Chapter 6: Ghostly Shadows in the Old House

Guan Xinyue chatted with the person in charge of the teahouse for a while and formally requested some time off. By the time she walked back to the table, the teahouse's sound system had begun playing an album of guqin music.

She sat down at the table, and her spirits seemed to improve slightly. "Actually, I have already written the sequence of events on Weibo."

"I have read it," Luo Qi interjected, "but I still hope to hear it from you in person. Perhaps I can understand more details."

"Alright," she nodded, "but what I encountered can hardly be called a 'thing.' I don't know if you will be interested in hearing it, and honestly, there isn't much to tell; it's just a bit strange. When I mention it to others, they all think that young girls are naturally timid and suspicious, afraid of everything they see, so it's not worth mentioning at all."

"It doesn't matter," Luo Qi said sincerely. "If it were before, I might not have believed these things either, but ever since that mess happened last year, my way of thinking has changed. A girl's sixth sense is naturally well-developed; I wouldn't dare say that a girl's intuition is definitely an illusion."

Guan Xinyue gave him a grateful look, regaining some of her self-confidence. "I don't know where it is appropriate to start, but since you want me to tell it in detail, I will start from the beginning so you don't misunderstand. I'll start with the members of my family. When I was very, very young, Mama died. Baba didn't know how to take care of a child, so I grew up at Nainai and Yeye's house. There was also a Gugu in the family, who was brought over by my Houye."

"Wait," Luo Qi interrupted her, "who is your Houye?"

"My Houye," Guan Xinyue repeated. Seeing Luo Qi still blinking in confusion, she said, "Why are you so silly? There are stepmothers and stepfathers; what is wrong with me calling him Houye?"

"Oh," Luo Qi said, "I didn't expect your family to draw the lines of blood relations so clearly."

"He doesn't care anyway," Guan Xinyue said. "He was very average to me, but he liked my Nainai very much. When my Nainai was young, she played the pipa in our city's theater troupe. My Houye saw her on stage and fell in love at first sight, not caring that she was already married and had already given birth to my Baba at the time. But it's no wonder he fell in love with my Nainai; she was truly peerless in beauty back then. Out of ten men who saw her, nine would fall in love with her."

Speaking of this, she suddenly took out her phone, swiped the screen, and found a photo to show Luo Qi. It was a digital scan of an old photograph. In the photo, a woman wearing a qipao sat on a chair; the beauty of the old era was charming yet self-respecting, possessing a captivating allure. Luo Qi couldn't help but marvel, then handed the phone to Du Zhengyi to see.

The phone was passed back to Guan Xinyue. She took another look at the photo herself before satisfiedly closing it. Luo Qi had a feeling that she believed having such a Nainai was enough to prove that she also possessed excellent temperament, different from those coquettish, flashy women outside. He was never stingy about making a girl feel better, so he added at the right moment, "You really look like your Nainai."

Guan Xinyue smiled slightly; it was evident that something heavy was weighing on her heart, making it impossible for her to truly feel at ease no matter what.

She continued, "When my Baba was still small, Yeye died, and Nainai logically married my Houye. He was quite a wealthy man. I don't know what he did when he was young, but after Nainai married him, life seemed to get much better. If I had to force a criticism, it would be that his personality was a bit strange; he didn't like to talk much.

He had a house in the countryside not far outside the city. I always felt he preferred living in the countryside. As soon as my Baba got into university and left home, he took Nainai and moved to the countryside. When I lived at Nainai's house as a child, I lived in the countryside. By then, the Gugu my Houye brought over was already married, but she would sometimes come back for short stays, and she was nice to me. Back then, I often thought my family was truly special. Although I didn't have my parents by my side, and half the people under the same roof had no blood relation to the other half, we got along well, so I thought that everyone gathering together was fate. But perhaps with things like fate, there is always a time to scatter. One day, my Gugu suddenly died of a sudden illness. Houye's temperament changed drastically; he always felt Gugu's death had something to do with Gufu. Not long after, this Gufu of mine died too, and after another while, my Houye died as well. My Nainai moved back to the city to live with Baba and me, and everyone who had no blood relation to us just suddenly disappeared like that. Looking back, it was like a draft of wind in the summer."

Luo Qi made a couple of "mm" sounds at the right time to encourage Guan Xinyue to continue, but her way of telling the story was far too gloomy. It was like she was just telling people a series of nodes; although others understood the whole situation immediately and knew the family had suffered a tragedy, it was impossible to feel any particular sympathy. Because even the person telling the story had an indescribable coldness; even when he had told that casual story earlier, his emotions had been far richer than hers. Her subtext seemed to be that the people who died were not her real family, and she didn't truly care, which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

He wanted to say something to make her get to the point quickly and stop circling around the anemia-like insights of an adolescent girl. Just then, Du Zhengyi spoke up, which was unprecedented, and Luo Qi hurriedly listened intently.

"When did your Gugu pass away?" Du Zhengyi asked.

