Deserted Village Apartments

Chapter 26 No.20 Three Days

It was very late when I woke up in the morning, and the heavy rain last night had stopped long ago, but there were still drops of water on the ivy leaves in front of the window.After a night of rain, they looked even more vibrant.It's a pity that the creepers don't know that in a few days, their lives will end with this house.

When I came to the second floor, I found that Xiaoqian had already gone to work, but she still left me a breakfast.After breakfast, I walked around upstairs and downstairs. Although the electricity had been cut off, but luckily the running water was still there, and I should be able to survive the last few days.

Since there was no electricity, I had to go out for lunch.However, compared with Xiaoqian's meal last night, this lunch was even worse than pig food.

Nothing happened in the afternoon, I read a book in the room for a while, but as soon as I remembered the scenes that happened in this room last night, I was really in no mood to read the book.In the evening, when I was about to go out for dinner, Xiaoqian came back early.

Xiaoqian was wearing a short skirt, her hair was slightly wet, and there was a faint fragrance of shampoo exuding from her body.However, what attracted me more was the KFC fast food in her hand.Although, I have always hated Western fast food, but at this very moment, it is very good to be able to eat KFC.

After it was completely dark, we lit candles, and I couldn't help but laugh at myself and said, "Dining with the company of candlelight is the treatment only available in high-end restaurants."

When I ate up my share of chicken legs like no one else was there, Xiaoqian hardly moved. I wiped the oil on my mouth and said, "Xiaoqian, can you eat a little? Old Mr. Pu Songling didn't write The story of Nie Xiaoqian dieting and losing weight."

But she replied coldly: "Because Nie Xiaoqian doesn't eat fireworks in the world."

After the dinner was cleaned up, Xiaoqian suddenly asked me softly: "Last night—why didn't you stay?"

"Well—" I smiled awkwardly and said, "I see that you are already asleep, so naturally you don't need anyone to accompany you."

Xiaoqian stopped talking and just took a deep breath. There seemed to be something hidden in her eyes, but she avoided mine.

After being silent for a long time under the dim candlelight, she suddenly spoke again: "Last time you said that you got many ancient jade articles from that college student who went to the deserted village."

"Why do you ask this?" I replied a little nervously, "Those jade objects come from the underground of the barren village, just like the jade ring on my hand."

"Are they really all 5000 years old?"

"Experts have identified it, it should be."

"Can I have a look?" She walked up to me, stared into my eyes and said, "Just to look, I won't touch your things."

No, how could I refuse her such a small request?I nodded: "Okay, just be careful when you look at it, don't damage these treasures, let alone leak the news about the jade."

"Of course I know that. Besides, I don't have any other friends besides you."

I nodded, took two flashlights, and Xiaoqian and I each went up to the third floor.

Stepping up the spiral staircase in the dark, Xiaoqian followed me closely. Under the light of the flashlight, we came to the room at the end of the corridor on the third floor.

Here's an escalator I left, right up against the hole in the ceiling above.I took a picture of it with my flashlight and said, "Aren't you afraid to climb up from here?"

She was much more courageous than last night: "Don't be afraid."

I nodded, grabbed the flashlight in one hand, and the escalator in the other, and managed to get to the attic.Then, Xiaoqian also climbed up the stairs. I held her hand tightly and pulled her up by the way.

The dark attic is filled with a terrifying atmosphere, the dormer windows are blocked by creeper branches and leaves, and no moonlight can shine in.I could only scan around with a flashlight, and it took me a long time to find the jade box. It felt like I was robbing a tomb.

Within the narrow range of the flashlight beam, I opened the box with difficulty, and carefully took out the jade wares inside—jade cong, jade bi, jade axe, jade turtle, and jade dagger.The flashlight shone on these treasures, and the surface of the jadeware had a strange reflection. Xiaoqian stroked the jade cong a few times, and her fingers trembled slightly.

I looked at the surrounding dark palace-like environment, and suddenly thought of the four dead college students. When they entered the mysterious underground palace in the deserted village and faced these jade artifacts, they probably had the same feeling.

Xiaoqian suddenly sighed and said, "Now I believe it, they are indeed jade objects from 5000 years ago."

"why?"

"Because I feel it in my hand." She took her hand away from the jade and stepped back and said, "Yes, when my fingers touch the jade, I can really feel their age."

"Is this a girl's sixth sense?"

"Maybe, you put them away quickly, I don't dare to touch the precious things from 5000 years ago."

I nodded, and put the jades away again, protected them with old newspapers and foam, and put them back in the box.

Then, I took Xiaoqian's hand and said, "Wait a minute, I'll show you a few more things."

Guided by the light of the flashlight, I found the dresser and said softly, "This is the dresser Ruoyun used."

"Why is there no mirror?" She couldn't see the frame in the dark.

"It's already broken."

Suddenly, Xiaoqian said knowingly: "It's like last night, she and her husband."

"Yes, how can a broken mirror be restored?"

As I said that, I opened the two lower drawers and took out those old photos of Ruoyun and Ouyang's family, as well as two books by Zhang Ailing.Under the dim light of the flashlight, Xiaoqian slowly flipped through the photos and books, looking at Ruoyun's face in the photo, she said sadly: "Thank you, thank you for letting me see these, I seem to be able to breathe into her body smell."

"Yeah, I feel the same way."

"No, I don't feel the same way as you. Because I am a girl, and only girls can feel Ruoyun's pain—before she married into Ouyang's family, she must have been a girl with many longings. The young and handsome Ouyang sacrificed himself to marry into this prison."

"You said that the deserted village apartment is a cage?"

"Isn't it? Ouyang's family is so conservative and closed. Even if they moved to Shanghai, they would also move the old Jinshidi house in the barren village. Yes, this house became another Jinshidi, so it was named It’s called a barren village apartment, but it’s just rebuilding a miniature barren village on the land of Shanghai.”

