Forbidden Land – CH 022

The two were almost at their lodgings. Chen Rong was staying at Lantian Dormitory, while Zhang Chao was going to Baisha Dormitory via the western road. After passing the road outside Bifeng and Ziyun Dormitories, they should have parted ways.

Zhang Chao, however, seemed to suddenly remember something, stopped, and asked, “By the way, what you said about the ‘old things’ in the wild, is that true or false?”

Chen Rong also stopped, turned around, and smiled, saying, “You could say it’s true, or you could say it’s false.”

Zhang Chao asked, “How so?”

Chen Rong said, “We are quite superstitious in the countryside. There used to be a mountain near our village, and the old folks said that mountain was ‘very stingy.’ You know what ‘very stingy’ means?”

Zhang Chao said, “It means the mountain god is very stingy and doesn’t like people going into his territory?”

“A mountain god? Heh,” Chen Rong couldn’t help but laugh. “You have quite the imagination, even bringing up a mountain god. But it isn’t far off. Anyway, in our parlance, the one who ‘governs the mountain’ is ‘quite stingy.’ He doesn’t like people coming in, whether it’s villagers cutting bamboo or cultivating fields. The old folks say that the mountain is hard to get into. I heard that some brave people went into the mountain to cut bamboo. He cut the top ones first, then the bottom ones, planning to cut it all before hauling it back. But when he finished cutting the top ones and came back to cut the bottom ones, a bamboo stalk that had already been cut down slid down the mountain and went straight through his head!”

Zhang Chao clicked his tongue: “Really? That’s true?”

Chen Rong laughed. “I heard it from others, too. Also, people say that after working on that mountain, they always come back with inexplicable backaches and pains, unlike when working elsewhere. By the way, when I was little, the ‘government’ hired people to install utility poles, and people from our village went to help. They were installing a power tower on the top of that mountain. The first person to climb up fell and died. My grandfather said that was called ‘mountain worship.'”

Zhang Chao asked, “So, do you think this is true or false?”

Chen Rong said, “As I said, it can be true or false. If it’s true, then it means there really are evil spirits on the mountain. If it’s false, it’s easy to explain. In the old days, people said there were strange things on the mountain, so when people went up to work there, they would have some concerns. I believe you understand the power of psychological effects. If you keep thinking about it, thinking about getting evil spirits stuck to you, then naturally you’ll get sick.”

“And those one or two who died, they would have encountered the same thing anywhere else, but everyone subjectively believes it’s a mountain monster, so they blame the mountain. It’s really just a matter of probability. Danger can happen anywhere, but if danger happens a few times in a certain place, everyone will think that place is strange. You’re a life science student; you should understand this probability issue very well.”

Zhang Chao couldn’t help but bring it up again: “Then what about what happened last night?”

Chen Rong said, “Don’t overthink it. I don’t believe in this kind of thing. Someone must be up to something. Sooner or later, the truth will come out.”

Zhang Chao said helplessly, “But when you were upstairs, it didn’t seem like this.”

“Hmph,” Chen Rong pouted, “When you were upstairs, it wasn’t like this either.” With that, she turned and left.

“PhD girls are really hard to please.” Zhang Chao shook his head and smiled wryly, then walked towards Baisha.

Back in his dorm room, before the lights were even out, the first thing Zhang Chao did was wash his hands several times with hand sanitizer, scrubbing them thoroughly after handling the worn-out cloth shoes. Just as he was about to turn on his computer to play a little longer, he caught a glimpse of a red figure outside the window. Looking closer, he saw it was Bai Qiu, wearing a red down jacket. Zhang Chao quickly stuck his head out the window and called out, “Bai Qiu, what are you doing?”

Bai Qiu looked up, glanced at him, her eyes seemingly blank, and replied in a cold, calm tone, “Nothing, just waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me?” Zhang Chao said. “Why didn’t you come directly to me? Why did you wait here?”

Bai Qiu didn’t answer him but asked in the same calm tone, “Did you go to the School of Medicine again?”

Zhang Chao thought to himself, “Bai Qiu is sick now, and the onset of her illness is related to the School of Medicine. I can’t upset her by saying I went to the School of Medicine again.” He immediately lied, saying, “No, I went to study in the East District today.”

Bai Qiu frowned, seemingly in pain. She shook her head, lowered her head, and sighed slowly, saying, “You aren’t listening to me again. You’re lying to me again. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” With that, she turned and walked away.

“Wait a minute, let me explain; I have something to say to you!” Zhang Chao shouted, turning and running out of the dormitory. He ran to the Baisha Square, turned a corner, and reached the grassy area outside their window. But the grass was empty; Bai Qiu was nowhere to be seen.

Zhang Chao called out twice, “Bai Qiu, Bai Qiu.”

No one answered.

Just then, the window of the dormitory next door, Room 125, opened, and Student Leader Wu Yu peeked out.

Zhang Chao asked, “Have you seen my girlfriend?”

Wu Yu shook his head and closed the window again.

Just then, the window of the room next door, 121, opened, and Lin Yi’ang poked his head out, yelling, “What are you yelling about? Are you on drugs?!”

Zhang Chao retorted, “You’re always spouting nonsense!”

Lin Yi’ang said impatiently, “Stop yelling and come back!”

Zhang Chao asked, “What’s up?”

Lin Yi’ang said, “Nothing, I just want to play games.”

Zhang Chao said, “I don’t have time for you; get lost!”

Lin Yi’ang snorted and slammed the window shut.

Zhang Chao looked around but didn’t see Bai Qiu. He guessed she’d probably gone back to her dorm. He remembered that Bai Qiu didn’t have a phone and was alone in the dorm, which must be lonely. He thought it would be good to call her. He dialed the dorm phone, but the line was busy.

Zhang Chao asked curiously, “Why is the phone line unplugged?” The next second, he suddenly remembered Chen Rong saying that Bai Qiu shouldn’t be disturbed or stimulated. Even a normal person would sometimes be startled by a ringing phone. No wonder Bai Qiu unplugged the phone line in her dorm.

Thinking of Bai Qiu, who was perfectly healthy and was now a mental patient, Zhang Chao felt an indescribable bitterness. He made up his mind that even if Bai Qiu’s illness couldn’t be cured, he would marry her after graduation and take care of her for the rest of his life.

Such a beautiful wife was hard to find, even with a lantern.

The thought of marrying Bai Qiu made Zhang Chao feel happy.

But then he remembered that Bai Qiu’s illness was caused by the School of Medicine, and a surge of anger welled up inside him. He cursed himself for being too cowardly, stopping himself several times when faced with strange situations. Like today, when he discovered his shoes were missing, if he had rushed over, perhaps the truth would have been revealed. Yes, next time, he must be brave and rush over.

For Bai Qiu, and for himself.

Courage was the best weapon to overcome fear!