Chapter 311: Someone by the Bedside
From their analysis, the boss who had been withholding their wages was certainly a suspect, but deep down, they knew he was only that — a suspect.
The murder of Lao Zhang's daughter left some of them heartbroken, others merely lamenting. Yet, if truly pressed to act, they were deeply reluctant, for none wished to invite trouble upon themselves.
Such thoughts were hardly surprising. After all, their capabilities were limited, and they each had families of their own. Even if they didn't consider themselves, they would surely consider their loved ones.
However, when it came to their own wages, the matter took on a different complexion.
With such a monumental event befalling Lao Zhang's family, there was no telling when he'd return. Their wages might be indefinitely postponed. But if they directly confronted the boss, they might actually reclaim what was owed.
This was the rightful recompense for their labor, and they genuinely needed the money.
After the gathering dispersed, the co-workers inwardly weighed whether to follow Wu Mei's suggestion. Some lingered, discussing in small groups, while others grabbed their toiletries, preparing to wash up.
Like her fellow workers, Wu Mei likewise gathered her toiletries for washing up. Her kit was sparse: a plastic basin, within it a towel, a bar of soap, a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, and a not-quite-clean cup.
Given the meager conditions at the construction site, she, like the others, swiftly concluded her ablutions and returned to the dormitory.
Couples who had come to work on the site together naturally shared a single bed, while singles occupied their own, partitioned from one another by a mere sheet of fabric.
Some construction sites offered superior conditions, perhaps significantly better lodging, but the site where Wu Mei and her companions currently resided lacked such amenities.
Wu Mei returned to her bunk, a chill seizing her. Immediately, she drew the cloth curtain, then collapsed onto the bed, pulling the quilt tightly around her, curling into a shivering ball within its confines.
She pulled the quilt over her head, attempting to quell the icy chill that permeated her very being.
In recent days, she had been plagued by nightmares each night, unable to find a moment of peaceful slumber. Her body, in turn, grew weaker with each passing day. Often, an inexplicable chill would creep over her, as if she had abruptly plunged into an ice cellar.
Earlier, while dining with her fellow workers, she had felt a degree of weakness, but no such coldness had assailed her.
Upon returning from washing up, before she could even lie down, she felt as though a block of ice had abruptly materialized upon her, freezing her to the point of uncontrollable shivers.
It was precisely this phenomenon that precipitated the current scene.
Yet, despite cocooning herself tightly within the quilt, it offered little solace; she remained profoundly cold.
"Why do I suddenly feel so cold?"
The quilt failed to provide Wu Mei with the warmth she had anticipated, leaving her profoundly bewildered.
"What's going on tonight? Why does it feel so cold in the room? It's even colder than outside."
"Huh, you're right. It does feel distinctly colder than outside. Perhaps the temperature is dropping. Still, it's more comfortable tucked away under the quilt."
The murmurs of her fellow workers dispelled the doubts in Wu Mei's mind. The weather was already growing cooler by the day, so a sudden temperature drop was entirely plausible.
"Lately, I've been so jittery and imagining things. If this keeps up, I might just scare myself to death. Best not to dwell on all this nonsense."
Thinking this, Wu Mei pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
After a few rings, the call was connected, and a listless male voice came from the other end.
"Wu Mei, why are you calling me so late?"
Worry etched itself onto Wu Mei's face. Then, her voice laced with concern, she said, "Lao Zhang, I heard what happened to your family. My deepest condolences; try not to dwell on it."
The call Wu Mei had just placed was to foreman Lao Zhang, and the one answering was, of course, Lao Zhang himself, grief-stricken by the loss of his beloved daughter.
At Wu Mei's mention of the matter, Lao Zhang's voice immediately grew choked with emotion. He replied, "Thank you for your concern. I'm fine."
"Alas, we're all from the same village, and you and I are still neighbors. I watched that child grow up, and I feel truly awful about something like this happening. The sorrow in my heart is no less than yours. " Wu Mei sighed, her voice heavy with grief.
"Alright, enough of this. Please tell the others that once my family matters are settled, I'll rush back immediately. No matter what, I'll get our wages back for them. Tell them, tell them not to worry."
Lao Zhang's voice was choked with emotion. By the end, he seemed on the verge of losing control of his sorrow, and so, he abruptly hung up the phone.
Listening to the steady beeping from the disconnected call, Wu Mei sighed and put away her phone.
Wu Mei's voice carried clearly to the other workers in the room. Though they couldn't discern Lao Zhang's words, Wu Mei's own statements left no doubt as to who she was speaking with.
Hearing Wu Mei sigh after only a few words, leaving the conversation unfinished, a curious co-worker immediately inquired.
"Wu Mei, how is Lao Zhang doing?"
A woman's voice drifted from one of the bunks. Though the speaker remained unseen, having lived together for so long, they could easily identify her by her voice alone.
Wu Mei didn't rise. Pulling the quilt tighter, she responded, "Lao Zhang isn't doing well at all. His emotions are extremely unstable; he's speaking in a tearful tone. It seems this incident has truly dealt him a great blow."
"Of course it's a great blow. No matter whose child this happens to, no parent could accept it. " A man's voice came from another bunk.
"Yes, truly cruel, they didn't even spare a child. " Wu Mei replied.
After a few more exchanges, silence gradually settled over the dormitory. Some had already begun to snore; exhausted from a day's labor, they drifted off to sleep almost immediately upon lying down.
However, Wu Mei tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
She had assumed that with each passing moment, the space beneath her quilt would grow steadily warmer. Yet, to her dismay, curled within its folds, she not only felt no warmth whatsoever, but an even deeper chill began to set in.
The quilt that typically brought her comfort now felt strangely damp, as if it had been thoroughly soaked.
Yet, when she meticulously examined the quilt with her phone's flashlight, she found it perfectly normal, devoid of any dampness. This persistent illusion filled her with a peculiar mix of strangeness and fear.
Furthermore, whenever she closed her eyes, she sensed a presence, as if someone stood watching her by the bedside. Yet, each time she opened them, discerning only the moonlight filtering through the window, she found nothing there.
In truth, her bedside was far from empty; she simply lacked the sight to perceive it.
What's more, the entity apparently had no desire to reveal itself at that moment, which was why her gaze met only emptiness when she peered towards the bedside.
Had the entity willed it, or had Wu Mei possessed the ability to perceive spirits, she would undoubtedly have discovered, to her utter terror, a small girl standing right at the edge of her bed.
The small girl was soaking wet, as if she'd just been dragged from the water, and her eyes were fixed in an unblinking, dead stare upon Wu Mei.
Comments