Chapter 12 fourth quarter

The fragrance of ancient wood pulled my consciousness back from the abyss of lethargy to reality.When I woke up, I found myself lying under the quilt, and my body was covered with a hand-sewn quilt that was stitched together from several worn-out rags.Some places on the top have been opened, very thin. It looks like a residential house.The room is the size of six tatami mats and is surrounded by curtains.The fragrance of ancient wood that I just smelled seems to be the ancient atmosphere of this room.The rough-textured ceiling has been smoked black, and there are no lighting tools such as electric lights in the room.It was just dawn, and the white paper pasted on the curtain was glowing with white flowers, which was very dazzling to me who had just woken up.

There is a quilt beside her, and Mr. N is lying in it.No sign of waking up.With his regular breathing, the quilt also moved up and down. Teacher N slept very peacefully.The quilt was very small, and his sleeping posture was not very good, with his injured right foot exposed.It seems that someone has treated him, the bandage wrapped around it was not made by me, it looks a little strange.It is not the kind of bandage that is usually used in hospitals and can be bought on the market.It is replaced by torn thin strips of white cloth.The strips of cloth were not the usual white, they had already discolored and turned yellow.

Forgetting the excessive exhaustion all over my body before, I got up and prepared to stand up.The sudden pain in my muscles made me groan softly. Can't remember when we were put under the covers.The last scene in my memory is that I was on my way with Teacher N on my back, and then I saw a light that looked like someone else’s, so I walked towards the light.As I approached slowly, the light gradually became larger, and there seemed to be many figures floating around there.The memory stops here, and I'm afraid I passed out from exhaustion before I got here. I stood up slowly, trying not to make any big movements in my muscles and bones.I must thank the owner of this house.

The curtain seems to be floating in the air, and it opens with a slight pull.In front of the house is a corridor, and on the opposite side of the corridor is a spacious yard. The fog was so thick that for a moment I felt as if I was in a cloud.In this situation, I would probably lose my way within twenty steps.I looked around as far as I could see.One wall of the yard is made of sand, and there are a few shadows of trees in the fog.I don't know how far the yard extends, but I think it is a very spacious place.In order to make it easier for us to go directly down from the corridor to the yard, the shoes of Mr. N and I were placed under our feet.Not far from here, many shadows that look like lantern posts caught my eye.These lantern posts are arranged irregularly and vary in size.Their shadows stand around as if to wrap the house.If you want to see more clearly in the dense fog, you have to get closer.I wanted to do that, but ultimately decided to talk about it later.

I walked in the hallway looking for the owner of the house.The floor was very dry, as if there was still white powder floating on it.The uneven texture of the floor stimulates the soles of the feet.The floor is not made of long wooden strips running lengthwise along the corridor, but of many short wooden strips arranged side by side.It's not so much a family, it's more like a temple.Probably because tatami mats are made of thick, inelastic hardwood. The house is huge.I counted my steps as I walked, but since I couldn't reach the other end of the house, I lost count at some point.On the left is the courtyard, and on the right is the outer wall of the house composed of shoji and wooden walls.I yelled a few times, but no one answered.

Finally, the corridor turned a corner along the house, and the door of the shoji was closed tightly. I opened the door and looked inside the house. It didn't look like there was anyone living in the house. The end of the corridor suddenly appeared in front of him.The floor was interrupted in front of a mud-floored house.It looks like a kitchen.In the suddenly cold and humid air, there is an aroma that tickles the nostrils.There is a casserole on the stone stove, steaming from the pot.The aroma comes from here.It is certain that there is no one at home.In the pot was simmering porridge with green vegetables.

Except for the casserole, there are some cold tableware scattered casually.There is no such thing as a cupboard, and the utensils and pots and the like are placed directly on the floor.Tableware is basically wooden.Although there are some pottery in it, they are either broken or have cracks on them, making them look unusable.There is a mat in the corner of the room, and the vegetables covered with soil are piled up like hills.There was also a chopping board on the ground with a rusty knife sticking out of it. The door of the room nearest the kitchen was open.Although I felt bad, I went in anyway.The room is covered with worn tatami mats, and when you step on it, your feet are soft and sunken in it.The room was spacious, but tasteless in its furnishings.But unlike other rooms, here I feel the breath of someone's life.

In the corner of the room is a small wooden table with four candles of different lengths.I leaned over and knelt down. If I looked closely, I could see that the small table was covered with traces of candles dripping from melting.Surrounded by candles, there is a small wooden box in the middle.Flat in shape and just big enough to fit a book. Probably a Buddhist altar.It looked as if the candles were used to commemorate the small wooden box.I reached out and picked up the wooden box. The wooden box was so light that I couldn't feel the weight on my hand at all, as if it was filled with air.Although there is a small metal clasp on the box, it seems to be easy to open.I really want to see what's inside.

