Old Alley's Ragdoll Whispers
The cool, late autumn morning light shone obliquely on the glass door of Shen Yuan's secret room, blurring the "Republic of China Study" themed poster. Lu Ye squatted in front of a box behind the front desk, holding something wrapped in red cloth—a stuffed rabbit left behind by Grandma Chen. After the black fog incident last year, he had kept the rabbit in the safe in the secret room. Yesterday, remembering Qi Chen's words, he decided to take it back to the tailor shop in the old alley.
"Brother Ye, this rabbit has been out there for almost a year. Are you still going to take it to Chen Zhe?" Xiao Wu wiped the display cabinet and looked at the red cloth bag in Lu Ye's hand. "Last time, Chen Zhe said that the old alley has been uneasy lately. He kept hearing children crying at night, as if it came from the abandoned toy factory."
Lu Ye nodded, his fingertips gently touching the red cloth bag. He could feel the rabbit fur inside—still soft, just as it had been when Grandma Chen handed it to them. He remembered last spring, when he and Qi Chen had first gone to the tailor shop. Grandma Chen was sitting in a rattan chair, sewing a doll. Qi Chen squatted beside her and asked softly, "Grandma, how can this rabbit be so full of kindness?"
Grandma Chen smiled and said, "This rabbit is made for Xiaoya from the alley. She is a pitiful child who lost her parents when she was born. I made a rabbit to accompany her and also to give her some thoughts."
Thinking of this, Lu Ye's eyes warmed slightly. He touched the soul-calming bell on his collar. The bell was warmer than yesterday. Qi Chen's outline was faintly visible in the bell, as if he was reminiscing with him. "Let's go, the sooner we go, the sooner we'll be back," Lu Ye put the red cloth bag into his backpack. "Let's go see Chen Zhe and Lele by the way. It's been a while since I last saw them."
The bluestone pavement of the old alley was still damp with morning dew, and the breakfast stall at the entrance was steaming. However, Chen Zhe's tailor shop was closed, with a yellowed note taped to the door: "Going to the toy factory to look for puppet fragments today, so I'll be home late."
"Toy factory?" Lu Ye frowned. He remembered that there was an abandoned toy factory at the end of the old alley. It went bankrupt during the Republic of China period. It was said that an accident happened in the factory and a child disappeared inside. Since then, no one dared to approach it.
He walked along the path at the end of the alley. The closer he got to the toy factory, the colder the air became. The iron gate of the toy factory was rusty and hung with a broken iron chain. When it was pushed open, it made a loud "clang" sound, as if awakening a sleeping ghost.
The factory was covered in waist-high weeds. When the wind blew, the blades rustled, like someone whispering. The main door to the central building was ajar, and inside, in total darkness, one could vaguely see the remains of dozens of puppets scattered about—some missing arms, others eyes, their fabric stained with dark red, like dried blood.
"Chen Zhe?" Lu Ye called out, a hollow echo echoing through the factory. He pulled a flashlight from his backpack, sweeping the beam across the corners of the factory before suddenly stopping in front of a shelf. On the shelf sat a familiar stuffed rabbit, identical to Grandma Chen's, except its eyes were red, and a black line was sewn across the corner of its mouth, as if it were crying.
Lu Ye walked over and was about to pick up the rabbit when his wrist was suddenly grabbed by a cold hand! He turned around and saw a little girl in a blue dress standing behind him. Her hair was wet and her face was covered in dirt. She was holding a piece of the puppet in her hand. "My rabbit... My rabbit is not finished yet..."
"Are you Xiaoya?" Lu Ye's heart skipped a beat. He remembered the orphan child that Grandma Chen had mentioned. The little girl didn't answer, but pointed to the top shelf. "The fragments... are up there... and my diary..."
The flashlight beam swept across the upper shelf, and sure enough, there was a yellowed diary with "Xiaoya's Rabbit" written on the cover. Just as Lu Ye was about to reach out to take it, the lights in the factory suddenly flickered, and all the puppet remains moved and gathered around him!
