Chapter 36 Chapter Twenty Two

December 10, 2010. Today is my boyfriend's birthday. In the mirror was a twenty-eight-year-old woman who had managed to put on some make-up and flashed lightning every time she blinked.She carefully selected three gifts at Hang Lung Plaza, and gave them to her boyfriend and his parents respectively. However, no matter how the clothes are matched, the neck always feels like something is missing?Mai Mai looked at the beauty in the mirror, touched the slightly throbbing carotid artery, and a slight pinch would kill her. As if suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, she took out the silk scarf from the drawer, a charming and mysterious purple silk scarf with the smell of death—fortunately, it wasn't this one that killed Qian Ling.

Wrapping the silk scarf around her neck in a unique pattern, Tian Mai in the mirror is finally perfect. She asked for a day off, and went out to take a taxi. As usual, the neighbor Lao Ding drove the car. She made an appointment two days ago—it’s the first time to go to her boyfriend’s house, so don’t be late if you can’t get a taxi. When I came to the entrance of an old villa in Hongqiao, surrounded by wealthy areas, this house alone was worth at least 10 million. She carefully got out of the car with the gift and rang the doorbell outside the gate of the villa.There was a barking sound at the door, and Prince Charming opened the door for her.Inside is a spacious yard filled with all kinds of beautiful plants.Two naive big chows sprang out from the backyard. They wanted to impress the guests, but under the command of Hai Zan, they obediently wagged their tails at Mai, showing the tip of their blue tongues.She has never had the opportunity to keep pets since she was a child, and she happily strokes their thick fur, and it seems that she is about to become a family.

Holding hands with her boyfriend, she walked into the magnificent living room - I don't know how many young girls want to squeeze into such a home, and they can't help feeling a sense of urgency in their hearts. The boyfriend's parents had been waiting for him for a long time. Mr. Sheng's newly blown hair is not inferior to that of a teenager, and Mrs. Sheng's French perfume is particularly strong.I think back when this couple was young, they must have been the envy of the gods and couples.There are fresh imported fruits on the coffee table, and Mrs. Sheng made an authentic Dahongpao for the wheat—someone made a special trip from Wuyi Mountain to pay tribute, because the highly praised grandfather held a high position in the capital before he retired.

Mai Mai took out a well-prepared gift, which was the first time she had bought valuables offline in recent years.The three gifts were sent to Sheng Zan and his parents respectively, and everyone was satisfied, not because of the high price, but because they bought them just right. Mrs. Sheng happily pulled Maimai to her side and gave her a platinum bracelet.Mai Mai couldn't estimate how much the bracelet was worth, so she shook her head and dared not accept it.He still praised the hard bracelet and stuffed it to her, and said seriously: "If you don't take it, my mother will be angry."

Mai Mai nervously put on the bracelet, all her possessions together were not as good as the thin chain in her hand. Mr. Sheng said sincerely: "Mai, I apologize to you for what happened before! It was my mistake, and I should not have interfered with the relationship between you and Sheng Zan. Since you broke up, I found that Sheng Zan has been depressed. Eating so little, barely speaking to us anymore, I knew I was wrong." "Uncle, please don't say that!" She was moved all of a sudden, turned her head to look at Sheng Zan's handsome face, remembering that he didn't think about food and tea for her, she was both relieved and sad.

"I was lucky to see you that day. I think it was fate's arrangement for our family, and also for the two of you—you really exceeded my wife and I's expectations. We like you very much, not just your appearance, And your manner of speaking and your upbringing, but above all your sincerity." "Actually, uncle and aunt, I still have many shortcomings that you don't know about." This time it was Mrs. Sheng's turn to speak: "Wheat, I have always been very accurate in seeing people. No matter who is in contact with me for a few minutes, no matter how deep the disguise is, I can see the character of this person. Please believe me so Years of vision—otherwise, I wouldn't have married Sheng Zan's father."

After finishing speaking, Mrs. Sheng glanced at her husband, was she showing affection in front of her future daughter-in-law?Mai suppresses her excitement, convinced that she is deeply liked by her boyfriend's parents.However, she could see that Sheng Zan was afraid of his father, which was probably his only shortcoming. After tasting the authentic Dahongpao for the first time, it was followed by a family banquet cooked by Mrs. Sheng herself.There is a special dining room in his house, enough for two round tabletops.She accompanied her boyfriend's parents to celebrate his birthday, and she also knew what wishes he had made for herself and her before blowing out the candles.The family dinner was a happy one. When Mai Mai talked about interesting things at work, Mrs. Sheng smiled knowingly several times.Mr. Sheng also talked about his past, which was also from an ordinary family. During the Cultural Revolution, when the educated youth jumped into the queue and settled down, the couple met in a difficult environment.At that time, the praised grandfather had not yet recovered his reputation and status, and it was all up to the young couple to work hard on their own.

