Chapter 5, Visit

Even during puberty, one cannot eat this much, is this the rhythm of turning into a pig? Zhang Chen rubbed his belly and shook his head helplessly

Is it possible that ... ...

If it were someone else, they would surely have been scared away by now; is it really necessary to be this terrifying in broad daylight

Just as I let out a sigh of relief and was about to leave the bathroom

Zhang Chen boarded the No. 7 bus, which he used to take daily before his family moved to the county town. As he watched the bus travel from the urban area all the way to the Jinxihe River, he felt a sense of nostalgia. Since childhood, his family had been in difficult circumstances, living outside the county town, and he was always very happy to be able to enter the town once a week.

This family is truly unfortunate. When Wenjuan was not yet five years old, the pillar of the family, her father, passed away due to a car accident. The two daughters were raised solely by their mother. Wenjuan has always been very strong; she began helping her mother with chores at a young age. She excels in her studies and is also beautiful and graceful.

After I finished dreaming yesterday, that little thing appeared in the bathroom. Could it be today..." Zhang Chen immediately got up and opened the door to his bedroom

Xiaoshui Village is located at the other end of Jinxian County, and it is necessary to cross the Jinxian River. Therefore, taking the bus essentially means traveling from the starting station to the final destination

The elderly man, who had been laughing maniacally, suddenly calmed down and said kindly, "It's in the room at the far left on the second floor; you can go up and see for yourself."

With a creaking sound, the door slowly opened, revealing an elderly man standing behind it. He had a gaunt face, sparse gray hair, and was dressed in a dull yellow garment. What tightened Chen's heart the most was that the man's right eyeball had already turned white

Subsequently, fearing that he might wake his sleeping parents, he slowly closed the bedroom door. After calming himself, he turned around and walked straight towards the bathroom

Son, you got up so early today? Mom will go make you some soy milk and fried dough sticks. Your dad is feeling better today; he went out early to buy breakfast. That thing the old master gave you really worked wonders.

Zhang Chen nodded, said thank you, and then arrived at the front of the house. After hesitating for a moment, he raised his right hand, knocked on the door, and said: "Aunt Yu, I am the one who called yesterday regarding the house in the county. Please open the door."

There are no children, merely a spawn of evil, ha ha ha. If it weren't for this spawn, how could my daughter have died? No, there was also that man; it is they who caused the death of my two daughters.

"Knock, knock, knock—" Before Zhang Chen could think, another series of knocks echoed. This invisible terror made Zhang Chen feel a slight tingling in his back

The old man clasped his hands behind his back and began to speak slowly with Zhang Chen.

After observing that there were no abnormalities at the outer door, I slowly approached the door of my parents' bedroom. I raised my finger and gently knocked on the bedroom door. Seeing that there was no response, I slowly opened the door to my parents' bedroom and saw that they were both sleeping soundly, which made me feel relieved.

Later, I also do not know what happened. About a year ago, Wenjuan ran back to this old home alone, and not long after, she hanged herself at home. That old mother has also become silent all day, locking herself in the house. However, that younger sister Wenjing has never returned, and I do not understand what kind of heart this sister has, as she does not come back to see her kind sister who has passed away. Now, only that mother remains in the house, it is truly a tragedy

This is the place. Now, Aunt Yu often exhibits some madness. Once you have handled the matter, please return home early. I will head back to the village committee first. The old man still wore a look of helplessness on his face.

However, the younger sister at home, though gentle and quiet, was quite mischievous, not studying properly and very fond of playing. It was only after Wenjuan went to university, found a good job, and married a good husband that the family gradually improved

Ah! Zhang Chen suddenly sat up from the bed, his back drenched in cold sweat, yet he did not feel afraid. He only felt that the dream he had just experienced was too real; when being stared at by that mistress, it was as if he had fallen into an endless abyss, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

The intersection has arrived, passengers heading to Xiashui Village please disembark

Upon hearing this, the old man suddenly stood up from his chair and burst into hearty laughter

"Young man, is there something you need in our village?" the old man asked

"Wait a moment, was that baby yesterday continuously banging against the wall, could it be that his father is inside? In other words, that wife killed her husband and son, then threw the son into the toilet and sealed the husband within the wall? The reason being that her husband's relationship with that later woman escalated?"

