T/N: Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that I’ll be taking a break form posting chapters for Phantom Skeleton Painting next week so that I can focus on completing the last 15 chapters of another book I am translating. However, once that book is complete the posting will go back to normal.
Chapter 78.1 Ghost Market
Although Song Qingluo didn’t say anything, Lin Banxia clearly felt that he was in a very bad mood. He went downstairs in silence, and when he arrived in the yard, he suddenly turned around and said sorry to Lin Banxia.
Of course, Lin Banxia was not angry because of Song Qingluo’s gaffe. Not only was he not angry, but he was filled with heartache. He said, “There is nothing to be sorry for.” He didn’t know what happened back then, and he couldn’t comfort him. Lin Banxia could only carefully use his fingers to hook Song Qingluo’s palm, “If there is anything I can do to help, just tell me.”
Song Qingluo was silent for a moment and said, “My father died suddenly.”
Lin Banxia hesitated and said: “Is it because of that painting?”
“Maybe.” Song Qingluo said, “Maybe it’s because of other reasons. Even after more than ten years, there is still no answer to this matter.”
Lin Banxia whispered: “It’s over.”
“It’s impossible to get over it.” Song Qingluo said, “It will never be over.” He looked indifferent as he spoke about the events of that year, his eyes as calm as dead water.
It turned out that Song Qingluo’s father’s job was indeed archaeology. However, as he came into contact with more antiquities, he often encountered some irradiated heretics. Therefore, he gradually came into contact with the monitors and recorders who specialized in sealing heretical objects. He also began to bring some strange things to his home, including the painting called the Phantom Skeleton Painting.
The original “Phantom Skeleton Painting” was located in a national first-class museum. It was a very precious collection and naturally could not be lost among the people. However, the painting brought back by Song Qingluo’s father was appraised by several specialized experts. They were unable to find any flaws in it as a fake.
Everyone knew it was fake, but they couldn’t tell where it was fake. Regardless of the material or technique, this painting completely met the standards of authenticity. Some people even began to suspect that the painting in the museum was a replica. Song Qingluo clearly remembered that during that time, fierce quarrels often broke out at home, between his father and the experts. Discussions about authenticity had been difficult to judge, until one day, Song Qingluo’s father took the painting and hurried out the door.
When he came back, the annoyance on his face was wiped away, he grabbed the scroll and laughed loudly. The young Song Qingluo was frightened by his father’s obsessed look, and carefully asked his father what he was laughing at. Hearing this, Song Qingluo’s father put down the things in his hands, picked up his beloved son, spun him around a few times, and shouted loudly: “It’s real! Both pairs are real!! They are exactly the same, exactly the same!!!”
At that time, Song Qingluo didn’t understand the meaning of this sentence. Now he understood, but it’s too late.
After that, the painting was hung in the study room by Song Qingluo’s father. Because of the special content of the painting, Song Qingluo was inexplicably afraid of the skeletons on the painting. He always felt that the skeletons inside looked weird, as if they could just start moving…
This situation continued for a while until an accident happened.
“Your father… something happened?” Lin Banxia looked at the silent Song Qingluo and asked in a low voice.
“Yeah.” Song Qingluo said, “He died suddenly.”
Lin Banxia wanted to say a few words of comfort, but Song Qingluo’s numb expression made him feel that words were too shallow, so he looked around and checked that there was no one around, then he leaned over and kissed the corner of Song Qingluo’s mouth. Qing Luo’s eyes were still half lowered, but after being kissed by Lin Banxia, Qingluo immediately raised his eyes to look at Lin Banxia, and the indifference in his eyes became much softer.
“The place of his death was the study.” Song Qingluo continued, “He was busy with work and often didn’t go home. I had long been used to it, so even though I didn’t see anyone for ten and a half days, I didn’t feel strange. Until one day, the company where he worked suddenly called home and said that he had not gone to work for a few days, causing us to realise that he was missing…”
Lin Banxia could clearly feel that when Song Qingluo talked about this memory, his body tensed up, as if he was very nervous: “At that time, I searched all the places around, but couldn’t find him. Until one day, my mother went into the study to clean, and suddenly rushed out of the study in despair, hugging me and asking…”
Lin Banxia felt that his throat was a little dry, and he said, “What did she ask?”
“She asked me if I knew when the skeleton in the study was placed there.” Song Qingluo said, “She also asked me if my father had come back.”
Lin Banxia had already guessed the ending of the story.
Sure enough, Song Qingluo told the chilling truth in a calm tone. He said: “Of course dad didn’t come back. The skeleton had been standing in the study for several days. Thinking about it carefully, the skeleton appeared on the day my father disappeared.”
Lin Banxia: “…”
Song Qingluo continued: “My mother almost went crazy on the spot. She cried and called the police. When the police came, they thought we were crazy until they did the DNA test.”
“As we had guessed, that skeleton was my father.” Song Qingluo said, “He was not missing. His body had turned into bones and had been standing in the study for several days, but no one found it.” He laughed self-deprecatingly. “Because the dissection was so clean, it looked like a human specimen used in medical schools…”
This was really a bad story. Lin Banxia couldn’t imagine what Song Qingluo, who was only a few years old at the time, went through in this time.
