Chapter 137 Dark Shadow
Gu Qiuyue suddenly woke up from her dream, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead. The moonlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, casting a faint band of light on the kang. The blurry figure holding the letter in her dream seemed to still sway in front of her eyes, making her heart pound.
Xie Shiyu turned over beside her, his arm naturally resting on her waist. The warmth of his body made Gu Qiuyue feel a little relieved. She gently leaned towards her husband, listening to his steady breathing, trying to dispel the uneasiness in her heart.
Early in the morning, Xie Shiyu got up quietly, but still woke up Gu Qiuyue who was in a light sleep.
"Sleep a little longer," he leaned over and kissed her forehead, his tone gentle, "You didn't get enough rest last night."
Gu Qiuyue shook her head and sat up. "No, I have work to arrange in the workshop today." She paused and lowered her voice. "That letter..."
Xie Shiyu's expression hardened. "I'll talk to the security department today. They'll help keep an eye out for suspicious people. Try to stay in the compound today and wait for me to get back from get off work."
After sending her husband away, Gu Qiuyue took the literacy cards and toys and let the two children play by themselves. She opened the desk drawer and found the anonymous letter lying quietly at the bottom.
She picked up the letter and looked at it carefully again, feeling it was quite strange.
After thinking about it, Gu Qiuyue put away the letter and decided to visit Li Caifeng first.
The sun was shining brightly, shining on the dirt road in the courtyard, but it could not dispel the gloom in her heart.
The door of Li Caifeng's house was ajar. Gu Qiuyue pushed it open gently and saw her sitting on a small bench in the living room, staring blankly at the ground.
"Sister Caifeng?" Gu Qiuyue called softly.
Li Caifeng slowly raised her head, her eyes unfocused, and it took a while for them to focus on Gu Qiuyue's face.
"Qiuyue..." she murmured, her voice hoarse.
Gu Qiuyue sat down beside her and handed over the two apples she had brought. "How are you doing recently? How are the children?"
"Going to school..." Li Caifeng answered mechanically, her fingers unconsciously stroking the smooth skin of the apple.
Suddenly, she grabbed Gu Qiuyue's hand with astonishing strength, "Letters...those letters are fake...deceptive..."
Gu Qiuyue's heart skipped a beat, and she asked softly, "What letter? Sister Caifeng, what letter are you talking about?"
Li Caifeng's eyes suddenly turned panicky. She let go of her hand and shook her head desperately, "I can't say... I'm wrong... It's all wrong..." She suddenly lowered her voice and moved closer mysteriously, "The people at the cultural center... they're not real..."
Cultural Center? Gu Qiuyue thought of the embroidery exhibition at the County Cultural Center that Zhang Xiumei mentioned yesterday, and her heart tightened. "Who is that person from the Cultural Center? Sister Caifeng, please explain clearly."
But Li Caifeng had already fallen into her own world again, holding the apple and muttering to herself, and could no longer ask anything.
Gu Qiuyue sighed, helped her clean up the room, left some food coupons before leaving.
When she walked out of the corridor, she vaguely felt as if someone was watching her not far away, but when she looked back, she saw only a few old locust trees swaying in the wind, and no one in sight. Was she being too suspicious?
When they arrived at the workshop, the women were already busy. When they saw Gu Qiuyue come in, the laughter and chatter suddenly became quieter. Several women who were whispering to each other quickly separated and returned to their seats.
Zhang Xiumei came forward and said, "Qiuyue, you're here. Everyone has seen the sketches of the new pattern and they all like it."
"Sister Xiumei, you said yesterday that you saw an embroidery exhibition of similar style at the Cultural Center?" Gu Qiuyue asked casually.
Zhang Xiumei wiped her hands and said, "Yes, I saw it a few days ago when I went to deliver an embroidery. It was said to be the posthumous work of an old artist named Qin. The overlapping embroidery technique of the peony flowers is very similar to your design."
"Master Qin?" Gu Qiuyue's heart moved. "Is the exhibition still there?"
"It should still be there. They say it's going to be on display for a month." Zhang Xiumei suddenly lowered her voice. "Come to think of it, a few days ago, two people claiming to be from the cultural center came to Caifeng. They wanted to collect traditional embroidery patterns. Two days after that, Caifeng started to act strangely..."
Gu Qiuyue kept it in mind, but did not show it on her face. She just nodded and began to arrange her work for the day.
The afternoon sun streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on the desk. Gu Qiuyue had just sat down to sort through the translation materials when she heard the postman call out from outside the door, "Comrade Gu Qiuyue, there's a letter for you!"
Her heart skipped a beat, and she took a deep breath before leaving. This time it was a reply from New Wind magazine!
In the letter, the editor praised her short story's creativity and writing style, formally invited her to write a manuscript, and hoped that she would complete the full text as soon as possible. The letter also mentioned that the magazine was actively discovering and cultivating new writers with potential. At the end, the editor casually added: "We have also received some letters from readers recently, mentioning similar themes or focusing on rural transformation. It can be seen that your topic is quite relevant to the times."
This formal letter full of recognition was in stark contrast to the nightmare and anonymous warning letter in the early morning, leaving Gu Qiuyue feeling complicated, both excited and uneasy.
As the sun sets, Xie Shiyu returns.
Gu Qiuyue told him the good news about the magazine and her visit to Li Caifeng during the day and her feelings in the workshop. She also mentioned the feeling of being spied on at that moment.
Xie Shiyu frowned, "People from the Cultural Center... Letters from readers..." He pondered for a moment, "This is not a simple matter. I'll take a day off tomorrow and go to the Cultural Center with you."
After dinner, Gu Qiuyue turned on the desk lamp and spread out the manuscript paper in front of the desk. The light illuminated her focused profile. The pen rustled on the paper, and she occasionally paused to think about the right words.
Xie Shiyu was teaching Huahua to read, while Shuangshuang was quietly playing with her dolls. The room was filled with a warm and peaceful atmosphere.
Suddenly, there was a very slight noise outside the window, as if someone was carefully stepping on a dead branch and breaking it.
Gu Qiuyue suddenly looked up and exchanged glances with Xie Shiyu. They both held their breath and listened carefully.
There was another rustling sound, like the sound of clothes rubbing against the courtyard wall.
Xie Shiyu signaled Gu Qiuyue not to move, and he quietly walked to the window and pushed it open suddenly. Under the moonlight, a vague black shadow quickly disappeared at the corner of the courtyard wall, and the footsteps hurried away.
"Stop!" Xie Shiyu shouted, turned over and jumped out of the window to chase after him.
Gu Qiuyue's heart was beating in her throat. She hugged the frightened children tightly, staring at the dark night outside the window.
There were a few dog barks in the distance, and then silence.
A few minutes later, Xie Shiyu returned, his face grim. "I ran too fast, so I couldn't catch up," he gasped. "But I found this at the base of the wall."
He opened his palm. It was a small, shiny copper button with an intricate cloud pattern carved on it. It didn't look like something you would find in an ordinary household.
Gu Qiuyue took the button, her fingertips trembling slightly. This strange button seemed like a hint of some kind, and also like the beginning of another mystery.
The night wind blew the curtains, bringing a hint of coolness.
Gu Qiuyue held the button tightly, knowing in her heart that her creative path was destined to be bumpy.
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