Chapter 3 Chapter 3 The Paging from the Ghost

Another day will be the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month in the lunar calendar, which is the traditional folk year.The Spring Festival is just a few days after the new year, and this is the time when everyone is busy buying new year's goods.Each unit has also started to write summaries, reports, plans, and bonuses year after year, preparing for a new round of intrigue.Although the weather is cold, the streets are full of joy.Selling canned sugar and wine, lanterns and firecrackers, couplets hanging money, New Year pictures and calendars, melon seeds and peanuts, it is very beautiful to set up this colorful stall on a layer of snow.

At such a lively moment, Teacher Guan couldn't get sick at home, and no medicine could cure him.When his wife asked him what was wrong, he didn't say anything, and his face became more and more ugly.Ever since he saw the strange thing in the cemetery that day, Mr. Guan took a leave of absence to rest in peace of mind, but those footprints were imprinted in his mind and could reappear every moment.That day, he seemed to hear a faint voice calling his name in a trance that day, and when he got up early in the morning, he found a few more lines of footprints on the edge of the cemetery.It's really strange that the extra footprints also appeared in the snow out of thin air.It's like flying down from the sky, walking dozens of feet and returning to the sky.

Teacher Guan's lifelong knowledge can't explain these weird things anyway.All he can do is to adjust himself and rest in peace.During this period of time, he read a lot of books, some of which were about supernatural beings, or explained some strange phenomena.Although I didn't find an explanation for the strange things I experienced, at least I understood that there are many unexplainable things in this world, which is not surprising.Thinking of this is somewhat relieved.As soon as he was mentally relieved, his appetite kept up, and his complexion became rosy. The director called early in the morning, saying that the Chinese New Year is coming soon, and the higher-ups will distribute some New Year's goods to the staff of the cemetery.Although there are not many things, it is also meaningful.Director Sun is going to visit the cemetery today to hold a year-end summary meeting for everyone. After the work is over, everyone can find a restaurant to have dinner and have some wine and fun.Teacher Guan naturally couldn't refuse, and agreed with a smile.

The hut in the cemetery is full of joy today, which has changed from the depression of the past.Director Sui, Accountant Xu, Zhang Da, me, Brother Meng, and Lao Wangtou have all arrived long ago.In order to welcome Director Sun, it was very lively to clean the doors and windows.After Mr. Guan arrived, everyone asked about the health and wellness to show their concern.I thought: "Oh, if there are so many people around all the time, I won't be afraid of any ghosts coming." Nissan, the director, stopped at the door of the management office, and everyone became more busy.Except for a few of our temporary workers, those few real tolerances would shake their heads every time they saw Director Sun, only hating themselves for not having a long tail, which made me really sick.

Director Sun is a good person, and his appearance is very refined. He wears a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his white and fat face.While letting Old Wangtou and Brother Meng go to carry things in his trunk, he walked into the house cheerfully and hung up his coat to greet everyone, and especially asked about Teacher Guan's physical condition. Then all the staff held a tea party together. Everyone drank hot tea, ate fruits, and ate melon seeds to listen to Director Sun's speech.Then the director made a summary, Zhang Da and the accountant expressed their determination, and finally we, the children raised by uncles, made some comments.Of course, there is a lot of praise.Among them, the director and Zhang Da's speeches highlighted the heroic deeds of Accountant Xu's conscientious dedication. Hearing that Brother Meng and I kept looking at each other secretly, we tried our best not to laugh out loud.

After the meeting, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.Finally got to the point, Director Sui booked a table in the restaurant at the foot of the mountain, everyone is going to be happy today. It was the first time I saw that no one was left on the cemetery to go down the mountain to eat together, and I was very excited.Brother Meng asked the director with a playful smile: "Director, which big restaurant did you order today? Do you eat seafood?" "Nonsense, our cemetery has always been diligent and thrifty. When did we eat a big meal with public funds? Today we booked the Shiliju in Chaoyang Village."