After the family dinner, Sheng Zan took Mai Mai's hand and went upstairs.The boyfriend has a separate study and bedroom, the floor is covered with expensive Persian carpets, and there is a black and white photo of a young man on the desk, but he is not praising himself. "Who is he?" "It's a photo of my father in the past, when he was an educated youth." "It's almost like a movie star." "However, I look like my mother." He hugged Mai from behind, affectionately, "Are you happy today?" "I still wonder why they didn't allow us to date before?"

This sentence made Sheng Zan a little discouraged: "Why do you want to get to the bottom of it? Haven't you forgiven me yet?" "Please tell me why." "Well, our family has always disliked the police. It's not that they don't think their status is worthy of them, but that the police always deal with crime and death, so the police's children will be affected by this aspect, and they will be different from ordinary children psychologically. .” "absurd!" However, it is not unreasonable to think about it carefully. Because Xiaomai is the daughter of a policeman, her life is so different from other children.She lost her mother prematurely, lost the joy of the family, was full of resentment towards her father, and lost some memories of her youth.

Sheng Zan said timidly: "My parents have never seen you before. The last time I met you by chance at Plaza 66, they all felt that you were very different from what they imagined." "What do you imagine?" "It's the impression of a policeman's child." "A tomboy?" Mai Mai was a little displeased with his negative attitude: "But you know I'm not like that, and you haven't introduced me to them in detail?" "I dare not." He retreated to the window guiltily, "I'm sorry." This sentence made her feel even more uncomfortable: "You never dare to say 'no' to your father?"