What she said was indeed reasonable, and I nodded and said: "Marrying into Ouyang's family means losing your freedom forever and being imprisoned in this miniature deserted village?"

"Yes, Ruoyun must have experienced deep pain after marrying into the deserted village apartment, but she didn't want to show it, so she could only look out the window and read Zhang Ailing's book."

Xiaoqian sighed again, and then put all these old photos and books back in the drawer.

"Okay, let's go." I gently pulled her and walked to the other end of the attic, when suddenly a huge black shadow appeared in the beam of the flashlight.

"What is that?" Xiaoqian immediately grabbed my hand.

I took a closer look, and then let out a sigh of relief and said, "It's okay, it's a wardrobe."

"Wardrobe? Is there Ruoyun's clothes in it?"

Perhaps, the girl is born with a soft spot for the wardrobe, she immediately ran to the closet.Under the light of the flashlight, she slowly opened the door of the closet, and a musty smell made us all turn our heads.

After a while, the electric light illuminated the inside of the closet, and Xiaoqian suddenly screamed: "There are dead people!"

I immediately grabbed her tightly and said, "No, there are clothes hanging inside."

"What?" Xiaoqian finally came back to her senses, and looked carefully into the closet. Under the dim light of the flashlight, those black coats really looked like hanged ghosts.

Xiaoqian cautiously reached in and touched a conspicuous cheongsam. The silk was already brittle, so she had no choice but to put it down.She touched another piece of clothing next to her. It was a black all-hair women's coat. It could be seen that the material and workmanship were very good, and it should have been a luxury item at the time.

Suddenly, Xiaoqian seemed to feel something on the coat, and her hand stopped on the front pocket of the coat, and there seemed to be something hidden inside.She immediately put her hand into the pocket, which seemed so huge that it almost swallowed half of her small arm.

—she took a notebook from her coat pocket.

The light of the flashlight shone on the notebook. Xiaoqian held it carefully, looking very excited. She said excitedly, "Look, what is this?"

"The notebook in the coat pocket?"

This is a black hardcover book, which should have been produced more than 50 years ago.I gently opened the notebook, and a line of beautiful handwriting appeared on the title page——

Diary of a deserted village apartment.

There is also a signature under this line - Ruoyun.

"My God! This is the diary left by Ruoyun back then." Xiaoqian couldn't help crying out. She stretched out her hand to caress the title page and touched Ruoyun's writing with a black pen. "She actually hid the diary in her clothes. In the closet, it's incredible."

"Maybe she didn't hide it in the first place." I closed the diary at this time, and I said a little nervously, "It's really inconvenient in the attic. Let's take a look in the room on the second floor."

Xiaoqian also nodded, so we took the diary and climbed down the escalator to leave the attic.

We hurried back to our room on the second floor, so awkward to use a flashlight, I lit a candle again.When the candlelight illuminated the room again, Xiaoqian and I both breathed a sigh of relief, as if we had returned to the world.

Finally, we opened Ruoyun's "Diary of a Deserted Village Apartment" together, but found that there were many missing pages, and many pages were torn off by Qi Gen, which made the diary incomplete.I counted the number of pages with words left, and there were more than twenty pages in total.

However, the first page of the diary was preserved intact, and the date was written on the top of the page—October 35, [-]th year of the Republic of China.The diary was written vertically from right to left according to the custom at that time, and each beautiful Chinese character appeared before our eyes.

In the dark night of this deserted village apartment, flickering candles reflected red and yellowed pages, Xiaoqian and I held our breath, as if we really heard Ruoyun talking, we silently recited "Diary of a Deserted Village Apartment" The first day of -

October 35, [-], sunny

Today is the first day of this diary, and the second day I married into the deserted village apartment.

Yes, yesterday was my wedding day.

I have always wondered why people always say that women are the most beautiful when they get married. When I put on a white wedding dress yesterday and looked at myself in the mirror, I almost thought it was a stranger—yes, the mirror She is so young and pure in the movie, her body is covered by a wedding dress like snow, but is that me?I shook my head, and she in the mirror shook her head too. I spoke softly, and she in the mirror moved her lips.I can't imagine that from today I will become her, a completely strange woman.

The car of Ouyang's family was waiting downstairs. My mother accompanied me downstairs, and some girls helped me hold the wedding dress and squeezed me into the car.When the car arrived at the apartment in the deserted village, I only heard firecrackers ringing non-stop. Many people surrounded me and entered Ouyang's house. I kept my head down all the time, and I didn't even see what the house looked like.Everything has been arranged in the hall long ago, Qingyuan is wearing a neat suit, waiting for me with a smile.He looks so handsome, with a confident smile in his eyes, because from this day on he will be my husband.

Qingyuan's parents sat in the middle majestically. Although they had already reviewed my daughter-in-law, they still watched me meticulously.Like a beautiful toy, I followed the steps agreed by their family and completed all the ceremonies of the wedding.There were a lot of people at the banquet, and the noisy human voices made it hard for me to hear anything, just like a dream.It wasn't until very late that Qingyuan dragged me into the bridal chamber on the third floor. I was already exhausted and fell asleep on the bed.

This is my wedding.The next day, Qingyuan took me to greet my in-laws, and then spent the day with me.Now, while he was going downstairs, I hid in the study and wrote this page of the diary.

From today, I will record every day in my deserted village apartment in this diary.She is the most private friend in my heart, and no one can see her except myself.

October 35, 29, overcast

Today is the tenth day since I married into the deserted village apartment.

