Chapter 4: The Bathroom
Wen Yin decided to go wash up first.
Get rid of this weird smell.
When she came to the bathroom with her things, there were two women who sounded elderly, chatting while getting water.
"Hey, have you heard? The young widow on the first floor hasn't come home for a few days. I just saw her child squatting at the door crying."
A female voice with a slightly rough voice came.
"Tell me, did she run away with some strange man..."
"Tsk tsk tsk, who can say for sure..."
Another person immediately took over, his voice lowered.
"She's a fickle woman. I heard that many men in the building have been to her room at night..."
"It's better to run away, so as not to seduce men and make them lose their minds!"
The person opposite nodded in agreement and took over the conversation.
"I feel sorry for her child. If he really runs away, how will he live?"
"Just a bastard..." The voice was filled with contempt, "Who knows if it's a legitimate child..."
"Hey, keep your voice down..."
As if they heard the sound of someone coming in, they both looked towards the door at the same time.
Wen Yin glanced over there and saw two aunties with curly hair like instant noodles, one was a little fatter and the other was a little taller.
When he saw Wen Yin coming in with a washbasin, his face turned red again and he looked Wen Yin up and down several times.
Finally, the fat aunt smiled awkwardly and said, "Little girl, are you a new tenant?"
Wen Yin nodded, not wanting to chat with the gossipy aunties, and quickly walked towards the side marked [Women's Bath].
The sound of running water behind me gradually stopped, and the footsteps of the two aunts were heard, accompanied by the sizzling sound of the iron kettle being dragged on the tiles.
A few seconds later, the two left the bathroom and started talking in low voices. Wen Yin faintly heard a few words.
Young, vixen.
-
The bathroom was empty, the floor was covered with old-style tiles, a row of shower heads were installed against the wall, and a yellowed waterproof curtain was used as a simple partition.
There is a window at the end of the bathroom, and a tall tree outside the window blocks most of the view.
Wen Yin leaned over to take a look and found that it was a soapberry tree.
She casually turned on the nearest shower head, and water droplets splashed out. They were sparse and not dense, but at least they were hot water.
Wen Yin looked around and found a few small words sprayed on the wall at the entrance of the women's bath.
Hot water supply hours: 6:00 am - 8:00 am, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm.
There is also a clock hanging above it.
The time showed 7:40, and there were still twenty minutes before the hot water supply stopped.
Wen Yin closed the bathroom door, and when she found that it could not be locked, she dragged a long bench next to it and propped it against the door.
[Host, you go wash up. I'll stand guard outside the door.]
The system, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke.
[Thank you, 028.]
Wen Yin thanked him lightly and walked towards the innermost compartment.
The water valve opened and warm steam quickly spread throughout the compartment.
Wen Yin showered very quickly, partly because he didn't have enough time, and partly because he was on guard against any "ghost" that might appear in the building at any time.
The sound of dripping water continued, echoing in the empty shower room.
Wen Yin was washing the foam off her head with her eyes closed when she suddenly smelled a scent that didn't belong to shampoo.
The fresh scent of plants lingered around her vaguely.
Wen Yin paused while flushing the shower, raised her hand to wipe the water droplets from the corners of her eyes, and opened her eyes, only to find that the wind was blowing outside.
A few leaves, blown by the breeze, flew in through the gap of the half-open window.
The blurry glass was also covered with shadows of branches swaying in the wind.
[028, Is there anything unusual outside?]
Wen Yin stood naked under the warm running water and suddenly asked.
[Host, there is nothing abnormal.]
028's childish voice rang out: [No one, no "gui" either.]
[OK. ]
Wen Yin moved his eyes away from the leaves, sniffed again, and then sped up.
A few minutes later, the sound of water stopped, the yellow curtain was lifted, and Wen Yin, whose cheeks were flushed by the heat, walked out.
The air is still filled with the strong scent of plants, and the branches and leaves of those plants are still dimly visible behind the glass.
Wen Yin packed her clothes and turned to walk towards the door. After Wen Yin's figure disappeared from the bathroom, the branches and leaves that had inexplicably fallen into the window gaps were blown away by the wind.
-
After Wen Yin finished packing, she went straight downstairs.
Compared to yesterday's gloom and rain, today's weather is exceptionally bright, and the whole building seems to come alive.
The corridor on the first floor was noisy. Many young children were hiding and playing in the pile of junk, while elderly grandparents were reading newspapers and picking vegetables nearby.
There was no sign of the young man.
The appearance of Wen Yin's unfamiliar face immediately attracted the attention of several children.
When a few elderly ladies who were picking vegetables saw Wen Yin, they exclaimed, "What a pretty girl."
Wen Yin, who had just finished a bath, still had moisture on her eyebrows and eyes, like a delicate lotus emerging from the water.
A grandmother squinted her eyes, looked at her, and then waved to her.
"Little girl, come here!"
