Chapter 145: Bells
The wooden cabin was actually very dilapidated. There was a large hole in the window and the door was also tattered. When you pushed it open, it would make a loud rusty creak.
Su Min stared at the child inside but he didn’t move any closer fearing that he would scare the other party. He asked: “What is his name?”
Xiao Su murmured: “No name.”
Su Min froze.
He felt that he could now guess the basic premise of this movie. Could the so-called “Taking My Surname” have something to do with this child?
Or was he Chen Su?
The more Su Min thought about it, the more he felt that he was on the right path. He just didn’t know what Chen Su looked like when he was a child so he couldn’t confirm it. He could only sigh.
He walked in slowly. The two children stood side by side and just watched him approach.
Su Min touched a wooden stool in the corner and was about to sit down when Xiao Su suddenly called out: “Don’t sit.”
He subconsciously pressed down with his hand.
The stool shattered in response.
Su Min: “.................”
There was still danger around despite the cabin being so small.
Su Min moved away from the stool remnants and eventually stood in the centre of the wooden cabin. He asked: “You don’t remember your own name?”
The child said: “I don’t remember.”
His voice was very young. It carried a hint of confusion and daze.
Su Min suddenly felt like a father. For some reason, he wanted to raise and take care of this child.
He wondered if this was something caused by Chen Su.
Xiao Su said: “He doesn’t remember anything. He doesn’t even remember how old he is and what his name is.”
Su Min asked: “When did you first get to know him?”
Things probably developed differently compared to the other adults, so Xiao Su was in a good mood. He instantly gave a long explanation.
He only came to know this ghost child by accident.
Su Min’s second uncle and second aunt worked outside, so he basically lived in his aunts place. When there wasn’t much to do, he would go out to play.
This wooden cabin was previously unoccupied. Children would occasionally come and act like adventurers, but they later stopped because there wasn’t anything interesting.
When Xiao Su came over, he noticed that something wasn’t quite right.
There were a lot of new things around the cabin. Although he didn’t know what it was, he couldn’t remove it. Later when he looked through the window, he saw a child locked inside.
Su Min frowned: “Locked inside?”
Xiao Su nodded: “Yeah.”
He was locked inside and couldn’t move. When he later entered through the door, strong wind blew in, knocking the child to the ground.
That was when Xiao Su met him.
When Su Min heard Xiao Su’s words, he felt that there was some hidden meaning behind it. He quickly left the cabin and looked around.
This wooden cabin was indeed not normal.
Various bells were installed under the eaves and there were bells tied to red thread surrounding the entire wooden cabin.
In addition to that, there seems to also be a ditch around it.
Although Su Min wasn’t familiar with things like this, he could tell that things weren’t so simple.
He pulled the bell. It didn’t ring.
Xiao Su called out nervously from inside: “Don’t shake it. He’s scared.”
Su Min released his hold of it and went back in. He saw the frightened expression on that child’s face, “Did you hear the sound?”
The child nodded and whispered: “Heard it.”
As soon as he heard this answer, Su Min felt that all those installations were for ghosts. That was probably why he couldn’t hear it.
He didn’t know who did it.
Su Min squatted down. Like this, he was about the same height as the two of them, “Do you remember anyone strange appearing around here?”
The two shook their heads in unison.
Su Min reached out and touched the child’s head. The other party originally wanted to shy away but in the end for some reason he didn’t move.
His heart softened.
If this really was Chen Su, then that would mean that he had encountered something horrible at a very young age.
Su Min asked: “I’ll take you out okay? Staying here isn’t good.”
Hearing this, Xiao Su pouted: “He can’t go out.”
Su Min didn’t expect this answer. He had thought that the child could go around everywhere but, as it turned out, he had been in this cabin the whole time.
He said: “Wait.”
Su Min went back out. He went home to find a pair of scissors and planned to cut the red thread. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
He didn’t know what those threads were made from, but they couldn’t be cut. If he accidentally touched it, the child inside could hear it.
Su Min didn’t dare be reckless. He decided to think of another method.
And more importantly, who was hiding him here, and what exactly did they want to do?
***
The next day, second uncle and the others went and found a G.o.dmother.
Su Min was afraid that this G.o.dmother would do something superst.i.tious, so he quickly hurried over to Xiao Su’s place early in the morning waiting for the G.o.dmother’s appearance.
Around noon, the G.o.dmother was brought over.
When Su Min saw her, the other party also happened to see him. She smiled and then looked away.
Second aunt acted like she finally met her saviour. As soon as she saw the G.o.dmother, she rushed over: “G.o.dmother, please see if my son has been possessed.”
Xiao Su was taken downstairs by second uncle.
The G.o.dmother looked at him and then she looked at Su Min. She then looked back at the expectant eyes of second uncle and second aunt: “No possession.”
Second aunt didn’t believe this: “My son recently encountered a ghost. G.o.dmother, please take a good look. He’s still telling me lies.”