"Don't touch my things!" The little girl's voice suddenly became shrill. The temperature in the factory dropped sharply, and a layer of white frost condensed on the walls. "They tore my rabbit into pieces and locked me up here... I want to find all the pieces. I want to go home!"
Lu Ye pulled out the Soul-Calming Bell and shook it vigorously. With a crisp "ding" sound, a blue light emanated from the bell, and the puppet's remains froze in place. Qi Chen's outline within the bell became clearer, and his voice was filled with anxiety: "Xiao Ye, be careful! This child holds a lot of resentment. She's been locked up here for too long!"
"Qi Chen!" Lu Ye's voice was choked with sobs. "Do you still remember Xiaoya? Grandma Chen made a puppet for her back then."
A warm response came from the bell, as if Qi Chen was reminiscing: "I remember... that winter, we helped grandma look for Xiaoya's rabbit fragments, but we didn't find them..."
The little girl's crying suddenly stopped. She looked at the soul-calming bell in Lu Ye's hand, a trace of grievance flashing in her eyes: "Why didn't you look for me back then? I was so cold in the basement, and only Rabbit was with me..."
Lu Ye then noticed a staircase in the corner of the factory leading to the basement. The staircase was sealed with wooden boards with several scratches on them. He walked over and shone his flashlight under the boards. He heard a "dong dong" sound from under the boards, as if someone was knocking on the door.
"Xiaoya, are you locked up in the basement?" Lu Ye asked softly. The little girl nodded, the puppet fragments in her hand glowing light blue. "They said I saw something I shouldn't have seen, so they locked me up. They also tore my rabbit into pieces and threw it in the factory..."
Lu Ye lifted the wooden board with force, and a strong musty smell hit him in the face. The basement was pitch black, with only a small stuffed rabbit in the corner. Several pieces of the rabbit were missing, which were exactly the pieces in Xiaoya's hand.
He walked slowly down the stairs, his flashlight beam sweeping across the wall until it suddenly stopped at a scratch—a rabbit pattern with the words "Xiao Ya Wants to Go Home" written next to it. Surrounding the scratch were many tiny scratches, as if made by a child's fingernails.
"My home is in the third yard at the entrance of the alley," Xiaoya's voice came from behind her, and her figure gradually became transparent. "After my parents left, grandma took me in to live with her, but later I went to the toy factory to look for rabbits and never went back... Grandma must have missed me a lot..."
Lu Ye squatted in the corner, picking up the broken stuffed rabbit. He suddenly remembered that last winter, Qi Chen had squatted in the basement of Jingyuan like this, helping him pick up Su Qingyuan's diary. Qi Chen's hands were warm at that time. He held his wrist and said, "Xiao Ye, don't be afraid. I'm here."
"Qi Chen," Lu Ye touched the Soul-Calming Bell. The outline of the bell swayed gently, as if responding to his thoughts. "Look, we finally found Xiaoya's rabbit, just like you helped me find the diary back then."
He took out Granny Chen's stuffed rabbit from his backpack and placed it next to the broken rabbit. A miracle happened - Granny Chen's rabbit suddenly glowed with a pale blue light, and the broken rabbit fragments seemed to be attracted to it, slowly moving towards the complete rabbit, and finally fitting together perfectly.
"My rabbit... is done!" Xiaoya's voice was filled with surprise. Her figure became clearer, and the dirt and tears on her face disappeared, revealing a lovely smile. "Grandma's rabbit is waiting for me, right?"
Lu Ye nodded, his eyes warm: "Grandma has always missed you. She made this rabbit just to give you a home."
At that moment, a sudden rumbling sound came from the basement wall, and a crack slowly opened, revealing a faint golden light. Xiaoya walked toward the light, turned back and smiled at Lu Ye, saying, "Thank you, and thank you to the brother with the bell. I can finally go home."
