Painted her lips and eyeshadow, put on sexy silk lingerie, and then slipped on the work clothes.
The buttons on the work clothes should be casually unbuttoned.
The guests in the private rooms generally don’t act so impatiently.
They would close their eyes to rest, pretending to be serious about having a proper service.
Liu Yuan is not the top – ranked girl here, but she has a special charm.
Mature and enchanting, making people feel that they don’t need to be responsible for whatever they do to her.
“Hello, No. 77 is here to serve you.”
Liu Yuan smiled sweetly, put down the bucket, and gently picked up the guest’s feet.
Generally speaking, the stinkier the feet, the more willing the person is to spend money.
“Would you like a package?” Liu Yuan gently ran her fingertips across the hairy calf.
1
Liu Yuan’s real name is not Liu Yuan.
In order to work in this foot – massage shop, she had to call herself Liu Yuan.
Fortunately, the technicians all have their own numbers, so it doesn’t matter what their real names are.
Liu Yuan has her own rules for taking shifts in this foot – massage shop.
She must smile when facing guests.
With sweetness, purity, and a sense of safety.
No matter how much money the guests spend, Liu Yuan always gives a little extra.
She would pinch their heads, beat their legs, and finally, taking the opportunity of covering them with a blanket, let her chest pass as close as possible to the guest’s face.
It flashed by, leaving the fragrance of cheap perfume.
Before the age of 20, Liu Yuan never thought she would be massaging feet in such a place.
As a girl from Northeast China, even with a lower education level, she wanted to hold her head up.
But in the outskirts of Shenzhen, it’s hard to do so.
Liu Yuan didn’t dare to say that she came to Shenzhen with a dream. She only knew that Shenzhen was prosperous, with gold everywhere. Even if she worked as a cleaner, she could earn a lot of money.
So she resolutely came to Shenzhen with her husband Zhao Gang, bringing all their family savings. They rented a self – built house in the dense outskirts, with only 30 square meters of living space.
But that was enough to satisfy Liu Yuan.
Oh, at that time, she wasn’t called Liu Yuan. She was called Lin Shufen.
Two months later, Lin Shufen became Liu Yuan, a technician.
She took the bus to the foot – massage shop every day, working from afternoon until 4 am, and then took the night bus home.
At that time, the sky and the earth were dark, and so was Liu Yuan’s heart.
She opened the door of her home, and there was not a single sound around. The air was filled with a familiar smell.
Liu Yuan felt relieved.
She had killed people.
Two of them.
2
When I knew Liu Yuan, she was very good to Zhao Gang.
After coming to Shenzhen, she first found a part – time job as a cleaner, earning 30 yuan a day.
When she went home at night, Liu Yuan would bring stir – fried rice noodles and beer that Zhao Gang loved. She would snuggle up to him and watch him eat affectionately.
Their night life was satisfying every night.
Zhao Gang didn’t have a job, or rather, he couldn’t find one. He didn’t want to sell his physical strength at the construction site like other migrant workers.
He wanted to be an actor, a painter, write books, sing, think about many things, but just didn’t want to work.
Even so, Liu Yuan still loved him, to the extreme.
Maybe she was like other girls from Northeast China, straightforward, unrestrained, daring to love and hate, not caring about anything.
Liu Yuan was the same in the foot – massage shop.
She worked hard, met the guests’ bottom – line – less demands, and accepted everyone.
As Zhao Gang’s wife, doing so was a bit shameful and dirty.
But as a person making a living on her own, it was understandable, even a bit inspiring.
The foot – massage shop was of a certain scale. Besides foot – massage, there was also massage.
The most popular master was a blind man named Lu Guang.
For massage, blind people are the best.
Lu Guang was neither old nor young, probably in his thirties. He had a square head and a big face. If it weren’t for the sunglasses he always wore, he should be considered honest and simple – looking.
When Liu Yuan first came to the foot – massage shop, it was Lu Guang who received her.
Liu Yuan was very confused. Why was a blind man introduced to show her the company environment? He couldn’t even see people. When he met colleagues, he could only let them introduce themselves, which seemed stupid.
Later, gradually, Liu Yuan vaguely felt that this Lu Guang seemed to care about her especially.
When their guests were in the same private room, Liu Yuan massaging feet and Lu Guang giving a back massage, there would always be something different in the air.
At first, the foreman asked Lu Guang to receive Liu Yuan. Maybe he wanted to match them up?
