Chapter 7 Chapter Six: The Haunted House

There is so much information in my head that I can't figure it out.When I got back to the dormitory, I threw my head on the bed.Jingjing set up a large laundry tub on the ground, and was rubbing her clothes vigorously with the washboard.Sometimes I feel that being a beautiful woman is not easy, and you have to pay for everything. I watched her spend more and more time doing laundry and makeup.And when I go to work during the day, she doesn't often go to the library. Instead, she goes shopping in the street when she has nothing to do, buying some small ornaments on her head or small decorations in the house. Turned my dorm into a toy store.

"What's the matter, Master Taozi, are you uncomfortable? Do you need a beauty to massage your back?" Jingjing rubbed the washboard and clothes with a "click" sound, as if it was my back.I was still lying on the bed and didn't like to talk, I stretched out a hand and shook it in the air. "By the way, there is a small package for you. I don't know where it was sent. I didn't open it to see if you didn't come back." I turned over with difficulty and saw a cardboard box on the windowsill.Seal it with plastic bag paper.My parents must have mailed me something.After reading the mailing list, I couldn't help being disappointed. The sender didn't fill in the name, and the name of Genhe City was simply written in the sender's address column.It's the same when looking at the postmark. It is indeed the postmark of Genhe. It seems that this is local mail.But I don't know many people locally, so who can send me a letter, it's strange.After a long time of effort, I finally tore off the paper shell, and it was a thick plastic bag again. The things inside were quite solid and a bit heavy, and the tape was still wrapped around it.Angrily, I finally tore off this layer of tape and took out the contents.

I couldn't help crying out.The volume was so loud that it frightened both herself and Jingjing. It was so unexpected.There was nothing else in the bag but... A pile of renminbi is neatly placed in a plastic bag, the thickness of which I have never seen before.I picked up the carton that I had torn.My name and the address of my dormitory were indeed written on it, and the person's handwriting was unfamiliar to me, that is to say, I had no idea who sent me so much money. Looking in the bag again, I finally found a thin piece of letter paper.I didn't care about anything else, and immediately opened it to watch.This is a text message, which reads:

"peach: Hello, excuse me, you and I don't know each other.It is a matter of great wealth and great cause of the nation, regardless of each other.I hope you can gain insight into the secrets of heaven and have achieved success long ago.Enclosed with this letter are some silver taels, which are raised spontaneously by the people, and used as hot money for treasure hunts, yours sincerely. anonymous" It was a surprise to receive this mysterious letter.Its arrival has given me some hope.After reading these few words and phrases, it is inevitable to get more disappointment. "Ten thousand yuan, exactly ten thousand yuan." Jingjing's exclamation came from beside her.Although she deliberately lowered her volume, she still couldn't hide her excitement and surprise.Now we've exchanged, and she's reading the letter, and I'm keeping the wad of money in my hand.Thinking about how to deal with this matter.

There was a low knock on the door.Jingjing and I looked at each other, and subconsciously stuffed the money and letter in the drawer quickly.Jingjing yelled "Come here" and went to open the door. It was Secretary Luo who came.We are similar in age and we often have contacts at work, so we quickly became good friends.Now that there is such a beautiful woman as Jingjing, the frequency of his visits to my dormitory is getting higher and higher.Jingjingjing smiled and invited him in, he stomped off the floating snow on his shoes, and rubbed his hands vigorously after entering the door.

"Director Tao, Jingjing, didn't you delay your young couple's intimacy, did you? Forgot to bring the key. The boy in the same room went to the street to play video games. I can only come to you to avoid it." "You boy. If you want to chat with us, just say it, and you have to make a corner." I let him sit on the chair, and Jingjing poured him a cup of hot water. He glanced at the dismantled cardboard box on the table.Pointing and asking: "What is this? The family sent you delicious food? I said why are the two of you bored in the room. Are you stealing some hometown specialties?" He picked it up to watch while talking.The movement was so fast that I didn't even have time to stop it.

