Old Li is in his fifties. He used to have a son, but I heard that he passed away many years ago for some unknown reason. His wife also passed away from illness a year ago. So now Old Li lives alone, which looks quite pitiful.

"Thank you for your kindness, please have a seat." Old Li pointed to the stool next to him, a rare smile appearing on his aged face, and said.

I placed the apple on a small wooden table to Old Li's left, sat down on the stool, and asked, "Uncle Li, I heard you hurt your foot. Is it feeling better?"

When I came in, I saw Old Li lying on the chair with his feet unbandaged, and he didn't look injured.

"It's nothing serious, just a twist and a fall. Apply some Huang Dao Yi powder, and it'll be fine in a couple of days," Old Li said, standing up and limping back into the inner room to pour me a glass of water.

I took the water that Old Li handed me, looked at him in surprise, and asked, "Then why did you come back from your vacation?"

I really wanted to ask Old Li if he had really seen something evil in the dance class, but I felt that would be too abrupt, so I asked him instead why he was on vacation.

"Sigh, I'm tired from working, I want to rest for a bit." Old Li sighed, lay back down in the rocking chair, and started rocking back and forth.

"Uncle Li, is it because they won't give you a raise?" I hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Bullshit!" Old Li suddenly sat up again and cursed.

"Uncle Li, I didn't mean anything by it." I waved my hand and said when I saw that Old Li was angry.

"Changming, I know you're a kind person, and I know a bit about your background. You've had a tough life. To tell you the truth, the courier station isn't clean." Old Li glanced at me, then lay back in his rocking chair and spoke slowly.

"Uncle Li, did you really see something evil in the dance class?" My heart skipped a beat, and I asked the question that I had come here for.

After asking the question, I stared intently at Old Li. I saw his lips twitch, and his expression was quite unpleasant.

Old Li was silent for a while before nodding and slowly saying, "That's right. I was already asleep last night, but around midnight, I woke up needing to pee. I got up to go to the bathroom and suddenly heard music coming from the dance studio. There was a faint light on up there, so I thought the dance teacher had forgotten to turn off the music after get off work. I was going to go check it out, but when I opened the dance studio door, I saw a little girl with her back to me practicing dancing. At first, I didn't pay much attention and thought she was being punished by the teacher for being lazy in class. I went over to ask her when she was going home, but then she suddenly turned around and gave me a sinister smile. When I saw her face clearly, I was terrified and ran out of there, falling several times and spraining my right ankle."

"You really saw Xu Huihui?" I asked, my scalp tingling with a chill, my voice trembling slightly.

"It's absolutely true. I saw her being carried into the ambulance right at the gate the day the girl had the accident," Old Li said with absolute certainty, his face still showing fear.

My heart skipped a beat. From Old Li's seemingly genuine expression, I was certain that what he said was 90% true. Oh no, I'm going to have to spend the night there. What am I going to do? Damn it, Zhang Guangyin is a real bastard.

"Then...then, Uncle Li, after you ran away, did Xu...Xu Huihui chase after you?" I asked, my skin crawling with goosebumps.

"How would I know? I was almost scared to death. I ran out in a panic, went back to my room, locked the door, and left the light on all night. I didn't dare to sleep," Old Li said, his face pale and still shaken.

"Did anything else happen after that?" I asked, my forehead already covered in cold sweat, but I didn't bother to wipe it away.

"No, I was too scared to sleep with the lights off last night, so I started packing my things right away. Plus, I twisted my ankle, so as soon as it was light, I called my boss to ask for leave and came back." Old Li took out a pack of cigarettes, handed me one, took one out and put it in his mouth, lit it with a lighter, and took a few deep drags.

I lit a cigarette, took a few deep drags to calm myself down, and slowly said, "Uncle Li, to be honest, I came to see you today to find out what you saw last night. This morning, Zhang Guangyin came to me and said that you had taken leave and asked me to stay at the courier station for a few days. At first, I had no idea and just agreed."

"Pah!" Old Li spat out a mouthful of saliva when he heard my words, and cursed, "That water buffalo is a real scoundrel, vicious-hearted, and only knows how to bully honest people like us."

I nodded in deep agreement. Zhang Guangyin was notoriously ruthless, and I knew that Old Li had also had his wages deducted under various pretexts by him.

"Hey, Changming, if you can, you should find another job," Old Li said earnestly, finishing his cigarette.

"Uncle Li, thank you for your kindness, but I really need this job and don't plan to change it for the time being," I said softly, shaking my head.

The reason I don't plan to change jobs is simple: I just want to earn more money. Don't be fooled by the fact that my great-uncle sells meat; he has no savings at all.

When I was in school, he still had to support my studies, so he drank relatively little. After I started working, the little money my fifth grandfather earned from selling meat was just enough for him to buy alcohol.

I don't know if I'll live past 24, but I've already made plans. Even if I don't live past 24, I'll leave some money for my great-uncle to live on in his old age. He's getting on in years, and there will come a time when he can't even lift a knife. When he's all alone, having some money will at least make his life a little more comfortable.

After my grandfather passed away, I lived with my fifth grandfather for over ten years. He provided me with food, drink, and education, and I have come to regard him as my only family.

"Changming, since you've made up your mind, I, this old man, won't try to persuade you anymore. But since you're quite conscientious, I'll tell you a few things," Old Man Li said slowly, lighting another cigarette.

"What's going on?" I threw away my cigarette butt and asked suspiciously. Judging from Old Li's words, there seemed to be some unknown secrets at the courier station.

"The courier station used to be a processing plant, you know?" Old Li didn't answer directly, but asked in return.

I nodded and said, "I've heard of it. It used to run a knitting factory, but it went bankrupt due to poor management."

“You only know one side of the story, not the other,” Old Li said with a sorrowful expression and a solemn tone.

"Could there be some hidden secret here?" I became even more curious and hurriedly asked.