CH 1

NOVEMBER 7, 2022 ~ M1ZUSHI

It must be a dream.

Wu Rong, who was sitting in the bar seat, thought expressionlessly.

Otherwise, how could he see Xun An, a scum man, sitting opposite himself with his stupid pot head combed from the university.

——

Wu Rong died on the highway on a rainy night when he heard that Xun An was going to marry the leader’s daughter. At that time, Wu Rong had just finished his job and rushed back overnight without taking a break. There was a cake for Xun An in the back seat. He went to Yangjiaping to buy it by detour. Xun An said that he missed the taste of the past.

Xun An’s birthday was about to pass in the morning, so he drove so fast and so quickly that after the accident, his flesh and blood were rotten together with the cake.

However, Wu Rong didn’t go to hell after his death. Instead, his soul drifted home all the way. Watching Xun An drop a few drops of cat urine at his funeral, turned around and bought a diamond ring with his money, smiling at the wedding. Holding the hand of the leader’s daughter, they announced the success of the five-year long-distance love run between the two. When Wu Rong saw this, he suddenly realized that the co-author Xun An, the scumbag, and the leader’s daughter didn’t just have sex, but they had a good relationship for five or six years.

It’s ridiculous that Wu Rong was blind, and believed that the two would grow old together. He was afraid that, in Xun An’s eyes, he was just an ATM master.

“A-Rong, how many times have I said not to smoke? Didn’t you promise to learn well? What’s the difference between you and those gangsters if you go on like this?”

Hearing the familiar sound of teaching, Wu Rong tried to choke off the cigarette. Xun An couldn’t bear the smell of smoke. Every time Wu Rong wanted to smoke, he sneaked downstairs to smoke. He only dared to go home when the smoke was gone.

Wu Rong paused when he just took the cigarette. He raised his head and looked slowly from Xun An’s eyes to his chin. The same face as in his memory was full of caring and sincere eyes. While he was meditating, the ash fell on the table, causing Xun An to frown and open his mouth:

“You smell of smoke. Did you sleep in a bar again these days? A-Rong, you haven’t been home for a long time. What if Auntie beat you hard, she still wants you to learn well —”

No mistake, it’s this person.

Before Xun An finished speaking, Wu Rong pressed the cigarette butt on his hand.

Dream or illusion.

Don’t wake up from this dream until he’s finished venting his anger out.

“Ah— it’s so hot!”

Xun An’s screams drew the few people in the bar to look their way frequently, and they were stopped by other waiters with a smile. Wu Rong was not sensible when he was young. He followed an elder brother. He was silent and could fight well. He was as cruel as a wolf cub. He was very popular with the elder brother. He became ‘Rong’ when he was only 16 years old. Up to now, at 18 years old, the whole bar street was his territory.

Nobody dared to stand out to Xun An here.

“Wu Rong, what are you doing? Are you crazy?”

Xun An covered his hands and questioned, his face more confused than angry. He didn’t react at the moment, and his face, which was always mild and disguised, showed a trace of impatience and suspicion, which made Wu Rong even more bored. He was just about to take a chair and be cruel again, but he looked up and saw a pile of money in front of Xun An’s desk.

There were dozens of red old man tickets, all of which were brand new. (red notes: 100 yuan)

Wu Rong vaguely remembered this. When Xun An was just in college, his family was poor and he went to work part-time after class. He once said that his sister in his hometown was really short of money, so he borrowed some money from Wu Rong. Many times later, he said he had  borrowed money but never paid it back.

Wu Rong didn’t care before, but now Wu Rong was different.

Wu Rong took the money back directly. He saw Xun An standing in the same place. He seemed to understand, and said in a tone that seemed helpless, but in fact stood on the commanding height:

“You don’t need to be so arrogant if you don’t want to lend me money. My sister is only here to stay for a few days. The youth hostel is fine. It’s only because the little girl loves to be petulant that I told you. Don’t make a commotion outside, so many people are watching, too ignorant—”

Xun An suddenly couldn’t go on. Wu Rong looked at him as if he had changed his mind and felt speechless. He was no longer a boy who was cold and easy to fool.

Now Wu Rong’s eyes swept over, making him feel suffocated.

“The youth hostel, I’m afraid that one is not used to living there.”

Wu Rong slapped his face with the money, thin lips hooked up a touch of sarcasm: “This money is enough to entertain my hometown sister, entertaining the Lin family sister this is not enough ah.”

