Styx Doll (II)
The next morning, Chen Mengze, under the guidance of the proprietress, went to the fruit shop to buy some fruits, and then went to the fields behind the village.
Many families’ graves are located in their own fields.
It is summer now. The seedlings in the fields have already grown but are still far from mature, still with their unique tender green color.
When the wind blows, it looks like a wave of clear water from afar, and with the clear sky, it doesn't feel gloomy at all.
Shen Mengze had never seen Bai Yu's grandmother, he just found the old lady's tombstone based on her name.
He stepped forward, put the fruit down, and exhaled softly, "Grandma, my name is Chen Mengze, and I'm Bai Yu's friend. I haven't seen you all this time, please don't blame me."
He was silent for a while after he finished speaking. "It's not that I don't want to come, but I don't know how to face you if I come. I think you must have seen that boy. Let him explain anything to you.
When I knew him, he told half truths and half lies.
There are many secrets that I may have to wait until I meet him in the future to know, right?"
The wind blew gently through the treetops and over his head, and the fallen leaves in the distance floated down gently.
*
After sweeping the tomb, Shen Mengze felt much calmer, as if some power had soothed his heart, and even the resentment and confusion that had made him feel trapped over the years had dissipated a lot.
He walked back along the path and as he entered the door he found that the driver had also returned.
He went to visit the grave just now and didn't let the driver follow him. Anyway, what could happen in a small village?
The driver knew his temper and didn't say anything.
Another day passed like this, and after nightfall, Chen Mengze went to bed early again.
Perhaps what you think about during the day you dream about at night.
He dreamed of Bai Yu, who had not come to see him in his dreams for a long time.
Bai Yu still looked the same as when they parted that year, standing in a foggy place and smiling at him.
"White Feather."
Bai Yu nodded to him, "Thank you, but you've been out for too long, go home early!"
Chen Mengze was a little confused, but Bai Yu didn't elaborate. He reached out and took something out of the mist.
"obedient."
"Hey!" Shen Mengze wanted to call him, but saw his figure disappear in the mist in the blink of an eye.
Then he heard a sound of wind, or rather crying.
He suddenly opened his eyes and found that it was already dawn.
*
After washing up in the morning, Chen Mengze went downstairs.
The proprietress was watching TV in the hall. When she saw him coming down, she immediately greeted him, "Little brother, our temple fair will be held in a few days. Would you like to stay and play for a few more days?"
"No need." Chen Mengze shook his head. He didn't know anyone in this village so he didn't want to linger there. He planned to go back as soon as possible. Besides the plan to train his skills, he had many other plans.
Unexpectedly, plans are not as fast as changes. Half an hour later, he was eating breakfast bought from the bun shop next door, and was a little surprised why the driver hadn't gotten up yet?
But getting up late occasionally is nothing, he just thinks that the other party didn't get enough rest last night.
It happened to be Saturday, and the boss’s wife’s kids didn’t have to go to cram school.
Shen Mengze observed quietly and found that the child was very well-behaved. He was doing his homework quietly. After finishing, he did not run around, but did housework in the hall.
At his age, he is full of energy and can't sit still, but Shen Mengze didn't see any energy in him that a young child should have.
He is not introverted or shy. His temperament is very sticky, like the wind on a cloudy summer day that wraps around the body and gives a damp and suffocating feeling.
Perhaps because Shen Mengze's gaze stayed on him for too long, the little boy paused in mopping the floor and turned to look in his direction.
On a summer morning, Chen Mengze felt the chill of opening the door of an ice storage room when he saw the boy's gaze.
He only felt that the child's eyes were misty. Although he was clearly looking at him, it seemed as if he was looking through him to the empty wall behind him.
Fortunately, the little boy just glanced at him, turned around and concentrated on his own things.
Shen Mengze was slightly distracted, and felt that the little boy looked familiar, but he thought about it and didn't care.
The driver didn't come downstairs until breakfast was over. Shen Mengze felt something was wrong, so he quickly ran upstairs and knocked on the driver's door.
He knocked for a long time but no one responded. Just when he was about to suspect that there was no one in the room or something had happened, the door opened.
The driver opened the door and was a little surprised. "Master, you don't look well?"
Chen Mengze felt that he should be the one to say this. Of course, he had to admit that during the process of knocking on the door, he was very sensitive and thought of some bad things because of his own experience.
But the driver’s current condition is far from good.
After just one night apart, he looked as pale as paper, with big dark circles under his eyes. He looked weak and powerless, completely different from his previous state when he walked steadily and showed hidden strength.
"What's wrong with you? Are you sick?" Chen Mengze asked.
"Maybe it's a cold or fever?" The driver was also a little confused, but he didn't take it seriously.
Shen Mengze said, “Since you are sick, you should rest well, or go to the village clinic to get some medicine.”
He thought that given the other person's condition, it would be really troublesome for him if he still drove to the city to see a doctor.
"It's okay, I'm not that delicate."
The driver waved his hand and made way, "I'm sorry to have delayed your business, young master."
Chen Mengze smiled and said, "What can a student like me who is on summer vacation do? You should take a rest!"
He said this without entering the house, but turned and went downstairs to buy some medicine for the driver.
Chen Mengze originally thought that the driver's cold would not get worse within a day or two. But the next day when he bought breakfast and went to call for help, he found that the driver's condition was even worse.
If the other party's face was still at the entry-level level of illness yesterday, then today he was definitely terminally ill, with one foot halfway into the coffin.
