Chapter 9: Xie Feng is dead

Xie Feng's death can only be described with the word "sudden". I truly cannot imagine how someone who was perfectly fine last night has passed away today

The old gentleman passed away three months ago, yet I still have not grown accustomed to living alone after three months

Since it is all predestined, what is there for me to see? Am I to intervene in the turning of the wheel of fate? Impossible

The feud with their family has not been a matter of one or two days; ever since the incident in college when he led a group to attack me, I have always wished that this scoundrel would get hit by a car when he goes out

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone

I silently lit another cigarette, drawing on it with my head down, the ash falling into the ashtray used by the old man. My mind involuntarily switched to memory mode, a rather unpleasant mode, recalling those things I did not wish to remember

Lin Jia smiled but did not speak, clearly not taking my words to heart

No wonder the old man often says, "Good advice is hard to give to a doomed ghost." I suspect that Xie Feng's death was fated and was not some so-called accident

Around 3:00 AM, this group of thrill-seeking young people emerged from the Moutai Building, and there was nothing unusual about anyone; let alone encountering a ghost inside the building

"Xiao Zhou, wherever there is trouble, there you are, right?" I looked at Zhou Yan helplessly as I saw him start to roll up his sleeves. I hurriedly grabbed him and said, "Your sister is here, so be mindful of your image"

I used to feel that this place was cramped and uncomfortable, always wanting to live in a more spacious area, but now I have come to realize that those days of living in close quarters are the best.

Who believed it? Who listened?

It is neither a homicide nor a suicide; what business is a myocardial infarction to the police

I was momentarily taken aback, stunned for a while, and suddenly sat up from the bed.

And - picture - book haha, I am a person who respects the heavens, I listen to how he arranges me, let me clarify first, I am not the kind of petty person who holds grudges, right

Then what? I frowned; why call the police if Xie Feng is dead? I really cannot fathom his father's line of thinking

"Are we going to Qingyan Ancient Town next week?" Zhou Yan asked me with his eyes. I replied with my eyes, "If you don't go, your sister will nag you to death. Of course, she can nag me to death too, so you understand."

At the moment of departure, I paused for a moment and couldn't help but remind Lin Jia: "You might as well not go."

Take your sister back. I shook my head: They are going on an adventure to the Moutai Building, reportedly to see 'ghosts.' To put it nicely, they are seeking the legendary monsters and spirits, contributing their meager efforts to the advancement of human traditional culture

A slap on the face and two kicks to the stomach were inflicted by Xie Feng

On the phone, Zhou Yan briefly told me about what happened last night

(In Xiangxi dialect, "细伢子" means "little child")

Xie Feng, Lin Jia, and two other men and two women, a total of six people, went to the Moutai Building for what was termed an adventure

He usually educates me not to suffer losses because he cannot bear to see me at a disadvantage; I am the apple of his eye

It is better not to mention ghosts; as soon as the word 'ghost' is brought up, Zhou Yan immediately starts to tremble

Zhou Yujia tugged at Zhou Yan and me, signaling us to stop messing around. Then she leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Actually, I am quite scared of going on an adventure, so I called my brother before coming here."

Please do not think of me as petty, for the conflict with the Xie family is not as simple as it seems

"Brother Zhou, just playing around, don't take it to heart." Xie Feng chuckled awkwardly as he looked at Zhou and Tu Shuyan. He seemed quite surprised by Zhou Yan's arrival, probably not expecting someone with the surname Zhou to emerge at such a critical moment

Early the next morning, before I had fully woken up, my phone suddenly rang

Xie Feng has died

I shook my head helplessly and patted Zhou Yujia on the shoulder: "Go back to sleep, don't wander around aimlessly. When you have time, I will take you out to play with your brother."

Is it dependency or a lack of independence? I cannot articulate it clearly, as thinking of the old man makes me feel uneasy

I won't! I absolutely refuse!" Zhou Yujia glared at Zhou Yan, completely unafraid of this so-called brother.

He usually does not get angry with others, but if I were to get into a fight, he would definitely roll up his sleeves without a second thought. This has been the case since university, and I am truly touched by it

"How can you say that about me? Aren't you, as the older brother, also neglecting your image?" Zhou Yan looked at me with even more helplessness.

Grandpa, I miss you. I pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray, sitting on the bed with my hands on my head, murmuring softly.

"Classmate Dan, are your classmates chasing you with knives, about thirty of them? Are your classmates teasing your sister? Are your classmates attacking the old man?" I retorted with irritation, "I did advise them last night, but what was the outcome?"

After Xie Feng returned home, he did not show any signs of abnormality. However, the next morning, when Xie Feng's mother entered his room to wake him up for work, she was nearly scared to death.

"To say something harsh, Xie Feng deserves to die young, just like that, he’s gone." I didn’t wait for Zhou Yan to respond, and without saying another word, I hung up the phone, stuffed it under my pillow to silence it, yawned, and burrowed back under the covers.

After playing with Luo Dahai, I feel like my bones are about to fall apart. If I don't get some sleep to replenish my energy soon, I estimate that in a few days I will be able to visit the old man to reminisce.