Qingyuan's parents lived on the second floor, and every morning Qingyuan would take me to pay their respects to them. He said this was the usual rule of Ouyang's family.The father-in-law and mother-in-law are very old, and Qingyuan is their only son and the only heir of the Ouyang family.I think the master and wife are old-age sons, and they must love their only son very much, so they must love me very much.

Qingyuan has returned to work in the company since today, and Ouyang's family opened a trading company in Shanghai, specializing in importing various valuable commodities from the United States.Both the master and wife are old, and the business of the company is completely managed by Qing Yuan alone, so he is always very busy.It's already nine o'clock in the evening, and he still hasn't come home. I'm sitting alone in the study, writing a diary blankly.Qingyuan once promised me that I could still go to work in the bank after marriage, but now my parents-in-law disagree, they say that the daughter-in-law of the Ouyang family must stay at home.Qingyuan could not go against the wishes of my parents, which finally made me give up the idea of ​​working.

Although only ten days had passed, it felt like years had passed.Is this what it's like to be newlywed?I can't remember it all my life?Could it be the house?Sometimes when walking on the stairs of an apartment in a deserted village, I would feel a strange feeling in my heart, as if I could hear something, and I stopped to listen, but I couldn't hear anything.Hey, could it be that all brides are suspicious?

Yes, to be honest, I am a little afraid of my father-in-law. The clothes he wears and the voice he speaks make me faintly afraid.Qingyuan always comforted me, saying that Ouyang's family came from a remote place, so naturally they have some conservative customs.Forget it, I will only feel happy when I face Qingyuan, but when will he come back tonight?

December 35, 24, overcast

Today is Christmas Eve.

In the morning, it was rare for me to go out once. Most of the bungalows on the roadside of Anxi were decorated with colorful lights. It turns out that tomorrow is Christmas.Naturally, the families who hang the lanterns are all foreigners, and Ouyang's family will never celebrate foreigners' festivals.However, Qingyuan has promised me that he will go home early tonight and have dinner with me.

However, Qingyuan broke the appointment again. I ate dinner with my parents-in-law. They didn't say a word during the meal. I almost didn't eat anything, so I ran to the next door to play the piano.By the way, this piano can be regarded as my dowry. Whenever I am troubled, I will sit in front of the piano and play Liszt's music.As the piano was playing, my tears fell quietly. I could only stop and wipe my tears.No, he won't forget today, because today is the first anniversary of our acquaintance.

Yes, exactly one year ago, I was working as a secretary in the office of the Bank of China.On Christmas Eve last year, all the female colleagues went home early, and I was the only one who was still typing a document.Suddenly, I found a pair of eyes staring at me, slowly raised my head, but saw a young and handsome face - he is my Qingyuan.It turned out that he had been looking at me like this for a long time. I asked him what was the matter, but he scratched his head and asked where the manager's office was.Since then, he will come to the bank office every afternoon, and he will do all the things that should be done by the financial department, because only in this way can he have the opportunity to talk to me.Every time he talked with me, he would involve a lot of other things. It took a long time to talk in the office, and I was really embarrassed to drive him away.Later, he invited me to talk outside, first to coffee shops, restaurants, and then to movie theaters and parks.Everyone soon found out the secret—the young master of the Ouyang family was pursuing me, and the female colleagues also cast envious glances at me.But I was uneasy in my heart, I didn't know how to face Qingyuan, this man is so outstanding, personable, gentle, and more importantly, his family is very rich, owning a three-story bungalow on Anxi Road.I know that there are many women who are secretly competing for him, but he doesn't like any of them, but he only falls in love with me.Until now, I still don't know why he has a soft spot for me, maybe it's because of my eyes, he said that there is a beauty in my eyes that can penetrate time and space.

In the end, I was conquered by Qingyuan.In front of his burning feelings, I think he should be the other half of my life.My whole family is happy for me, and the female colleagues at the bank are secretly jealous.So, on a hot night in July, under the watchful eyes of Luo Song Hotel, I accepted his marriage proposal.

This is how we met and fell in love, and then our marriage.In this whole year, I changed from a girl to a woman, but I can't tell what I changed, maybe like a bird, I just changed from one cage to another .

After playing the piano, I went back to the upstairs study and stared blankly at Zhang Ailing's "Legend". I have read this book twenty times, and maybe I will read it twenty times again.

Just now, I received a call from Qingyuan. He said that he had an important dinner party tonight and he would not be able to go home until tomorrow.I didn't answer a word, hung up the phone gently, and continued to write my diary.

Merry Christmas, my dear friend.

April 36, [-], light rain
I remember when I was working in a bank, there was a foreign employee in the office who would play a lot of pranks on April 4 every year. It wasn’t that a certain colleague won the lottery prize this morning, or that the third world war started last night It turns out that April 1st is April Fool's Day for foreigners.

Today is April 4st.

The doctor came in the afternoon, and the father-in-law and mother-in-law were very nervous, and it was rare for Qingyuan to go home early.After a careful examination, the doctor told me very solemnly - I was pregnant.

When I heard the news, I was suddenly stunned and didn't react for a long time.Suddenly, I asked softly: "By the way, today is April 4st, are you kidding me on April Fool's Day?"

The doctor replied stupidly: "I'm sorry, madam, what is April Fool's Day?"

I smiled awkwardly and stopped talking.However, why did you tell me today, is all this a joke made by fate?
No, I know what pregnancy is, and I know I'm going to be a mother, but——I can't tell, but at that moment, my heart beats faster for no reason.

Qingyuan didn't notice my expression, and my father-in-law and mother-in-law were also very happy, and my mother-in-law finally showed a smile, grabbed my hand and talked non-stop.But her wrinkled face looks like it came from an ancient tomb 1000 years ago. She babbles in the Eastern Zhejiang dialect. I can hardly understand a word. It feels like she is chanting a spell to me. .

