The Remaining Letter in the Well and the Ghost of the Ancient Town
Just as Lu Ye's hand touched the door, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the account book behind the counter moving out of the corner of his eye - it was not the wind that was blowing, but the pages turning upwards by themselves. The rustling sound was particularly harsh in the empty lobby, like someone scratching on the paper with their fingernails.
"Qi Chen!" He turned around suddenly and the flashlight swept over instantly.
The account book had been turned to the last page. On the originally blank paper, a few lines of dark red handwriting slowly emerged. The strokes were crooked, as if written with trembling fingers dipped in blood: "Yao'er, where are you..." "Dad is waiting for you..." "There's something in the well..."
When the last word was written, the paper suddenly rolled up with a "rustling" sound, as if it was grasped by an invisible hand, and then slammed "bang" on the counter. A trace of dark red liquid seeped out from the corner, dripped down the counter, and landed on the bluestone slab, leaving a small bloodstain.
Lu Ye's back was instantly covered in cold sweat, and he subconsciously leaned closer to Qi Chen: "This... is this written by Boss Li? Is he still here?"
Qi Chen walked over and gently touched the handwriting on the account book with his fingertips. He felt a cool touch, with a faint smell of alcohol. "These are the words of his resentment," his voice was deeper than usual. "He's reminding us that there are still clues in the well that we haven't found."
"Still looking?" Lu Ye's voice trembled, the fear from going down the well just now still lingering. "It's dark in the well, who knows what else is there? What if... what if he hid something else?"
"We must find it." Qi Chen picked up the flashlight and shone the beam back towards the old well in the courtyard. "The wooden box we found just now is only part of it. His obsession hasn't dissipated, which means there are still key clues missing - A Yao's whereabouts may be hidden in the well."
Lu Ye gritted his teeth and pulled the collar of his sweatshirt tighter: "Look for him if you want! Am I afraid of him? At worst, you can hold me from above and I'll go down and feel for him!"
Qi Chen glanced at him, a faint smile flashing across his eyes, so fast that it was hard to catch: "No, I'll go down. You pull the well rope up there and pay attention to the movement."
The two men walked back to the well. The old well looked like a bottomless black hole in the night. The moss on the edge of the well glowed with a faint green light under the flashlight. Water droplets on the well rope dripped into the well, and with a "dong" sound, the echo bounced back and forth between the well walls, as if someone was responding from the bottom of the well.
Qi Chen tied the soul-calming bell to his wrist and put the phone into Lu Ye's hand: "If the bell rings loudly, or if I call you, pull me up immediately."
Lu Ye nodded, his hands tightly gripping the rope until his knuckles turned white. Watching Qi Chen's figure slowly sink to the bottom of the well, his heart pounding like a drum, his eyes fixed on the wellhead, not daring to breathe. The bloody words on the account book were still flashing before his eyes, and he had a constant feeling that there was something hidden at the bottom of the well that could drag him down.
"I found it!" Qi Chen's voice came from the bottom of the well, with a slightly muffled sound.
Lu Ye immediately held his breath: "What is that? Hold on tight! I'll pull you up!"
The well rope suddenly sank, and Lu Ye gritted his teeth as he pulled upward, his arm muscles tensing. Only when Qi Chen's head emerged from the well did Lu Ye breathe a sigh of relief—in his hands was something wrapped in a waterproof tarpaulin, which was still dripping with water and had a faint smell of alcohol.
When Qi Chen climbed up, his clothes were soaking wet, his black hair stuck to his cheeks, and his face was as pale as paper, but he held the oilcloth bag tightly in his arms. "Open it and take a look." He handed the bag to Lu Ye and leaned against the edge of the well, panting.
Lu Ye carefully untied the oilcloth, revealing a palm-sized cloth bag inside. The fabric was light pink, and a half-opened rose was embroidered on it. The stitches were very fine, and it was obvious that the embroiderer had put a lot of effort into it. However, the edges of the petals had faded and were stained with mud, as if they had been soaked in a well for many years.
"This... belongs to A-Yao?" Lu Ye pinched a corner of the cloth bag, feeling a cool sensation on his fingertips. "Did she hide this in the well back then?"
Qi Chen nodded and reached out to open the cloth bag. There was nothing else inside, only a neatly folded piece of letter paper. The edges of the paper were already brittle, but the handwriting on it was more beautiful than the previous two letters. It seemed that A Yao had written it when she was an adult:
"Dad, I found a job at a flower shop in the neighboring town. The boss is very kind and taught me how to grow roses. I've always remembered the daughter's red wine you brewed, but I'm still sick and the doctor said I can't drink alcohol. When I can drink again, I'll definitely go back and drink a jar with you. Oh, and I hid the cloth package of roses you gave me in the well. If you miss me, just look at it. It'll be like I'm right by your side."