"Huh?" He also saw the problem.I saw that this is a local mail, and there is no sender's name and address on it. "Who sent this from?" Now is the time to make up your mind to find treasure but have no ideas. One more person means more strength.Secretary Luo is also a college student. He is a person who has drunk some ink in his stomach in the field of civil affairs, and he is fairly decent.Thinking of this, I decided to tell him the truth.Jingjing and I looked at each other, she understood what I meant, and nodded knowingly. I took out the letter and money, and told him the whole story.Secretary Luo looked at it for a long time with a solemn expression, and murmured to himself: "Too fast, too fast."

"What's too fast." Now it's Jingjing and I's turn to be puzzled. "Director Tao, you don't know something. There is a non-governmental organization in Genhe called 'Jixian Society'. This loosely structured organization aims to find national assets. The founders are Cui Shuwen and Shu Laosan. It started in the 1970s Collecting funds to find treasure. Later, Cui Shuwen left and Shu Laosan died. This organization has long since faded from people's sight. This summer we captured a tomb robber alive. During the interrogation at the police station, he confessed that he was a member of the "Jixian Society". The public security officers were quite surprised. They wanted to investigate further, but who would have thought that the superiors would release him with a note, and no one would pursue the case. This episode of Xianshe was transformed into an underground secret activity .It's a miracle that it still exists twenty years later."

"Then you mean that this package was sent by people from 'Jixian Society'?" I shook my head and sighed, and things became more and more confusing. "If it's not what I expected, it should be them. Do you think who will give you 10,000 yuan for treasure hunting except that they have private funds in their hands. But the strangest thing is, how do they know about us? We need to start looking for treasures." Secretary Luo started pacing up and down the room, but couldn't figure out why. "It would be great if we could know someone from the 'Jixian Society'. They have been searching for so many years, there must be some clues that we don't know." I said with emotion.

Secretary Luo scratched his head: "It's not that easy. Such a secret organization has a very strict organizational structure. The meetings and actions are all carried out under extremely secret circumstances. We have no way to get close to them." "When you mentioned this, I thought of something. I wonder if Brother Luo has the courage to visit the haunted house with me." I said the last few words deliberately slowly.Both Jingjing and Secretary Luo heard it clearly, and could feel that the atmosphere in the room had reached freezing point. "Director Tao is talking about our haunted house in Yinyangtun? How do you know about that place?"