The light slowly faded, and Xiaoya's figure disappeared, leaving only the complete rag doll rabbit lying quietly on the ground. Its eyes were no longer red, but like Grandma Chen's rabbit, glowing with a gentle light.
Lu Ye picked up the rabbit and just walked out of the basement when he saw Chen Zhe running towards him with a few pieces of puppet in his hand: "Xiao Ye! Why are you here? This rabbit..."
"Xiaoya's obsession has been resolved," Lu Ye handed the rabbit to Chen Zhe, "She's finally home."
Chen Zhe looked at the rabbit and tears fell. "Grandma said before she died that it would be great if she could find Xiaoya's rabbit. Now I finally..."
Lu Ye patted Chen Zhe's shoulder and suddenly felt the soul-calming bell on his collar become hot - the outline of Qi Chen in the bell was clearer than ever before. His eyes slowly opened. Although he still had no entity, he could see the tenderness in his eyes, as if he was recalling something.
"Xiao Ye," Qi Chen's voice trembled slightly, "I seem to... remember this rabbit, and remember when we helped grandma find the fragments..."
Lu Ye's heart skipped a beat, and tears welled up in his eyes: "Qi Chen, do you remember? Do you remember me?"
Qi Chen nodded slightly. Although his memory was incomplete, he could already recall fragments related to Lu Ye. Lu Ye clenched the soul-calming bell, feeling the rabbit in his hand grow warmer, as if Xiaoya's kindness was helping Qi Chen regain his lost memories.
"Let's go back," Lu Ye said with a smile, "Put the rabbit back in the tailor shop, and then... let's go see the lotus in Wangchuan Garden. You said you'd take me there once you've resolved all your obsessions."
Qi Chen's body swayed slightly in the ring, as if in agreement. Sunlight shone through the toy factory window onto the two of them. Although Qi Chen had no physical form, Lu Ye felt that the distance between them had grown closer.
Chapter 2: The Lotus in Wangchuan Garden and the Echo of Memory
The autumn lotus leaves in Wangchuan Garden had already withered, leaving only the tattered leaves floating on the water, rustling in the wind. Lu Ye sat in the Wangchuan Pavilion, holding the intact stuffed rabbit in his hands, the soul-calming bell draped across his chest. Qi Chen's outline in the bell was clearer than yesterday, and he would occasionally utter a few fragmented words, all of which were memories related to Lu Ye.
"Xiao Ye, do you remember? Last summer, we were here looking for the fragments of Su Manqing's porcelain vase. You accidentally fell into the lake. When I pulled you up, you were still holding on to my coat and refused to let go." Qi Chen's voice was filled with a smile. Although he still had no entity, Lu Ye could feel his warmth.
Lu Ye's face flushed slightly as he recalled the scene from last year - he was squatting by the lake looking for debris, his foot slipped and he fell into the water, Qi Chen jumped into the lake and pulled him up, frowning and saying, "Why are you always so careless? What if you catch a cold?" Later, Qi Chen took off his coat and wrapped it around him. The sandalwood on the coat mixed with the moisture of the lake water became the warmest smell in Lu Ye's memory.
"Of course I remember," Lu Ye touched the Soul-Calming Bell, "You even said I was stupid. I could fall into the lake while walking."
"I didn't say you were stupid," Qi Chen's voice was filled with grievance, "I was just worried about you."
The two sat in the pavilion, chatting about the past. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, landing on a stuffed rabbit, its fur shimmering with a faint golden glow. Lu Ye suddenly remembered something and pulled a yellowed notebook from his backpack. It was Qi Chen's investigation notes from back then, recording every obsession they had solved together, from Su Qingyuan to Lin Wanqiu, from Grandma Chen to Xiaoya.
"Look," Lu Ye flipped open the notebook and pointed to a page, "It says here, 'The pumpkin porridge Xiao Ye cooked today was too sweet. I'll put less sugar next time.' And you laughed at me then, saying I couldn't even cook porridge properly."
