"Needle and thread" in the musty smell
The alleys of the old city were narrower than expected. The bluestone pavement had been blackened by rain, and the cracks were filled with rotting leaves and old buttons from who knows where. Lu Ye followed Qi Chen, the cobblestones crunching under his feet. A strange smell lingered in his nose—the musty odor of old fabric mixed with the fishy smell of rust and a faint hint of incense, as if someone had burned something at the end of the alley.
"Is this it?" Lu Ye stopped and stared at the storefront in front of him.
This was the last shop at the end of the alley. Its wooden door had faded to a grayish-brown color. A peeling red sign hung from the doorframe. It read "Chen's Tailor Shop." The radical of the character "Chen" had fallen away, leaving only the characters "Dong Ji." The wind blew, and the sign creaked like an old man sighing. The shop's windows were covered with a thick white cloth, stained with dark stains—ink or something else entirely. From the outside, all one could see was a pitch-black expanse, with even the outlines blurred.
Qi Chen nodded and took out a bunch of copper keys from his pocket. A small rag doll hung on the keychain - a crookedly sewn rabbit. The fabric had turned white, and its eyes were sewn with black buttons. One of the buttons was loose and hanging there, as if it was about to fall off.
"This is Grandma Chen's key," Qi Chen's finger touched the puppet's ear, his voice a little softer than usual, "When she was alive, she loved sewing little puppets like this, and she said she gave them to the children in the neighborhood to play with."
Lu Ye leaned over to take a look. There was a "Chen" stitched on the doll's belly. The stitching was crooked, but it showed a serious attitude. He was about to reach out to touch it when Qi Chen suddenly took a step back and pulled him back. "Don't touch it. It's her stuff. She doesn't like strangers touching it."
Lu Ye's hands froze in mid-air, and he felt a little uneasy - ever since the last incident with Lin Xiao, he had been traumatized by these "things of wronged spirits", especially when Qi Chen said "I don't like strangers to touch them", there was a subtle warning in his tone.
Qi Chen inserted the key into the lock, and with a click, the lock opened. When he pushed the door open, a stronger musty smell hit him, mixed with the smell of incense sticks, which made Lu Ye cough twice.
The shop was pitch black, illuminated only by a thin sliver of light leaking through a hole in the roof, illuminating the piles of fabric in the corner. The fabrics were piled high, a riot of color, yet all covered in a thick layer of dust. Some were moldy, with green mildew stains, resembling patches of rotting skin. In the middle of the shop stood an old-fashioned wooden sewing machine, its body dark brown and covered in dust. A broken thread dangled from the machine head, its end entangled with a black button, swaying gently in the breeze as the door opened.
"Is this the new secret room theme?" Lu Ye's voice trembled a little. He stared at the sewing machine, feeling as if it would suddenly start to move. "It's too... broken, isn't it?"
"It was originally an abandoned tailor shop," Qi Chen pulled his phone out of his pocket, turned on the flashlight, and swept the beam of light across the wall. "I just cleaned it up a bit and preserved its original appearance. This way it's closer to Grandma Chen's memory."
As the flashlight swept across the wall, Lu Ye suddenly noticed a mass of paper taped to the wall. He approached and saw it was a collection of pre-cut patterns: suits, dresses, children's clothing. Each pattern had its measurements written in pencil, with small print beside them—"Amin's suit, shoulder width 42," "Xiaoya's skirt, waist 26," "Xiaobao's coat, length 50"—on the edges of the patterns, yellowed and brittle, and in some places, dark stains like blood were visible.
"Are these the sizes that Grandma Chen memorized?" Lu Ye pointed to a paper pattern of a suit. Next to the sizes on it was written "For my grandson, Azhe, to wear at his wedding." The handwriting was very light, as if it was written with a pencil that was almost out of ink.
Qi Chen nodded, and the beam of light moved to the sewing machine: "Her obsession is to finish sewing this suit for her grandson, and there is only one button left to sew."