“What Lin’s sister, Wu Rong what the hell is wrong with you today?”

Xun An’s eyes flashed a flash of panic, and he calmed down. Regardless of his hand injury, he comforted Wu Rong first: “I know that you have quarreled with Auntie after your failure to raise a ghost recently. I’m angry, but don’t joke about this shadowy affair.”

“Lin Wenwen and I are just classmates. Don’t you know who I really like?”

Xun An’s voice became lower and lower, and finally turned into a gentle smile. He even wanted to pull Wu Rong’s hand: “Don’t be angry, it’s bad for your health…”

“Shit, Rong, I can’t stand it!”

Without waiting for Wu Rong to get angry, the younger brothers who were watching could not help themselves. One of them opened Xun An’s hand, took out a stack of photos and threw them on his face. He frowned and said, “Brother Rong! You used to protect this guy, and the brothers gave him some face. But this thing dare steal people behind your back! Even if you teach me a lesson today, I will tell you!”

“Fuck you! You’re almost touching someone’s chest. What a big tail wolf!”

The photos were so numerous that they just blew to the place where the smoke was burning. Xun An’s face was very white. Xun An’s face was pale, whether it was because of the pain or panic when he saw the couple snuggling together in the photos. He was completely flustered until he was violently picked up by the younger brothers and thrown to the ground, punching and kicking.

At this time, Xun An was still under illusion. He looked at Wu Rong for help and said in a low voice, “Wu Rong, listen to me.”

This has happened before, but Wu Rong would always believe him from the end. Xun An knew that this man seemed to be stubborn, but in fact, he was easily coaxed.

As long as this thing was over, the people who beat him today will have bad luck in the future.

Wu Rong will listen to his explanation. Xun An firmly believed that, and felt ruthless in his heart.

Younger brothers were also guilty because of the beating. One or two of them secretly watched Wu Rong. Usually, he would protect Xun An under his own wings, so he wouldn’t let them beat him really hard. He would always listen to Xun An’s explanations, but in the end he was too lazy to care.

Until they noticed Wu Rong’s gaze at Xun An from above.

So strange, so cold, like looking at a mess of garbage.

“Continue.”

With Wu Rong’s words, the younger brothers couldn’t believe it enough that they were stunned, and immediately hit harder as if they were laughing. Wu Rong did not look at Xun An’s lost face. Instead, he stared thoughtfully at his long, bony hands.

Since he was 18 again, she should still be alive.

Wu Rong’s father died early and his mother did not. Not a day went by that they didn’t fight during their lifetime. Wu Rong spent more time in bars than at home. However, after watching the black and white portrait for several years, the complex emotion finally precipitated into nostalgia.

I don’t know how long this dream will last. Was it enough for him to go home and have a look?

Wu Rong finally had no heart for Xun An. The young brothers were happy enough to celebrate the festival. The two of them winked at each other and pushed someone out from behind.

“Bah, what a dog! Not even worthy enough to sacrilege our brother Rong’s shoes!”

One of the younger brothers kicked Xun An severely, while the other pushed a man to Wu Rong excitedly and winked at him: “Brother Rong, we shouldn’t eat good apples instead of rotten peaches. Here, the little singer likes you very much and is very happy to have a chance to talk to you.”

Then he turned to look at Xun An, rolled his eyes and sneered, “Brother Rong was really obsessed with you. You dogshit still wanted to eat inside and eat outside. You really think others are blind!”

Thinking about going home, Wu Rong casually glanced at the ‘good apple’ pushed out, and suddenly froze. At the same time, Xun An was writhing on the ground in pain. The embarrassed Xun An didn’t want to resent, but he was also stunned for a moment.

The voice of whispering came from the bar. The man who was pushed out was really good-looking. His eyebrows and eyes were like ice and snow carvings. He was cool and handsome, and his body was handsome and elegant. Standing there was incompatible with the atmosphere of the bar, just like a crane coming to a pheasant nest.

Others were stunned because of his appearance, but Wu Rong was stunned because of the robe he wore.

This man was a Taoist.

How could a Taoist sing in a bar?

Noticing the undifferentiated eyes of the other and thinking of the fact that he became a ghost after his death, Wu Rong couldn’t help but think about the ghosts and gods, and he had a rarely uneasiness in his heart.

This Taoist priest will not be to pick himself up to the netherworld, right?

