CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 39: MEMORIES OF TIME (5)

In front of July Photography Studio.

Xu Yichao picked up the phone with a pink case from the ground and, after looking at it, said to Huang Zhongyu not far away, "It seems your two friends might be... in grave danger."

Huang Zhongyu broke out in cold sweat, constantly glancing at the photo studio with its doors wide open, wanting to go in to find people, but his legs were honestly stepping back.

Xu Yichao also knew about the strange tales surrounding the studio and couldn’t help but say, "If you don’t court death, you won’t die. Knowing that this studio isn’t clean, yet still insisting on challenging it."

Sang Que raised an eyebrow, noticing that Xu Yichao accepted these things very quickly and naturally, as expected of someone who was given to papermen as a child since young.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A ball suddenly bounced out from the darkness.

Huang Zhongyu shuddered all over, holding up his phone to shine a light over. Before he could see who threw the ball, he saw a flash of a blade.

The ball split open, turning into ashes and hitting Sang Que who had already sheathed his knife.

Xu Yichao gaped with amazement at this scene, thinking that next time those girls screamed at Sang Que, he would join in too.

Who understands? It feels so safe!

"As long as you don’t take pictures in the studio, it should be fine, right?"

Sang Que, holding a knife, walked over to ask Huang Zhongyu.

Huang Zhongyu nodded blankly, "Online... that’s what they say."

If that’s what they say online, then it’s right. Grandma Xu had told her, the more people believe something, the more ’power’ it has. Exorcism techniques that nobody believes are useless, but strange tales that people believe will definitely come true.

Sang Que pointed the knife towards the photo studio’s entrance, telling Huang Zhongyu, "You, block the door and count. Don’t leave or stop until I come out. I need to always hear your voice to ensure the door doesn’t slam shut. Also, put away your phone to avoid accidentally taking a picture of me."

Huang Zhongyu dared not refute the commanding Sang Que and vigorously nodded.

"And you!"

Sang Que pointed the tip of the knife at Xu Yichao, "Put down the fruits and come in with me."

Xu Yichao looked down. Why was he still holding these two bags of fruits?

Once Xu Yichao put down the fruits and put away his phone, Sang Que threw his flashlight to Xu Yichao.

Xu Yichao had the protection of the paperman girl. If danger arose, she would protect Xu Yichao, serving as a warning, just like when they encountered the Butcher before.

"1, 2, 3..."

Huang Zhongyu started counting, while Sang Que was the first to step into the photo studio. A gloomy wind rose from beneath their feet, blowing away the thick dust on the floor.

Xu Yichao held up the flashlight as he followed in, shining it everywhere, checking everything.

"Huh? Why are all the frames on this wall empty? Strange."

Sang Que glanced at the frames on the front wall and looked away, "Shine light on the floor."

The flashlight’s beam swept over, and there were messy footprints on the ground. Judging by the size, it was a man and a woman who had lingered by the entrance, before finally heading towards the back.

A crowbar had fallen to the ground, and Sang Que casually picked it up, handing it to Xu Yichao behind him.

"The holy sword of physics!" Xu Yichao exclaimed.

Sang Que ignored him, circled past the display wall in front. Behind it was a long hall, with two rooms on the left, seemingly set up for indoor photo shoots.

On the right was a counter and two sets of tables and chairs, and one wall had an inbuilt bookshelf, where albums and materials were likely kept before. Now it was empty, covered in dust and cobwebs.

Another wall, similar to the entrance position, was filled with frames.

Sang Que followed the footprints to the photo wall. Xu Yichao aimed the flashlight quickly, and there were words above the photo wall.

"Memories of Time? My grandparents were very superstitious, rarely took pictures of me when I was young, so I never came to this photo studio. I didn’t think they’d preserve so many past village photos."

The flashlight’s light quickly scanned over photo after photo, capturing scenes like old men playing chess at the village entrance, setting off fireworks during New Year, people bustling at the morning market, a traditional Chinese medicine doctor brewing herbs in front of a clinic, and the grand opening of Brother Watch Shop, among others.

Among them, although covered in dust and faded, one could still see a photo of a fat man in rubber overalls, squatting at an alley entrance, feeding cats with a little girl.

"Is this the butcher from Fatty Pork Shop?" Sang Que asked.