"Mai, why are you talking about me like that?" Sheng Zan said and kissed her, and then swept away Maimai's depression, and reminded her of another thing. "Aren't you an alumnus of our Nanming High School?" "Yes, my elementary school girl." "Tch, you're only one year older than me." She regained her seriousness, "Do you still remember the small supermarket opposite our school?" "Of course I remember, our school is in a desolate suburb, and we can only buy things in small supermarkets. I often go there secretly to buy game cassettes and pirated Jin Yong novels—why ask this?" "No...it's nothing..." She looked at the swaying branches outside the window and said with a smile, "It's time for me to go home." "So urgent? Why don't you stay a little longer." "Let's go early, I want to make a better impression on your parents." Mai Mai is a smart woman, she knows what kind of daughter-in-law her parents-in-law like. The boyfriend's family sent her to the door and sent a special car driver to take her home. Sitting in the back seat of the spacious Audi A8, Xiaomai watched the night skyscrapers passing by the side of the elevated road—it was no longer the city he remembered from his childhood. Her heart returned to the spring that was about to die ten years ago. In 2000, late spring. After the rain, also after school, she saw Teacher Murong's purple silk scarf again, like the purple in a thousand purples and reds, which eclipsed several young girls. "Would you like to go somewhere with me?" Teacher Murong was dressed in black, raised the silk scarf around his neck, and looked mysterious. "Yes, teacher." Meier replied excitedly, as well as the glasses girl and big-eyed girl, while Qian Ling and Mai Mai followed silently. The five girls are all admirers of the sexy female teacher. They have been summoned after school and walked out of the school in a high-profile manner. Mai Mai glanced across the road, but didn't see the silent boy.Stepping on the wet ground after the rain, carefully bypassing the potholes in the wilderness.I can no longer see the bright purple and red flowers, only the twisted small trees on the roadside, and the weeds that grow wildly in spring. "Where are we going?" The girl with glasses said something timidly, and looking back, the school has become smaller and smaller, like an ancient temple in the field. "Are you scared?" Teacher Murong asked contemptuously, and continued to walk along a small path.This thirty-year-old beautiful woman walked into a mass of smoky vines with five uneasy young girls. From time to time, crows flew over her head and screamed, and frogs sounded under her feet. Suddenly, a gate appeared at the end of the path, with dilapidated walls on both sides and several abandoned buildings standing behind it, the most striking being a tall chimney. This was originally a factory. Two years ago, the factory manager absconded due to corruption. The bankrupt factory and the nearby wasteland were all bought by the Hong Kong boss. "Hoard". Purple silk scarves floated across the ruins, and the girls came to pay their respects to the ruins.Everything in the factory area that could be sold for a little money has been demolished, leaving only walls with exposed steel bars, crumbling warehouses, broken beams and pillars.Mai Mai silently looked around and saw a dark window, did she still have a pair of eyes hiding behind the window and looking at them in horror?It was as if the intrusion of this group of uninvited guests disturbed the ghosts of the tomb. In front of a relatively intact factory building, Teacher Murong touched the mottled wall and said softly, "Do you know? Why did I bring you here? Because today is the anniversary of my first love." Teacher's first love memory?How many years ago was that? "I'll tell you another secret!" She fiddled with the silk scarf around her neck like a shy girl, "Actually, I also graduated from Nanming High School." "Ah, the teacher is our senior sister?" Qian Ling couldn't help but say something, and Teacher Murong smiled: "That's right! That was twelve years ago, and I was still a senior in high school. Back then, I was a famous school girl. I don't know how many boys have pursued me. However, I rejected everyone. Because, I fell in love with someone outside the school." "Outside the school?" "Yes, it's here! Outside the school, I fell in love with a worker here." Mei'er added another word: "No way, worker?" "Well, a very handsome and cool guy, actually only two years older than me. He and I often meet on the road, and we have known each other for a long time - he has long messy hair and rides a broken bicycle , can also play guitar and sing rock, very similar to the popular Cui Jian group in the 1980s." "Who is Cui Jian?" The glasses girl asked weakly, and Teacher Murong sighed softly: "Hey, what a mediocre era, even Cui Jian has forgotten! Anyway, I like him. He often rides a bicycle, waiting for me at the school gate, and then being caught by the school He drove me away from the dean of the school. He hid a little away from the school, and when I came out of school to find him, he let me sit on the bicycle bag rack. In retrospect, it felt so good, sitting on the back of the rickety bicycle, gently Hug the waist of the boy I like, put my face on his sweaty back, close my eyes and listen to the wind blowing by my ears, let the sunset shine on the two of us, I really want... I really want to let him be like this forever ride down..." It was like she was reading a Duras novel in class, and the last few sentences were spoken slowly and gently, with a hint of sadness. The beautiful teacher smiled and said: "Behind this wall is this big workshop, where my first love boy works. He often brings me here to play, and sometimes he is on the night shift-don't imitate me, At best, we are just holding hands, and he will send me back to school on time before eight o’clock every night. He said that this factory was a large cemetery many years ago, and it is said that Ruan Lingyu was buried here.” "Huh? Ruan Lingyu's tomb?" "I heard that every rainy night, she will appear in the nearby wilderness." Seeing the terrified faces of the girls, Teacher Murong couldn't help laughing: "I wish I could see her! Later, after I graduated from high school and entered a normal university, I broke up with my first love. It wasn't that I wanted to leave him, but My parents strongly opposed it, they brainwashed me every day - he and I are people from two worlds, I was admitted to university with a bright future, I should find a good man, preferably the son of a leading cadre, not a helpless man Powerless workers." Suddenly, she shouted loudly to the sky: "I regret it! I regret listening to my parents! I regret leaving him in the first place! After so many years, I found that I was still thinking about him, thinking about that The eyes under the long hair, thinking about sitting on the bicycle and hugging his back, thinking about the evenings spent listening to him playing the guitar—all of that, never coming back.” With the last sentence, Teacher Murong regained his composure. In the dead silence of the ruins, there were only tears that were slowly falling, and five young girls who were deeply moved by her.Everyone also understood in their hearts, no wonder the teacher is thirty years old, and there are so many men chasing after him, but he is still alone. It turns out that he can't forget the best first love. Mai Mai asked boldly: "Teacher, what happened to the worker you first fell in love with?" "What do you want to ask? Why don't I go to him? Yes, if I could go back to the past, I would rather