Deserted Village Apartments

Chapter 19 No.16
Today is the No.16 day of this story. From this day on, you will find that the story has entered a new labyrinth.

The weather is getting hotter and hotter. Yesterday I rushed from the mental hospital to the subway bookstore and then to the university. I was sweaty and I changed all my clothes.Suddenly, I touched a hard object outside my pocket, my heart trembled inexplicably, I quickly put my hand into the pocket, and took out the green jade ring.

This is the jade ring in the underground secret room of the barren village. Whose finger should it be worn on?
In the mental hospital yesterday, why did Chun Yu hang it around her neck?I didn't think of taking it with me, but now that it's in my hands, maybe this is its fate.

I took a closer look at the jade ring. The scarlet stain on the side seemed to be some kind of imprint, embedded in the green jade.I suddenly shivered, as if this jade ring was going to suck my body heat away.I immediately put down the jade ring, put it into a small box, and locked it in a drawer.

I was really tired yesterday. When I came out of the university at dusk, I said goodbye to Xiaoqian and went home by taxi.Before I got home and had no time to catch my breath, I called Ye Xiao and told him everything I knew during the day, especially the last question.

Now, that photo is pasted in my notebook, and I stare blankly at the people in the photo, that feeling is hard to describe in words.

The phone rang suddenly.I answered the phone immediately and heard Ye Xiao's voice——

"I found the deserted village apartment."

I didn't realize it at first, but after a few seconds, the words "a deserted village apartment" hit my heart like a bullet.I said out loud, "How did you find it?"

"Last night, you said that the deserted village apartment should be an old-fashioned foreign house built before 1949. This morning, I checked all the place names in old Shanghai through the internal files of the Public Security Bureau, and finally found the name of the deserted village apartment."

I couldn't wait to ask: "Where is it?"

"No. 13 Anxi Road."

Ye Xiao spit out these words slowly, and I was stunned for a moment—Anxi Road, is there such a road in Shanghai?I hurriedly asked, "No. 13 Anxi Road? I heard that right, but I've never heard of such a road."

"That's right, this is the place. Do you still remember the road we used to play when we were young?"

"When I was a child?" Memories immediately spun, a cold and gloomy small road vaguely appeared in front of my eyes, "Yes, I remembered, the unknown small road behind our house in the past."

"That road is called Anxi Road."

"Thank you, Ye Xiao."

Ye Xiao seemed to want to take care of me, but I hung up the phone hastily.

Because, I have to call another person - Nie Xiaoqian.

In the ensuing phone call, I told her the news I had just received.Xiaoqian also seemed very excited, and immediately went to see the deserted village apartment.I agreed to her, and half an hour later, I will meet you at the gate of No. 13 Anxi Road.

Taking that old photo with me, I hurried to Anxi Road.

Ye Xiao's phone call just now reminded me of my childhood. It was our old house, and there were some small roads in the front and back, full of old-style backyard houses.However, since I moved when I was ten years old, I have not been to that place again, and some of the remaining memories have gradually faded.

Half an hour later, I arrived at my home more than ten years ago. Unexpectedly, this place has become a construction site, and the original house has long been demolished.Looking at the ruins on the construction site, my heart suddenly felt sour. Is this the passage of time?

It was too late to feel emotional, I quickly turned across a cross road and came to the small road behind.Sure enough, I saw the street sign - Anxi Road.

That's it.Looking at this cold little road, my childhood memories are shown one after another like a movie, leading me to walk forward slowly.I naturally remembered that when I was young, Ye Xiao often took me here to play. At that time, there were rows of old houses on both sides of the road, hidden among the lush green trees, which made us children a little curious. And a little scared.There are almost no cars driving by here, and even pedestrians are extremely rare. The narrow and curved roads can be crossed at will, and sometimes it is a little scary quiet. It seems that there is another world across the road.

However, all this has changed now, and my eyes are stinging—the houses on the side of the road have all been demolished, some are in rubble, and some still have ruins.A few bulldozers were working among the rubble, and some construction workers were building temporary houses—Anxi Road turned into a big construction site.

My heart immediately hung up, will the deserted village apartment also be turned into ruins?If that's the case, haven't all my previous efforts been wasted?I prayed silently in my heart, trotting forward all the way, scanning both sides of the road intently.

