Deserted Village Apartments

Chapter 23 No.20
Perhaps because of the "adventure" last night, I didn't wake up until ten o'clock in the morning. I opened my eyes in a daze, and saw Xiaoqian's eyes at the first sight. It turned out that she woke me up.

I jumped up from the mat like a conditioned reflex, stared at her for a long time before waking up, then smiled awkwardly and said, "I must be pretty stupid now, right?"

Xiaoqian also smiled slightly and said, "No, the way you sleep is quite interesting."

What a shame, she must have been standing next to me just now, watching me sleep for a long time.I was no longer embarrassed to speak, so I ran out with my head down.

I hurried to the bathroom downstairs and finished washing as quickly as possible.When I returned to my room on the second floor, I found that Xiaoqian had already prepared breakfast for me, including pancakes, fried dough sticks and soy milk.

She said lightly: "I went out to buy this in the morning. I wonder if you like it?"

"Of course I like it." I immediately grabbed a fried dough stick and said, "When I was young, I often ate breakfast like this, but when I grew up, I seldom ate it. I really miss the taste of fried dough sticks."

In less than a few minutes, I ate up this breakfast. I didn't care about the oil on my hands, wiped my mouth and said, "Xiaoqian, I didn't expect that you would buy me breakfast. Thank you so much. "

"These days, do you eat microwave fast food every day?"

I scratched my head and replied, "Anyway, it's only a few days anyway."

"Eating that kind of thing every day is not good for your health. You should eat more rice."

"Okay, I understand."

At this time, I suddenly thought of the woman I saw more than 50 years ago in the middle of the night yesterday.But how should I tell Xiaoqian?Will she believe me?If she believed it, wouldn't she be frightened by this house?After hesitating for a moment, I still didn't say it.

"What are you thinking?"

"No, I didn't think about anything." I could only stammer, "I was thinking, actually——you are quite understanding."

Xiaoqian suddenly smiled and said, "Did you think in the past that I was just here to harass your boring readers?"

"No, you are Nie Xiaoqian from Liaozhai."

"That's right." She nodded naturally and said, "Okay, I'm going out now, so be careful here alone."

"Going out? Are you going to work at the ice cream shop?"

She looked me in the eye noncommittally, and then said softly, "Goodbye, I'll be back tonight."

Still, I gave chase and watched her leave the house.

When I returned to the room on the second floor, I didn't dare to look at the things she left here. When I thought of her sleeping in this room last night, I felt inexplicably hairy.

I don't know why, but I remember what Xiaoqian said very well. I didn't eat microwave food at noon, but had lunch in a restaurant outside.

In the afternoon, I didn't stay outside much, and hurried back to the deserted village apartment.When I just came to the room on the second floor, I suddenly heard a knock on the door downstairs.

The door on the ground floor was knocked loudly, and it seemed that the whole house was crumbling.I hurriedly covered my beating heart, stuck my head out of the window, and found a young man standing downstairs, knocking hard on the front door.

Suddenly, that man raised his head, and I saw his face clearly—Ye Xiao.

I was taken aback and called him loudly.

Ye Xiao also saw me, and he said from below: "Hurry up and open the door for me."

"The front door is sealed, you have to come in through the back door."

After speaking, I rushed out of the room immediately, ran to the ground floor to open the door for him.Sure enough, I saw Ye Xiao at the back door. He was obviously not at ease with this old house. He entered the corridor cautiously, posing with a policeman's unique posture, as if someone would attack him at any time.

I led him to the ground floor, pointed to the spacious hall and said, "Ye Xiao, let me show you around. Look, this is where the Ouyang family used to dance."

Ye Xiao looked around coldly, and replied blankly: "The yin here is too heavy."

"Why do you all say that? I think it may be that the house is too damp."

"Wait a minute, what's on your finger?"

He found the jade ring on my left hand, and I felt a "thud" in my heart. I slowly raised my left hand and said, "That's it? A few days ago, I saw this thing at a roadside stall and thought it was pretty cool." It’s fun, so I bought it for ten yuan.”

But Ye Xiao still stared at the jade ring, and then said coldly: "This thing really doesn't fit on your finger."

"Hehe." I gave Ye Xiao a smirk, and then led him around the ground floor.

We walked up the spiral staircase and came to the room on the second floor.Ye Xiao looked at the folding bed and the microwave oven, and said softly, "Actually, I came here to see you because I was worried about you. How can I be at ease when you live in such a ghostly place by yourself."

"Do you still think of me as a child? I can take care of myself."

Suddenly, Ye Xiao found a pair of girls' slippers under the bed, his face immediately turned serious, and he pointed to the slippers and asked, "What's going on?"

My heart sank—too bad, I should have prevented it a long time ago, how could the clues left by Xiaoqian in this room escape the eyes of the police officer?I replied with some embarrassment: "Ye Xiao, this... this..."

"Who is this girl?" Ye Xiao asked bluntly.

No, I can't tell Xiaoqian, I can only say softly: "Please don't ask, this is my own private matter."

