Bai Lixin said, “You want to drive him away and sell the house? If you were really filial, why not leave the house to your grandfather?”
The young man’s face turned red, and he lowered his head in embarrassment.
The girl spoke generously, “We are about to get married, but we need a wedding house. As you know, in the city, every inch of land is valuable. We can’t save enough for a down payment anytime soon. We can’t keep renting forever, can we? We can endure some hardships, but we don’t want our future children to suffer.”
“His father had a serious illness a couple of years ago, and it drained all their savings. My parents are also from the countryside and don’t have much money. So, we discussed selling this house and adding the money we’ve saved over the past two years, which should be enough for a down payment.”
Xia Chi sighed, “I see now. Every family has its own difficulties. Let’s go then.”
—————————-
The young man and the girl walked ahead, and they moved slowly. Even though it was daytime, the surrounding large leaves from old trees cast shadows, making the narrow alley almost shrouded in darkness.
The four of them walked deep into the alley and finally stopped in front of a dilapidated door.
Inside the corridor, it was pitch dark. The large iron door in front of the corridor had long lost its functionality and was leaning crookedly against the wall, covered in rust.
Under the staircase, there was a pile of debris, barely leaving any space to step on.
The young man swallowed nervously and pointed to the corridor, “This is it. My grandfather’s place is in 301. Let’s go up.”
He stood still, hesitating to take a step.
Bai Lixin glanced at the young man, who seemed fearful, and then at the girl beside him. “Is it on the third floor? Let’s go first, and you can follow us. Do you have the keys?”
The young man quickly searched in his backpack and pulled out a bunch of keys, saying, “Yes, I have the keys.”
Bai Lixin took the keys from the young man’s hand and stepped into the dark corridor.
As he entered, the iron door made a creaking sound. The previously dark corridor suddenly lit up dimly as the sound-activated lights turned on.
Xia Chi: “Wow, the motion sensor lights in this corridor still work.”
The girl added, “Although this neighborhood is old and run-down, some facilities still function. After all, people still live here, and there’s no property management, so the residents have to cooperate for convenience.”
As she spoke, the cheap incandescent light flickered with a crackling sound, making the already eerie environment even more unsettling.
The girl instinctively clung to the young man.
In the faint yellow light, Bai Lixin calmly walked up the stairs.
The walls on both sides were covered with numerous small advertisements, almost giving the impression that the walls had patches all over them.
Even the staircase was not spared from these small ads.
In addition to the ads, there was a garbage bag in the corridor. With the weather getting hotter in May, a putrid smell emanated from the bag, attracting flies to swarm around.
Xia Chi covered his nose and frowned, “It stinks.”
After a short three-story climb, they finally reached the third floor, struggling to move in the narrow space.
Bai Lixin handed the keys to the young man and asked, “Are there not many people living in this corridor?”
The girl replied, “I don’t know. The last time I came, there was still someone on the second floor. They even greeted us. It’s the room next to the staircase, where the garbage bag is.”
“When did you last cone here?” Bai Lixin inquired.
“It wasn’t long ago, about a week ago,” the girl answered.
“What kind of person was it? Did they live alone?” Bai Lixin asked further.
“It was a middle-aged man. I think he lived alone, but he seemed to be working really hard. We chatted, and he said he worked fifteen to sixteen hours a day, with one main job and several part-time jobs. I even saw him delivering food. He’s probably just too busy and forgot to take out the trash,” the girl explained.
While they were talking, the young man had already inserted the key into the keyhole and opened the door.
With practiced moves, he found a position on the wall and lightly pressed it, causing the dim room to brighten immediately.
However, due to the lush trees outside, the view was obstructed even in the third floor, and the precious sunlight was blocked.
The room looked old and even emitted a musty smell, as if it had been uninhabited for a long time.
The furniture inside the room was covered with white cloth. The first thing the young man did after entering was to walk to the window and open it for ventilation.
As the window opened, a refreshing breeze blew in.
Bai Lixin looked toward the window.
The white curtains on both sides swayed with the wind, gently fluttering like an eighteen-year-old girl in a skirt dancing. The skirt fluttered with elegance and purity.