The sky was getting darker and darker, and suddenly some raindrops fell, which made me feel more and more uneasy.

When I was about to run to the end of Anxi Road, I suddenly found a green house standing among a pile of ruins.

This is a British-style three-story building, the outer wall is covered with green vines, tightly wrapping the whole building.The raindrops were getting heavier, and under the gloomy sky, this green building stood alone, surrounded by a large area of ​​ruins.I feel that such a picture is exactly like the ancient ruins on the wilderness of England, which makes people feel palpitations.

The raindrops hit my face more and more densely, and I could only step on the rubble and run towards the green house.

Suddenly, I found a young woman standing downstairs, looking up at the roof of the house. She was wearing a white skirt, but she didn’t bring an umbrella. The raindrops gradually wet her, making the skirt stick tightly to her body , Her figure is really charming from the back.

I finally rushed downstairs, and immediately called out her name: "Xiaoqian."

Her complexion didn't seem very good, she turned her head in a daze and said, "You're late."

"I'm sorry, why are you standing here, be careful of the rain and catch a cold." While talking, I found that I was also wet by the rain, and I seemed to be more embarrassed than her.

Xiaoqian didn't pay attention to my words, she still stared straight at the building and said, "This is the deserted village apartment."

"A deserted apartment?"

These four words made my heart tremble again, and only then did I realize that there was a house number hanging under the building——No. 13, Anxi Road.

That's right, this is where Ye Xiao said, I couldn't restrain the excitement in my heart, grabbed Xiaoqian's hand and rushed into the house.

The moment I grabbed her hand, my heart felt a little hot. Her skin was smooth and cold, with some rainwater on it. The slippery and greasy feeling made me suddenly feel a little embarrassed.

But she waved her hand and said, "No, this house feels weird, let's not trespass."

"Do you want to be drenched in the rain?"

I firmly grasped her hand, and quickly rushed to the door on the ground floor. The eaves blocked the rain for us. I knocked hard on the door, but there was no response from the door.I leaned on the window and looked in, but the light inside was too dark.

In desperation, we turned to the back of the house and found that there was an inconspicuous back door, which seemed to be concealed.I tried to push it lightly, but I didn't expect to push the door open. I immediately pulled Xiaoqian and walked in.

I entered the deserted village apartment.

Entering the door is a long corridor, piled with a lot of messy old furniture and rubbish, the dim light makes my eyes uncomfortable, as we come in, thick dust is flying up, I quickly cover it with my hand nose and mouth.

Until then, Xiaoqian's hand broke free from my palm, she rubbed her wrist and said, "This is what you want to break in."

The dust had gradually dissipated, and I took a long breath and said, "On the phone just now, didn't you say that you wanted to see the apartment in the deserted village? Why are you scared again now?"

"I don't know why." Xiaoqian wiped her rain-wet hair with a handkerchief, showing a blank look in her eyes, "When I stood under this house and looked up at the window on the third floor, I suddenly felt something It's a strange feeling, I can't put it into words, but I do feel the fear, the fear of the house."

Listening to her faint voice made my heart a little hairy, but I still comforted her: "No, that's just your psychological effect."

But she still shook her head, and the handkerchief began to wipe the wet skirt again.

I asked with some embarrassment: "You got wet, does it matter? Otherwise, I'll go back with you."

"Forget it, since we've come in, let's take a look first."

Xiaoqian finally raised her head, her body had been dried a little, and she stared blankly at the end of the corridor, where was immersed in pitch darkness.

I walked carefully in front, every step would stir up dust, and I kept scattering the dust with my hands, feeling like I was walking in a certain tunnel, which reminded me of the underground palace in the barren village that Su Tianping told about.

Suddenly, a room appeared next to the corridor, which could be vaguely distinguished in the dim light. This is an entrance hall, and the door I knocked on just now should be this one.

The foyer at the back was empty, and I looked up to examine the walls and ceiling. The house seemed to be well-decorated, in the English style.It's just that the walls are dusty and stained over the years, and many of the ceiling surfaces are peeling off, and the mottled look is intimidating.

