I looked blankly at Du Xiaolan, and her puzzled look made me feel a bit unreal. I rubbed my face with my hand and remained silent, walking back to the room.
After lying on the kang for a while, I heard Du Xiaolan and Liu Jiguang whispering outside the window, then saw Liu Jiguang's slow figure walking past the window.
After thinking for more than half an hour, I felt more and more uncomfortable. I couldn't have had a hallucination, and it definitely wouldn't be as simple as sleepwalking. There was definitely something wrong in this matter, and it was targeted at me alone.
I couldn't just sit and wait at this moment, so I quickly got up from the kang, threw on a piece of clothing, and walked out of the room.
I quickly reached the door of Liu Jiguang's parents' room, but I couldn't hear any sound from inside. I carefully opened the door and walked in silently.
When I was half a meter away from the bed, through the dim moonlight, I saw that the bed was empty, not to mention people, even the bedding and other items were not there. The bed was covered in dust, obviously indicating that it hadn't been used for a long time.
"How is this possible!" My heart skipped a beat. I had just seen someone inside, and in the blink of an eye, they had disappeared. Suddenly, an uneasy fear arose within me.
I escaped from the room, hurriedly opened the door, and ran to the house opposite as if fleeing.
I knocked hard for a long time before the door slowly opened. Liu Uncle, who had mocked me before, yawned and looked at me, asking, "Young man, is it you again?"
Though it was only a few steps, I was still breathless with fear. "Uncle Liu, are Liu Jiguang's grandparents still alive?"
Liu Uncle's face turned ugly. "Child, what nonsense are you talking? They are alive and well. I saw them out for a walk yesterday morning."
"But just now..."
"Cough!" I hadn't finished speaking when there was a sudden sharp cough from Liu Jiguang's house.
I was suddenly stunned and quickly turned around to see a faint light coming from the open door, the light coming from Liu Jiguang's grandparents' room.
In the confusing situation, Liu Uncle suddenly smiled. "Young man, don't overthink it. Did you have a bad dream? It will be light soon; go back and sleep."
I mechanically nodded, watched as Liu Uncle closed the door, and then turned to walk back.
As soon as I closed the door, I heard a faint sound of footsteps behind me. I whipped around and saw a disheveled woman standing a meter away from me, grinning foolishly.
She was Liu Jiguang's mother, Zhang Yan!
I couldn't help but shiver with fear, took a step back, and nervously watched her.
Zhang Yan tilted her head and looked at me for a long time, then suddenly let out a terrifying cackling laugh. I felt my scalp tingle, my mind blank; it was the distinct laugh of a female ghost.
Because of the backlight, I couldn't see her face clearly, only a blurry sight of her staring directly at me. Suddenly, she took a step forward and slowly made her way towards me.
Her speed was slow, and I had plenty of time to escape to my room. However, my legs, in this moment of crisis, refused to obey me. They trembled uncontrollably, and if not for the door behind me, I would have collapsed on the ground.
When she was half a meter away from me, my heart was just about to leap out of my mouth. Just then, the door suddenly opened, and Liu Jiguang's father, Liu Jianliang, came out and quickly grabbed Zhang Yan, whispering, "Madwoman, go back to sleep. What are you doing running out? He is here to officiate the wedding, don't scare him."
Zhang Yan looked at me and giggled, then turned and walked back to the room.
In that moment, in the dim light, I saw her pale, bloodless face and the bright red tongue sticking out.
"Sorry, she's a bit troubled. She scared you," Liu Jianliang's voice startled me. I quickly came to my senses and waved my hand repeatedly. "No problem, I'm going back to my room."
Without staying any longer, I hurriedly walked back to my room. As soon as I entered, I closed the door and anxiously took out my phone from my pocket.
I didn't have many numbers saved on my phone, but quickly found my grandfather's number and dialed it, but a mechanical female voice answered, "The user you dialed is currently unavailable..."
Several attempts, and the call couldn't be answered. I was extremely anxious at the moment. I had no idea what was happening today, but perhaps if my grandfather could answer the phone, he might help me solve this puzzle.
The last call wasn't answered, and trembling, I sent a text to my grandfather, telling him I had an urgent matter and asking him to call me back quickly.
I held the phone tightly in my hand, too afraid to go back to sleep. I crouched nervously in the corner, keeping a close eye on the door.
As time passed, the sky slowly brightened until it was six o'clock. Thankfully, nothing terrifying had happened during that time.
The window was shrouded in gray, and I only stood up from the corner when I heard the sound of the next door opening. My damp trousers had already dried, and as I walked out of the door, Du Xiaolan stretched and turned her head saying, "Mingyang, how did you sleep last night?"
"I slept ok," I replied wry.
Du Xiaolan smirked, "Oh, you're fine, sleeping so comfortably. You kept me up all night. I don't care, but when we get back, you have to buy me skincare products!"
"Alright, I'll buy for you," her words made me a little dumbfounded, and if anyone else heard, they might think I did something to her last night.
Liu Jiguang was already dressed in a suit and walked over. I asked him, "Mr. Liu, when will you go to pick up the bride?"
"No need to pick her up, she will come by herself in a while," Liu Jiguang replied and then there was a steady knock on the door from outside.
Liu Jiguang hurried over to open the door, and a woman in a red qipao walked in with a chubby lady behind her, holding a red umbrella over her head.
Although we are in the same province of Shaanxi, I have never seen this kind of wedding custom before.
I glanced outside the door, and once again, it was empty, except for a black unmarked car parked outside.
While the night was exceptionally fearful, it wasn't as frightening during the day, and after this wedding, I could leave.
Before coming here, I already knew that the bride's name was Li Qingqing. I had seen her wedding photos last night, and in person, she looked almost the same, just a little paler.
I turned to Liu Jiguang and asked, "Can we start now?"