Deserted Village Apartments

Chapter 24 No.20 One Day

In the morning, when I woke up, the sun was shining on my forehead.I got up in a daze, tidied my messy hair, and went downstairs to find Xiaoqian.

But she was not in the room. I called Xiaoqian loudly in the corridor, but there was no response.Turning around, I found a note on the cabinet. She said she had gone to work and there was breakfast for me in the microwave.

Turn on the microwave, it's still the same early snack as yesterday.After breakfast, I sat in the room and read a book for a while, when suddenly my phone rang.

Unexpectedly, it was Sun Tzuchu who called. He said that he was at the door of my house to return the jade articles to me, but he found that I was not at home.I can only tell him that I live outside these few days at No. 13 Anxi Road.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door downstairs. Sure enough, it was Sun Zichu standing at the gate, holding the box I gave him in his hand.I hurried outside and brought him up.

Sun Tzuchu looked at the house carefully, and kept sighing: "You really know how to find a place. This kind of house must be a good environment for writing horror novels."

I was really not in the mood to joke with him, so I took him to the room on the second floor.Fortunately, I have already made preparations. I have hidden all the things related to Xiaoqian in the cabinet.

He looked around the room again, and said in an envious tone: "I'll live in this kind of place and write my thesis in the future."

Then, Sun Tzuchu opened the box, which was still wrapped in newspaper balls, and he added a lot of foam, and carefully took out the five jade wares, and said, "Look carefully, and tell me if you have any questions."

These five pieces of jade from the underground of the barren village were presented neatly in front of my eyes. I picked them up and looked at them carefully, and there were no traces of bumps or damage.I nodded: "No problem, thank you. How about the appraisal result?"

"As I said, I will invite the best jade appraisal experts, and their appraisal result of your five jade articles is: first-class authentic."

In an instant, my heart trembled slightly: "Are they really Liangzhu ancient jade?"

"That's right, they are indeed Liangzhu jade wares from 5000 years ago. Whether it is their material, shape, decoration or carving technique, they all conform to the characteristics of Liangzhu jade wares unearthed underground. These are all certified by authoritative experts, so you can rest assured Bar."

"Can you be more specific?"

"Well, from a mineralogical point of view, jade can be divided into two types: jadeite and nephrite. Jadeite is what is commonly known as jadeite, and is mainly produced in Myanmar; while nephrite is a chain-like structure of hydrous calcium-magnesium silicate Salt is a special mineral mainly composed of tremolite and actinolite in the hornblende family of rock-forming minerals."

Sun Tzuchu speaks clearly and logically, with a set of technical terms. It seems that he has learned a lot from jade experts.I didn't want to waste time, so I asked directly: "Then what kind of jade did the Liangzhu civilization use?"

"Liangzhu civilization is the source of Chinese jade civilization. Nephrite is mainly used in traditional Chinese jade, and Hetian jade from Xinjiang, Nanyang jade and Lantian jade from Central Plains are the most famous. There are a large number of jades unearthed from Liangzhu civilization, and the exquisite shape is rare in the world. Scholars from all over the world are paying close attention to it, and some even put forward the idea of ​​'Jade Age'."

"I only know the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, where is the Jade Age?"

"In China's mysterious ancient civilization, after the Stone Age ended and before the Bronze Age began, there was a 'Jade Age'. Humans in that era believed that jade artifacts had mysterious power, and whoever controlled jade artifacts would control civilization. As for Liangzhu Civilization, because of the astonishing amount of jade it uses, must have abundant underground jade mines to supply it.”

"Jade mine?" I suddenly thought of the underground treasure.

"This is where the problem lies. In archaeological excavations within the scope of Liangzhu culture, no ancient jade mine site has ever been found. Some people think that jade materials were transported from Liaoning or Xinjiang, but transportation was extremely inconvenient in ancient times. The possibility of transporting large quantities of jade across thousands of miles is almost zero."

"But it is impossible for jade to fall from the sky."

"That's right, so I think that within the area of ​​the Liangzhu Culture, or in the nearby mountains, there must be some forgotten ancient jade mine. Ancient civilizations can die mysteriously, but underground treasures should last forever .”

I nodded again and again: "The eternal mystery of the Liangzhu civilization—is it the underground treasure?"

"No, the Liangzhu civilization has left us with too many mysteries, and the mystery of Yuzang is just one of many mysteries."

"You mean to say that the Liangzhu civilization itself is a mystery?"