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You foolish little brat, truly a natural fool, are you going to take the first step? The old man often scolds me like this because he enjoys playing chess. When he can't find anyone else, he can only ask me to accompany him, of course, I am a terrible chess player.

"Let's go." Zhou Yan patted me.

You know very well that his family is wealthy. If you go to help him... Zhou Yan is trying to tempt me with money, but he is clearly mistaken. When others mention money to me, that's fine, but when Xie Feng's family mentions money to me, that's not acceptable

To speak frankly, Zhou Yan does not appear to be the type who would roll up his sleeves and engage in a fight. In my view, he is a combination of a miser, a top student, a refined individual, and a pushover.

I nodded and looked at Zhou Yan: "Is it resolved over there?"

I was chased out of the university town by Xie Feng and his group. After getting into a taxi, I returned to the flower shop, thinking that this place was remote and they wouldn't be able to find me. I could hide here for a while in peace, and when the next opportunity arises, I would confront Xie Feng alone once more.

At that time, I did not understand why the old gentleman would act in such a manner; his usual principle of education for me was that if someone strikes you with a fist, you must repay them with a knife.

"Myocardial infarction, quite terrifying," Zhou Yan lowered his voice on the phone. "His family has some connection with my dad, and I guess Xie Feng's father also thinks this is a bit unusual. Early this morning, he came to my dad, saying he was going to report it to the police. As a result, I was called in to perform the autopsy. You should have seen it; Xie Feng's expression when he died was so twisted, it was almost ghostly."

Those who know Xie Feng's abilities truly recognize that this fellow has brought a group of young ones to his doorstep

Tomorrow is Sunday, and time is not enough. How about we go to Qingyan Ancient Town next Saturday?" Zhou Yujia chuckled and grabbed Zhou Yan's arm, shaking it: "Brother, let's go together next week. Yi Ge has already said he would take me out to play~"

But at that time, he did not allow me to do so, and I truly cannot understand it

Even if he was killed by those things, what does it have to do with me? My tone was somewhat impatient; waking me up early in the morning just for this?

It was not until much later that I understood; the old man did not want me to stir up trouble, and even more so, he did not want me to create any complications

If it weren't for the old man holding me back afterwards, I could have really killed Xie Feng. This is not a joke; it is the truth.

Zhou Yan slowly came to his senses and glared at Zhou Yujia: "Go back to sleep! Why are you being so disobedient?!"

By the time I heard the sirens outside, the situation had essentially been resolved. Zhou Yan arrived at the scene with the police in a timely manner, while the old gentleman was taken to the hospital

Since the incident involving Luo Dahai, Zhou Yan's atheism has been completely overturned, transforming him from a science-loving and optimistic youth into a theist who is firmly entrenched in superstition

As for the incident involving Xie Feng, he would rather suffer himself than let me get into trouble; that is the old man.

The back room of the flower wreath shop has always been my bedroom and the old gentleman's, with two single beds squeezed in the innermost part. The altar for the ancestral master is positioned towards the outside. To outsiders, the back room resembles a refugee shelter, as it is incredibly cramped inside.

It is said that Xie Feng's friends are still incessantly murmuring, questioning whether Xie Feng is deceiving them, as this place has nothing at all; it is merely an abandoned housing development.

If it weren't for the old man not wanting me to cause trouble, you would have been dead long ago I mumbled to myself, tossing and turning but unable to sleep, so I could only lazily sit up and lean against the headboard, smoking a dry cigarette

Under normal circumstances, an ordinary person encountering this situation would undoubtedly rush to the hospital at the first opportunity, and it would be out of the question to call the police.

Abrupt

"Why are you calling me so early to do this?" I said impatiently

The matter on that occasion was as follows

"Why don't you go take a look..." Zhou Yan said awkwardly, "After all, we are university classmates."

"With Uncle Zhang around, I have nothing to worry about," Zhou Yan said with a smile, shrugging his shoulders. "My sister said she was going on some adventure, and as soon as I got home, she called me over. I'm still feeling sleepy now"

"There is something unusual in Xie Feng's bedroom; I suspect he has encountered those things," Zhou Yan said, his voice trembling slightly.

At that time, neither Zhou Yan nor I anticipated that this farewell at the barbecue stall would be the last time we saw Xie Feng

The scene of Luo Dahai's previous display of power is still vivid in memory; how can this rascal not be afraid

After a while, Zhou Yan's voice, tinged with a bitter smile, gradually came through

At that time, the old gentleman was in the shop, while I was sleeping in the back room, unaware that they had come to visit.

"Grandpa is dead," these three words are often what I use to scold the old man, but I truly did not expect that he really passed away three months ago

By the time Zhou Yan and I made a decision, Zhou Yujia had already finished explaining everything to Lin Jia and the others, standing outside the barbecue stall with a mischievous smile, waiting for us to come out

No one could have anticipated what happened next

I groggily picked up my phone and saw that it was a call from Zhou Yan

Xie Feng's old man is not a decent person, and Xie Feng is even less so. If they really need my help, it is not impossible; after they have all passed away, I will go and perform a free ritual for them.

Returning to the flower shop, I dove into the quilt without even washing my face, after all, I was utterly exhausted today