Liu Yuan didn’t know and didn’t dare to ask. It wasn’t that she looked down on the blind man, but she already had Zhao Gang.
She and Zhao Gang had known each other since primary school, childhood sweethearts. Liu Yuan wouldn’t abandon him, nor would she let him abandon herself.
So, the knife was resolutely raised at that moment.
Zhao Gang died.
Liu Yuan killed him.
3
Zhao Gang was really tough.
He was burly, muscular, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, exuding male hormones all over.
Zhao Gang ran, did handstands, and did push – ups every day, like a wild beast challenging the limits of his body.
If I were in his position, I would be jealous too.
Liu Yuan was obsessed with Zhao Gang, and even she herself thought she was attracted by his body.
The day before Lin Shufen became Liu Yuan, a typhoon came.
The customer interrupted the cleaning work and asked Liu Yuan to go home quickly.
It was 1:30 pm. Liu Yuan came back to the rental house she shared with Zhao Gang at this time for the first time.
The rain was pouring down, hitting the iron – sheet awning of the self – built house with a crackling sound.
Liu Yuan opened the door of her home, and she couldn’t even hear the sound of unlocking.
The room was dark. Zhao Gang was lying on the bed, seemingly holding something.
Liu Yuan walked to the bedside and then saw clearly that Zhao Gang was holding a woman.
Both of them were naked. Zhao Gang was hugging her from behind, and his hand was exactly on the woman’s chest.
They were just sleeping like that. The used condom was thrown on the ground, and tissues were scattered around.
At that moment, Liu Yuan’s spirit collapsed.
For more than ten years, from childhood to adolescence, from a little girl to an adult woman.
Liu Yuan had given everything of herself to him.
Even if she emptied her family’s savings to accompany him to Shenzhen, even if she worked 12 hours a day from 8 am to 8 pm, she had no complaints.
In her heart, Zhao Gang was herself, even more important than herself.
But the scene in front of her mercilessly tore all this apart.
More than ten years of her life was like an arithmetic problem. As she calculated, everything was wrong.
A few days ago, Zhao Gang said it was too hot and wanted to eat ice – cold watermelon.
Liu Yuan used most of her savings to buy a small refrigerator and put it in the rental house to keep watermelons cold for Zhao Gang.
The remaining watermelon was placed by the bedside, with a watermelon knife as long as her forearm stuck in it.
Liu Yuan pulled out the knife and held it in her hand.
Zhao Gang was snoring loudly, and the woman turned over and murmured, “You’re so amazing.”
Liu Yuan pointed the tip of the knife down and stabbed it straight into Zhao Gang’s throat.
The sound of the rain covered Zhao Gang’s last few breaths. He didn’t even see clearly who killed him.
Blood spurted out and splashed on the woman’s face.
The woman wiped it with her hand, found it was sticky, opened her eyes, and didn’t react for a long time.
Liu Yuan didn’t give her a chance to react.
4
One person, two corpses.
Liu Yuan thought of ending her life with the watermelon knife.
When her fingertips touched the blade, Liu Yuan was scared.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
Was it the heavy rain hitting the door?
“Bang, bang, bang…”
“Open the door, it’s the landlord.
“Open the door, are you home?”
Liu Yuan came to her senses and quickly wiped her blood – stained hands with a towel.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
“Coming.”
Liu Yuan took a deep breath and opened the door.
“Landlady, what’s the matter?”
The landlord was a short – legged old lady, wearing a lot of thick gold jewelry all over her body.
“The Olympics bid was successful.”
“What?” Liu Yuan didn’t understand.
“The Olympics bid was successful. Beijing, 2008.”
“Oh… that’s good.”
“The rent will increase by 100 yuan next month. Pay it today first.”
“Why does the rent increase because the Olympics bid was successful? I just paid it this month.”
The landlady’s face turned cold. “The Olympics bid was successful, which means the country is developing. When the country develops, the rent should of course increase. You…”
Maybe noticing the poverty on Liu Yuan’s face, the landlady tiptoed to look into the room and laughed lewdly. “You and your man, in the middle of the day, hehe…”
Liu Yuan blushed. “My man is still asleep. Can I give you the rent tomorrow? He just drank some wine and has a bad temper.”
The landlady shrank her neck. “Tomorrow, don’t delay again.”
After closing the door, Liu Yuan shivered.
She still wanted to live, so she unconsciously lied to the landlady.
