Ancestral Home on a Rainy Night

By Mo Xue

On a rainy night, Yang Xiaofan walked with a black umbrella into the suburbs of the city. Having just divorced and left with nothing, she felt desperate. At a real estate agency, a middle-aged woman named Sister Lin recommended her a place called "Li Family Ancestral Home," offering it to her with an unusually favorable condition—paying her 1500 to take it.

Afterwards, Yang Xiaofan explored the house and encountered a series of eerie events, including seeing a bloody arm and feeling an inexplicable sense of being watched. Despite her fear and confusion, faced with homelessness, Yang Xiaofan signed the lease agreement and decided to stay.

Yang Xiaofan's new life is filled with the unknown and fear. How will she cope with these supernatural phenomena? What unknown secrets does the Li Family Ancestral Home hide? A series of questions accompany Yang Xiaofan, and her future is set to be filled with more challenges and surprises.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zhou Yan
• Release date: Apr 24, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224096848

Book preview

Chapter 1: Cast Out Empty-handed

Cold rain poured down, and Yang Xiaofan walked dispiritedly through the mud on the outskirts of the city, a black umbrella shielding her head and a pair of cheap high heels squelching in the muck. A wry smile twisted her pale lips.

She had just gotten divorced, cast out empty-handed. And by empty-handed, she meant truly empty. Yang Xiaofan never imagined that after five years of living with her husband’s family, her mother-in-law would be so heartless when it came to the divorce.

As she left, her mother-in-law told her that the clothes she was wearing were bought with her son’s money, and so were the bags and even the toilet paper.

Except for the clothes she had bought back in college, Yang Xiaofan couldn’t even take a single roll of tissues to wipe away her tears when she left that house.

So, Yang Xiaofan chose not to shed a single tear for this marriage, even though it was Xu Zhiwen, her husband, who had cheated. He got another woman pregnant and now wanted to divorce her to marry a young, naive 90s-born girl.

But it was she, Yang Xiaofan, who was forced to sign the divorce agreement with the clause of leaving empty-handed.

She didn’t want to take the case to court and make it public. Back then, everyone in the family opposed her marrying a so-called Phoenix Man right after graduating from college. Yet, she went ahead and married him regardless. Now, she was divorced and thrown out of the house by the Xu family in the pouring rain.

If others knew about it, wouldn’t they just laugh at her and say she deserved it?

She could be without money, without a job, and without status, but she couldn’t be without self-respect. After ending her marriage, the first thing she wanted to do was to reclaim the self-respect she had discarded after getting married.

The rain-drenched streets stretched before her, devoid of any other soul. After what seemed like an eternity, a glimmer of hope emerged in Yang Xiaofan’s eyes. Just ahead, nestled beside a scrap metal recycling center, stood a ten-square-meter real estate agency.

Inside the agency, a middle-aged woman sat under a rain shelter, cracking open sunflower seeds and occasionally clicking away at a knitting needle. The floor was littered with empty shells. As Yang Xiaofan entered, the woman quickly brushed off the seeds, her hand holding the plate outstretched towards her. Looking to rent a place? she inquired with a smile.

Slightly embarrassed by the woman’s abrupt gesture, Yang Xiaofan hesitantly took a seed. Anything affordable? she inquired.

The woman let out a hearty chuckle. Affordable? You’ve come to the right place! Lin Jie has more affordable options than anyone else. She swiveled in her chair, navigating to the computer, pulling up a spreadsheet. Gesturing for Yang Xiaofan to take a seat, she began her spiel, Have a look and find something you like.

Scanning the list, Yang Xiaofan realized the options in the suburbs were far from cheap. Even the cheapest one would leave her struggling to survive after paying the deposit.

Suddenly, her eyes landed on a listing titled Li Family Ancestral Home with a price of -1500. Was there really a place that would pay you to rent it?

Confused, Yang Xiaofan turned to the woman. Auntie, the last line on the list, ‘Li Family Ancestral Home,’ has a negative price. What’s going on?

The woman explained that the owner, currently studying abroad, had offered a hefty commission to rent out the ancestral home. He had promised her an additional bonus if she managed to find a tenant. I’ve been racking my brain trying to find someone to take this place, she confessed with a broad grin. Now that you’ve asked, I’m happy to explain. The owner has left the house empty while he studies abroad, and he wants someone to look after it. Let me show you the place, and if you’re interested, I’ll pay you the commission of 1500 yuan he left with me.

With no home to return to, Yang Xiaofan was skeptical about such an overly convenient deal but still followed the real estate agent to view the house.

The middle-aged woman rolled out an electric bike from inside the room, locked the agency’s front door, donned her raincoat, and with Yang Xiaofan in tow, set off towards the direction of the Li Family Ancestral Home.

By the way, miss, I haven’t asked for your name yet, the woman shouted over the howling wind and pouring rain as they rode along.

Squinting against the onslaught of raindrops, Yang Xiaofan yelled back, My family name is Yang. Lin Jie, the roads are slippery in the rain; could we slow down a bit?

We’re not going fast. When I’m not carrying a passenger, I usually go twice as fast... Miss Yang, look, we’ve arrived...

The electric bike came to an abrupt stop, and Yang Xiaofan, propelled forward by inertia, opened her eyes at that exact moment, only to be met with the sight of the building in front of her.

Under the dark leaden clouds stood the slightly weathered Li Family Ancestral Home.

It was a three-story duplex from the time of the Republic of China, constructed entirely of gray brick and stone. Peering through the closed European-style iron gate, one could see a neglected rose garden that once must have been well-kept but now grew wild without care.

From the outside, the building seemed well-preserved, and it was situated in an excellent location, right at the exit between the city center and the suburbs, with a bus stop nearby providing transportation into the city.

Chapter 2: Contacting the Landlord

The iron gate leading to the Li Family Ancestral Home was locked. The middle-aged woman frowned. That’s odd, she muttered. This gate is always unlocked. What’s going on? I only have the keys to the house doors... She hastily grabbed her phone and dialed a number. Once connected, her voice became exceptionally warm.

Hello, Xiao Li, it’s your Lin Jie here. I have something to tell you. The house is rented... Yes, the tenant is here to see the place, but your gate is locked, and we can’t get in.

Yang Xiaofan’s mind raced as she internally facepalmed. She had only mentioned coming to see the house...