They tossed me for a whole day, and I didn't have my own free time until midnight, sitting in the study and writing these words.I think now there is a small seed that is taking root and sprouting in my belly. He (she) will gradually grow up and leave the mother's womb. Who will he (she) be like?Is it me or Qingyuan?

I rubbed my belly lightly and stopped writing.

April 36rd, [-], sunny

Today is the first dance held at the deserted village apartment.

After knowing that I was pregnant two days ago, Qingyuan decided to celebrate in a grand way. He invited all his friends in the business field to hold a dance in the deserted village apartment.

After nightfall, all the guests came, and all the servants in the deserted village apartment got busy, decorating the hall magnificently.Qingyuan pulled me to the center of the hall and announced to everyone the good news that he was about to become a father. Amid applause of envy or jealousy, music was played from the gramophone—the dance began.

Qingyuan has always been a master on the dance floor, it is said that his dancing posture has fascinated many women.I didn't know how to dance at first, but after getting to know Qingyuan, he often took me to Paramount and Seventh Heaven. Under his careful training, my dancing skills also improved rapidly.However, after I married into Ouyang's family, I never had the chance to dance again. As for whether Qingyuan danced with other women outside, I don't know.

With the sound of "In the Mood for Love", Qingyuan danced with his arms around me, the music led my steps, and picked up the long-forgotten beat.God, I haven't felt this way for a long time, we are close together, his big strong arms are around my waist, I gently put my head on his shoulders, it feels like a boat coming into port .

The dancers around us stared at us intently, and we became the centerpiece of the dance.However, I don't want to be a prom queen, I just want to be the only woman Qingyuan loves, I raised my head again and looked into his eyes, in his soft eyes, it was clearly guilt and repayment.Yes, I have been full of resentment towards him for half a year. His staying out all night, his indifference, and the external makeup on his body are all gone now.Qingyuan, have you ever heard what I said in my heart, no matter what you have done, I have already forgiven you.

Yes, we'll be a wonderful couple, we'll have lots of kids, and the deserted apartment will be alive instead of lonely.

May 36, 25, overcast

I mentioned in my diary a few days ago that my father-in-law and mother-in-law went back to the countryside. It was a place called a deserted village, and it was said that there was an old house called Jinshidi there.At dusk yesterday, the father-in-law and mother-in-law finally came back in a hurry. They seemed to have brought back something important from their hometown and put it in a big leather box.They looked at me with strange expressions. I didn't know what was going to happen, so I could only touch my stomach subconsciously.I'm starting to get bloated but I'm happy because my kids are getting bigger.

The father-in-law, mother-in-law and Qingyuan have been whispering, as if discussing some important matter without telling me, I have a vague premonition.I hid in my room all night and didn't dare to go to bed until midnight.At this time, Qingyuan pulled me out and took me to an empty room.My parents-in-law were also waiting for me here. They locked the door tightly and let me lie down on the table in the middle of the room.I was very scared by the atmosphere, and I was afraid to lie down, so my mother-in-law came up and reprimanded me.Finally, under Qingyuan's pleading, I could only lie on the table on my back, just like a pregnant woman in real labor.

The father-in-law opened the big suitcase he brought from the countryside and took out a small box that seemed to be made of jade.Then, Qingyuan carefully opened the box, and stretched out his hand to take out a ring-like object.Qingyuan trembled all over and said, "Is this the jade ring?"

The mother-in-law nodded and said, "Hurry up, we'll get to this point."

Qingyuan walked slowly to my side, grabbed my left hand, and the jade ring clearly appeared in front of my eyes. It was a turquoise jade with a striking red stain on the side, which gave off a strange reflection under the light .I struggled immediately, but was held down firmly by Qingyuan, his eyes seemed to contain tears, and he said softly: "Ruoyun, don't worry, you will be fine, just like wearing a ring."

I saw that the ring finger of my left hand was held tightly by Qingyuan and couldn't move.Then, he slowly put the jade ring on my finger.The jade ring was icy cold, like a hoop, "holding" my ring finger tightly, and a strange feeling immediately spread throughout my body.In an instant, I felt the fetus in my womb cry out, so I also cried out.But Qingyuan pressed me firmly, the feeling on my fingers made me weak, and I could no longer resist.

Under the dim light, I only saw my father-in-law nodding his head in satisfaction, his zombie-like old face shook my eyes a few times.Then, I heard a burst of strange words coming out of his mouth. It was not a human voice at all, as if he was chanting some kind of spell, and it was aimed at my ears continuously.The sound has a special rhythm, like an ancient ballad, and I immediately thought of the witch songs in some places where witchcraft was practiced, which was said in a book.No, this terrible ancient voice clearly wanted to take the lives of me and my child. I wanted to struggle desperately, but I didn't have any strength in my body, so I could only whimper and cry.

In the swaying light and shadow, I saw Qingyuan and my mother-in-law circling around me, they circling around and around, chanting words in their mouths.Everything in front of my eyes became hazy, and I gradually couldn't see anything clearly, I couldn't hear anything—I felt as if I was caught in a certain tribe, tied up and worshiped on a table, surrounded by these wild people I dance and sing, and I and my children will be poor sacrifices.

I lost consciousness, and as to what happened afterwards, I no longer know.

When I woke up, it was already this morning, and I found myself lying in the bedroom, Qingyuan was looking at me anxiously.I rubbed my eyes and asked: "Last night, I had a dream. I dreamed that you put me on the table and danced and sang around me..."

Qingyuan could only say embarrassingly: "Really? Since it's a dream, don't worry too much."

However, I immediately felt something on my finger, and I raised my left hand to see that jade ring was impressively worn on my ring finger.I screamed: "What is this? How did the jade ring in the dream end up on my hand?"