give up everything now. However, when I graduated from university, he committed suicide while working the night shift in the factory!" Teacher Murong wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes, "It's right here." "here?" Mai Mai's hairs stood on end, Teacher Murong stared into her eyes and said, "The day he committed suicide is also the anniversary of the first time he met me." As soon as this remark came out, the girls were taken aback. They didn't expect that the teacher brought them to this ruins to commemorate the death of their first love!That's why she was dressed in solemn black, like Rimatilde's mourning dress. The teacher touched the purple silk scarf and said with a wry smile: "However, there are also rumors that he was frightened to death by a terrible ghost when he was on the night shift." "Really haunted?" The girl with glasses put her hands on her shoulders and leaned against the girl with big eyes. "Yes! Do you want me to take you to see it? A place that is said to be haunted." The five girls all looked at each other, but Teacher Murong grabbed Mai Mai's cold arm: "What are you afraid of?" Go around this big factory building and enter a small door behind it.In the dim light at dusk, Teacher Murong told everyone to walk carefully and not to trip over the broken bricks and tiles on the ground.A staircase appeared in front of it, leading straight to the ground, like the passage of an ancient tomb. "This is the basement of the past, if you are brave, you can go down with me to have a look!" Teacher Murong walked down a few steps, took out a flashlight that had been prepared long ago, and shone it on the iron door at the end of the stairs. Mai Mai and Qian Ling followed closely, holding hands to increase their courage, and saw clearly the door to the basement—it was like a submarine hatch in a World War II movie, with a round rotating part that could lock and seal the door. "He brought me here." The teacher said something to himself, and turned the round handle of the "hatch door" hard. The door is open. A puff of black smoke gently floated out from the door, like the breath of corpses in an ancient tomb... "what!" First, Meier screamed, and then the glasses girl and big-eyed girl also screamed. They thought that the ghost had really come out, so they turned around and ran out of the broken factory building quickly.Qian Ling also yelled in fright, and fled out of Maimai's hand, as if if she was too late, she would be dragged into the dark underground. The five girls escaped safely, but they heard Teacher Murong's frightening laughter from the factory behind them... the next day. Teacher Murong appeared in the Chinese class again, changed into brightly colored clothes, and seemed to have forgotten the horrible basement and the sad anniversary. At nightfall, Mai Mai was absent from the evening self-study again. She quietly came to the school gate, hid behind a few big trees, and looked at the small supermarket across the road. It's raining. Through the long and fluttering rain curtain, I saw a familiar figure in the small supermarket—Mr. Murong. She chatted with Qiushou again, and the two talked more and more vigorously.Soon it was closing time, the teacher walked out of the small supermarket, but was trapped by the increasing rain.The boy took out a big umbrella and opened it for the teacher to keep out the wind and rain.A beautiful thirty-year-old female teacher and an eighteen-year-old country boy huddled together under the same umbrella and walked into the dark night under the heavy rain. Mai Mai bit her lip, her body trembling slightly—what exactly did the teacher want to do? She looked at the two people in surprise, seeing Teacher Murong and Qiushou squeezed very close under the umbrella, almost clinging to each other, avoiding the storm and disappearing into the misty depths. Tian Xiaomai seemed to have been punched by someone, lowered his head into the icy rain, and ran back to his dormitory in one breath. She didn't tell anyone about this, including Qian Ling. The rain didn't stop until midnight. Mai Mai didn't sleep well all night, and got up before six in the morning, more than an hour before breakfast time. She patted Qian Ling who was on the upper bunk, and whispered softly, "Wake up! Will you go for a walk with me?" Although Qian Ling was unhappy in ten thousand ways, the demands of his buddies were always satisfied.She rubbed her eyes and crawled down, accompanied Maimai to wash briefly, and quietly walked out of the dormitory. Some boys were doing morning exercises on the playground, and some were reciting English vocabulary early in the morning. They walked out of the school gate with their heads down, and entered the wilderness they passed the day before yesterday. In the early morning, the fog filled the air, making it hard to see clearly from a little further away, like a world of fantasy hidden.Every inch of the air is so humid, thick stuffed nose, even a feeling of suffocation. They walked into the abandoned factory they had visited yesterday. In front of the dilapidated house that looked like an ancient ruin, Qian Ling asked suspiciously, "Mai, what's wrong with you?" "I'm a little sad." "Why?" Qian Ling, a precocious girl, asked smartly, "Because of which boy?" "No, for a woman." Tian Xiaomai replied coldly, squinting her beautiful eyes, trying to see the end of the fog. Among the tall green weeds, I saw an unusually abrupt purple. Purple? The wilderness should not have this color! In an instant, her heart beat wildly, she held Qian Ling's hand tightly, walked a few steps towards the purple patch, and finally saw the person under the weeds—— Beautiful thirty year old woman. There was a purple silk scarf around her neck, and she was still wearing yesterday's beautiful clothes, but her whole body was covered with traces of rain and mud. Teacher Murong. She opened her charming eyes, looking through the tall weeds, through the thick fog, and looked at the gray sky. Mai Mai also looked up, but she couldn't see the sky, only a dirty haze. He lowered his head again, looking at the woman he admired the most in girlhood, and at the unchanging goddess in his heart—the cold corpse that had turned into a cold body. Teacher Murong died, and he died with an unsettled eye, wearing that purple silk scarf. She was murdered. The dead beautiful female teacher, her final eyes were so unwilling, so confused, so at a loss. Dream call? In the early hours of the morning, Mai Mai had a dream in the dormitory, dreaming of her favorite teacher Murong.She dreamed that this beautiful Chinese teacher asked her for help in the abandoned factory——when she woke up, she still remembered the silk scarf clearly. Qian Ling let out a scream. However, Tian Xiaomai was unexpectedly calm, and while tears were falling quietly, he bent down and approached the teacher's body. She wants to know, and wants to catch with her own hands—the murderer! I thought of the legend in my heart that the last shadow I saw would be engraved in the eyes of the dead—such as the face of the murderer. If, after the corpse is completely stiff, the shadow will also disappear with the cloudiness of the eyeballs. While Teacher Murong's body was still cold, she had to try it! Just when Mai Mai was almost close to the dead man's face, she saw that there was only a cloud of black mist in the teacher's eyeballs. She smelled a faint but strange smell deep in the purple silk scarf. This purple silk scarf that Teacher Murong loves most, the scarf that is often wrapped around her snow-white neck, is the murder weapon that finally strangles her to death!