After calming down, Liu Yuan forced herself to walk to the bedside.
The woman was new, having rented the house next door.
Like Liu Yuan, she also came to Shenzhen to look for a job.
She was very young, thin and small, with dark skin and a large tattoo on the back of her neck.
When Liu Yuan came home at night, she often met the girl just going out.
She had also mentioned this girl to Zhao Gang. Zhao Gang said with disdain that she was just a slut.
The slut climbed into Zhao Gang’s bed and trampled Liu Yuan’s dignity on the ground.
Liu Yuan ran outside, dug a basin of semi – dry mud in the rain, then went back home and used the mud to cover the wounds of the corpses.
Then she took off their clothes, cut them up together with the bed sheet, and burned them into ashes one by one on the simple stove until midnight.
On the stormy night, Liu Yuan pushed the corpses on a handcart, walked five kilometers away to the mudflat under the dark and cold sky, dug a deep pit, and buried them.
It was said that the leeches under the mudflat would suck the bones clean. In just a little time, the mudflat would be as if no one had ever been there.
5
Liu Yuan returned to her residence, and the sky was not yet white.
She picked up many branches, bamboos, reeds, and unknown plants from the green belt that were broken by the rain.
Boiling these things in water and sprinkling it in the room might purify the smell of blood.
She became more certain that she wanted to live because she had never been so calm.
The morning in Shenzhen comes very early.
If you want to live, everything has to be early.
Get up early, face the morning rush hour, start work early, achieve results early, and defeat your opponents early.
It was said that even if you got a terminal illness, you should die early to avoid dragging everything down.
Liu Yuan sat quietly on the edge of the bed, reviewing the whole process.
There was no omission, no confusion. The streetlights were all out, and no one would see.
Zhao Gang was a loafer, who didn’t contact his family all year round. His parents would occasionally call Liu Yuan, but they basically didn’t talk to Zhao Gang.
The only risk was that woman.
Her thoughts were floating in the dark. Suddenly, a blue light flashed beside her.
Liu Yuan moved over, propping herself up on her arms. Under the bedside lamp, there was a metal square lying quietly.
Liu Yuan had seen that thing. She had seen it several times when cleaning in the customers’ homes. It was a Nokia 8250, the most popular new model this year.
Liu Yuan fumbled to use it.
The phone was new. There was only one person in the address book, named Yatou.
As she flipped through, Liu Yuan saw a text message.
[Interview notice: Tomorrow at 9 am, go to the second floor of Sihai Foot – massage on Dongshui Street. Find Manager Wu for an interview. Bring your ID card.]
The text message was sent at 5 pm yesterday. The person involved was already dead.
Liu Yuan remembered that there was a wallet when she was taking off the clothes. She opened it and there was an ID card inside.
Under the dim light, the face on the ID card was not much different from her own.
“Liu Yuan…”
Liu Yuan turned off the bedside lamp.
She, Zhao Gang, and that woman had one thing in common.
Loneliness.
The two in this room were dependent on each other after leaving their hometown. The one next door had only one phone number in the address book.
Yatou, Liu Yuan had heard of it. Many migrant tenants like her nearby were doing this, selling their bodies while they were young to make money quickly.
Chickens and ducks should be about the same.
This meant that the woman should be alone. Even if she disappeared, no one would ask.
Liu Yuan found the key from the wallet and quietly sneaked into the woman’s room.
There was only one box in the room, filled with clothes that young girls liked to wear.
On the bedside was a recruitment poster. Sihai Foot – massage was recruiting foot – massage technicians with a basic salary of 1200 yuan plus commission.
Liu Yuan brought the box and the poster back to her room, washed her face, and put on the woman’s clothes.
The sky brightened, and red light scattered in the east.
6
The interview went smoothly. The manager didn’t ask much, and Liu Yuan became an employee of Sihai Foot – massage.
From that day on, Lin Shufen became Liu Yuan.
When she opened the door of the office, Lu Guang was standing outside, which startled her.
The manager said, “Just in time. You take her around, tell her the rules and regulations, and then arrange training as soon as possible.”
Lu Guang said, “You’re here?”
Liu Yuan bowed politely. “Hello, my name is Liu Yuan. I’m sorry to trouble you.”
Lu Guang turned around and walked towards the private – room area. “No trouble. Just follow me.”
During this 10 – minute tour, Liu Yuan was surprised to find that there were quite a few people in this store.