"Yinyangtun? This name is so scary, it's the first time I've heard of it." Jingjing turned pale when she heard what we said was scary. I was afraid to scare Jingjing, so I quickly explained to her: "Jingjing, it's nothing. The place we live in is called Yinyangtun. It's just a common place name with no special meaning." Then I turned to Secretary Luo and said : "Yes, it's the haunted house only two streets away. The old yard of Shu Laosan's family." "How do you know it's there?" Secretary Luo obviously didn't expect me to know so much when I first arrived, and my face was full of surprise. I was secretly glad that I linked "Jixian Society" with the haunted house.He deliberately didn't let himself show a smug look.If my reasoning is correct, there are so many footprints and so many mysterious people.They are all in Shu Laosan's haunted house.The quarrel between men and women in the middle of the night was not caused by any ghosts, but by the treasure hunters from the "Jixian Society".They met secretly in the early morning to discuss ways to find treasure.A few lines of dialogue I heard further demonstrate the connection of these two things.Just as he was about to tell Secretary Luo about his visit to the haunted house in the early morning, a thunderstorm hit his mind, completely shattering the idea.That morning, I was following the footprints in the yard to the haunted house.In other words, in our civil affairs dormitory, there are people from the "Jixian Society".Maybe this person is Secretary Luo. "Well, I... By the way, I heard from the locals that there is a haunted house here. I became interested and said it casually, just kidding, don't take it seriously." "Hey, don't talk about Director Tao, I really feel a little enlightened when you say that. The haunted house has been in disrepair for a long time and no one lives in it. I heard people say that sometimes there are lights flickering inside at midnight, or smoke rising from the kitchen. , no one dares to approach, it is really a good place for a secret meeting. Maybe if you visit, you will really find something. It's too dark today to go. Let's come back early tomorrow afternoon and have a 'haunted house adventure' 'What do you think?" Secretary Luo said this naturally without any hesitation, it seems that I was worrying too much. "Haunted house adventure" - this would be a good idea.I looked at Jingjing beside me.Although Jingjing's face was pale with fright, she still said to me with concern: "If you and Secretary Luo really want to go, you should be careful, and you must come back before dark. Don't worry me. Master Taozi, listen I'm afraid, I won't go with you." "Don't worry. What can the two of us do together?" Secretary Luo and I looked at each other and laughed. In the afternoon of the next day, the two of us prepared flashlights, put on cotton coats and hats, bid farewell to Jingjing and went straight to the haunted house. The setting sun in winter also seemed to be spellcast by those lingering mist, hanging listlessly on the horizon.There was smoke from cooking in Yinyang village.At this time, the farmers' wives and children are warming up the kang, and they will make a few ounces of shochu to cook two side dishes and enjoy the family happiness together with their good friends.People who go out to work also leave work one after another.It should be said that this is a relatively lively time in Xiaotunzi.But the road in front of the haunted house is much more indifferent.Except for sporadic vehicles passing by, the hounds of the border people's family barked from time to time. Secretary Luo and I have arrived at the dilapidated gate of the courtyard. "Is this here?" I pretended not to know.Ke Xin started to beat the drums "Tong Tong". "Well, that's right. It's this broken courtyard, and the locals know it here." Secretary Luo looked up and looked in, his expression several times more nervous than mine. I don't know why, but when I saw his nervous expression, I remembered myself when I was working in Huai'an Cemetery.At that time, I was just as bewildered as he was when I encountered things.Before I knew it, I had grown a lot.Thinking of this, my mind suddenly calmed down. I walked into the vacant courtyard door first, and I looked around.Taking advantage of the daytime, I can finally take a closer look at the yard.This is an extremely ordinary courtyard of a folk house in the north.The courtyard was a dilapidated scene.Pieces of wood piled up sideways.There is also a long-abandoned kennel next to it, and there may be an aluminum basin that the dogs ate in the past, which has long been so dirty that it can't be seen.My eyes stopped on a utensil next to the courtyard door.It was a broom, the kind with rows of handles that could sweep a large area.This kind of thing is quite common in farm homes.But this ordinary object forms a scene in my eyes.I finally understood why the footprints disappeared after I went in early that morning and saw a lot of messy footprints entering here.Someone must have used this broom to smooth out the footprints on the ground when they were the last to go out, and the thin snow that fell later could not leave any traces.Yes, it must be so.I couldn't help but feel elated to have solved an important mystery, but I still couldn't show it.Secretary Luo and I glanced at each other, then became cruel, and opened the mysterious door by ourselves. The moment I opened the door, I felt dizzy before my eyes.No matter who it is for, it takes courage to open the door of the ghost house, let alone I am still an ordinary person.While a cloudy wind invaded the whole body, a strange cry pierced the