A Guest in a Ghost House Chapter 74 Because We Were Family 11

He opened mouth and said, "We are family, so we should live together forever. But dad is not dad. Mom is not mom. How can we live together?" I listened to him speak without replying.

Jiang Mingming seemed to find his answer, and his eyes suddenly became bright. Watching his reaction, I felt a bit cold but wasn't sure why.

I suddenly looked up and realized the sky was not bright anymore. Night had fallen without me noticing. When I looked back to the crowd, everyone seemed out of focus. The edges of my vision blurred and became dark.

Suddenly I was standing in an old neighborhood. The streetlights were on, and in their glow, I could see the house in front of me. It was the Jiang residence as it stood before the fire had torn through its halls.

I looked around and saw the glowing end of a cigarette floating on some stairs nearby. I walked towards it and found the old man from before sitting on the steps, dozens of cigarette butts scattered between his legs. Next to the old man was a big plastic bucket filled with transparent liquid.

Was it the old man who started the fire? I thought of what Jiang Mingming had said about his family being unable to live together. Had the old man made sure that was true?

The old man stood up and walked slowly toward the house. He stopped many times before he arrived at the doorway. I was surprised to see that he didn't pour the gasoline on the house as I had suspected; instead, he put the bucket in the shadows beside the front door. Then he knocked.

"Rat-tar, rat-tar..." He knocked slowly and rhythmically until the door opened. Jiang Kun stood in the doorway, staring at his father in surprise, then he excitedly welcomed him inside.

I hurried to follow the old man, but Jiang Kun had closed the door too quickly. There was not enough time for me to slow down, and I collided with the heavy wood. I guess this ghost thing takes practice, I thought, rubbing my head. I found that once I focused, I was able to go through the door.

Jiang Ping appeared to be on her way out, pulling Jiang Mingming behind her. The young boy wore a sour expression and appeared to be arguing with his mom. I couldn't hear what they were discussing; it seemed like Jiang Mingming wanted to keep the contents of their conversation hidden from me.

In response to whatever they had been discussing, the old man suddenly looked agitated. Soon after, I could hear everyone's voices again.

The old man was aggressively questioning his son. "What do you want to do? You belong in Linhai. Where can you hide? Here?"

Jiang Kun remained silent as Jiang Ping replied, "Dad, people in Linhai know about us. Mingming's classmates mocked him. We are doing fine here."

"Since you made your choice, you shouldn't mind the gossip," the old man muttered.

Jiang Kun and Jiang Ping were both silent in response.

Then the old man said, "If you come back, I will pay for your operation. If not, don't bother ever returning."

Jiang Kun and Jiang Ping looked at each other with surprise. Without speaking, they both nodded. They had had the same thought—Linhai was a big city. Not everyone there knew who they were, but they would only get one chance at life.

The old man pointed at Jiang Mingming and said, "But this bastard will be your sibling. Remember that. I don't want to be mocked by others."

My head suddenly felt foggy again. Everything around me moved quickly, and the Jiangs moved as though someone had pressed fast-forward on their actions. I saw Jiang Kun and Jiang Ping retire to their room, while the old man went to Jiang Mingming's room in his nightclothes. It was normal for elders to sleep with grandchildren, but the old man seemed to really dislike Jiang Mingming, so why did he want to sleep in his room?

Then I watched as Jiang Kun entered the room as well, and everything slowed down to a normal speed as I approached the door. I was stunned to see the old man and Jiang Kun smoking next to the edge of the bed. Then I realized that Jiang Mingming was tied up. Tears streamed down his face as he looked around the room frantically; in this moment, he seemed to be a normal young kid. My heart broke for him.

I ran next door to find Jiang Ping sleeping quietly, a slight smile on her face due to the recent turn of events. She had no idea what was coming.

I ran back to Jiang Mingming's room, but the old man had disappeared. I started to head toward the front door to see if he had gone to grab the gasoline when out of the corner of my eye I saw Jiang Kun stand up. In his hand was a glass cup. I watched him walk towards Jiang Mingming with a ferocious smile on his face.

What is he doing?

I watched as Jiang Kun put the glass cup over Jiang Mingming's nose and mouth. I could see the glass fog up with the boy's breath. Jiang Kun was suffocating his own child!

Jiang Mingming struggled but to no avail. With tears streaming down his face, he tried his best to wriggle away from his father. An array of expressions crossed his face—sadness, pain, anger, then peace. As his struggling grew weaker, I thought that he looked a little like a monk who had accepted the world as it was.

The vapors inside the glass cup disappeared, then Jiang Kun calmly walked out of the room. I looked at Jiang Mingming's lifeless body lying on the bed. I would almost have rather seen him or the old man light this room on fire.

I moved to follow Jiang Kun when I heard Jiang Mingming's voice behind me. I looked back hurriedly to see the boy standing in front of his body with sadness in his eyes.

"I wanted to pay for their marriage so we could live together because we are family."

I felt so sad looking at him. Although his idea was childish, his heart was in the right place. All he ever wanted to do was care for his family, no matter how poorly they treated him.

I turned away and ran after Jiang Kun. The living room was nearly pitch-black, but I could faintly see the old man and Jiang Kun sitting across from each other, the darkness punctuated by the lit end of the old man's cigarette.

Jiang Kun said earnestly, "Dad, the bastard is dead. Please save Jiang Ping."

The old man kept silent, occasionally exhaling clouds of smoke. Smoldering ashes fell from the end of his cigarette.

His son continued to beg. "Dad, please save her."

The old man finally spoke, bending forward and saying in a low voice, "When your sister was fourteen years old, you had sex with her. I didn't understand how you could do a thing like that. But now I see who you are."

Jiang Kun cried, "Dad, please. I love her so much."

The old man shook his head and kept silent for a long time, then finally said, "Come back with me. Forget everything here."

In the dark, I could see Jiang Kun nod his head.

Chapter end