On the grass by the roadside in front of me, there was a red dress. I recognized it all too well; it was the dress that the vengeful ghost in red had worn last night.
Not only that, there was also a pair of worn-out embroidered shoes on the ground, which were also worn by that red-clothed ghost.
What exactly happened?
Could it be that the red-clothed ghost from last night took it off and left it here?
I propped up the electric scooter, gritted my teeth, squatted down, picked up the skirt from the ground, and found that the skirt had been broken in two.
I frowned, my face filled with disbelief. How could a perfectly good red dress suddenly be split in two?
Could it be that the red-clothed ghost has been killed?
Now that I think about it, this is the only explanation. But who exactly killed the woman in red?
Could it be my fifth grandfather?
Then I shook my head. My fifth grandfather was just a butcher, and he was quite old. How could he possibly be a match for this red-clothed ghost?
I suspect that if it wasn't the ancestral master of the hall who appeared, then it was a backup plan left by my grandfather that killed this evil ghost in red.
Regardless of who it was, the fact that this vengeful ghost in red is dead is a good thing. There shouldn't be so many traffic accidents happening at the traffic light intersection anymore.
I took the red dress and embroidered shoes from the ground to the edge of the field by the roadside and burned them with a lighter. After washing my hands by the field, I returned to my electric scooter. My previously depressed mood suddenly became much lighter. I suddenly wanted to smoke a cigarette to celebrate, but I found that I was out of cigarettes. I remembered that Zhang Guangyin had given me a pack of Yuxi cigarettes before, but I didn't know where I had put them.
I rode my electric bike to the small shop in Liuluo Village, got off, walked to the cigarette cabinet, and said, "Third Aunt, give me a pack of Red Dragon cigarettes."
The old woman handed me a pack of Red Dragon cigarettes and asked with a smile, "Changming, where's your girlfriend?"
My face darkened. I suddenly remembered that when I came back last night, it seemed that my third aunt had seen me. But I didn't know how to explain, so I pretended to be crazy and said, "What girlfriend? Third aunt, you must be seeing things."
"Hmph, Changming, you're getting more and more dishonest. Tell me, whose daughter is she?" Old Granny San grumbled.
"No, really." I scanned the code to pay and then fled as if I were escaping, lest I be caught by the old woman and bombarded with questions.
After driving for a while, I stopped the car, opened a cigarette, lit it, and slowly smoked it.
After finishing my cigarette, I continued towards the courier station. The red-clothed ghost had been defeated, and I had finally put my mind at ease.
When I arrived at the courier station, I happened to see Zhang Guangyin.
"Changming, weren't you on vacation? Why did you come back?" Zhang Guangyin asked me with a curious look.
"Didn't I only ask for one day off?" I asked curiously.
“You took a day off, but I was worried that one day wouldn’t be enough, so I approved two days. Didn’t you see the text message?” Zhang Guangyin took out a Yuxi cigarette and handed it to me, saying with a smile, “Changming, the boss has already instructed that you are now a special case at the courier station. Don’t worry, this is paid leave. I’ve already had Xiao Deng take over your work. If you have time, come to my office for tea.”
"Alright then, no need for tea. I have something to take care of."
I rode my electric bike out of the courier station. I planned to go to An Lili's house, but I had to buy a bag of fruit first, otherwise it wouldn't be good to go empty-handed.
When I went to buy fruit, I thought of the village chief, Feng Dahai, so I bought an extra portion. Since I had some time, I went to An Lili's house first, and then I would visit the village chief to see if I could find out anything.
I rode my electric bike toward An Lili's house. When I got to the traffic light intersection, I stopped to take a look, but it was broad daylight and I couldn't see anything. It was right here last night that I almost lost my life. Thinking about it now, it was really a close call.
Ultimately, it comes down to my own lack of ability.
When I arrived at An Lili's house, I saw a middle-aged man come out of the house.
I parked my car at the door, got out, grabbed a bag of fruit, and went to greet him with a smile, saying, "Are you Uncle An?"
The middle-aged man looked to be in his forties; if he wasn't An Lili's father, then he was her uncle.
The middle-aged man glanced at me and asked in confusion, "Young man, are you talking to me?"
I was also taken aback. We're right in front of you, and if I'm not talking to you, am I talking to thin air?
“Yes, Uncle An.” I took out a cigarette, handed it to him, and said with a smile.
The middle-aged man didn't take my cigarette and asked suspiciously, "Young man, there's no Uncle An here, and I'm not surnamed An either."
"That can't be right, sir, do you live in here?" I asked, equally puzzled.
"Yes!" The middle-aged man nodded.
I frowned slightly and continued, "Have you ever heard of a girl named An Lili?"
"No, there's no one with the surname An in Daping Village," the middle-aged man shook his head and said. "Young man, have you come to the wrong place?"
I went outside again and looked at the house in front of me. I was absolutely certain that I had taken An Lili back here that night. How could I have remembered wrong?
I went back inside and asked, unwilling to give up, "Was there an old lady here before?"
"Yes, it was my mother, but she has passed away," the middle-aged man nodded and said.
"I'm sorry, I might have misremembered. I apologized to the middle-aged man."
I got back onto the electric scooter and took another look at the house in front of me. I've been here more than once, how could I be wrong?
I rode my electric bike a short distance and saw a passerby. I stopped and asked him, and the result was almost exactly the same as what the middle-aged man had said: there is no one with the surname An in Daping Village.
Reluctantly, I took out my phone and called Zhong Lingui. I remembered that Zhong Lingui had mentioned seeing An Lili's family holding a funeral when he came to deliver packages before.
But Zhong Lingui told me that he didn't know where An Lili lived either, and that An Lili was the one who told him about An Lili's grandmother's death.
I was completely stunned. This is a perfectly normal person who clearly lives here, but no one is saying that there is such a person.
I walked around the area again, trying to see if there were any other houses like the one I had, but I still didn't find anything. I asked several people, but none of them had ever heard of anyone named An Lili.
Could it be that the An Lili I saw didn't exist at all?
Or is she something filthy?
But how is that possible?
On the way back, I thought and thought, but still couldn't figure it out. I parked the car on the side of the road, took out my phone, found An Lili's number, and dialed it.
But after a while, I was disappointed; An Lili's phone was still switched off.
I took out a cigarette, lit it, and slowly smoked it. My thoughts were in turmoil. How could a perfectly healthy person suddenly disappear without a trace?
I was still unwilling to give up and called Huang Haitao, the owner of the courier station, but I still didn't get any useful information. Huang Haitao said he didn't know where An Lili lived. At the time, he was just following his supervisor's instructions to let An Lili come to work at the courier station, and he didn't know anything else.
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