The "Republic of China Fountain Pen" and the Ringing Bell in the Abyss Secret Room
After the Waking of Insects, the rain always carries a lingering dampness, slanting down on the French windows of the "Chenyuan Secret Chamber," blurring the shadows of the sycamore trees outside into a blurry, inky mass. Lu Ye squatted on the carpet behind the front desk, his fingertips gripping a freshly polished mahogany plaque. He had carved the characters "Chenyuan" on it last winter. As the carving knife traced the wood grain, his fingertips recalled the feeling of Qi Chen teaching him to identify resentment—the way Qi Chen's fingers, resting on the back of his hand, carried the slight coolness of the soul-calming bell, yet somehow managed to instill a sense of security into his heart.
"Brother Ye, the customers who booked the 'Republic of China Study Room' theme have arrived. They're two girls, and they said they came specifically for our 'Immersive Ghost Clues'." The voice of Xiao Wu, a shop assistant, came from the doorway, interrupting Lu Ye's distraction. He stood up, brushed the sawdust off his hands, and subconsciously touched his collar—there hung the soul-calming bell left by Qi Chen, tied with a red string. The bell was as cool as a piece of jade that never warmed, and it had been his only thought for over a year.
The "Abyss Secret Room" was renovated by Lu Ye after Qi Chen's departure. The themes of the shop mostly continue the style they designed together, though each theme bears a touch of Qi Chen's influence: On the desk in the "Republic of China Study" sits an open, thread-bound notebook in Qi Chen's handwriting; on the shore of the "Wangchuan Lake" scene sits a replica of a blue-and-white porcelain vase, the same model as Su Manqing's; even locked in a drawer at the front desk is Qi Chen's five-year-old fountain pen, its cap etched with a small "Qi" character.
Two girls walked in, wearing light blue and off-white dresses, carrying matching canvas bags. The girl in the light blue dress pulled an old fountain pen from her bag. The barrel was brass, and the cap was engraved with "1942, Jinling Middle School." The nib was still stained with dried blue ink. "Manager, I found this pen at a flea market last week. I think it would go perfectly with your 'Republic of China Study Room' theme. Can I bring it in as a prop?" The girl smiled and waved the pen, the ink stain on the nib gleaming coldly under the light.
Just as Lu Ye's eyes fell on the pen, the Soul-Calming Bell on his collar suddenly dinged. The runes on the bell glowed a faint blue, as if it had been gently bumped by something. This was the third time the Soul-Calming Bell had reacted since Qi Chen left—the previous two times were when he was sorting Su Qingyuan's music box and Su Manqing's porcelain vase, but neither was as clear as this one.
"Of course you can, but be careful not to damage it. This pen looks quite old." Lu Ye suppressed his inner trembling and took the pen for a closer look. The brass of the pen body had oxidized, and the edges of the engraving were covered with a thin layer of dust. Hidden in the pen cap was a small folded note, with the word "Mr." written in a corner. The handwriting was elegant, with the unique strokes of the Republic of China era.
He returned the pen to the girls and followed them into the "Republic of China Study" themed area. As the heavy red curtains fell, Lu Ye's fingertips still felt the coolness of the pen, and it suddenly resonated with the feeling Qi Chen had given him that year—back in Jingyuan, when they were sorting Su Qingyuan's account books. Qi Chen, fearing he'd miss a clue, had thrust his own pen into his hand, saying, "Your handwriting is soft; this pen will help you write more steadily."
The scene of the "Republic of China Study" is restored in great detail: the desk by the window is covered with dark brown velvet, with a kerosene lamp on it, the wick is turned down to the minimum, and the dim light can just illuminate the spread-out "account book"; the bookshelf is filled with thread-bound books, one of which is "Byron's Poems", with a long black hair clipped on the cover, which was made by Lu Ye in imitation of Su Qingyuan's relics; on the safe in the corner of the wall is a yellowed "seal", on which is written "Sealed in the 31st year of the Republic of China", which is exactly the year engraved on the pen.
"Wow, the details here are so realistic!" The girl in the beige skirt reached out and touched the bookshelf. As her fingers just touched "Byron's Poems", the light in the study suddenly flickered, and the flame of the kerosene lamp suddenly jumped up, causing the shadow on the wall to distort into strange shapes.
The pen in the girl's light blue dress clattered to the ground, tip down, leaving a pool of blue ink on the velvet. Lu Ye bent to pick it up, and just as his fingertips touched the pen, the Soul-Calming Bell rang again, this time more distinctly. The blue light from the bell shone through the fabric, reflecting onto the pen. A vague figure slowly emerged from the ink pool—a man in a gray gown, his back to him, holding a similar pen, writing on a piece of paper.
"Was there a shadow just now?" the girl in the off-white skirt asked tremblingly, hiding behind her companion. Lu Ye clenched his pen and looked up at the chair behind the desk—it was empty, only the shadow of the kerosene lamp flickering on the wall.