However, just as Zhang Chen was walking towards the second floor, an old man behind him, with a face as withered as dry wood, was covering his mouth and laughing quietly

There are still some discrepancies. What exactly is written on that white paper? And why was that woman able to stay in the lady's house for such a long time? Surely, her relationship with the hostess must be quite special. Perhaps I should ask that old woman about the specifics tomorrow before making any further analysis. Zhang Chen cleared his mind and gradually fell asleep.

However, after knocking on the door, he waited for a long time, but the door remained completely still. Zhang Chen thought that Aunt Yu had not heard, so he raised his right hand to knock again. Just as his right hand was about to land on the door.

He walked up to a door and knocked. After a short while, a gray-haired elderly man in his sixties slowly opened the wooden door. His palm was covered with calluses, and his eyes revealed a hint of kindness.

Zhang Chen's expression upon seeing the old man was somewhat surprised, and he immediately replied: "Our family bought a second-hand house from Ms. Wen. Recently, there have been some minor issues with the house, and both my father and mother are quite busy, so I came to inquire. I wonder what happened to their family?"

It takes about 10 minutes to walk from here to their home, so let's talk as we walk along the way said the old man, and after finishing his words, he closed the door and walked towards the village with Zhang Chen

Zhang Chen continued, "Does your daughter have a child?"

Then you can tell me, since I have nothing to do this morning, I will take you there. The old man said warmly upon seeing Zhang Chen Bin Bin's politeness

Zhang Chen nodded and followed in through the door. The house was quite strange; despite it being daytime, all the windows were closed, and very little light entered the room, making the entire space relatively dark

I am not very clear about the specific name; it is the mother of a lady with the surname Wen, who lives at No. 11, Group 5 in the village, Zhang Chen recalled.

It has been a long time since I last left the city, and there hasn't been much change outside," Zhang Chen remarked as he gazed at the old, dilapidated houses outside the car window

As I gazed at the ever-changing scenery outside the window, the bus announcement began to sound

"Is that man still alive? Haha, he has been dead for a long time." The old man laughed even more wildly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the grandfather's originally warm expression instantly darkened, and after letting out a heavy sigh, he said

... ...

"Both of your daughters? They have all passed away. Grandma Yu, I heard from the village committee's elder that your youngest daughter is not outside?"

Zhang Chen saw that the questioning was nearly sufficient; if he continued to ask, he feared that the elderly woman might not be able to bear the mental strain. He immediately said: "Grandma Yu, may I take a look at your daughter's room?"

"Come in," said the withered old man.

Zhang Chen regained his senses and hurriedly got off the car. He walked along the two-meter-wide country road towards Xiaoshui Village. It wasn't long before he saw the village committee of Xiaoshui Village.

A series of knocking sounds echoed from behind Zhang Chen, neither too loud nor too soft, just perfectly reaching his ears

"This ... ... , I might as well go to sleep, it's really a bit scary." After taking two steps back, Zhang Chen quickly turned around, ran out of the bathroom, closed the door to his bedroom and locked it, then jumped onto his bed and covered himself with the blanket.

Hello, Grandma Yu, I am Zhang Chen, the one who called you yesterday

The lady you mentioned, Ms. Wen, is named Wen Juan, and her mother is named Yu Xiafen. Their family also has a younger sister of Wen Juan, named Wen Jing, who is one year younger than Wen Juan

After watching his parents tidy up their things and leave for work, Zhang Chen also took his phone, fished out the ten yuan he had saved for internet fees this week from his pencil case, along with the ten yuan living allowance his parents had given him today, and set off on his journey for the day

"Did a younger sister never come back to see you after she died?" Zhang Chen listened attentively from the side, committing the key details to memory

Zhang Chen was indifferent to the sudden change in the old man's emotions, after all, the old man was likely suffering from a mental illness

Not long after, a standard two-story farmhouse appeared before Zhang Chen. The doors and windows were tightly shut, and the courtyard was filled with dust and fallen leaves. It looked not only very desolate but also carried a sense of lifelessness mixed within.