"I won't interfere in your private affairs. But let me remind you, this is a deserted village apartment, not a place where you can do whatever you want."

It's over, he actually thought I was here—no, I quickly explained: "Ye Xiao, you misunderstood, I didn't do anything here."

He raised his eyebrows and smiled and said, "Forget it, I won't ask any more."

Suddenly, I thought of a person whose life and death are still unknown: "By the way, is there any news about Su Tianping?"

"No, the school is still looking for Su Tianping everywhere, but he seems to have disappeared into the air, no matter where he can be found."

"Maybe it's been turned into a corpse long ago—no, I shouldn't say that, it seems too cruel to say that."

"Don't think about Su Tianping anymore." Ye Xiao walked to the window, looked at the sky outside and said, "Actually, I came to you today because of another reason."

I suddenly became nervous again: "Why?"

"Last time on the phone, didn't you ask me to check for you, the details of the deserted village apartment in the past?"

"Yes, did you find it?"

Ye Xiao nodded and said: "That's right, I have checked a lot of historical files these days, mainly the house registration data in this area before 1949. Last night, I finally found this house - 13 Anxi Road No. for the record at the Ministry of Industry in the Concession.”

"When was it built?"

"In 1930——Anxi Road was a famous high-end residential area in the Shanghai Concession at that time. Many small three-story houses were built on both sides of the road. This house was built by a French real estate developer. It was not called a barren village apartment at first, but It's called Villa Caroline."

"Villa Caroline? What a nice name."

"Yes, it was lived by a French expatriate family at that time. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese took control of the Shanghai Concession. This French family was restricted in their freedom and placed under house arrest in this house. For some unknown reason, the whole family committed suicide. , hanged in the room on the second floor."

"What?" I raised my head and looked at the ceiling. Could it be that the Frenchman was hanged in this room?

Ye Xiao also looked at the room with dark eyes and said: "That's what was written in the file. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the concession no longer existed, and the property rights of this house were bought by a Chinese family. The file shows that the family His surname is Ouyang, he is a businessman from somewhere in Zhejiang."

"Of course it's the Ouyang family in the deserted village. They made a lot of money in smuggling back then, and they must have done a lot of business in Shanghai, so they bought this property here."

"Yes, after the Ouyang family bought this Caroline villa, they renamed it the Huangcun apartment and registered it with the relevant department at that time. Judging from the copy of the title deed of the Huangcun apartment, the Ouyang family has a total of I lived there for more than three years. At the beginning of 1949, the Ouyang family sold the house to a wealthy businessman. But before the wealthy businessman could move into the apartment in the deserted village, he fell ill and died of illness."

I asked anxiously: "Since then, this house has been closed empty? Is it?"

"Later, I checked some archives after liberation, and found out that in the 60s, nearby residents had moved in. At that time, most of the small bungalows along Anxi Road had no owners, and many of them were occupied by nearby residents. But only this house, some strange things happened." Ye Xiao suddenly took a breath, frowned and said, "The records at that time were not complete. It is said that a murder occurred in this house. What’s the matter if you can’t come out. In the 80s, those residents all moved out, and no one dared to live in it anymore.”

Suddenly, I remembered the bizarre encounter in the middle of the night yesterday, and I couldn’t help but say to myself: “Perhaps, there have always been rumors of ghosts in the apartment in the deserted village, which frightened the people nearby, so it has been kept empty all the time.”

"What did you say? Haunted?"

I quickly lowered my head and said, "It's nothing, it's just a random guess."

"Stop fantasizing." Ye Xiao paced back and forth, and finally looked out of the window and said, "Maybe, it's because the air in this house is too humid, and there are so many creepers growing. I heard that this plant It's not very good for the human body."

"It's okay, I think I've gotten used to it these days."

"Then what are you going to do next?"

"I don't know, maybe it'll stay here for a few more days until it's demolished."

Ye Xiao shook his head in disappointment: "I know I can't change your decision, but you have to take good care of yourself, I'll go first."

After speaking, he patted my shoulder and walked out of the room quickly.I sent him all the way to the back door on the ground floor, Ye Xiao waved to me and said: "Call me if you need anything, I will come to help you anytime."

After watching Ye Xiao leave, I returned to the upstairs room.The whole afternoon, I had nothing to do, and I kept thinking about what Ye Xiao said to me——

For example, when the deserted village apartment was still called Villa Caroline, the French family who lived here hanged themselves on the second floor.Thinking of this, I would imagine the shaking of those hanging ropes.In the [-]s and [-]s, many people lived in this house, but some bizarre murders occurred. Why?

Is this really a "haunted house"?And I am the last person to live in this "haunted house", maybe Xiaoqian will be added.

Unknowingly, the night has come in a hurry.I still went out for dinner, and didn't return to the deserted village apartment until after eight o'clock in the evening.

The whole house was immersed in darkness, and after spending a few days with this house day and night, I could know the way up the stairs even with my eyes closed.I deliberately did not turn on the light, groped in the dark house, and quickly climbed up the spiral staircase.

