Yin Shou Shu

Chapter 5 The Strict Father I Have Never Met

Under the dim light, the crying child was surrounded by the elders of the family.

The two old people started shouting and cursing loudly, and their son and daughter-in-law who were in the middle were unable to stop them.

The crying of children, the scolding of old people, the tired voice of middle-aged men trying to stop a quarrel... In the bustling and noisy room, no one paid attention to Ran Qing in the corner.

At this moment, Ran Qing was stunned when he heard his father's solemn voice coming from the other end of the phone.

His father was not surprised at all that he saw his mother's body!

And seems very nervous!

Ran Qing was in a trance, as if he was back at his grandmother's bedside before her death, seeing the old woman with cloudy eyes and frail body mumbling instructions...

"...If you encounter something you shouldn't see and there's really no other way, go find your dad."

"He is still your father, don't hate him."

My grandmother at that time might have foreseen the situation today.

Is there really a reason why my mother disappeared after her death?
Ran Qing clenched the microphone tightly, his heart was completely tightened, and his throat became dry.

The man on the other end of the phone spoke slowly in a serious tone.

"Can you tell me about your current situation? How did you meet your mother?"

Ran Qing's eyes could see dead objects, and his father naturally knew about it.

This saved Ran Qing a lot of effort.

Ran Qing silently looked up and glanced at the quarreling Chen family. Seeing that no one paid attention to him, he clenched the microphone and lowered his voice to tell what happened tonight.

The strange old man who appeared at the door, the girl in school uniform, and the body of the mother who was hanged in the rental house overgrown with vegetation...

Ran Qing's voice was low, but he spoke very quickly.

The events of tonight were so numerous, so complex, and so chaotic that Ran Qing was completely bewildered. However, his expressive skills, which had earned him high marks in composition since childhood, came into play. Even though Ran Qing spoke instinctively and without much reflection, he still managed to recount what had happened in a coherent and logical manner.

The man on the other end of the phone understood the situation.

His tone became more serious, even sounding a little impatient.

"When you hang up the phone, go back to your room and lock the doors and windows. No matter what noise you make, don't open the door or go out again."

The man's hurried voice was mixed with the rustling sound of clothes being put on.

He was talking on the phone while getting dressed in a hurry.

At this moment, the tired voice of the male colleague rang on the phone: "Where are you going dressed at this time of night? Is it daybreak?"

The man on the other end of the phone said, "Something happened at home. I have to go back quickly."

After dealing with his colleagues, the man's voice appeared in the microphone again.

But this time the voice was much lower.

"...If you see your mother's body again, don't touch it! Don't even get close to it!"

"You are right to dodge, you must dodge!"

"Once those things die, they are no longer our relatives. Any contact or approach to them will bring danger."

"I'm leaving now to catch the nearest train back to Yuezhao. I should arrive at noon tomorrow. I'll pick you up at the gate of your school this afternoon."

"As for tonight, that thing came once, and it probably won't come a second time."

"But you'd better not go out, don't run around, hold the mirror, and don't sleep tonight."

"Remember, keep the lights on in the room. Don't sleep. You must stay awake and never fall asleep!"

"If you have a flashlight, keep one with you in case of a power outage."

"As for the old man downstairs, don't bother with him. He's not coming towards you, so if you don't provoke him, nothing will happen!"

The man gave a lot of instructions in a hurried tone, not giving Ran Qing any chance to ask questions.

When Ran Qing tried to ask more questions after he finished speaking, the man interrupted Ran Qing again impatiently and domineeringly: "Did you hear what I just said? Repeat it to me!"

The man's domineering behavior was beyond Ran Qing's expectations.

The father in his memory was a silent, withdrawn, and introverted man who would quietly do his own thing and never quarreled or conflicted with others.

This taciturn man had a weak presence in Ran Qing's childhood memories. He had never seen such a father before, and this was the first time he was scolded rudely and impatiently.

Ran Qing's heart tightened, and he instinctively obeyed his father's orders, repeating what his father had just said.

After hearing what Ran Qing repeated, the man on the other end of the phone said, "Okay! Just remember this! Now put down the phone immediately and go back upstairs."

