T/N: Happy New Year everyone!!! I hope everyone had an amazing time with family and friends. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
Chapter 53.1 Sister
He Tianlei watched Lin Banxia leave. Although he wanted to stop Lin Banxia and have a big argument with him, the beautiful man standing next to Lin Banxia made He Tianlei give up this idea. Perhaps because he had been in contact with those things before, He Tianlei actually smelled the same scent from this man. The sense of danger made him suppress his violent emotions, and he just watched Lin Banxia go.
After Lin Banxia left, He Tianlei stood in the corridor, finished his third cigarette, and walked back to the ward cursing.
In the ward, his father was tied to the bed like a lunatic. The more He Tianlei looked at him, the more upset he became. He kicked the bed and said bitterly: “If you hadn’t insisted on coveting that little money, how could you have adopted him? Such a disaster has healed now and ended up like this.” He cursed for a while before he noticed that the person on the bed had not made any sound. He Tianlei came over to take a look and was horrified. He saw that the towel wrapped around his father’s mouth was stained red with blood. His father’s eyes were widened in horror, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying. He Tianlei panicked and shouted: “Nurse, nurse!!!!”
After the nurse came in, she checked and was very surprised: “How could it be?”
He Tianlei said: “What, what’s wrong with him?”
The nurse glanced at He Tianlei: “Your dad bit the towel and bit off half of his tongue. Fortunately, the blood was absorbed by the towel, and he didn’t suffocate.”
He Tianlei said in disbelief: “How could he have bitten through such a thick towel?”
“The doctor will be here soon.” The nurse hesitated, “Does your father really have no history of mental illness before?”
“No.” He Tianlei was very sure, but after saying this, he thought of something. He glanced around the room in panic. When he saw a certain corner, his expression immediately changed. His face suddenly went pale and he said: “Nurse… did you remember whether this cabinet was open or closed?”
Although the nurse found He Tianlei’s question puzzling, she still answered: “It was closed when I went out. What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s okay.” He Tianlei twitched the corners of his mouth, wanting to smile, but couldn’t.
After a while, the doctor came and pushed He Tianlei’s father out for examination. He Tianlei was the only one left in the room.
He sat on the edge of the bed, opposite the empty cabinet. The cabinet door was open and there was nothing inside. He Tianlei stared at the empty cabinet door and felt a creeping fear.
So much time had passed that He Tianlei forgot some things, but when he saw the familiar scene, those memories that were gradually blurred by him emerged from the depths of his subconscious.
Since moving, all the cabinets in He Tianlei’s house had not been installed with doors. The three of them had fallen into a strange tacit understanding, never mentioning what happened before, and instinctively avoiding something, but He Tianlei knew that he would never forget that night.
It was a cold winter night. Lin Banxia, who was about to be punished for doing something wrong, ran away because of fear. He Tianlei’s father drank too much and chased him out cursing with a long stick. His mother was chopping vegetables in the kitchen and was completely indifferent when she heard the commotion outside.
It seemed to be very cold that day, He Tianlei thought, even after so many years, he could still recall the feeling of the biting cold wind blowing on his face. It was a kind of coldness that penetrated into the bone marrow, and he couldn’t help but flinch while sitting in the room.
Lin Banxia was caught by his father in the evening. He was soaked all over and dirty like a funny monkey. He Tianlei was standing in the house, chewing toffee, and saw his father carrying Lin Banxia who was covered in wounds into the house. The man cursed, punched and kicked the child. When he got tired, the child’s cries were inaudible, but he was still not satisfied. He reached out and opened the cupboard door and threw the child in.
When He Tianlei saw this scene when he was young, he burst out laughing. Because he laughed too hard, the toffee he had not finished eating fell to the ground. He looked at the toffee and suddenly became angry. He turned around and walked all the way. He ran into his bedroom, and when he came out again, he had a small lock in his hand.
“You bastard.” He Tianlei cursed. He put the lock on the outside of the cupboard without hesitation, turned around and followed his father’s example, and left while cursing.
After many years, He Tianlei’s memory was still clear. He seemed to see his young self contentedly taking a bath with his mother by his side, and then lying in a warm bed. The lights at home dimmed, and a strong sense of sleep swept over him. He Tianlei felt as if he had forgotten something, but he thought it was not important, so he closed his eyes calmly and fell into a deep sleep.
If He Tianlei had the opportunity to choose again now, he would not allow himself to fall asleep like this, not because of guilt, but because this day was the beginning of their family’s horrific experience.
After that night, there was a non-existent… little girl in their family.
