Chapter 9: Renting a House in a Haunted Place
"Why did she jump off the building?" I asked
The room contains two bedrooms and a living room, which feels quite desolate. There is a worn-out sofa placed in it, and opposite is a thirty-inch LCD television. In the center, there is a dining table. When I touched the surface, it was relatively clean, with a faint smell of oil, suggesting that someone had likely eaten here not long ago
Walking down this corridor, who knew there was a corner ahead, leading to a deep doorway, devoid of light, dark as a cave. Sister Liu continued to walk in, and I began to feel a bit uneasy. It would be one thing if the rooms were just along the outer corridor, but to think there was such a sinister place inside.
The person across is also a young man, about the same age as you, who moved in more than half a month ago. The young man is quite wealthy, having paid six months' rent all at once
I see the door is locked
Sister Liu picked up my identification and said, "Alright, come with me upstairs to take a look at the house first."
"Was the deceased who jumped from the building really pregnant?" I asked
Sister Liu arrived at a door, which was painted red and surprisingly still bore a "Fu" character from an unknown year and month. The dirty paper was incomplete and was upside down on the door, a so-called "Dao Fu".
Sister Liu, upon seeing me for the first time, patted her chest and said, "Little Liu, you must not scare me. After being frightened once by that girl Lin Xia, if you scare me again, I will surely have a heart attack."
Who knows what to do. I am not a difficult person; as long as the rent is paid in full and you don't cause me any trouble, I generally do not pry into the tenants' privacy. If you want to know, you can figure it out among yourselves later. I can tell you that the young man is honest and does not seem like someone who causes trouble, so you need not worry
She sighed repeatedly
I was about to sit on the bed when suddenly I remembered something and jumped up as if I had been electrocuted: "Damn it, Sister Liu, don't scare me. Is this the room where that girl who jumped off the building lived?"
Upon thinking of this, I found it somewhat strange, inexplicable. Before I had the chance to ponder further, Sister Liu opened the door
I watched her, continuously swallowing water, with cold sweat all over my forehead. Ever since I saw the inverted "Fu" posted on the door, I felt something was off. Why are all the experiences described by the Peng father and son appearing one by one in my life? The neighbors from Malaysia are just too damn eerie
Feeling pressured by them, anger surged within me, and I slammed the table: "Stop talking nonsense, I am here to rent a house"
I initially suspected that Lin Xia's death might be related to Ma Danlong, but after hearing what Sister Liu said, it seems there is no connection. Lin Xia's boyfriend could not possibly be Ma Danlong. Her pregnancy and subsequent leap from the building were entirely due to issues in her romantic relationship, which seemingly has nothing to do with Ma Danlong
Old Wang had not yet spoken, when the old man put on an air of authority: "Where are you from? Do you have any identification? Is this a place you can just enter?"
I had arranged to move in the afternoon, and I still needed to go back to organize my things. As I stepped out of the room and walked into the corridor, I realized that the lighting here was quite poor. It was not even noon yet, and the corridor was already somewhat dim and eerie. I looked down the long corridor and glanced back at the dark doorway, feeling extremely regretful. In this cursed place, even a good person could go mad after staying for a long time.
Sister Liu looked at me in surprise: "Where are you thinking of going? Even if I were to be unscrupulous, I couldn't do that. That girl is named Lin Xia, and she also lives on the 21st floor, over there in the corridor. But you guessed correctly, the previous tenant here was indeed a girl; she moved out a long time ago, and it has been vacant ever since without being rented out."