"When I was thirteen, exactly three years ago," Guan Xinyue thought for a moment, seemed to recall carefully for a while, and then said, "Gufu passed away about a year after that, in a fire. Houye died less than a month after Gufu, from alcohol poisoning. Only my Gugu, although she died very suddenly, was a normal death; the coroner said her heart had a congenital defect."

"What did you see before they died?" Du Zhengyi asked.

Guan Xinyue looked up at Du Zhengyi, her lips pressed tightly together. Her complexion was terrifyingly pale, yet an abnormal flush appeared on her cheeks. Du Zhengyi suddenly felt that when this young girl looked straight at someone, her eyes lacked many emotions; she seemed like nothing more than a girl's skin. She must have been suffering greatly; a massive ghost was constantly entwining her, and when she responded to it like this, it gained the upper hand, suppressing all the shyness, reserve, and innocent joy that belonged to a little girl until they were nowhere to be found. Her gaze and demeanor had changed, as if a mature woman who had experienced many vicissitudes was looking through her eyes at him, scrutinizing him.

"After my Gugu died, my Houye started drinking heavily. When he was sober, he would curse Gufu, saying he was the one who caused Gugu's death, but when he got drunk, he would start saying he himself had received retribution. I heard him say this when he first started, but I didn't pay it any mind. I thought that anyone who lives long enough probably has a few guilty secrets," Guan Xinyue said.

Luo Qi gave her a thumbs-up, "Wise beyond your years; that was well said."

"Don't," Guan Xinyue glanced at him and said listlessly, "don't mention the word 'ghost'."

Luo Qi still wanted to banter, but was glared at by Du Zhengyi and withered back.

Guan Xinyue steadied herself and continued, "But later I discovered that after Houye got drunk, he would always stare at the same corner of the room. Sometimes he would mutter as if chatting with someone, and other times he would whine and cry; it sounded like he was begging for forgiveness. It was truly terrifying. Later, one day, I finally thought, could it be..."

She bit her lip and stopped there, as if the following words were extremely terrifying, and even saying them out loud would be chilling enough. Luo Qi thought of something and shivered, "Are you suspecting that he killed your real Yeye back then?"

"I don't know," Guan Xinyue shook her head, "and I don't want to know. Besides, murder isn't such a simple thing, is it?"

"You saying that reminds me of the title of an Agatha Christie novel—*Murder is Easy*," Luo Qi chimed in.

"I haven't read Agatha Christie's novels," Guan Xinyue said honestly.

Luo Qi was just about to give her a brief summary when he was interrupted by Du Zhengyi, "Luo Qi, can you stop leading her astray?"

Luo Qi received a sharp look from Du Zhengyi and finally shut his mouth completely, sullenly brewing tea for the three of them once more.

Guan Xinyue also lowered her head in embarrassment. She took the teacup Luo Qi pushed toward her, slowly rubbing her cold fingers against the warm cup wall. Both men waited quietly for her to continue. It took her a while to muster the courage to continue telling the most terrifying part of her memory.

"Of course, the person most afraid was my Nainai. So, as soon as Yeye passed away, she didn't return to that house in the countryside at all. After leaving the hospital, she went straight back to my Baba's house in the city, not even going back to pack her things. Later, it was my Baba who went back to get them for her. My Baba is a Doctor and doesn't believe in ghosts or gods at all. He didn't take what Nainai and I said to heart. After Nainai came back to live with us, everything was indeed peaceful. My Baba didn't like hearing us talk about those non-existent things, so we didn't talk about them much. As time went on, we all kind of forgot about it and didn't feel afraid anymore."

Guan Xinyue looked up at the two people listening to her. Her eyes were very bright, as if flames were burning at the bottom of them, but those flames were burning her spirit. Luo Qi was somewhat worried that the fire would consume her entire life. He couldn't help but want to comfort her, but his intuition told him she had finally reached the key point, and he didn't dare interrupt her at this moment.

"Last year, I was preparing for the high school entrance exam. While reviewing, I suddenly realized that my seventh-grade textbooks and study notes had been left at Houye's old house. I was startled when I remembered; those things I had forgotten for so long surfaced again, but I couldn't not retrieve the books and notes. I had no choice but to beg Baba to go with me. At first, he wanted me to take the suburban bus by myself, but I wouldn't have it and pestered him until he agreed to drive me. Later, he finally promised. On the day we went, he had a surgery that delayed him, and by the time he drove to pick me up to go to the old house in the countryside, it was already five o'clock in the afternoon. By the time we arrived, it was almost dark. The old house was on the north side of the village, near the woods. Our family hadn't been here for a long time, but the courtyard still looked very tidy, and the glass on the windows was clean. It was just that the inside of the windows was pitch black. In the past, when it was getting dark, Nainai would have turned on the lights in the house early. The contrast between the cozy appearance from back then and the deathly silence now made one feel a chill of horror."