When he thought of this, He Tianlei shivered involuntarily. He came back to his senses and looked at the small cabinet in front of him. The next moment, all the hairs on his body stood up. At some point, the cabinet door in front of him was closed. The room was empty, and he was still the only one, but the lock was left on the cabinet.
And the appearance of the lock was so familiar… no matter how you looked at it, it looked like the one he had used when he was a child.
He Tianlei’s throat moved up and down, and his eyes were filled with fear. He kept telling himself to calm down and wanted to stand up and leave, but his body seemed to be stuck to the stool and he couldn’t move away.
In the suffocating silence, the lock made a soft click and fell to the ground. Under He Tianlei’s horrified eyes, the door of the cabinet slowly opened…
The small cabinet actually contained two extremely twisted people. He Tianlei saw two extremely painful faces inside, one was his mother’s and the other was his father’s.
The corner of his clothes was tugged, and He Tianlei lowered his head and saw the little girl’s face.
The little girl smiled brightly at him and said, “Long time no see.”
****
Lin Banxia was huddled in the small cabinet. He was covered in wounds. He should have been scared and in pain, but Xiaohua was by his side. He didn’t seem so sad anymore. He couldn’t wait to turn around and grab her. He took Xiaohua’s cold and soft hand and whispered: “Xiaohua, I’m back.”
“You’re back.” The little girl’s voice was soft, just like what he remembered. She had two playful braids and was as cute as a doll. “Why are you coming back? You lived outside. Are you unhappy? Is someone bullying you?” She stared at Lin Banxia, trying to get the answer from his eyes.
“No, no one bullied me.” Lin Banxia said, “I’m living a good life… and I’ve made a lot of friends.” He didn’t realize it before, but when he looked at Xiaohua again, he noticed the look in this little girl’s eyes. It is full of compassion and love, more like Lin Banxia’s elder than a child.
“That’s great,” she said, “but you shouldn’t have come back.”
Lin Banxia said: “I miss you.” He was a little sad, “I shouldn’t have left you here. I already knew what kind of people they were, but I was too useless at that time to protect you, but it’s different now, I can take you away now.”
Xiaohua laughed: “Banxia, you are so kind.”
Lin Banxia felt sad and happy when he saw her smile. He whispered: “But where are we now and how can we get out?”
“Shh.” He Xiaohua raised her finger, “Don’t talk, she’s coming again.”
Just as she finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside the cabinet door again. Lin Banxia saw the scary woman without eyes through the gap in the cabinet again. The woman was still holding a knife, but this time, her body was actually covered in blood. The blood clinging to her face and body made her look scarier than a ghost.
When Lin Banxia saw the blood stains, he thought of the child who was caught by the woman just now. Unbelievable thoughts came to his mind, and his heart started pounding.
“You hide here.” Xiaohua said, “Don’t be discovered.”
Lin Banxia was about to ask her why, but she disappeared again.
Then, just when the woman was about to discover Lin Banxia, He Xiaohua ran out of the door again, leading the woman away… This seemed to be an endless cycle. Lin Banxia pushed open the cabinet door forcefully. He saw blood stains on the ground. The blood fell from the woman’s body and hit the soil, turning into black stains.
Lin Banxia did not run out this time. He looked around and saw the dense firewood placed in the kitchen. There was a lot of firewood, but the back was empty. It was more than enough for a thin child to hide inside. Lin Banxia thought for a moment, then turned around and hid inside.
After a while, he heard the sound of the woman’s footsteps coming from far and near. It seemed that the woman was back. Just like before, this time, she was also holding a child in her hand. Lin Banxia didn’t see it clearly just now, but now he saw the child’s appearance through the dim light in the room. It really was He Xiaohua who had lured her away.
“Damn thing, damn thing.” The woman’s voice was weird and distorted. She had no eyes and couldn’t see her surroundings. Her nose kept moving, like a monster living deep in the soil.
He Xiaohua was held in her hand, staring with a pair of black eyes, not struggling.
The woman held He Xiaohua in one hand and a knife in the other and walked into the kitchen. She looked around, her nose moved slightly, as if she smelled something, and walked towards the place where Lin Banxia was hiding.
When Lin Banxia saw this scene, he was slightly shocked. He stretched out his hand and covered his mouth tightly, trying to cover his breathing.
Seeing the woman getting closer and closer to Lin Banxia, just when she was almost in front of Lin Banxia, He Xiaohua in her hand suddenly started struggling. She struggled and screamed, and soon attracted all the woman’s attention.
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