"It's probably a lighting issue." Lu Ye handed the pen to the girl, but his fingertips gently touched the ink ball. The touch wasn't soft like velvet, but like touching a cold page of paper. "You guys look for clues in the bookshelf area first. I'll check the circuit."
The girls nodded and discussed the clues in a low voice. Lu Ye walked to the desk, the blue light of the soul-calming bell still flashing. He gently shook the bell, and with a "ding" sound, the shadow in the ink ball emerged again. This time, he could see the man's profile clearly - a high nose bridge, thin lips tightly pursed, and he looked 70% like Qi Chen!
"Is that you, Qi Chen?" Lu Ye's voice trembled, but the shadow suddenly vanished, and Mo Tuan returned to normal. He squatted under the desk, his hands supporting the ground. His fingertips could still feel the coolness of the shadow, and his eyes suddenly felt hot. Over the past year or so, he had seen Qi Chen's back countless times in his dreams, but never like this time, so clear that he could almost reach out and touch him.
The girls' screams were heard suddenly, and Lu Ye quickly stood up - the girl in the light blue skirt was staring at the pen in her hand, and a line of words slowly emerged on the brass of the pen body: "Save me... My letter hasn't been sent out yet..." The handwriting was blue, exactly the same as the ink on the tip of the pen.
"What...what's going on?" The girl flung her pen onto the table in shock and took several steps back. Lu Ye walked over. The words on the pen were still there. He touched the pen. The blue light of the Soul-Calming Bell and the blue light of the pen merged together. Suddenly, a very soft voice reached his ears, as if floating from far away: "My student...is still waiting for my reply..."
Lu Ye's heart sank. This was the voice of a wronged spirit, and within it, a frequency similar to Qi Chen's was hidden. Otherwise, the soul-calming bell wouldn't have reacted so strongly. He picked up the pen and whispered to the air, "Who are you? Where's your letter? I'll mail it for you."
The sound in the air died down, but the words on the pen slowly changed, becoming "Jinling Middle School, Old School Building." Lu Ye gripped the pen tightly, knowing this was a new clue—Jinling Middle School was the school engraved on the pen, and the shadow that resembled Qi Chen might be the fragment of Qi Chen's soul hidden in the obsession of this wronged ghost.
The girls no longer had the heart to continue playing and hurriedly ended the experience. After seeing them off, Lu Ye sat at the front desk, put his pen on the table, and flipped through Qi Chen's notes from that year. Tucked inside the notes was an old photo of Zhang Jinling Middle School, which Qi Chen had found in the archives. The old school building in the photo matched the address on the pen. He touched the school building in the photo and remembered what Qi Chen had said at the time: "Schools in the Republic of China always have stories hidden in them. Look at this window, maybe someone wrote a letter in there."
The soul-calming bell rang again, this time its blue light reflected on the pen, slowly outlining the character "Chen." Lu Ye suddenly remembered a name Researcher Zhou had mentioned before—Chen Yanshu, a Chinese teacher at Jinling Middle School in 1942. He was said to have disappeared before the school closed, leaving behind a drawer full of unsent letters.
"Chen Yanshu..." Lu Ye muttered to himself, his fingertips gently stroking the pen. "You are Chen Yanshu, right? Your obsession is to find those unsent letters, right?"
The pen didn't produce any more writing, but it vibrated slightly, as if in response. Lu Ye put the pen into his pocket and pulled Qi Chen's pen from the drawer. The two pens, placed together, looked like a pair, the inscriptions on the pen caps shone with a similar light. He gripped the soul-calming bell tightly, making a decision: Tomorrow he would go to the old building of Jinling Middle School, find Chen Yanshu's letter, resolve his obsession, and more importantly, find the shadow that resembled Qi Chen. Even if there was only a slight possibility, he would seize it.
Late at night, Lu Ye turned off the lights in the back room, leaving only the small desk lamp at the front desk on. He sat on the carpet, spread Qi Chen's notebook across his lap, and flipped through the pages. Inside were copies of the account books they'd found in Jingyuan, a map of the karst caves they'd drawn in Wangchuan Garden, and notes from Qi Chen to him: "Xiao Ye is afraid of the dark, remember to bring a flashlight next time you investigate a case," and "Make him his favorite pumpkin porridge tomorrow."
When Lu Ye saw the note, tears fell on the paper, blurring the ink. He touched the soul-calming bell on his collar and whispered, "Qi Chen, I'm going to Jinling Middle School tomorrow. Maybe I can find some clues about you. Don't worry, I can investigate the case on my own now, just like you taught me, carefully looking for clues and taking my time."
The soul-calming bell stopped ringing, but it seemed to have warmed up, gently pressing against his collarbone, like Qi Chen's hand back then, silently comforting him.
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