Sister Liu looked at me and sighed: "Xiao Liu, we are both from the same family. The elder sister is a straightforward person and cannot deceive you. I will tell you the truth; the apartment where that girl who jumped lived is also rented out by me. Just because of this matter, the police questioned me for an entire morning"
"That is too provocative," someone said
I wonder what I am reminded of at this moment. I recall the interview with Brother Peng, during which he described his experience of suffering a heart attack while swimming in icy waters. He was unable to move, feeling utterly weak, his body soaked in freezing water, and his consciousness gradually fading away, as if being drawn into a black hole
I rubbed my forehead and thought carefully. If it is assumed that Ma Danlong indeed possesses the ability to traverse the realms of yin and yang, then the series of suicide incidents that have occurred in this building must, to some extent, be related to him. Don't ask me why; I just have this feeling. It's like when a room suddenly fills with a terrible stench, and among all the people present, one of them has an upset stomach; if that person claims the smell has nothing to do with him, no one would believe it.
We took the elevator upwards. This building is indeed quite old, and it still uses the oldest style of elevator. A foul odor emanated from the elevator, and I frowned while covering my nose. Sister Liu stood in front of me, with her back turned, unable to see my small gestures.
I am feeling very unwell. I originally intended to come and take a look, but who would have thought I would actually end up living here. Living in such a haunted building, who could feel at ease?
Old Wang, wearing reading glasses, picked up a worn notebook from the table and began to search through it carefully: "All the apartments available for rent in this building are registered with me. Let me show you. There are vacant rooms on the 8th floor, 15th floor, and 21st floor. Which one would you like to rent?"
We soon arrived at the 21st floor. Exiting the elevator, a turn led us to a corridor, with street-facing windows on one side and residential doors on the other. The corridor was empty and desolate, lacking even the most common household clutter at the doorways. Sister Liu, hunched over, walked ahead while I followed behind. Looking through the window, the 21st floor was not particularly high; the vehicles below resembled matchboxes, and the multitude of people moving about appeared like ants.
Sister Liu's eyes darted as she said: "Are you going to rent or not? Just give me a straightforward answer. If you rent the house, then we can talk further."
I blinked and tentatively asked, "What does he do?"
I wiped my sweat and smiled, saying: "Sister, I apologize, I don't know how I fell asleep just now. I had a nightmare and woke up scared."
Are you Sister Liu? I am renting. www.hetushu.com.com I said
She spoke to me for a moment before leaving. As soon as she left, I felt an emptiness in my heart. Looking at the unfamiliar room, it felt as if I had just experienced a bizarre dream
Sister Liu truly lives up to her reputation as a long-time landlord, always carrying the contract with her. We signed the rental agreement, and I paid a quarter's rent along with the deposit. The old lady was beaming with joy. This led to the mention of the girl who jumped: "Her name is Lin Xia, and she moved in last year. It seems she handled the paperwork with her boyfriend at that time; I remember such a young man. However, they did not live together, and Lin Xia has always lived here by herself. To be frank, this young lady is really nice. She is plump and looks particularly adorable, and she is quite considerate, keeping the place tidy and clean. Sometimes, when I have matters to attend to, she even offers to help. I truly did not expect that such a wonderful girl would jump from the building."
Fortunately, there are motion-sensor lights in the corridor that illuminate when someone passes by, though the light is dim, casting a muted yellow glow. The corridor resembles an old photograph from many years ago, suffused with the yellow hue of time's passage.
"Is it true or not? Don't joke with us," the old man said
I heard that she is pregnant, is that true? I asked
Sister Liu mysteriously winked: "Sister, I am not one to gossip behind people's backs. She is indeed pregnant. I remember about a month ago, she secretly came to see me, holding a pregnancy test, saying that her period had not come for a long time. With my experience, I could tell at a glance that she was pregnant, and I even congratulated her. Who would have thought that upon hearing she was pregnant, her expression immediately turned grim, and without saying anything, she just left."
This woman truly has a tongue like a crow, how could she compare me to a dead person
I sat on the bed for a while and picked up my phone to call my roommate
"Let's rent it." I nodded. I had a feeling that I was already touching the edge of the entire situation
Where are you from, young man
The restroom is against the wall, with two rooms flanking the restroom door on either side, and the main entrance directly opposite. I noticed that the room on the right was locked, and there was a pair of men's slippers placed at the door. Sister Liu opened the left door and walked inside; the room was not large, only about 20 to 30 square meters, furnished with a bed, a wardrobe, and a computer desk. White curtains adorned with small petals hung at the window, and the room was clean and tidy, resembling a young girl's boudoir.