Wen Yin looked over when she heard the voice and saw an old lady with white hair and kind eyes looking at her with a smile.
Wen Yin hesitated for a few seconds, but still walked over.
She always had to find someone to talk to and ask about what was going on in the building.
After all, she doesn't even know the real mission objective yet.
"Grandma, you called me."
Wen Yin's well-behaved appearance immediately made the old lady smile even more happily.
Grandma pointed to the stool next to her and motioned Wen Yin to sit down.
"Little girl, you don't look very old, are you twenty years old?"
"Grandma, I'm twenty-two."
Wen Yin had just celebrated his 22nd birthday when he died in the real world.
"Oh, you look very young," Grandma smiled again, "I saw you coming down from upstairs. Aren't your family members with you?"
Wen Yin thought for a moment and replied, "My husband works nearby. I'm renting a place just for the time being and will be moving out soon."
According to Wen Yin's experience of listening to gossip when she was bored in the hospital, an elderly person who smiled happily at a young girl most likely wanted to be a matchmaker.
As expected, when the old lady heard Wen Yin say the word "Sir", her expression was obviously surprised.
"You're getting married, so early, little girl."
The old lady held a handful of green vegetables. Although her expression was a little disappointed, her tone was still very kind: "I am also planning to introduce you to a young and promising guy in our building."
Wen Yin smiled shyly and said, "I'm married."
"Okay, okay..."
The old lady put the selected vegetables into the basket and sighed, "Ah, I am an old woman, and I worry about nothing."
Seeing this, Wen Yin didn't just sit there. She helped pick the vegetables and spoke casually.
"Grandma, I just heard people say after I moved in yesterday that there might be something...strange in this building."
As soon as he finished speaking, several grandmothers who were picking vegetables, as well as the children who were playing nearby, all looked over.
Like an NPC whose specific keywords were triggered.
Wen Yin's heart skipped a beat as she was being stared at by so many eyes.
"Didn't the landlord tell you?"
The expression of the kind-looking old man in front of him suddenly became empty, and his tone became stiff.
Wen Yin shook her head in confusion: "No."
The white-haired grandmother stared at Wen Yin with empty eyes for a long time, and finally spoke: "Don't go out on rainy nights. Keep quiet, and you will be fine."
After saying that, grandma turned her head away, lowered her head and started picking vegetables, as if she was not around.
All the movement on the first floor seemed to be disrupted by her question.
Wen Yin narrowed her eyes and stood up. After a few seconds, the corridor returned to the harmony and peace it had before she appeared.
The white-haired grandmother's expression returned to a friendly state, and she repeated what she had just said.
"Ah, I am an old woman, worrying about nothing."
[The source of this strangeness is here, and the tenants here should all be affected to some extent.]
[The impact isn't significant right now, but once the strange power spreads, we'll be unsure.]
028 Explain at the right time.
[Um. ]
Wen Yin nodded in her heart and spoke politely to the white-haired grandmother.
"Grandma, you're busy, I'll go out for a walk."
"Okay, okay, go ahead. You're such a polite and nice girl."
-
Wen Yin pretended nothing happened and walked out under the watchful gazes of several old ladies.
As she turned the corner of the corridor, a small gray figure suddenly bumped into her.
The force was so strong that she stumbled back a step and almost fell to the ground.
Wen Yin looked down and saw a little boy of four or five years old. When he saw that he had bumped into someone, he lowered his head in panic.
"Sister, sister...I'm sorry..."
The little boy's voice was choked with sobs. He lowered his head and never raised it again. There were obvious scratches and bloodstains on his shivering arms, as if he had just fallen.
Wen Yin recognized the little boy immediately.
Last night when she made noise in the corridor, the boy poked his head out of the house twice, as if waiting for someone.
"I'm fine," Wen Yin squatted down and pointed at the scratch on the boy's hand, "but yours is a bit serious. You need to ask your family to take you to the health center quickly."
Wen Yin squatted down and found that the little boy's face was covered with black and gray finger marks, and his clothes looked like they had rolled in the mud. In addition to the scratches on his arms, there were also signs of wear and tear on the knees of his pants.
When the little boy heard Wen Yin mention his family, he finally raised his head.
Her eyes were red and the area around them was a little swollen, probably because she had been crying.
"Sister, sister, have you seen my mother?"
The boy raised his gray little face, trying hard not to cry out loud, looking stubborn and pitiful.
"My mother has long hair, big eyes and fair skin."
"She is very beautiful, just like her sister..."
"She's been missing for three days... On the day she disappeared, she was wearing a blue floral dress..."
"She clearly said she was just going out to buy something and would be back soon..."
"But those bad aunts said my mother ran away with someone and didn't want me anymore."
"I don't believe it," the little boy's dark little hands grabbed the hem of Wen Yin's clothes, and a tear fell silently.
"Sister, have you seen my mother?"
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