Ning You narrowed her eyes in thought.
But when she recalled that chubby kid who looked strong on the outside but weak on the inside, that thought quickly disappeared from her mind.
As she walked on, the girl arrived at a scrap recycling station.
What came into view was a courtyard enclosed by earthen walls.
At the entrance stood a signboard that read: “Scrap Recycling Station.”
Inside, along the walls, sheds were built everywhere, and beneath them were piles upon piles of items.
In the courtyard, an elderly man was sorting through things.
Hearing footsteps, he turned his head.
Seeing Ning You, he paused for a moment and said, “Young comrade, what are you doing here? If nothing’s up, go somewhere else to play. It’s messy here.”
“It’s not messy. Everything is very organized. Grandpa, your work is really meticulous,” Ning You said seriously.
The girl before him had calm eyes, like they were soaked in the soft light of the moon.
Anyone would feel happy to be praised for their work, and the old man broke into a smile.
Ning You seized the opportunity and asked, “Grandpa, I’d like to ask you something.”
People in this era didn’t have many suspicions and were quite warm-hearted. The old man continued working as he spoke, “What is it? If I know, I’ll tell you. If I don’t, then I can’t help you.”
Ning You stepped forward to help, placing the items the old man had packed under the shed.
While keeping her hands busy, she asked, “I want to ask who owns the courtyard not far from here?”
When she came, she had noticed the houses along this street—most of them showed signs of being lived in.
Except for one, which looked dilapidated and lifeless, seemingly abandoned for a long time.
On its wall, it seemed like it was just one big “to be demolished” away from reality.
The old man’s movements paused slightly. After a moment of silence, he asked, “Why are you asking about that?”
“That place isn’t good. Stay away from it.”
Ning You suddenly became excited. “Is it a haunted house?”
The old man: “……”
No, why are you excited?!
“Yes! Aren’t you scared?”
Ning You felt her heartbeat quicken slightly.
Ghosts seeing ghosts—tears in each other’s eyes. What did she have to be afraid of? They were all family!
“Hmm… I guess so,” Ning You carefully chose her words, not wanting to scare the old man with her inappropriate reaction.
But there was not a trace of fear on her face.
The old man studied her for several seconds, then simply sat down, holding his enamel cup, as if preparing for a long story.
Ning You sat obediently in a cat-like posture, listening attentively.
Then she learned the story of that courtyard.
It was simple—someone had died inside, and it was said that at night, a woman’s crying could often be heard, accompanied by occasional cat cries, chilling enough to make one’s scalp tingle and make people run away as fast as possible.
“Little comrade, stay away from that place. Being too curious won’t do you any good,” the old man said earnestly.
That place was… strange.
“I value my life. I won’t go looking for trouble,” Ning You replied.
“That’s good,” the old man said, then picked up his enamel cup and continued working.
Ning You helped in silence. By the time the sun set in the west, they finally stopped.
The sky dimmed, only a few pedestrians remained on the road, and the afterglow of the sunset fell on the tree branches, bringing a strange calmness.
The bizarre story the old man had told kept surfacing in her mind, somewhat eerie.
But Ning You was bold by nature. Her eyes kept drifting toward the so-called haunted house.
She’d come explore it another day!
…
After several days of doing housework, Ning Hong’s resentment built up to the point of explosion.
Seeing that Ning You hadn’t returned, she rolled her eyes and quietly locked the door from the inside.
Clapping her hands in satisfaction as if she had won a battle, she went back to her room.
She had heard it would rain tonight. Ning You, just sleep in the corridor then—hahaha…
You little wretch with no parents, still thinking about sleeping on a bed? Dream on!
After doing all that, she wanted to return to her original room—but Ning You had used two locks, and she couldn’t open either of them.
Furious, Ning Hong kicked the door several times, then cursed as she went back to the storage room.
When Ning You returned to the Ning household and tried to push the door open—it didn’t budge at all.
She used more force. Still nothing.
Wasn’t it obvious?
That “smart person” was acting up again.
She went next door to borrow tools and started fiddling with the lock, producing a series of noises.
Just then, Ning Hong came out to fetch water. Hearing the sound, she paused, then her eyes lit up. She crept toward the door.
At that moment—
Click!!
The lock fell to the ground.
The door opened a gap.
Slowly, it swung open.
A figure stood silently before her.
“Is it nice to look at?” Ning You asked softly, tilting her head while holding the lock-picking tool.
Outside, lightning suddenly flashed.
It illuminated Ning You’s eerie smile.
Ning Hong froze like a wooden post, her face pale. She let out a short scream, turned around, and ran.
She ran so fast she fell with a plop, her nose stinging and bleeding a little.
Not daring to wipe it, she scrambled up and kept running.
She rushed into the storage room, slammed the door shut, pulled the blanket over her head, and trembled like a sieve.
Ning You: “…cowardly and troublesome.”
Outside, thunder roared and rain began to fall.
Autumn rain drifted from the eaves, the buildings shrouded in mist—beautiful, yet cold.
A wind blew in, and Ning You shivered.
One rain, one chill—it was time to get winter clothes.
Ignoring the door that kept rattling in the wind, she pulled up her collar and returned to her room.
She filled her newly bought red rubber hot water bottle and went to sleep happily.
Next door, Ning Hong had no thick blanket, let alone a hot water bottle, and curled up freezing.
Sniffling, her hatred toward Ning You almost burst out uncontrollably.
The next morning.
He Meili walked out of her bedroom and was hit by a blast of cold wind.
“Where’s all this wind coming from?” she muttered as she walked toward the door.
As soon as she left cover, the wind became even stronger, cutting her face like a knife.
Then she saw the front door wide open. Things in the living room were scattered everywhere.
The tablecloth was half blown off, a vase shattered on the floor, towels and basins scattered, and trash blown into the house, sticking together…
A sticky plastic bag fluttered, almost mockingly.
Seeing this, He Meili felt her scalp go numb.
“Achoo!” She sneezed, then shouted, “Old Ning! Our lock has been broken!”
Ning Zhongyi came out.
The wind howled.
The same plastic bag suddenly flew up and slapped his face.
His carefully styled “big boss” hairstyle was instantly ruined.
He Meili: “…Oh my god, what do I even do now? Should I pretend I didn’t see it, or tell him there might be something stuck on his head?”
She was struggling.
Ning Zhongyi’s forced calm shattered. His expression twisted as he coldly said, “What are you standing there for? Clean it up!”
Back inside, seeing his messy reflection in the mirror, he smashed the mirror in anger.
He Meili flinched at the sound, feeling heartache.
Another mirror to buy… that’s several coins gone.
Ning Zhongyi quickly fixed his appearance and left without even glancing at her.
As soon as he left, Ning Hong came out.
Seeing He Meili’s gloomy expression, she licked her lips nervously.
She didn’t dare mention what happened yesterday—how she locked the door to make Ning You sleep in the corridor, only for her to come back and remove the lock.
“What happened to the door?” He Meili suddenly asked.
Ning Hong’s guilty eyelid twitched violently.
That reaction immediately caught He Meili’s attention.