22nd (Police 4)

  Han Weidong walked in with a dazed expression, and Liu Yidong said, "You're always talking about the story of Gu Cun's wedding ten years ago. This place is getting married again."

  Han Weidong said, "Don't talk nonsense, this place has been deserted for ten years."

  Liu Yidong said, listen to him tell you.

  I repeated what I said in detail, and Han Weidong said, "What about that skirt? The red skirt you mentioned? Let me see it."

  I remembered that skirt, I was going to burn it, but before I had a chance to do so, I picked it up and threw it under the bed. I reached down and pulled it out, shaking it with my hand. I saw Officer Han's face change color. He said, "Damn it, hurry up and tell Captain, it's this skirt, damn it, hurry up."

  He picked up the walkie-talkie and shouted, "Li team leader, Li team leader, come back quickly, there's a new discovery."

  The radio said that a body has been found, and the forensic doctor initially identified it as a suicide by hanging. What have you found there? I'll bring people back now.

  Han Weidong said, "Do you still remember the ancient village massacre ten years ago? The red skirt that bride wore has appeared again, damn it, exactly the same, scared me to death."

  Han Weidong put down the walkie-talkie and was still in a state of shock, but Liu Yidong was not so tense. He told me that at that time he had just started working, this was the first case handled by Da Dong's office. Ten years ago, he had just started working, and Gucun village still had people living there.

  Liu Yidong looked at Han Weidong and said, "What did I say?"

  Han Weidong waved his hand, and Liu Yidong said that ten years ago, he received a report saying that an ancient village had a serial murder case, and more than ten people died. The town had never had such a serious criminal case before, and everyone who was there at the time came running over. Daeung had just started working and also came along. When I arrived, I saw a woman wearing red clothes, it was this skirt, looking like a new bride, she was holding a pig-killing knife in her hand, and when she saw people, she chased after them. It's actually quite strange that a woman killed so many people without any man stopping her? Later, the police shot the person dead, and only then did they find out that no one dared to stop her, saying that this woman was a vengeful spirit who had come back for revenge.

  Han Weidong said, "Forget it, forget it, I'll say it. What you're saying is all wrong. This woman was a human being, not some kind of evil spirit. The forensic doctor had already made the identification at the time, and she died on the spot. However, there's another rumor going around in the village. First, this woman didn't get married that day, but seven days prior. The villagers wouldn't talk about her wedding ceremony, and after our investigation, we still couldn't figure out who the groom was. But what the kids said was a bit frightening - the bride had gotten married by herself in an ancient temple, without a groom, definitely not to someone from this village. This ancient village has always been mysterious, with many legends. It's said that every ten years, there's a wedding ceremony, and it's always this strange kind of wedding. Now let's calculate... exactly ten years."

  I feel a chill run down my spine and ask in a low voice, "You say this wedding is the same as that one? What's going on with that wedding?"

  Han Weidong said that at the time, we didn't understand what happened during our investigation, and the deceased's family members didn't pursue it either. No one cooperated with us on this matter. After this incident, however, the old village gradually became uninhabited, and everyone moved away. It is said...this place is haunted.

  I recall that evening when I saw four black shadows carrying a sedan chair. Now that I think about it... what exactly were those black shadows?

  I said, why are you so afraid when you see this red skirt?

  Han Weidong said, "How can my mom not be afraid? The woman back then was the one I killed. In this lifetime, I only fired two shots and the only person I killed is... My impression is too deep, really, after all these years, I've dreamed of that red skirt countless times, exactly the same skirt, that woman... Never mind, it's too scary, I just said today that coming back here won't be good."

  Liu Yidong patted Han Weidong's shoulder and said, "What are you afraid of? You're a police officer, even gods and ghosts will give way to you. Let's take this skirt away, and as for your friend, we'll probably have to ask him some more questions."

  I let out a sound and handed over the skirt saying, can I stay in the room? She basically didn't remember anything, I was afraid she would feel scared.

  Han Weidong said, you still have a heart, did you know each other before?

