Chapter 53

After eating beef porridge, Luo Yu went back to his room to tidy himself up, and then accompanied Xu Xiaoxia to go shopping in the mall.

Luo Yu was absent-minded the whole day. She just responded with "hmm" and "oh" to everything Xu Xiaoxia said. Sometimes she even had to recall what Xu Xiaoxia had just said.

After the whole family finished dinner, Luo Yu went back to his room and waited for 12:12 midnight.

The waiting period was the most difficult. Luo Yu sat for a while, then stood up and took out the brush and big red paper he had put away last night, intending to write to pass the time.

He dipped the pen in ink, stared at the big red paper on the table for a full minute, and finally wrote the word "zhi".

As a result, he couldn't stop writing. The paper was filled with the word "执" one by one. Luo Yu seemed to be unsatisfied with what he wrote, or maybe he wanted to see him too much. When he finished writing, the pen tube was pressed by his thumb, and it broke into two with a click.

After the brush was broken, he opened his phone and checked it. It was 10:23.

It's too early.

So he put pen to paper and wrote on the food delivery app again.

The takeaway didn't arrive until 11 o'clock. In the next hour, Luo Yu continued to write the word "zhi" on the paper endlessly, just like before.

It was not until 12 o'clock that he reluctantly put down his pen. Looking at the room surrounded by calligraphy, he felt an inexplicable sense of joy in his heart.

"I am a little spirit boy. When I was a human, I was in a miserable state. When I was a ghost, I was at ease."

“The world does not favor me, yet it is precisely this world that I long for.”

"Love is untouchable, powerless, and wants to break through."

"Sad, sad, sad"

This time, after he finished reciting the mantra, it was not like before. There was a buzzing in his head, and then he fell to the underworld.

He opened his eyes, but froze when he saw the scene in front of him.

He was still in the room and had not entered the underworld.

Fall and read again.

Open your eyes again.

Still in the room.

Read again.

Open your eyes again.

Still in the room.

Luo Yu started to panic. Why couldn’t he get in today?

Could it be that the time on the phone has been changed?

He quickly checked the browser to see what time it was.

The page loaded in two seconds and displayed 12:13.

Luo Yu turned off his phone and looked at the room covered with the word "persistence". He wanted to cry, to vent, to see you, and to hug you.

He sat down weakly on the bed, watching the sky outside the window turn from dark to white, until he heard movement in the living room, then he moved.

I didn't sleep all night, but I didn't feel sleepy at all. I just hoped that time would pass faster and the next midnight 12:12 would come sooner, but at the same time I was very anxious.

He is afraid.

He was afraid he would never be able to get in again.

Xu Xiaoxia's cough has become more and more serious in the past two days, so Luo Yu accompanied her to the hospital today.

The examination showed that there was nothing wrong, just a common cough. I took some medicine and went home.

After leaving the parking lot, Xu Xiaoxia called out, "Luo Yu."

Luo Yu was still thinking about the underworld that he couldn't enter last night, and didn't notice Xu Xiaoxia calling him.

"Luo Yu?" Xu Xiaoxia grabbed his hand and shouted.

Luo Yu was startled and finally came to his senses. He stared at Xu Xiaoxia in a daze without saying a word.

"What's wrong with you?" Xu Xiaoxia said worriedly. "You've been distracted yesterday and today. Did...something happen?"

Luo Yu shook his head and said, "It's nothing. I just thought about the time when we were in Lai County."

Xu Xiaoxia was a little surprised, and then her eyes began to redden. "You still remember? You haven't mentioned it for almost ten years. I thought you had forgotten."

Luo Yu lowered his head and said, "I've always remembered it." After a few seconds, he said, "Mom."

"Hmm?" Xu Xiaoxia replied.

Luo Yu looked at the pearl hairpin on her head and said, "Do you want to have another child?"

"Huh?" Xu Xiaoxia paused. The emotions that had been rising from thinking about some past events were suddenly wiped out by these words.

"Oh no," Luo Yu corrected, "I mean if we go back twelve years, would you be willing to be the mother of that Guanzi kid?"

Xu Xiaoxia was stunned for a moment, as if she hadn't expected him to ask this question suddenly. "Of course, not to mention now, I've thought about it before. That child is so well-behaved. What a pity..."