Lu Ye walked over to the sewing machine and squatted down to look. On the needle plate of the sewing machine was a piece of dark blue fabric, already cut into the shape of a suit, with the collar halfway sewn. The stitching was neat, and it was clear the sewist had put a lot of effort into it. Next to the fabric was a brass button box. The box was open, filled with buttons of various colors: black, white, and gold, some even engraved with patterns. One of the gold buttons was placed on the very top, as if ready to be sewn on.
"Just missing this button?" Lu Ye reached out to grab the golden button. As his fingers touched it, he suddenly felt a chill, as if he had touched an ice cube. He quickly retracted his hand, "Why is this button so cold?"
Qi Chen's expression changed. He walked over quickly and closed the button box. "Don't touch it. This is the button she was going to sew for her grandson. She protects it very carefully."
Lu Ye watched Qi Chen's actions, and the fear in his heart rose again - when he touched the button just now, he seemed to feel something pulling his hand, and it was cold, as if someone hooked him with a fingertip.
"I...I'm just taking a look," Lu Ye said stubbornly, "Who wants to touch her things?"
Qi Chen didn't expose him. He simply turned on the flashlight and continued walking into the shop. There was a small attic in the back room of the shop. The stairs were made of wood and creaked when stepped on, as if it would collapse at any moment. The attic door was made of a curtain, embroidered with a rose. The petals had faded, leaving only a faint trace of pink. There was a hole at the edge of the curtain, revealing the pitch-black inside.
"That's where she lived," Qi Chen lifted the curtain, and a stronger scent of thread wafted out. "She lived in the attic when she was alive. The sewing machine was downstairs, and she sewed clothes until midnight every day."
Lu Ye followed Qi Chen into the attic. His flashlight swept across the attic, revealing a small wooden bed covered with a washed-out quilt, neatly folded, as if someone had just slept in it. At the head of the bed sat an old, open wooden box filled with sewn stuffed animals: rabbits, tigers, bears. Each doll had buttons sewn into its eyes, but some of the buttons had fallen off, leaving only two small holes, like empty eyes, staring back at him.
"These dolls..." Lu Ye's voice trembled a little. He stared at a small bear doll and found the word "Zhe" sewn on its belly. "Are they all sewn for her grandson?"
"Well," Qi Chen's fingers touched the teddy bear, "her grandson often came here when he was a child, and every time he came, he would ask for a stuffed bear. Later, when he grew up and moved to the city, he seldom came here anymore."
Lu Ye squatted down and looked at the word "Zhe". Suddenly, his nose felt a little sour - Grandma Chen must miss her grandson very much, otherwise why would she sew so many dolls, each with his name sewn on it.
At this moment, a "click-click" sound suddenly came from downstairs, like a sewing machine running.
Lu Ye and Qi Chen looked at each other and saw surprise in each other's eyes.
"Who's downstairs?" Lu Ye's voice trembled. He had just seen the sewing machine covered with dust, so how could it suddenly start?
Qi Chen said nothing, turned off the flashlight, and pulled Lu Ye behind the wooden box. The attic was instantly plunged into darkness, with only a faint light leaking through the hole in the curtain, illuminating the sewing machine downstairs.
The "click-click-click" sound continued, growing louder and louder, as if someone were pressing the pedal of a sewing machine. Lu Ye held his breath and peered down through the hole in the curtain. He saw the sewing machine's head moving, the needle weaving up and down on the fabric, and next to the pedal, there seemed to be a vague shadow, wearing a blue shirt, with his head lowered, as if he were sewing clothes.
"Is... is it Grandma Chen?" Lu Ye's teeth were chattering. He held Qi Chen's hand tightly. Qi Chen's hand was still cold, but it made him feel a little relieved.
Qi Chen didn't say anything, but just patted the back of his hand gently, signaling him to be quiet.
After a few minutes, the sound of the sewing machine suddenly stopped. Downstairs was completely silent, not even the sound of the wind. Just as Lu Ye was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he saw the blue figure slowly stand up, turn around, and look towards the attic.
The shadow was blurry, and I couldn't make out her face. I could only see that she was holding something shiny in her hand, something that looked like a button. She walked slowly towards the stairs, her footsteps so light, as if she were stepping on cotton, without a sound.