This Li Family Ancestral Home was just one strange occurrence after another: the agent paying to rent the place out and even offering an incentive to move in. Yang Xiaofan couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being scammed.

Her last name is Yang, so you can just call her Miss Yang. I’ve brought her here, so let’s consider the other half of the deposit settled, alright?

The middle-aged woman hung up the phone and beamed at Yang Xiaofan. Miss Yang, you’re in luck! The landlord just happens to be home and will come down to open the door in a moment. Let me tell you, this house’s owner is studying finance at a prestigious university in America. He rarely comes back here; I’ve only met him twice myself...

Yang Xiaofan forced a smile, her eyes darting towards the rose bushes. Several decaying rat corpses lay there, their skeletal remains stark and unsettling.

This was clearly an abandoned house, not somewhere anyone lived. Not only was there no rent, but you were paid to live there. Yang Xiaofan couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all a ploy between the real estate agent and the homeowner.

Unease gnawed at her. She was alone here. If they tried anything, what would she do? Images of human organ trafficking and kidnapping flashed in her mind.

Lost in her thoughts, she noticed a young man in his twenties approaching along the garden path. He had fair skin and wore a white T-shirt and washed-out denim jeans, holding a black umbrella.

He unlocked the iron chain on the gate, opened it with one hand, and walked toward Yang Xiaofan. A radiant smile lit up his face. You must be Miss Yang. I’m Li Shaohuang, the owner of this house.

His voice was so pleasant it could have belonged to a radio announcer!

Yang Xiaofan shook his hand awkwardly, a forced smile playing on her lips. She thought to herself, how nice it was to be young, with a smile that seemed to outshine everyone else’s.

She ridiculed herself internally.

Yang Xiaofan, Yang Xiaofan, why did you have to imitate others and get married so early? You married a Phoenix Man in your early twenties, divorced at twenty-eight, and left with nothing. Now, if you ever wanted to remarry, you’d be a second-hand woman.

Sensing her nervousness, Li Shaohuang released her slightly calloused hand and said with a gentle smile, Miss Yang, there’s no need to be nervous. I’ll be your landlord from now on. Just give me your bank account number, and I’ll transfer you the money every month. Now, let’s take a look inside the house...

Yang Xiaofan felt like screaming. She was only here to view the house; she hadn’t decided to rent it yet!

But she didn’t have a shred of confidence.

If she couldn’t find a place to rent, she’d end up sleeping on the streets. How low could a person fall to need to sleep on the streets?

She didn’t dare think about it. The money in her pocket wouldn’t last much longer. If she couldn’t make ends meet, she’d have to swallow her pride and borrow money from her friends. In the end, she might even have to ask for help from her mother, who had strongly opposed her marriage to Xu Zhiwen.

Chapter 3: Contacting the Landlord

For years, Yang Xiaofan had gritted her teeth and endured the hardships of following Xu Zhiwen. She never once turned to her relatives for a single cent.

Xu Zhiwen had argued with her countless times about her refusal to borrow money.

Blinded by her thoughts, she followed Li Shaohuang into the house. Glancing back at the iron gate, she saw that the middle-aged woman from the agency had already left on her electric scooter. This secluded area was far from any villages. The only bus to the city center came only every thirty minutes. If Li Shaohuang really intended to harm her, there was no way she could escape.

Please, have a seat, Miss Yang. Li Shaohuang seemed to be a naturally friendly person, generously motioning for Yang Xiaofan to sit on the antique sofa in the living room.

Once she sat down, Yang Xiaofan realized the house wasn’t as dilapidated as she had imagined. Although the sofa appeared to be an antique from the last century, it was meticulously maintained. The dark floral patterns were much more elegant than those found on modern fabric sofas.

The living room was adorned with an antique grandfather clock and a crystal chandelier that also seemed to be quite old. However, the wall plaster looked fresh, likely a recent addition.

As she scanned the room, Li Shaohuang used the two purple clay tea sets on the coffee table to brew two cups of tea and politely offered one to Yang Xiaofan. Miss Yang, why don’t we discuss the rental details over some tea? I’ve already printed the rental agreement. If you find it acceptable, you can sign it, and you can move in tonight. I have a flight to the United States at ten o’clock tonight, so I won’t be staying here long...

Faced with the contract he handed her, Yang Xiaofan gently pushed it away. Let’s see the house first before discussing the contract.

My apologies, my apologies. I was so preoccupied with my flight tonight that I completely forgot to show you the house. Please feel free to look around on your own, Li Shaohuang said affably before taking a sip of tea.

Yang Xiaofan stood up and walked around the first floor. She was quite impressed with the layout of the Li Family Ancestral Home. The first floor occupied a large area and had a total of six rooms.

Including a kitchen, a bathroom, a dining room, a living room, and two master bedrooms.

Just as she was about to head upstairs, she heard Li Shaohuang’s slightly sensual voice, Miss Yang, the attic on the third floor has always been off-limits for the Li Family. You shouldn’t go in there.

After hearing this, Yang Xiaofan felt a chill in her heart; just like the haunted houses in novels, there was always a secretive attic. The wooden floorboards creaked under her high heels with a loud and clear sound. The surrounding silence made the echo of her steps all the more resonant, causing an uncomfortable feeling to well up inside her.

She continued cautiously on her tip-toes.

On the second floor was a long, dark corridor.

On one side of the corridor, there were a total of five doors, all painted red, which led Yang Xiaofan to guess there were probably five rooms upstairs. On the opposite side, there were windows framed with red iron.

Looking down through the corridor windows, she could see the dilapidated rose garden below. Through the hazy curtain of rain, a city-bound bus had just stopped, and a woman carrying a black bag boarded without looking back, heading straight for the city.

With a heavy sigh in her heart, Yang Xiaofan wished she could also hop on that bus, go home, apologize to her mother, and perhaps receive her forgiveness.

But after taking this step, could she really go back and ask for help? Yang Xiaofan wanted to live a more dignified life, one that she would carve out for herself.

Standing by the window for a while, Yang Xiaofan couldn’t shake the feeling that in the quiet and dim surroundings, someone’s eyes were watching her.

Chapter 4: A Bloody Arm

Could it be that Li Shaohuang had followed her?