Shen Mengze looked at his face, his heart sinking, "You...I'll go get someone to drive to the hospital. The illness will only get worse if you delay."
He just wanted to ask, why did you become like this, but he thought it was nonsense and just gave the order directly.
The driver didn't take it seriously, "It's okay, sir."
He was just a little confused because his illness came so suddenly.
Shen Mengze frowned, and when his eyes accidentally fell on his ankle, his expression changed instantly.
People wear less in summer, and the driver also wears shorts when he sleeps. Shen Mengze clearly sees a pair of small palm prints on his ankles.
The palm print is so small that it looks like a baby's palm was printed on it.
Although the palm print was small, the force used was quite strong, and the mark turned purple.
The driver followed his gaze and was also shocked, "This is..."
Seeing that he was swaying even when standing, Shen Mengze sighed, "Let's talk inside."
Then he went into the house and closed the door.
The driver sat on the bed, and Shen Mengze sat on the chair. The two were silent for a while, and the driver seemed to be thinking, "Could it be that I have encountered something strange?"
Shen Mengze glanced at him, but didn't know how to respond.
The driver smiled and said, "My colleague mentioned this to me before. He said that when traveling around with an employer, you will always encounter some strange things. You might get entangled by dirty things. But, young master, you definitely don't believe this, right?"
If he didn't believe in ghosts, there would probably be no idealists in this world.
Although Shen Mengze thought bitterly, his tone was calm, "Did he tell me how to solve it if it really happened?"
The driver thought that the young master from a wealthy family was quite superstitious.
He had never experienced it himself, so he was skeptical.
"He said he wanted to get some black dog blood to ward off evil spirits."
In fact, my colleagues talked a lot at the time, and they were all nagging, but they just treated it as a story and didn't take it to heart.
Chen Mengze had also heard of this method, but in his opinion, being possessed by evil spirits was like being sick, and the right medicine must be used.
For a common cold, taking two pills is not enough and you still have to go to the hospital, let alone something like this.
However, what is more terrible than being sick is that doctors are easy to find, but there are even more knowledgeable scammers.
With a family background like Shen Mengze's, there are very few masters who can be found.
He thought about it carefully and found that the only person he had who could effectively deal with this kind of thing was his deceased friend, Bai Yu.
He resisted the urge to sigh and asked, "Where have you been these past two days? Have you encountered anything strange?"
Although the driver was a little confused by his serious attitude, he was too exhausted to think about it, and since Shen Mengze was his employer, he answered every question.
"I didn't go anywhere!" he said honestly, "I just walked around the village."
Seeing that Chen Mengze was staring at him and wanted him to tell him everything, he had to add two more sentences, "We just went to the riverside. The proprietress said that the scenery there was nice. Everyone who came to their village would go there to take a look. And then that was it."
riverside?
Chen Mengze seemed to be thinking about something, and then he heard the other party say as if he remembered something, "But there is one strange thing. I always heard a child crying these two nights."
In broad daylight, Chen Mengze felt a chill in his heart when he heard him say this. He felt that he had almost certainly won the prize again.
He thought so but said nothing more, just got up and walked out.
There was only one window in the corridor, and it seemed a little dim without turning on the lights during the day. Shen Mengze felt empty in his heart as he stood in the empty corridor.
Thinking about the old friend he dreamt about last night, he wondered if the other party was giving him some hint.
Thinking of this, he walked to the door of his room, looked carefully, and made another unusual discovery.
On the snow-white wooden door, there was a small mud mark, as if it was made by a naughty child. It was located very low, as if someone had secretly placed a baby with muddy hands at his door.
Chen Mengze stared at the mark in a daze for a while, then he took a deep breath and turned to go downstairs.
It just so happened that the boss's husband was at home, so Chen Mengze asked him for help and sent the driver to the small clinic. He asked the boss's wife about the direction of the river and planned to go and take a look.
Past experiences told him that he didn't need to count on such things. Once there were signs, he was doomed and there was no escape.
The palm print on the door couldn't have told him more clearly that it was a notice of impending danger.
Instead of hiding, it is better to take the initiative. You can also go to the river while it is daytime.
But he didn’t understand, if the driver was harassed because he went to the river, then why was he harassed?
The proprietress still enthusiastically pointed him in the direction. As soon as Shen Mengze stepped out of the door, he saw the little boy squatting at the door playing suddenly stand up, "Don't go to the river."
He seemed to have heard the conversation between Shen Mengze and the proprietress.
“Don’t go to the river.”
He said as he almost approached Shen Mengze.
This child has an intimidating aura. Shen Mengze resisted the urge to retreat, "Why?"
The little boy's straight eyes met his. "Don't go, you will die."
Chen Mengze met his gaze and experienced firsthand what it meant to be in the blazing sun yet feel like a freezing winter.
The proprietress seemed to have heard what they said. She came out of the house and grabbed her son, "Don't talk nonsense!"
She smiled at Chen Mengze, "This child grew up with his grandfather when he was young. The old man was superstitious and influenced him to be superstitious."
As she spoke, a trace of annoyance and regret flashed across her face.
She brought the child into the house, still complaining, "I shouldn't have taken you away... you're such a disobedient child."
Shen Mengze's mood became even heavier because of this episode.
Was the boy saying this because he wanted to scare him, or because something had happened in the river before? After all, as long as there is water, there are bound to be drowned ghosts.
Or maybe this kid really knew something and was warning him?
However, although he thought so, he did not change his itinerary.
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