"I don't know where you came from." A hoarse woman's voice suddenly sounded from behind, "But don't you feel ashamed to enter other people's rooms like this?" It must be the owner here.Embarrassed, I put the box back where it belonged. "I'm really sorry. When I woke up just now, I thought I must thank the person who saved me and my friend, so I unconsciously wandered around the house without authorization." I turned around, hoping to see the appearance of my benefactor. "Just stay there, don't turn around." The woman said hurriedly.

As if someone had slapped me across the face, I just stopped there with my back turned to the other party, not daring to move. "There's no particular reason, I just don't want others to see my face. Although it's rude, I hope you can maintain the current posture and talk to me." Although the woman's words were very tactful, there was a sense of oppression that could not be rejected by the other party.The back of my neck was numb, and the people behind me felt a strong pressure.Although she thought her request was very strange, she didn't want to ask why.It's just that I feel uneasy and overwhelmed by the fact that I'm the only one showing my back.I really want to meet him face to face.

"You took care of me when I was hungry, cold and exhausted and fell on the side of the road. You are a great benefactor to me, but after this, turning my back on you makes me feel really uncomfortable. You can't agree to it anyway. Have I seen your face?" The woman didn't answer me, but sat down behind me, making the sound of rustling clothes rubbing against each other.The voice seemed to say that she had no intention of listening to me at all.I just sat down with my back to her. The woman started talking about what happened last night.Basically the same as I guessed. Because the person he was talking to was not in front of him, he couldn't fix his gaze after all.Although I was very unhappy in my heart, I finally closed my eyes and compromised.Since she closed her eyes and couldn't see anything, the presence of the woman behind her was even more inflated.Her hoarse voice vibrated my eardrums.Probably a very old woman.Just listening to her words and expressions, one can feel that she is a person who pays great attention to etiquette.However, I don't know why, but her words always make me feel harsh, as if she wants to impose something on the other party.It can also be said to be a kind of hostility.Even if it wasn't hostility, it seemed that the other party had done something that made her feel unforgivable. I explained to her that I had been in trouble in the mountains, and I had come here in the end after traveling in disarray. Gradually the room became dignified, starting from around the woman, the air gradually became colder, and solid particles condensed.A layer of goosebumps could not help floating on my body, I tried hard to suppress the urge to turn back. I chatted with the woman for a while, and finally, she interrupted the conversation, and she seemed to stand up from the sound.It seems to have gone into the inner room.I breathed a sigh of relief. "While I am avoiding you now, please leave this room and go back to your friend's side. You can eat in a while, because this is a deep mountain, so I can only prepare some vulgar things." "Where is there, your kind hospitality has made me feel grateful." After exiting the room, I realized that my body was soaked in sweat. When he returned to his room, Teacher N was still asleep. I put on my shoes and came to the yard.When I saw the exterior of the house for the first time, I was shocked by its ancient and large size.The house has only one floor. Why did that woman just refuse to let me see her face?This question is still circling in my mind.While stepping on the gravel under my feet, I made all kinds of assumptions. This is so bizarre, I can't help but smile wryly. When I asked the woman to borrow the phone, she said there was no phone here. "It's a pity, but I have to say that the way down the mountain is very steep, and it's very difficult to carry your friend on your back, so please treat this place as your own home until your friend recovers from injury. " At present, it seems that there is no electricity in this house. What kind of life does this woman live, and has she communicated with the village at the foot of the mountain? The milky white fog thickly wrapped my field of vision, making me feel like I was still in a dream for a while.Gradually the house disappeared into the thick fog.At the same time, the blurred shadows of the lantern poles began to become clear when viewed from a distance.When I looked closely, I found that the countless shadows surrounding the house were not lantern posts, but stones.A stone that looks like a human being! Because he was in a hurry, he ignored the strength in his hand when he opened the door, and the door opened with a sound like a firecracker. Teacher N opened his eyes.I thought he would be wondering why he was lying in the quilt, but I was wrong.He sat up slowly, touched the bandage on his right foot, and said: "Our luck seems to be really good." I told her about the woman just now. "About that woman's refusal to let me see her face, what do you think, Mr. N? Could it be that woman is..." "You want to say that it's the woman who 'turns to stone when she looks at her eyes'? What nonsense are you talking about? How could such a thing be true?" In order to stop me from getting short of breath, he snorted disdainfully. I talked about the stone that was just outside.He glanced out through the open door. "Are you trying to say that those stone statues were originally living people, but after seeing that woman's eyes, they all turned into stone?" The word "stone statue" made my heart tighten.A stone statue is something carved