Today is Sunday, right? He might have gone on a date with his girlfriend, which is quite normal. However, I haven't seen this young man during my several visits; he might be busy with work. Alright, the conditions are as stated, and I won't ask for more: the monthly rent is 500. You can inquire all over the world; is there still such a price in the city center? I will be honest with you: the reason it is so cheap is that there have been incidents in this building, as you saw this morning.
"Who lives across the street?" I asked
As I pondered, I became somewhat entranced, and before I knew it, it seemed that I was the only one left in the room; Sister Liu had inexplicably vanished. A chilling sensation pervaded the space, slowly seeping in like the waters of a swamp, enveloping me. Suddenly, I was covered in goosebumps, the kind of cold that penetrates to the marrow. My thoughts felt confined within an exceedingly narrow space, unable to expand, trembling from the cold, as if I were ensnared by a nightmare.
I clenched my teeth, not knowing where a surge of energy came from, and shouted loudly: "Ah." Suddenly standing up, I saw Sister Liu right in front of me. She was so frightened that she covered her chest, her face turning pale: "Xiao Liu, what are you doing? You scared me to death."
Old Wang glanced at me with a strange expression and said nothing. He took his time putting on his sleeves, appearing very official, then picked up the landline phone, looked up the number, and dialed: "Sister Liu, someone is here to rent your house. Are you at home? Good, come down. It's a young man, right at the reception desk."
I quietly touched upon Madanlong's address and said: "21st floor, right? I prefer tranquility"
"I don't have time to play with you." I took out my bank card and ID from my pocket and slammed them on the table
I do not know why, but I suddenly recalled the scene that Peng Gang described in the basement of the library. At that time, he was standing in front of the basement door, and there was a character for 'fortune' posted on that iron door.
I work nearby and would like to find a place to live that is closer. The previous place I lived was too far and the transportation was inconvenient
After saying this, I also regret it. The lease for the apartment I am currently sharing will expire in half a month. I have gotten quite used to living here and would like to renew the lease. Who knows why my brain short-circuited and I decided to look for another rental.
Not long after, a woman in her fifties came in, looking listless, with no color in her face, and a frown of distress. She entered and asked, "Who is renting the house?"
The woman next to me sneered, saying: "People in today's society are quite wicked. Whenever something happens, they eagerly wait to see whose family has suffered a loss, just to pick up some gossip."
Old Wang stared wide-eyed: "This is just because I have lived so long and seen so much. If it were someone else, they would have been scared to death by a suicide jump. Even now, my chest feels heavy, and every time I close my eyes, I see that big red nightgown in a pool of blood, swaying right in front of me. I need to talk to my boss about this; I deserve a raise. If this keeps happening, I might lose ten years off my life."
None of us spoke, and the elevator was silent.
Those few people looked at me as if I were mentally challenged. Just now, someone jumped off a building and died, and there are still people running here to live. Could it be that their brains got caught in the door
As soon as he heard that I was moving, he immediately exploded with anger, cursing me for a full five minutes on his phone. Our relationship has always been quite good, and we had agreed to continue renting a place together, so this time I have indeed gone back on my word. Despite the cursing, I still have to put on a cheerful face and borrow his car to move.
I always feel uneasy; what exactly happened with the girl who jumped from the building
I was instantly furious. So many women came in, and you didn't care. But when you saw me, you suddenly had energy. It's no wonder; I have a more refined appearance, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a simple and honest face that makes anyone want to bully me a bit. Old Wang leaned back in his chair, sipping hot tea and said, "Young man, hurry up and go out, don't ask around aimlessly"