After swaying for a while, the curtains slowly fell down again.
In that moment, Bai Lixin vaguely saw the silhouette of a person imprinted on the curtains.
It wasn’t just him; everyone else saw it too.
The pure white curtain hung there quietly.
The “person” behind the curtain remained motionless, as if gazing at them.
The young man stiffened, standing still at the window.
“Ahhh!” The girl screamed in terror. While screaming, she didn’t forget her boyfriend, who couldn’t take care of himself. She rushed up and grabbed the young man’s wrist, pulling him behind Bai Lixin.
Xia Chi also quietly hid behind Bai Lixin.
Even S419M in his mind was startled, letting out two frightened screams.
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Why does it feel like I must have committed some terrible sin in my past life since none of them are of any use?
They bravely confronted monsters and zombies, but why are they all so afraid of ghosts?’
Xia Chi poked Bai Lixin’s shoulder and, with great concern, pointed at the human-shaped bulge on the curtain. “Brother, there’s… there’s a ghost. Did you see it?”
Bai Lixin rolled his eyes inwardly. ‘Of course, I’m not blind.’
He glanced meaningfully at Xia Chi and then, under the trembling gazes of the others, he slowly walked up to the curtain.
Grasping one corner of the curtain, he gently pulled it back, and the naturally hanging curtain opened up.
Behind the curtain, there was nothing, just emptiness.
Just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the lights above their heads suddenly made a “crackling” sound.
The next moment, the tungsten filament blew up with a loud “snap.”
The once bright room was instantly plunged into darkness.
The girl and the young man were paralyzed with fear, hugging each other and screaming in trembling voices.
As the wind blew outside, the curtain swayed up and down again, and the silhouette of a person appeared on the curtain once more.
“Ahhh! It’s there again!”
“Ahhh! So scary!”
The girl and the young man screamed loudly, unable to bear the fright any longer. They huddled in the corner, sitting dejectedly on the floor.
However, Bai Lixin’s expression underwent a slight change. Curiosity flickered in his eyes as he observed the human-shaped silhouette, but he refrained from pulling back the curtain.
Whether it was an illusion or not, he felt that this silhouette was slightly smaller than the one before.
This time, the human-shaped silhouette not only stood still but also raised a hand, pointing to its own head.
Bai Lixin looked in the direction indicated by the silhouette’s hand and turned to ask the young man, who was already petrified, “Hey, are there any other rooms upstairs? From outside, I could see that this building has three floors and an attic, right? Is there an attic up there?”
The pale-faced young man spoke hesitantly and with a trembling voice, “Yes, there is an attic. But my grandfather never allowed me to go up there; he always scared me by saying there were man-eating monsters. Besides, it’s pitch dark up there, with no lights, so it has been abandoned for a long time.”
Bai Lixin turned back and looked at the room again, asking, “By the way, I’ve been wondering why you seem so afraid of your grandfather. Are you scared of his ghost, or are you afraid of him? Why does it seem you are so frightened?”
The young man moved closer to the girl’s embrace and stammered, “I-I’ve been afraid of my grandfather since I was a child.”
“He was very strict, and when I was a child, I wanted to sneak up to the attic to play. As a result, my grandfather caught me in the act. He almost broke my leg with a stick.” He swallowed heavily, “I’m not exaggerating; he really almost broke my leg. I spent over ten days in the hospital, and I had a cast and underwent surgery. Since then, I have had a natural fear of him.”
“I learned my lesson and never dared to defy my grandfather again, nor did I ever go near the attic. After that incident, my grandfather never scolded me again, but I just couldn’t forget that lesson he taught me with his stick.”
“Do you know where the entrance to the attic is?” Bai Lixin walked along the shadow’s direction, looking up at the attic but not finding its entrance. “Has it been sealed off?”
The young man replied, “Yes, that’s right. After some time, my grandfather directly sealed off the entrance to the attic. I can’t recall exactly where the entrance was, as that memory is too frightening, and I’ve also developed selective forgetfulness. I only remember that I climbed up to the attic, but whether I actually entered it and where the entrance is, I’ve forgotten.”
Bai Lixin surveyed the room and asked, “Is there a ladder?”
