doitstory Chapter 715: Don’t Look Back on a Night Journey
Chapter 715: Don’t Look Back on a Night Journey
Chapter 715: Chapter 715: Don’t Look Back on a Night Journey"My grandfather dropped out of school when he was young because of poor family circumstances, always relying on odd jobs to make ends meet," she said.
"One day, as Grandfather returned from carrying goods to a neighboring village, darkness had already fallen. The mountain paths were serpentine and deserted, frightfully urging him to quicken his pace. But the load on his back was heavy, slowing him down."
"While passing a curve by the mountain, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him, as though something had been following him all the way."
"There’s a saying in my grandfather’s hometown: one must not look around or turn back while walking at night. So, Grandfather never dared to look back, only bearing his heavy load and marching forward."
"But the faster he walked, the quicker the footsteps behind him seemed to follow. The night was silent except for the rustling tree leaves, his heartbeat thundering, his back drenched in cold sweat. Just as the footsteps drew closer and closer, he saw a fork in the path and, gathering his strength, he ran towards the branch leading to the village."
"He thought the path he chose would be closer to where people were, convinced that whatever followed him wouldn’t dare to continue, but to his surprise, the footsteps did follow him, not only that, but someone tapped him on the shoulder!"
"At that moment, a chill shot down from his shoulder to his legs, his head buzzing, frozen in place. However, the person behind him spoke up, ’Young man, I’m a little scared walking alone at night, let’s go together.’"
"Grandfather heard the voice and turned back to see a middle-aged man dressed like a local, his legs trembling as he accepted a cigarette from him, and they continued on their way, chatting as they walked."
"Along the way, Grandfather took a few sips from the flask of liquor offered by the middle-aged man, feeling warmth and vigor spreading through him, and they chatted as they strode on."
"It wasn’t long before the middle-aged man suggested taking a break. Grandfather thought nothing of it and agreed. Sitting with their little drink, smoking cigarettes, they laughed heartily."
"But after one cigarette followed another without any indication from the man of resuming their journey, Grandfather, anxious to get home, said, ’I need to get back home now. We can talk more another day.’
"Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man’s expression turned dark at those words, and he slapped Grandfather’s chest, exclaiming, ’Who said anything about talking another day?’"
"A wave of dizziness from the liquor washed over Grandfather, and by the time he regained his senses, the middle-aged man was gone. And the spot he found himself in was a graveyard, its undulating forms dark and foreboding; the very object he had leaned against while chatting with the man turned out to be a tombstone!"
"In terror, Grandfather bolted, only realizing once he had left the graveyard that he had never actually reached the fork in the road. He no longer dared to continue his journey, so he went to a nearby mountain hunter’s self-built home."
"He lived in a remote mountain area where many people hunted. The self-constructed homes were rudimentary but equipped with beds and blankets. Planning to hide there for the night and travel by day, Grandfather lay down, but soon after, a ’click-clack’ of footsteps sounded outside the house, stopping and starting, as if circling the dwelling."
"Sweat soaked through Grandfather’s clothes again and again, but youthful vigor turned fear into anger, and, brandishing a stool, he rushed out, ready for a life-and-death struggle."
"The ’click-clack’ continued, but the bamboo grove was empty. After a fruitless
"He was walking on a path up a hillside, standing high and looking far, and before even going down, he surprisingly saw that the salt drying field was full of people, shoving and turning over, with continual shouting, bustling with activity!"