Luo Yu breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that Luo Zhi would be very happy to hear this answer.

Tonight was just like last night, Luo Yu was writing the word "zhi" (holding) over and over again like a madman.

It was not until 12:12 midnight that he put down his pen, took a few breaths to calm his nervous mood, and finally closed his eyes and began to read.

When I opened my eyes again, I fell into a pile of paper with the word "zhi" on it, and I felt dizzy.

...He really couldn't get in.

He really couldn't get in.

Is it really over?

Luozhi, are you really going to abandon me like this?

But don’t we still have a lot to do?

Didn’t you promise to accompany me to see the cherry blossoms bloom at Sangpo Lake next year?

Luo Yu looked at the densely packed "Zhi" characters, as if he saw countless Luo Zhis, clearly right in front of him, but he just couldn't touch them.

He crawled on the ground like a madman, grabbing one big red paper after another that was covered with the word "zhi". Tears flowed down like a tide, and many of the "zhi" characters were blurred, forming a distorted "zhi".

Luo Yu cried even louder when she saw those distorted characters "执".

Xu Xiaoxia and Luo Zeping were both awakened by the crying and rushed to his room.

After seeing the condition in the room, Xu Xiaoxia almost screamed, but fortunately her reason prevailed over her instinctive reaction. She did not step into the room immediately, but went to get her cell phone to contact Lao Hong.

The door of the room was suddenly opened but Luo Yu did not react at all. He was still holding the pile of papers with the word "Zhi" written on them. When Luo Zeping saw the word "Zhi" all over the room, he had only one thought in his mind.

His son might be going crazy.

After Xu Xiaoxia finished the call, she rushed in and hugged Luo Yu, who was still shaking and crying. She didn't say anything, but just held her child tightly in her arms and carried him on her back again and again, just like when she was a child, she would carry him on her back when he cried.

Recite it smoothly, and all the crying will disappear. The child will grow up quickly, and mom and dad will accompany him slowly.

"...Mom, I..." Luo Yu rubbed his red eyes, "I'm fine, I'm fine, I just... just..." When he said this, Luo Yu saw Xu Xiaoxia's red eyes, and his heart ached again, and tears flowed out so cowardly.

He really didn't want to make his parents worry anymore, but he couldn't do it.

It's absolutely useless! It's absolutely useless! It's absolutely useless!

Isn't it just that I can't see him anymore? Isn't it just that I don't keep my promise?

Wasn't it just a trick? Wasn't it just a trick played by a ghost that looked like a human?!

Are you really that decadent? Why do you always make your parents worry? Why are you always so useless?

Luo Yu cursed himself in his heart while he began to tear up the big red paper on the ground that had the word "zhi" written all over it. When he had torn up all the paper in front of him, he crawled to the front to tear it up, then crawled to the bed to tear it up, and then crawled to the window to tear it up.

Luo Yu was enjoying the tearing more and more. He looked at the ground full of big red scraps of paper. Each "执" character had been torn into pieces by him. If there was one "执" still intact, he would tear it up even more.

Luo Yu looked at the debris all over the ground and just wanted to pour a can of kerosene on it and burn it.

Luo Yu walked into the kitchen with this thought in mind, and the Luo couple followed him all the way.

When people are in a state of extreme depression, evil thoughts come and go quickly. When Luo Yu picked up the lighter, he was suddenly startled by himself and immediately threw the lighter into the trash can.

In the second when the lighter was thrown into the trash can, he felt that countless people breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

He walked out of the kitchen, leaned against the wall in the living room, and slowly sat down, gasping for breath, as if if he didn't, he would not be able to breathe and would be suffocated to death.

"Luo Yu." Xu Xiaoxia squatted beside him and called him softly.

Luo Yu had already let out a lot of anger, but he still felt very upset. He tried hard not to let his tears fall and forced a smile for her.

Xu Xiaoxia also laughed along, but like him, there was no smile on her face, only bitterness.

Xu Xiaoxia still didn't ask anything and just stayed by his side quietly.

Suddenly, the phone Xu Xiaoxia placed on the coffee table started ringing, and Luo Zeping went over to answer it.

"Okay, okay." After hanging up the phone, he went out and went downstairs.