Shiliju?I froze for a moment.That haunted village, the restaurant where Xiao Jing is. My heart tensed up. I haven't seen Xiao Jing for almost half a month.She didn't call me during this time. I don't know how she is doing. Maybe it's because the hotel is busy. After I went to eat skewers with Xiaojing that time, I thought about it carefully.Xiaojing is a good person, very eye-catching, gentle, and likes me very much, so she is a good choice.But I still think she is too small.When I was with her, I always felt guilty of seducing an underage girl.However, even though she can't be a boyfriend and girlfriend, it's good to see her as a little sister.After all, there is something beautiful about being liked.When I saw Xiao Jing, I must ask about what happened that night, whether I sent her here or not.There are so many mysteries waiting to be solved.

The brigade went down the mountain mightily.This time, the director's Nissan opened the way, and the director's pickup truck was behind, carrying a group of people from the cemetery.As soon as the two vehicles entered the village, many people stopped and watched.Back then, it was still very eye-catching for two cars like this to drive into the village, unlike now there are all kinds of cars, even if there are a few BMWs coming and going on the road, no one thinks it is strange. Two waiters with familiar faces stood at the gate of Shiliju long ago, beckoning us to go in with a smile on their faces.Inside is the big box reserved by the director, and a group of people file in and sit according to the position of the guest of honor.Director Sun sat up, ordered food, and then changed cups and cups to get better.

Of all of them, I am the youngest.They also took good care of me. They only poured me some beer, but they all drank Wuliangye.Gradually, I couldn't hear what they were saying.A few "flies" surrounded the director and kept showing their attention, and Brother Meng was also among them. The two old people were chatting about their age.Only I seem to be a superfluous person who can't fit in anywhere. I came out and saw a familiar waiter standing at the door.I smiled at her and she smiled back at me.The two blobs of red on her cheeks were like overripe apples.We generally call this kind of blush "rural red". Generally, children in rural areas will grow on their faces in winter, for some reason.

"Where's Xiaojing?" I lowered my voice and asked the waiter. "What Xiaojing?" She froze for a moment. "It's the waiter Xiao Jing who was with you." I was a little anxious, is this girl short-hearted? "What are you talking about? Our waiter here is not named Xiao Jing." The little girl curled her lips, obviously not satisfied with my tone. "You mean she's not here anymore?" I asked anxiously. "I'll say it again: we have never had a waiter named Xiao Jing here." The girl smiled and asked the other two waiters standing at the door next door, "Have you ever heard of a waiter named Xiao Jing?"