There is also a hall inside. My eyes have adapted to the light here, and I found that this hall is very spacious, even if there are more than a dozen people dancing, it is enough.There is also a spiral staircase inside the hall. I went to the side of the stairs and looked up. I hesitated for a while, but I still didn't dare to go up.Maybe it's because it's been closed for too long, the house exudes a stale smell, which makes people who come in feel chest tight.

Then, Xiaoqian walked into the next room, and I quickly followed her.It was also a spacious room, with slightly better lighting than before.But to our surprise, there was a black piano in the room.

Xiaoqian immediately pounced on it, and although there was a lot of dust on the piano, she still opened the top cover.A row of black and white keys were exposed, and she reached out and pressed a few times on the keys.However, the imaginary graceful notes did not come out, and the piano was like a mute, no matter how Xiaoqian pressed the keys, it couldn't make any sound.

I carefully looked at the trademark under the piano. It was produced in England in 1947. I shook my head and said, "It's been so many years. This piano must have broken down long ago. If it wasn't broken, such a precious and valuable piano The piano must have been moved away long ago."

Then, I went to the back of the piano and looked, and sure enough, the parts inside were in a mess, like a broken machine, with only scraps of copper and iron left.

Xiaoqian also nodded, and she closed the piano lid disappointedly: "You are right, otherwise it would not be possible to stay here."

At this time, I looked back at the wall on the inside, and then at the piano, and suddenly called out: "This is it."

"What did you say?"

"Just like in the photo."

I immediately took out a photo from my bag, it turned out to be the family portrait of Ouyang's family, I pointed to the wall in front of me, Xiaoqian nodded immediately: "Yes, piano and fireplace."

It turned out that there was a large fireplace inlaid on this wall, and there were several western-style wall lamps on the upper side of the wall, together with the piano, all of which were exactly the same as the background in this old photo.We compared it carefully again, and walked to the other side of the house holding the photo, which should be where the photographer is. Standing here, the angle of view is exactly the same as in the photo, and the background behind it has hardly changed. It was as if time had frozen in this room.

"It was taken in this room." I stared blankly at the old photo, "Yes, this is the apartment in a deserted village. It has been more than 50 years, but when we stand here and look at the people in this photo, As if they were still in this room."

"Don't talk nonsense." Xiaoqian interrupted me immediately, as if I committed some taboo.She looked back at the window again, it was already pouring rain outside, the dense rain combined with the ambiguous sky, coupled with the damp and stale air in this room, made people feel suffocated.

"It's raining so heavily outside that it won't stop for a while. Let's take a look at the house first."

Just as I was talking, I walked out of the big room and walked around the ground floor.On the other side of the hall was what appeared to be a kitchen, but there were no utensils in sight, and the stove was covered in cobwebs.There are also several small rooms, probably where the servants used to sleep.

I came to the stairs again, and walked up carefully. The spiral staircase is still solid, but thick dust has accumulated on the wooden railings.Turning around on the stairs, I finally came to the second floor of the deserted village apartment.There was a long corridor facing me, but I couldn't see a ray of light, so I didn't dare to go in rashly.There is a light switch on the wall. I tentatively pressed it, but unexpectedly the light turned on. It turns out that the power here has never been cut off.

Suddenly, Xiaoqian's crisp footsteps followed, and there was a strange echo in the empty big house. I smiled at her: "Perhaps people can still live here."

But her expression remained serious all the time: "But why has no one lived there? It seems that it has been closed for at least several years."

I went straight into the hallway, the overhead lights were so dim that it shone like a thick fog on a cloud of rising dust.I waved my hand vigorously to push away the fog, and boldly walked into the next door.

This is a room of about ten square meters, which is still empty, and most of the damp walls have fallen off.I walked slowly to the window, which was covered with green vine leaves, almost covering half of the window.Looking out from the window covered by the green night, there is a large area of ​​ruins and demolition sites, and in the distance are high-rise buildings that have been built.The pouring rain continued to fall outside the window, and some raindrops splashed in from the broken window glass. I took a deep breath, and even the air was damp. The house seemed to be soaked in water.

I turned around and saw Xiaoqian standing at the door. Her face was extremely pale, half-wet locks of hair were sticking to her forehead, and her eyes looked very tired.I walked up to her and said, "Did you catch a cold?"

"No, I just think the air in this house is a bit strange."

"It's normal to have such a strange smell in old houses."