"The rise of the Liangzhu civilization is quite mysterious. When it first emerged, the level of civilization in the surrounding areas was not high. The recently popular Sanxingdui civilization was more than 1000 years later than the Liangzhu civilization. 5000 years ago, the Liangzhu civilization was in The height reached by the East is comparable to that of ancient Egyptian civilization and ancient Mesopotamian civilization at the same time."

"There must be some special reason for this."

Sun Tzuchu nodded: "Yes, on the unearthed Liangzhu jade cong, there is often a peculiar pattern, called the 'God Emblem', on the top of which is engraved an inverted trapezoidal face of a god with wide-open eyes. , with exposed teeth, wearing a crown full of feathers on the head, and grasping the animal head below with both hands. In the ancient Mayan and ancient Inca civilizations, there are similar patterns of feather crowns. They are all the same as the Liangzhu civilization. A large number of jade wares and relics with strange styles were placed, and they rose and fell rapidly."

"Do you think the Liangzhu civilization is related to the Mayan civilization?"

"This is just my personal opinion."

"So how far has the Liangzhu civilization reached?"

"A civilization with palaces, royal tombs and pyramids, how far do you think it has reached? The Mojiaoshan site in Yuhang is enough to amaze anyone. It is the political, economic and religious center of the Liangzhu civilization. It is found that there are large-scale The 'Palace Square', with a building base of more than 1 square meters, is known as the Forbidden City 5000 years ago. There are also a large number of high-level tombs, and there are exquisite jade articles in the giant coffins. Egypt has preserved more than 100 pyramids, and Liang The Zhu civilization also had more than [-] high platforms called 'earth pyramids' in the archaeological circles."

I took a deep breath: "Since it has reached such a glorious height, why the sudden decline?"

"This is another mystery." Sun Tzuchu sighed meaningfully, "The most popular theory is natural disasters: more than 4000 years ago, the global sea level rose, most of the land in the south of the Yangtze River was flooded, and the Liangzhu civilization was destroyed." Annihilation'. But there is another saying: Liangzhu civilization is very obsessed with jade, they put a lot of time and energy into the mining and production of jade. Jade is a luxury in any era, Liangzhu civilization therefore caught in an unhealthy climate of extreme luxury."

"Luxurious subjugation?"

"That's right, but there is no definite evidence for either the theory of 'flood destruction' or the theory of 'luxury subjugation'. Perhaps, the Liangzhu civilization really came and went without a trace just like the ancient Mayans."

In this way, two hours passed, and Sun Tzuchu was like the host of the Discover channel, talking about the mysterious ancient Liangzhu country endlessly.

Listening to his long speech, I suddenly had a strange feeling in my heart - what kind of relationship does this mysterious local civilization 5000 years ago have with the barren village?But I really can't figure it out. The deserted village is located on the coast of eastern Zhejiang, not in the Taihu Lake Basin at the center of the Liangzhu civilization, and the Liangzhu civilization is too far away from today. Could the jade articles found in those deserted villages be unearthed in other places? What about cultural relics?

I can only shake my head, my mind is already in a mess.Seeing those five pieces of jade, I felt like I was stabbed by something again.Sun Tzuchu helped me put away the jade wares. He told me to be careful and put them in a safe place. These things are all national treasures.

"However, no one will come to such a ghostly place. Anyway, I only live for a few days."

At noon, I went out to have lunch with my grandson Chu, so today I am the treat.I didn't say much in the restaurant, and I didn't dare to tell him some things, because with his personality and professional habits, he would definitely break the casserole and ask the end.Instead of one more person entangled in this matter, let me carry it alone.

Sun Tzuchu drank a lot of wine, but I didn't drink at all.During the dinner, he was already drunk and talking nonsense, and finally I helped him out of the hotel, stuffed him into a taxi and sent him back.

After returning to the deserted village apartment, I immediately went up to the room on the second floor, and carried the jade box to the innermost room in the corridor on the third floor.There happened to be a pair of ladders leading up to the attic above the ceiling.I climbed the ladder carefully and put the box in the corner of the attic, so it should be safe.

After nightfall, I had a hasty dinner, and I never dared to turn off the lights again—according to the experience of the previous two days, as long as I was in total darkness, my eyes would see those bizarre sights, more than 50 years ago Ruoyun, the woman who once lived in this house.However, as soon as the lights were turned on, they suddenly disappeared from my eyes.

I went around the upstairs and downstairs of the deserted village apartment, and as long as the light bulb was not broken, I turned on the lights in all the rooms.Although the light from these old light bulbs is as dim as candlelight, I think that if you look at the deserted village apartment from the outside, there must be a strange feeling-a few rays of dark light can be seen in almost every window, and the whole building The house seems to have returned to the 30s, just like the name of a love movie: "70 Years Back in Time".