The two waiters shook their heads like rattles. No?God, I met a ghost!Every fragment of my relationship with Xiaojing was displayed in my mind like a flashlight. By the way, I remembered that there were three of them going to the cemetery together, and the little waiter in front of me was one.The ironclad evidence is like a mountain, she must not forget this.I proudly told her. "What are you talking about? You mean that time when Brother Zhang Da asked us to go up the mountain? There were only two of us that time." "What? Say it again!" The little waiter was a little at a loss, as if he was stunned by me, and I didn't know why I suddenly put on such a posture of trying to bite someone. "Well, the last time we went to the cemetery were two people. If you don't believe me, you can ask her." She pointed to another waitress standing at the door.The waiter also had a baby face, but compared to Xiao Jing's appearance, he was much more mediocre. He probably heard our conversation, so he came over and said, "That's right, that's when we went to play on the mountain. What's wrong?" How could this be?Could it be, did I meet a ghost?No, how could Xiaojing be a ghost.It is said that ghosts cannot live in sunlight.And I went shopping with her in broad daylight.Also, ghosts can still eat kebabs?Give me a break.Even if there are ghosts, these are impossible.Thinking of this, I feel more at ease in my heart.At this time, Brother Meng went out to use the toilet, and caught me talking to "Rural Red", and laughed at me: "Taozi, what a mess, how about a waiter here?" I also smiled as an answer.I saw his face drank like a monkey's ass. I returned to the room again, the atmosphere in the room has reached a climax, you come and go, pushing a cup and changing a cup is so lively.Director Sun was too strong to drink, and was begging for mercy at this time, while the others were desperately trying to sell him the wine in their hands.Accountant Xu didn't hesitate to use her beauty, and even put her hand on the director's thigh and kept sliding it.The old Wangtou entered the state first, as if he had entered the world of bliss, and he was grinning at the persuading show in front of him.Only Teacher Guan seemed more sober, sipping tea with his head bowed.There was still more than half of the wine in the small wine glass in front of him, but his face was not very good, and beads of sweat were falling from his face one by one. I sat down next to him and asked in a low voice, "Teacher Guan, what's wrong with you?" "It's okay, just have a cup of tea." I said with deep concern, "Did you drink a little too much today?" "Not much, it's strange. Although I don't usually drink much, it's not a big problem to drink three or four ounces. Today, I just drank less than two cups of this small cup, and my heart hurts for some reason." "Oh, then you should drink less, don't you have a bad heart?" "Yeah, yeah, I have to drink less in the future, my body won't be able to use it when I get older." "Mr. Guan, let me ask you something. What did you see in the cemetery that night?" Teacher Guan was shocked when he heard my question. Teacher Guan's expression made me think that he must have seen something unusual, and today I must get to the bottom of this matter. "Taozi, I don't want others to know about this, and I don't want to scare myself, but I did encounter a strange thing." Under my questioning, Mr. Guan told me all the strange things he saw that night.After listening to it, I was even more surprised. It turned out that Mr. Guan would remember the plot in the sleepwalking, and there are also - footprints? "Mr. Guan, don't be afraid if I say something, I just want to figure out this strange thing with you." "Go ahead." "I also came to the cemetery that night, and I saw you, and I did see the footprints of the woman in the circle." "Ah!" Teacher Guan was dumbfounded. "I remembered that that night, I vaguely seemed to hear someone calling my name, but the voice seemed to come from another world, and I thought it was a hallucination. Also, the next morning I was indeed in I saw another set of footprints on the snow, could it be that you left that set of footprints? But there are no wheel marks? I didn’t hear any cars going up the mountain either.” "Is that really a ghost car?" Not only did I not understand what I was thinking of, but I had a lot of new problems, which was really uncomfortable. "Mr. Guan, don't be afraid. Don't you often tell me that there are no ghosts in this world. Then we will stick to our beliefs. We will understand these things one day." "Yes, you are right. Peach, you are very brave." "Hehe, I think there must be someone pretending to be a ghost here. I will definitely find that person when I have a chance." At this moment, the director stood up and said, "I really don't want to drink anymore. Accountant Xu, please don't mess with me. We are all public servants of the people, so we must behave properly." Seeing Director Sun getting angry, Several people were stunned there. Zhang Da hastily smoothed things over and said, "Boss, sit down and talk. We are also happy for everyone today. If you don't drink, you don't drink. Why be angry. I suggest, how about singing in my karaoke later?" Let’s all say hello unanimously.Accountant Xu's face turned white and red at the director's words just now, and he secretly said: "You old grandson, don't be ignorant of flattery, one day my mother will find a way to bring you down." The two old men shrugged off their inability to sing and prepared to leave.The director got excited and said that today is a special day since the establishment of the cemetery. There