The sound was coming from the fourth floor, and now that I was on the third floor, it was only a couple of steps away. Dismissing my concerns, I quietly made my way upstairs.
The black cat was crouched at the door of the innermost room on the fourth floor. Upon seeing me, it meowed incessantly, then turned and nudged the door open with its head before slipping inside.
Though the door was only slightly ajar, the bright light inside still shone through.
After a moment of hesitation, I couldn't resist my curiosity and pushed the door all the way open.
"Is anyone there?" I asked loudly from the doorway.
The decoration style of the house was completely devoid of modernity, and much of it resembled the décor of wealthy people in the 1950s and 60s.
Old-fashioned furniture, wooden screens, all exuded a strong historical scent.
Seeing no response, I stepped inside, and to the side of the living room was a thin gauze curtain. Through the delicate fabric, I saw a black and white photo hanging on the wall.
In the photo was a man in his thirties, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, with features that aligned with modern girls' aesthetics. The man wore wire-rimmed glasses and held a uniformly black cat in his arms.
Seeing the black cat, I suddenly remembered that I had followed the black cat to this room, and quickly looked around, but there was no sign of the cat anywhere.
As I looked around, a light footstep approached from behind the curtain.
In that moment, I straightened up abruptly. I had rudely intruded into someone else's home, and even though I hadn't taken anything, if I encountered an unreasonable person, I'd never be able to clear my name, even if I jumped into the Yellow River.
Several thoughts immediately flashed through my mind, one of which was to quickly run out and downstairs without looking back.
But the footsteps were already so close that it was unrealistic to try to turn and run. In order to appear as natural as possible, I took a step forward and pretended to casually draw back the curtain and glance inside.
A woman wearing a black robe walked out slowly, and when I saw her face, I was stunned.
I had seen this woman in the shop during the day - she was Jiang Xiumei, with habits very similar to those of a cat.
At this moment, her long hair was draped over her shoulders, and she didn't seem surprised to see me. She smiled and nodded, "You've come."
I nodded awkwardly, taken aback by her calmness.
Jiang Xiumei blinked her eyes slightly, then gracefully opened the curtain and walked to the edge of the sofa, signaling to me with a wave of her hand, "Please have a seat. It's fate to meet again. Would you like tea or red wine?"
"Just plain water will do," I swallowed, unable to control myself as I sat on the sofa.
"Just wait a moment," Jiang Xiumei walked to the water cooler with measured steps.
I looked around, the black cat that had brought me here seemed to have disappeared suddenly, and there was no trace of it anywhere.
Looking back at the black and white photo on the wall, Jiang Xiumei had already handed me the water glass. I took it hastily and asked, "Oh, by the way, I followed a black cat just now, but in the blink of an eye, it's gone. What happened?"
"It's always disappearing, sometimes it goes out for several days and doesn't come back, other times it stays at home and doesn't go out. I just saw it come back, then it ran out from the window," Jiang Xiumei smiled and ran her hand through her hair.
I forced a smile, and the atmosphere became extremely awkward in the silence. Trying to find a topic, I asked, "You really like cats, don't you?"
"Yes, I used to have a lot of cats, but they all ran away, only that black cat has been following me," Jiang Xiumei continued, "Sometimes I like to imagine myself as a cat, living according to their habits. It's strange, isn't it?"
"Not strange at all, not at all," I waved my hand hastily. Cat's fear of water was perhaps the reason she had shown that behavior in the shop. She had completely merged into the world of cats.
The conversation paused here, and I could only use drinking water to cover up my embarrassment.
Jiang Xiumei pulled out a box of women's cigarettes from the coffee table, handed me one and asked if I smoked. I didn't particularly like cigarettes, so I declined. After she lit one and blew a smoke ring, she said, "You've been in the wedding company for a long time, right?"
The fragrance of the smoke she exhaled was very pleasant. I sniffed and said, "Not for long, it has been difficult for me to find a suitable job due to personal reasons."
Jiang Xiumei smiled knowingly, her long narrow eyes narrowed as she said, "Is that so? If you are willing to talk about it, I think I am a very suitable listener."
"I can see ghosts," when I said these six words, I also felt very surprised.
Only my grandparents knew about my ability to see ghosts, not even my parents, and I hadn't told anyone. But at this moment, I couldn't help but blurt it out, as if Jiang Xiumei had a magical charm that made people confess all their secrets without hesitation.
I had expected Jiang Xiumei to laugh and not believe me, but unexpectedly, she looked at me with great interest.
I frowned and asked, "Do you believe me?"
She nodded with a smile, "I believe, there is nothing in this world that is impossible."
I asked uneasily, "Do you also see ghosts?"
"I do not," Jiang Xiumei said calmly, "but I believe that there are not only ghosts in this world, but also supernatural beings."
"Supernatural beings?" I frowned at her, I had seen many ghosts, but I had never seen supernatural beings.
Jiang Xiumei nodded and looked outside the window, murmuring, "The legend of the White Snake in ancient times is so popular, the love story between the White Snake and Xu Xian is so tragic."
The conversation turned to this, and I laughed and said, "The Legend of the White Snake is just written by later generations, it's not considered real."
"That's not necessarily true," Jiang Xiumei looked at me mysteriously and said, "Many things we assume are made up by people, but we have never considered that if these things had not happened, how would anyone write about a snake and a person being together?"
I had never thought about this question before, and after she said it, it seemed to be true.
Jiang Xiumei's exhaled smoke rings smelled really good. In front of her, I forgot how pitiful my background was and also forgot my fear of ghosts and monsters. Sitting in front of her at this moment, it was like talking to a rarely seen mother.
Unconsciously, I blurted out all the secrets from my childhood to present, including the matter of my ghost daughter-in-law.
Glancing at the time again, it was already past five in the morning. Jiang Xiumei yawned, apologized, and said, "Sorry, I need to rest now. If you're free tonight, you can come over and we can chat some more."
I nodded repeatedly. Although I hadn't slept much that night, I felt energized, more comfortable than if I had actually slept.