Last Bus of Route 13

Sweat broke out on my forehead. These men were indeed strange. They worked in the field without any interaction, and their movements were stiff and mechanical.

I’ve seen enough bizarre things in my life and didn’t want to invite trouble. After watching for a while, I turned around and headed home.

When I got back, another shocking thing happened-the door to the west room had been blown open by the wind!

I sighed helplessly. All I wanted was a peaceful life without unnecessary curiosity. I was comfortable where I was and didn’t want to stir up trouble. Didn’t Old Wu say not to enter that room? Fine, I wouldn’t even look at it.

With that thought, I walked to the door, closed my eyes, and slammed it shut.

Sometimes, it’s best not to see. After closing the door, I felt sleepy and went back to bed, sleeping soundly until dawn.

I thought Shuilian wouldn’t come looking for me so early now that her birthmark was gone, but she arrived even earlier, catching me still in bed.

Without the birthmark, she looked beautiful, more confident, and her smile was sweeter.

Shuilian brought me breakfast, and as I got up and ate, we chatted.

It was clear she was treating me better, as there was an extra egg in my breakfast.

“Brother Li, you cured my face. I don’t know how to thank you. I was so happy yesterday that I forgot to ask-are you really a bus driver, or are you a doctor?”

I replied with a calm smile, “I’m not lying. I’m just a driver. And that water you used to wash your face wasn’t mine. It was brought by the little girl who comes to play with my mobile phone every night.”

Shuilian was quite surprised to hear this.

“Really? Then I must thank her properly. Will she come tonight?”

I nodded and said, “She probably will. She’s hooked on playing and comes rain or shine.”

Shuilian was delighted and said she would thank the little girl in person tonight and make her a set of clothes.

We chatted a bit more, and I suddenly remembered the men in white I saw working in the field last night. So I asked, “Shuilian, at the end of the path by the lake, near the road, there’s a field. I saw people working there around midnight. Is that a common practice in your village?”

Shuilian shook her head in surprise, “Everyone’s asleep at that hour. Who would be working? Besides, that field at the end of the lake belongs to Old Lady Qiu.”

Old Lady Qiu’s field?

I remembered Shuilian telling me that Old Lady Qiu lived alone and was never seen working in the fields. Were those men hired by her? But why hire people to work secretly at night?

I couldn’t figure it out. Shuilian said, “Maybe you were seeing things. No one works at night.”

Then she added, “By the way, Old Lady Qiu came to my house yesterday afternoon asking how my birthmark got better.”

“Did you tell her?”

Shuilian looked at me with her big, timid eyes and nodded, whispering, “Was I not supposed to tell?”

I laughed and replied, “It’s fine. I just naturally don’t have a good feeling about old ladies. I always think they’re up to no good.”

Actually, my suspicion wasn’t entirely unfounded. Ever since I started driving, I’ve encountered all sorts of peculiar old ladies: the one who dropped her vegetable basket, the one from Tangwazi Village who dug up graves, and now this one who’s always wearing a red scarf. Each one is stranger than the last.

Seeing my displeasure, Shuilian kept apologizing. I reassured her a bit and arranged for her to come over at nine in the evening to meet the little girl. After that, she headed back home.

With Shuilian’s birthmark healed, we no longer needed to search the mountains for the ginseng doll. But having gotten used to the mountain hikes, suddenly having nothing to do felt oddly uncomfortable.

Old Wu had left me here for over a week without any news, and I was worried about them. I wondered if Bai Fan might encounter danger again, if Xiao Liu might run into something supernatural, or if Bun Hairstyle might get into a fight and lose a limb.

Yet, all I could do now was stay put and do nothing.

Time flew by, and as night fell, the sky, adorned with countless stars, chased the sun below the horizon.

After bringing me dinner, Shuilian didn’t leave in a hurry. She planned to make a new set of clothes for the little girl as a thank you, so she settled down with a novel by the bed, reading while waiting for the little girl to arrive.

We waited until past eleven, but the little girl didn’t show up. Thinking she might be avoiding Shuilian on purpose, as she had done before, I suggested Shuilian head home, and I would take the girl’s measurements myself.

Shuilian, already nodding off from exhaustion, agreed. On our way back, we passed by the lakeside. It was a dark and windy night, and neither of us spoke as we walked briskly, side by side.

When we reached the end of the lake, I glanced into the field and, sure enough, saw those men in white working again.

I nudged Shuilian and whispered, “See, I wasn’t lying. There are people working in Old Lady Qiu’s field again.”

Shuilian looked into the field, almost exclaiming in surprise.

“It’s too dark and far to see their faces clearly, but I don’t recall any men in our village with such builds.”

She wanted to get a closer look, but I held her back, refusing to let her go.

After seeing Shuilian home, I returned to find the field empty, the workers gone.

As soon as I stepped inside, the little girl appeared.

Same as always, with her clear eyes and sweet smile, she stretched out her little hand.

“Uncle, can I borrow your mobile phone for a bit?”

I chuckled and pulled the phone from under my pillow, handing it to her.

She never seemed to tire of it, taking the phone with the same excitement as the first time.

