Records of the Halls of Ten Thousand Affairs: Chapter 9 The Invisible Friend (Part 1)

Records of the Halls of Ten Thousand Affairs: Chapter 9 The Invisible Friend (Part 1)

Thunder crashed and lightning split the sky, with rain pouring down in torrents.

A woman’s breathless moans echoed endlessly in his ears, and Zhou Xu was consumed by wild excitement.

So what if he was middle-aged? With his looks and prowess in bed, he could always stage a comeback no matter how far he fell.

A deafening clap of thunder lit up the world like broad daylight. Zhou Xu threw his head back and froze when he clearly saw a figure standing beside the bed.

She wore a white dress with long hair, soaked from head to toe. Wet footprints stretched all the way from the doorway to the edge of the bed.

Her skin was deathly pale, drained of all color. Her pitch-black eyes stared fixedly straight at him.

“Zhou Xu… I’ve been waiting for you.”

Another thunderclap boomed. Zhou Xu’s eyes widened to the limit, and the fear he had suppressed for years burst forth in an instant. Overwhelmed by the sheer terror, his heart stopped cold.

He stared blankly upward and collapsed backward scared to death on the spot.

Years later, Xu Xin had been promoted to team leader. Her former timid, meek manner was long gone, replaced by the poise of a supervisor.

She heard the news of Zhou Xu’s death. The next day, she bought flowers and sacrificial offerings, then drove to Li Mengran’s grave.

“Ranran, rest in peace.” Xu Xin squatted before the tomb, burning paper money as she murmured softly. “Master Chen said Zhou Xu committed far too many evils. In his next life, he’ll be reborn as an animal. You’ll never have to cross paths with him in the afterlife.” She fell silent for a moment, eyes turning red and voice thick with tears. “I’m still working at DH now, and I’ve become team leader. If you were still here, I’d definitely look out for you… never let you suffer so much injustice.”

The green foxtail grass swayed by the grave. Unknown blades of grass swirled in the wind, drifting past Li Mengran’s tomb, brushing Xu Xin’s cheek, floating into the woods, blending into the vast greenery, and vanishing without a trace.

That night, Elder Li and his wife shared the same dream. Their daughter came to bid them farewell, saying only that she was sorry she could not fulfill her filial duties in this life, and would repay their kindness in the next.

“Xiao Jiu! You selfishly meddled to help that Li girl, yet you dump all the blame on me!” An old man with a white beard chased after her in the dream, sounding furious.

Chen Xu ran away with her head in her hands, calling over her shoulder, “Old man, your blessings are boundless and your merit scroll is thick enough to crush people! What’s wrong with helping me share some of the blame?”

The old man flicked his whisk and shouted, “You wicked child!”

The echo lingered, and Chen Jiu jolted awake. Chen Xiaoxuan was curled up on her chest, heavy and warm, opening her eyes with a lazy yawn.

Chen Jiu stroked the little one’s head, got up to refill her cat food, then went to wash up.

After breakfast, it was still early to open the shop. She decided to go for a stroll. As soon as she opened the door, she spotted a figure squatting outside: a young schoolgirl with bob hair, wearing a uniform and carrying a bulky schoolbag.

The girl stood up the moment she heard the door open but her vision suddenly blurred, and she fainted straight into Chen Jiu’s arms.

Chen Jiu was stunned. She took the girl’s wrist to feel her pulse carefully, then half-supported and half-carried her inside, feeding her a sip of cola.

After a while, the girl regained consciousness and weakly rubbed her head.

Sitting up slowly, she stared wide-eyed at Chen Jiu. “Are you… the boss?”

“I am.” Chen Jiu sat down with a book in her lap, glanced at her briefly, then went back to reading. “What do you need?”

The girl scrambled to her feet, looking nervous. “Um! It’s about my deskmate…” She paused, then asked cautiously, “You… you can see them too, right?”

Chen Jiu neither confirmed nor denied, gesturing for her to go on.

“My deskmate drowned while swimming during summer vacation.” The girl spoke haltingly but clearly. “But ever since school started, he comes to class every single day. I asked the other classmates, but none of them can see him. They say I’m crazy, and the teacher tells me not to talk nonsense.”

“But it’s all true!” The girl insisted, eyes wide with certainty. “I see him every day! When the teacher calls on students to answer questions, she never picks him. He just sits there all alone, no one talks to him, no one plays with him.”

Chen Jiu listened calmly. It was simply that the child had a natural spiritual vision. With more sunlight and time to grow older, it would likely fade in a year or two.

What puzzled her was why such a young girl had come here all alone.

“I believe you,” Chen Jiu said, “but my hourly rate is very high. You’ll need to ask your parents to come pay me.”

At this, the girl rummaged frantically inside her schoolbag and every pocket on her body. She piled a handful of loose change onto the small tea table in front of Chen Jiu, asking timidly with clasped hands, “Can I pay a little first? My parents will scold me they’ve already scolded me many times. I dare not let them know I came here to find you. Please, boss, I beg you.”