Seeing that Xun An was beaten beyond recognition, the screams became louder and louder. The younger brothers finally stopped. Yellow Mao, the leader, asked Wu Rong for instructions: “Brother Rong, this dog –“

“Put it on the sack, back alley.”

“OK!”

“A-Rong! A-Rong, listen to me —”

The younger brothers violently pulled Xun An, who was paralyzed on the ground, and dragged him out. Wu Rong ignored Xun An’s reluctant gaze, and his gaze still fell on the Taoist. At the same time, people in the bar also relished in the farce.

“Little brother, you are still too soft. If anyone dared to sneak on me, I would throw him to the East Ghost Land. There are many beautiful ghosts there, and he can enjoy his good fortune.”

Jie Jie, a skinny guest like dry firewood, laughed. He occupied a table alone, with a bucket of instant noodles in front of him. Strangely enough, there were two chopsticks on the bucket of instant noodles, just like those offered to the dead by ancestor worship during the Spring Festival. There was a large area around him. Nobody dared to sit with him as if others were afraid.

Wu Rong twisted his eyebrows slightly.

He seemed to see a dark phantom sitting opposite the man, with a small throat like the eye of a needle and a swollen abdomen like a pregnant woman. The virtual shadow was salivating at the instant noodles. The long hair on the floor rolled up the noodles and stuffed them into the mouth, making it very difficult to swallow.

What was this?

“Compensation.”

The clear voice, like ice and stone, called Wu Rong’s attention. It seemed to have some lingering charm, which was very pleasant. When the sound sounded, the black ghost sitting opposite the guest disappeared in fear. Wu Rong looked back and saw the Taoist priest looking at him with clear eyes. He could see it all at once, as if it was warm in winter.

Wu Rong liked this kind of eyes. He glances at the littler brother, the little brother smiled curtly and came over, ambushed his ear and whispered.

“Brother Rong, this is a wild Taoist who just applied for singing in our bar. He has no school and wants to beg for help. Don’t you happen to catch up with him? The brothers want to hire him to wash your eyes. That kid mentioned something like pay…… cough cough, don’t care, if he doesn’t know what he’s doing just blow him out on the–“

“How much.”

“Huh?”

The younger brother was dumbfounded. Wu Rong looked directly at the young Taoist and said, “How much was it?”

“Five hundred.”

The younger brother said, “You are a lion! You -“

“Here you are.”

Wu Rong put all the money he stole from Xun An into the Taoist’s hands. He was slow to react, but anyone who was slow to react should feel wrong when he saw the ghost like phantom. This may not be a dream, but it was not the original ordinary world.

After half a lifetime, Wu Rong just wanted to go home to see if his mother was still there.

“There’s too much money. I only take what I deserve.”

The Taoist frowned, and his expressionless face finally changed. But Wu Rong didn’t talk to him too much and waved to leave the bar in a hurry. Outside, the sky was overcast, and thick clouds were shrouded. Obviously, it should be summer, but it was as cold as autumn. The street was still the street of his memory. The crowd was bustling, and the buildings were not very different. But Wu Rong knew that many things had changed.

“The pen fairy is cheap! The pen fairy is cheap! The new pen fairy is cheap. The pen fairy, which used to be one hundred eight, two hundred eight, three hundred eight, is now all twenty-eight, all twenty-eight!”

“Black dog, pure natural black dog, guaranteed to not to be dyed dog! Pure black root, pure bloodline, buy black dog to give black dog blood! Buy black dog to give black dog blood!”

“When I grow up, I want to be admitted to Tianshi College. My mother was very happy to hear that and bought me the favorite XiXRang jelly.”

Loudspeakers in small shops on both sides were noisy and loud. What was on the central mall was not a star advertisement. On the poster, several young and handsome young men dressed as Taoists were putting on cold pose, holding erhu, pipa, flute and other folk instruments respectively in their arms. The following banner was bold in black and white: “The Tiger Dragon Mountain Youth League is releasing a new work again, and the album signing of Qingjing Sutra is scheduled for July 29!”

Wu Rong subconsciously avoided the crowd and rubbed his eyes. From the moment he saw the phantom, he felt that his left eye was followed by sand like pain, and could not be rubbed out. Originally, Wu Rong wanted to buy a bottle of mineral water for washing, but he just walked into the canteen and took a look.

The shadows behind that row of mineral water were actually rows of ghosts.

