The furniture mall at the east end of the county town wasn't hard to find. I pedaled my bike for about twenty minutes and arrived.
Ning Haoyu's shop was easy to spot too. Go straight in, all the way to the back, the one right next to the toilet.
I wheeled my bike inside. No one greeted me or asked what furniture I wanted. Clearly, they didn't think I could afford their wares.
Reaching Ning Haoyu's shop door, I saw a middle-aged man haggling with him.
Beside them stood a pure black writing desk. The middle-aged man kept slapping his palm on the desk surface while talking animatedly to Ning Haoyu.
The gist was that the desk wasn't worth the price Ning Haoyu was asking.
Ning Haoyu might look bookish, but he had a foul temper. Hearing this, he retorted, "Not worth the price? Then go look around elsewhere. If you find one cheaper than mine, buy it. If not, come back. Same price. Not a cent less."
The middle-aged man was hot-headed too. He yelled something about Ning Haoyu not knowing how to do business, then stormed off.
As the man left, Ning Haoyu spotted me and smiled in greeting. "Li Chu Yi! Long time no see. How's your grandpa?"
I parked my bike. "Grandpa's gone."
Ning Haoyu froze. "Oh… My condolences!"
I stepped into his shop and nudged his shoulder. "Condolences, my ass! He's not dead. Just gone. Don't know where. Anyway, got any new old furniture? I need a piece or two."
Ning Haoyu asked what for. I said I planned to close the funeral clothing shop and open a little fortune-telling store. From now on, I'd make my living reading fortunes.
Hearing this, Ning Haoyu burst out laughing. "You? Think you can pull that off?"
I studied Ning Haoyu's face for a moment. "The Palace of Wealth and Property on your face is thick with gloom today. If I'm not mistaken, you haven't made a single sale since opening this morning, right?"
Ning Haoyu rubbed his nose. "Fine, you guessed right. Whatever. Take a look. New stock's all here. The warehouse is empty. I'm planning to switch trades myself in a few days."
As I browsed the furniture in his shop, I asked why he was changing trades. Wasn't the shop doing fine?
Ning Haoyu explained, "My uncle opened a bigger shop in the city, wants me to help. I'll be going as a partner. This antique furniture business… it's tough in our little county. Not enough rich folks. More money in the city, and my uncle has more connections. Easier."
Then he asked if I'd seen anything I liked. I walked a circle and pointed at the pure black writing desk near the entrance. "That one. How much?"
Ning Haoyu glanced at it. "That thing? If you want it, I'll deliver it to you free on my electric tricycle. But as your buddy, I am warn you. That thing's… a bit weird. At night, it always makes this 'snapping' sound. Like someone's slamming a magistrate's gavel on it. Creepy as hell."
"Huh?" Hearing this, I first thought it was unbelievable, then figured he was just trying to scare me. Grandpa and I had been in the death business for years and never saw any ghosts or monsters.
Seeing my disbelief, Ning Haoyu pressed on. "I'm serious!"
I shot back, if it was true, why hadn't he sold the desk to the guy earlier? Ning Haoyu gave a bitter smile. "Businessman. Who doesn't want to make more? I saw he liked it, figured I could push the price up. Standard tactic. You wouldn't understand."
I laughed. "Don't understand your business tactics? You chased the customer away!"
Ning Haoyu told me to cut the crap. Did I want it or not? If yes, he'd deliver it free. If not, pick something else, but I'd have to pay.
My principle with money was simple: save every cent possible. Since Ning Haoyu was offering the desk free and free delivery, how could I refuse?
So I slapped my thigh. "I'll take it!"
I also bought a chair and an old bookcase from Ning Haoyu, spending over four hundred yuan.
He loaded everything onto his electric tricycle, delivered it to my place, and even helped me arrange the shop.
As for his own shop, he just locked up. Since he planned to change trades anyway, he wasn't bothering to finish the last few days properly.
With my little shop set up, Ning Haoyu and I headed to a nearby barbecue stall for skewers and beer.
I couldn't hold my liquor. After seven or eight bottles, I was getting woozy. Ning Haoyu handled it better; he could still help me walk, but his tongue was loosening up.
He told me the desk he gave me today came from the house of a deceased old man. Apparently, it was the old man's favorite spot for calligraphy and painting while alive. After he died, the desk started making noise every night. His family couldn't stand it, so they got rid of it.
