Last Bus of Route 13

The uncle came to bid me farewell, and suddenly everything made sense.

This trip to Mudanjiang, counting the initial encounter with Wei Youzhi’s ghost at the station, I’ve now seen two ghosts firsthand!

This situation happened once last month during The Gate Where a Hundred Ghosts Cry. I sighed, pulled out my mobile phone, and checked the date. Just as I thought, today is the 13th day of the lunar month, and in two days, it will be the 15th day of the lunar month again!

Last month, around the 15th day of the lunar month, due to my lack of Yang Energy, I encountered a series of bizarre evil spirits: Ghost Waiting for Bus, whispers from under the bed, and other inexplicable occurrences. Meeting the gatekeeper uncle and Wei Youzhi on this Mudanjiang trip seemed quite reasonable.

I let out a long breath, thankful that Wei Youzhi and the gatekeeper uncle weren’t malicious evil spirits. Otherwise, this solo adventure might have ended differently.

What will this month’s 15th day of the lunar month bring?

As I boarded the train home, my emotions were mixed. Fortunately, this trip was completed without any real danger. I randomly pulled out one of Wei Youzhi’s diaries from my backpack and started flipping through it.

After a while, I realized it was filled with mundane daily records: what time he woke up, what he ate for lunch, what he had for dinner, how he missed his wife and kids, and so on.

I went through several diaries, and the content was largely similar. One entry stood out where he spent thousands of words venting about his captain from head to toe.

Wei Youzhi was part of the same group of drivers as Old Wu and Old Tang, and there were many records of their lives. Although I didn’t find the crucial information I was looking for, I learned more about Old Tang and Old Wu through the diaries.

For instance, the diaries noted that ten years ago, Old Tang and Old Wu were very close, much like Xiao Liu and me now, sharing meals and rooms, a well-known pair in the bus fleet. In the early 2000s, when the city was flooded, Old Tang and Old Wu led the effort to donate a lot of money. Wei Youzhi praised their character and conduct in his diaries, which surprised me.

After reading for a while, I put away these scattered daily diaries and took out the orange diary book that my sister-in-law had given me last. She had read all of Old Wei’s diaries and knew their contents well. Since she set this one aside, it must contain secrets!

I crossed my legs, holding the orange diary book, and took a deep breath, thinking: It’s time to uncover the secrets.

There was indeed something intriguing, but as I opened the first page of the diary, I was dumbfounded!

Goosebumps instantly covered my skin!

The first entry was filled with Wei Youzhi’s sweet nothings to his wife!

Wei Youzhi wasn’t highly educated, so his diary was written in plain, straightforward language. Things like “I miss you so much I can’t sleep,” “I kissed your photo for an hour,” and “I want to take a bath with you, want to…”

Even though the diary was written ten years ago, he was already in his forties, not exactly young. The content was so intense that it made even a young person like me blush!

“Old man, still young at heart!” I cursed inwardly, my mood sinking. I had hoped to find clues about the car accident in the diary, but it turned out to be a collection of intimate musings!

Wei Youzhi’s wife treated this diary like a treasure, assuring me it contained the information I sought. My anticipation was so high that every pore on my body seemed to open, only to be met with this?

I chuckled helplessly and flipped through a few more pages. Good grief, the content got even more intense and explicit!

The more I read, the more disheartened I became. Just as I was about to toss the diary book aside, my eyes caught a few words that piqued my interest: No. 2386, Huaiyuan Road.

That was the community where Old Liu and Liu Yunbo lived. Wei Youzhi had recorded the infamous fire from back then in his diary:

Today’s news was dominated by the fire at No. 2386, Huaiyuan Road. All because a security guard carelessly tossed a cigarette butt, leading to half the building being engulfed in flames and hundreds losing their lives. It was tragic.

This incident taught us a painful lesson. I’ve decided to quit smoking, but I hope the captain keeps smoking, preferably at home, and tosses cigarette butts around, maybe even setting his own place on fire.

…

The diary’s account matched what I had previously learned, but Wei Youzhi was unaware that the true cause of the fire wasn’t the old security guard’s negligence, but Old Liu’s deliberate arson.

I skimmed through the rest, flipping a few more pages:

The weather is nice today, and I miss my wife, haha.

The fire at No. 2386, Huaiyuan Road has been causing quite a stir lately. Many say it was ghostly mischief, and there’s a rumor about an old man rescued from the blaze, half of his body charred, yet he miraculously survived despite the doctors’ grim prognosis!

…

An old man burnt in the fire?

Reading this, my first thought wasn’t anything else but my old friend, Old Liu.

