze for a while, and then three questions popped into my head: 1. Where did Gu Ming go? 2. Where exactly is this place? 3. How did he move me here?

I had just gotten up when I heard the door creak open. The protagonist of one of my questions walked in to answer my second and third questions. He said, "This is a forest outside Suzhou, untouched by human hands. It's so secluded that only the Gu family knows the entrance. I wanted to wake you up, but someone was drooling in their sleep, so I had to use some strength and magic to move you here. You're heavy..."

Automatically filtering out the sarcasm in Gu Ming's words, I jumped to the doorway and looked outside. I was stunned and didn't move for a long time. The pitch-black night sky and endless twinkling stars filled my eyes. A crescent moon hung on the horizon, its light shining down, but it was blocked by the branches and leaves of tall trees, leaving a mottled pattern on the ground. A gentle breeze rustled, and the fragrance of flowers, trees, and grass mixed with the scent of earth wafted into my nostrils. The chirping of insects came from an unknown place, further highlighting the tranquility and peace. I leaned against the bamboo door, feeling as if I were in a fairyland in another world. I had never seen such a scene in my life.

Gu Ming quietly hugged me from behind and whispered in my ear with a smile, "I knew you'd be stunned."

I blinked, reluctant to look away. "How can there be such a place? Even primeval forests aren't this beautiful and pristine. Has no one ever discovered it?"

Gu Ming tightened his arms around me, his hair falling on my neck, tickling me. He said, "From the outside, this is just a deserted hill, but the world is so wonderful. When you touch a certain magic, and use some abilities, you can open up a new world."

I nodded; this was indeed no ordinary tourist attraction.

“When dawn breaks, it will be a different scene altogether,” Gu Ming continued behind me. “When I was little, my uncle left me here to cultivate. At first, I was very excited, thinking how wonderful it would be to live here forever. But after a few months, I realized that even the most beautiful scenery can become tiresome. Alone in the mountains watching the sunrise and sunset, although I was cultivating my mind, I always felt that there was an empty space in my heart, and I didn’t know how to fix it. I was too young then, and I just thought it was because my cultivation was not enough. Later, as I grew older, I still came here every year. That’s when I slowly realized that there was an empty space in my heart.” It was reserved for someone, kept since birth, as if preordained in a past life. So I thought that if one day I met the person destined for my heart, I would bring her here, and the two of us would spend our lives here. Even as spring and autumn change, summer insects and winter days remain the same year after year, my heart would never feel empty again. Later, my uncle told me about the Gu family's mission. I was somewhat resentful then. Although I knew the importance of protecting the spirits of the two eminent monks, the thought of never being able to leisurely laze around here with someone again made me very depressed. So, before, it was always my cousin watching you from the shadows…”

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Gu Ming suddenly asked.

I paused for a moment, then said, "Let's go to the station. I'll go to Moonlight to see Jia Yanchang."

A soft chuckle came close to her ear. "Yes, that was when I first met you. I saw you standing there with your back to me, looking lost and confused. I wondered if this person was the reincarnation of the spirit that the Gu family was supposed to protect? Why did you not seem to have any spiritual power at all? Later, you turned around and looked around, and it took you a while to remember to ask for directions. I stood there secretly laughing. It wasn't until you followed me through alley after alley that you remembered to be on guard that I realized how careless and negligent this person was. Since you are a member of the Gu family, you have to protect this spirit for the rest of your life."

"You don't resent that I've taken up your time and made it impossible for you and someone else to spend your whole life here?"

"Didn't I tell you? That place in my heart that someone had reserved was filled long ago when I saw that confused idiot on that rainy morning. There were no complaints or feelings of sadness then. I just kept secretly smiling, waiting for the day I would bring that person here. At that time, I even felt honored for the mission of taking care of the family for the first time."

"..."

"What kind of look is that? Shouldn't you be kissing me now, feeling touched?" Gu Ming turned my head and asked strangely.

I looked at him for a long time before finally asking, "Gu Ming, you've resented me for over twenty years, so why should I kiss you?"

Gu Ming blinked, his lips twitching as he pinched my cheek hard, yelling, "I knew it! I knew it! I shouldn't have talked so much nonsense with you, you heartless brat!!!!!!!!!!"

Afterwards, I didn't want to go back inside to sleep, so I sat by the door leaning against Gu Ming, watching the stars. Among the countless stars, there must be one that's the Little Prince's planet. Every day, the Little Prince carries his little stool to watch the same sunrise and sunset. His star has a rose on it; if you fall in love with a rose on a star, then the whole star becomes dazzling and beautiful in your eyes. Just like Gu Ming and me. If it weren't for that warm shoulder behind me, I probably wouldn't be able to happily watch the stars on a night like this, wanting to spend my whole life like this. If happiness could be described by shape, it would probably be the shape of a star…

When it was dawn, I realized I had fallen asleep. I turned around, still wearing my clothes, and saw Gu Ming smiling at me with his eyes half-open. He reached out and gently put the MP3 earphones into my ears, and music began to flow.