There were girls as young as her, and women as old as her mother.
There were young men as strong as Zhao Gang, and uncles as old as her father.
Lu Guang couldn’t see people, but as soon as the other person spoke, he could immediately tell who it was.
The innermost room didn’t have a sign. A woman was waiting at the door.
“Sister Qi, this is the new one, called Liu Yuan. Please give her the training.” Lu Guang said.
“Where is she from?” Sister Qi asked.
“From Northeast China.”
“Has she done this before?”
“No, she’s new here.”
Sister Qi sighed and pushed open the door. “Come in.”
Liu Yuan was trained for three days and then officially started working.
She was born with great strength in her hands, which won Sister Qi’s surprised approval.
In the foot – massage business, you can keep out of trouble or go with the flow.
The guests on Dongshui Street were mainly laborers on the edge of the city. It was not easy for them to earn money, so they had high demands when spending.
Liu Yuan’s age was already attractive to those men who were thirsty all day long.
Coupled with Liu Yuan’s proud breasts and slightly plump thighs, she soon became a new favorite in the foot – massage shop.
Some people came to book her service seven days a week. If they couldn’t get it, they would wait stubbornly.
Liu Yuan was gifted and quickly adapted to this kind of demand.
She knew that those people came to her not because they wanted to sleep with her.
They just wanted to experience that kind of ambiguous, hesitant pushing and shoving beyond the standard service.
Liu Yuan opened her collar, put on lipstick, bought a big bottle of perfume from a roadside stall, and made her skills look new.
Day by day, day by day.
Months passed, and the person named Yatou never contacted her.
No text messages, no calls.
In fact, except for text messages and calls reminding to pay the phone bill, that 8250 had never received any other text messages or calls.
This made Liu Yuan couldn’t help but fantasize that she might be Liu Yuan forever.
7
After becoming an old employee of the foot – massage shop, Liu Yuan would occasionally chat with her colleagues.
But Liu Yuan didn’t dare to talk much. The Liu Yuan on the ID card was from Jiangxi, and she couldn’t speak Jiangxi dialect. If she talked too much, she might accidentally let out a bit of her Northeast accent.
That day, a guest came to the store. As soon as he entered, he asked for No. 77.
Liu Yuan carried the wooden bucket and walked into the private room, taking a quick glance. The guest was young, dressed in high – end clothes, and was a handsome guy.
“Hello, No. 77 is here to serve you.”
Liu Yuan respectfully took off the guest’s socks and gently placed his feet into the water bucket.
“Is the temperature okay? What kind of package do you want?”
From the angle where Liu Yuan was squatting, the guest could just glimpse a little of her chest.
“What packages do you have?”
“Foot massage, medicated bath, massage…”
“The most expensive one.”
This kind of show – off guest was quite common.
“The most expensive one is the double – person full set. One person massages your feet while the other gives a body massage. Two people serving you, it’s very comfortable.”
“Not bad.”
The guest pulled out his legs, stood up, and walked to the door to lock it.
Liu Yuan felt a bit panicked.
“I’ll pay you double the money for the double – person full set. Just have some fun with me.”
The guest suddenly hugged Liu Yuan and pressed her onto the massage bed. The already low – cut collar was easily pulled to the bottom.
“No, no, I can’t…”
Liu Yuan started to resist and shouted loudly.
But the guest didn’t care at all that she was shouting for help and just kept trying to pull off Liu Yuan’s clothes.
“Your shouting is useless. I’m the boss here. They won’t come to save you. If you still want to work here, be good. Anyway, it’s all about serving people. Serving me is better than serving others, right?”
Liu Yuan stopped shouting, and the strength in her body to resist quickly disappeared.
The guest quickly stripped Liu Yuan down to only her underwear.
Bang!
The door was pushed open.
Lu Guang groped around with his hands, saying, “Strange, why is the door locked? Is anyone here?”
“Damn it.” The guest cursed and stood up, looking at Lu Guang and then at Liu Yuan.
“I’ll bury you sooner or later.”
The guest muttered and then said loudly, “Master Lu, it’s me. I came to check on you guys.”
“Oh, Boss Wang. I didn’t know you were here. Do you want me to give you a massage today?”
“No need. I have something else to do.”
“Then take your time.”
Lu Guang bowed and saw Boss Wang off.
Liu Yuan came to her senses and burst into tears.
The surrounding colleagues dispersed one by one, as if nothing had happened.