When I just walked to the door of the room on the second floor, I suddenly heard a burst of amplified music hitting my eardrums like waves.The sound came from downstairs, and the rhythm vibrated the floor under my feet, as if there was a concert downstairs.

Where does this sound come from?My heart was immediately suspended, and I slowly walked down the spiral staircase.

Finally, I saw them—

The dance has begun.

No, I couldn't believe my eyes, but I did see this scene - in the hall on the ground floor of the deserted village apartment, suddenly the lights were brightly lit, and a dozen couples of men and women were flickering, dancing in the spacious and bright dance hall dance.Most of the men wore suits of various colors, and a few wore long gowns, and most of the women wore gorgeous cheongsams or fashionable skirts.

The music that accompanies them comes from the phonograph by the wall, and I can even hear the lyrics clearly: "Fancy years, moon-like spirit, ice-like intelligence, beautiful life, passionate family members... ..."

I recognized that this was the song "In the Mood for Love" more than 60 years ago, and it was even the voice of the original singer, with the unique intonation of that era.I rubbed my eyes vigorously, but it was like a yellow gauze was covered in front of my eyes, and some white light spots flashed back and forth, as if I was watching a roll of film from many years ago, with some moldy spots, which were slowed down by the projector. Slowly projected on the screen.

Suddenly, a face flitted across the ball, and my eyes widened instantly, and I saw her again—

"Ruoyun?"

I called out softly, and this woman who lived here more than 50 years ago appeared before my eyes again.

She is in the most eye-catching place in the center of the ballroom, hugging a young man, and they are taking light dance steps together.Yes, I have seen that man in old photos, he is the young man in the deserted village apartment, the heir of the Ouyang family - Ruoyun's husband.

Only they are the center and focus of the ball, and all the dancers surround them.The young couple was radiant, dancing one tune after another, and the brightest beam of light seemed to be only for the two of them forever.

Suddenly, a burst of footsteps broke everything here, the graceful music stopped abruptly, the dazzling lights dimmed immediately, the hall became empty, and all the guests disappeared, dissipating like a mass of evaporated air phantom.

The dance is over.

Before my eyes had time to adjust to all this, the hall had returned to calm, only a dim electric light was on.Under the light switch by the wall, Xiaoqian was standing with a puzzled face.

"Xiaoqian, did you see it just now?"

She looked a little tired, shook her head and said, "See what? I just came in through the back door and saw that the hall was dark, so I turned on the light."

I shook my head in surprise and asked, "You didn't see it? Then did you hear it?"

"What are you talking about? It was pitch black here just now, as silent as a tomb. I couldn't see or hear anything. When I turned on the light, I saw you standing here dumbfounded, like Like sleepwalking."

"Sleepwalking? Another nightmare? No—"

At this moment, I am very clear in my heart that I was definitely not dreaming just now, it was indeed what I witnessed and heard with my own ears.I am sure that I saw a ball in the apartment of the deserted village more than 50 years ago, and there was also the queen at the ball: Ruoyun who married into Ouyang's family.

Xiaoqian walked up to me, shook her hand in front of my eyes and said, "Where are you looking? It's like seeing a ghost."

"No, that's not a ghost. Just like we were watching old movies back then, we didn't see ghosts, but the images of the actors." I walked to the center of the hall, where Ruoyun danced just now, and said loudly , "All the scenes that appear in this hall are equivalent to the images on the curtain of a movie theater, do you understand?"

"What about the projector? What about the film and copy?" Suddenly, Xiaoqian grabbed my hand, "I don't understand everything you said, but I know you need to rest, this house scares you, and makes you Having some hallucinations. Listen to me, as long as you get some rest, you'll be fine."

The way she spoke just now was like a mother, I could only smile bitterly.Then I went to the gramophone, which I had found among the piles in the corridor.I looked at the phonograph carefully. This machine is already an antique and should have been scrapped long ago. How could it play music again?
Finally, I shook my head helplessly, and followed Xiaoqian upstairs.

In the room on the second floor, Xiaoqian poured me a glass of water, and she asked me softly: "Are you too nervous these days?"

"Maybe." I tremblingly picked up the cup, her hair had already fallen to my face, and the soft hair exuded a faint fragrance, which tickled my heart.I couldn't help raising my head, staring blankly into her eyes, as if looking at some mysterious jade.

Realizing how close she was to me, she stepped back and said, "You know what? You look like a child right now."

"So you'll take care of me?"

This bold question made Xiaoqian a little embarrassed, she smiled noncommittally and said, "You are tired, go to rest early."

I nodded and said to her at the door: "Good night."

Perhaps, stimulated by the magical "prom" just now, I really feel extremely tired.After a cursory wash in the bathroom, I went to bed on the third floor.

Walking into the room on the third floor, there was another smell of ivy.But I didn't even turn on the light, and fell asleep on the mat.

This night, I really sank into the darkness of the deserted village apartment.

(End of this chapter)