At this moment, Qingyuan was speechless.I wanted to pull out the jade ring, but no matter how hard I tried, the jade ring was still firmly on my finger, and it was getting tighter and tighter, making my finger hurt like hell.For a whole day, I tried various methods to get rid of the jade ring, but it seemed to have a life of its own and could never be pulled out again.

I asked Qingyuan painfully, but he smiled wryly and refused to answer.I dared to ask my parents-in-law again, but they smiled and kept comforting me, saying that last night was just a custom of Ouyang's family, and it was to pray for the safety of pregnant women, mother and child.As for the magical jade ring, they didn't tell me the reason.

Now, I hide in my study and write this page of diary, I am sure that what happened in the middle of last night is true, I did not have a nightmare - no, it is worse than a nightmare, they sang old witch songs around me , and put a jade ring on me, and once I put it on, I can never take it off again.God, what the hell is my husband and in-laws doing?Who are they, the Ouyang family?Until then, I stroked the baby in my womb, and suddenly felt that this was a mistake, a huge mistake from the day I married into the apartment in the deserted village.

no, what should i do?

June 36, [-], cloudy
I saw ghosts.

Yesterday, Qingyuan stayed away all night again, and my parents-in-law also went back to my hometown in the countryside. I slept alone on the third floor.In the middle of the night, I suddenly felt pain in my fingers. It turned out that the jade ring was embedded in my flesh.I rubbed my left ring finger tightly, only to find that the light in the corridor was on.I endured the pain in my fingers and walked out of the room, only to find that it was not the light of an electric lamp, but a strange white light, illuminating a black figure at the stairway.

I called softly: "Qingyuan."

But the figure from the back didn't respond. I ran over anxiously, but the figure walked down the stairs.Strangely, that ray of white light was always shining on that figure, while the surrounding area was in darkness.I slowly followed the figure to the second floor, only to see clearly that it was a tall man, who didn't seem like Qingyuan.The man showed a pale hand and pushed open a door.I also followed to the door, only to see several dead people hanging in the room!

I almost screamed in fright, but nothing came out of my mouth, and the fear made me almost forget the pain in my fingers.At this moment, I finally saw the man clearly. It turned out to be a foreigner with pale skin, chestnut hair, and gray eyes. He looked about 40 years old.What frightened me even more was that the hanged people in the room were also foreigners, a woman and three children, their soft bodies were hanging in the air, their long hair was hanging down, covering half of their faces, and they were naked. The soles of their feet were stretched straight, and it seemed that they were all dead.

Seeing the scene in front of him, the foreign man also yelled in despair, but the strange thing was that I couldn't hear any sound, only his mouth was open, and I didn't know what he was shouting.Maybe the hanged person was his wife and daughter?I think anyone would go crazy in this situation, I didn't know what to do, I just yelled loudly, but the man didn't respond at all.I watched as he stood on a chair and slipped a dangling strap around his neck.

At this moment, the white light illuminated his face, his expression was so peculiar, and there was even a smile at the corner of his mouth, which seemed to be a kind of relief from life.Then, he kicked the chair away, the hanging straps tightened around his neck, and his whole body was suspended in mid-air.Suddenly, his feet kicked up wildly, and his expression was extremely painful, but his hands were shaking weakly. Could it be that he regretted hanging himself?

At this moment, a blinding light came from above my head, which made me close my eyes immediately.When I opened my eyes again, everything in front of my eyes had changed—the hanged foreigners had disappeared, the room was tidied up, and a few maids ran in, and they surrounded the room in panic. I.

I couldn't believe my eyes, but there were indeed no foreigners in the room, and the few hanging ropes were gone, only a beam above the head passed through.The maids said they heard my screams just now, so they rushed up and turned on the light, and found me standing here in extreme panic.

But I still couldn't accept it. When I told them about the horrible scene I saw just now, the maids shook their heads. Judging from their mutual expressions, they probably thought I was crazy, right?
Then an elderly maid remembered that she had heard that there was a French family living in this house several years ago.After the Japanese army occupied the Shanghai Concession, they wanted to send all Europeans to concentration camps. Several Japanese soldiers rushed into the house and raped the French family's wife and daughter.So, the family couldn't bear such insults, so they hanged themselves together in the room on the second floor.

God, did I see a ghost?

Yes, just now I saw this French family and saw the scene where they hanged themselves.But why only I will see it?I suddenly thought of the Jade Ring, the terrible ceremony, and the zombie-like faces of my father-in-law and mother-in-law...

No, I dare not think about it anymore, maybe this deserted village apartment was originally a haunted house?
That's all for today's diary.

June 36th, [-], heavy rain
Outside the window, it was raining heavily.

Today I can't stand it any longer, and I've made up my mind to ask why, or I'll go mad.Thank God, Qingyuan finally came home early today, and taking advantage of his parents-in-law's absence, I dragged him into the bedroom.The heavy rain outside the window made Qing Yuan very irritable, he paced back and forth like a prisoner being interrogated.

I tremblingly asked, "Do you still love me?"

"Why do you ask that?" He turned around, facing the rain-soaked window.

"Why put a jade ring on me, why sing that witch song to me, why do I see ghosts?"

"Because you are the daughter-in-law of Ouyang's family." Qingyuan turned his head, his expression was so strange, he seemed to be in a dilemma.After thinking for a few minutes, he finally sighed: "Actually, I will tell you about this sooner or later, just because I was worried that you would feel scared, so I didn't dare to say it."

"What's the matter? We are husband and wife. Is there anything else we can't say?"

After pausing for a moment, Qingyuan said slowly, "The secret of the deserted village."

"Secret? What secrets does the deserted village hold?"

"Do you know the history of our Ouyang family?" Qingyuan took a deep breath, his gaze became even more strange, "History, history always makes fun of people, historians always say that China has a history of 5000 years , originated from the ancient land of the Central Plains. However, historians do not know that there was an ancient kingdom in the Jiangnan Water Town just 5000 years ago."