Later, the story connected with what Lin Banxia had just heard in the ward. Song Qingluo’s mother couldn’t bear the blow, so she took Song Qingluo and moved out of the yard. The yard was abandoned and became Song Qingluo’s warehouse for storing treasures. However, the problem arose again, Song Qingluo’s father was gone, but what about his mother? Could it be that his mom also…
“She disappeared.” Song Qingluo answered Lin Banxia’s doubts, “She disappeared suddenly when I was seven years old.”
Lin Banxia: “Something happened to her too?”
“I don’t know.” Song Qingluo said, “Maybe she went through the same thing as my father, maybe she just couldn’t stand my listless personality. In short, she just disappeared.” He said it in an understated way, as if he was telling someone else’s story. It seemed as if the indifference in his eyes had turned into ice and snow, sending a chill through people.
“I have been looking for her, but more than ten years have passed and there are no clues.” Song Qingluo said, “She must be dead.”
Lin Banxia said: “How did you live afterwards?”
Song Qingluo said: “I was taken to the base. I’m doing okay. I’m getting over it slowly.”
Are really you doing okay? Lin Banxia remembered Song Qingluo’s appearance when he was lying on that white bed, with his abdomen cut open and used like a tool. Was this how he lived? Lin Banxia’s eyes were dry, and he stretched out his hand to give Song Qingluo a big hug. When he was in his hometown, Song Qingluo hugged him helplessly like this. He also wanted to use this kind of hug to pass on his courage to his beloved.
“Thank you.” Song Qingluo said.
“Don’t say thank you.” Lin Banxia said, “I hope our relationship doesn’t require saying thank you.”
Song Qingluo whispered: “Okay.”
After listening to Song Qingluo’s story, Lin Banxia felt infinite pity for him and said, “Did you buy Peppa Pig’s jar to find your mother?”
Song Qingluo: “What?”
Lin Banxia realized that he had said something wrong and quickly tried to make amends: “No, it’s the Song Dynasty vat you bought.”
Song Qingluo looked at Lin Banxia suspiciously: “You’re talking about the Song Dynasty vat?”
Lin Banxia: “…”
Song Qingluo: “Isn’t Peppa the cartoon that Xiaohua and Small Cave like to watch?”
Lin Banxia said: “Listen to my quibbles. Oh, no, listen to my explanation – I just made a slip of the tongue.”
“Really?” Song Qingluo still didn’t believe it.
Lin Banxia resolutely said: “Of course!”
Song Qingluo stopped asking further questions. After Song Qingluo reported Lu Yinyin’s situation, a message came back, saying that a recorder would be sent over soon to investigate first, so that Song Qingluo could be dispatched at any time. The two of them were fine for the time being. Lin Banxia went to work for half a day in the afternoon. His colleague greeted him with a smile and said he hadn’t seen him for a long time.
Lin Banxia said: “Is there a lot of work lately?”
“Not much is left alive, but each one’s death is worse than the last,” said a colleague.
It had to be really miserable to be called miserable by colleagues who had seen thousands of deaths. Lin Banxia asked carefully and learned that someone died in the park today. The way of death was very bizarre. According to onlookers nearby, the man said that there were bugs in his body. In front of everyone, he forcibly dug a hole in his stomach with his hands and died on the spot…
The police went over because of this incident, but found nothing special, because both bystanders and surveillance showed that this was a real suicide.
Lin Banxia perked up as soon as he heard this, thinking to himself, Isn’t this the same situation as Lu Yinyin’s? Could it be that that person also bought something in the ghost market. He asked his colleagues for this person’s information and planned to go back and talk to Song Qingluo.
After working all night and taking on a small job, Lin Banxia got off work on time at six in the morning. He hurried back home, originally thinking that Song Qingluo would be sleeping, but when he opened the door, he saw him sitting on the sofa watching TV. Xiaohua and Small Cave’s favorite Peppa Pig was on the TV.
Lin Banxia was wondering why Song Qingluo was interested in cartoons, when he heard him say quietly: “So this is Peppa Pig.”
Lin Banxia: “…”
Song Qingluo swore a rare curse word, pressed the power off button on the remote-control panel, gritted his teeth and said, “Why does it look so similar to the Qilin on my vat?”
Lin Banxia wanted to hold it back, but he couldn’t help it anymore. He covered his mouth and his shoulders shook as he laughed uncontrollably. Tears of laughter fell from his eyes at the end. When he straightened up again, Song Qingluo had already stood in front of him and looked at him with raised eyebrows.
“Is it funny?” Song Qingluo asked.
Lin Banxia said: “No…it’s not funny.” He said it was not funny, but his expression was not convincing at all, and there were tears of laughter still hanging in the corners of his eyes.
Song Qingluo suddenly stretched out his hand, and before Lin Banxia could react, he held him around the waist and lifted him up. His eyes were curved into a crescent and he burst out laughing: “Hahaha, don’t get angry from shame. This is really unacceptable. It’s my fault!”
Song Qingluo didn’t say anything, walked directly to the bedroom, threw Lin Banxia on the bed, leaned down, and kissed him heavily.
Lin Banxia’s laughter suddenly disappeared and turned into a slight gasp.
After the kiss ended, Lin Banxia watched Song Qingluo stand up with moist eyes and unbuttoned the first button of his shirt.
…
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