Kiss me, goodbye, gone too soon

I did give you my heart can't deny

Hold on, let go, never sure

Only can make believe all this time

Coffee, cigarettes, not my style

Pretty faces around but not right

Don't cry, won't cry, I won't cry

Be with you I just close my eyes

So far away I can hardly make you mine

So long the day you were always on my mind

But in my dreams never try to hold you tight

Don't want awake find you ain't here by my side

So far away I can hardly make you mine

So long the day you were always on my mind

But in my dreams never try to hold you tight

Don't want awake find you ain't here by my side

When I wake up hope you were here by my side.....

When I wake up, I hope you're by my side...

I became a pervert on April 14, 2005.

Today is my second day in the mountains, a day that has been mentally tormenting for me.

Yesterday, Gu Ming only took me for a walk around the neighborhood. This morning, he asked if I wanted to explore the deeper parts of the mountains, where there were things I had never seen before. I nodded in agreement, and so, starting at eight o'clock, I encountered the following events:

1. Peach blossoms.

After walking for more than half an hour, I suddenly saw several peach trees with blossoms in full bloom, bright pink. I couldn't help but sigh that while the flowers of April have all faded in the human world, the peach blossoms in the mountain temple are just beginning to bloom.

In the spirit of environmental protection, I simply brought my face close to smell it, but then I heard a "smack," felt a slight pain on my face, widened my eyes, and saw the peach blossom under my nose trembling, its petals turning blood red. Then a soft, trembling voice said, "Pervert, why are you so close to me? Are you trying to kiss me?"

I darted behind Gu Ming and peeked out, asking, "Did you hear anything?"

Gu Ming said, "I heard it, the peach blossom spirit called you a pervert."

I think the world is very chaotic.

II. Willow tree.

I casually brushed past a leaf, but a willow branch lashed my arm, saying, "What are you doing touching my little hand? You pervert!"

Gu Ming said, "That's a willow tree spirit."

I really want to bang my head against the wall.

3. Cicadas.

When I was little, I loved catching cicadas. In the summer, when my mom was taking a nap, I would secretly catch them and put them near her ear to make them sing. My mom would jump up and get very angry, then chase me around with a fly swatter and hit my bottom.

Today, I saw a cicada and couldn't resist reaching out my hand. Just as my fingers were about to touch the cicada, a deep voice said, "Pervert, you even want to molest us cicadas."

Gu Ming laughed until his stomach hurt, and I felt like crying when I looked at that cicada.

IV. Squirrels.

I obediently avoided anything that might make a sound, following behind Gu Ming, tiptoeing carefully. Suddenly, a squirrel jumped in front of us, staring at me with its round little eyes. After a while, it said, "Gu Ming's girlfriend walks as stealthily as a weasel."

Then she rolled her eyes at me and jumped away...

April 15, 2005 was not a peaceful day.

This morning, I packed my things and forced Gu Ming to take me away.

In the middle of the night, I was half asleep when I found two white figures by my bed. One of the white figures said to the other, "Look, this is Gu Ming's girlfriend. She's fat and clumsy, not as good as our Xiao Bai."

"Of course! Little White may be clumsy, but it's still a white fox. Gu Mingzhen has no taste, he's an idiot!"

"When it gets light, let's turn Xiaobai into human form and seduce Gu Ming back."

"I think this is a great idea..."

Gu Ming smiled as he packed his things, then pulled me to stand in the center of the room, muttering incantations. In an instant, the scenery before my eyes began to sway, and I felt weightless. I gripped Gu Ming's hand tightly, closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, I was at the foot of a small, desolate mountain. It was truly mysterious.

We arrived in Suzhou city at noon, and there were beautiful women everywhere, all pretty and charming. I suggested that after lunch we sit by the roadside and enjoy the view, which would be better than going to see any Suzhou gardens. Gu Ming looked down on my idea and rejected it!

In the afternoon, I visited some scenic spots, including the Suzhou gardens from my junior high school Chinese textbook. But as I entered one, I suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. The corridors, the buildings, even the carvings on the windows—everything seemed familiar, as if I'd seen it somewhere recently. After telling Gu Ming my thoughts, I suddenly remembered Er Gou Manor. Yes, Er Gou Manor. I'd thought the architecture there was unique then, but I never imagined it would be so similar to the Suzhou gardens. Perhaps it was the result of the manor's previous owner imitating it. I nodded slightly, but then something else suddenly occurred to me, and my heart skipped a beat.

"Gu Ming, the female ghost from Er Gou Manor!" I shouted.

Gu Ming was taken aback, looked at me, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes. "You actually forgot about her."

"Who exactly is she? Do you remember the shadowy figure who rescued her that night? Was it Xiao Bi or Deng Fei?"

Gu Ming frowned as he looked at me, and after thinking for a while, he said in a low voice, "No."

I paused, a bad feeling swirling in my mind. If that dark figure wasn't Xiao Bi and his group, meaning it wasn't Fu Yi and the others who did it, then who was the female ghost and the mastermind behind the inexplicable appearance at Er Gou Manor? How many people in this world possess such a powerful aura? At that time, Xiao Bi had just gone missing, and everyone was focused on that, completely overlooking what happened then.

Gu Ming seemed to have thought of something, and took out his phone to dial a number.

"Hello, Aunt Gao, this is Gu Ming."

"..."

"Yes, I found it. Thank you for your concern. I'd like to ask if anything has happened at the resort recently?"