I’ve always wondered how Old Liu managed to escape unscathed after setting the fire that killed so many in that building.

In Tangwazi Village, the white-haired old man and the little girl both claimed Old Liu was a charred ghost.

Even Meng E mentioned being unsure whether he was human or ghost.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at this point:

Old Liu, this old man, is truly enigmatic.

The diary continued with Wei Youzhi’s clumsy writing, recounting various rumors about how Old Liu survived.

One particular theory caught my attention. It was said that Old Liu was a great sorcerer, and the reason he survived with half his body burnt was because:

He used half a Paper Man to extend his life.

This explanation seemed fitting and could explain why his burnt half showed no scars after recovery.

If Old Liu’s half body was indeed sustained by a Paper Man, he truly was a creature neither human nor ghost. Was he dead? No. Was he fully human? Not quite!!!

I let out a long “Oh” in my mind, feeling a sense of revelation.

Old Liu’s skills were undeniable, and I believed he could pull off such a feat. However, I was curious about where Wei Youzhi had heard this tale, so I continued flipping through more pages of the diary.

Fortunately, Wei Youzhi continued to document in his diary, bringing me a long-lasting shock!

Wei Youzhi actually mentioned the Great East Gate Restaurant in his diary!

Yes, the very restaurant that uses maggots to make noodles and serves discontinued beer with a meal for just 2 mao.

The shop owner is only in his forties, but this restaurant has been around for ten years?

From his diary, I learned that Wei Youzhi stumbled upon the noodle shop by chance, and after his meal, the shop owner charged him 2 mao, which he recorded with surprise in his diary.

Later, Wei Youzhi became a regular at the Great East Gate Restaurant, often going there to enjoy a bowl of noodles and a bottle of beer. Over time, he became familiar with the shop owner, and they would chat about everything under the sun, including how Old Liu survived, which he heard from the restaurant owner!

The shop owner’s appearance wasn’t particularly noteworthy-a tall figure with a square face, and a man of few words, which was my only impression of him.

This world is vast, with over 6 billion people each living their own lives, yet it’s also small, as people within certain circles inexplicably cross paths.

The tale of Old Liu’s Paper Man life extension is merely a rumor recorded by Wei Youzhi. Given my current relationship with Old Liu, I could directly ask him in person.

After reading these stories, I closed the diary book, feeling as if I had traveled through time.

The night was deep, and the train jostled along. Sleepiness overcame me, and I cradled the diary book in my arms as I drifted off.

At five in the morning, the train arrived on time. I hadn’t informed anyone of my return, and after disembarking, I headed straight to the company.

In the dormitory, Xiao Liu was nowhere to be seen, but Bun Hairstyle was snoring away on my bed.

I chuckled and gave him a hard jab. Bun Hairstyle, thinking it was Xiao Liu, grumbled a curse before realizing it was me and sat up with a start.

“When did you get back?”

“I just walked in, haven’t even taken off my clothes yet,” I said, putting down my luggage and starting to undress.

“You really moved in? How long are you planning to stay?”

Bun Hairstyle yawned and replied, “I’m here waiting for you to come back so I can protect you. How long I’ll stay, we’ll see. Things are pretty complicated, and we need to stay in touch.”

As we chatted, Xiao Liu entered with a basin and thermos flask, and upon seeing me, he quickly set them down and greeted me with a smile.

“Back from wandering again? How was it, all good?”

I smiled and patted Xiao Liu’s shoulder, saying, “Yeah, all good.”

Bun Hairstyle suddenly remembered the matter of the thirty thousand yuan and said, “Not to be stingy, but you didn’t explain clearly over the phone. Who did you spend that money on?”

Sitting on the bed, I replied, “Our company had a driver named Wei Youzhi who passed away two years ago, leaving behind a widow and orphan. The child was diagnosed with epilepsy and hospitalized without money, so I thought I’d help out.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Xiao Liu widened his eyes and punched me.

“What? You’re caring for someone else’s wife again? You’re the company’s widow ambassador, huh?”

Bun Hairstyle laughed so hard he bent over, and I had given up trying to explain to Xiao Liu, who had a wooden head. As long as he was happy.

Every time I returned from a trip, I would ask Xiao Liu about work and whether anyone had come looking for me.

This time, Xiao Liu cheerfully said no one had come looking for me and mentioned he was happy to have deeper interactions with the new leader.

I laughed and asked him what he meant by that.

Xiao Liu, with a calm tone and a smile in his eyes, said, “Since you left, I’ve been alternating shifts with the new Captain Wang, and he’s started driving the last bus of Route 13.”