April 1, 2018
0:20,
Chengdu,
Light rain,
Breeze level 3.
The underworld shop on the old street has been closed for a long time. Even the neighbors nearby don’t know when it was first opened.
Because it's not like a street breakfast shop where many people go every day, nor is it like a clothing store where you can go shopping on your way home from get off work and try on clothes without buying anything.
Most people would rather never go to a ghost store to buy things in their lifetime.
Naturally, in life, I deliberately ignored this underworld shop.
certainly,
When did it close
Naturally, not many people cared about it, but occasionally when they passed by, they were a little surprised to find that the store door was closed.
There was a fat man who would drive a police car to the door every few days, look at the closed shops, smoke a few cigarettes, and then leave.
The ladies who run the oldest and most enthusiastic hair salons in the old street are really annoyed by this. Every time they are scared, they send out the customers who just came into their rooms to drink water.
Including water charges,
No one dares to ask for it.
The massage parlor next to the Ming store has been closed for a long time. It is said that the owner was involved in a murder case years ago. Although she was later cleared of the charges, she had too many things to do at home and she has not returned to Chengdu for a long time.
Occasionally, old customers come and miss the boss lady's craftsmanship, but they don't know that if they ask her for massages frequently, it will be comfortable, but the day when they have to go to the underworld shop next door to choose funeral clothes will be getting closer and closer.
Life is still like this,
The teahouses and mahjong parlors in the streets and alleys of Chengdu are full of relaxation and leisure.
This is a leisurely city, and also a city that knows how to enjoy life. When the cold winter has just passed and the summer has not yet arrived, the whole city is immersed in its own snoring.
Comfortable,
Comfortable,
Occasionally turn over,
Wrap yourself in a thin blanket.
Um,
Continue sleeping.
There are naturally not many people in the old street in the early morning, except for a few night snack stalls that are still doing not much business.
That ghost shop,
But the light is on.
The light is very dim and can only be seen vaguely. Ordinary people can't even see it.
There were two rows of chairs in the underworld shop. On one of the two chairs in the middle sat a man with a long beard, and on the other sat a little girl, who was pink and cute. She was a little loli.
On both sides of the lower part,
Some wore sackcloth, with long flowing sleeves;
Some wore tall hats and rocked;
Some people have their eyes aligned, sometimes moving;
Some people have big bellies and are so fat that they are oozing with oil.
The smell of rouge on their faces was much stronger, even seeming a little unreal.
Whether they are laughing, picking their ears, or making noises, they always give people a gloomy and depressing feeling, just like the 108 Arhats in a temple. No matter how naive they are,
As an adult, I don't dare to really laugh at them.
It seems as if there is a pair of eyes above your head, staring at you.
If you look more closely, you can find that the clothing styles of these people are actually very similar to the paper figures placed in the corner of the underworld shop, as if they were really wearing clothes taken off the paper figures.
Very funny,
Ridiculous
But that’s really how it feels.
There was a strange crimson on everyone's lips, as if rouge was deliberately applied on the lips. It was very exaggerated and dazzling.
Jia Baoyu said that he liked to eat the rouge on his sisters' lips the most, but if he saw the rouge here, he would probably be scared to death.
In the air,
The air smells of ashes,
In the middle of everyone present, there is a small brazier with charcoal in it. At the same time, stacks of paper money on the shelf will automatically fly over and fall into the charcoal and burn.
At the door, there stood a woman, a woman with long hair.
She lowered her head slightly, and her long hair covered her face.
She has a graceful figure, a sexy body,
If an ordinary person saw her, he would probably expect her to let her hair down so that he could see her true appearance. Everyone has curiosity and pursuit of beauty.
However, no one present had this thought, because they knew that this woman... had no shame.
"Not yet."
The bearded man sitting next to the little Loli said in a deep voice, frowning slightly.
"Let's wait a little longer."
The little Loli said.
The bearded man nodded, and then said: "Protect your vitality and try to delay our stay in the world of the living."
Pieces of black talisman paper flew out from the sleeves of the bearded man and floated around.
Everyone present reached out to take a piece of talisman paper and stuck it between their eyebrows. Even the bearded man stuck one on himself.
For a time,
The whole store was silent. The people with talismans on their foreheads didn't move, as if they were under a spell of immobilization.
This made them look no different from the paper figures that already existed in the underworld shop.
The little Loli stood up, holding a piece of talisman in her hand, and walked in front of the faceless woman.
The faceless woman slowly raised her head.
"My clone is destroyed."
"It's just a clone." The little Loli didn't care.
"I left her behind to keep an eye on him," the Faceless Woman reminded.
"Tell me, when I return, will there still be a place for him?"
The little girl smiled slightly.