Lu Ye's heartbeat was so fast that it seemed to explode. He closed his eyes tightly, not daring to look again. Qi Chen placed his hand on his shoulder and pressed it gently, as if to comfort him.
The footsteps were getting closer and closer, as if they had already reached the attic door. Lu Ye could smell a faint scent of incense and a hint of musty fabric, lingering at the tip of his nose.
"My button..." An old voice sounded at the door of the attic, very soft but very clear, "Who took my button..."
Lu Ye's body froze instantly. He wanted to shout, but no sound came out. Qi Chen suddenly stood up, blocking him. He pulled out the silver soul-calming bell from his pocket and shook it gently. With a "ding" sound, the crisp ring echoed in the attic.
"Grandma Chen," Qi Chen's voice was very soft, but it carried an undeniable strength, "He didn't mean to do it. The button is still there. No one took it from you."
The footsteps at the door stopped. After a few seconds, the old voice sounded again: "My grandson... Azhe... When will he come back... I haven't finished sewing his suit yet..."
"We'll help you find him," Qi Chen said, "Go back first and don't scare him."
After a few seconds, the footsteps faded away, and a "click" sound came from downstairs, as if the head of a sewing machine was closed. Qi Chen then turned around, turned on the flashlight, and shone it on Lu Ye's face.
Lu Ye's face was pale, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his lips were trembling: "Just now...was it Grandma Chen?"
Qi Chen nodded and handed her a tissue: "She has no ill intentions, she is just looking for her buttons and her grandson."
"I know she means no harm," Lu Ye took the tissue and wiped the sweat off his face, "It's just... too scary."
Qi Chen didn't say anything. He just walked to the attic door, lifted the curtain and looked around. After confirming that Grandma Chen had left, he said to Lu Ye, "Let's go down first. It's not safe here."
Lu Ye followed Qi Chen downstairs and walked to the sewing machine. He found that the dark blue fabric that had been placed on the needle plate was gone. Only the copper button box was left. The box was open, and the golden button on the top was still there, but there was an extra thread next to it. At the end of the thread was a small piece of dark blue fabric, as if it had been torn from a suit.
"She took the fabric away?" Lu Ye pointed at the button box. "She wants to continue sewing?"
"Well," Qi Chen closed the button box, "As long as her obsession is not resolved, she will keep repeating the process of sewing clothes until she finds her grandson and finishes sewing the buttons."
Lu Ye looked at the sewing machine and suddenly felt a little distressed - Grandma Chen was trapped here, sewing a suit that would never be finished day after day, waiting for a grandson who might never come back.
"We must find her grandson," Lu Ye said firmly, "We can't let her wait like this."
Qi Chen looked at him, a hint of warmth flashing in his eyes: "Okay, let's look for it together."
Over the next few days, Lu Ye came to the tailor shop every day to help. He helped Qi Chen clean the fabrics in the shop, throwing away the moldy ones and sorting out the ones that were still usable. He also helped Qi Chen sort through the paper patterns left by Grandma Chen, flattening them one by one and recording the sizes and names on them, hoping to find clues about Grandma Chen's grandson.
Qi Chen uses his ability to communicate with Grandma Chen and search for clues in her memories. Grandma Chen's memories are very vague. She only remembers that her grandson was called Azhe. When he was a child, he liked to wear blue clothes and eat candied haws from Zhang's in the alley. Later, he was admitted to a university in the city and rarely came back. The last time he came back was before his wedding. He asked Grandma Chen to sew him a suit as a wedding dress.
"She said that when Azhe got married, he was busy with work and didn't come back to ask her to sew a suit," Qi Chen told Lu Ye the clues she got from Grandma Chen. "After that, Azhe never came back. She doesn't know where Azhe lives or how to contact him."
"Then how do we find him?" Lu Ye said anxiously, "We only know a name and some of his childhood memories. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Don't worry," Qi Chen took out a piece of paper pattern and wrote on it "Azhe's suit, shoulder width 45cm, length 75cm". "This is the last time she wrote down Azhe's measurements, probably told to her by Azhe before they got married. We can start with this and go to the suit shops in the city to ask if there is anyone named Azhe who has custom-made suits of this size."