There was no date at the end of the letter, only a dark tear mark that blurred the words "井里".
"The flower shop in the neighboring town?" Lu Ye's eyes lit up. "That's the clue! Let's go to the neighboring town tomorrow morning and look for her. We're sure to find her!"
Qi Chen, however, was not so optimistic. He stared at the roses on the cloth bag, frowning. "The material of this cloth bag... is a style from ten years ago. There's no date on the letter. I wonder if she's still in the neighboring town. And—" He paused, his flashlight sweeping across the corner of the cloth bag, where there was a tiny hole. "This hole wasn't caused by wear, but by something biting it. There's even some mildew on it, as if it had been soaked in well water and then gnawed by rats."
"Rat?" Lu Ye got goosebumps instantly. "There's a rat in the well?"
"It's not the mouse we have today." Qi Chen's voice was very soft. "When A Yao hid it back then, it already had a hole in it. She might have done it on purpose, wanting the bag to be less easily discovered. Or maybe... she hid it in a hurry and something snagged it."
Just as he finished speaking, a "gurgling" sound suddenly came from the lobby - it was not the sound of a wine jar rolling, but a duller sound, as if someone was holding wine in their throat.
Lu Ye turned around suddenly and swept the flashlight across the lobby. It was empty, without a single person in sight. There was only a wine jar on the table in the middle, which had appeared at some point - right where the circular mark was left before. The red cloth covering the mouth of the jar was new, exactly the same as the red cloth on the jar in the wine cellar.
"That wine jar...when did it appear?" Lu Ye's voice trembled. He clearly remembered that there was nothing in the lobby just now.
Qi Chen had already stood up straight, the Soul-Calming Bell dangling gently on his wrist, making a soft ding sound. "This is the physical manifestation of Boss Li's resentment. He is urging us to find A-Yao as soon as possible."
When the two men walked into the lobby, the wine jar suddenly made a "click" sound, and the red cloth on the mouth of the jar opened a corner by itself, revealing the dark brown wine inside. A layer of foam slowly floated on the surface of the wine, and the foam gathered together to form the shape of a small rose, and then it broke with a "pop" sound, dispersing into a piece of fine foam.
"He's showing us the way." Qi Chen stared at the foam flower. "Rose—Ayao's cloth bag has roses embroidered on it. The letter said she's raising roses in the neighboring town. He's telling us that to find Ayao, we have to start with 'roses.'"
Lu Ye swallowed and reached out to touch the wine jar, but Qi Chen stopped him: "Don't touch it. This wine is filled with his resentment. If you touch it, you will be haunted." He paused and added, "Rest first. Go to the ancient town tomorrow morning to ask around. The neighboring town is not far from here. It can be reached in half an hour by water, but it's not safe to travel at night."
Lu Ye nodded, but didn't dare return to his previous room—he felt like something was hidden there. Finally, the two of them sat down at the wooden table in the lobby. Qi Chen leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed, resting his soul-calming bell on the corner. Lu Ye, cradling A Yao's cloth bag, stared at the flickering oil lamp, his eyelids growing heavier.
In a daze, Lu Ye felt someone tugging at the corner of his clothes. It felt cool, like a woman's hand. He suddenly opened his eyes, and the flame of the oil lamp shook violently. The hall was empty, only the wine jar still sat in the middle of the table. The red cloth had been completely peeled off, and foam was rising on the surface of the wine again, this time forming the words "Go!"
"Who?" Lu Ye shouted. Qi Chen opened his eyes instantly and swept the flashlight around.
In the shadows behind the counter, a pale blue figure flashed—A-Yao's mother! Half of her face was still rotting, revealing the bones, but in her hand was a rose tied with red string, identical to the one A-Yao held in the photo. Seeing the flashlight, her body shuddered, and she turned and ran to the backyard. As her figure passed through the door, she vanished like smoke.
"Chase!" Qi Chen stood up and chased, and Lu Ye quickly followed.
The moonlight in the backyard was dim, only the outline of the wine jar could be seen. The pale blue figure stopped by the well, its back to them, its shoulders gently heaving, as if crying. Qi Chen slowed his pace, holding the soul-calming bell in his hand without shaking it—he could sense that there was no malice in this figure, only a deep sadness.
"Ayao's mother?" Lu Ye called out softly, fearing that he would scare her away.
The figure slowly turned around. On the rotting half of her face, two lines of dark red liquid flowed from her hollow eyes, like tears of blood. She raised the rose in her hand and handed it to Lu Ye, making a "wuwu" sound as if to say, "Take it."
Lu Ye hesitated for a moment, then reached out to take it. The red thread of the rose had faded, but the petals were still bright, as if they had just been picked—no, these petals were embroidered! They were embroidered with the same pale pink fabric as the bag, and the stitching was exactly the same as on the bag.
