Sister Deng had been here for a long time. She knew better than anyone that you couldn't judge people by their appearance; there were far too many people trying to put on a front.
She also knew that in a place as shady as this, one shouldn't judge others lightly or trust their own eyes.
"That building is ominous."
Sister Deng offered a few extra words for the sake of the naive Jiang Haoyu.
Jiang Haoyu played along with Yin Qian's act of being a clueless youth. "Ominous? Why do you all call it a living mass grave? That's so morbid."
Sister Deng sneered. "The living people there are basically dead already; they’re just still breathing."
"Besides... quite a few things have happened in that building."
Yin Qian picked up the thread. "Why don't you tell us about it?"
Sister Deng finally turned to size them up properly and chuckled.
"I get it. You're those kinds of young people looking for a thrill, aren't you? I've seen plenty of your sort—leaving a perfectly good, wealthy life behind to come here and mess around."
Yin Qian smiled, silently admitting to the persona. "There aren't many places to eat around here, so we'll definitely be coming by to support your business often. Since things are quiet, why not tell us a bit?"
Sister Deng lived here alone and had no one to talk to. Usually, she spent her time arguing with people, but now she felt a spark of gossip.
"That building has always been a mess. Even before it was partially sealed off, the people living there were strange. Those of us in the two neighboring buildings used to say that they'd let anyone in, good or bad. It was too dangerous."
"But at most, it was just petty theft or brawling. It wasn't until they sealed off the first floor for demolition that the building started being haunted."
The group played along perfectly, showing just the right amount of shock.
"Haunted!?"
Satisfied, Sister Deng lowered her voice. "I see it clearly. That building isn't short on tenants. After all, that community next door—wow! It’s so grand, and we even get to bask in its reflected glory a bit."
"But every now and then, someone just vanishes for no reason. At first, Uncle Zhong, the one who runs the place, would complain every day, saying these people didn't even say a word about moving out, just tossed their keys and left. Later, when no one ever saw those tenants actually leave, the rumors started spreading."
"No one took it seriously at first. But after watching for a while, it was true—no one ever saw the people who went in come back out."
Yin Qian asked, "Could they be leaving late at night?"
Sister Deng paused, then said, "Even if some did, it couldn't be all of them. Regardless, there's something wrong with it."
"Ever since the first floor was sealed, regular workers stopped moving in. they think the feng shui is bad. Only those who are truly desperate or have nowhere else to go come here. If they disappear, no family comes looking for them. I think they're just gone."
Nan Yue smiled and took over the conversation. "I heard someone died in that building?"
Sister Deng was happy to talk about that. She lowered her voice even further. "Yes, many have died."
When Nan Yue pressed for details, Sister Deng went quiet, thinking for a long time. "I think... the earliest was the one who died of illness. It even made the news."
Nan Yue and Zhu Xi Ning exchanged a look. "What kind of illness did they have?"
Sister Deng made a face of disgust. "I don't know what it was. Anyway, they were coughing up blood, and their skin was bleeding too. They couldn't even face people. Ugh, it was terrifying to look at."
"Calling her a living person was a stretch; she looked more like a zombie. It was pitiful, really. Who knows what was wrong with her? She didn't have the money for a hospital, so she just bought medicine and took it herself. They only found her because she started to rot and the neighbors went to her door to complain about the smell."
Nan Yue's guess was almost certainly correct. That woman had lived in their room. She just didn't know why the medicine was still there after so long.
"When you're poor, your life isn't worth much. Even after death, people just cursed her for being bad luck."
"And then?" Jiang Haoyu was listening intently.
"And then?" Sister Deng laughed. "Then they just dragged her out and buried her somewhere. The room was aired out for a few days, and then someone else moved in."
Jiang Haoyu wanted to say something but found himself at a loss for words.
"Did the other incidents start happening after that?"
Sister Deng smacked her lips. "That’s right. One person jumped to their death. I still remember it. He was so thin he barely looked human. If you caught his gaze, ugh—dead man's eyes!"
"Anyway, one night he just fell from the building. He didn't die instantly; he groaned for a while before finally passing. That's how people found him."
Chi Yu asked in surprise, "No one tried to save him?"
Sister Deng threw up her hands. "He couldn't be saved. Besides, no one has any money. If someone saved him, who would pay the bills?"
Chi Yu was stunned into silence for a moment before asking, "Was that person sick too?"
Sister Deng said, "I don't know. He didn't seem to be missing any limbs, but he just didn't have any life in him."
Now that she had started, Sister Deng didn't need Nan Yue to prompt her. "And then there was another one. Last year, I think. Someone went mad. They were screaming and shouting in the building so loudly you could hear it from across the street. Eventually, they were taken away."
Nan Yue listened and asked, "Were there any other tenants who died?"
Sister Deng sighed. "There was one who died of old age. He'd lived in that building his whole life. I suppose that counts as a peaceful end."
That wasn't the kind of sensational story they were looking for; such things happened everywhere and weren't news.
Jiang Haoyu and Yin Qian worked together and managed to fish out a bit more information.
"Long-term residents?"
Sister Deng let out an affirmative sound. "There should only be two or three left now. Is that old woman Li Yun still taking medicine every day? She’s going to poison herself to death sooner or later."
"Then there's a young man. He's a mute, poor thing. He smiles at everyone he sees and is quite polite. He comes here for wontons sometimes too."
Seeing that every detail matched their observations, Nan Yue asked, "And then there's Xie Hui."
Sister Deng went "oh." "That's Uncle Zhong's daughter. She doesn't count as a tenant."
The group's eyes widened. "Xie Hui is Uncle Zhong's daughter?"
"Yes, Uncle Zhong found her. She was just abandoned downstairs. No one else wanted her, so Uncle Zhong took her in."
"There were plenty of rumors at first, especially when the girl hit her teens. But later, seeing that she was growing up healthy and safe, people stopped talking as much."
Nan Yue found it strange. "Then why is her surname Xie?"
"The girl has a mind of her own; she chose it herself."
"Xie Hui did well for herself too. She always had good grades in school. Uncle Zhong wanted to send her to university, but the tuition was too high, so she dropped out. She’s been living in that run-down building with Uncle Zhong ever since."
"Doesn't she have a job?"
"I think... she does. She said something about... freelance work."
Jiang Haoyu nodded. "A freelancer. Like a writer or a streamer. You can make good money if you're good at it."
Sister Deng nodded, a hint of envy appearing on her face. "Yeah. Old Zhong didn't raise her for nothing. You can tell she has a good heart just from the fact that she was willing to come back and live here."
It seemed she was thinking of her own son.
The sky was gradually darkening. The workers living nearby were finally returning, and Sister Deng's wonton shop became busy again. She stopped chatting and headed to the kitchen to work.
The group, having eaten their fill and gathered plenty of information, returned satisfied.
From what they could see now, although the residents of the building were strange, they didn't seem particularly dangerous. However, no one forgot the possibility of a murderer being nearby, and they all remained on guard.
Rate on N.U.