eardrums, making people shudder.Then there was the sound of things falling to the ground.Secretary Luo turned around and ran away in fright. "Come back quickly, look how scared you are. It's just a cat." When I saw the situation in the room clearly, Secretary Luo was already far outside the door.I had to call him back again. Except for a few dilapidated pieces of furniture, the furnishings in the house had already been looted, and the layout was no different from that of an old-fashioned frontier household.The first thing you see when you enter the house is the kitchen, which is called an outhouse by northerners, and it is a place for cooking and heating.Inside there are two doors, needless to say leading to two separate rooms.The stove is located at the west end of the room, and there is a broken cupboard next to it, with a few old dishes scattered on it.The noise just now came from the fact that an old cat lying on the cupboard knocked a broken bowl when it was startled by the sound of the door opening. I took a closer look at the environment in the house, opened the hearth and reached out to touch it.The firewood ash is still as fine as powder.Sure enough, as I expected, someone lit a fire here not long ago.Secretary Luo returned to the room.He adjusted his glasses, trying to calm himself down.I ignored him, still looking for traces in the room that the meeting people might leave.One of the rooms was empty, only one side of the kang was covered with a layer of old dust, probably no one had been in it for some years.In another room there was a wooden table surrounded by some chairs.Although dilapidated, there is no floating dirt on it.That's it, people from the "Jixian Club" must be meeting here.What will they talk about in the meeting?Will there be something useful for my treasure hunt?Why did you send me 10,000 yuan?These mysteries really make me sit on pins and needles.There are also some old-fashioned furniture in the house, all in the style before the Cultural Revolution. Although they are all made of old elm, they will inevitably be dilapidated after too long.Casually opening the two cabinet doors that are as tall as a person, the choking stale air rushes towards us, which makes us retreat backwards.The inside of the cabinet was empty, and some places where the tide was against the tide were still covered with thin ice.We clapped our hands, looked at each other, and shrugged.There was no big gain in this trip, and I was going to return in sorrow. There were light footsteps outside the door.Although not huge, this tiny sound is no less than an atomic bomb in our ears.The hairs on both of us stood on end. Without thinking about it, we had a "big shift in the universe" at the same time within a second. Not only did the two of us get into the cabinet, but we also completed the instant silent movement. Such a difficult action of closing the cabinet door without interest. "Crack" a door sound.The slight sound of footsteps came into the house.If this is a movie, I think the next plot is that the protagonist finds a gap in the cabinet to watch the outside situation.But when I was really in this situation, I realized that the plot of the movie is indeed a lie. The fact is - I dare not show it in the cabinet, for fear of alarming people outside, let alone talk about it. From where to find a gap to look out.In the darkness, I could only faintly see Secretary Luo who was only a foot away from me. His expression was even more exaggerated than mine, and his whole face was distorted and deformed because of fear. The footsteps outside only stayed for half a minute before entering the room where we were hiding.Secretary Luo and I became even more nervous.Apart from his crisp pacing, the room was so quiet that even the sound of a needle being dropped could be heard. "Hey, where is the cat?" A grown man's voice came from outside.His words seemed to be asking us, but also seemed to be talking to himself.This sentence came out of nowhere and made us shudder.Did he see us?But how did he know we were here?The gate of the courtyard was concealed when we entered, and we took it with us after entering.There is no snow left on the ground, and it is difficult to tell from the footprints that someone has been there.So what traces have we left behind? Cat?Could it be that the thing that the black cat knocked down due to fright just now revealed our whereabouts?My teeth itch with hatred, I didn't think so much when I came in just now, who would have expected that there would be other people here besides us. "Of course the cat is going to find its food." Another voice floated softly into our ears, it was soft and slow, like a ghost.Secretary Luo and I faced each other, staring at each other's face shrouded in darkness.We express our fear with our eyes.Before he knew it, beads of sweat covered his face.It was obvious that I heard a person's footsteps just now, but someone else came from somewhere in the room.Haunted house - the word comes to mind without me knowing it.So preoccupied with investigating things, I almost forgot that we were in the famous haunted house in Genhe City.The light penetrating outside is getting darker and darker, and the sunset is gradually fading. We have no other choice but to wait here for the judgment of fate.I began to regret, regret my carelessness, and regret bringing Secretary Luo into this kind of horror.But now the only thing that makes me feel alive is him.The two of us silently swallowed big mouthfuls of air, trying to keep our hearts beating at a relatively uniform speed. "That's right, there's nothing to eat in this shabby house, not to mention cats, even people don't