Qi Chen's silhouette swayed gently in the ring, as if he was laughing: "Didn't I teach you how to cook it later? The day you learned it, you insisted that I eat three bowls. If I didn't, it meant I didn't approve of your cooking skills."
Lu Ye's eyes were hot as he ran his fingers over Qi Chen's handwriting on the notebook. Suddenly, he noticed a line of small words on the last page, which he had not noticed before - "If only I could always be with Xiao Ye, cook porridge for a lifetime, and watch the lotus flowers in Wangchuan Garden for a lifetime, it would be great."
"Qi Chen," Lu Ye's voice was choked with sobs, "I saw what you wrote."
Qi Chen in the bell was silent for a long time before he said softly, "I remember... when I wrote it, I was afraid you would laugh at me if you saw it, so I hid it on the last page."
At this moment, the lake suddenly rippled, and a light blue light slowly rose from the bottom of the lake and landed on the stuffed rabbit in Lu Ye's hand. The rabbit's eyes suddenly lit up, emitting the same light as the soul-calming bell, and then slowly transformed into a light and entered the soul-calming bell.
The bell shook violently, making a "ding-ling-ling" sound. Qi Chen's outline became clearer and clearer in the bell. One could even see the patterns on his coat and hear his slight breathing.
"Xiao Ye," Qi Chen's voice became clear and real, no longer the shadowy image from before, "I seem to... remember a lot of things. I remember the first time we met in the ancient town, the time we stayed up all night investigating a case in Jingyuan, and the time we designed the theme together in the secret room shop..."
Lu Ye stretched out his hand. Although he still couldn't touch her, he could feel Qi Chen's presence around him, as if he was really standing in front of him. "Qi Chen," Lu Ye's tears fell on Ling, "I miss you so much. I really want you to hold me in your arms. I really want to eat the porridge you cooked again."
Qi Chen's silhouette slowly approached, and he placed his hand on Lu Ye's cheek. Although his hand had no physical form, he could feel a hint of warmth, as if wiping away his tears. "It will be soon, Xiao Ye. Once I regain all my memories, I can truly be back with you."
The ripples on the lake surface grew bigger and bigger, and the pale blue light enveloped the entire Wangchuan Pavilion. The withered lotus leaves outside the pavilion suddenly began to sprout, slowly growing new lotus leaves, and even a white lotus flower bloomed - it was clearly late autumn, but it felt like returning to midsummer.
"This is... Xiaoya's kindness," Lu Ye said softly, "She is helping you regain your memory and helping us fulfill our promise to see the lotus."
Qi Chen's silhouette looked at the lotus, his voice gentle: "Yes, she helped us fulfill our promise, just like we helped her find her way home."
The two sat in the pavilion, looking at the lotus flowers on the lake, and talking about past memories until the sun set. Lu Ye knew that Qi Chen's "memory" had been partially recovered. Although it had not been fully restored, they were getting closer and closer to reunion.
It was already evening when they returned to the Shenyuan secret room. Seeing the Soul-Calming Bell in Lu Ye's hand, Xiao Wu exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Ye, the shadow in this bell... seems much clearer than before!"
Lu Ye smiled and nodded, placing the Soul-Calming Bell in the display case at the front desk, next to the investigation notebook and the remains of the stuffed rabbit (the assembled rabbit had transformed into light and merged into the bell). Standing in front of the case, looking at Qi Chen within the bell, he suddenly felt that all the waiting and effort had been worth it—as long as he could wait for Qi Chen to return to him intact, he would be willing to do anything, no matter how difficult it was.
In the dead of night, Lu Ye sat on the floor of the secret room, the soul-calming bell resting on his knees. Qi Chen's silhouette sat quietly within the bell, occasionally chatting with Lu Ye or looking through his investigation notes together. Lu Ye suddenly remembered what Qi Chen had said before: "Obsession is not a shackle, but an unfinished tenderness. As long as there is someone willing to listen and help, obsession can turn into light, illuminating the way home."
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