“I’ll take you home.” Lu Guang said.
8
The bus ride was very long. From crowded to sparse, Lu Guang didn’t say a word.
Actually, he didn’t need to accompany her this far, but neither of them said anything, and they just walked on.
When they reached the door of her house, Liu Yuan said, “Can you find your way back?”
Lu Guang smiled. “We blind people are like dogs. We can find our way back along the path we’ve walked.”
Liu Yuan was amused by his words. “Thank you for sending me back. Have a glass of water before you leave.”
Lu Guang didn’t decline and followed her in.
“Do you live alone? Living here is not very safe. It’s better to move to the area near Dongshui Street.”
“The houses there are expensive.”
“You have such good conditions. Why do you have to work so hard?”
“This is probably my fate, a hard – working fate. What about you? How did you go blind?”
“An eye disease. It was delayed. I’ve been blind since I was six years old, and I’m used to it.”
The two sat facing each other, and the air was filled with silence.
“I’m leaving. You should rest.” Lu Guang stood up and walked towards the door.
“You’re faking being blind.” Liu Yuan shouted.
Lu Guang’s steps stopped.
“The bus didn’t announce the stop. How did you know it’s not safe here? How can you find your way back?”
“You’re very smart.”
Lu Guang turned around and took off his sunglasses.
They were a pair of perfectly normal eyes.
There was another silence.
Liu Yuan asked, “Why?”
“Were you scared today? By Boss Wang.”
Liu Yuan didn’t speak, and the fear of having her clothes forcefully torn off resurfaced.
“My girlfriend was raped like that and died on his bed.”
“So you work in his store to get revenge?”
“Since you came, I haven’t thought about anything else.”
Liu Yuan knew what this meant.
“I know you have a husband. There’s a ring mark on your finger. But he doesn’t live here, so you two are separated, right? In Shenzhen, people like us can’t survive alone. Think about it.”
Lu Guang walked to the door, paused, and then walked out.
“Wait a minute!”
9
Liu Yuan woke up in Lu Guang’s arms. She hadn’t slept as well as she did last night in months.
It was as if nothing had happened, as if Lu Guang had always been her husband.
He was older than Zhao Gang, at least a dozen years older, but being hugged by him was also intoxicating.
Liu Yuan couldn’t help but recall the night they had just spent.
At the moment when Lu Guang was about to go out, Liu Yuan called out to him.
It was because Lu Guang had saved her, because of his silent care in the past few months, and also because of the last sentence he said.
In Shenzhen, one can’t survive alone.
Lu Guang had skills, a stable and growing number of regular customers. As long as he wanted to make money, he could have customers 24 hours a day.
Following him was like finding a shelter on a stormy night.
“Are you really not going to take revenge on that scumbag for your girlfriend?” Liu Yuan asked.
“I’m waiting for the right time.”
“Was she also a technician?”
“No.”
“You seem quite old. Why are you still dating?”
“I got divorced.”
Lu Guang was very honest and didn’t hide anything.
Liu Yuan also wanted to be honest, but she didn’t dare.
“What about us in the future?”
Lu Guang didn’t answer.
“Did I ask too early?”
“In Shenzhen, as long as you have money, nothing is too early.”
Liu Yuan didn’t understand. Then there was a knock on the door.
“Xiao Lin, are you home?”
It was the 20th today, and the landlady would come to collect the rent for next month.
Liu Yuan jumped out of bed, quickly put on her clothes, and opened the door to go out.
Seeing the door closed by Liu Yuan, the landlady understood and smiled. “Your man is back?”
Liu Yuan could only smile too. “Yes, he hasn’t gotten up yet.”
Among the tenants in this area, the landlady’s attitude towards Liu Yuan was quite good. So good that compared with other tenants, it seemed like she was a different person.
Because Liu Yuan never delayed paying the rent. She paid as soon as it was due, saving a lot of trouble.
The landlady had a big bunch of keys hanging on her waist. Counting casually, there were at least thirty or forty. It meant that she had at least that many houses for rent.
This bunch of keys was like the logo on the front of a luxury car, and the blue light of the mobile phone showed a different life experience.
“Xiao Lin, you’ve been living here for almost half a year, right?”
The landlady’s smile was more enthusiastic than the Buddha statue sold in the store.
“Almost.” Liu Yuan took out the key to open the door.
“The World Cup is about to start.” The landlady said excitedly.
10
“What? The World Cup?”