Yang Xiaofan instinctively turned around and caught a glimpse of a black cat casually walking by. Its pair of yellow-orange eyes stared intently at her. They exchanged glances for a moment, after which the black cat let out a couple of meows and scurried around a corner in the hallway, vanishing from sight.

Following the hallway, she noticed portraits hanging on the walls at regular intervals. Turning a corner, the hallway opened up into a billiards room and an archives room. Passing through the billiards room, she pushed open the glass-paneled wooden door of the archives room and was instantly met with a pungent, dusty smell. A thick layer of dust covered everything, and cobwebs hung from the ceiling.

It seemed this archives room had not been entered for quite some time.

After a brief pause, Yang Xiaofan closed the door to the archives room and circled around the billiards room. In one corner, she discovered a small room. At first, she thought it might be a bathroom.

As she swung open the door, a human hand covered in blood spilled out. Blood dripped from between the fingers. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her palm growing slick with cold sweat.

A series of meows echoed in her ears, blended amidst which, she could faintly hear a woman calling her name.

Yang Xiaofan, Yang Xiaofan...

The air around her was chillingly cold as her hands hanging at her sides began to tremble subtly.

In broad daylight, could it really be the work of demons and monsters?

Yang Xiaofan abruptly turned around, but her back was met with nothing. It felt as if the voice had emanated from the ceiling above. The thought of Li Shaohuang’s earlier warning about avoiding the attic flashed into her mind.

Could there actually be some demons and monsters lurking in the attic?

Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to leap out of her throat.

Miss Yang, Miss Yang... Li Shaohuang called out to Yang Xiaofan as he walked up the stairs. Reaching the corner and finding her, he anxiously glanced at his watch before asking, Miss Yang, are you satisfied with what you’ve seen so far?

It seemed like he was pressed for time.

Satisfied?

How could she possibly be satisfied? Gathering her courage, Yang Xiaofan angrily questioned, What exactly do you do? Why was there a bloody arm in the room?

A bloody arm? Which room are you talking about? Li Shaohuang’s face clouded over as he asked sternly.

His tone suggested ignorance, and Yang Xiaofan wasn’t sure where she found the courage, but without fear of Li Shaohuang being a conman, she pointed to the small room in the corner of the billiards room.

With a swift stride, Li Shaohuang yanked open the door handle, causing a pile of dusty old brooms to clatter to the floor. The room was filled with dustpans and brooms like the ones that had fallen. There was no woman or arm in sight.

Shrugging, Li Shaohuang knitted his brows like willow leaves. This was clearly a broom closet, so why on earth would this woman claim there was a bloody arm inside?

Sensing Li Shaohuang’s strange gaze, Yang Xiaofan felt embarrassed. She figured her recent divorce had taken a toll on her, making her jumpy and seeing things.

I’m so sorry, Mr. Li. I must have been mistaken. Let’s go downstairs and look at the terms of the contract. I’ll make it quick so you won’t miss your flight.

She awkwardly glanced at the time on her phone. It was already 4:30 pm, meaning she had been looking at the house for about an hour. No wonder Li Shaohuang had come to rush her.

It’s alright. Here’s my phone number. If you need any help, feel free to call me anytime. Li Shaohuang casually handed Yang Xiaofan a note with his number written on it before heading down the stairs along the corridor.

Chapter 5: The Bloody Arm

It’s alright. Here’s my phone number. If you need any help, feel free to call me anytime. Li Shaohuang casually handed Yang Xiaofan a note with his number written on it before heading down the stairs along the corridor.

Yang Xiaofan glanced at the number on the note and tucked it into the pocket of her washed-out jeans before following him back downstairs to the living room. The contract was still lying on the coffee table. She sat down on the old-fashioned sofa and began to read it carefully.

Most of the clauses in the contract were similar to those in other rental agreements. However, at the very end of the document, four peculiar requirements were listed:

The tenant must return to the house before 12:00 am. If they are unable to do so, it is recommended that they find alternative accommodation for the night.

The attic on the third floor is not part of the rental agreement, and the tenant may not go up there without the landlord’s permission.

The kitchen on the first floor has an entrance leading to the basement. The tenant may not enter the basement without permission.

After 12:00 am, regardless of who calls the tenant’s name, they must not respond. Failure to comply will result in the tenant assuming full responsibility for the consequences.

Faced with these bizarre and outrageous clauses, Yang Xiaofan paused, her pen hovering over the signature line. Although the house didn’t seem outwardly strange, the demands outlined in these clauses were simply too odd.

Is there anything unclear about the rental agreement, Miss Yang? Li Shaohuang lit a cigarette for himself. He had a sunny smile as he puffed on it.

I... Yang Xiaofan didn’t know how to bring up the last four clauses. Typically, when renting a house, landlords could add special clauses to the rental agreement based on the specific circumstances.

Tapping the ash off his cigarette, Li Shaohuang glanced at the last four clauses on the contract. Actually, these four clauses aren’t difficult for most people to comply with.

In the end, Yang Xiaofan didn’t raise any objections to the final four clauses in the contract. With her mind a blank slate, she picked up her pen and signed her name in large letters.

Yang Xiaofan, that’s quite a common name, Li Shaohuang remarked.

Li Shaohuang took the contract, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, and signed his name with a flourish. The rain outside had just stopped, leaving a gray sky in the twilight.

It would take about two hours to get to the airport from here. Li Shaohuang checked his watch, picked up the black briefcase on the sofa, and said, Excuse me, Miss Yang, I won’t stay any longer. I hope you find it comfortable living here.

Thank you for your concern, Mr. Li.

Yang Xiaofan nodded and saw Li Shaohuang out the door.

Li Shaohuang, with a fresh cigarette in his mouth, took out a key chain from his pocket. In the distance, a black BMW pulled up, and the driver rolled down the window and whistled.

Huang Zi, did you rent out the house? Who did you rent it to?

Opening the car door, Li Shaohuang nodded and looked at Yang Xiaofan. It’s that Miss Yang.

She’s pretty hot, but I don’t know if she’s brave enough. If the ghost in your house scares the living daylights out of her, I’ll have a chance to play hero while you’re in the States. The man lit a cigarette with his lighter, a mischievous grin on his face.

Stop talking nonsense. Your house is the one with the ghost. Let’s go to the airport. If we miss the flight, you can drive me to the States, Li Shaohuang said, glancing at Yang Xiaofan through the window and waving goodbye.