Ning Haoyu saw the desk was ancient pinewood, good quality. He didn't ask for details and bought it. Only later did he discover the strangeness. After asking around, it was too late to back out.
Ever since he got that desk, business had gotten worse and worse. Sometimes days went by without a sale. He'd thought about throwing it away, but every time the idea came, he couldn't bear it. After all, he'd paid for it.
Dizzy, I asked Ning Haoyu if the desk made noise every night. "Not really," he said. "Sometimes it goes off for days straight. Sometimes it's quiet for half a month."
Talking, we reached my place. Ning Haoyu was staying the night. With Grandpa gone, he could sleep in Grandpa's room.
But he wasn't keen. Said he didn't like old people's rooms. Wanted to sleep in my room, so I could take Grandpa's. Ning Haoyu was a guest, gave me a free desk, helped me out a lot… so I humored him.
Fuelled by alcohol, we both fell asleep quickly.
Around two or three in the morning, I heard a faint sound in the courtyard. Like a door opening… or someone moving a table.
Creak!
I turned over and kept sleeping. Figured maybe one of the second-floor tenants was back. Besides the chubby net cafe manager, there was a night-owl tenant up there – a woman in her late twenties. Average looks, but nice figure. Worked at a KTV. She often offered to pay rent with her body, but I always refused.
My first time wasn't going to be given away so casually.
But I hadn't been asleep long when another creak came. Louder this time. Sharper. It made my skin crawl.
Half-asleep, I yelled into the courtyard, "Can't you come back quietly in the middle of the night? Don't you know people are sleeping?"
After my shout, it was quiet outside for a while. But just as I was drifting off again, another series of creaks came. This time, I heard it clearly. Not a door. It was the sound of someone dragging a table across the floor.
Whoosh! I sat bolt upright in bed. Suddenly, I remembered the desk in the shop. Could it be… like Ning Haoyu said… actually haunted?
I peered out the window. Nothing in the courtyard. No one on the stairs. Pitch black outside, only vague shapes visible.
While I stared intently, a dark shadow whooshed past my window. I jumped, stumbling backward, shouting, "Who's there?!"
No answer. The shadow seemed to have darted toward my little shop.
I turned on the courtyard light, grabbed a flashlight, and slowly stepped out of the house. Maybe a burglar?
Just then, Ning Haoyu emerged from his room too. Seeing me, he whispered, "You heard it too?"
I said I'd also seen a shadow go into my shop. Probably a burglar.
Hearing this, Ning Haoyu lowered his voice further. "A burglar? Let's catch him."
I covered the flashlight with my hand, letting just enough light spill to see the path. Together, we crept to the back door of the shop.
It was solid plank wood, no window. We couldn't see inside. I checked the lock – secure. No signs of tampering.
Ning Haoyu murmured, "Chu Yi, you sure? The lock's fine."
I was puzzled too. Had I imagined it? Or maybe the burglar went upstairs?
As I was wondering, a soft snap came from inside the shop. Clear as day. Like someone tapping something on the surface of my new desk.
Ning Haoyu's face paled with terror. He hissed, "That's the goddamn sound! Creepy, right?"
I nodded and started fishing for my keys. Ning Haoyu grabbed my wrist. "What are you doing?"
I said, "Hearing the sound isn't enough to know if it's a ghost. I need to see for myself."
Ning Haoyu held my arm tight. "Are you crazy? What if it really is a ghost?"
I thought for a moment. Then I bit my finger and drew a vertical line of blood on my own forehead, right between the eyebrows. I did the same to Ning Haoyu's forehead.
He asked what I was doing. I explained, "The Yintang, the spot between the brows, is the gateway where evil spirits can easily enter. That's why people troubled by ghosts get dark Yintang spots. I'm sealing ours with yang blood. That way, ghosts can't possess us. Can't harm us."
I paused, then added, "But… Grandpa taught me this. I've never actually seen a ghost before. No idea if it really works."
Ning Haoyu thought for a second. "Haven't seen one either. Might as well take a look. If things get bad, we run. Plenty of people living in this courtyard. No need to be too scared, right?"
Agreed, we huddled together and unlocked the shop door. As it swung open, I bravely shone my flashlight inside.
The desk we'd placed in the center was now pulled askew, a good distance out of place.
And hunched near one of its legs… was a dark silhouette.