Then, I returned to the stairway in the corridor and looked towards the direction leading to the third floor.There was a few gleams of light upstairs, and I hesitated for a while holding on to the railing, my heart beating faster inexplicably.

Just as I stepped onto the floor, Xiaoqian suddenly pulled me back, and she said softly, "Don't go up."

"why?"

Her eyes stared blankly at me: "I don't know, but don't go up."

I confronted her for a few seconds, but finally I gave up: "Okay, let's get out of here."

Descending the spiral staircase, we returned to the ground floor, the front door seemed to be sealed, and the only way out was through the corridor we came in.There are a lot of debris piled up in the corridor, and I found an old umbrella among them, which is a black umbrella with a steel frame in the 80s. I tried to open the umbrella, and it seemed to be still usable.

So, Xiaoqian and I shared an umbrella and walked out of the deserted village apartment through the back door.

Walking out of this depressing old house, we all greedily breathed the air in the rain, and the heavy rain kept beating on the umbrellas.Fortunately, this umbrella has a large coverage area, which can accommodate the two of us, and Xiaoqian seems to consciously keep a few centimeters away from me, trying not to touch me.

Rubble and ruins all the way, as if walking on some ancient ruins.From time to time, I looked back, and the deserted village apartment stood in the middle of a pile of ruins, and it was tied up with green vines all over.I imagine that the heavy rain made these plants grow wildly, and the green leaves stretched to every corner of the old house. This may be their last carnival.

We walked through the rain with difficulty, and finally got out of the ruins. I suddenly remembered something: "Wait a minute, I still want to go to another place."

The heavy rain seemed to upset Xiaoqian: "Where?"

"The property company, only there can you ask more about the house."

Xiaoqian hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay, let's go."

In rainy days, we hardly meet many people, so we managed to find out the address of the property company, which is just two roads away.So, Xiaoqian and I shared the umbrella and quickly found the property company.

I lied that I was a reporter, and I wanted to do a news investigation about the old house, and asked the property owner about the house at No. 13 Anxi Road.

"No. 13, Anxi Road?" The person in charge of the property company gasped, and asked in surprise, "Why did you ask about that house?"

"Is there anything wrong?"

"That house will be demolished in ten days."

Suddenly, as if I had been punched in the heart, I hurriedly shook my head and said, "Impossible, how could it be demolished?"

"Didn't you see? All the houses on Anxi Road have been demolished, and now there is only one building left. According to the construction plan of the demolition team, No. 13 Anxi Road will be the last house to be demolished. "

"Why did you tear it down?"

"The land on both sides of Anxi Road has been leased, and we are planning to develop high-end real estate."

I suddenly became a little at a loss: "Then who does this house belong to now?"

"This house originally belonged to the state, that is, our property. It has been closed for a few years, and no one has lived in it for a long time."

"How can such a big house be unoccupied? Can't it be rented out?"

"Of course I want to rent it out. Many people have come to see the house and are ready to pay a lot of money to rent it out. But when people walk into the house, they feel that it is too dark and unlucky. Renting a house is very particular about Feng Shui, especially It’s those rich big bosses, all of them are very superstitious, and when they see bad Feng Shui, they don’t dare to rent anything.”

"Then do you know the condition of this house before liberation?"

The property owner shook his head and said, "It's been too long, and we don't know."

Knowing that I would not be able to ask any more results, I thanked them and left the property company in a hurry.

The rain has gradually subsided, and Xiaoqian's eyes are always a little dazed. I suddenly touched her and said, "What's wrong with you? You didn't say a word at the property company just now."

"what can I say?"

She replied coldly, and this tone made me daunted.

I felt a little desperate, raised my head and said, "Forget it, Xiaoqian, this matter has nothing to do with you, don't come here again, forget about everything."

But Xiaoqian shook her head and said, "No, I also want to know the secret of the deserted village."

I don't know what to say to her, in fact my own heart is also very confused.I handed the umbrella to Xiaoqian and said, "I'm leaving, goodbye—no, don't meet again."

Then, without looking back, I rushed into the rain, hailed a taxi, and went home.

Sitting in the back row of the taxi, I looked back at Xiaoqian on the side of the road. Her slender body and the black umbrella were like a beautiful city sculpture.

(End of this chapter)