Late Night Bookstore - Chapter 19

“Did you go up and check?” Zhou Ze asked.

The little girl shook her head. “It’s too dark up there. I couldn’t see anything.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the little girl slowly descended the stairs and stood in front of Zhou Ze.

She was quite small, bundled in layers of clothing, and her delicate face looked like a meticulously crafted work of art. But Zhou Ze knew the truth—her tongue could extend to an unnatural length, long enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

“Uncle, I’m going back to reading now.”

The little girl gave a sweet smile, sat back down on the small plastic stool, and eagerly resumed reading her illustrated children’s book.

Zhou Ze stood behind her, his hands behind his back.

Strangle her,

Just strangle her,

Whatever her real intentions are,

There’s no need to keep up this charade!

This voice echoed in Zhou Ze’s mind. It wasn’t someone else’s voice, but his own inner thoughts.

Compared to Xu Qinglang, the noodle shop owner next door, this little girl stirred something much stronger in Zhou Ze: a deep sense of unease and aversion.

After all, he had been the one who saved her,

She was adorable, well-behaved, obedient, knowledgeable and sensible, displaying a maturity uncommon for children of her age.

Perhaps, precisely because her initial impression was too good, when Zhou Ze later saw her true nature, the drastic contrast in expectations made his aversion and repulsion even stronger.

The little girl continued reading her book, seemingly oblivious to Zhou Ze behind her.

Zhou Ze stared at her, even able to clearly see the fine hairs on the back of her neck.

Strangle,

Or not strangle?

What should I do?

……………

“Mom and Dad, today your son is taking a break.”

In the inner room, Xu Qinglang had placed a few cold dishes and some hot ones on a small table, along with two cups of liquor.

One cup was Maotai, his father’s favorite drink while alive, and the other was homemade rice wine. His mother had never liked drinking and had always resented his father’s drinking habits. Occasionally, at banquets where the hosts were overly enthusiastic, she would only sip a little rice wine.

She often said rice wine was nourishing.

On opposite ends of the small table stood two candlesticks, their flames flickering gently.

Two human skins hung behind each seat, swaying slightly without a breeze.

Xu Qinglang first toasted his father, then sipped wine with his mother.

Picking up his chopsticks, he said to his parents: “Eat up, eat up. Dad, are you going to fight me for the meat again?”

He grabbed several pieces of meat and wolfed them down.

In his memory, when he was a child, his father always pretended to fight him for the meat, but then urged him to eat quickly, and he would end up stuffing his mouth so full he couldn’t swallow.

Meanwhile, his mother would scold his father playfully while patting him on the back.

Today was New Year’s Day. Most people performed ancestor rituals before the New Year, but Xu Qinglang was different. He did so on this day because it was the anniversary of his parents’ deaths in an accident.

For most, the New Year had lost some of its traditional festive charm, but for Xu Qinglang, it meant the return of his heartache.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Qinglang smiled, and said: “Dad, Mom.”

He pursed his lips and poured himself another glass of liquor, downing it in one gulp.

The spicy liquor made his already delicate, almost feminine face to flush redder.

He was a man, yet his beauty was so captivating that it could spell disaster. In ancient times, he would have surely been a treasured favorite of emperors and nobles. Even in the modern world, if he wanted to, he could easily lead a life of ease and luxury.

A man with the power to turn straight men gay is undoubtedly terrifying, and that was self-evident.

After much hesitation and inner turmoil, Xu Qinglang finally blurted out,

“That guy next door… I’ll find a chance to ask him… ask him how he came back!”

Although Xu Qinglang wasn’t drunk, his words were slurred.

He knew very well that the man next door wasn’t going to sit down for a casual chat and reveal how he came back to life. The process would be unpleasant, and Xu Qinglang would have to resort to certain measures.

The two human skins hanging behind him suddenly stopped swaying, as if expressing their displeasure.

“Dad, Mom, don’t worry. I will definitely bring you back to life!”

Clatter! Clatter!

Two pairs of chopsticks clattered to the ground. Xu Qinglang, who was holding his own pair, paused for a moment but then shook his head.

“No, this time I won’t listen to you. If you don’t agree, I will pry his mouth open myself!”

……………

To strangle or not to strangle?

Zhou Ze was still wrestling with the question. He didn’t know why he was so hesitant, nor did he grasp where his current dilemma lay.

He was a ghost now, no longer a doctor from his past life. He lived in a dangerous world and his situation was precarious. He was fully aware that he should eliminate all threats before they could fully develop.

This little girl was a threat to him.

She had sought him out. She had taken the initiative to come, just like the day her soul had sought him out to speak. She must have been keeping an eye on him for a long time.

The story of the farmer and the snake¹ is one that every child understands. Zhou Ze did not believe that having saved her once meant everything would be fine.

In fact, most grudges in this world evolve from kindness.

Zhou Ze’s nails began to grow, inch by inch, as tendrils of black mist swirled around his fingertips.

Meanwhile, deep within Zhou Ze’s eyes, a black sheen was also swirling.

I have to strangle her,

Strangle her!