  I said, I grew up in this village when I was a kid, she is my childhood friend.

  Han Weidong said, did you grow up in this village?

  I hastily said I left early and moved away twenty years ago, so I don't know what happened ten years ago.

  Han Weidong grunted and said, "Since everyone has left, why are you still coming back to this godforsaken place?"

  I lied and said that I had come back to visit my hometown, which had become a legendary "ghost village" online. As someone with a strong curiosity, how could I not return to take a look?

  Han Weidong said, "This time it's enough for you to write about for a while, isn't it? It's about death and also a strange wedding."

  I smiled and followed them to the side, knocked open Xiaoi's room, Xiaoi looked at the red skirt in Officer Han's hand with some surprise, then said, didn't you burn it?

  I said they would use it before the time came.

  Xiao Ai nodded and let everyone in. Liu Yidong said, "We just want to understand the situation that night. What did you see at the time?"

  Xiao Ai said, I don't remember, that night I had no impression at all, my memory started from the next day when I woke up.

  Liu Yidong hummed and said, "What about before? Why did you go into that temple?"

  Xiao Ai said, I don't know either.

  Liu Yidong said, "Then why did you come to this ancient village?"

  Xiao Ai looked at me and whispered that in her dream, there was always a woman wearing red clothes who told her to come back and get married.

  I heard Officer Han say "my god" and then pulled Liu Yidong, shaking his head. Liu Yidong said, "Alright, that's all for now, we'll take our leave first, you lock the door yourself."

  Xiao Ai nodded, and I followed her out. Officer Han pulled me aside and said in a low voice, "Ten years ago, that wedding, we found out it was seven days before the case happened. Remember? Seven days before."

  I was stunned and said, seven days?

  Korean police officer said, on the seventh day, the soul will return.

  After finishing, he shook his head and said to me, "We're going to investigate others. You stay in the room honestly and don't go anywhere. The suicide case is urgent now, and the wedding thing is just a rumor."

  I nodded and returned to the room, where I couldn't sit still. Listening to the sound of people coming and going outside, but unable to go out, I felt that the police had been bothering me for a long time. After being restless in the house for a long time, I finally picked up my phone and started flipping through the county annals I took. The photos were too small and couldn't be seen clearly, so I copied the photos to my laptop and looked at them on the computer for half a day.

  Then felt tired, and lay in bed using mobile phone for half a day.

  Then my eyes hurt, I continued to use the laptop to check, and so on, turning over and over, until more than 10 o'clock in the evening, someone knocked on the door and said that there was a gathering downstairs.

  I rushed downstairs, everyone was there, the police were also there. The leading old policeman said, "Thank you for your cooperation today. The case is still unclear and has been temporarily identified as a suicide. However, our forensic doctor is still conducting further identification, and the results will be out within three days. We require all of you to stay here for a few more days, waiting for our final notice, and we also hope that everyone can cooperate. Of course, if you want to leave, it's okay, this is not a mandatory order. But if the final result is homicide, we will first suspect the people who left. That's the situation, everyone rest, these two police officers will stay here to assist the hotel in maintaining order. It's still the same sentence, this is not mandatory, you are all not suspects now, I hope everyone can cooperate with our work and don't have any ideas."

  After finishing speaking, I saw that Han Weidong and Liu Yidong, two policemen, stayed behind, while everyone else left. The police sirens were loud, and the sound of cars gradually faded into the distance.

  Han Weidong waved his hand and said, "Everyone has worked hard today. Let's take a rest. If there's anything to discuss, we can talk about it tomorrow."

  The crowd dispersed and I returned to the room, picked up my phone and continued searching for news about Hongyicun that year. Maybe the words were too small, maybe my heart was too chaotic, or maybe there were just too many things happening today.

  I fell asleep in a daze.

  In my dream, I heard the ticking sound again. Then I saw a woman in red standing far away. She turned her head around and one of her eyes stared at me. I heard a voice coming over.

  Seven days back soul.

  Wait for me.