Chapter 45: The World Always Has Ups and Downs
Outside the psychotherapy room of the psychiatric department at Jiangliu City Central People’s Hospital.
After knocking, Liu Haoyu walked in.
This was a clean hospital room, with white curtains dividing it into several sections.
For the mental health of the patients, the walls were painted a warm, pale yellow, and there was no pungent smell of disinfectant in the air.
Instead, there was a refreshing mint scent, which helped to relieve the patients’ tense nerves.
Old Wang was still lying on the hospital bed, his eyes wide open and his expression vacant.
Liu Haoyu walked to the bedside and said,
“Old Wang, I’ve come to see you.”
Upon hearing Liu Haoyu’s words, Old Wang suddenly sat up.
His bloodshot pupils stared intently at Liu Haoyu, as if he had encountered something terrifying.
After staring for a long time, Old Wang spoke with a trembling voice.
“Ghost…”
Liu Haoyu patted his shoulder and pushed him back down.
“There are no ghosts in this world, don’t scare yourself.”
He then took out another calming talisman from his pocket and placed it on Old Wang’s forehead.
This talisman could help to calm the victim’s expression. Meanwhile, Liu Haoyu put his hand in his pocket.
He touched a strand of hair and asked,
“Can this help him return to normal?”
“…”
Liu Xiaoxiao appeared but remained in her dazed state, then shook her head.
Seeing this, Liu Haoyu could only sigh.
“Old Wang, let me ask, do you know where the basement of that haunted house is?”
This was just a tentative question, as Liu Haoyu didn’t expect to get any answers from the疯掉 (crazy) Old Wang.
However, something unexpected happened. Old Wang’s pupils contracted slightly, and he retreated.
“No! No! I clearly saw that basement before! But then it disappeared! It ran away! It ran away!”
“I don’t want to go to the basement! I don’t want to go to the basement!”
“Let me go! Let me out!!”
“…”
Seeing Old Wang becoming more agitated, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Liu Haoyu quickly burned the calming talisman on his forehead and stuffed it into his mouth.
Then, Old Wang lay down peacefully.
“It seems difficult to restore his sanity.”
Liu Haoyu walked out of the room and spoke to the air.
“You see this patient?”
“…”
The fierce ghost in white remained silent.
Her residual soul didn’t understand guilt, but hearing Liu Haoyu’s words, she knew she had done something wrong.
So she lowered her head, like a child who had made a mistake.
“I was wrong…”
“Once something happens, admitting it is meaningless. If admitting it worked, what would be the point of having police officers?”
“I was wrong…”
Liu Xiaoxiao maintained her dazed appearance.
Liu Haoyu looked at her and didn’t say anything further.
Indeed, it was difficult for humans and ghosts to communicate. Qin Liu was purely an exception to the exception.
“I’ll take you to see your parents. They are also in this hospital.”
After saying this, Liu Haoyu headed towards another department of the hospital.
Liu Haoyu remained silent along the way. It was only when he arrived at another hospital room that he spoke,
“Your mother, Liu Yongzhen, is in here.”
Saying this, Liu Haoyu walked into the room.
In this room lay a woman with swollen eyes from crying and a face full of wrinkles.
Seeing that she was asleep, Liu Haoyu placed the last strand of hair under the woman’s pillow.
After finishing everything, Liu Haoyu turned and left the room.
Coming to the corridor outside the room, he listened to the sobbing of the fierce ghost in white inside. He really wanted to light a cigarette.
However, seeing the “No Smoking” sign in the corridor, he quietly put the cigarette back.
Just as he was about to leave, someone hugged him tightly from behind.
“Thank you…”
A choked sob was heard, and Liu Haoyu felt the hands holding him become lighter and lighter until they finally turned into a phantom and disappeared.
Liu Haoyu said nothing, he just silently turned and left the place.
The world always has its ups and downs.
————————
“Hao-ge!!”
When Liu Haoyu arrived at Old Deng’s folk custom shop, a young and beautiful girl rushed out of the shop and clung tightly to Liu Haoyu.
Deng Xiaolin’s small hands tightly gripped Liu Haoyu’s neck, and she said with a smile,
“I missed you so much!”
“I think you want me to die.”
Liu Haoyu almost fainted from the girl’s embrace. After prying her hands away, he took a few breaths and said,
“Where’s your grandpa?”
Hearing that he wasn’t here for her, Deng Xiaolin’s cheeks puffed out, and she unhappily pointed inside the shop.
“My grandpa is watching the shop.”
“Alright.”
With that, Liu Haoyu, the heartless and cold man, bypassed Deng Xiaolin and walked into the shop.
Old Deng was sitting in the shop. Seeing Liu Haoyu enter, he said in his aged voice,
“Xiao Liu, my granddaughter is a bit mischievous. Thank you for looking after her.”
“Not at all.”
Liu Haoyu didn’t think anything of it and offered Old Deng a cigarette.
“Xiaolin has always been very well-behaved.”
Old Deng took the cigarette, lit it, and said,
“I know whether she’s well-behaved or not.”
“Hehehe~”
Deng Xiaolin hid behind Liu Haoyu, her face full of innocence.
It was obvious that Old Deng had found out about her going to find ghosts with Liu Haoyu.
Although this old man was strict, he was more caring.
After all, compared to Deng Xiaolin venturing out alone, having an experienced ghost exorcist like Liu Haoyu accompanying her made Old Deng feel a little more at ease.
Moreover, after this incident, Deng Xiaolin no longer clamored to go on adventures and had become much more obedient.
It truly lived up to the saying, “It’s better to guide than block.”
“Xiao Liu, I’ve already asked people to get the silver mirror you wanted. It will be ready in a while.”
A silver mirror itself was not difficult to obtain, but a consecrated silver mirror was indeed troublesome.
This required professional personnel for consecration and exorcism.
“Thank you, Old Deng.”
Liu Haoyu was naturally happy to hear that he could get a silver mirror.
However, besides that, he had a more important matter to discuss with Old Deng.
“Old Deng, you’ve lived in Jiangliu City for so many years, do you know a famous daughter of a wealthy family named Qin Liu?”
As a man over sixty, Old Deng had lived through the 1980s, so if Qin Liu was from a prestigious family in the area, he should have heard about her more or less.
“Qin Liu?”
After thinking for a long time, Old Deng finally shook his head and said,
“No, I haven’t heard of her.”
After getting the answer, Liu Haoyu was a little disappointed, but he didn’t get discouraged and turned to ask,
“What about the rumors about the haunted house on the outskirts of the city?”
“…”
This time, Old Deng fell silent.
He lit a cigarette and said,
“I know.”
Old Deng didn’t know where Liu Haoyu lived, nor did he know that the haunted house Liu Xiaoxiao and he had visited that night was that one.
He seemed to recall some painful past event, and his expression became a little heavy.
“Twenty years ago, I entered that haunted house along with five other ghost exorcists…”