Zhou Ze repeated this to himself over and over. He had fought hard for this second chance at life. He still had things he wanted to do,

Still wanted to laze around,

Still wanted to reminisce,

Still wanted to reflect.

He didn’t want to become like the aimless souls of the underworld, mindlessly trudging forward step by step.

Zhou Ze raised his hands, and slowly approached the little girl.

The little girl was reading her book intently, a sweet smile on her face, looking quite cute and endearing. Suddenly, she felt two fingers pressing against her temples.

“Uncle?” she asked in confusion.

“I’m massaging your temples, to protect your eyes.”

“Mm.” The little girl responded and continued reading.

The pressure on her temples was just right, making her feel very comfortable.

Moments later, the little girl noticed her uncle quietly return to his seat behind the counter.

“Uncle, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Zhou Ze waved his hand dismissively.

The little girl lowered her head and resumed reading.

Then,

Slap!

A crisp sound rang out.

The little girl looked up at the counter and saw one side of Zhou Ze’s face turning red.

“Uncle?”

“Just swatting a mosquito.” Zhou Ze exhaled deeply and slumped into the chair, sighing inwardly. Damn it, I still couldn’t do it. Why am I so useless?

The little girl, apparently unaware that mosquitoes are scarce in the winter, got up and looked around, as if helping Zhou Ze search for it.

Damn it,

Keep pretending,

You’re really getting into character!

Still acting!

And so convincingly!

Come on, stick out your tongue,

Let’s fight!

Either you kill me or I kill you, wouldn’t that be great?

Still hiding behind that innocent face, are you assuming I can’t bring myself to hurt you?

I… really can’t bring myself to do it.

Damn it!

Zhou Ze sighed helplessly, turned around and went to the bathroom, opened the faucet, and splashed cold water onto his face.

“I used to be a doctor, saving lives is second nature, it’s my profession, but damn it, now you’ve turned into a ghost. Why am I still being such a pushover! Useless!”

Zhou Ze cursed at his reflection in the mirror.

Then, he realized that recently, he had been cursing at himself more often than at Xu Le.

Meanwhile, the little girl who had been reading a book in the bookstore put down her book, she cast a deep gaze toward the bathroom door but didn’t walk over, instead, she left the bookstore, and went next door.

……………

“Dad, Mom, it doesn’t matter how much you try to persuade me, I want us to sit together and eat like we used to. If he can do it, I can do the same for you!

Our family can keep living together, just like before.”

Xu Qinglang continued to mutter.

Suddenly, the two human skins hanging by the small table started to shake wildly.

Xu Qinglang’s face showed a look of shock. He looked up at the yellow talismans stuck on the wall, only to find they had somehow turned gray.

He quickly lifted the curtain and rushed out, and saw a little girl standing in his noodle shop.

The girl opened her mouth,

Her tongue extended out,

Long,

Very long,

Terrifyingly long!

“The underworld follows order. The dead must depart.”

The girl spoke with a cold, childish voice.

In the next moment, the two human skins in the back room began to wither, deteriorate, losing their luster and elasticity, as two streams of white mist dripped down and formed into the figures of a middle-aged man and woman beside the little girl.

They staggered, as if they had forgotten everything, walking sluggishly step by step along the girl’s extended tongue, as though her tongue was their path, leading them to some unknown destination.

Gradually, their figures grew fainter, more blurred.

“You… You’re actually… You’re actually…”

Xu Qinglang pointed at the sweet, innocent little girl he had recently held in his arms, his face filled with shock. But seeing his parents slowly fade away, he immediately became hysterical and tried to rush over, yet his legs seemed to be shackled, unable to move, and he fell heavily to the ground.

He stretched out his hand, pointing at his parents, begging:

“Don’t take them, don’t take them,

I didn’t harm anyone,

I’ve never hurt anyone,

I just want my family together,

They haven’t hurt anyone either!

Please, no, I beg you, I beg you…”

Despite Xu Qinglang’s tearful pleas, the little girl remained indifferent. Only when the two souls had completely vanished did she retract her long tongue, reverting to her cute, innocent appearance.

Xu Qinglang felt as though two pieces of his heart had been violently torn away.

His parents,

Were completely gone.

Xu Qinglang’s eyes filled with bloodshot veins, he furiously pounded the tiled floor,

Then suddenly, as though struck by a thought, he pointed next door and shouted:

“He’s not human either, he’s not human either,

Why didn’t you take him? Why didn’t you take him!

It’s not fair, you’re not being fair!

He’s not human either,

Why only take my parents,

He’s not human either,

It’s not fair,

It’s not fair!!!!”

TL Notes:

1. The Farmer and the Snake – One cold morning a farmer was walking through his field. On the ground lay a snake, stiff and frozen with extreme cold. The farmer knew how deadly the snake could be, but he still picked him up and held it against his bosom to warm him back to life.

The poor snake soon revived, and when it had enough strength, he bit the farmer who had been so kind to him. The bite was deadly, and the farmer realised that he would die. As the farmer drew his last breath, he said to the people standing around that they must learn from his fate not to take pity on a scoundrel.