However, if it was the demolition workers outside who suddenly saw this old house that had been closed for many years, with so many lights on at once, they would probably be scared to death, right?Perhaps, people would think that all the ghosts from decades ago have come out to hold a ghost party that only belongs to the apartment in the deserted village.

Unfortunately, today is not Halloween.

Thinking of this, I suddenly burst out laughing, and I wondered how I could still laugh when I was in such a situation.

At ten o'clock in the evening, Xiaoqian finally came back, her black hair was shining with moisture, it seemed that she had already taken a bath outside.A woman's eyes are always sharp, and she immediately noticed something on my face: "What happened today?"

"Nothing? I lay on the third floor all day today."

But she opened the cabinet and looked at it and said, "Why did you hide all my things here? Did someone come to this room today?"

Alas, she found out again. I smirked awkwardly and could only honestly tell her about Sun Tzuchu's visit here.By the way, I also briefly introduced to her the mysterious Liangzhu civilization 5000 years ago.

After listening to everything I said, Xiaoqian said coldly: "You mean those mysterious jade objects that link the Liangzhu civilization with the barren village."

"Yes, maybe this is the secret entrance to the deserted village?"

Xiaoqian looked at my left hand sharply: "Then what about the thing on your finger? Is it also a 5000-year-old mysterious jade?"

My heart "thumped" again, looking at the jade ring on my hand, it "grows" on my finger like a parasite, and it seems to have merged with me.I covered the jade ring with my right hand, and said sadly, "What's wrong with me? I got involved like a fool, watched four people die one after another but couldn't do anything about it, and now my hand is covered with this magic spell again." , all I see in my eyes are ghost faces—what's wrong with me?"

"It's not your fault." Xiaoqian suddenly approached me, and her tone became extremely gentle, "Don't worry, with me by your side, you will be fine."

Finally, I couldn't restrain myself anymore, and vented all the troubles of the past few days: "With you by my side? Who do you think you are? Nie Xiaoqian in Liaozhai, or the Liangzhu witch 5000 years ago?"

She listened to me quietly, her expression was so calm and composed, she just looked into my eyes without saying a word.

Only then did I realize my gaffe, I lowered my head and apologized and said: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't lose my temper with you, you know I never lose my temper, but this situation makes me so desperate."

Xiaoqian still stared into my eyes and said flatly, "It's okay."

"Is it really okay? Did I scare you just now?"

"No, you'll never scare me."

Suddenly, she stretched out her hand and rubbed my face, and said with a smile: "Go to bed early, and you won't be afraid when you fall asleep."

I nodded, but when I walked to the door, I turned around and said, "But you still have nightmares when you're asleep?"

Xiaoqian still smiled slightly and said, "Good night."

After taking a shower in the bathroom, I went back to my room on the third floor.All the lights are on tonight. In fact, I am not used to sleeping in a room with lights, but I can only grit my teeth, close my eyes and sleep on the floor.

The dim light kept irritating my eyelids, and I tossed and turned for a long time before I fell asleep... A few hours later, something suddenly irritated my eardrums, and I slowly woke up from the darkness.

My heart fluttered immediately, and the voice had a special melody, urging me to open my eyes.The lights on the third floor were still on, and the sound seemed to be coming from the ground floor.I stumbled outside and finally recognized the sound of a piano.

How could there be a piano sound in the deserted village apartment?I listened to it for a while, and felt that the melody was somewhat familiar—yes, it was Liszt's piano piece "Forever", which is also music I have always liked very much.

Following the melody composed by the Hungarian, I tiptoed down the spiral staircase.The hall on the ground floor was dark, strange, I remember the lights here should be on.But the spring-like piano sound attracted me like a seductive girl, making me forget my fear instantly.

At this moment, in this deserted village apartment in the dark night, Liszt's piano music resounds, I feel that I am in the nineteenth century, in the dark forest of Hungary, listening to the piano and singing of the girl in the castle - I can't use more It can be described in simple language, the wonderful timbre of the piano, coupled with Liszt's melody, it seems that a pair of natural lovers are staying together in this desolate night, whispering, tender like water, just like the song Names - forever.

The sound of the piano was turbulently flowing in this ancient house, luring me to find the ray of light, which was the room next to the hall, and the sound of the piano came from here.It was the room where the Ouyang family took family photos. There was a valuable old piano by the wall, but it was already broken inside and it was impossible to make any sound.