Lu Ye's eyes lit up: "Yes! We can go to the suit shops in the city and ask, especially those that make custom suits, they will definitely have records!"
Over the next few days, Lu Ye and Qi Chen visited every custom-made suit shop in the city. They asked each shop if anyone had a suit made a few years ago with a shoulder width of 45cm and a height of 75cm, and their name was Azhe. Most shop owners shook their heads and said no, but one shop in the city center thought for a moment and said, "A few years ago, a young man named Chen Zhe came in to get a suit made. The size was similar to what you mentioned. He said it was for his grandfather, but I think it was for his grandmother. I can't remember for sure."
"Chen Zhe?" Lu Ye asked immediately, "Do you still remember his contact information? Or his address?"
The boss shook his head. "It's been so long, the records are long gone. But I remember he seemed to work for a company nearby. What's it called... Shengshi Technology? Yes, it was Shengshi Technology. This was the company address he left at the time."
Lu Ye and Qi Chen exchanged a glance, each seeing hope in the other's eyes. They thanked their boss and immediately rushed to Shengshi Technology.
Shengshi Technology is a large company located in an office building in the city center. Lu Ye and Qi Chen approached the front desk and asked for Chen Zhe. The receptionist made a phone call, and a few minutes later, a young man in a suit emerged.
He looked to be around 30 years old, tall, and dressed in a dark blue suit. He looked very energetic. He saw Lu Ye and Qi Chen and was a little confused: "Are you looking for me? I don't know you."
"Are you Grandma Chen's grandson, Chen Zhe?" Lu Ye asked.
Chen Zhe's expression changed and he nodded: "It's me, you are..."
"We are your grandmother's friends," Qi Chen took out the copper button box and handed it to Chen Zhe. "Your grandmother had been sewing a suit for you when she was alive. She only had one button left to sew. She wanted you to come back and finish sewing the buttons."
Chen Zhe took the button box, opened it, and saw that the golden button was still there. Tears immediately flowed down his face. "Grandma... I'm so sorry for her. After I got married, I was busy with work and had no time to go back to see her. Later, she passed away, and I couldn't make it back..."
"She didn't blame you," Qi Chen said, "She just wanted you to wear the suit she made to see if you were doing well."
Chen Zhe hugged the button box and cried like a baby: "I'm going back with you now. I want to finish sewing the buttons. I want to tell grandma that I'm doing well and I miss her very much."
Lu Ye and Qi Chen took Chen Zhe back to the tailor shop in the old alley. Granny Chen appeared next to the sewing machine. She was wearing a blue shirt and holding the dark blue fabric in her hand. When she saw Chen Zhe, her eyes sparkled.
"Azhe..." Grandma Chen's voice was very soft, "You're back..."
Chen Zhe walked up to her and knelt down: "Grandma, I'm back. I'm sorry I'm late."
"It's not too late... It's not too late..." Grandma Chen held the golden button in her hand, "I'll be relieved after I finish sewing the button on you."
Chen Zhe took the button, picked up the needle and thread, sat down at the sewing machine, and slowly sewed the button onto the suit. His movements were clumsy, and the needle pricked his hand several times, and blood dripped onto the fabric, like small red flowers.
Grandma Chen stood beside him, watching him sew buttons, a relieved smile on her face. When the last stitch was finished, Grandma Chen's figure slowly became transparent. She waved to Chen Zhe and said softly: "Azhe, live a good life. Grandma is gone."
Chen Zhe watched his grandmother disappear, tears streaming down his face. He picked up the sewn suit and hugged it tightly, as if holding onto his grandmother's warmth.
Lu Ye and Qi Chen stood by, watching this scene, feeling a little sad. Lu Ye secretly glanced at Qi Chen and found that the corners of his eyes were a little red, but there was a faint smile on the corners of his mouth.
"She has gotten rid of her obsession." Qi Chen's voice was soft, with a hint of relief.
"Well," Lu Ye nodded, "She can finally go to reincarnation with peace of mind."
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