"He is just taking my place temporarily, helping me to manage the key to hell. There is no room for a third ghost messenger in the city."
"Then what shall I do?"
The faceless woman asked sternly,
"Without me, you can't lead him here."
"There are already two ghost messengers in the city, including me. One of them is on the verge of collapse. This is the position I reserved for you." The little girl reached out and grabbed the tip of the faceless woman's hair. "When things here are over, I will help you arrange an identity so that you can stay in the world of the living."
The faceless woman lowered her head again.
"I'm curious about one thing, why are you so obsessed with that guy? He's just another toy created by Tongcheng, oh no, a gift."
"Gift?"
The faceless woman hid her head under her long hair and laughed dryly twice.
"In my opinion, this gift is more important than the person you are waiting for."
The little Loli narrowed her eyes slightly. She could hear the hidden meaning in the words of the Faceless Woman. This woman who was born on the side of the Yellow Springs Road and in the Pond of Resentment had existed for a long time, so naturally she knew more unknown things.
"Oh, it seems that I will have to torture him after I return."
The hair on the faceless woman's face suddenly fell apart, and the faceless face began to take on the shape of a girl. Her expression was painful, as if she was struggling.
"Her, you still can't control it?" The little Loli was a little surprised.
“He struggled hard,” the faceless woman replied. “He has a strong will. He is no worse than you ghosts.”
The little girl smiled slightly, stretched out her hand and threw the talisman paper in her hand into the charcoal fire.
"After all, it's just... a meaningless struggle."
The firelight is dim,
The night is dark,
A string of sparks flew out of the charcoal brazier:
"Baji"
… … …
"Baji!"
"Baji!"
"Baji!"
The old street was a little chilly in the drizzle, and small puddles could be seen everywhere on the uneven road.
A man in a sweatshirt was walking slowly on this slightly muddy path.
His head was hidden under the hood of his sweatshirt, and his body seemed to blend completely into the darkness behind him.
"Meow."
Beside him,
There was a white cat, following him closely with graceful steps.
One person and one cat,
Under the dim street lights, two long shadows were cast.
Occasionally there was the sound of wind around.
Empty and quiet, it hovers above the old street for a long time.
The man's figure was not big, but he gave people a sharp feeling. He was like a silent knife, which could smash the darkness into pieces as long as it was unsheathed.
In front, there is a night snack stall owned by a couple.
Business is not good tonight. My husband, who is sitting next to me, keeps coughing, obviously he has a cold.
The man walked to the stall.
The proprietress raised her head, saw the man, smiled and said:
"It's been a long time."
"Yeah." The man responded.
"Meow." The white cat also responded.
The proprietress started to make soup, fish ball soup, because she knew that was the only thing he would eat.
Drinking a bowl of fresh fish soup late at night is a real treat. It is just like this when the years are peaceful.
The boss was still coughing there. Seeing the customer frowning while eating, he thought he was disdaining him, so he could only smile apologetically and turn away.
The man was stunned. He knew that his boss had misunderstood him. He always had this expression when eating.
It's just a little cold tonight.
Otherwise, when it comes to eating, he would save as much as possible and ignore it as much as possible.
After putting down his bowl and chopsticks and paying the money, the man turned around and walked deeper into the old street. The white cat still followed him, never leaving his side.
No matter how dark the night is,
People can always find their home there.
The man walked to the door of the underworld shop and stopped.
The white cat jumped onto the stairs and found a familiar position.
Yes,
Familiar location.
once Upon a time,
His favorite thing to do was to move out a chair, sit on the steps, and bask in the sun motionlessly.
The owner of the massage parlor next door would even tease him that he looked like an old grandfather.
He turned his eyes slightly and looked next door. She hadn't come back yet.
Some people will never come back once they leave, but there are also people who will still be looking at you after they have walked far away.
He thought he had always been alone.
Even if he suddenly disappeared from this world, no one would notice. People who like solitude always like to dye themselves with the color of loneliness to gain more sense of security.
Because someone is watching me,
It is because someone cares about me.
So he came back.
He needs an explanation.
Give an explanation to those who care about you.
At the same time, give yourself an explanation.
Go up the stairs,
Arriving at the door,
He didn't knock on the door.
This is his home and he has the key.
The moment the keyhole is inserted into the door lock,
The faceless woman behind the door had her long hair flying up suddenly.
The little girl stood up straight like a little adult.
The talismans on the foreheads of all the people sitting in the two rows of chairs instantly disappeared.
Everyone opened their eyes collectively.
Look towards the direction of the gate!
"Squeak..."
The door was pushed open from the outside.
The little Loli looked at the person outside the door and smiled:
"Finally caught you."
The man shook his head slightly, indicating that the other party was wrong.
Corrected:
"No,
It's me,
I’m back. ”