I seized the moment to ask, “Little sister, where did you get that cup of water you gave me?”

Without lifting her head, she shook it while tapping the screen, “I can’t tell you that.”

Can’t tell me? Well, such a miraculous potion is indeed precious.

I didn’t blame her and continued, “Your sister’s face was healed by you. She wants to thank you in person and make you a set of clothes.”

The little girl shook her head again.

“No, I don’t want to meet anyone.”

“Why?”

As soon as I asked that question, there was another one brewing inside me: “Are you a ginseng doll?” But before I could voice it, the little girl suddenly looked up, furrowed her brow, dropped the mobile phone, and dashed out.

Her sudden action startled me. She had been playing just fine, so what happened today?

“Little sister, you…”

Before I could finish, she slammed the door and was gone.

I paused for a moment, realizing something might have happened, and quickly chased after her. As soon as I stepped outside, I was taken aback.

Old Lady Qiu, with her ever-present red scarf around her neck, was standing at the door, grinning at me.

I frowned, glanced around but saw no sign of the little girl, and whispered, “Granny, what are you doing here at my door in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”

Old Lady Qiu didn’t reply, just kept grinning, which sent shivers down my spine.

Before I could return inside, she turned and walked away. I stared at her retreating figure, noticing she was holding a white bag in her left hand.

Back in the house, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. There was no way she came to my door for no reason. The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt, and I sat up with a start.

She must have come for the little girl!

The news about the ginseng doll was told to Shuilian by Old Lady Qiu, and yesterday, after Shuilian’s birthmark disappeared, the old lady even came by to inquire.

Thinking it over, did she also suspect the little girl was the ginseng doll?

I was getting anxious. Although the little girl and I weren’t related, spending time with her had become a habit. Regardless of whether she was a ginseng doll or someone’s child, if she was in danger, I had to help!

I hardly rested that night, worrying about the little girl’s safety.

At dawn, Shuilian came to bring me breakfast. Seeing my dark circles, she was startled and asked, “Brother Li, did you not sleep well last night? Did the little girl come?”

I yawned and nodded. “She came, and not just her-the old lady with the red scarf, Old Lady Qiu, came too.”

“Old Lady Qiu came? What did she want with you?”

I sighed and waved my hand. “She wasn’t here for me. Let’s see what happens tonight.”

Shuilian nodded and didn’t press further, only mentioning she wanted to thank the little sister in person.

I spent the day in a daze, eagerly awaiting nightfall. I had asked Shuilian to bring dinner early, hoping the little girl would come sooner.

But after Shuilian left, I waited until eleven o’clock, and the little girl still hadn’t shown up.

Something had definitely happened!

The little girl never missed a chance to come and play with the mobile phone, rain or shine, and wouldn’t just disappear without a trace.

The first thought that came to mind was Old Lady Qiu-had she taken the little girl?

As I was fretting, Shuilian unexpectedly returned.

Being straightforward, she said she couldn’t sleep at home and wanted to come and thank the little girl personally.

I didn’t hide anything from her and shared my concerns about the little girl’s disappearance and my suspicions about Old Lady Qiu with Shuilian.

Shuilian was taken aback by my words and immediately suggested we go to Old Lady Qiu’s house to demand the girl’s return. Although we had no evidence, the urgency of the situation left no room for hesitation. Without much thought, I let Shuilian lead the way to Old Lady Qiu’s place.

We walked along the village path for quite a while before finally arriving at Old Lady Qiu’s house. To our surprise, the glow of candlelight flickered inside her home.

Was the old lady still awake?

I gestured for Shuilian to be quiet and cautiously crept up to the window of Old Lady Qiu’s house. Though the curtains were drawn, they weren’t tightly closed, allowing us to glimpse inside through the gaps.

Shuilian and I crouched beneath the window, peeking in.

There, in the middle of the night, Old Lady Qiu sat upright on her kang1, still wearing her signature red scarf. In her hands, she held a pair of scissors, snipping away at something.

I squinted to get a better look and was shocked to see that she was cutting out Paper Men from white paper, one after another.

Shuilian furrowed her brow, casting a puzzled glance at me.

I pondered for a moment, and suddenly, it all made sense.

Everyone in the village knew that Old Lady Qiu dabbled in some unconventional practices. No wonder she never needed to work the fields, yet her crops thrived better than anyone else’s. Could it be that the men in white working in the fields at midnight were actually white paper men she had crafted?!!!

The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

As I was lost in thought, Shuilian accidentally stepped on a piece of broken tile, causing it to crack loudly.

The sharp sound echoed, and Old Lady Qiu, who had been engrossed in her paper cutting, snapped her head up to look in our direction!

I will never forget the look in Old Lady Qiu’s eyes.

Her gaze was piercing and deep, as if she could strip a person bare with just a glance!!!

Footnote:

Kang(炕): A Kang is a traditional heated bed or platform commonly found in northern China. It is made of brick or clay and is designed to provide warmth, especially during cold winters. The Kang is usually heated by a stove or fireplace that warms the space underneath, making it a cozy place to sleep and gather. People often use it for sleeping, socializing, and even cooking in some cases.