"You're not a historian, how do you know?"

Qingyuan sneered: "Of course I know, you listen to me first - Jiangnan, more than 5000 years ago, was still a land of water and water, in a primitive and ignorant era. Just in this wild era before dawn, a group of legends suddenly appeared. They came from the vast sea, drove several huge canoes, and landed on a desolate coast—that place is today’s deserted village.”

"I see, the deserted village is where the gods landed?"

"Yes, but this is not a myth, but a fact of history - the gods came from an extremely remote place, so remote and mysterious that no human beings have ever arrived there. However, the gods have the same appearance as humans. They soon found that this land was suitable for them, so they settled down on this desolate coast." Qingyuan paused for a long time, and said with a little pain, "But more importantly, they are on that piece of land. Something very important has been found near the desolate shore."

"Something very important?"

"I don't know about this either, because this secret is so important that only my father knows it. My father once said that he would only tell me this secret when he was dying."

I suddenly felt a little cold, hugged my shoulders and said, "Then let's talk about those gods."

"Okay, the gods lived on the desolate coast for a while, and then they went north through the mountains. They found a more fertile land, which is the ancient Jiangnan Plain. So, the gods conquered the land The aborigines established a powerful ancient kingdom, and the name of this kingdom is Ancient Jade Kingdom."

"Ancient Jade Country?"

"Yes, because they like to use jade very much. Whether it is in daily life or in religious sacrifices, jade is indispensable. And the royal family of the ancient jade kingdom, that is, the descendants of the gods, not only masters the jade making technology, and can also use the mysterious power of jade to create many miracles that were impossible at that time."

"The mysterious power of jade? I don't understand."

"Just look at the jade ring on your finger."

I looked down at the jade ring, and immediately understood what "mysterious power" is, yes, it seems to have its own life, it can be firmly wrapped around my finger, maybe it has more power it.

Qingyuan continued: "Because the royal family of the ancient jade kingdom was able to grasp and use the power of jade, their country quickly became strong and created a splendid ancient civilization around Taihu Lake. They even built a city with a magnificent Palaces, huge altars and shrines, and imperial tombs deep underground. The most important thing in the ancient jade kingdom is jade, and a large number of exquisite jade wares have been produced, and the descendants of the gods—the royal family hold the highest secret of jade.”

"What is Jade's top secret?"

"I can't explain this clearly, but the top secret does exist. Well, let's talk about the royal family. The Ancient Jade Kingdom is a kingdom ruled by a queen. Isn't it strange? What's even more strange is that the queen is not hereditary , but choose a young girl from the royal family to inherit the throne of the queen. This queen has religious power, that is, the high priest of the ancient jade country."

"Such a woman is really enviable."

But Qingyuan shook his head and said: "No, the queen does not have real power, the royal family controls everything, and the queen must maintain her lifelong chastity, otherwise she will commit suicide and apologize."

"The queen must be a lifelong virgin? How ridiculous is this rule?"

"It's a bit absurd, but in the Ancient Jade Kingdom at that time, the queen's primary mission was to sacrifice, so she must be a pure woman, otherwise she would desecrate the ancestors of the gods."

"She's poor."

"The prosperity of the ancient jade country lasted about 1000 years. However, no amount of magical power can stop its decline, because this is a natural law, and any civilization that rises suddenly will die suddenly. The ancient jade country is no exception. It has been harassed by internal and external troubles. The internal troubles are hundreds of years of floods, and the flooding of Taihu Lake has submerged fertile fields and cities. It has long been corrupted by luxury, and even though it has the mysterious power of jade, it cannot resist foreign enemies."

I nodded and asked first, "Is this how the ancient jade kingdom perished?"

"No, the demise of the ancient jade country was because of a woman. About 4000 years ago, there was a beautiful queen in the ancient jade country. Although she knew that she must be chaste all her life, she still fell in love with a young slave."

"The love between the queen and the slave?"

"Doesn't it look very romantic today? But in the ancient jade country at that time, it was an act of rebellion and blasphemy against the gods. But the queen persisted in her love and had a relationship with the man she loved. Later, their relationship was The royal family discovered that according to the rules of the ancestors, the queen must commit suicide to wash away her sins.

I just felt a twinge in my heart: "Is she dead?"

"Yes, the beautiful queen committed suicide for love and cut her throat with a dagger. Before she died, she predicted that the ancient jade would perish in a year. When she died, she wore a A jade ring, blood stained on the ring, can never be wiped off. The royal family was shocked by the death of the queen, and they felt guilty and remorseful, so they enshrined the jade ring stained with the queen's blood as The highest sacred object of the royal family. Because the jade ring entrusts the mourning of the queen's death and possesses a magical power."

Hearing this, I immediately raised my left hand, and the jade ring was emitting a strange light.Yes, was not that red stain on the ring the blood of the wretched queen?
Qingyuan took my hand and continued: "Sure enough, one year after the queen committed suicide, a powerful foreign race occupied the ancient jade country, killed most of the residents, burned down the city and palaces, and the civilization of the ancient jade country was destroyed. When it was completely destroyed, it didn’t even leave any traces in the history books. However, a small part of the royal family survived, and they took the queen’s jade ring and fled to the desolate coast where their ancestors landed.”

"Is it today's deserted village?"

"Yes, these people fled to today's deserted villages and lived a life of seclusion on the land where their ancestors landed. They continued their ancient way of life and spent generation after generation on that closed and desolate coast. After the Southern and Northern Dynasties, they took Ouyang as their surname and became a big family in this place, but they still kept away from the outside world. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that there was a Jinshi, and the emperor granted the chastity archway." Finally, Qingyuan seemed to be exhausted. With a sigh, he said quietly: "Now, you should understand the history of our Ouyang family, right?"