out of stone.And those human-shaped stones in the fog, can they be called stone statues?The first thing that caught my eye was the stone of a young man in a walking pose.He's about the same height as me, with slippery shoulders.The skin on his face wrinkled subtly, his expression full of pain.Looks exhausted.The vivid shape is simply like a miracle, making one have to think that this man was suddenly picked up by God with tweezers and put into a stone bag while he was walking and thinking. Clear muscle lines can be seen inside the stone.I simply forgot that the thing in front of me was a rock, and I had the illusion that the person seemed to be planning to continue thinking and hurrying. I remembered the hand-shaped stone I picked up by the river when I was young.So I tried to touch it.Probably because of the fog, the fine water droplets on the surface of the stone wet my fingers.When I felt that he was inflexible, it was still the same as before, but I was surprised.If the hand-shaped stone and these human-shaped stones were carved by a very talented person, then they must be from the same person.However, I firmly believe that these are not produced through careful carving. There is also a stone shaped like an old man.An old man sat cross-legged on the ground with a smile on his wrinkled face.It looks like the moment when he finished his farm work and started to rest.His right hand was raised beside his forehead, as if wiping sweat.If the water droplets on the stone are the sweat of the old man, I will not doubt it. The old man's right hand and head always feel that they are not connected together, but if you look carefully, you can see that there is a gap in the middle that can only hold a piece of paper.Wouldn't it be too difficult to accomplish such a task on a piece of rock with only a chisel?Moreover, the uneven wrinkles can be clearly seen between the fingers that the carving knife can't reach at all. There are countless stones in the shape of women, stones in the shape of children, and stones with various shapes and expressions.The distance between each stone is neither dense nor loose, about one every ten steps or so. There is also a stone that is just a hair.Of course, if you press hard with your hand, it will break. These stones also have a great feature. "Stones are basically unclothed and naked." "Oh, interesting." I told Mr. N my opinion on why the stone men didn't wear clothes.In short, these people were turned to stone by a special power, but the things they wore did not petrify along with it. "If that woman is really the legendary Stone Eye..." Then, the stone men standing in the yard may have all turned into stone because they looked into the woman's eyes.But the clothes did not turn into stones, they remained on the body in their original shape, and with the passage of time, the clothes weathered away.In the end, only the naked stone statues remained. "However, do clothes break and disappear so easily? Even if it is exposed to the sun and rain, I don't think it will disappear without leaving any traces." Teacher N expressed doubts about the conjecture that the owner here is Ishime. "I haven't read all the stone figures in the yard, maybe some of them are wearing clothes. However, isn't there a special reason for these naked stone figures?" "If you follow Teacher S's words, there may have been a big fire here. All the clothes were burned at that time." "Maybe the woman took it off, but I can't think of any reason why." "It's possible, too. No, it must be. The woman who lives here must have taken it off. For she needs clothes and cloth." "why?" "As Mr. S saw, the living conditions of this family are very simple. Seeing that the clothes that are still wearable in front of you will soon rot, it is impossible to let them go. If you take them off, you can also make rags or something. These The patched quilt might be someone's clothes. However, I still don't believe there are any stone eyes. Just listen to what I just said." Inadvertently glanced at the quilt.The quilt is made of different fabrics, probably hand-sewn by the woman herself.Suddenly, the two discovered a detail at the same time. There is a piece of red in one corner of the quilt.Only that place is made of red fabric, and it can be clearly seen that a big sunflower is embroidered on the fabric.I seem to have seen this embroidery somewhere...in the photo!Same as what my mother is wearing in the photo!My uncle did say that my mother was wearing red clothes that night. If that woman is really Shimu, what we are looking at now means that my mother has been here.Then she should have been turned into stone by now, standing somewhere in the yard, still maintaining her youthful appearance. This undoubtedly amounted to the sudden discovery of evidence that the mother was indeed dead.Perhaps thinking about this, Teacher N looked at me with comforting eyes. But I do think it's quite the opposite.It is very likely that the mother can get rid of the shackles of time because of this, and can keep her beautiful face forever in the stone.This thought made my mood immediately and irrepressibly excited. "The meal is ready. If possible, I'll help you bring the food here." A woman's hoarse voice came from outside the house.Although the door was open, we couldn't see her at all, and she seemed to be calling us from afar. Teacher N got up to see that woman, but I stopped her very seriously.It should be the first time he heard this voice, but he replied without fear: "This is N. I finally woke up just now. I just heard from my friend Mr. S that you are sincere and kind to us. I am really grateful. You said that you would bring us the food because you took into account the injury on my foot. Right. But if this is the case, you will become a waiter. I hope that I can dine