Chapter 4: The Drums of Retreat

  I remember more than a decade ago, when I was still very young, small bottled white wine was rarely seen. At that time, there was a kind of white wine called "Yi Di Xiang" in half catty small bottles that was selling extremely well on the market.

  At that time, a drop of Xiang was something only rich people could afford to drink, ordinary people didn't even dare to think about it. In my memory, when I was in the first year of junior high school, our principal was extremely corrupt, and many people gave him gifts, including small bottles of white wine like this one. Because I was curious about such a precious thing, I paid special attention to this kind of wine every time, and at that time, I always thought about when I could sneak into the principal's place to steal a bottle and taste what it tasted like.

  The problem is that this liquor was discontinued eight or nine years ago and it's impossible for it to exist on the market today.

  Could it be that this young man hid the wine? Impossible! Who would hide this kind of small-bottled white wine for no reason? If you're going to hide wine, it should be a proper and authentic famous wine!

  I recall that when I entered the small wooden house, he followed me stealthily, and I felt an inexplicable discomfort all over my body.

  Isn't that young man an extraordinary person? No! Could it be that he isn't human?!

  The more I recall the various things that happened before and after, the more I feel that something is not right, my body is as stiff as a corpse!

  At this moment, I really want to run out of this small wooden house and don't want to stay here for another second. This is not working, it's challenging my brain nerves! But as soon as I think of Old Yin's previous instructions, I dare not move. I cannot guarantee that if I leave this small wooden house ahead of time, something strange will happen. What if something really happens, this is not what I want to see...

  I glanced at the watch on my wrist, now it's 3:50, only ten minutes left until four o'clock. So I tried to calm myself down and kept telling myself in my heart that there were only ten minutes left, after ten minutes I could get out of here. After getting out, I would never work here again, even if Yin Lao Liu threatened me with that thing, I would ask him to let me go! This money is not easy to earn, this is not earning money, it's earning stimulation!

  These last ten minutes are simply torture for me, I deeply understand what "every minute feels like a year" means...

  One minute... one minute...... I was counting the seconds, staring at my watch, waiting for four o'clock to arrive. As I counted the seconds, I also prayed that nothing scary would appear in these last few minutes.

  Finally, staring at the watch on my wrist until four o'clock, I jumped down from the chair like flying. Picking up the flashlight and keys on the table, pushing open the door of the small wooden house, not even locking the door, I rushed towards my home.

  The journey back home usually takes forty or fifty minutes, but I ran all the way and got home in less than twenty minutes.

  It was still early, and my parents were not yet awake. I didn't disturb them, but instead went back to my own room, climbed onto the kang where I slept, grabbed a thick quilt and covered my head with it.

  I was hiding under the quilt, completely frightened and trembling all over my body. I didn't know if everything that happened in the middle of the night was real or just a prank by Old Six. But it was really too scary, especially what the driver, Zhao Yang, said as he left: "You dare to earn money from the dead, are you tired of living?" It kept echoing in my mind for a long time.

  I don't know why Old Yin asked me to do this chore in the middle of the night, but I told myself that when dawn breaks, I'll go find Old Yin at the small wooden hut below North Mountain Cemetery and tell him that I won't be able to do this job anymore!

  I couldn't stay in bed for less than half an hour. Now I must go find Yin Lao Liu, yes! Go now, I can't wait a moment longer.

  So I hurriedly lifted up the quilt and then got out of bed. After that, I was ready to head towards the cemetery where Yin Laoliu was.

  Just as I was about to leave, my parents woke up too. Seeing me heading out, my mother asked me: "Xiao Dong, what time do you get off work? Why are you going out again?"

  I didn't even have time to turn my head back, I just said with my back to her: "I'm going to ask Grandpa something, you guys don't need to bother about me."

  On the way to the cemetery, I became more and more flustered. At the same time, I began to question Yin Laoliu's identity.

  What is he doing? Why did he make me run to be a matchmaker in the middle of the night? And, since his grave sales are so hot, he must have made a lot of money. But why does he still live in that small wooden house in the North Mountain Cemetery? Who dares to sleep with a group of dead people's graves normally?!

  As I was wandering in thought, I unknowingly arrived at the cemetery of Beishan.

  At this time, the sky had already turned white, so I was no longer afraid of this gloomy cemetery. Taking three steps at a time, I quickly arrived at the small wooden hut below the cemetery.

  But what made me desperate was that the small wooden house door was actually locked, and Yin Lao Liu was obviously not there!

  This old fellow won't let me be. Just as I was wondering what to do, I found a yellow paper stuck on the door of the small wooden house with a string of phone numbers left on it.

  That's right, it was a phone number written on yellow paper, the kind used for burning by the dead.

  I didn't care what kind of paper it was written on, I quickly dialed the phone number on it.

  After a ringing sound, the phone connected.

  I hastily shouted into the phone: "Is this Yin Laoliu?"

