Chapter 54: The Sound of a Ball at Midnight
The old man is dead, he hanged himself!
I didn't expect that he would die so suddenly and unexpectedly.
My mind was blank and I stared blankly at the figure hanging in the air.
His tongue stuck out and his eyes bulged out, looking as lifeless as a goldfish.
For a moment I even doubted whether this person was the old man...
Although such suicides were not common in Building D, they did happen.
Some patients, despairing of their illness and seeing no future, choose to commit suicide.
Of course, I don’t believe that the old man will commit suicide.
He clearly said that his children would come to Building D today to take him home to enjoy his final days of peace.
Around noon, the old man's children arrived as expected. They were the boy and girl from last time. After learning of their father's death, they felt sad but also a little relieved.
I don’t know if this can be considered unfilial. After all, everyone lives in a different environment and we cannot criticize others easily.
For a long time afterwards, the tall figure hanging on the door beam could not be erased from my mind.
There is sympathy and sadness, but more than that - there is deep fear.
Ward 404 seemed to be a demon that could devour people at any time. If you came into contact with it, you would be doomed...
I bought a lock specially and locked the door again.
When I left, I noticed that the Bagua mirror on the door was cracked in half...
…
I still didn't go to class that day. I saw that Cheng Xiaoyan's ward 105 was closed. I didn't know what she was doing in there. Maybe she was in a bad mood. I didn't disturb her.
Sitting on the steps at the door, I watched Lao He practice Tai Chi for a while. His movements were quite standard and each punch was powerful. He didn't look like a patient at all. Instead, he looked healthier than the average young person.
After Lao He finished boxing, he sat next to me and stretched out his hands.
I handed him a cigarette and lit it.
He took a puff and said, "Mr. Zhong's death couldn't be a simple suicide, right?"
"Well, he opened 404," I said a little wearily.
Lao He frowned and said, "This 404 is the key to the entire D building. All the strange things come from 404. Of course, don't think of yourself as Sherlock Holmes and go to solve the mystery of 404. That place is not accessible to ordinary people."
"I'm not that dissatisfied with my life." I smiled bitterly and glanced at Lao He. "Lao He, you are not an ordinary person. You are capable. Can't you do your part for Building D?"
"What do you want to say?" Lao He exhaled a smoke ring and looked at me.
"With great power comes great responsibility, as Spider-Man's uncle said," I said.
"I haven't seen any Spider-Man, and my abilities aren't as great as you think." Lao He said meaningfully, "The last time that old man came to Building D, if it weren't for the help of an expert, we would have all been doomed."
"Who is the master?" I couldn't help but ask.
Lao He laughed and said that if one could easily know who the master was, then he would not be a master.
"That's right." I nodded. "Lao He, who did you learn all these skills from?"
Lao He looked at me and said, "Why should I tell you?"
"Just bought a bottle of good wine." I smiled.
He licked his lips and said, "In the village where I used to live, there was a custom after someone died. After midnight, the coffin would be raised a little, then opened, and paper money would be thrown into it, symbolizing promotion and wealth. I was young at the time and was curious, so I ran over to take a look. When it was almost dawn at 4 o'clock, something happened..."
"I felt a little sleepy and was about to go home. My parents were working away from home at the time, and I lived alone at home. I usually stayed at my grandparents' house, but because it was too late, I didn't go. When I was going home, I always felt that someone was following me. I walked a few steps and looked back, and walked a few steps and looked back, but I didn't see anyone. I thought I was overthinking it, and didn't think too much about it. After I got home, my head suddenly felt dizzy, and I lay on the bed and fell asleep in a daze. It was noon when I woke up the next day. I didn't have anything to do at the time, so I ate something and went out to play--"
"We played until the afternoon, and my grandfather asked me to go to my third aunt's house for dinner. When I got there, I was eating and I don't know what happened. I looked up at the ceiling for no apparent reason, and I started to lose consciousness. My third uncle patted my head and asked me what happened. He patted me and I regained consciousness. I said, 'Nothing' and continued eating. While eating, I looked up at the sky again. My uncle patted me again and asked me what happened. I regained consciousness immediately and I said I was fine. When I looked up at the sky for the third time, the bowl I was holding fell. My aunt started to get anxious, knowing that I must be sick, and immediately called my cousin and asked them to come and take me to the hospital together."
" When I was on the way to the hospital, I kept looking up at the sky. The strange thing was that as soon as I left the village, I seemed to be back to normal, but I was very sleepy, as if I hadn't slept for a long time... As soon as I closed my eyes, my third aunt woke me up and told me not to sleep. After a while, I closed my eyes again, and my third aunt woke me up again. I went to the hospital in this way, but nothing was found. The hospital said I was healthy and nothing was wrong. My third aunt didn't believe it, so she argued with the doctor. At this time, an old doctor in a white coat came over and said that I had Yin Qi entering my body, and it couldn't be diagnosed with ordinary methods."
"Several of my relatives looked at him, unable to believe that this was what a doctor said. The doctor who examined me was a little unhappy and said to the old man: 'Old Chen, don't get involved. The kid is in good health. He's probably dizzy because of heatstroke.' We asked the doctor who this old man was. He said he was a local Chinese doctor with no skills. He just pretended to be mysterious all day long. We didn't see him cure many patients."
Lao He took a puff of his cigarette and smiled bitterly, "When my relatives heard it, they didn't take it seriously. Only my third aunt begged the old Chinese doctor and asked him if he could save me. The old Chinese doctor asked me to go with him to the yard behind the ward, broke a willow branch from a willow tree, asked me to stand under the scorching sun, and whipped me with a whip. It hurt so much that I shivered. My relatives couldn't stand it and said it was child abuse. They wanted to stop it, but were stopped by my third aunt."
