jdhmnovel Chapter 52 The Hall of Compassionate Mothers
Chapter 52 The Hall of Compassionate Mothers
The car drove along a similar cement road for a while, and finally the cement house that Yan Yu had mentioned on the phone appeared ahead of the road.
The house looked quite old, with old-fashioned wooden-framed windows painted green, and the paint on the walls gradually peeling off from the wind and sun, giving it a dilapidated appearance.
The concrete house was located in the metasequoia forest, with the door half-open, but there was no light inside.
“Uncle Sun is getting old, he’s probably asleep by now,” Yan Yu said.
He gestured for Yan Xun's mother to stop the car, then opened the door and walked towards his cement house, which was partially hidden in the metasequoia forest, under the gaze of the group.
The dawn redwoods were so lush and leafy that they almost completely blocked out the moonlight overhead. Even with the high beams on, Yan's mother could hardly see anything in the dawn redwood forest.
Wearing the light-colored clothes she was wearing, Yan Yu drifted slowly to the cement house like a wandering soul.
He knocked on the door three times, then pushed open the half-closed wooden door and poked his head inside, almost as if he were talking to the old man who was already resting inside.
Yan Xun's gaze, however, was directed to the other end of the house.
Outside the house, there is a simple pool and a tap.
The faucet had long been broken, and the terrazzo sink had been smashed through, indicating that it hadn't been used for a long time.
Yan Xun even wondered if the house was empty.
Fortunately, Yan Yu turned around at this moment. He looked at Yan Xun's family who were still in the car, nodded to them, then greeted the elderly in the house before returning.
Yan Xun kept staring at the half-open door.
Until Yan Yu opened the car door and sat down next to him again.
"He's too old to stay up all night."
"Just keep driving forward."
Upon hearing this, Yan's mother breathed a sigh of relief and started the car to move forward again.
Yan Xun's gaze remained fixed on the door—Yan Yu hadn't closed it when he returned—and as the car started, a hand reached out from the half-open door and, in Yan Xun's view, slammed the wooden door shut with a "bang."
"What are you looking at?" Yan Yu noticed his gaze and also looked in the direction of the cement house.
"He seemed to have come to close the door just now," Yan Xun said. He glanced at the concrete house, and as the car drove him away, Yan Xun suddenly saw the window of the house clearly.
—Those windows are all flat.
It turns out that the windows on this concrete house were painted on.
……
They stayed open for who knows how long.
A village slowly came into view.
Upon seeing the familiar plaque that read "Village of No Life," Yan Xun knew that the movie's second part had officially begun.
It was already 9 p.m., and they hadn't expected to be delayed on the road for so long.
"Just park the car at the old house."
"The room is ready."
“My relatives all live there,” Yan Yu said after the car stopped.
After expressing their gratitude once more, Yan's parents, guided by Yan Yu, arrived at the old Yan family house.
After the group got out of the car, Yan Yu was about to say goodbye and leave, but Yan Xun noticed that he wasn't heading towards the house. "Cousin, are you going out so late?" he asked, carrying his luggage.
Upon hearing this, Yan Yu slowly turned to look at him, "The sacrificial ceremony will be held in a while."
"I have to stay at the Mother's Hall for the time being."
“My room is there,” Yan Yu said, then turned to Yan Xun and said, “The temple fair will start in a few days, and there might be some minor disturbances before the sacrificial ceremony.”
"You can stay in your rooms without worry. Yesterday, a few college students got lost. The village is busy with the sacrificial ceremony and can't spare anyone to take them out right now. We'll have to wait until the ceremony is over."
"However, the temple fair is lively, and they are quite willing to stay after hearing that."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xun knew the main plot was about to begin—
Like countless other horror movies, the film "No Life Village" begins with a group of people arriving at a mysterious village. The protagonist, Sun Zhao, seems to have come here in search of someone.
The movie didn't explain why Sun Zhao was so preoccupied, but based on their conversation in the car, Yan Xun guessed it was probably related to the streamer who inexplicably quit the internet.
"Where is the Cimu Hall?" Yan Xun asked.
“There,” Yan Yu pointed to a golden-roofed building in the village, “but you can’t stay overnight there.”
"You can come to see me during the day."
Just as Yan Xun was about to look at the golden-roofed building, his father slapped him on the head, saying, "Your cousin is so busy, don't cause him any trouble."
He was very strong, pressing Yan Xun's head down so hard that he could barely lift it.
Seeing this, Yan Yu hurriedly reached out to try to stop him—but Yan's father quickly withdrew his hand—his movements were so fast that he was momentarily embarrassed.
"Oh, I just needed to pee... I went to the metasequoia forest to relieve myself and didn't wash my hands," Father Yan hurriedly explained. "Don't get your hands dirty."
Yan Xun: "...?"
He looked at the honest-looking NPC and was speechless for a moment.
Upon hearing this, Yan Yu took a step back. Only when he saw Yan Xun glaring at his father did his expression soften slightly. "It's getting late."
"You should all go and rest first."
"No matter what noise you hear, don't get up at night."
"The village has been unsettled lately."
As Yan Yu spoke, he nodded to the group again before slowly walking toward the only golden-roofed building in the village.
As soon as Yan Yu left, Yan Xun immediately looked at his father, "You...you really didn't wash your hands?!"
When he first entered the instance, his family was already in the metasequoia forest. He really didn't know if this person had relieved himself in the metasequoia forest before.
Are you out of your mind or still half asleep?
"You don't even know if your dad went to the metasequoia forest to relieve himself?!"
Yan's father seemed very angry that Yan Xun would ask him such a question.
Yan Xun: "..."
It seems they didn't go.
He didn't continue looking at the golden-roofed building—anyone who wasn't a fool could sense the subtle apprehension and wariness that Yan's parents had towards Yan Yu.
On several previous occasions, when they were in the car, Yan's father had stopped him from getting too close to Yan Yu.
If they were in some kind of satisfying, face-slapping drama, Yan Xun could explain his father's actions as "city people being snobbish and looking down on distant relatives from their hometown." But they were in a horror movie, so his father's wariness and fear were quite intriguing.
"Why didn't you let me touch those things on my cousin's body just now?..."
Yan's father seemed to have thought of something, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
He glanced at Yan Xun's mother, and seeing that she didn't object to him speaking, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I'm saying this just to give you a heads-up."
"The village of No Life has many rules and taboos."
“The village believes in the cycle of life; death is not the end.” The middle-aged man’s face was ashen, as if he had swallowed poison. “Before they die, they will leave behind their most prized parts of their bodies…”
"It is said that if descendants keep the child by their side day and night to pray for blessings, the child will be able to return to the present world at the right time."