The black BMW started slowly, splashing a little water as it sped away.

Yang Xiaofan watched the car disappear into the distance before slowly opening the iron gate and entering the Li Family Ancestral Home. In just four hours, she had secured accommodation and moved into a three-story duplex house.

It all happened so fast, so suddenly.

Sitting on the sofa in a daze for a while, Yang Xiaofan decided to get a good night’s sleep and tidy up the house tomorrow to make it a comfortable place to live.

Chapter 6: The Ankle Seized

The water heater in the bathroom provided instant hot water. Lacking a change of clothes, Yang Xiaofan had no choice but to put her old outfit back on after her shower.

The sound of rushing water...

As the heater churned on, steam filled the air. Yang Xiaofan undressed and closed her eyes, indulging in the relaxation the shower brought, while an old song from the fifties faintly played in her ears, melancholic and melodious.

She was alone in the house; how could music suddenly start playing?

Was it an auditory hallucination?

Rubbing her temples, weary, Yang Xiaofan glanced down and saw a dark red liquid spreading across the floor, slowly flowing towards the drain.

Frowning, she wondered if it was her menstrual cycle starting unexpectedly.

But it wasn’t due yet...

The blood seemed unusually sinister, and the water showering from the nozzle turned a deep, dark red. Yang Xiaofan’s face went pale as she shrank back into the corner.

The eerie melody by her ear grew increasingly bizarre, overwhelming her thoughts.

Through the mist-covered mirror, she could only make out a blurry figure. Squinting, she thought she saw a woman with long hair standing behind her.

The woman wore a deep red dress, and her lengthy hair cascaded down to her waist.

A chill crept from her fingertips straight to her heart. Without the strength to scream, Yang Xiaofan clutched her clothes and dashed out of the bathroom.

The antique gramophone in the living room had somehow turned itself on. The record was slowly spinning, and the haunting music was emanating from this very device.

The black cat, unnoticed until now, had descended from the second floor, moving gracefully and leaping onto the old gramophone.

With a press of its padded paws, the spinning vinyl record on the gramophone came to a halt, and the eerie music abruptly stopped.

It was just a false alarm!

The gramophone had started playing because of the black cat’s antics. Yang Xiaofan breathed a sigh of relief; her heart had nearly leapt out of her throat from the fright.

After getting dressed, Yang Xiaofan could hear the sound of running water. In her hurry to leave, she had forgotten to turn off the shower. Realizing the gramophone’s unexpected operation was just the cat’s mischief, she mustered the courage to return to the bathroom.

The shower in the bathroom still spouted steaming water, but the floor was clean and clear, and there was no red-dressed woman in the mirror.

Yang Xiaofan was sure that everything she had experienced was an illusion and reached out to turn off the shower.

Ah—

A woman’s heart-wrenching scream echoed from outside, and Yang Xiaofan’s heart, barely calmed, was lifted into the air again. Her bare feet, cold from the chilly tiles, seemed to seep with an icy chill.

The surrounding air was bone-chilling, as if the air conditioning was on full blast. Yang Xiaofan shivered and was about to leave the bathroom when she realized she couldn’t lift her feet, as though they were stuck in mud.

Looking down instinctively, her entire body went cold.

Clasping around her fair and delicate ankle was a gaunt, pale hand adorned with an emerald ring. Yang Xiaofan, summoning unexpected strength, jerked her leg free from the grip and ran out of the bathroom.

The black cat was rummaging in the cabinet beneath the gramophone, exposing only its swaying tail.

Exhausted, Yang Xiaofan slumped on the sofa. The vinyl records stored in the cabinet clattered to the floor, disturbed by the cat. She stared at the scattered records and saw a pair of amber eyes flickering in the dark recesses of the cabinet.

With a meow, the black cat leapt into Yang Xiaofan’s arms, collided with a thud, and then quickly scampered up the wooden staircase to the second floor.

Chapter 7: Overnight Stay

Yang Xiaofan couldn’t think of a single reason to stay in this eerily sinister house, but outside, the sky was as dark as ink, and large raindrops desperately pelted the old mansion’s windows.

The idea of leaving the Li Family Ancestral Home immediately was impractical. It was late at night, and she was in a desolate suburb; where could she go? At the very least, she had to stay here for one night before making a decision!

Having been driven out of her home by her mother-in-law early in the morning and spending the whole forenoon looking for a place in the city, Yang Xiaofan was utterly exhausted. She slumped on the sofa and unwittingly dozed off, tilting her head to the side.

The dull sound of a clock striking jolted Yang Xiaofan awake from a dark dream. She opened her eyes to complete darkness; the crystal chandelier above was unlit.

Listening to the piercing chimes, Yang Xiaofan’s heart pounded in sync with the dong dong of the clock. The sound persisted for another two or three minutes before gradually ceasing.

Only then did Yang Xiaofan’s tense nerves relax, and she let out a breath of relief.

She remembered seeing an old pendulum clock in the living room when she entered; the striking must have come from that clock.

Using her phone’s flashlight, she fumbled in the darkness for the light switch, pressing it several times to no avail. It seemed there was a power outage, she thought indifferently.

Outside, rain whispered, and the moaning autumn wind howled.

Yang Xiaofan rubbed her temples; she felt much better after some sleep. Recalling the bloody arm, the ghost in red, and the withered hand that seized her ankle, all these nonsensical things made her laugh.

It was probably because of Xu Zhiwen’s sudden betrayal that she, under repression, had hallucinations.

The absence of tears doesn’t mean there’s no pain. Some pains, suppressed for too long, can lead to such illusions. That feeling of suffocation left her no moment to catch her breath.

In the darkness, Yang Xiaofan curled up on the old fabric sofa, hugging herself tightly.

Unable to cry or shout, she felt as though she was trapped on a deserted island, utterly alone and helpless.

Her ex-husband, Xu Zhiwen, was once a senior she admired in college. After graduation, he became the sales manager for a Japanese company’s toothbrush distribution in the Greater China region. His monthly salary consisted of a base pay of two thousand, with the rest depending on sales commissions; during good times, he made over five thousand, but during lean periods, just over two thousand.

Before they got married, Xu Zhiwen was very attentive and showered her with sweet nothings and vows of love, easily leading Yang Xiaofan, a woman fresh out of college and new to society, into the institution of marriage.