“Oh, the World Cup. In two months, it’s the football games.”
“You like watching football?”
“I don’t. But since it’s the World Cup, the rent will increase by 200 yuan. Pay it in advance, please.”
“You’ve increased the rent three times in half a year.”
“I can’t help it. These are all international events. I have to keep up with the world trend.”
200 yuan. Liu Yuan had to massage 10 more feet to earn that.
“I won’t rent this place when the lease expires. I’ll move out in advance.”
The landlady frowned and suddenly became indignant.
“You’re leaving too? Why don’t you want to live here? This is Shenzhen. Where else can you find such a cheap and good house? Think it over with your brain.”
To show her anger, the landlady reached out and grabbed Liu Yuan, who was about to enter the house.
“Why don’t you want to live here? Why?”
“Let go of me!”
The two tugged for a few times. The door opened, and Lu Guang grabbed the landlady’s hand and twisted it. The landlady let out a scream and fell to the ground.
At the same time, the clothes that the landlady was holding onto Liu Yuan fell off, and the work permit with the ID card in the pocket fell out.
These days, the local police station was conducting inspections. The manager required all technicians to carry their ID cards and even made a work permit for each of them to prove that the store only provided regular services.
“Liu Yuan? Sihai Foot – massage…”
The landlady looked up, looked at Liu Yuan, and then at Lu Guang.
“You’re Liu Yuan, and you’re Liu Yuan’s man. Oh…”
Liu Yuan quickly said, “You can come to get the rent tonight. I don’t have any money on me. I need to go to the bank to withdraw some.”
“Okay, hehe…” The landlady wobbled away, still sneaking a couple of glances back.
“Come in. Landlords in Shenzhen are all like this.”
Lu Guang pulled Liu Yuan into the house. “I seem to have heard her call you Xiao Lin just now?”
“It’s not Xiao Lin. It’s Xiao Liu. The landlady doesn’t speak clearly.”
“If you don’t have enough money for the rent, tell me. I’m leaving now. I need to go back and change my clothes and then go to the store.”
“Can I… move in with you?”
11
On this day, Liu Yuan was very excited.
She had found support in her work and life, and she could also save on rent.
The only thing she had to do was sleep with him.
Liu Yuan didn’t love Lu Guang. She had a bad first impression of him, even though he was no longer pretending to be blind.
After making up her mind, Liu Yuan packed her luggage and quietly waited for the night to come.
This should be the last day she lived here.
At 10 pm, the landlady came.
Unlike usual, her eyes were wide open and the corners of her mouth were raised high.
“Landlady, I’ve decided not to rent this place anymore. I’ll move out tomorrow.”
The landlady asked, “Where did your man, Xiao Zhao, go?”
“He went out to work.”
“Hehe… I always thought your man ran away with Liu Yuan. Actually, they went to another place, right?”
Liu Yuan composed herself. “My husband is working at the dock. It’s too far to live here. I don’t know who this Liu Yuan you mentioned is. I took the wrong work permit. It belongs to my colleague.”
“Oh… Sihai Foot – massage on Dongshui Street. I know that place.”
Liu Yuan secretly regretted it. She didn’t expect that an old landlady would know a foot – massage shop several kilometers away.
“Xiao Lin, don’t lie. Your man is dead, and Liu Yuan is dead too. You found out they were having an affair.”
Liu Yuan broke out in a cold sweat, and a strong sense of fear swept over her.
“Hahaha.”
The landlady suddenly burst out laughing. “I’m just kidding you. Look how scared you are. That was all years ago. Alas, in Shenzhen, feelings don’t matter. There are divorces, break – ups, and affairs happening every day. I’ll introduce you to a good man later, someone who can live a stable life with you.”
The landlady started muttering, recalling her tenants to see if there was a suitable man for Liu Yuan.
But Liu Yuan wasn’t in the mood.
She knew that as long as the landlady went to Sihai Foot – massage and asked around, it would be revealed that Lin Shufen was Liu Yuan.
So where did the real Liu Yuan go?
A young female tenant suddenly disappeared from her house, and her ID card was used by the woman next door.
Anyone with a normal mind could figure out that something was wrong.
“The Zhang who came last week is not bad. He’s a college student, can play the guitar, and works with computers. He has a future… Maybe you should dump your current man. He looks quite old and doesn’t match you. You should find a younger one.”
“Landlady.”
