Chapter 5: The Old Mansion's Frightful Soul, I usually don't eat dinner

  Shen Lan walked out of the room. I slammed the desk lamp in annoyance and unexpectedly hit the bookshelf. All the books on the bookshelf fell down.

  I scrambled down from the bed in a flurry, relieved that I hadn't knocked over the bookshelf, otherwise, I wouldn't have just hurt my right foot, and might have really become a lonely ghost wandering this yard.

  I reluctantly picked up the books scattered on the ground one by one and put them back on the bookshelf.

  I cursed Shen Lan and his son furiously. You damned Shen Rukuan, you damned Shen Lan, if I don't beat you to death when I turn back, my surname won't be Shen anymore.

  I was sulking and tidying up the mess I had made, when I found a photo among the scattered books.

  Look at that photo, the yellowish stain should be a very old photo, black and white, the surrounding scenery is not clear, but fortunately, the faces of the people in the photo can still be seen clearly.

  A very delicate face, mixed with the shyness of a young boy, from his flat figure and slightly protruding Adam's apple, it can be seen that the owner of the photo is male. His hair is very short, combed to one side, wearing a sky blue long shirt, with a very pure smile, and eyes that seem to hold a dreamy innocence. It cannot be denied, this is an extremely heart-moving angelic boy, who is he? Is it Xiāo Mǎo?

  I flipped over the back of the photo in search of an answer.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, on the back of the photo there was a line of small characters, just as I had guessed: Taken in March 1932.

  What's wrong with him? He's just evil! For some reason, I have a faintly bitter feeling in my heart.

  I became curious about this woman named Ruo Wu, and from that pile of books, I picked out the notebook and sat by the window to continue flipping through it.

  "I've been imprisoned here for who knows how long, without seeing the sun or knowing the passage of time. This tiny space has cut me off from the world. Ah, I miss you so much, at least I can still think of you. I don't know if I'm about to die soon, and after I die, maybe I'll just rot away into a pile of decaying flesh... I'm exhausted, my life's journey is almost over, and I'm quietly waiting for the moment of death to arrive. But I'm so scared, can't help but think of you... I need you, only you... The one truth that cannot be hidden is that I miss you so much."

  As I closed the notebook, I felt a sense of sorrow quietly flowing around me. What had happened to her after all? Who had imprisoned her here? Where had the person she longed for gone? Perhaps this garden was where she was originally imprisoned; otherwise, why would there be her diary in this house?

  Thinking of this, I feel a chill down my back. The strange white figure I saw last night wouldn't be the ghost of Yiwu, would it? Is the room I'm in now the same one where Yiwu used to live?

  I didn't dare to think any more and walked out of the room with a twist. The long corridor was still gloomy, even the luxurious lamp decorations and the lavish carpet seemed to reveal an inexplicable strangeness.

  Sunlight, I am eager to see sunlight now. I don't care about the pain in my feet, using all my might like a baby drinking milk, I rush downstairs wildly.

  I walked into the hall, which was empty and devoid of anyone. The floor-to-ceiling windows were shrouded in thick curtains, not a single ray of light seeping through. I wandered around the hall, feeling more helpless, lonely and powerless than ever before.

  "What the heck, the courtyard is so deep, how deep is it exactly? But not so deep that even sunlight can't get in, right?" I cursed to myself.

  "Clang! Clang! Clang……", the ancient bell in the hall suddenly rang out. The heavy sound almost made me collapse, I couldn't bear it anymore, and ignoring the pain of my injured foot, I fled the hall. At this moment, there was only one thought in my mind, which was to leave here, anywhere would do.

  I burst out of the iron gate, leaving that strange and desolate garden behind me. It was already summer, a scorching afternoon, cicadas shrilled in the trees, my sweat also flowed down my soaked back. I'm crazy, I thought to myself, although my mouth was dry and my tongue parched, my muscles exhausted, I couldn't stop moving.

  "Yu Ge, Yu Ge, Yu Ge, where are you going?"

  In a daze, I seemed to have heard Shen Lan's voice. I turned back with difficulty and saw Shen Lan catching up from behind in big strides.