like to stay in a place where rabbits don't shit. Boss, why did you ask me to come here alone with you?" This voice was the first person who spoke just now. The ghostly voice sounded again: "Of course I called you here because I have something important to tell you. Can't I bring you here to make love?" Although the voice was soft, it was full of aggressive aura. "Don't dare—don't dare." Listening to the voice, the man was already scared out of his wits. Although I was still scared, I was relieved.Needless to say, there are two people in the room, a boss and a younger brother.As long as it's not a ghost, it's easy to discuss. "Do you know where that piece of fox fur is?" The so-called boss's voice was still very soft, his tone was very euphemistic, even a bit gentle, but it sounded indescribably eerie. "What fox fur?" The younger brother didn't seem to know. "Hehe, good. Since you don't know, I'll tell you the story of the fox fur." ​​The boss was still so eccentric.The room was extremely quiet, only his thin voice echoed in the empty room, like a ghost floating in the air. "You are also a member of the club, so you should know why we are here. I don't know how many people's lives and wealth are on that bronze medal. Twenty years ago, the reason why Mr. Cui missed this bronze medal is why Wasn’t it because his father entrusted the burial of the treasure to a local hunter when he buried this thing. It’s impossible to verify the name of the hunter. At that time, his father—Adjutant Cui who was next to Zhang Zuolin fled here incognito In the mountains, he was shouldering the task of hiding the last bronze medal. But due to physical reasons, he fainted in the deep mountains and old forests just after hiding the bronze medal. If Orion hadn't rescued him in time, he might have been "black blind" (Northeast dialect) , commonly known as dog bear) was licked. Under the guidance of Adjutant Cui, he and Orion cooperated to draw a map for the burial place of this copper medal. It is said that this map was drawn on a small piece of fox fur. When leaving , Lieutenant Cui repeatedly told Orion to keep this small piece of fox fur well. When the country is stable, I or my descendants will come here to look for you. At that time, with this piece of fox fur, your whole family can make a fortune .” "Oh, what happened later." The younger brother was fascinated by this, and urged the boss to continue.His words also represent our aspirations in the cabinet. "Later, old man Cui's father died. Before he died, he told the secret he had kept all his life. But unfortunately, he could only say that the last bronze medal was buried in Erguna Left Banner (now Genhe City ) in Dashanli, Mangui Town. As for the last name of that Orion, he couldn’t tell. Old Cui stayed in Genhe for a long time, just to find that Orion, get that fox skin, find the last A bronze medal, went to Citibank to get this astronomical sum of money. It turned out to be counterproductive, the Orion did not find it, and a destructive fire broke out in Genhe. The shaman at the time accused the old man Cui of angering the gods. , coupled with the interference of that stubborn old man from the Civil Affairs Bureau, old man Cui had no choice but to give up looking for treasures. Alas, what a pity. The Jixian Society founded by old man Cui has been dusted for 20 years, and the treasures still haven’t been found. But the sky is endless. On the way, the Jixian Society has been passed down to our generation, and finally it's almost fucking over." "Boss, then the fox fur you mentioned is the key to finding treasures in our society. But the hunters must have died a long time ago. Where can I find them?" "In the past, no one would be able to find the hunter. There are too many hunters in Hulunbeier. They used to live in the 'Cuoluozi', living a nomadic life and living in no fixed place. Wherever the reindeer are placed, people live there. Where is it, where can I look for it. However, in the past one or two years, I heard that a border villager found the fox fur with the map engraved on it." The last sentence of the boss dragged on for a long time.Secretary Luo and I were dumbfounded in the cabinet. "Oh, that's right. Is the fox fur real or fake? Is it really the one painted by Adjutant Cui? Let's go and have a look when we have time." "Don't be so fucking confused. You've already snatched that piece of skin and you pretend I don't know? Tell me, where did you hide that thing?" The boss's voice became more and more terrifying.There seems to be a murderous intent hidden inside. The sweat beads on my face were almost dried by the wind, but now they are springing up again like mushrooms after rain.Could there be a murder right in front of us? "Boss, I was wrong, please forgive me. I don't dare again. I swear, I really don't know what that piece of fox fur is for." "Then tell me, where did you put that piece of skin? If you play any tricks, I'll shoot you down." gun? , that boss actually has a gun.My God, the lives of Secretary Luo and I are really at stake.But what really made Secretary Luo and I faint was the words from the younger brother: "Boss, don't kill me. I'll hide that piece of leather in this elm cabinet." Light footsteps gradually approached the elm cabinet where we were hiding.Undoubtedly it was the boss who came to check whether there was the legendary priceless fox fur in the cabinet.I felt that the god of death was approaching me step by step.His whole body was congested with blood, and the heat surged upwards.But at this moment of life and death, his sanity is very clear.I was in the closet ready to sneak up on the opponent.Anyway, it's