Finally, with the help of their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Jie Ming bought a loft in the Lange community to live in. Although it was a second-hand house, the price was much cheaper, so they didn't have to rent a house outside anymore and had their own home. This made the not-so-affluent couple feel very content and happy! They happily tidied up the house. The decoration of the house was simple, but the basic furniture was complete, and they could move in soon. A drizzle fell outside the window, and a cool breeze passed through the hall. In this early autumn that was still somewhat hot, they also felt very refreshed! In the evening, after a pleasant dinner, the wife was clearing the tableware, while Jie Ming was playing with the child in front of the TV. "Ah~" A faint, melancholy sigh reached Jie Ming's ears. Jie Ming stopped his movements and tilted his ears in confusion. "Ah~" Another clear lament sounded. What was going on? Jie Ming was surprised. It couldn't be the sound from the TV, nor could it be from outside the window. Such a faint sound, yet he heard it so clearly. "Dad, I hear someone talking!" "What?" Jie Ming was startled, did the child hear it too? "What did you hear?" "Ha ha, it's the people on TV talking. Can't you hear it, Dad? You've been scared by me! Mom, Dad has been tricked by me!" The innocent child boasted to his mother about fooling his dad! It seemed he had overreacted, Jie Ming calmed down a little.
As night deepened, the family finished washing up and prepared to go to bed. After putting the child to sleep, they returned to their room. After a tiring day, drowsiness gradually crept in. Just as Jie Ming was about to fall asleep, a sorrowful sigh came faintly: "Ah~ who will take care of me!" Jie Ming's mind suddenly became clear. This was already the third time he had heard this voice. There was no mistake. He fearfully woke his wife, "Did you hear any sound?" "What sound? Don't bother me, I'm exhausted!" The wife was unhappy about Jie Ming disturbing her dream, but Jie Ming kept shaking her, "Alright, alright, stop shaking me!" The wife got up to close the window, "Is it someone outside talking? Close the window and it won't be heard!" The early autumn night was already slightly cool. The wife suddenly remembered that the window in the child's room wasn't closed, so she got up to check. She quietly approached the door and gently pushed it open. But at the moment the door opened, a hunched figure sitting by the bed caught her eye. Her heart skipped a beat. When she focused again, there was nothing. Only the bright moonlight shone on the child's sleeping face, and the evening breeze lightly stirred the curtains. "It must be my eyes deceiving me, all thanks to my husband disturbing me!" She saw that the child was fine, so she closed the window and left the room.
The first rays of sunlight shone on the faces of this hardworking couple, and they began another busy day. In the blink of an eye, it was evening again. Just as they were about to go to bed, they suddenly heard the child's innocent laughter coming from the next room. Both of them were startled instantly. The child had already fallen asleep, so who was laughing with him?
They immediately rushed to the next room and found only the child inside. "Mom, grandpa just told me a story, it was so much fun!" Grandpa? The couple looked at each other, but they were shocked inside. "There is no such thing as grandpa, don't talk nonsense!" "Grandpa said he was a neighbor from next door, visiting. He even greeted you two! He's right there!" The child pointed to the side of the window! "Go to sleep, I want to sleep with grandpa. He's going to tell me more stories!" Without saying a word, Jie Ming rushed forward, picked up the child, and quickly retreated with his wife. The child was so pure and innocent, but in the eyes of adults, this kind of thing was indescribably terrifying.
The couple associated with last night's series of strange events and increasingly felt that this house was not clean. They decided to ask the original owner for clarification.
The next day, they knocked on the neighbor's door, "Hello, we are the new neighbors, we want to know about the previous owner." "Oh dear, this is hard to say. An old man used to live here, quite pitiful, no one took care of him, and later he hanged himself. But it's said that the old man was deceived, and out of despair, he chose death! How come you didn't know? No wonder, who would still live here if they knew!" "Someone died?" The couple seemed to understand something in their hearts, but they were extremely frightened.
They must find the person who sold the house and ask clearly what happened.
After several days of searching, Jie Ming finally contacted a friend of the original owner. After the friend's account, they learned the whole truth. Originally, the first owner of this house was indeed an old man and a young man. That young man had just been released from prison. The old man had four sons, but the first three ignored him. Only the fourth son, who had just been released from prison, lived with him. But soon the son fell ill and died, leaving no one to take care of him. Later, the fourth son's wife came back to take care of him for a while, and the old man was very grateful and trusted her even more. Finally, he took out the money he had saved for half his life and entrusted his daughter-in-law to buy him a house so he could spend his remaining years in peace. And he promised to leave the house to her after his death as long as she took care of him! The house was quickly bought, and the furniture was basically ready. The old man was very happy, but what he never expected was that the fourth daughter-in-law never came back, and the house was registered under a stranger's name. A few days later, a strange man came to urge the old man to move out, claiming that the house had been sold to him. The old man tried many ways to inquire everywhere, but he could not find the whereabouts of the fourth daughter-in-law. The hardest part was that because he trusted her, he had no evidence to prove that the house was bought by him. The old man was over 80 years old, his lifetime savings were gone, and no one took care of him. In despair, he hanged himself! At this point, the friend sadly shed tears. The hearts of the couple were also heavy. They decided to move back and help the old man find that person.
This required great courage, but in this world, there are always good people. With great determination, they returned to the house, but did not take the child back. After a hectic afternoon, they prepared a sumptuous dinner. Jie Ming gathered his courage and said to the air, "Old sir, I don't know if you're still here. We understand the hardship of life like a play, and we know how lonely you were before your death. We are willing to talk to you, chat with you!"
"Wuwu~~" After a long silence, a sad cry echoed faintly. Although they were mentally prepared, the couple still felt a chill. Slowly, a frail, bent figure appeared before their eyes, "Thank you, I haven't felt such warmth for a long time."
"Old sir, we know you are pitiful, and we really want to help you."
"Ah," the hoarse voice rang again, "Thank you for not being afraid of me and having this heart. If only I had met you when I was alive. I linger here because I hate, I hate the coldness of human relations, I hate those ungrateful people! But I met you, I know there are still good people in this world, I should go. Before I go, I have one wish, I want to see that child, he is really cute. Can you help me?"
"This..." The couple looked at each other, and Jie Ming decided to bring him back.
"Grandpa, you're here!" Seeing the child bounce into the house happily, the old man laughed happily...
The clock slowly pointed to midnight. The child was already asleep. Looking at the child's sleeping face, the old man gratefully said to the couple: "Really thank you. People like you, your child will surely treat you well in the future. Being with you for just three days, I am truly sorry for scaring you, but you treated me so kindly, I feel very warm, very warm!" Two streams of turbid old tears slowly flowed down, Jie Ming could feel the loneliness and bitterness in the old man's heart!
"Goodbye, good people!" The old man's body gradually became transparent, only two drops of wet tears remained on the bedside! "Bad people will not have a good end!" The wife said with a trembling voice.
"Yes, they will not have a good end!" Jie Ming tightly held his wife's hand.
The rain of early autumn was heavy and refreshing, it extinguished the heat of all things, nourished the thirsty land, but it could not wash away the ugliness of people's souls. No matter how much joy it could bring to people, it could not give that lonely old man even a bit of hope for life...