Chapter 133: The Alter Ego Says He Loves Me (22)
“Worrying ahead of time is like taking out a loan to eat sh*t. Things are already like this, so don’t think too much. If his mom really comes for us tonight, we’ll deal with it then.”
Lin Chuan also patted Xiao Yinnian’s shoulder to comfort him.
Xiao Yinnian was stunned for a moment, then said unhappily, “It seems like out of the three of us, I’m the one most afraid of death.”
Xiao Ji put his arm around his waist. “You’re the cutest.”
Xiao Yinnian was indignant and shook off Xiao Ji’s hand. “You’re the damn cute one! Your whole family is cute!”
Xiao Ji went along with him. “My family is your family.”
When they arrived last night, the village was shrouded in thin mist, obscuring the surroundings. They had followed the dirt road directly to their destination.
Coming out again today, the three finally saw the appearance of the village.
It was a monotonous collection of small wooden buildings with doors and windows tightly shut. Weeds grew in front of every courtyard, and they seemed to have been uninhabited for a long time—desolate and dilapidated.
“Do you think that family is the only one left in this village?” Lin Chuan looked around and asked quietly.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Ji saw a figure standing at the window of a house not far behind them.
“Probably not.”
As he spoke, he saw the figure hunch its back and tremulously move away from the window.
Xiao Ji counted the position of that house and continued to lead Xiao Yinnian toward the east end of the village.
About half an hour later, Xiao Ji saw the others who had left before them. They were gathered in front of a building that looked completely out of place with the rest of the village’s wooden houses.
With blue brick walls and tiled roofs, it not only looked undilapidated but even somewhat grand compared to the wooden buildings in the village.
It stood solitary in the middle of a wasteland.
Above the main gate, four bold, flowing characters were written:
[Red Plum Opera House]
One wondered who would go to such great lengths to build an opera house in a village where there were hardly any people.
The arrival of Xiao Ji’s trio drew the attention of the others.
Chang-ge let out a “yo.” “What were you three up to? You only just got here?”
Xiao Ji and Xiao Yinnian didn’t respond. Lin Chuan let out a “hai.” “Nature calls. Why haven’t you guys gone in?”
Chang-ge’s face remained impassive, and it was hard to tell if he believed him or not. He only smiled and said, “Aren’t we waiting for you? We’ll go in once everyone is here.”
Hearing this, Xiao Ji gave Chang-ge a look. “Then go in.”
No one moved.
Xiao Ji then said mercilessly, “You just want to use us to test the waters.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the other members of Chang-ge’s team, and said bluntly, “Just like them. They’re all tools you use for trial and error.”
In fact, because of Ling-zi’s death, these people’s trust in Chang-ge had already significantly diminished.
But they were already here, trapped in a desperate situation, and had no choice but to shield their own eyes and ears and continue treating Chang-ge as a life-saving straw.
Who could have expected Xiao Ji to disregard everyone’s feelings so blatantly and rip away the fig leaf just like that?
Everyone’s expression turned ugly. Chang-ge’s face didn’t show it; he still smiled kindly, but his words carried a warning: “What kind of talk is that, little brother? Harmony brings wealth. It’s better to say fewer things that sow discord.”
Xiao Ji remained expressionless. “Sowing discord? Then why don’t you go in first?”
After speaking, he didn’t care whether Chang-ge would fall for such a provocation. He simply stepped forward on his own, being the first to enter the opera house gate.
As he brushed past Chang-ge, he offered an objective evaluation without lowering his volume:
“Scum.”
Once Xiao Ji entered, Xiao Yinnian and Lin Chuan followed immediately.
The woman from before, who had been acting crazy, started laughing again. She pointed at the tip of Chang-ge’s nose and mimicked Xiao Ji, repeating in an exaggerated tone:
“Scum!”
The vast opera house was empty. The stage was built high up, and below it were wooden chairs arranged in a chaotic mess.
Xiao Ji’s trio picked a spot near the edge to sit down. Xiao Yinnian’s hand was still held in Xiao Ji’s palm.
Xiao Ji looked up and saw various knives, forks, swords, and halberds hanging from the opera house ceiling. He frowned and whispered to Xiao Yinnian and Lin Chuan:
“No matter what happens, do not make a sound.”
After everyone was seated, the main doors of the opera house suddenly closed on their own without warning.
The room plunged into pitch darkness, and everyone began to stir in low-voiced agitation.
In the next second, several candle flames illuminated the stage.
A yellowed white screen stood in the middle of the stage. When the accompaniment music started, a figure appeared behind the screen.
It was a shadow play.
The shadow puppet seemed to be a woman wearing a wedding dress and a magnificent headdress.
A high-pitched, warbling singing voice rang out. Xiao Yinnian didn’t understand a single word.
This play was even stranger. From beginning to end, no second shadow puppet appeared; it seemed to be a solo act by a bride.
The movements of the shadow puppet looked a bit stiff, likely because the operator’s technique wasn’t skilled enough.
What was even stranger was that even someone like Xiao Yinnian, who knew nothing about opera, could tell after sitting for a while that the same play was being repeated over and over.
In the entire opera house, no one dared to speak.
After an unknown amount of time, the warbling singing finally stopped.
The music ceased, and the candles went out.
The opera house was once again plunged into pitch darkness.
But in this darkness, Xiao Ji could see clearly that the bride, who had been hiding behind the screen, had walked stiffly to the front of the stage.
When the candles lit up again, a woman wearing a bright red wedding dress and a magnificent headdress stood in the center of the stage and bowed to the audience.
When she straightened up, everyone present gasped.
That woman was none other than Ling-zi, who had died last night.
At this moment, someone in the audience finally couldn’t help but let out a short cry of alarm.
Everyone’s gaze fixed on the person who had made the sound.
The man seemed to realize he had made a mistake and quickly covered his mouth.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
A large blade hanging above his head fell from the ceiling. Under everyone’s eyes, it struck unerringly, chopping right into the middle of the man’s head.
Translator’s Note: “Worrying ahead of time is like taking out a loan to eat sh*t” is a very colorful way to translate the internet slang tíqián jiāolǜ děngtóngyú dàikuǎn chī shǐ. It perfectly captures the blunt, slightly crude humor of the characters. Shadow play is Pí Yǐng Xì (皮影戲), a traditional form of Chinese storytelling using flat leather puppets.
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