After the wedding, Xu Zhiwen seemed to become a different person. He didn’t come home after work, instead, he went out to gamble with his friends and racked up a mountain of debt. Even the mistress Xu Zhiwen had on the side was someone he met at the gambling table.

He incessantly pressured her to borrow money from her parents and her brother, who owned a sole proprietorship in the United States, to cover his gambling debts.

At first, Yang Xiaofan indeed helped Xu Zhiwen by borrowing money to pay off his debts. Not wanting to disturb her family and give them the impression she was struggling, she turned to friends and managed to borrow fifty thousand yuan. Xu Zhiwen complained that it wasn’t enough and had a massive argument with her.

Later, Yang Xiaofan gradually realized that Xu Zhiwen didn’t marry her out of love, but for the Yang family’s wealth. Since then, no matter what Xu Zhiwen said, she refused to lower herself to help him borrow money to settle his debts.

The last time Xu Zhiwen asked for money, she still refused, which ultimately put an end to their marriage.

Xu Zhiwen betrayed their marriage, choosing infidelity without looking back, even boldly bringing his post-90s girlfriend, Han Shasha, before her to tell her that she was officially fired from this farcical marriage.

It turned out that all those promises were so fragile and insincere in the face of reality.

Suddenly, Yang Xiaofan’s thoughts were yanked back to the present by a bright flash of lightning tearing through the night sky.

She tilted her head slightly and was startled to see a large eyeball, the size of a bowl, stuck to the window. Under the bright lightning, she could even see the blue veins and bloodshot lines crisscrossing the eyeball.

That eye, like a surveillance camera in the dark night, silently spied on everything inside the room.

Chapter 8: Overnight Stay

The thunderous rumble of a clap of thunder exploded in Yang Xiaofan’s ears. She jumped up from the sofa, staring at the terrifying eyeball outside the window in fear.

But soon, the eyeball outside the window vanished into the darkness with the passing of the lightning.

Just as Yang Xiaofan was still anxiously wondering if the eyeball was still lurking in the darkness, watching everything inside the room, a rapid knocking came from the door. After a while, the knocking grew louder and more intense, finally turning into frantic banging.

Who could be knocking on the door in the middle of the night?

Could it be Li Shaohuang was back?

Yang Xiaofan was about to get up and open the door when she suddenly remembered that Li Shaohuang was the owner of the house and had the key. How could he be so foolish as to knock on the door in the pouring rain?

The commotion outside grew louder and louder, punctuated by the occasional plop of rain boots stepping in puddles.

Several flashes of lightning lit up the sky. The creepy eyeball outside the window hadn’t left, and dark red blood slowly flowed from it. The rain washed and diluted the blood, but it continued to flow out of the eyeball again and again.

Yang Xiaofan felt every hair on her body stand on end, and her legs began to tremble uncontrollably. She collapsed onto the sofa, unable to move as if she had been acupunctured.

The person banging on the door seemed to be getting impatient, shouting Yang Xiaofan’s name: Yang Xiaofan, Yang Xiaofan, come out quickly, Yang Xiaofan...

Every syllable uttered by the person sent shivers down her spine, like the sound of a soul being called out in a horror movie.

Amidst the chaotic sound of rain outside, Yang Xiaofan could even hear the person pacing back and forth in the puddles outside the door, out of growing impatience.

Yang Xiaofan’s nerves were about to snap. She knew clearly that the knocking on the door outside was real and definitely not an illusion brought about by her overwhelming stress.

Yang Xiaofan, do you think I don’t know you’re inside just because you closed the door? Come out quickly, Yang Xiaofan, Yang Xiaofan... the person outside roared incoherently, pacing around outside like a madman, occasionally banging on the door frantically.

Yang Xiaofan’s mind went blank. She had only decided to move into the Li Family Ancestral Home that afternoon. How could someone find her here so soon?

Could it be that Xu Zhiwen had sent someone to follow her and found her here?

She didn’t dare to ask directly about the identity of the person outside. She took off her high heels and tiptoed to the door. She peered through the peephole, but it was pitch-black outside, and she couldn’t see anything.

Just then, there were a few more loud banging sounds on the door. The person outside began to slam on the door again, this time with great force. The heavy pear wood door shook violently from the impact.

If they kept slamming the door like that, it would soon break.

Yang Xiaofan’s throat felt dry, and she was about to cough. But she knew that if she coughed now and was discovered by the person outside, it would be all over.

Enduring the discomfort in her throat, Yang Xiaofan held her breath and didn’t dare to breathe at all. She waited for the lightning to flash across the sky, revealing the appearance of the person outside.

Yang Xiaofan, are you going to open the door or not? The voice outside had become increasingly ferocious.

At the same time, a thin flash of lightning streaked across the sky. In the weak light, Yang Xiaofan saw the person’s face through the peephole.

Because the distance was too close, Yang Xiaofan couldn’t see the person’s lower body, only the large pale face pressed up against the peephole, peering inside just like she was.

Chapter 9: Overnight Stay

The face was ghastly white, like someone had applied a layer of whitewash, devoid of any color, yet the lips were so red they seemed to bleed. The eyes had an eerie glow, like the black cat in the house, emanating a yellow light in the darkness.

Under the illumination of the lightning, it appeared exceptionally sinister and terrifying.

Yang Xiaofan’s scalp tingled. She couldn’t help but take a step back, her hand instinctively covering her mouth to prevent herself from screaming.

The thing at the door was not a human!

She suddenly thought of the fourth clause in the lease agreement, which mentioned: After 12 o’clock, no matter who calls the tenant’s name, don’t answer, otherwise you will be responsible for the consequences.

The landlord, Li Shaohuang, must have known that something like this would happen, which is why he specifically mentioned it in the lease terms.

Yang Xiaofan felt like she had been caught in a huge scam and couldn’t escape.

The voice outside let out a chilling sneer, knocking on the door while saying coldly, Yang Xiaofan, even if you don’t open the door tonight, you won’t be able to escape...

The extended final syllable carried a sinister undertone, plunging Yang Xiaofan’s heart into a state of terror.

She wanted to flee to the second floor and find a room to lock herself in, hoping to protect herself.

The surrounding temperature suddenly became cold, as if the air was frozen by a chill. It felt exactly like the time she encountered the ghost hand in the bathroom, when the bathroom suddenly turned ice-cold.