"Is this... embroidered by A Yao?" Lu Ye pinched the rose, and felt a familiar cool feeling at his fingertips.
The figure nodded, pointed in the direction of the neighboring town, and slowly retreated. When it reached the well, its body suddenly disintegrated into a light blue mist, which drifted into the well and disappeared. Only a dark red tear of blood remained on the edge of the well, which was quickly diluted by the dew.
Qi Chen walked over and touched the embroidered rose: "She is helping us - this flower has the scent of A Yao. If we take it to the neighboring town, it will be easier to find her."
Lu Ye carefully placed the roses into the cloth bag. The fear in his heart became less and more bitter - even though A Yao's mother had become a wronged spirit, she was still thinking about her daughter and wanted to help her fulfill her wish.
The next morning, just as the sky was getting light, the two packed up and prepared to go to the neighboring town. As soon as they walked out of the inn, they saw an old man in a gray cloth shirt standing at the entrance of the alley, holding a bamboo basket filled with a few dewy roses.
"Are you here to check on the Li Family Inn?" The old man's voice was hoarse, as if he'd been choked by smoke. "Don't go to the neighboring town. Miss Yao... won't come back."
Lu Ye and Qi Chen exchanged a glance, each seeing surprise in the other's eyes. Lu Ye walked over quickly and said, "Uncle, do you know A Yao? What happened to her? What does it mean that she can't come back?"
The old man sighed, put the bamboo basket on the ground, and took out a yellowed newspaper from his arms: "Look for yourself, it happened three years ago - the flower shop in the neighboring town caught fire, and Miss A Yao didn't run out to save the roses in the shop."
Lu Ye's hands shook violently, his fingertips trembling as he took the newspaper. In the corner of the front page, there was a small report: "A late-night fire broke out at the 'Yaoyue Flower Shop' in a neighboring town, tragically killing the owner, Li Yao. The cause is suspected to be aging wiring." Below the report was a photo of a row of roses arranged in front of the flower shop, exactly like the ones embroidered in A Yao's cloth bag.
"Impossible..." Lu Ye's voice trembled, "She clearly said in the letter that she would come back after she recovered... How could it be..."
The old man shook his head, a look of regret in his eyes. "Miss Yao was a good girl. After she left here, she would ask someone to send a bottle of rose wine she brewed to Boss Li every year. But Boss Li didn't know it was from her. He would always pour the wine into the well, saying, 'If it's not brewed by Yao'er, I won't drink it.' Until she passed away three years ago, no one sent wine anymore."
"Rose wine?" Qi Chen suddenly asked, "Have you seen the bottle of that wine?"
"I've seen it," the old man recalled. "It was a narrow-necked porcelain bottle with roses embroidered on it, exactly the same as the one on the cloth bag in your hand. Miss Ayao said it was brewed with roses she grew herself, and it could cure colds. Unfortunately... she never got to drink it herself."
Lu Ye's tears suddenly fell. He clutched the cloth bag tightly, the letter paper and roses inside hurting his palms. A Yao had been trying so hard, always thinking about coming back, but she never saw that day. Boss Li waited for her for ten years, only to receive news of her death. How could he possibly break this obsession?
Qi Chen patted Lu Ye's shoulder and said softly but firmly, "There's still a way. A'yao's ashes should still be in the neighboring town. We can bring her back and let her 'meet' Boss Li. Tell her what happened over the years, and maybe his obsession will be resolved."
The old man nodded and said, "Miss Yao's ashes are in the cemetery in the neighboring town. She had no relatives, so the people in the town buried her. The words 'Yaoyue Flower Shop' are engraved on her tombstone."
The two thanked the old man and immediately headed for the neighboring town. The boat was small, and the water on the deck made people dizzy. Lu Ye sat at the stern, holding the cloth bag tightly in his hands, looking at his reflection on the water. He always felt that A Yao's shadow was right next to him, watching him quietly.
"Don't be too sad," Qi Chen sat beside him and handed him a bottle of hot soy milk. "She just changed her way of living. As long as Boss Li knows her feelings, her wait will not be in vain."
Lu Ye took the soy milk, took a sip, and felt a little warmer. He looked up at Qi Chen and found that there was a hint of worry in Qi Chen's eyes. It was not worry about resentment, but worry about him - this cold and secluded person actually cared about him.
It was already noon when the boat arrived at the neighboring town. It was busier than the old town, with many small stalls on the street. One of them displayed a row of roses, exactly like the one in front of Ayao's flower shop. The stall owner was a middle-aged woman. When she saw the cloth bag in Lu Ye's hand, her eyes suddenly lit up: "This cloth bag... is it Ayao's?"
"Do you know her?" Lu Ye asked quickly.