Wu Rong didn’t know how he came back to his shop. The world had become a complete stranger. It was more bizarre than a dream. The closer he was to his home, the slower he moved. The world had changed so much. Wu Rong was afraid that his parents had changed too.

… It seems that it hasn’t really changed, but something was wrong.

Hiding in the alley, Wu Rong silently lit a cigarette and watched his mother sell new paper money to customers.

[Laoliang Shouyi Store]

Wreath, shroud, band, feng shui, incense paper, urn

Undertake the one-stop service of cremation and burial. Service telephone: XXXX

Wu Rong took his mother’s name and his father’s name was Liang. When he left early, he left this sushi shop for his wife. Wu Rong was isolated and excluded by his peers from childhood to adulthood because he opened a sushi shop at home. Now, seeing his busy mother in front of the shop and looking at her familiar and strange face, Wu Rong has an unspeakable taste in his heart.

“Jingle, jingle, jingle –“

The phone suddenly rang. Wu Rong twisted his eyebrows and tried to hang up. However, he found that the phone could not be pressed no matter how hard it was pressed. It kept ringing.

The sharp phone call attracted the attention of others. After Wu Rong turned to the corner before his mother saw it, the phone still couldn’t be connected. The bell rang all the time. There was no response when the machine was turned on and off. The screen was dark.

Was the mobile phone broken?

The monotonous bell rang repeatedly in the empty lane, just like it was from another world, the creepy atmosphere. There was only Wu Rong in the alley. Something was wrong. Intuition have him an alarm, and goosebumps appeared. Wu Rong simply wanted to throw away his mobile phone, but at the next moment, his action suddenly stopped.

The creepy sound of chewing came from the garbage can, like a wild dog stealing food. A dark shadow buried its head and gobbled it. When Wu Rong noticed it, and it also looked up, numb and greedy.

“You smell so delicious…”

Buzz!

The sharp wind suddenly hit, Wu Rong responded quickly and kicked away. He always fought when he was young. This kick was on the most vulnerable abdomen of ordinary people, leaving no effort. But his feet were like kicking hard steel, which made him feel painful. At this time, the true face of the monster also appeared in front of Wu Rong.

Its head was huge, like a drum, but its throat was smaller than a needle. It was the ghost sitting opposite the guests in the bar. Wu Rong kicked its swollen abdomen that was like a pregnant woman but did not cause it any harm!

When the ghost formed, the temperature around it dropped suddenly, and the black fog was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere. Wu Rong breathed out a breath, but it was the hazy white fog that only existed when the temperature was low. This was not an illusion; the ghost was changing the surrounding environment!

Looking at the rapidly spreading black fog and the sushi shop near the corner. Wu Rong didn’t  hesitate to turn around and run in the opposite direction. At this time, he had only one idea in mind, that was, the farther away from home, the better. As expected, the ghost immediately ran after him, and the area where the fog fell also spread towards Wu Rong’s escape direction.

The temperature continued to drop, and gradually Wu Rong’s body seemed frozen stiff, and soon he would be frozen, unable to move. However, Wu Rong’s nerves were different from those of ordinary people, as if he was born fearless. He could still think in such a critical situation when being chased by fierce ghosts.

Does 110 work?

Wu Rong suddenly realized that the phone ring that could not be hung up just now had not rung since the beginning of the chase. At the same time, the mobile phone was getting colder and colder. It was like an ice cube in your hand. He looked down and saw that a thin layer of ice had formed on the mobile phone screen at some time. The frost was dark and light, which outlined a fuzzy pattern. In the twinkling of an eye, the pattern became more and more obvious, and a little blood oozed from it. In the end, it looked like a kid’s face with seven orifices bleeding!

Another one!

The cold was getting closer and closer, Wu Rong’s whole back was freezing, and the ghost jumped on his back. There were wolves in front and tigers behind. Wu Rong looked sharp and turned around to fight!

“Duh.”

The extremely abrupt voice sounded in the silent alley, and the phone in Wu Rong’s hands was connected at this time! Zila~ Zila~ Noisy current sound came from the mobile phone, the signal was not similar, and then—

“Cluck, cluck, cluck.”

The clear silver bell like laughter of children resounded through the alleys. It was obviously a naive voice, but when you listened carefully, you found it was very creepy. The laughter was not undulating at all. It was somewhat distorted, just like the sound from old video tapes, intermittent and ghostly.

“King… I have finally found you.”
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