At this moment, the rain outside the window was gradually decreasing. I looked into Qingyuan's eyes and asked tremblingly, "You mean—the Ouyang family is the descendant of the ancient royal family?"

"That's right, we are descendants of the ancient jade family 5000 years ago. People in our family have been different from others since birth. These things cannot be known to outsiders. If anyone reveals the secrets of the family, it will inevitably be severely punished."

"This is the secret of the deserted village? What about this jade ring? Why do you want to wear it on my finger?"

"Because this is the rule of our family, it has been like this for thousands of years. This jade ring is stained with the blood of the last queen, and the blood also represents the life of the queen, so the jade ring has mysterious power. It can let you see Seeing things that others cannot see can also bless your safety. Therefore, whenever the daughter-in-law of the Ouyang family is pregnant, she must wear this jade ring. Make the child in your womb unique. While wearing this jade ring, family members will also hold some special ceremonies for pregnant women and sing some witch songs from ancient times, also to protect your mother and child. .”

"However, the jade ring cannot be taken off once it is worn on the hand."

Qingyuan smiled slightly and said: "It will be fine. After you give birth to the child, the jade ring will fall off automatically. Then, we will take the jade ring back to the deserted village and hide it in a secret place in our old house. Ruoyun, please remember that this jade ring is the most important sacred object of our family, there must be no mistakes, let alone tell its secrets to others."

"That's why you dare not tell me these things, do you?"

"Yes, but as the daughter-in-law of the Ouyang family, you should know these secrets. Now that I have told them all, I have fulfilled one of my concerns." Qingyuan suddenly rubbed my stomach and said, "If Yun, you have married into our Ouyang family, so you are a member of our family. No matter what, you must abide by the family rules, otherwise tragedy will happen. "

My heart beat immediately: "Tragedy?"

Qingyuan seemed to have mentioned something taboo, and said with embarrassment: "Don't be afraid, now there is a jade ring protecting you, which will enable you to give birth to your child safely, and I believe everything will be perfect."

Next, he said a lot of words to comfort me, but I was so upset that I couldn't say anything.

After Qingyuan fell asleep, I quietly went to the study and spread out my diary.The rain outside the window made me feel mixed. Now I am also a member of this ancient family?But is this my own choice?Does it have to be like this to be born a woman?
Perhaps no one will believe that I remember every word of the conversation I had with Qingyuan just now, and now I write them almost word for word. This should also be my longest diary entry.

December 36, [-], overcast

After more than nine months, my due date is tomorrow.Qingyuan invited the best doctor in Shanghai for me, and he will come to my house to watch over me tomorrow morning. My father-in-law said that as long as there is a jade ring, the baby will be born smoothly.

Now, I am lying alone in the bedroom, and Qingyuan is sleeping next door. He said that he will come to see me if there is any movement.Taking advantage of this time, I finally took out the diary. It's not easy to write a diary with a big belly.But I'm going to write about it anyway because tomorrow my baby is due and I'm going to be a real mother too.So, I want to record my mood at the moment.

However, the feeling in my heart is too strange now, and I don't have the slightest joy of being a mother.Although I've also heard that women get very nervous before giving birth for the first time, I don't feel that way.I never worried about the process of having a baby, what I feared was my future with my baby.Thinking of the secrets of the Ouyang family, as well as my father-in-law and mother-in-law, my heart beats inexplicably faster. I don't know how long this feeling will last, maybe it will be a lifetime.

Last night, I had a nightmare. I dreamed that what I gave birth was not a baby, but a large piece of blue jade carved into the shape of a fetus.When the nightmare woke up, I felt sweaty all over my body. I knew it was not going to happen, but it was my ninth nightmare in half a month.

As I write this, I raise my left hand. The red stain on the jade ring is emitting a faint light. It is the blood of the queen more than 4000 years ago. Is she also looking at me?

December 36, [-], sunny

Seven days ago, my son was born.

It's hard to describe the pain during childbirth. In short, I gave birth to a healthy boy who looks very similar to Qingyuan. It seems that he has more of the blood of the Ouyang family.Qingyuan named his son Jiaming, hoping that he could make the Ouyang family flourish.

When I put my arms around Jiaming, looking at his little face, my tears fell.Behold, he will be breastfeeding soon, and I kiss him softly. I hope that he will grow up smoothly and be as happy as other children. This is the common hope of all mothers.

The day after I gave birth to Jiaming, I found that the jade ring had fallen off my finger. It seemed that Qingyuan was right, it had fulfilled its mission.Qingyuan took away the jade ring, saying that it was to be handed over to her father-in-law and mother-in-law, and they would send the jade ring back to her hometown in the barren village.

I haven't written a diary for seven days, and now, taking advantage of no one else in the room, I quietly took out the diary and recorded my mood after becoming a mother on the bed.

April 37th, [-], light rain
"There is a lot of rain during the Qingming Festival, and passers-by on the road want to die."

Now, it is raining lightly outside the window, which reminds me of this poem.

Today is the Ching Ming Festival, and I was supposed to go back to the countryside to sweep the tomb, but because Jia Ming was only a few months old, there was no sacrifice ceremony at home.Qingyuan invited a photographer to take a family portrait for us, taking advantage of the opportunity when the parents-in-law were at home.

The shooting location was chosen on the ground floor, the large room with the piano, after the lighting was arranged.Qingyuan, my father-in-law and my mother-in-law and I all set our positions, while Jiaming was hugged in my arms.The photographer wanted us to smile, but we couldn't satisfy him, and he ended up taking a serious family portrait.