  "Oh! I'm Yin Lao Liu, who are you? What brings you to me? Forget about buying a grave site, I'm not selling any recently. Even if you offer one million, I won't sell."

  "No, it's me, Ge Dong!" I hastily replied when I realized it was Yin Laoliu.

  "Oh! It's you! Little guy, how was last night's work?"

  When Old Six Yin heard that it was me, I could clearly feel that his tone when saying this was quite different from usual, specifically where it was different, for the time being, I really couldn't say...

  "Uncle Yin, what kind of errand have you arranged for me? Tell me honestly, are the people coming from that wooden house at the crossroads human?"

  "Of course it's a person, could it be a ghost?" Yin Lao Liu replied nonchalantly on the other end of the phone.

  "I'm telling you, they're ghosts! Those two people who came in the middle of the night were not normal guys. One should have been a dead bus driver and the other was drinking white wine that stopped production eight or nine years ago. What else could they be if not ghosts?!" I shouted at Yin Laoliu with some annoyance.

  "Listen to me, Yin Lao Liu slowly replied: "What ghosts or not, they are all human! Besides, how do you know they're dead? Have you seen it with your own eyes? Don't talk nonsense if you haven't seen it!"

  "But they're not normal at all! Master Yin, I think I won't be able to handle this job anymore, please let me off!"

  "Can't go on? The contract has been signed, do you want to pay the breach of contract penalty? Let me tell you, your parents have already accumulated a lot of debt in order to support your university education, do you still want them to sell their pots and pans to help you pay off the penalty? Besides, are you trying to get me to expose that matter?"

  When I heard Old Man Yin say that, I was so scared: "Old Man Yin, you can't do this! I beg of you not to spread it around, or else our family will be finished!"

  "That's okay, as long as you do a good job, I won't tell anyone. When the time comes and you've done well, aside from your salary, I can give you whatever you want - a car, a house, anything."

  "I..."

  I don't care about the treatment from Old Yin Liu at all, to be honest, I really can't do this job anymore. But I know that if Old Yin Liu really talks about that thing, the consequences will definitely be unbearable for me.

  "Listen, what are you talking about? They're all human beings! Besides, how do you know they're dead? Have you seen it with your own eyes? Don't talk nonsense if you haven't!"

  "But they're not normal at all! Master Yin, I think I won't be able to handle this job, please let me off!"

  "Can't go on? The contract has been signed, do you want to pay the breach of contract penalty? Let me tell you, your parents have already accumulated a lot of debt outside to support your university education. Do you still want them to sell their pots and pans to help you pay off the penalty? Besides, are you going to let me spread that thing around?"

  When I heard Old Man Yin say that, I was so scared: "Old Man Yin, you can't do this! I beg of you not to spread it around, or else our family will be finished!"

  "That's okay, as long as you do a good job, I won't tell anyone. When the time comes and you've done well, aside from your salary, I can give you whatever you want - a car, a house, anything."

  "I..."

  I don't care about the treatment from Old Yin Liu at all, to be honest, I really can't do this job anymore. But I know that if Old Yin Liu really talks about that thing, the consequences will definitely be unbearable for me.

  I haven't spoken for a long time, and Yin Lao Liu's tone suddenly became extremely gentle as he said to me: "Ge Dong, maybe this job makes you feel uncomfortable. How about this? I'll give you two days off, and after that, you can calm down and come back to work?"

  Yin Lao Liu gave me two days off, and I was overjoyed. So I hurriedly replied: "Thank you so much, Grandpa Yin."

  Since I agreed, Old Yin asked me again: "Little guy, did you lock the door of the small wooden house when you got off work? There are many snakes, insects and ants around the house, don't let unclean things in."

  Lock the door?

  As soon as Old Six mentioned locking the door, I suddenly remembered that when I left the small wooden house in a hurry, I forgot to lock the door. So I replied to him:

  "Oh no! Master Yin, you left in such a hurry last night and forgot to lock the door. I'll go lock it now, I'll go lock it now!"

  Having said that, I was about to hang up the phone and head to the small wooden house to lock the door, but unexpectedly Yin Lao Liu suddenly called out to me.

  "Don't go! Don't go at all! You don't need to lock the door, I'll do it. Ge Dong, remember from now on, you must lock the door when you leave work, or else... or else..."

  "Or what?" I asked further.

  "Alas! You shouldn't know this! Anyway, remember to lock the door after work from now on, don't forget!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, Yin Lao Liu hung up the phone with a "click".

  Yin Lao Liu's answer made me feel that this matter was shrouded in mystery, but I didn't want to investigate further. It would be better if I didn't go there at all. That place is somewhere I really don't want to go, even during the day.

  But since Old Yin agreed to give me two days off, I'll use these two days to go for a walk in the county.

  There is something very important that I must go and confirm in person, this matter cannot be delayed, I need to know the truth. If you think it's great! Then please recommend the URL of this site to your friends to watch together!