The boss finished what he had to say and left me there shocked, as if I was sitting on a dunce"s chair. This whole time I had lied and said that I was on a business trip. I was so wrapped up in my new paranormal life that I had completely forgotten to contact my mother. I didn"t have a clue as to what had happened to my family. Whatever it was, it must be serious after listening to what the boss said. They were my only relatives in the world and I felt as if I had abandoned them.

Xiao Lingdang understood the situation and told me, "Brother, go and visit them. There"s no need for me to eat right now."

I nodded my head and took out my phone hastily, just I was about to dial my mom"s number, I froze. It was now 1 a.m., so it was likely that both my mom and Xue"er might be sleeping. I hesitated for a moment and decided not to finish the phone call. Since I was still worried, I went to ask the boss for a couple of details. The boss didn"t know the number of my mom"s ward, but he told me it was on the 11th floor of the in-patient department.

After thanking the boss, I hurriedly took Xiao Lingdang and headed to the county hospital.

Even in the hot summer, the late-night hospital would still make people feel a certain coldness, not just because of the air-conditioning, but also because the hospital was a place where the Yin Qi gathered.

I went straight up to the 11th floor, where there was no particular department, it was more of a comprehensive in-patient section of the hospital. n.o.body was in the nurse"s station, but there was a woman in a nurse outfit who was sleeping in the room inside the nurse station. I thought about it for a moment and chose not to bother her. Then, I found the photos of my mom and Xue"er on my phone and told Xiao Lingdang to help me look for them in the wards one by one.

She dove into the wall beside us as I walked anxiously back and forth outside the nurse station. Every second that pa.s.sed was a kind of torment that would leave my heart beating ever faster.

Xiao Lingdang seemed to know the anxiety I was feeling in my heart, so she move quickly and phased through the wards non-stop. Soon, she came back to me and told me she had found them and that it looked as if my mom wasn"t sleeping just yet.

I rushed to room No. 1106, gently opened the door, stopped to ease my anxious pace, took a deep breath, and then slowly entered the room. The ward was a double room and one of the beds was empty. With disheveled hair, my mom, who was holding a sleeping Xue"er, was listlessly watching TV. An animated film was playing on the TV, but there was no sound.

I dared not get too close, afraid that I would startle my mom. Instead, I called her in a low voice. After a few attempts, mom turned around and saw me. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She stretched out her hand towards me, then seemed to think of something, and said with a hoa.r.s.e voice, "Wu Rei, what are you doing here? Have you finished your business trip with the company?"

For a moment, I wanted to slap myself in the face with shame, but I kept up the lie. I said as calmly as possible, "I finished earlier than expected. When I got back, I heard other people saying you weren"t in good health. Mom, what"s wrong?"

Mom shook her head and sighed as if she were hesitating to tell me something. I sat by the bed and stroked Xue"er"s sleeping face with my hand and said, "Mom, is there something wrong?"

Mom shook her head once more, but didn"t say anything. This time, Xue"er seemed to have been awakened by my touch, she opened her eyes and began to cry. Mom rushed hold her and began to comfort her. I sat there, also comforting her, "Xue"er, it"s me, your uncle."

Finally, she was completely awake, and fell into my arms while she began to sob softly. I just held her and continued to comfort her. For some time, it was not easy to ask what was going on.

Xue"er was still just a kid after all, and soon fell asleep in tears. When mom went to put her on the bed, I stopped her. I continued to hold Xue"er and asked once again.

My mom just kept silent for a long time, and finally opened her mouth to speak, "If I tell you, don"t be afraid and don"t think I am old or going mad. They are all saying I"m going insane."

I shook my head vigorously, "Mom, I won"t. What on earth is going on?"

Mom wiped her tears and said, "A few days after you left on your business trip, I received a letter. There was nothing written on the letter, it just had three photos in it, and they are all…well, they are all scary. On top of everything, only Xue"er and I can see the photos. From that day on, I was receiving a letter like that every three days. Xue"er and I have been seeing strange things ever since."

As she was telling me everything, she continued weeping. My heart and spine were chilled with every one of my mother"s words. No wonder I had stopped receiving the photos for some time. I must have brought that trouble to my mother and niece.

When my mom noticed my pensive expression and the fact that I wasn"t speaking, she a.s.sumed that I too didn"t believe what she was telling me. That got her more anxious and began to defend herself, "It"s true. I..."

I quickly snapped out of it and began to comfort her, "Mom, I believe you. I believe you. I"ve received them before, do you remember?"

Mom was stunned for a moment and then she remembered. Tears suddenly flowed out of her eyes, "What sin did we commit to deserve this?"

I hastened to comfort her, "Mom, my officer friend says it"s just a prank."

My mother just shook her head and said, "You don"t have to lie to me. Ever since we get the first letter, Xue"er and I have been seeing some strange things. It"s not a prank, it"s not."

Strange things? My mom had said it twice already. I remembered not seeing anything strange after I received the photos, and until I went to the ghost building, I hadn"t seen ghosts. Could mom and Xue"er see ghosts, too?

I looked back to find that Xiao Lingdang had never entered the room. I thought perhaps she was respecting my privacy with my family. I wanted to let Xiao Lingdang enter the room, but I also was afraid that she would scare my mom. Besides, it would still be very difficult for me to explain to mom where she came from.

I stared at the dark circles that had formed under my mother"s eyes from lack of sleep. I decided it would be best to let her have some good sleep first, so I told her that I was here to guard them. We could talk about everything else tomorrow.

With her son around, mom felt significantly more relieved. Maybe she was so tired that she quickly fell asleep. I took out my phone and I contacted Wu Jian, I had to discuss this situation with someone.

I talked about the whole thing with Wu Jian but he didn"t have good ideas either. Mostly because Xue"er was too young to be exposed to ghosts. Otherwise, I could easily have them moved into the ghost building.

I suddenly remembered everything that happened the other night at the night market. I was particularly recalling what the taxi driver had told me about the advice given to him by a strange old man in Chinese tunic suit. The advice that helped them avoid an accident. Maybe that strange old man could help me. Since I didn"t ask for Yang Fan"s phone number at the time, I would have to ask Wu Jian to check it for me.

Xiao Lingdang must have begun to feel impatient waiting outside and came in through the door. I looked around carefully, I also looked at my sleeping mother and waved my hand motioning for her to come in carefully, and I said with a low voice, "Xiao Lingdang, can you feel anything wrong with my mom?"

She was confused for a moment, then touched my mother and Xue"er gently and said, "There is just a little Yin Qi on their body. Maybe they just saw a ghost when one happened to pa.s.s by. Other than that, I found nothing else."

If it was just a ghost who pa.s.sed by, then it wasn"t that big a deal. Perhaps they were just terrified at a ghost they saw after seeing the pictures. The important thing was that the photos would be dealt with as soon as possible.