Du Xiaolan came leisurely at eight o'clock and saw me sitting on the stool with an unpleasant expression. She said, "Yin Mingyang, why didn't you pick me up today?"
I drive her to and from work, but today I didn't even think about it at all, my mind full of thoughts about last night's chat with Jiang Xiumei.
Before I could explain, she suddenly threw her handbag onto the table and complained, "Tell me honestly, did you spend the night with a woman last night?"
I sighed to myself. This person really was incredible, actually knowing about this matter. But upon careful thought, it felt off. Although I was with Jiang Xiumei in the wee hours of last night, it was definitely not as sordid as Du Xiaolan imagined.
"You have a knack for figuring things out, huh? How did you even know about that? But it wasn't as scandalous as you think, we were just chatting."
Du Xiaolan looked extremely surprised, "Oh my, I always thought you had a preference for men. I never expected you spent the night with a woman."
I gave her a stern look, "Get out of here, why would I like her? I'm with you all the time. Do I like you?"
"Of course, I like men. Do I also like women?" Du Xiaolan retorted, then gossiped, "Tell me, who is this woman? Do I know her?"
Seeing her smug look, I chuckled and said, "You've met her, she was at the store yesterday, the one who looks like a cat, Jiang Xiumei."
Du Xiaolan squinted and said, "Is it really her? I always thought you had a tendency for May-December romances, looks like my guess was right."
I waved my hand, "Forget it, who said I like her? I'm with you all the time, would I still like you?"
"You like me, and I like you." Du Xiaolan tilted her head back and pushed my arm with her shoulder, asking, "Did you go to her house last night, or did she come to yours?"
"Come on, don't be so raunchy. Last night, a black cat led me to her house." I gave her a sidelong glance. This person was grasping at straws.
Speaking of the black cat, Du Xiaolan suddenly fell silent, showing a rare calm demeanor. I hurriedly asked her what's wrong. Sitting on the stool, Du Xiaolan looked serious and said, "Mingyang, there's a legend in my hometown, do you want to hear it?"
I urged her, "Go on, as long as it's not nonsense."
"In my hometown, black cats are considered inauspicious animals, and ordinary families would never keep a black cat." Du Xiaolan paused and continued, "And in my hometown, there's a feng shui master in every area, only they dare to keep the black cat that no one else keeps."
"Get to the point," I glanced at her.
"In my hometown, there's a custom that the soul of a person who dies unnaturally cannot be at peace," she continued. Just as I was about to cut her off, she hurriedly said, "Whenever someone dies suddenly, the feng shui master will bring the black cat to the scene. This cat is quite remarkable, after circling the area thrice, it will start meowing incessantly. The deceased's family can only obediently follow it, and after the black cat returns, it will lie on the body for half an hour before leaving of its own accord."
I didn't interrupt her. In my hometown, animals like cats and dogs were not allowed to come into contact with a corpse, as it could result in the corpse reviving.
Du Xiaolan finished asking: "Do you know why black cats are considered ominous animals?"
I squinted and said, "Black cats can guide wandering souls outside and lead them into the body, can't they?"
"Wrong, wrong, wrong," Du Xiaolan wagged a finger and said, "Guiding souls hasn't reached the level of ominousness. They can see ghosts, even influence people's minds, and bring them to where the ghosts reside!"
Perplexed, I said, "Alright, I think I understand. You're just trying to say that Jiang Xiumei isn't human, but a ghost, aren't you?"
Du Xiaolan nodded repeatedly, "Yes, that's the idea."
"Nonsense!" I closed my eyes and lay my head on the table.
What Du Xiaolan said was completely absurd. Jiang Xiumei was not a ghost at all. Even if she were, ghosts couldn't expose themselves directly to the sun. Yet Jiang Xiumei had arrived yesterday in the scorching sun. If she were truly a ghost, her soul would have been incinerated.
After a short silence, Du Xiaolan's voice came again, "Hey, Mingyang, how is Jiang Xiumei's house? Where is it?"
Impatiently, I said, "In the building behind Wenjing Park."
A shocked sound came from Du Xiaolan, "What? That area has been fully developed, and there are no buildings there!"
I suddenly opened my eyes and stared straight at her.
She was right, Wenjing Park was not far from my rental house, and I often went there alone. Apart from the towering buildings, there were no tube-shaped buildings to be seen at all.
Last night, I hadn't thought about it, but now, the hairs on my body stood on end.
Du Xiaolan looked at me in astonishment and asked in a low voice, "Mingyang, could it be that you actually saw a ghost?"
At this moment, I didn't know how to respond to the question. I had intended to go there by car, but I was at work at the moment. I looked at the computer at the bar, which was already turned on, and hurried over.
I opened the browser, entered "Xi'an map," and searched for a while. Finally, I found Wenjing Park on the map. After zooming in, I leaned forward and continued searching.
The screen was filled with tall buildings. I closed my eyes and recalled last night's route. I opened them again and followed the route, and at the end of these tall buildings, an incongruous tube-shaped building appeared.
I took a deep breath and patted my chest as I leaned on the chair. I had really been scared just now, but luckily, there was actually such a place on the map.
Du Xiaolan also came over, took a look, and exclaimed, "It's true that small things are often concealed in the wild, and major things in the city. How did I not notice this place before? But now, with land so expensive, this old building can still stand. It seems that your dream lover must have succeeded."
"Idiot," I gave her a disdainful look and fell silent.
One day passed quickly, and it was already six o'clock in the evening, time to close the shop.
After seeing off Du Xiaolan, who had chattered all day, my mind finally quieted down. Returning to my rental house and looking at the empty room, I suddenly felt a little desolate.
I don't know why, but I suddenly thought of Jiang Xiumei. We had a very pleasant conversation last night, as if we were old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time, meeting casually and anything could become the center of our conversation.
It was only a little past six, and I wanted to go find her, but I didn't know if she had woken up yet. I could only toss and turn in bed.
This feeling was not a good sign. Although I had only met Jiang Xiumei a few times, I couldn't control my thoughts, and images of her filled my mind.