The icy feeling suffocated Yang Xiaofan, making her feel like she was falling into a bottomless pit, the darkness around her engulfing her. Her body seemed like it wasn’t her own, unable to move an inch, fear slowly stripping away her sanity.

In the darkness, Yang Xiaofan’s acute hearing and intuition told her that the doorknob was slowly turning. The thing outside was using some means to try and force the lock open.

It!

It could break through the door at any moment!

As the doorknob turned slowly, the air grew icier, and the environment seemed to morph into a hell brimming with the stench of death.

Yang Xiaofan had never, in her life, felt the presence of death so near as she did now.

In this critical moment, she suddenly remembered the safety Talisman her mother had given her when she was a child. Although she was an atheist, she wore the Talisman as it was her mother’s wish, and she had never taken it off.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yang Xiaofan pulled out a yellow paper Talisman from a hidden pocket in her clothes, which was folded into a small square and sealed in a transparent plastic bag.

She quickly unfolded the Talisman and affixed it to the door.

Suddenly, the temperature around her returned to normal. The chill disappeared in an instant, and the warm air soothed the coldness on her body, making Yang Xiaofan feel as if she had returned to the real world.

Could it be that the thing outside was scared away by the paper Talisman?

Had the crazy knocking and soul-calling outside come to an end just like that?

Yang Xiaofan stood there, dazed, with the sweat on her body cooling and clinging to her thin white shirt.

Even Yang Xiaofan herself didn’t know why she had acted as she did, placing the Talisman on the door for protection; it was just an instinctive reaction.

Yang Xiaofan! Yama says you won’t live past midnight, do you think you can survive until dawn? Do you think escaping tonight is good for you? The thing outside let out a vicious sneer and spoke in a mocking tone.

Yang Xiaofan tensed up again. The thing outside hadn’t left!

Chapter 10: The Big Clean-Up

Yang Xiaofan held her breath, trembling unconsciously. She stood behind the door for a long time. It was silent outside, and the thing that had been there seemed to have stopped moving.

It had probably left by now, and Yang Xiaofan’s nerves slightly relaxed. Yet, she remained on high alert. In this strange house, there was no telling what bizarre events might occur next.

The knocking from the previous night had tormented Yang Xiaofan for much of the evening.

Lying on the sofa, still unsettled, she stared at the ceiling for a while. The ceiling seemed to have a great suction power, making her gaze fixate on the pitch-black space above in the darkness.

She cast aside all memories related to Xu Zhiwen from her mind, slowly planning her future while trying her best to fall asleep.

The next day, the drizzle continued outside; the bad weather had not improved.

Yang Xiaofan was awoken by hunger, opening her eyes to the bright and glaring chandelier; the power was back on.

She was unclear about when she had fallen asleep, just feeling that it was a very deep and dreamless slumber. Instinctively, she put on her high heels, turned off the living room light, and made her way to the kitchen on the ground floor.

In the upper part of the refrigerator were two cheesecakes, some fresh vegetables, a few boxes of milk, and a sticky note left by Li Shaohuang.

On it were the purchase dates and expiration dates for each food item, written in Li Shaohuang’s neat and impressive handwriting, reminiscent of calligraphy taught by a master.

Peeling off the sticky note, she turned it over to see the contents of the bottom part of the fridge written on the back: names and quantities of meat products, along with a friendly blessing: Miss Yang, I hope you have a happy and pleasant stay at the Li Family Ancestral Home.

This sticky note must have been written by Li Shaohuang downstairs while she was upstairs looking at the rooms.

Yang Xiaofan found it hard to imagine that a kind and attentive young man like Li Shaohuang could harbor any malicious intent. However, the Li Family Ancestral Home did indeed have an aura of eeriness, making one question Li Shaohuang’s motives for renting out the house.

Feeling lightheaded from hunger, Yang Xiaofan no longer had the energy to wonder about the safety of the food in the refrigerator. She took a cup and a plate from the cabinet, washed them, and used them to hold the milk and cheesecake.

After breakfast, Yang Xiaofan felt somewhat revitalized. She sat on the sofa for a while, pondering, and finally decided to stay at the Li Family Ancestral Home for a while.

The reason was simple: the lease was for a full year, and if she left without authorization, she would have to pay a penalty of 50,000 yuan.

Yang Xiaofan found some cleaning supplies in the house and got busy.

She meticulously cleaned the floor of the first floor, from the kitchen to the bedrooms, and carefully stacked the black silicone records that had been scattered by the black cat the day before, placing them back in the cabinet.

As her hands reached into the cabinet, Yang Xiaofan suddenly had the illusion that she was putting them into well water.

Taking the vinyl records out of the cabinet again, Yang Xiaofan took a closer look and discovered an inconspicuous clay pot inside.

Reaching out to take the pot, Yang Xiaofan knew as soon as she touched it that the cold feeling she had felt in the cabinet came from this pot.

The pot was only the size of an ordinary cup and looked very antique.

It had no special patterns, only many tiny holes all over its surface. Holding it in her hands, she felt a bone-chilling coldness, but she could not figure out what it was used for.

Chapter 11: The Big Clean-Up

Yang Xiaofan wasn’t particularly interested in mysterious antiques. After fiddling with the clay pot for a short while without discerning anything noteworthy, she casually placed it back into the cabinet.

Besides wiping down every table and cabinet in the house, Yang Xiaofan also took the time to organize and clean all the visible decorations and displays throughout the ancestral home.

She even stripped the covers from the old fabric sofas, washed them thoroughly, and hung them out to dry on the balcony of the second floor, with the windows closed.

With Yang Xiaofan’s efforts, the entire first floor took on a refreshed appearance, significantly diminishing the sense of dread and neglect.

The elongated corridor on the second floor, coupled with its slightly skewed structure, created a sense of spatial distortion that still made Yang Xiaofan uncomfortable.

And those oil portraits, painted with heavy strokes, always left her with the eerie sensation of being watched by the figures within them.

However, the black cat that was kept on the second floor seemed to have vanished without a trace. Yang Xiaofan cleaned around the second floor without finding even a single cat hair.

She couldn’t help but frown, knowing all too well the tendency of cats to shed their fur.

As for the elusive black cat, it was as if it had never been in the Li Family Ancestral Home, leaving no evidence of its presence.