are the most people gathered, and no one is allowed to leave. If it is late, the public will reimburse you by taking a taxi.This is a good suggestion, at least I am secretly laughing.The old people saw the resignation but had no choice but to be hospitable and do whatever they wanted. Zhang Da’s karaoke hall is not far from my house, in fact, it’s only one stop away.I even walked past that door every time I went to school, but I didn't know it was opened by his family.The last time I saw him and Accountant Xu in a taxi was at the entrance of this karaoke hall.At that time, most of the small karaoke rooms in Northeast China were relatively simple, and most of the guests who came here came to sing, and there were no such things as escorts.Of course, if you come with Xiaomi, that’s another story.After our group was seated, several highly interested tolerances began to perform all kinds of old songs from the liberation period, which did not appeal to a child born in the 1970s like me.The ones we like to listen to are Zhou Huajian, Jacky Cheung, Qi Qin, Lin Yilian... If I had known this was the case, I might as well not have come.Others are different from me, including Meng Ge who is the closest in age to me, who is also eight or nine years older than me.They were so excited about the songs, everyone was smiling and looking at the screen, even singing along in whispers.It seems that only I have become an outsider. The music in the room was so loud that it made my eardrums twitch.In this most noisy moment, my heart is extraordinarily peaceful.Putting aside those complicated voices, the brain started to work. Mr. Guan saw the footprints of a pair of women, that's right, because I also saw those footprints together.He couldn't hear me calling him, which is easy to explain because he was sleepwalking, not really awake.The other set of footprints he saw this morning was mine, and this one is absolutely fine.The car marks will not be obvious, and it is not impossible that the wind will be filled overnight.The question now is, why did I not remember anything after that day? How did I get home?And whose footprints are those women?Where did Xiao Jing go?Somebody must be playing tricks, and that person must be familiar with the cemetery.Who was that man, and what was his purpose?Could it be someone from within himself? I started looking around at everyone in the room.Teacher Guan still sat there very politely, very graceful, like an old professor in a university.It must not be him, he is a victim like me, and he is a typical materialist.The only way to solve these mysteries is to seek his help.Director Sun was a little drunk at this time, his face was pale and red, and he was resting with his eyes closed.This is an elder I admire. Although he lives in a society where fish and dragons are mixed together, he emerges from the silt without being stained.The director is currently holding a microphone and singing "The Horse Runs to Protect the Frontier" with Zhang Da. If there is anyone in the world who sings uglier than him alone, it is their chorus.Although the director is a bit wimpy, he can't control anything, he is hesitant, but he has to admit that he is still a good person.He seems to have some weird thoughts recently, but there are no other changes, so it should have nothing to do with him.Although Zhang Da is a vicious person, everyone fears him three points, but he is also a simple person. Apart from fighting, smoking, drinking, and women, he has no other hobbies, so he can basically be ruled out.The old man drank it again, grinning and showing his teeth yellowed by the smoke. This rural old man was even more heartless.Brother Meng is the one I trust the most. We have a small age gap, work together, and know the most. He will never play tricks.Finally, I set my sights on Accountant Xu.Today she was wearing a red fleece jacket, tight pants, and a pair of tall leather white boots. She was very coquettishly made up, and she looked a little weird under the purple light of the karaoke hall.Yes, why have I never thought of her.I've never guessed her as a woman.She has a strong interest in many men, and even has an affair with Zhang Da.Could those footprints be her work?I was carefully recalling the prints of the pair of shoes in the middle of the snow. The size was about the same size as her feet, and they were also a pair of high heels. No way, could it all come from this mysterious woman... It was getting late, and it was getting dark.The two old men pushed that the cemetery still needed someone to look after it, and they took a car together to go back to the mountain.I also took the opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, saying that some things were left in the restaurant and I had to pick them up, and I also got into the Xiali they were sitting in. In fact, I didn't leave anything in the hotel. I'm going to do something that others think is very scary - to find Xiaojing. Old Wang sat in the front seat with his head tilted as if he had fallen asleep.I quietly chatted with Teacher Guan in the back. "Mr. Guan, I think there is only one woman in our cemetery. Do you think Accountant Xu will..." Teacher Guan made a gesture to me, motioned me to keep my voice down, and then said in a low voice, "Taozi, these things are very weird, we don't want to tell others anymore. If someone is deliberately teasing us, if there is any purpose, I'll keep an eye out." "Ah That's good." The sign "Chaoyang Village" could be seen in front of the car window, so I asked the driver to stop and get out of the car first. I waited for the car to drive away, passed the Shiliju Hotel