Guan Xinyue took a deep breath, as if her lungs had been about to wither while she was speaking earlier. "There was a water well in the courtyard of the old house. Although there was tap water in the countryside, most farmers still used well water to irrigate their vegetable gardens, so almost every household in the village had a well in their yard; this was the most common thing. But that day, as we passed the well, I suddenly heard the sound of someone gasping for air inside, just like Houye gasping laboriously when his emphysema flared up in the winter. But my Baba didn't seem to hear it at all. I was terrified at the time and hurried into the house. I wanted to find the things and leave immediately. It was already very dark inside the house, but the lights wouldn't turn on. My Baba said it was probably because they forgot to pay the electricity bill for the old house, so the power was cut off. I had no choice but to take out my phone for *Light Magic*. By the time I fumbled around and found the books and notes, it was pitch black outside. My Baba had fallen asleep waiting for me on the side.

I found the things and wanted to wake him up, but as soon as I looked up, I was startled. I don't know when, but a thick fog had risen outside the window; I couldn't even see the courtyard of the neighbor's house where the lights were on. I don't know why, but my heart started to panic. Who would have thought that at that very moment, the front door was suddenly knocked on? I was so scared I almost sat on the floor. I knew it wasn't an illusion; even now, I can hear that clear knocking sound in my mind. Actually, it could have been a neighbor seeing the light in the house and coming over to see if someone from my family had returned, but at the time, I instinctively knew that wasn't the case. Ominous signs were layering one upon another; I was so nervous I couldn't even make a sound, frozen there, clutching my phone tightly. Right at that moment, I suddenly thought: my Baba is a person with some neurasthenia, and his sleep has always been poor, so why couldn't such a loud knocking wake him up? As soon as this thought flashed through my mind, I was terrified. Without thinking, I pointed my phone in the direction of my Baba. He was sitting on the sofa in front of the window, and the light from the phone illuminated the glass window behind him. I saw a familiar yet eerie face pressed against the glass, I..."

Luo Qi gasped.

Guan Xinyue almost gritted her teeth to finish the rest of the sentence, "I screamed, and my Baba was startled awake. I told him my Houye had just knocked on the door and was pressing against the window looking into the house. But my Baba didn't believe me, he said..." She swallowed, "He said my Houye was already dead, and besides, if there really were ghosts in the world, ghosts wouldn't need to knock on doors or press against windows to look in."

Luo Qi nodded with a pale face, "I have to say, what your Baba said is quite logical."

Guan Xinyue shook her head weakly, "I really saw it. My Baba said there was no knocking sound at all, and what was even more terrifying was... there was no fog outside."

She looked at Luo Qi, then at Du Zhengyi; her gaze was fragile and desperate. She spoke again, her voice almost shattered, "If it isn't true that ghosts exist, then it's even more terrifying, because that would mean I am actually crazy."

Luo Qi became uneasy; the despair of a little girl was particularly easy to break one's heart. He wanted to come up with the best words to comfort her, wishing he could show her the world of the *Mage* so she would know what she was facing.

Guan Xinyue's tears fell down her cheeks in large drops. She wiped them with her thin fingers and sobbed, "Ever since that day, I keep having nightmares, dreaming of my Houye calling my name from the well, dreaming of that knocking sound... I'm really about to collapse. I don't know if ghosts are real or if I'm really schizophrenic. I beg you, please go see if Houye's ghost is still in that courtyard. As long as you can save me, I am willing to... oh..." She cried even harder—"I remembered I have no money at all, I'm so stupid. I don't know how much you charge to catch ghosts, but if you believe me, I will definitely pay you after I graduate and earn money."

"No, no, don't cry," Luo Qi hurriedly handed her a tissue, "Don't worry, Mr. Du doesn't catch ghosts for money. Sigh, stop crying, I promise you, we will definitely go there and take a look. Right? Mr... Mr. Du, can't you say something?"

"Your Yeye..." Du Zhengyi said. He paused, as if searching his hard drive for words to comfort someone, but found none. "... why did he think it was your Gufu who caused Gugu's death?" Luo Qi was stunned and gave Du Zhengyi a thumbs-down; he had never seen someone treat a girl so carelessly.

Unexpectedly, Guan Xinyue actually stopped crying. She looked at Du Zhengyi carefully, as if steadied by his composure. She wiped away her tears and said, "I heard he had a mistress outside. At that time, his relationship with Gugu was very strained; they often quarreled. Once, their arguing escalated to fighting, and my Gugu even had her arm broken by him."

"Damn," Luo Qi said, "did he deliberately try to make your Gugu have a heart attack? Couldn't he just talk to her properly and have a peaceful divorce?"

Guan Xinyue closed her eyes as if exhausted and shook her head, her long hair sliding over her shoulders, "I really can't explain adult matters clearly. When it comes to marriage and family, it's as if everyone has burned their brains; I haven't seen many couples who can be called reasonable." Speaking of this, she asked Luo Qi uncertainly, "Are your parents' relationship good?"

Luo Qi made a long "hmm" sound, thought carefully for a moment, and said, "Sometimes they can't be considered completely clear-headed either. I think your exposition on marriage is very incisive."

"Could you please write down the address of the old house in the countryside?" Du Zhengyi interjected, cutting off Luo Qi's small talk. And, with finality.