Deep down, Yang Xiaofan felt a natural unease towards the black cat.

Her father, who had passed away, was a feng shui consultant responsible for relocating ancestral graves or selecting sites for new ones. He would occasionally be called upon to assess the feng shui of the living, but since most knew him for his dealings with the deceased, few dared to have him evaluate the feng shui of their homes.

Her father had passed away early due to his constant contact with things related to death, leaving him with too much yin energy. He had died when Yang Xiaofan was just four years old, and she and her younger brother, Yang Ziming, were raised single-handedly by their mother, Zhuo Acai, who had endured a great deal of hardship.

As a result, Yang Xiaofan was not significantly influenced by her father, the bone-picker, and did not believe in superstitions like feng shui. However, under the influence of her superstitious mother, she knew the saying dogs bark for wealth, cats bark for death and was well aware that black cats were inherently yin in nature, the most mysterious and effective, capable of seeing things that ordinary people could not.

The billiard room and the broom closet next to it were both cleaned by Yang Xiaofan, and the process went smoothly. There was no sudden emergence of a woman’s bloody arm from the small broom closet like the last time.

Perhaps everything she had encountered before was just a hallucination, and as long as she maintained a positive attitude and overcame the pressure brought on by her divorce, things would get better day by day.

With this thought in mind, Yang Xiaofan felt her mood lighten. With a nimble leap, she sat on the billiard table and started playing a few rounds.

Feeling her hand in good form, Yang Xiaofan couldn’t help but be in a good mood. Her lips curved into a faint, relaxed smile.

Hopping off the billiard table, she casually pushed open the door to the archive room. After clearing away the cobwebs and dust from the bookshelves, the air still held an unpleasant earthy smell.

Yang Xiaofan simply took out the file bags one by one to wipe them down, carefully removing and cleaning some of the ancient books on the shelves.

Most of the books were about the customs, geography, and folklore of various parts of China, with a few miscellaneous books on medicine, strange tales, and feng shui.

As a child, Yang Xiaofan’s home had been filled with many such books, and she had read through quite a few of them. Now, she found them unremarkable and did not bother to browse through them too much.

However, the file bags wrapped in yellow oxhide paper seemed somewhat mysterious. They were clearly labeled with location and time, categorized by location and arranged in chronological order.

They looked extremely rigorous, unlike ordinary files.

Chapter 12: The Mysterious Archive Room

Curious, Yang Xiaofan opened a few of the file bags. They all contained bizarre and mysterious cases that had occurred in this area during the Republic of China era. They provided detailed descriptions of the cases, including evidence collected by the Republic of China police, witness statements, and newspaper clippings related to the cases.

Most of these cases remained unsolved, with only a few having reached any resolution, even then, often hastily concluded.

One outstanding case involved a wealthy family in a town not far from the Li Family Ancestral Home. All fifty-some members of the family died mysteriously overnight. According to the case file, no fatal injuries or other wounds were found on the bodies of the family members. The coroner who performed the autopsies found no signs of poisoning. The case remains unsolved to this day, becoming a sensational mystery at the time.

Another unsolved case was the theft of an ancient tomb from the Yuan Dynasty in the nearby mountains. The grave robbers dug a tunnel, took the gold and jewels, and left. The tomb owner’s body was left petrified and abandoned at the entrance of the tunnel. After the incident, people in the nearby town kept dying. All the deceased had black teeth marks on their necks, initially thought to be the work of a ferocious beast.

Later, the coroner’s examination confirmed that the marks were made by human teeth, not those of a wild animal...

The officials gathered the townspeople and compared their teeth to the marks, but none matched. Suddenly, a Taoist priest from Maoshan passed by and suggested using the teeth of the abandoned corpse in the tomb as a comparison. The result was a perfect match. That night, the officials ordered officers to guard the ancient corpse, and the next day, they burned it in public to set things right.

However, the ancient corpse disappeared in the middle of the night, and the officers guarding it died one by one with teeth marks on their necks...

There were too many files in the archive bags to read in one sitting. After returning the file bags to their original place, Yang Xiaofan closed the door to the archive room and went out to buy daily necessities with an umbrella in hand.

Passing through a path lined with wild roses, Yang Xiaofan stood in front of the iron gate, squinting at the locks on it. The two large locks were intact, showing no signs of being pried open.

The Li Family Ancestral Home was surrounded by a three-meter-high iron fence, which was an electrified barrier, making it extremely difficult to climb.

So how did the person who knocked on the door last night get past the iron gate and into the courtyard?

Yang Xiaofan used her neck to hold the handle of the umbrella, struggling to open the iron gate. She then checked on her phone’s GPS and found a medium-sized supermarket about six or seven bus stops away.

She got on the bus. There were only two or three people on board. The middle-aged male driver was smoking impatiently.

Suddenly, a black shadow darted past the front of the car. The bus slammed on its brakes and collided with the black shadow, which flew out more than ten meters. The rain obscured the view, making it difficult to see what had been hit.

The middle-aged driver turned pale with fear, thinking he had hit someone to death. He quickly got out to check, but he came back carrying a dead cat covered in blood. He casually threw the dead cat by the side of the road and continued driving.

The driver kept swearing, saying how unlucky he was to hit a stray animal in such bad weather. Seeing that the driver was in a bad mood, the other two passengers on the bus, worried about another accident, quickly comforted him, saying that it was fortunate that he hadn’t hit a person; otherwise, it would have been a big problem.

Yang Xiaofan, who knew that the black cat was behind it all, felt a creeping sense of dread. She didn’t speak to the others on the bus and silently got off at her stop.

Chapter 13: The Shopkeeper’s Warning

The supermarket was not as large as the one on Baidu. It was more of a medium-sized store with four or five rows of shelves. For someone like Yang Xiaofan, who was only buying daily necessities and didn’t care much about brands, this supermarket was more than enough.

The cashier, a woman in her fifties, saw that Yang Xiaofan was well-dressed and had a large pile of everyday items to check out. Thinking she had a big customer, she started chatting with Yang Xiaofan while scanning the items.

Young lady, is this your first time moving to the suburbs? Where are you staying? Is it convenient to get here?

Yang Xiaofan had ridden an electric scooter and didn’t know the exact address of the Li Family Ancestral Home. Faced with the shopkeeper’s enthusiasm, she smiled shyly and said, I’m renting a house, the Li Family Ancestral Home. It’s about six or seven bus stops from here.