When facing the lens of the camera, I only felt fear and fear, and the child in my arms cried out, as if my soul was being taken away.I know this is my hallucination, but recently my hallucinations have become more and more intense, and I often see scary scenes in my dreams-I dreamed that my child turned into a vampire bat, hanging upside down on the On the beam; I dreamed of my husband, with blood-dripping fangs growing out of his mouth, lying on my throat to suck blood; Jumping and walking; I dreamed that my mother-in-law crawled out of the coffin with her bones exposed.

Yes, I have been haunted by nightmares for months, leaving me with no joy of being a new mother, only deep fear and despair.

April 37th, [-]th, overcast

This morning, the father-in-law and mother-in-law returned to the countryside.Qingyuan also went to the company and did not return home until evening.After Jiaming fell asleep, I went to the ground floor alone and turned on my piano.

It's been a long time since I played the piano. When I touched the keys, I couldn't help crying.It's still Liszt's piece - "Forever", now this piece is more important to me, I can only say that the piano is the only object I confide in.Yes, only in front of the piano, in the middle of Liszt's melody, can I feel happy and feel that I am myself, a woman named Ruoyun, not just the daughter-in-law of the Ouyang family.

Just when I was completely immersed in the sound of the piano, I realized that Qingyuan was already standing behind me.He looked very pale, he seemed to have had some alcohol, and he told me to stop playing the piano, never again, because he hated the way I played the piano.Finally, I couldn't take it any longer, and I said I wouldn't give up the piano until I died.But I didn't expect that he actually slapped me in the face.

I touched the cheek that was beaten by Qingyuan, and the tears couldn't stop streaming down.I have been married to him for more than a year, and although he has treated me coldly, he has never hit me, and now this humiliation makes me think of death.Qingyuan seemed to have come to his senses, he quickly hugged me and apologized to me softly, but I could only answer him in silence.

However, Qingyuan also sobbed slightly. He seemed to be immersed in his own world, and said to himself: "Don't cry anymore, in fact, I feel more uncomfortable in my heart than you. You don't know, I am the pawn's wife. son."

I finally spoke: "What is a pawn wife."

Therefore, Qingyuan told me that "pian wife" is a custom in eastern Zhejiang, where rich families without sons spend money to "rent" the wives of poor families to have children.At that time, Qingyuan's father was middle-aged and childless, so he paid a pawn wife to visit him, and later gave birth to Qingyuan.The pawn wife often misses her former husband and children. Once she escaped from Ouyang's house and was arrested again, she was punished by sinking the well, that is, she was thrown into the well and drowned.In fact, the reason why the Ouyang family wanted to kill the pian wife was because they were afraid that she would reveal the secrets of the Ouyang family to the outside world after she escaped from the deserted village, so they gave her to Shen Jing, which was actually to kill her.

In fact, in his heart, he hated his father very much, because his father killed his biological mother.However, all of this is for the sake of family secrets, no one can violate the rules of the ancestors, no matter how painful it is, they must endure it.

It turned out that Qingyuan was not my mother-in-law's own son, and I was also surprised.Back upstairs in the study, I hurriedly wrote down today's diary.Since the Ouyang family can kill Qingyuan's biological mother in order to keep a secret, will they kill me too?
April 37, [-], cloudy
Today, my spirits are broken, because I can't play the piano anymore.I opened the piano to check, only to find that all the parts inside were smashed. Looking at these appalling piano parts, I felt a heart-wrenching pain.This piano is a gift from my mother and a dowry from my natal family. It is even more important than my life.

In the evening, I forced Qingyuan into a room on the second floor, and he admitted that he destroyed the piano in order to make me completely give up on my natal family.But I still can't believe that the husband I once loved so much smashed the most important thing in my life, and my heart was also smashed by him.I have endured it for a long time since I entered the deserted village apartment, but I can't bear Qingyuan's attack on my piano.So, I vented out all the pain, tears streaming down my face, and my heart was cut like a knife.

But Qingyuan looked extremely calm, he said coldly: "Ruoyun, if you marry into our Ouyang family, you should live a different life and forget about the outside world."

"Why can't you do what others can do? Aren't you all human?"

Qingyuan nodded slowly: "Yes, we are not human."

What he said surprised me. Judging from his serious expression, it was absolutely impossible to be joking. I tremblingly asked, "Isn't it a human being? Then what is it?"

"Listen to me, our Ouyang family is different from ordinary humans. I said that our ancestors were the rulers of the ancient Yu Kingdom in the south of the Yangtze River 5000 years ago. They were not residents of this continent, but came from another land. An extremely remote and mysterious place. In short, our family is another species. In our veins, the blood of the ancestors of the ancient Yu Kingdom 5000 years ago still flows. The purpose of our existence is to protect the secrets of the family. "

I was stunned again, isn't my husband a human being?So my son is not human anymore?No, I think Qingyuan is crazy, I can't live with this madman anymore.Finally, I boldly said: "Qingyuan, let's get a divorce."

"What did you say?" Qingyuan seemed to have misheard.

"I said I want to divorce you." I said with tears in my eyes, "Qingyuan, I once loved you deeply, but I can no longer live with you. I don't want to be a victim of your family. This house is simply A cage is a hell that devours people's souls. Moreover, I will take my son away, no matter whose blood flows in his veins, but he should have the same life and happiness as other children. I I love my son Jiaming, I will never let him live in the shadow of the family, he has the right to happiness."

Qingyuan shook his head and said viciously: "Are you crazy? Since ancient times, as long as you marry into the Ouyang family in a deserted village, you must never leave. If any daughter-in-law wants to elope and run away, she will be punished most severely."

"What is the harshest punishment?"

He slowly said a word: "Death."

But I was no longer afraid, and replied coldly: "For freedom, I would rather die."

Ruoyun's diary ends here, and the rest are all blank pages.

(End of this chapter)