Records of the Halls of Ten Thousand Affairs: Chapter 10 The Invisible Friend (Part 2)

Records of the Halls of Ten Thousand Affairs: Chapter 10 The Invisible Friend (Part 2)

“You mean… Jiang Hao moved today?” Chen Jiu took a slurp of instant noodles and asked the little girl sitting across from her. Su Xiaoyu nodded. She ate even faster than Chen Jiu, finishing every last bite and noisily draining the soup down to the bottom of the bowl. Seeing how ravenous she looked, Chen Jiu figured the adults at home rarely cared properly for her. She asked gently, “Want some more?” Su Xiaoyu patted her full stomach, covered her mouth shyly, and said, “No need, shop owner. You’re so nice treating me to a meal.” Chen Jiu handed her two paper napkins, gesturing for her to wipe her mouth. “Yeah. He saw the little paper figurine and moved.” Su Xiaoyu wiped her lips as she recalled the scene. “Only his eyes shifted I saw it clear as day.” Chen Jiu asked, “You saw that clearly, and you weren’t scared at all?” “Why would I be scared? We’re good friends!” Su Xiaoyu replied simply. Chen Jiu glanced at her, momentarily lost for words. She silently chided herself for turning into one of those tedious grown-ups. Clearly, Jiang Hao still retained a trace of self-awareness. Chen Jiu thought for a moment and asked again, “What about his mom and dad?” “Lots of kids in our class went to Jiang Hao’s funeral during summer vacation,” Su Xiaoyu said. “His aunt and uncle were heartbroken. I haven’t seen them ever since.” Chen Jiu asked, “When school started, did you see Jiang Hao sitting in the classroom right away, or does he come and go from school like the rest of you?” Su Xiaoyu thought hard. “I think… he’s just been sitting there all along. Didn’t he want to keep going to school? He was really smart, all the teachers in our grade liked him.” Chen Jiu nodded. “Shop owner, the real reason I came to find you is… I hoped you could ask him something.” Su Xiaoyu frowned, struggling to put her thoughts into words. “Or just talk to him for me. I’m sure he has something he wants to tell everyone. But he can’t see us, just like none of us can see him.” “Alright, I understand.” Chen Jiu glanced outside. The sky was heavy and overcast, about to pour rain any minute. Relieved that Chen Jiu had agreed, Su Xiaoyu clasped her hands together again, bowed gratefully several times, thanked her repeatedly, then grabbed her schoolbag and darted off. Chen Jiu smiled softly, watching her leave. Some ten minutes later, the downpour came crashing down. The little girl was probably safely home by now. It had been the quietest stretch since All-Wonders Studio opened nearly a whole month without a single customer, not even anyone lingering to peek through the door. Leisure was simply Chen Jiu’s daily routine. Rain hammered loudly against the door. Chen Jiu sat in her rocking chair, swaying her feet idly. Instead of playing games, she pulled out her phone and looked up recent child drowning incidents. Sure enough, one case matched. Yet according to the report, more than one child had gone swimming in that wild river out of boredom only Jiang Hao had drowned. What about the other kids who’d been with him? Lost in thought, she suddenly heard a luxury car pull up outside. The door opened, and two people stepped out one after another: a woman in an elegant black dress, and a young boy with a schoolbag on his back. Before entering, the woman’s expression turned stern as she chided the boy sharply. He shrank back timidly and followed her inside. Once they got out, the driver drove the car a short distance away to park elsewhere. Judging by the car and their refined clothes, they were clearly wealthy and privileged. This madam would surely pay generously. Chen Jiu quickly tidied herself up, stood behind the counter, greeted them with a calm smile, and said, “Welcome.” The woman covered her nose and mouth, scanning the shop’s plain interior with undisguised disdain in her eyes. “Is there anything I can help you with?” Chen Jiu asked politely. The woman frowned. “Are you the owner?” Having run the shop for half a year, Chen Jiu was long used to people doubting her ability at first glance. She poured the woman a cup of tea unhurriedly, handed the little boy a bottle of juice, and said, “Please have a seat.” She looked from the woman to the boy and asked, “What troubles has the young master run into?” The woman’s fingers tightened around her handbag, still full of suspicion. “You tell me first what exactly is wrong with him?” Chen Jiu nodded toward the door and said one word: “Water.” The boy froze completely, then began trembling all over. The juice bottle slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor. He clamped his hands over his ears, crouched down on the spot, stammering in terror, “I didn’t… I didn’t…” The woman was furious at her son’s cowardly breakdown. She knelt down, grabbed his shoulders tightly, and snapped, “Act your age! Why are you such a scared little thing? Lin Xiaofei!” She pulled him roughly, crumpling his school uniform in her anger. “Madam, let me handle this.” Chen Jiu gently pried her hands away. The woman’s movements stalled at once. She could feel the effortless strength in Chen Jiu’s light push, forcing her to loosen her grip. Chen Jiu folded her hands, forming quick incantation gestures. She pressed two fingers together, lightly touching Lin Xiaofei’s forehead, and