"Luo Yu." Xu Xiaoxia touched Luo Yu's hand, "Mom was really scared just now, so she contacted Lao Hong to come over and take a look."

"I also think I should go and take a look." Luo Yu lowered his head.

After an unknown amount of time, the door opened and Luo Zeping walked in with an old man.

Luo Yu looked at Xu Xiaoxia and asked, "Didn't you say you contacted Lao Hong?"

"Lao Hong said he couldn't come because of something, and he introduced this person to me," said Xu Xiaoxia.

Luo Yu looked at the old man and stopped talking.

The old man entered the living room and saw Luo Yu and Xu Xiaoxia squatting on the floor. His eyelids began to twitch again. He glanced at Luo Zeping beside him, his teeth aching. Finally, he whispered, "Send them back to their rooms first."

The sound was actually very small, but since it was late at night and everyone was asleep, it could still be heard. Xu Xiaoxia got up from the ground and took Luo Yu into her and Luo Zeping's room. As soon as the door was closed, the old man immediately asked Luo Zeping to tell him Luo Yu's birth date.

Luo Zeping reported the time to him, accurate to the minute and second.

The old man closed his eyes and began to count his fingers, but his brows became more and more furrowed.

"Are you remembering correctly?" The old man suddenly opened his eyes, looking panicked.

Luo Zeping said, "I'm sure I'll remember. What did you see, sir?"

The old man closed his eyes and counted his fingers again. When he did this again, his expression could no longer be described as panic-stricken. It was almost twisted into a pile of shit.

"This is the horoscope of a dead man! Why are you giving me the horoscope of a dead man?" The old man growled in a low voice, and the loose fat on his face was shaking with anger.

Luo Zeping was startled, "What are you talking about! You just saw it too, my child is not alive and well."

The old man's face froze. After calming down for a few seconds, he asked again, "Are you sure that what you just gave me is really your child's horoscope?"

Luo Zeping was a little suspicious of his memory after hearing his words. He took out his phone and said, "Wait a moment, I'll check."

"There's no mistake." Luo Zeping pointed the phone screen towards the old man's face. The screen showed Luo Yu's year and time of birth.

The old man took a look and then closed his eyes and counted with his fingers again.

Beads of sweat began to seep out of the old man's forehead, and his breathing became rapid. Luo Zeping also became nervous unconsciously.

"I quit!" The old man suddenly opened his eyes and yelled. This time he didn't lower his voice deliberately, and his echo rang in the living room for two seconds.

"Who the hell is quitting their job in the middle of the night? What's wrong with you?! Fuck!"

It was unclear whether the male voice came from upstairs or below, but the voice was no smaller than the old man's just now.

"I think you have shit in your brain! You're yelling so loudly! You want to show off how awesome your voice is! If you have the guts, sing a song for me to hear! You piece of shit!" Another new male voice sounded, and the voice was comparable to the one with shit in his brain.

The one with the shit in his head started yelling again, "Sing if you want! Who's afraid of who? You fucking piece of shit! Believe it or not, I'll sing a song called 'Husband, husband, I love you' for you! Catch you!"

"You woke up the children in the middle of the night. Do you have any sense of morality?" This time it was a female voice shouting. The voice was not loud, but it was still late at night and could be heard clearly. It was unlike those two idiots who were roaring at each other like lions fighting for a lioness.

At this time, the old man had already walked to the door and was about to rush out. Luo Zeping hurried over and grabbed him.

"Sir, what did you mean by that?"

The old man waved his hand, signaling him to let go, and then said earnestly: "I can't take your order. I have never encountered such a situation as tonight. You should wait for Lao Hong to come by himself. I'm leaving first."

Luo Yu wanted to hold him back again, but the old man refused to turn back no matter what.

After the old man left, Xu Xiaoxia walked out of the room. He went to Luo Zeping and said, "I asked Luo Yu to sleep in our room tonight. He's already in bed. What did the old man say? What did he mean by 'I quit'?"

Luo Zeping was stunned for a few seconds, and finally said: "Luo Yu is fine, he just had a nightmare and was scared. The word "zhi" might be related to that thing. You sleep with him tonight. I'll go clean up his room and I'll sleep in the living room tonight."

Xu Xiaoxia nodded doubtfully, and finally returned to her room with a heavy face.