Zhao Ni suddenly stood up, her face pale.
"My brother has a habit, he... likes to go to vintage stores."
"Hmm?" I didn't understand.
The fluttering phoenix eyes of Mocheng contracted as she said, "Places that sell old clothes and accessories, they usually have items from the last century, most of which are imported from abroad. In recent years, there has been a lot of interest in them, and they're quite popular."
Zhao Ni nodded repeatedly and pursed her lips, saying, "It's not just those. My brother said that the store also sells some second-hand items that are in better condition and cheaper than those of other places."
"In fact, my sister-in-law and my brother have a lot of conflicts, not just because they bought a half-completed apartment before, but also because of my brother's hobby. He loves to buy vintage items so much that my sister-in-law often says those are not clean. I also did some research and found that many people on the internet... say that antique shops sell dead people's clothes..."
"But my brother is an atheist. The worst fight they had was when their child had a fever. My sister-in-law said it was because they saw something unclean, but my brother thought it was because she didn't take good care of the child."
"The two argued incessantly, and my sister-in-law left. Later, my brother felt particularly sorry about it..."
"Recently, he was really desperate and sold all his collections."
As Zhao Ni finished speaking, I asked her if she knew where that store was.
She nodded and said that her brother had taken her there once, but she stood outside and didn't dare to go in.
"I can take us there?" I asked Zhao Ni again.
Zhao Ni nodded, her expression still uneasy, and asked me, "Is it because of those things that my brother's ghost won't leave? Can't he be reborn?"
"He will." I spoke with certainty.
Leaving Fanghua Community, I got into Mocheng's car.
Zhao Ni asked me what my name was again, her brother was indeed very lucky to have a friend like me.
As time goes by, you can see the true nature of people. Since his brother passed away, no one has cared to ask even once in so long.
I paused for a moment and replied, "Tang Qian."
Mocheng glanced at me, her eyes looking peculiar.
Zhao Ni expressed her gratitude in succession, saying thank you to Mr. Tang for only then telling Mocheng the address of the vintage store.
...
The vintage shop is located on a commercial street in the city center.
When we stopped, I felt a slight tightening in my chest. This place is only separated from Sun Dashai's residence by one street.
It was around 4:00 PM, and the sun was shining brightly.
After Zhao Ni got out of the car, she pointed to a store on the side of the road. The name of the store was "Vintage".
The entire street had good lighting, but the front of that store had been redone. Only a narrow door was left, with short walls and glass windows on both sides deliberately made. It felt like an old house, exuding a sense of gloominess.
Zhao Ni mustered up the courage to lead us inside.
The heavier feeling of gloominess became more apparent. Rows of clothespins were placed on both sides of the walls and the ceiling, densely hanging old clothes and handbags.
The light was poor, and there was even a faint odor that could be smelled.
Zhao Ni was just a bit scared, hunching her shoulders, showing no other feelings.
Mocheng, on the other hand, seemed completely normal, as if she didn't smell anything.
I can smell it because I've been in contact with too many corpses, and the smell of decay is too unique.
However, the odor is too faint, indicating it's only on one or two pieces of clothing, not all of them.
Two people were standing relatively in the depths of the store.
One of them was clearly the owner, looking like someone who had suffered a big loss: "Uncle, you're my real uncle. This parrot cage was made by a famous master, and these hooks are all old jade. Even if the parrot you raise is the smartest, it's impossible to open this kind of lock mechanism."
"The twisted filigree bars of the cage have both layout and practicality!"
"You've taken care of my business so many times. How could I ever cheat you?"
The other person was facing the owner, with his back turned to us.
He held one birdcage with one hand, fiddling with the mouth of the cage with the other, his voice gruff as a broken bell: "Fine, I'll take this one. If my new eight-bird runs out, you not only have to pay for the cage but also the bird money."
My heart jumped abruptly.
Sun Dahai?
This familiar voice and familiar figure, it's definitely him.
I never thought that we would meet under such unfortunate circumstances.
From these three or two sentences of dialogue, I understood that he believed his previous eight-bird had run away, and he had just bought a new one, so he came to buy a birdcage.
He's so old and still very much up-to-date.
The store owner patted his chest and guaranteed to compensate with ten if the eight-bird ran away.
Sun Dahai smiled and turned around, carrying the birdcage and walking out.
My eyes fell on the old clothes hanging on the wall, and I didn't look at Sun Dahai.
Although I haven't done my makeup today, it's been a full ten years. At the age of nine and nineteen, people change the most.
Sun Dahai didn't recognize me. As he brushed past me without stopping.
"Ha ha, what are the few of you looking at? Clothing or accessories?" The store owner approached us.
Suddenly, Sun Dahai stopped and turned around, stepping aside.
My heart suddenly sank.
But Sun Dahai didn't look at me. Instead, he stared at Mocheng, with his thin face showing an unknown thought.
Mocheng furrowed her brow, turned her back to Sun Dahai, and avoided his gaze.
In the next moment, Sun Dahai walked out of the store and stepped into the crowd.
During this period, the owner just walked over to us.
He had a long face, somewhat resembling a horse's face, with long and slender eyebrows and eyes.
"Boss, my brother's name is Zhao Kang. We came to ask you about something." Zhao Ni opened her mouth carefully.
"Brother Kang, I remember. He is an old regular customer. However, he returned many goods to me before the last time." The owner's smile on his face became even more pronounced.
"All of them? Was there anything you didn't get back?" I asked, my composure returning.
Without hesitation, the owner nodded and replied, "There was one that wasn't returned. A pair of frameless glasses. That thing isn't worth anything anymore, Brother Kang said that he was done for this life, so he kept it as a memory."
As he spoke, his smile faded, and his expression turned complex as he sighed, "These days are tough. Middle-aged unemployment, wife wanting a divorce, bought a half-finished apartment, and then getting harassed by online debt collectors. Brother Kang hasn't been to my store for a while. How is he doing recently?"
The owner's words were normal, but they made me narrow my eyes.
Zhao Kang's face indeed had a pair of frameless glasses.
It's just that the objects one carries with oneself are too important.
Ghosts rarely carry them with them. The most they do is hide them near the places they often visit.
Like Tang Qianqian who always carried the yellow corylifolium, it's because she didn't want to stay at home anymore.
If the object attached to a ghost is destroyed, the ghost will become extremely weak.
"That pair of glasses, what kind of story is there to it? I want that thing. Do you have anything similar here?" I continued to ask.
"Uh... There are still glasses available, but the brand is not small. The problem is that there aren't any cheap ones left."
The owner shook his head and said, "With that frame, if it were clean, it would be worth at least four or five pieces of gold, but it's now too cheap. The frame is from the 1950s and 1960s, a limited edition Cartier custom frame. A friend got it from some back channel. They said the previous owner was the director of a mental hospital and committed suicide, and his family sold off his belongings."
"Of course! You can rest assured. I wouldn't sell anything dirty. That's what Kang said, he wants a good frame, but he doesn't have the money. My friend happens to have some affordable ones, and Kang himself doesn't mind, so I sold it to him."
"Brother, should I show you other brands of glasses? The condition is good, and there are two unique pieces!" The store owner looked extremely sincere when he asked me.
I remained silent.
Saying that they want it themselves, in reality, I want to get some information from the boss.
The issue of the glasses is now clear.
Zhao Kang also committed suicide, and this cannot be a mere coincidence.
I originally thought that after knowing what the ghost's attachment was, as long as I distracted Zhao Kang, I could find it.
Once the ghost's attachment is obtained, it can basically control the ghost.
But now, Zhao Kang is wearing the glasses on his face, and he's so fierce. How can I take them from him?