murmured in a low voice:“Clear the spirit, dispel the nightmare. Command!” Little by little, Lin Xiaofei calmed down and stopped trembling. After a moment, he blinked, looking blankly between his mother and Chen Jiu. “Mom…” He tugged at the hem of her dress. The woman had watched the whole thing unfold, certain it was no trick or performance. She was utterly stunned. After the accident, she’d taken her son to hospitals and top psychological counselors nothing had worked. Having run out of scientific options, she’d reluctantly turned to metaphysics as a last resort. She’d never expected to walk into a random shop and find a genuine master. It took her a long moment to recover her composure. She asked respectfully, “Master… may I know your surname?” “My surname is Chen, Chen Jiu. Just call me Xiao Chen.” Chen Jiu handed her a business card. The woman took it with both hands, studied it carefully, and tucked it safely into her handbag. Her wariness and impatience faded away at last, replaced by earnest trust and sorrow. “I never really believed in such things at first,” she said, smoothing the hem of her dress and sitting gracefully in the guest chair. “I only came to try it because the elders in my family insisted.” Her name was Zhao Lan. That summer vacation, her son Lin Xiaofei had secretly gone swimming in a wild river with several classmates behind their parents’ backs. Lin Xiaofei was one of the children who’d been there with Jiang Hao. After the drowning accident, Lin Xiaofei had been like a lost soul, forever skittish and terrified. He swung between two states: blank, catatonic silence, or sudden panicked trembling, as if something might snatch him away at any moment to claim his life too. The whole family had been worn down by his strange condition. They’d rushed him from doctor to doctor nonstop. Medication barely helped, yet they dared not keep him on strong pills long-term for fear of damaging his developing mind. They stopped the medicine, and his terrors continued tormenting the whole household. Eventually, a friend surnamed Wang heard of their trouble and recommended Wan Shi Zai Studio. Zhao Lan had never even heard of the place, but with no other choice, she’d come hoping for a miracle. “It’s clearly lingering trauma from the near-drowning,” Chen Jiu said, looking at Lin Xiaofei. “What about the other children who were there? Do they have the same symptoms?” Zhao Lan’s expression turned odd. She shook her head. “Those kids all transferred schools right after the accident. Our families hardly keep in touch anymore, and I’ve never heard of any of them suffering like this.” Chen Jiu raised an eyebrow, looking again at Lin Xiaofei. “Xiaofei, may I ask you a few questions? If you don’t want to answer, just cover your ears.” Seeing her son remain frozen, Zhao Lan grew frustrated and patted his back lightly. “Lin Xiaofei, sit up straight! Be brave. Mom’s right here beside you what are you so afraid of?” Lin Xiaofei clutched tightly to Zhao Lan’s sleeve, hung his head, and let out a tiny, quiet mm-hmm. “What have you been so afraid of all these days?” Chen Jiu asked softly. “Is it the choking suffocation of nearly drowning… or are you afraid Jiang Hao hates you?” She phrased it as gently as possible. It had been a very long time since Lin Xiaofei had heard such soft, patient questioning. Even the most renowned psychological experts had never managed to draw out his buried feelings so simply. His eyes welled up with tears. He choked out, “When Jiang Hao fell into the water… I wanted to tell the teacher, tell Mom… but I couldn’t… I just couldn’t…” Zhao Lan held her breath. Her son had always clammed up halfway through whenever she asked before. This was the first time he’d spoken so openly and she could tell the unspoken part held the real truth behind the accident. But even now, Lin Xiaofei couldn’t overcome his crippling fear. He suddenly clamped both hands over his ears and began apologizing frantically, repeating sorry over and over. Zhao Lan sighed in exasperation, wanting to box his ears but holding back with a stranger present. Chen Jiu reached out and stroked Lin Xiaofei’s back slowly. Her touch carried a subtle calming warmth. Little by little, his emotions settled, and he took several deep, shaky breaths. “I won’t ask any more for now. Just relax,” Chen Jiu said. She turned to the counter, took out paper and a brush, and began drawing a talisman. Zhao Lan stepped closer, watching curiously. “What is this?” “A Soul-Calming Talisman.” Chen Jiu set the finished talisman aside to dry. “Stick it above Xiaofei’s bed. It will let him sleep peacefully for the next seven days.” Zhao Lan pressed a hand to her chest in relief, yet still looked troubled. “Is there no permanent cure, Master? Keeping talismans at home will upset the elders.” “For now, this is the only way,” Chen Jiu replied. “Don’t pressure Xiaofei into talking anymore. He’s still just a child, and his heart can’t bear more pushing. If you can, arrange a meeting with the other boys’ mothers. I’ll go with you. If my guess is right, Xiaofei isn’t the key to this accident at all.” “Yes, absolutely.” Zhao Lan took the talisman, now fully trusting Chen Jiu. She asked the price, then voluntarily transferred double the amount. Chen Jiu stared at the newly arrived twenty thousand yuan in her account and quietly clenched her fist to herself. Wealthy madams really do spend generously.