Xu Yichao nodded, "That’s him. Actually, I’ve always thought there was more to his story. In my impression, Uncle Fatty was a good person. Every time he slaughtered a pig, he’d render the pork fat. The leftover pork cracklings he’d give to us kids."

"Back then, my first thing in the morning was to greet Uncle Fatty, always thinking about his pork cracklings. Even my grandma said Uncle Fatty was a good person who wouldn’t do such a thing."

"Once, when I was a child, I had a high fever at midnight, shivering uncontrollably. My grandma just cried, and my grandpa carried me out. The clinic’s old doctor wasn’t there. Luckily, we ran into Uncle Fatty returning from buying pork. He threw two pig halves on the roadside without a word and took my grandpa and me to the hospital."

Xu Yichao sighed heavily, pointing the flashlight at the girl in the photo squatting with the fat butcher.

"She’s the one who told adults that Uncle Fatty touched her, but in reality, she’s a liar. None of the village kids liked playing with her; all of us got into trouble because of her. I’ve heard my grandma say her parents’ divorce was because of her. Who knows what she was thinking—her dad came back from working abroad, and she told him her mom brought men home."

Xu Yichao searched the photo wall for a while, and the flashlight beam illuminated a photo in the corner, showing a village festival scene with a woman dressed as a matchmaker leading the way.

(Reference image: Folk festival group)

"It was her, Xu Chunxia, whom Uncle Fatty chopped up. She loved taking advantage, small-minded and sharp-tongued. My grandma quarreled with her every few days. The matter of Uncle Fatty molesting kids wasn’t even investigated clearly, but she made it known throughout the entire village. Uncle Fatty finally had a girlfriend, ready to marry, but it was all ruined because of that."

Xu Yichao scratched his head, "Wait, now that I think of it, I remember something else. A year after that situation with Uncle Fatty, was when I had a soul-recalling experience. I think I saw Xu Chunxia’s memorial photo in the Fushou Paper Shop..."

Hee-hee~

A sudden child’s laughter echoed behind them, startling Xu Yichao. He quickly turned and shone the flashlight, only to find nothing.

Sang Que, holding the knife, cautiously checked the surroundings. Besides the messy footprints on the ground, they hadn’t found Huang Zhongyu’s two friends or any wandering souls or evil spirits.

"...157, 158, 159..."

Huang Zhongyu’s counting continued, Sang Que signaled Xu Yichao to go out first.

"No one inside, could your friends have escaped?" Xu Yichao called out from afar to Huang Zhongyu blocking the door.

Sang Que followed behind Xu Yichao, scanning around for any abnormality. Turning back, she saw the upper half of the paperman girl appear behind Xu Yichao and suddenly push him hard.

"Oh, shit!"

Xu Yichao, unprepared, fell forward.

Sang Que was shocked and quickly crouched.

Click!

A glaring white light sliced through the darkness like lightning; someone was taking a picture behind them!

Sang Que tilted her head, catching a glimpse of a phone eerily suspended in air behind them, before it smashed to the ground.

The phone case had ’Red Sun Fitness Center’ written on it.

"Hiss—Sang Que, why did you push me?"

Xu Yichao grumbled, crawling up with a mouthful of dust.

Sang Que flipped the phone with the knife to glance at it, her face turning serious, then used the knife to push the phone in front of Xu Yichao.

After Xu Yichao took a look, a chill ran up his spine, and he immediately glanced towards the photo studio entrance.

Huang Zhongyu was gone!

At the moment he fell, the phone coincidentally snapped a picture of Huang Zhongyu at the door.

Xu Yichao felt waves of dread, "Sang Que, you’ve saved my life!"

Sang Que opened her mouth to explain but saw the paperman girl’s small hand appear again, waving at her.

She couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy for Xu Yichao; both had girl guardians, but comparing the paperman girl to Yin Child...

It was heart-wrenching!

"Let’s get out first."

Sang Que instructed, and Xu Yichao picked up the crowbar. As they ran out of July Photography Studio, the glass door slammed shut, returning the studio to its previous, deathly silence.

Only, deep in the studio, on that wall, there were two brand-new frames.

In one, a cat-eared girl raised her hand for a peace sign, posing with a burly crew-cut man, both smiling.

In the other, a blond-haired man stared in terror, back against the glass door.

Time’s memory, forever etched here...