The shopkeeper’s face immediately fell. Oh...you’re talking about the Li Family Ancestral Home, the one that was rented to you by a good-looking young man? You’ve got to be careful. That house isn’t safe. You don’t know that many people died in that house.

The shopkeeper’s mysterious look made Yang Xiaofan a little worried. People died? she asked hesitantly.

Yes, back in 2004. It was horrible. The whole family of more than ten people died. The young man escaped because he was living with relatives abroad. When he came back, he became very strange. He didn’t get along with anyone at school, and he kept mumbling to himself, saying things that no one understood. He’s basically a problem teenager. The shopkeeper widened her eyes and warned Yang Xiaofan, You have to stay away from him. He must have some bad intentions when he rented the house to you.

It can’t be that bad... Yang Xiaofan chuckled, remembering the shopkeeper’s warning. Then she asked, So how did the people in the Li Family Ancestral Home die?

At the mention of this, the shopkeeper’s face turned ashen, and her hand holding the scanner hesitated for a moment before she said, That house is said to have bad feng shui. Anyone who lives there is said to be haunted by ghosts claiming lives, making it a haunted house. Apparently, on that night, their neighbors heard knocking on the door all night long, calling out the names of the whole family. The next morning, everyone was found dead. Haven’t you noticed that no one lives in the houses near the Li Family Ancestral Home? They were all scared and moved away later...

So, the murderer who committed the crime in the Li Family Ancestral Home was the one who knocked on the door of the Li family’s house that night? Has this murderer been caught? Yang Xiaofan felt that everything that had happened to the Li family was somehow similar to the case she had just seen in the archive room.

The shopkeeper shook her head and said, I don’t know. It’s said that when the family died, they were all sitting together in the living room on the first floor. Before they died, they were all staring at the ceiling in terror. The police said they were scared to death. Because there were no wounds on the bodies and no signs of poisoning, the possibility of ten or so people dying suddenly at the same time is too low...

As she spoke, the shopkeeper felt a chill and quickly shut her mouth.

Is it really that evil? Could it be a misunderstanding? After all, death without a cause is not very scientific, Yang Xiaofan asked in a small voice.

The shopkeeper seemed to be a superstitious person. She felt that she had said too many taboo things today and was unwilling to say more. In the face of Yang Xiaofan’s question, she just smiled and refused to mention anything about the Li Family Ancestral Home.

Remembering what had happened in the living room on the first floor last night, Yang Xiaofan decided that it would be safer to move to the second floor when she got back. She would also wear earplugs at night so that she wouldn’t hear any shouting or knocking.

After paying, Yang Xiaofan thanked the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper enthusiastically said to her, Come again sometime.

Chapter 14: The Woman with the Umbrella

After waiting for about half an hour at the bus station, Yang Xiaofan finally boarded the bus back home. It was getting dark, and checking the time on her phone, she knew this must be the last bus of the day.

The bus was empty except for Yang Xiaofan and the driver.

Bored, Yang Xiaofan surfed the internet on her phone, where she saw a news update on QQ about a traffic accident.

Heavy rainfall had caused a landslide in the suburban areas, burying a bus on its way to the city and claiming the lives of all four passengers on board.

The article included a photo of the bus driver, and Yang Xiaofan felt that she recognized the face. After staring for a few moments, recognition dawned on her.

Her fingers turned ice cold and trembled slightly as she quietly turned off her phone’s screen and gazed out at the torrential rain.

The bus from the accident was the same one Yang Xiaofan was on when she encountered the black cat. She still vividly remembered the driver’s cursing visage after he hit the cat.

If everything was just a coincidence, it was too bizarre and eerie of a coincidence to believe.

After driving three stops, the bus engine cut out.

The driver checked outside and immediately called a nearby vehicle emergency repair station for help. He then asked Yang Xiaofan to get off the bus and find her own way.

It was already past six in the evening. Yang Xiaofan walked along the road with her umbrella, the rain blurring everything ahead.

As she stepped through the puddles in the rain, the figure of a woman dressed in white materialized ahead, holding an umbrella and walking silently forward.

Unsure if it was the rain blurring her vision, Yang Xiaofan couldn’t see the woman’s feet for the moment. Feeling somewhat frightened, she quickened her pace.

A cold wind whipped around her, causing Yang Xiaofan, dressed in thin clothes, to shrink her neck.

The woman wore a white sundress, her bare back seemingly glowing white, her hair long and straight reaching down to her waist.

Through the rain curtain, only her ankles and above were visible, yet her feet appeared to be drifting uncertainly in the downpour.

Furthermore, it was as if she were intentionally slowing down to wait for Yang Xiaofan, her walking speed lagging behind Yang Xiaofan’s.

However, soon after, the white figure walked past Yang Xiaofan for a stretch and disappeared into the rain. There was no fork in the road, nor any turns, yet the person had simply vanished!

Just as Yang Xiaofan was letting out a sigh of relief, she felt a blast of cold air on the back of her neck.

It felt almost like cold air blowing out of a dead person’s mouth from an air conditioner, carrying an odor of chilling, decaying air, sending goosebumps all over Yang Xiaofan’s body.

Yang Xiaofan’s old mother, Zhuo A Cai, was an extremely superstitious old woman. Since childhood, Zhuo A Cai had cautioned Yang Xiaofan that a person has three lamps of life on their body, each one lit by the fire of samadhi. The brightest of these lamps is located on the forehead, and when someone walks alone at night, it’s best to expose their forehead, as that would make them immune to evil spirits.

If someone is walking on the road and a voice calls out to you from behind, or you feel something move behind you that makes you want to turn your head, as long as you turn your head, the fire of samadhi on whichever shoulder you turned towards will be extinguished. The person’s yang energy would then weaken, making them susceptible to possession by evil spirits.

And as Yang Xiaofan was born on the 14th day of the 7th lunar month, her body holds heavy yin energy, making her even more prone to such situations than ordinary people, hence why Yang Xiaofan never dared to have bangs covering her forehead.

At this point, even the non-superstitious Yang Xiaofan didn’t dare to turn her head and desperately ran forward.

Chapter 15: The Paper Doll

The high heels splashed in the puddles, soaking Yang Xiaofan’s