all about death, fight hard. The footsteps stopped in front of the cabinet and did not move.The air condensed at this moment, without any sound.It was as if the two people outside the cabinet and the two people inside the cabinet did not exist in this world at all.I can't see Secretary Luo's expression, but I guess our thoughts are the same, ready for the fatal blow at any time, either you die or I die. "Are you sure you put that piece of leather in this cabinet?" The boss's gloomy voice sounded again, and it sounded just a foot away from me. "I dare not lie to the boss. Just put it in the upper compartment." The voice was also trembling, and it must have been scared by the gun in the boss's hand. "Then you come here and open the cabinet door." The boss seemed to have seen through the ambush in the cabinet, and even asked the younger brother to open the cabinet door instead.I'm really desperate in the closet.Most of the good luck was vented. However, what none of us expected was that things turned around in an instant.All I could hear was the sound of someone running out of the house suddenly.Then there was the boss's shout: "Damn, stop." This voice was different from his usual whispers, hoarse and high-pitched.Then there was another burst of footsteps, and then I heard several knocks from the outside door and courtyard door.No need to ask, the little brother ran away while the boss was not paying attention, and the boss chased him out in a very angry manner. I quickly jumped out of the closet.But Secretary Luo didn't move.I hastily leaned half of my body back into the cabinet again, and with a little light outside, I saw his dead-like face. "Secretary Luo, Xiao Luo." He opened his eyes wide and looked ahead, still motionless.It is estimated that this guy has never seen this formation, and he might be scared to pee.I kept shaking his body. "Quick, we should go." He seemed to regain his sanity suddenly, and jumped out of the cabinet suddenly, which gave me a big jump.While comforting him in a low voice, I didn't forget to reach out and grope in the upper compartment of the cabinet, and soon I touched a soft thing.When I got it in my hand, it was really a piece of animal skin.I quickly put it in my arms, and dragged Secretary Luo to run out of the haunted house. It was almost completely dark, and the two of us ran quickly along the small alley, left and right, and we were relieved until we entered the courtyard of the dormitory and confirmed that no one followed. Back in my room, both of them sat down on the chair and began to breathe heavily.This frightened Jingjing. "You guys, what's the matter with you, did you see a ghost? Scared like this?" Secretary Luo finally settled down, wiped the glasses covered with a thin layer of frost vigorously in his hands, and said first: "Two lives are people, two lives are people. I thought I would never see you again. Than It's fucking scary." Then he vividly recounted what happened just now.Originally, I was afraid of scaring Jingjing, so I didn't want to say such details, but seeing Secretary Luo talking eloquently, it was inconvenient to disturb her.I laughed secretly in my heart, this guy's legs and feet were weak just now, and he didn't even have the ability to get out of the closet, but now he saw Jingjing and he was so lively.Regardless of the conversation between the two of them, I sat down by the table alone, pulled the lamp closer, and carefully took out the small piece of animal skin from my arms. This so-called fox fur is indeed pitifully small, only about the size of a palm, and as thick as a drum.The above is the picture and text filled with paint after engraving with a knife.In addition to densely marked some graphics, there are also some traditional characters that I can't understand at all.Don't tell me, it looks like this is really a map. Secretary Luo and Jingjing were also attracted, gathered around me and watched together. "Do you understand?" Jingjing and Secretary Luo asked together with hope shining in their eyes. "Unfortunately, I don't understand." After hearing my words, everyone was like a deflated ball.I thought it would take no effort to get it, a piece of fox skin could solve the big problem and find the bronze medal directly.It seems that we miscalculated the situation and oversimplified the problem. "Is this leather useful or not? Is it also a fake?" Secretary Luo obviously has no idea about this kind of thing, but he really regards me as a master. "Well, although I can't read it, the patterns and characters on the leather are very mysterious. Judging from the content of the picture and the newness of the leather, it should be an old thing, unlike what modern people do. Maybe this is really a treasure map. .only……" "Just what?" The two of them spoke in unison, even more than someone shouted. "It's just that this is not a complete drawing, but only a part of the drawing." I said with certainty. "Pay attention to the routes and patterns drawn here. The left side is complete. But on the right side of the picture, many lines extend beyond the leather. These strange words seem to be incomplete, and there are faint words on the right edge There are marks. Although the right edge of the leather is very straight, it is not a right angle, which is obviously a mark cut out by someone with a knife." They looked carefully at the animal skins on the table and nodded.Agree with me. "It's hard now, the clue is broken again. Where can I find another piece of leather? Who is so wicked, cut a good piece of leather in half." Jingjing stomped her feet anxiously, and I had no choice but to comfort her. , there is always a way.