What is that thing in the wall? Is it that baby? No, that baby jumped into the toilet last time, so what is definitely in the wall must be something else

Zhang Chen turned on the wall switch with his left hand. After flickering twice due to unstable voltage, the fluorescent light in the bathroom stabilized. The dim white light illuminated the entire bathroom; everything was normal except for the cold atmosphere.

After Zhang Chen washed his face and rinsed his mouth, he looked at the soy milk and fried dough sticks that Mother Zhang had brought to the dining table, and the emptiness in his stomach surged forth. He quickly sat down and began to eat heartily, finishing three fried dough sticks and two bowls of soy milk in less than a minute.

I am just a 14-year-old middle school student, how could I encounter such a thing? I wonder if that little thing is still inside there. Zhang Chen took a deep breath at the bathroom door, quickly turned the doorknob, and pushed the door open.

Could it be that the woman who later appeared in the dream is Wen Juan's sister, Wen Jing, and the man mentioned by the elder is likely Wen Juan's husband? Zhang Chen suddenly recalled the dream from last night

The building where the village committee is located appears to be a new house that the villagers have constructed in recent years. Zhang Chen was unsure of the exact location where Ms. Wen lived, so he jogged to the entrance of the village committee.

They are all dead, all of them, and it was that child and the man who caused their deaths. Although my Wenjing is not good at anything, she is truly very good to her sister. Ha ha. The old man's mental state is quite unstable

What the hell is going on? Am I reliving the events that happened in this house every night in my dreams?" Zhang Chen glanced at the time, 3:21 AM

Early in the morning, Zhang Chen opened his eyes hazily and heard the sound of his parents talking. He glanced at the black and white clock by the bed; it was only 7:30. After getting up and dressing, Zhang Chen opened the bedroom door and saw his parents sitting at a small four-person table having breakfast.

"Grandma Yu, do you know where that man is now?" Zhang Chen also wanted to gather some information from Wen Juan's husband

This time, upon opening, there was no longer the hellish scene of last time, but rather a normal expanse of darkness

"Grandma Yu, I actually came here to ask you about your daughter," Zhang Chen said directly, getting straight to the point, while also observing the elderly woman's expression. What puzzled Zhang Chen was that there was no change in the old woman's expression when she heard her daughter mentioned.

A shiver ran through me as I slowly turned my head, but there was nothing terrifying behind me. Listening closely, the knocking sound was coming from within the wall, and the source was indeed the wall that the baby had been banging on with its hands last night

He sat down on a bamboo chair with the elderly person, glanced around, and noticed that the television, fan, and coffee table were all covered in dust, indicating that they had not been used for a long time

I feel much better now. A few days ago, I was constantly fatigued and felt sleepy every day. However, after getting up today, I feel much more energetic. A smile also appeared on my father's face, clearly indicating that he believed in the efficacy of the pouch hanging from his hand

If it were in the past, consuming this half portion would have made Zhang Chen very full, but now, even after eating so much, it barely fills his stomach, and he feels as though he is still somewhat unsatisfied.

This family is truly unfortunate, I wonder what sins they committed in their past lives. Young man, do you have any business with their family

Hello, Grandpa. I have a matter to discuss with someone from your village. I just don't know how to get there, so I came to ask you.

Zhang Chen suddenly connected the events that were happening with his own dreams, analyzing them into a set of ideas. However, after much contemplation, he always felt that something was amiss, wondering if he had overlooked something.

"Dad, are you feeling any better?" Zhang Chen said to his father, while also noticing that the cold aura surrounding his father had diminished significantly. He then glanced at the pouch in his hand, which seemed to show no change.