The old Chinese doctor hit me several times. It was painful, but strangely, I felt much better. Then, he asked my third aunt to buy a bottle of 60-proof liquor. He put his hand on my head and kept saying, "Let's go, let's go. If you don't leave now, the sun will shine brightly at noon, and you won't be able to leave even if you want to..."
"After he said this, he took a big sip of white wine and sprayed it on my face." Lao He seemed to be lost in memory with a smile on his face. "I will never forget the aroma of this wine. From that moment on, I began to develop an interest in wine. I would feel uneasy if I didn't drink for a day."
I asked Lao He, how are you in the end?
Lao He said: "Of course it's good. As soon as I sprayed this wine, I felt like something left my body - how should I put it, it's like wearing a thick cotton jacket in the summer, which is very uncomfortable. Now that the jacket has been taken off, I feel refreshed all over."
"After I recovered, my third aunt invited him to her house for a meal to thank him. After three rounds of drinks, the old Chinese doctor was a little drunk. He pointed at me and said, 'This kid and I have a good relationship. If you don't object, let him learn from me for a few years. I can't say he will be able to make a living in the future, but at least if someone around me gets into trouble again, I won't be helpless.'"
"My aunt and her friends asked for my opinion, and I agreed without giving it a second thought. Then, the old Chinese doctor became my master and taught me some Qimen Bagua stuff. Unfortunately, I was dull and I only studied for two years before the old Chinese doctor passed away. Alas, if my master were still alive, he might have been able to break the situation in Building D."
As Lao He spoke, his eyes couldn't help but become red.
I patted him on the shoulder. I really didn't expect that Lao He had such an experience.
But the problem with Building D will have to be solved sooner or later, unless I quit working here.
The death of Liu Bin, the death of the night watchman , Cai Kun’s madness, and the old man’s death have sounded the alarm countless times - will the next one be me, or Lao He?
I didn't dare to think too much about it. The more I thought about it, the more I felt a fear that went deep into my bones.
Lao He may have seen my thoughts, his face darkened, and he said, "Zhiyong, don't worry about 404. This is not something you can interfere with. The black-clothed baby is just one of 404. There is a lot of evil in here, and there must be something more terrifying hidden."
I nodded and said nothing.
But I felt a little unwilling in my heart.
…
At night, around one in the morning, I was sitting on the sofa in the lounge, holding a bag of potato chips in my hand, eating while watching TV boredly.
Suddenly, there was a series of "bang bang bang" sounds outside, like something hitting the ground.
Bang, bang, bang--bang, bang, bang--bang, bang, bang--
The sound was intermittent, rising and falling...
I frowned and thought, who the hell is still making trouble at this late hour?
When I walked out of the lounge, I found that the sound came from the fourth floor. My face changed and I became a little panicked.
Damn, the 404 error started again?
Could this noise be someone banging on the door?
I gritted my teeth, turned on the flashlight, and walked to the fourth floor.
When I reached the fourth floor, I saw a short figure standing at the stairs, hitting the ball again and again.
When I got closer, I saw that it was a little girl of seven or eight years old, with pigtails and a thin face.
"Uncle Doctor, do you want to play ball with me?"
The little girl took pictures for a while, and when she saw me coming, she smiled sweetly at me.
I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled bitterly, "Jia Jia, are you still playing ball so late?"
This little girl's name is Jia Jia. Liu Bin introduced her to me on my first day at work. He said that she had stomach cancer and was abandoned by her family. She has lived here for half a year.
"Yes, Uncle Cai used to play with Jiajia often. Since he left, Jiajia has been left alone..." Jiajia lowered her head, her voice sounding a little aggrieved.
Uncle Cai?
I thought to myself, she must be talking about the previous Night Watchman, Cai Kun?
I didn’t expect that Cai Kun had only been away from Building D for about half a year?
"Jia Jia, is Uncle Cai good at playing basketball?" I walked up, touched Jia Jia's little head, and asked.
"Well, that's amazing. He can play basketball and dance at the same time!" Jia Jia showed an innocent and bright smile on her face.
"Uncle Doctor, can I show you?"
"Okay." I said with a smile.
Jiajia held a basketball in her hands and bowed to me with a smile: "Hello, doctor uncle, I am Xu Jiajia, a basketball player who has practiced for five years. I like singing, dancing and eating snacks."
After this hilarious self-introduction, Jia Jia started dancing. She first patted the ball a few times, then turned around, shaking her body back and forth, and it looked quite realistic.
I was a little surprised and thought that you can't judge a person by his appearance. I didn't expect Cai Kun to be such a good singer and dancer.
After the performance, Jia Jia was so tired that she was out of breath: "Uncle Doctor, did I dance well?"
"Haha, not bad, very good." I said with a smile, and I think Jia Jia is a really cute girl.
Jiajia looked happy and satisfied.
"When I was with Uncle Cai, he always taught me how to kick a ball. Jiajia was really happy during that time... But after that, when Xiaohei came, Uncle Cai rarely paid attention to Jiajia. He always played with Xiaohei and not with Jiajia. However, Xiaohei was still young and Jiajia was sensible, so she didn't blame him." Jiajia sighed, with a bit of loss on her little face.
"Xiao Hei?" I was stunned. "Jia Jia, who is Xiao Hei?"
Jia Jia smiled and said something that made my hair stand on end:
"Xiao Hei is a very cute baby. He has a very big head, always wears black clothes, and cries all day long..."