She bowed repeatedly to Chen Jiu with her hands pressed together.

Chen Jiu glanced at the money, holding back a laugh. It was barely even fifty yuan in total.

But she didn’t have anything else to do. She might as well take a look to pass the time.

“Come on,” Chen Jiu said after a moment’s thought. She rummaged in the cabinet and handed her a loaf of bread and a carton of milk. “Breakfast.”

The girl froze for a second, took the food, then mumbled a belated thank-you as she ate slowly.

“Which primary school are you in? What time does class start?”

“Qiming Primary School,” the girl mumbled through mouthfuls of bread. She suddenly glanced at the time and panicked. “I’m almost late! I have to go now, shop owner. I’ll come find you after school!”

Qiming Primary School was not far from Wan Shi Zhai, just a few blocks away.

Chen Jiu stood up and stretched lazily. “Come on. I wiill make and exception and give you ride today.”

The girl’s face lit up instantly.

Ten minutes later, only a handful of students were rushing into the school gates, barely making it on time.

Chen Jiu helped the girl off her electric scooter. “What’s your name?”

“Su Xiaoyu!” The little girl was full after eating, her voice clear and bright.

Chen Jiu nodded. “Off you go. Pay attention in class.”

“Thank you boss! See you later!” Su Xiaoyu waved and ran toward the classroom.

The duty teacher recognized her immediately, her expression turning stern. “Su Xiaoyu! Why are you dragging your feet again? You have one minute before you’re late, and your class will lose points because of you!”

Su Xiaoyu’s face flushed red. She whispered a quick “Goodbye, shop owner” and sprinted into the building.

The teacher looked to be in her early forties. Years of teaching had left her with a perpetually strict demeanor. She had taught this grade for a long time and knew Su Xiaoyu’s family background well. She eyed Chen Jiu suspiciously.

Chen Jiu caught her gaze and said casually, “I’m her neighbor. Her family had no time to send her today.”

The teacher still looked doubtful but nodded slowly.

Chen Jiu gave her a polite smile and said no more, mounting her scooter. Instead of heading straight back to the studio, she circled around Qiming Primary School once.

From what Su Xiaoyu had said, the little water ghost either had an unfulfilled wish, was trapped here by a stronger spiritual force and could not leave, or the girl simply had mental troubles.

Curious, she found a secluded spot unseen by others and cast a divination on the spot.

The copper coins clattered to the ground. Chen Jiu opened her eyes to read the hexagram, her hands forming rapid incantation gestures. A paper figurine rose up from the ground, swaying in the wind until it took shape completely.

“Reveal all fortune and misfortune along the path before me.” Chen Jiu pressed two fingers together and pointed toward the teaching building. “Go!”

The paper figurine took a few wobbly steps, then darted into the grass and disappeared.

Class 1, Grade 4. The classroom echoed with loud morning reading.

Su Xiaoyu sat upright, her mouth moving silently without making a sound. Her eyes kept drifting sideways every few moments.

Beside her desk sat a boy, perfectly still. Water dripped constantly from the tips of his hair, his whole body soaked wet, leaving a puddle on the floor beneath his chair. His face was ashen and bloodless, his eyes dark and lifeless.

Su Xiaoyu had noticed Jiang Hao returning to class the very first day of the new semester.

Everyone walked in and out of the classroom, and only she had greeted Jiang Hao but he never replied, simply sitting motionless in his seat.

Later, she told a few close classmates, but they all stared at her in fright or disgust, telling her to shut up. Some even ran to report her to the teacher, who would then scold her severely, warning her not to spout nonsense or she would be sent home and banned from class.

Two weeks passed like this. No matter how Su Xiaoyu spoke to Jiang Hao, he never responded. She was heartbroken and lonely, with no one believing her. Yet she dared not disobey her parents and teacher for fear of being kept out of school. She kept it all to herself until a few days ago, when she borrowed her parents’ phone and saw a local ad for Wan Shi Zhai Studio.

Tired from sneaking glances, Su Xiaoyu was about to look away when she saw Jiang Hao’s eyes suddenly shift. She widened her eyes in shock, wondering if she had imagined it.

Jiang Hao’s eyes moved again, fixed on a spot by the window.

Su Xiaoyu followed his gaze and spotted a tiny paper figurine stuck to the windowpane. It rustled softly in the breeze.

Strangely enough, none of the students sitting by the window noticed the conspicuous little paper figure, all absorbed in their morning recitations.

“Daydreaming again, Su Xiaoyu?” The teacher walked past and tapped her desk sharply, looking displeased.

Su Xiaoyu quickly snapped her gaze back and began reading the textbook aloud.

Moments later, the paper figurine vanished silently.

Chen Jiu stretched her limbs. The paper figurine crept out of the grass and stopped before her. She tapped its head with her index finger, and the entire scene unfolded clearly in her mind.

It seemed the girl truly had no mental illness at all.