The crumbling alleyways crisscrossed in a tangled web. Afraid of losing sight of them,
After weaving through several turns, a row of squat two-story buildings appeared ahead. The thin, dark-skinned woman and the boy had vanished somewhere here.
The open sewers reeked of filth. The words "DEMOLITION" were spray-painted in big red characters across the walls, and every corner was piled high with all manner of garbage.
Chen Ge walked up to the base of the buildings, and questions began to stack up in his mind one after another.
The thin, dark-skinned woman and the little boy lived in an environment this poor — their living conditions couldn't possibly be any good. Yet at the haunted house entrance, the woman had pulled out a hundred yuan without hesitation just to get the boy inside. It was clear she doted on him excessively, but the boy's attitude toward her was utterly cold. After arriving at the haunted house, the boy had only spoken two sentences, and both were directed at Chen Ge. He seemed to find the thin woman repulsive.
"Is it a personality disorder — an inability to accept care from others? Or is there something else going on?"
He climbed the stairs. Only one household occupied the second floor. Clothes and pants hung drying on the railing, and the hallway had been swept spotlessly clean — a world apart from the ground level.
"Anyone home?" The door was ajar, but Chen Ge didn't dare walk straight in. He knocked on the door frame.
"One moment."
Footsteps sounded from inside, and soon the thin, dark-skinned woman emerged from the inner room. When she spotted Chen Ge standing at the door, she visibly paused.
"Why are you here? Did our visit to the haunted house cause you some kind of trouble?" the woman asked cautiously.
"No, nothing like that. I'm just interested in the little guy's situation. I'd like to ask him a few things." Chen Ge remained at the doorway. He noticed the woman showed no inclination whatsoever to invite him inside, so he pressed on, thick-skinned as he was. "Please don't misunderstand. I have many friends at Jiujiang Medical College — I might be able to help you."
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary."
The woman refused without a moment's hesitation. Chen Ge felt his approach had been a bit abrupt. "I'm really not a bad person, and I mean no harm. You can check your phone — look up today's Jiujiang morning news."
When the woman remained unmoved, Chen Ge took out his own phone and pulled up one of the articles about how he'd helped the police crack the Ping'an Apartment case.
"See? I provided key evidence for the police in solving a case. I even received a commendation."
He handed the phone to the thin, dark-skinned woman. She took it and gave the screen a cursory glance. "'Paranormal streamer rescued by police after near-fatal encounter in the mountains'? 'Haunted house owner's midnight stunt nearly ends in disaster'?"
"Those headlines don't matter — there should be a photo of me inside."
Only after Chen Ge explained several times did the woman finally set aside her suspicion. She handed the phone back to him. "Come sit in the living room. Leave the door open."
"Sure."
The thin woman led Chen Ge into what she called the living room — in reality, it was just a single cramped room of about thirty square meters, crammed together with a dining table and a bed.
"I wasn't expecting anyone to come by, so I haven't tidied up. Sorry about the mess. Can I get you something to drink?" The woman looked somewhat embarrassed, and her manner bore a striking resemblance to the little boy's.
"No need. I really just want to ask about the boy's parents — as detailed as possible." Chen Ge took out his phone, ready to record anything useful at a moment's notice.