The young man thought hard and responded, “No, but there’s a stool and a dining table. We can use them to create a makeshift platform.”
Bai Lixin said, “Then let’s make a makeshift ladder.”
The young man looked anxious, pointing to the ceiling, “But…”
Bai Lixin interrupted, “No ‘buts.’ Aren’t you curious about what’s inside the attic? Before, your grandfather stopped you, but now that he’s gone, who can stop you? Besides, we’re here with you, and opportunities like this don’t come often.”
The young man’s curiosity was completely ignited by Bai Lixin. Shaking off his fear, he leaned against the wall and pointed to a room, “That’s my grandfather’s study; there’s a table and chairs inside. Let’s bring them out.”
With everyone’s help, it only took three to five minutes to assemble a crude platform in the hallway.
Bai Lixin glanced at the three, whose faces were all marked with “weak, helpless, and scared,” and said, “I’ll go up and take a look.”
He sighed inwardly, ‘I have to do everything myself.’
Balancing skillfully on the stool and table, Bai Lixin stood steadily on the makeshift platform.
Xia Chi and the couple were not idle either. Though they didn’t dare to climb up, they were at least able to help stabilize the table.
Bai Lixin lifted his arm and easily reached the cream-colored ceiling.
First, he tried tapping on a random spot. It produced a muffled sound, indicating it was solid.
Subconsciously, he looked down at the figure on the curtain, but it hadn’t moved, still pointing in the same direction.
After contemplating for a couple of seconds, he shifted slightly to the side.
This time, a different sound came from above.
“Dong, dong, dong!” This place was hollow.
Xia Chi called out excitedly, “Brother, the sound is different! There really is something up there.”
The young man quickly said, “I’ll get you a hammer.”
Without waiting for Bai Lixin’s response, he quickly turned and walked toward a room familiarly.
Only Xia Chi and the girl remained, supporting the table.
After finding that spot, Bai Lixin didn’t stop. He continued to tap carefully on the ceiling, testing every reachable area with his hands.
Just as he was about to tap another spot, the ground at his feet suddenly shook.
He immediately stiffened his legs, stabilizing himself to avoid falling.
“Brother, be careful!” Xia Chi called from below. Bai Lixin looked down to see Xia Chi and the girl struggling to hold onto the table and chairs. The table and chairs they were supporting shook violently, as if they were the ones rocking the furniture.
“Don’t shake it!” The girl’s face turned red as she glared at Xia Chi.
Xia Chi had a tense and constipated expression, saying, “It’s not me shaking it. Are you accusing me?”
The girl’s expression suddenly changed, “If it’s not you, and it’s not me, then could it be…”
“Ah!! It’s a ghost!” She screamed in terror, but even so, she didn’t let go of the table and chairs.
The shaking of the furniture intensified. On hearing the sound, the young man hurriedly rushed out with an anxious and concerned look on his face, holding a hammer in his hand.
He quickly came over to support the table, handing the hammer to Bai Lixin, “Here, take the hammer!”
Just as Bai Lixin’s hand was about to touch the hammer, the table and chairs shook even more violently. Due to the movement, the young man’s hand trembled, and Bai Lixin’s fingertips that were about to touch the hammer narrowly missed it.
His wrist turned flexibly in mid-air, and he quickly caught the hammer with his other hand.
Then he passed the hammer to the other hand without hesitation, and closed his eyes after finding the correct position.
With the shaking, Bai Lixin’s body followed the movement, but his actions didn’t stall for a moment.
With a fierce swing, the hammer struck, “Move away!”
As soon as he said that, there was a loud bang and a hole was smashed in the ceiling, causing cement and debris to rain down.
Fortunately, with the previous warning, Xia Chi quickly pulled the young man and the girl aside, narrowly avoiding the falling debris.
Bai Lixin raised his arm again, and with another swing of the hammer, made another strike.
Xia Chi and the others were still holding onto the table and chairs, determined to find out the truth. No matter how the furniture shook, it couldn’t deter their curiosity.
Realizing that the shaking was in vain, the shaking of the furniture gradually weakened and eventually stopped.
After three strikes, Bai Lixin had created a hole in the ceiling large enough for a person to pass through.