The woman nodded, a look of regret in her eyes. "I was her neighbor. Back then, her flower shop was right next to mine. She was a very kind person and often gave me roses, saying, 'Sister, these flowers bring good luck.' After she passed away, I continued selling roses, hoping to pass on her wish."
The woman took them to the cemetery in the neighboring town, nestled on a hillside at the edge of town. The tombstones were neatly arranged. A Yao's tombstone was simple, inscribed with "Li Yao's Tomb" on top and "Yaoyue Flower Shop, Never Forgotten" below. A bouquet of dried roses lay in front of the tombstone, likely a gift from the town.
Lu Ye squatted in front of the tombstone and gently placed the roses in the cloth bag on the tombstone: "Ayao, let's take you home and go back to the inn to see your father, okay?"
Qi Chen took out a small box from his backpack and carefully put A Yao's ashes into it - the urn was a small porcelain bottle, exactly the same as the rose wine bottle the old man mentioned, with a rose engraved on the bottle.
On the way back, the sky gradually darkened. Lu Ye held the urn, feeling a warmth in his arms, as if A Yao was responding to him. As they reached the entrance to the alleyway in the ancient town, a sudden breeze blew, carrying the faint scent of roses, exactly the same scent as in A Yao's cloth bag.
"It's A Yao who is following us." Qi Chen said, his soul-calming bell swaying gently, making a pleasant sound, but without the previous warning.
When the two entered the inn, they were stunned by the sight in the lobby—the previously empty lobby was now filled with wine jars, each covered with a new red cloth, pinned with an embroidered rose, exactly the same as the one in Ayao's bag. Behind the counter, the account book was open, with dark red handwriting on it: "Yao'er, you're back..."
"Boss Li..." Lu Ye said softly, tears falling again.
Suddenly, a gurgling sound came from the wine cellar, like the sound of wine flowing. The two hurried into the wine cellar and saw that the wine jars in the cellar had arranged themselves into a path. At the end of the path was the broken large wine jar. In the middle of the broken jar was a small porcelain bottle. It was the rose wine that A Yao sent every year.
"He's waiting for us." Qi Chen placed A Yao's urn among the broken jars, "It's time for them to meet."
Lu Ye opened the urn and scattered A Yao's ashes in the rose wine. At this moment, the lights in the wine cellar suddenly lit up - not flashlights, but oil lamps hanging on the wall, which lit up one after another, illuminating the entire wine cellar.
A tall figure emerged from behind the wine rack. It was none other than Boss Li. His face, no longer blurry as before, was now clearly visible—wrinkled and with a look of anticipation in his eyes. In his hand, he held a bowl of rose wine.
"Yao'er..." Boss Li's voice was no longer hoarse, but trembling a little, "You're finally back..."
A pale blue figure floated out of the urn. It was A-Yao. She wore a pale pink dress and held a rose in her hand, looking exactly like in the photo. She walked up to Boss Li and knelt down. "Dad, I'm sorry, I'm late..."
"It's not too late, it's not too late..." Boss Li's tears fell into the wine bowl, "Dad knows you've been thinking about me all the time. Dad doesn't blame you..."
A Yao took the wine bowl, took a sip of the rose wine, and said with a smile: "Dad, this wine is delicious, even better than the daughter's red wine you brewed. From now on, your daughter will never leave you again."
Boss Li's figure gradually became transparent. He smiled and said, "Okay, I won't leave... Dad will take you to see your mother. She has been waiting for you..."
A-Yao's shadow gradually grew transparent, and she and Boss Li's shadow, hand in hand, slowly vanished into the wine cellar. The oil lamps on the wall went out one by one, and the wine in the jars slowly dried up, leaving only a patch of roses on the ground and a faint rose fragrance in the air.
Lu Ye and Qi Chen stood there for a long time without saying anything. After a long while, Lu Ye wiped away his tears and said with a smile: "They are finally reunited."
Qi Chen nodded, reached out and touched Lu Ye's hair, his fingertips were warm: "Well, we are reunited."
By the time the two men left the inn, daybreak had already arrived. The rain had stopped in the ancient town, and sunlight filtered through the clouds, illuminating the roses at the entrance of the alley, making them appear especially vibrant. Lu Ye glanced back at the inn and saw the words "Li Family Inn" painted red on the wooden sign at the entrance, as if freshly painted. The brass bells beneath the sign chimed, ding-ding-ding, as if bidding them farewell.
"From now on, there will be no more resentment here." Lu Ye said.
Qi Chen nodded, took his hand, and walked out of the ancient town.
After walking a few steps, Lu Ye suddenly remembered something and turned back to the inn and shouted, "Boss Li, A Yao, thank you for letting us know that waiting and love are never in vain!"
A faint scent of roses wafted through the wind, like their response. Lu Ye smiled, and Qi Chen looked at his smile, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes, and he held his hand tightly.
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