with you. We just ask you to allow us to dine with you at the same time, at the same place and in the same amount. If you are too troublesome, we will only would feel uneasy." Teacher N suggested that three people should eat together in one room.I gestured to him and told him I disagreed with this approach. "I'd love to know more about that woman." He answered me in a low voice and winked at me. The woman seemed to be thinking, and after a moment of silence, she accepted the proposal.From her voice at the time, she seemed to have seen through Teacher N's ​​curiosity, and was just condescendingly observing the children's games with great interest. "I think you should have heard from Mr. S, please be careful, don't look at my face." After telling us where to eat, the woman went back. The woman's voice sounded calm and confident.I asked Mr. N if he felt the same, and Mr. N also calmly said that he did not feel this way. I helped Mr. N to the dining room.I don’t know if it’s because the woman deliberately raped Mr. N. The place where we eat is just opposite to where we live.There are two very old cushions placed side by side in the room, they are so soft that it makes people feel uncomfortable to sit on.The cushions are all placed by the wall, with only about thirty centimeters between them.In lieu of bowls we had wooden boards in front of us with meals for two.Sit down facing the food, you will be in the state of facing the wall and facing away from the room.This is probably specially arranged by the woman.We just sat down facing the wall. Mr. N couldn't sit upright because of the injury on his foot. All I could see was a wall full of cracks. There was the sound of a door opening behind him.It's that woman, you must not look at it. "Because you want to eat with me, so although I know it's rude, please allow me to sit behind you and eat." The woman seemed to sit back to back with us on the other side of the room.I'm not sure that's the case though.Maybe she was standing right behind me with a knife, and it wasn't for cooking, but even then I didn't have the courage to look back.If the knife doesn't come down, I don't feel anything, right?Thinking of this, I became more and more nervous, and I thought that it would be fine if I didn't wear this kind of clothes with a large piece exposed at the back of the neck. The meal was the steaming porridge I just saw in the kitchen.Although this is the only thing, it can be regarded as the first meal I ate at this house.bland. We started eating in this strange posture with our backs to the host.In the silent room, only the sound of us chewing the porridge can be heard.I couldn't take my eyes off the cracks that were spreading on the wall.There is a sense of urgency. Sweating is not just because the food is too hot. Teacher N and the woman were silent as if they were testing each other's movements.But in this line of sight that didn't meet, I saw sparks.I carefully ate the porridge in small sips, thinking in my heart that I should not make any noise.Originally, I thought that when I put down the empty tableware after eating, I would definitely make some kind of noise.This scares me.Just like the stone on the base will collapse even when it encounters such a small wind caused by sighing, maybe some inappropriate little action aroused the woman's desire to recreate two new stone figures. Fortunately, the tableware is all wooden.It does not make a sharp sound of "吣" that is unique to ceramic bowls. It is precisely because of this that my heart does not stop beating because of being too frightened. "I want another bowl." Suddenly, Teacher N's ​​words made the only sound in the room disappear. Before the woman could answer, I tensely stopped breathing, and my chopsticks froze in the air. "Okay, now." I felt the woman stand up and walk towards us.Suddenly, the shadow of a woman appeared on the wall in front of me, which startled me.She was still real after all, not just a voice. Teacher N maintained the posture facing the wall, stretched his hand behind, and handed out the bowl. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a question." Soon he asked again. "Are you Ishime?" For the next few seconds, time seemed to stand still.And the chopsticks in my hand were still frozen in the air. "Ah, I thought you would ask some questions, but it turned out that you just asked the same thing as others." There was no surprise in the woman's voice, it was cold but interested.It gave me the illusion that the sound came from the darkest bottom of the crack in the wall, and flowed out through the white teeth. "You mean there are other people asking the same question as me?" "yes." "Then what happened to them?" "It's all due to a small negligence, and now it's imprisoned in the yard." The woman's words seemed to come close to our ears, and they kept echoing in my mind. "I should be able to understand what you said just now as your own admission that you are Ishime. But I have always believed that it is just a legend. I will not easily believe what you said." "Would you like to see my face, then?" After a long time, Mr. N did not reply. "No," he finally replied.At the same time, the woman walked out of the room, probably to serve porridge. I squinted at Mr. N and met his eyes. "Maybe things are just in case." An embarrassing smile appeared on his face. "That means you admit that the woman is Ishime?" "No, I don't think so. But I wouldn't look at her face, either." The woman came back with porridge and stood behind us again.Her eyes will never grow on her feet.I turned my face away as much as possible and looked at her feet as much as possible without being noticed. I see ugly old toes.He wasn't wearing socks, and his feet were just wrapped in dark cloth, as if the rock had been chiseled and turned into this.