"Don't stay in this room downstairs any longer!" "Lock the doors and windows, don't sleep, I'll pick you up tomorrow afternoon!"

After saying that, without giving Ran Qing a chance to ask again, the man hung up the phone in a hurry.

Listening to the dull sound of "beep-beep-beep" coming from the microphone.

Ran Qing was silent for a long time, and instinctively stretched out his finger, wanting to call back and ask for clarification.

He was still confused and at a loss.

He desperately wanted to know about his mother, why he could see his mother, and why his mother was hanging over his head.

But the moment Ran Qing's hand touched the microphone, the lonely and indifferent face of the man in his memory suddenly appeared in front of him. The indifference and alienation in his eyes made Ran Qing lose all his strength in an instant.

His hand froze in the air for a while, and finally fell down weakly.

Ran Qing didn't ask any more questions and turned to find Lao Chen's wife to pay the phone bill.

"The long-distance fare is three dollars and fifty cents, and the local fare is fifty cents, a total of four dollars."

Old Chen's wife looked at the call time in surprise and said, "Why are you calling long distance so late at night? What's going on?"

Ran Qing smiled bitterly and stiffly, unable to answer the question, and could only mumble something to deal with it.

After paying the hefty four-dollar phone bill, he quietly walked out of the house.

On the cement yard outside the door, a terrifying old man in shroud stood there coldly, with nothing under his right ankle.

When Ran Qing walked out, the old man's cloudy and empty eyes looked straight at him, and the cold and disgusting chill that only came from facing a dead object instantly attacked Ran Qing's back.

But Ran Qing acted as if he didn't see anything and went up the stairs on his own.

The cold gaze continued behind him, and goose bumps appeared on Ran Qing's skin under his clothes. His face turned ashen in the dark, and even his hands and feet began to stiffen when he climbed the stairs.

The old man was looking at him.

And I've been looking at him!

Could it be that this old man has already discovered his abnormality?
Ran Qing's heart was pounding. After realizing that he might have been discovered, a strong sense of crisis came over him, and Ran Qing suddenly had the urge to run away.

But the remaining rationality made Ran Qing try his best to suppress the fear in his heart and not dare to make any unusual movements.

Any unusual movement at this time would be courting death!

Dragging his stiff limbs, Ran Qing finally climbed to the second floor.

The moment he entered the dark corridor, the old man downstairs's view was blocked by the house, and the cold and creepy gaze behind Ran Qing disappeared.

At this moment, Ran Qing, standing in the dark corridor, felt like he had survived a disaster and almost collapsed.

This terrifying old man is even scarier than expected.

The second-floor corridor that used to be so annoying now seemed familiar, even the faint smell of urine floating in the air.

Ran Qing hurriedly crossed the corridor, pushed open the half-open, shabby wooden door at the end of the corridor, and locked himself in the room.

Looking at the rental house illuminated by light bulbs, and the familiar sheets, quilt covers, tables and chairs inside the rental house... this familiar and friendly scene gave Ran Qing a sense of security as if he had returned to a safe haven.

He let out a long sigh, and finally collapsed on the bed, holding his chest and gasping for breath.

The experience of facing that strange dead creature was much more terrifying than I had imagined.

The thing I encountered tonight, as people say... is a ghost?

The association of this word brought a chill.

Ran Qing quickly shook his head, throwing the horrible association out of his mind, and dared not think about it anymore.

What happened tonight was already terrible, he couldn't scare himself anymore.

After lying on the bed and gasping for breath for several times, Ran Qing did not dare to delay. He struggled to get up and prepared everything according to his father's instructions.

Turn on the lights in the room, even the desk lamp, so that the entire rental apartment is illuminated. Keep a flashlight and mirror nearby, within easy reach, and lock all the doors and windows.

After doing all this, Ran Qing didn't make any sound. He sat silently on the edge of the wooden bed, staring straight at the night sky outside, and began to wait.

As long as he can get through tonight, he will be fine tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I will meet that man.

How long has it been since Ran Qing last saw her father after he remarried?
The last time we met, Ran Qing seemed to still be in the voice change stage. At that time, his voice was hoarse, like a drake with its neck pinched...

Under the dim light, Ran Qing was lost in thought.

This night was extremely difficult.

(End of this chapter)