  Is this an illusion? I stopped in my tracks, staring blankly at him: "Shen Lan, is that you?"

  "Yu Ge, what's wrong?" Shen Lan grabbed my shoulder.

  My tense nerves suddenly relaxed, I fell down, and before I fainted, I saw Shen Lan's anxious handsome face.

  Darkness, boundless darkness... I sit in the midst of darkness, unable to see the sky or earth, nor can I feel a hint of life. Everything around me is empty. I stretch out my hand to grasp, but there's nothing to grab onto. I'm like falling into an endless abyss, constantly plummeting downwards...

  "If you don't behave, you're unmarried and pregnant, losing face for our entire family. You refuse to repent, so you should be locked up in this courtyard! Let you not see the light of day!" A very stern voice sounded in my ear. Who is it? Who's talking to me? What's with "Ruo Wu", who's Ruo Wu again? I'm not your evil one, I'm Shen Shangyu...

  "Yu Ge, Yu Ge, wake up..."

  A loud shout awakened me from a terrifying dream, I opened my eyes in confusion, and once again saw that bookshelf. I was back, back in this room that had almost driven me to collapse.

  "Yu Ge, what's wrong with you? Just now, didn't you have a nightmare? You were shouting and yelling that you weren't some kind of evil spirit, saying you were Shen Shangyu..." Shen Lan helped me up and carefully placed a pillow behind my back. His thin face was full of concern.

  I recalled the terrifying dream I had earlier and smiled faintly, but I didn't intend to tell Shen Lan about the doubts that had been on my mind for the past two days.

  Because I don't know if Shen Lan is a person who believes in fate and supernatural things, if I tell him these things, he will only think that I am naive. After all, I can also be considered half his master.

  I carefully combed through my thoughts and calmed down. I remembered the old man's serious and solemn instructions when I was about to leave, and my own solemn promise. I decided to stay behind and not escape, no matter how many terrifying things there were in this old mansion, or how many unknown factors there were. Whether that figure in white was a ghost or a person, I would stay behind to investigate until the day the old man returned.

  I'm a policeman, and with a heart so timid, how can I go on to solve cases, how can I face those bloody scenes? I cannot let this slender boy in front of me laugh at me.

  I knew I was someone who wouldn't shed tears until they saw the coffin, even if it's really dangerous, I still want to face it, digging up secrets has always been my hobby.

  Luckily I heard Shen Lan tell me that his gloomy old dad has agreed to let him move into the old mansion to keep me company. So, the days at night won't be so hard to get through.

  After dark, Shen Rukuan came over to take a look at my leg injury, applied some medicine for me, and then turned around and left with a cold hum. His icy attitude made me very puzzled and mysterious. But in any case, I didn't want to retreat from this garden.

  Dinner was made by Shen Lan, unexpectedly this handsome and slender young man turned out to be a good cook, no worse than the boss of Tian's restaurant, Tian Dabang.

  Fragrant rice, one dish and one soup. Shen Lan just smiled at me eating, without moving his mouth.

  I found it strange and asked him: "Why aren't you eating?"

  Shen Lan replied strangely: "I usually don't eat."

  I almost dropped my chopsticks in shock, staring straight at Shen Lan. What the... does that even mean? You don't usually eat, so what do you eat, are you a god or something?

  Shen Lan saw the surprise on my face and explained: "Yu Ge, it's like this... I usually don't eat dinner..."

  So that's how it is, you scared me half to death.

  After dinner, I told Shen Lan that I would be going back to work at the unit tomorrow. I'll have breakfast and lunch in the county town, and only come home for dinner. If you have time, help me prepare dinner; if not, I'll do it myself when I get back.

  I took out 1,000 yuan and handed it to Shen Lan: "This is the dinner fee for this month. You take it for me and help me buy some vegetables from time to time."

  I saw Shen Lan's face reveal a terrified expression, and I thought to myself with satisfaction: "Wow, country bumpkin, haven't seen so much money before, have you?"

  Shen Lan hesitated for a moment, took the 1,000 yuan, nodded and indicated that he had heard.

  The old man has plenty of money, anyway he doesn't care if I have money or not. When I don't have money, a phone call and the old man will obediently send it over to me?