I walked to the door silently, a strange soft light illuminated my eyes, and I saw——

In this spacious room, the cover of the brand-new piano was opened, and ten beautiful fingers like green jade were dancing on the keys. The sound waves flowed out with her fingers, and circled throughout the deserted village apartment.

Following those soft and white fingers, my gaze gradually moved to her arms and neck. The faint light that came from nowhere splashed on her skin like running water, and splashes of water splashed. into my pupils.

That's right, it's still her——Ruoyun.

I looked at this beautiful woman more than 50 years ago like a dream.She was wearing a long dress with a white hem that covered her feet and her black hair fell back her shoulders.She was concentrating on the piano, her eyes were almost half-closed, and as soon as her ten fingers touched the keys, notes would be produced. She was so mesmerized that she seemed to be experiencing the soul of this piece - eternal sad love .

Just when I could hardly hold myself, the piano sound suddenly stopped, Ruoyun's hands stopped in the air, fingers trembling slightly.Then, she turned her head slowly, her gaze fixed behind her——

Only now did I realize that there was another person standing in the room, a handsome young man, dressed in black, standing upright by the window, his face was pale when the light shone on it.

——He is Ruoyun's husband, the heir of Ouyang's family.

There was no sound in the room, and the light and shadow swayed on the man's face. He walked slowly to Ruoyun's side and put his hand on her shoulder...

My heart suddenly hangs up, I don't know what to do?Only then did I feel a dull pain in my finger. It turned out that the pain had lasted for a long time. I tremblingly looked at my left hand. The soft light shone on the jade ring, and those scarlet stains seemed to be getting brighter and brighter.

"No!"

I screamed in extreme fear, the white light disappeared in an instant, and the room sank into darkness again, and I couldn’t see anything in front of me. I fumbled for the switch on the wall in panic, but nothing happened for a while. touched.

Suddenly, a hand was placed on my shoulder, and I turned around trembling, but I smelled a faint fragrance, and a few strands of hair wiped my face.

The lights in the room turned on, and a familiar face appeared in front of my eyes. It turned out to be Xiaoqian.She was standing in front of me with her eyes wide open, only a few centimeters away from me, and I could even feel her breath on my face.

We just stared at each other blankly, and after ten seconds, Xiaoqian took a few steps back and said with flushed cheeks, "Why are you here?"

"I want to ask you that too."

Xiaoqian was wearing a thin pajamas, she hugged her shoulders and said, "I had a dream just now."

"Nightmare?" I shook my head hastily. "Nightmare" has become the word with the highest frequency in this story.

"It's not a nightmare." She walked to the piano anxiously and said, "I dreamed about the sound of the piano. The piano piece is very beautiful, it seems to be—"

"Forever" by Hungarian pianist Liszt.

Xiaoqian lowered her head and said: "The piano music in this dream gave me a strange feeling. So I walked out of the room, and when I reached the stairs, I suddenly heard you yell, and I walked over immediately. But I saw a dark figure standing at the door."

"And you turned on the light?"

As I said that, I also walked to the piano. Looking at the dilapidated piano, I couldn't imagine that it could play such a beautiful sound.I opened the top cover, stretched out my hand and pressed the keys a few times, but still couldn't make any sound.

So, how did the piano sound I heard just now come from?Is that also the sound of the piano more than 50 years ago?But why did the sound of the piano go to Xiaoqian's dream again?
Xiaoqian reached out and poked me and said, "What are you in a daze for?"

I smiled wryly: "I'm thinking about what I just heard and what I saw."

"What did you hear? What did you see? Well, I believe what you said now."

Looking at her alluring eyes, I couldn't help but nodded, and told Xiaoqian truthfully all the bizarre scenes I saw just now.

But after she finished listening, she still asked suspiciously: "Did you really see the person from more than 50 years ago?"

"Yes, I saw Ruoyun." I read the name softly, and at the same time looked up at the ceiling, as if speaking to a ghost, and then said in a parallel prose tone, "I saw it with my own eyes, I saw it with my own ears. What I heard is definitely not a dream."

I looked around the room, shook my head and said, "It's late at night, don't stand here, let's go upstairs."

Xiaoqian seemed to believe my words, and hurried out of the room.

Back on the second floor, I felt exhausted all over my body, so I said softly to Xiaoqian, "Go to sleep well."

Then I ran up to the third floor and lay down on the mat.At this time, I realized that my fingers no longer hurt, and the jade ring no longer had a strange feeling. Staring at the red stain, I suddenly felt something——

Could it be because of this jade ring?No, I quickly closed my eyes.

Outside the window, the long night is long...

(End of this chapter)