and walked forward.After turning that corner, you can see the mountain road leading to the cemetery. Of course, you can also see the place where a terrible woman stood that day, and the alley of Xiao Jing's house. Judging from what Mr. Guan told me today, it was true that I went to the cemetery that day, so the woman standing here must also be the real person.Thinking of this layer, I couldn't help getting goose bumps all over my body.Look at the sky, it's not all dark yet.I have to find Xiaojing quickly, don't wait until it's dark, it's not fun, or I'll scare myself. Walking into the alley where Xiaojing's house is located, my heart jumped.Anyway, this was the first time I went to a girl's house.If her parents were there, what should I say?Or just take a look from the outside, as long as she is there?While hesitating, he had almost reached the end of the alley.Forget it, play it by ear. Her family lives at the end of the alley, and I don't know whether it is on the left or the right. I just remember that the last time I watched her enter the alley, I probably walked to the innermost position, and I didn't pay attention to which door she turned to.I was thinking about what to do if there were two or three families in the innermost part, and I had already reached the end of the alley before I knew it. In an instant, the dark wind hit, and I stood there completely motionless—it was a dead end, and there was no house or door in the innermost end. This surprise was no small matter.I imagined all kinds of situations to find her home, but I didn't expect it to be like this. Are there really ghosts in this world?Could Xiaojing, a quiet and lovely seventeen-year-old girl, be a ghost?The facts are in front of me, and I can't help but believe it.Instantly felt dizzy.I don't know how I got out of that place, and I can't think of a better way to reason, it just doesn't make sense what happened. I remember someone said that normal people can't see ghosts, and only the weak can let ghosts take advantage of them.However, even if she is a ghost, she will not have any purpose in associating with me, right?To play with me?That ghost is too playful, it seems impossible.To tell me what?But she didn't tell me anything.To eat me?It's even more impossible, she will never be such a ghost, and if she is really a ghost, it will not be easy to eat me. I began to regret my move today, it would be better not to know anything.Now that I know it, all the strength is gone.What do I and Mr. Guan say?Will he believe it?Even the footprints on the cemetery may belong to Xiaojing.The woman standing at the entrance of the village is probably also a ghost.Is that driver still a ghost? I stumbled home, fell asleep with my head covered, and fell asleep in a short while, let everything I can't figure out go to hell. Years ago, I never went to the cemetery again, nor did I receive a call from the cemetery. It is estimated that the tolerances are also on vacation.I don't know how to beat the older man.Brother Meng did ask me out once, and he paid me last month's salary, and we didn't have much money, so we had a violent meal on the spot. In a blink of an eye, the New Year's Eve is here, and thousands of families are immersed in the joy of the New Year.My family's habit is to go to my grandma's house in Didao to celebrate the New Year.Di Island is a district in Jixi, I don’t know why it is called this name.During the Japanese puppet period, there was a famous mass grave here, that is, the Japanese devils buried tens of thousands of captured agricultural workers alive in a big pit.When my mother was young and her friends were nearby, it was easy to dig up the bones of the dead from the soil.Over the years, the government has spent money to build a history museum, and since then, those innocent souls have a home. Didao’s grandma’s family is Ding Xingwang, and I have five uncles and one aunt plus family members and children, forming a big family of nearly twenty people.You are arguing and applauding whether it is lively, the adults are busy making dumplings, and the children are setting off fireworks outside. My Casio pager kept ringing, all of which were blessings from my classmates and friends.At that time, the text messages on mobile phones were not as advanced as they are now. Only Chinese character paging can directly see the content of blessings. The digital pager receives only a set of codes. You need to dial 126 to know the content of the other party's message. Anyway, those blessings are basically the same, and my grandma's house doesn't have a phone, so it's inconvenient to reset the channel, so I don't bother to talk about it.Besides, some of those things are true and some are false. People are like this. Some people bless you face to face every day, but they actually wish that something would happen to you.There are a lot of my younger brothers and sisters, and I will light firecrackers for them. I am very happy to see them happy. On the first day of the new year, I played mahjong and tractors with my younger brothers and sisters. I was so busy that the whole family returned to Jixi on the second day of the new year.I suddenly remembered that those messages hadn't been restored, so I dialed 126. "You have twelve messages in total." Miss Hutai's sweet voice came from the microphone, very helpful. "Article 6, I wish you peace and happiness in the new year. The name of the person who left the message is Xiaojing." I yelled, "Wait, repeat. Who's the message?" "Xiao Jing." I hung up the phone directly, and for a while I couldn't hear the rumbling guns outside.Unbelievable, a ghost sent me a page again.