“It is normal for young children to see things.” The G.o.dmother smiled slightly and said gently: “This is not a bad thing.”
Although she didn’t seem to completely believe her, the second aunt seemed to feel more relieved. She said: “Then can you deal with that ghost?”
Xiao Su shouted: “No!”
Second aunt ignored him. She continued to look at the G.o.dmother with hopeful eyes.
The G.o.dmother shook her head.
She only handed over a couple of satchels before getting ready to leave. Su Min stopped her outside.
The G.o.dmother smiled and asked: “What’s wrong?”
Su Min felt that there was some hidden meaning behind her smile. He rubbed the gooseb.u.mps on his arms and asked: “I would like to ask about something.”
The G.o.dmother said: “Ask away.”
Su Min explained everything he knew about the ghost child and emphasised on the child’s current state.
Hearing this, the G.o.dmother said: “He is now a ghost, yet not a ghost.”
Su Min didn’t understand.
For some reason, the G.o.dmother’s voice sounded like it was coming from far away: “When the soul of the living leaves the body, it is called a living soul. For the time being, he is not a ghost but once time has pa.s.sed, he would become a true wandering ghost.”
Su Min didn’t understand the term living soul, but he understood the meaning behind the G.o.dmother’s words.
Seeing that he both did and didn’t understand, the G.o.dmother didn’t say anything else.
Su Min thought for a moment and asked again: “Then how can he return to his body?”
“That would depend on the level of his desire for his own body.” The G.o.dmother said: “He must go back by himself.”
Su Min knew that the child couldn’t remember anything, let alone his ident.i.ty so that would mean that he wouldn’t be able to go back for the time being.
Before the G.o.dmother left, she left him with a small pouch.
Su Min opened if after she left and saw that it was a pair of scissors. It was a very small one.
He thought about it and got ready to go back to the cabin to give it a go.
After taking a step out the door, he heard his aunt yell out: “Xiao Min, come over for lunch.”
Su Min could only put that thought on hold for now.
Today, they were having chicken that was gifted from another kind-hearted household. His aunt had braised it and it tasted unexpectedly delicious.
He used to eat this often when he was at his grandparents but after growing up, he no longer had the chance to have it. Even if he went back now, his grandmother wouldn’t be able to make this for him.
After eating, Su Min got ready to go back over to the wooden cabin.
From his bedroom window, he could see the wooden cabin sitting alone in the field. There weren’t even any scarecrows around.
For a child to be trapped inside unable to leave, it was pretty pitiful.
Just the thought that this child might be younger Chen Su made Su Min feel distressed. It just happened that Xiao Su was under strict watch by his mother right now.
He had checked online earlier and the explanation for living souls was quite simple.
The soul of a dead person was called a ghost. On the other hand, if a soul left from a living human’s body, it would be called a living soul.
Su Min sighed. He left through the back door.
The sky had darkened after dinner and he couldn’t see anything as he made his way to the cabin.
Su Min used his phone to light his path and, as soon as he approached the cabin, he saw a dense group of wild ghosts standing outside staring at the child inside.
Even the windows were filled with them.
It was Su Min’s first time seeing so many ghosts in one place. All of them looked inside with their b.u.t.ts sticking out and appeared to be looking at something interesting inside.
He walked over and stomped his feet.
The group of wild ghosts scattered like birds, but they then soon appeared again nearby. They all looked different. Some were very ugly while you couldn’t see the faces on others.
Su Min pushed open the door.
There was one that wanted to come in. When Su Min closed the door and jammed it between the door, the ghost started crying out.
Su Min said angrily: “What are you shouting for?”
The little ghost retracted its body from the door, made a silly face and ran off.
In fact, it didn’t run too far. That ghost again appeared by the window together with the others. He didn’t know what was so interesting inside for theses ghosts to be so interested.
Su Min turned around and saw the child sitting on the ground. The child started at him unblinkingly with his dark eyes.
It was quite pretty, like Chen Su’s eyes.
Su Min suddenly noticed this. He squatted down and asked gently: “Did they bully you?”
The child shook his head: “No.”
Su Min checked and only felt relieved after confirming that everything was okay. “Wait here. I’ll go and see if I can cut the red threads.”
The small scissors from the G.o.dmother may be useful.
Su Min randomly cut one of them. The bell instantly fell from the thread and the thread snapped.
It wasn’t the same as how it was that afternoon.
Su Min gathered the bells into a pile while the wild ghosts watched on not far away from him.
Every time they wanted to get closer, he would raise his hand and the ghosts would all start drooling. They looked like they wanted to pounce him right then and there.
Su Min felt like he was going to be swallowed alive.
He didn’t know how long these lone spirits had starved for but the sight of them drooling the moment they see a human was rather scary.
Su Min gathered at the bells. When he turned around, he saw the child standing at the door staring at him.
Su Min asked: “Can you come out?”
The child nodded.
Looks like it was because of these bells. Su Min stood up. Just as he was about the speak, the child standing at the door ran over and hugged him.
It gave him a familiar feeling.