Liu Yuan said softly, “Maybe I’ll rent for another half – year. I originally wanted to rent near the store, but the price is too high. I’m afraid I can’t afford it.”
“Um, um… What? What did you say?”
Liu Yuan put on her most skillful smile. “I said I’ll rent for another half – year and pay you the rent in one go.”
12
This time, Liu Yuan quickly completed all the procedures.
The landlady’s body was shriveled, with little fat, and she was short in stature. Killing her didn’t take much effort.
Throughout the process, Liu Yuan only desired one thing.
She hoped that the landlady was as alone as the real Liu Yuan, so that even if she suddenly disappeared, no one would ask.
But she knew it was impossible.
A flash of lightning streaked across the night sky, and thunder rumbled. Soon, the pouring rain came down.
Just like that day, the heavens were covering for her.
The landlady’s blood dried up after flowing only a little. She lay on the ground with a look of surprise frozen on her face.
When it was midnight, Liu Yuan pushed the landlady on a cart, walked five kilometers away to that familiar place, dug a pit, buried her in the mud, and prayed that the leeches would work harder.
On the way back, the rain stopped.
The empty land was like chaos, covering Liu Yuan’s vision.
She wailed, but no hot tears came out.
She just wanted to make a living in a distant place, to be able to eat, dress warmly, and have a lover to accompany her until old age. How did it come to this?
Maybe Shenzhen really couldn’t accommodate her.
Liu Yuan walked back to her residence unsteadily and sat on the edge of the bed again, reviewing the whole process.
There was no omission, no confusion, and no one would see.
Her thoughts wandered in the darkness again, and a blue light flashed.
“The leeches are biting me so painfully.”
Liu Yuan shouted and threw the phone away.
The phone just lay quietly on the cement floor until it was bathed in the first ray of morning sunlight.
In Liu Yuan’s eyes, that blue light never went out.
13
That day, as soon as Sihai Foot – massage opened, I went to the store and asked for No. 77.
The manager said she didn’t come and couldn’t be reached. If I was in a hurry, I could choose another one.
I looked around the store, and Liu Yuan really wasn’t there.
The manager followed me and said nervously, “Why do you have to look for her? She… isn’t suitable.”
I said, “Why not?”
The manager said, “She’s just a migrant girl. Shenzhen has no shortage of migrant girls.”
I said, “You don’t understand.”
The manager didn’t say anything more and turned to go back to the front desk. As soon as she turned around, she shouted, “Liu Yuan?”
Liu Yuan lowered her head and quickly walked up to the manager. “Sorry, I’m late.”
The manager looked at her and then at me. “Deduct one shift. You two talk.”
I followed Liu Yuan into the private room to clean. As soon as she entered, she hugged me from behind.
“I’m scared.” She said.
“What are you afraid of?” I asked.
“People, ghosts, and that you’ll leave me.”
I turned around, stroked her hair, and said softly, “No. As long as we do what we should do well, we’ll surely have a good life.”
“Let’s leave. The farther the better. I don’t want to stay here. I don’t like this place.”
Liu Yuan was crying pitifully, which made people feel sorry for her.
I had to tell her, “Soon, soon.”
On this day, Liu Yuan didn’t take many shifts.
She seemed very anxious. When the manager criticized her, she either remained silent or talked nonsense.
On this day, Lu Guang didn’t take many shifts either.
He had been silently paying attention to Liu Yuan, giving her boxed lunches and pouring water for her.
Because of his special status in the store, the manager could only pretend not to see.
At 8 pm, Liu Yuan got on the bus.
Although it wasn’t late at night yet, except for the driver, there was only her on the bus.
The night was desolate, and the bus moved slowly, like a coffin on the way to the underworld.
Liu Yuan had decided that she would leave after working one more day and use Liu Yuan’s identity to go to the ends of the earth.
As for Lin Shufen, she should be lying under the mudflat, being bitten clean by leeches.
Liu Yuan closed her eyes and fantasized about what would have happened if she hadn’t stabbed the knife that day, had endured the humiliation and left Zhao Gang.
The bus arrived at the station. A bunch of familiar self – built houses were crowded there. There were several figures of different heights by the wall, as if they were staring at Liu Yuan.
14
“Have you seen the landlady today?”
“I haven’t seen her. I’m still waiting for her to collect the rent. She didn’t show up all day.”
“I called her, but there was no answer…”
These people were all the landlady’s tenants, talking about the suddenly missing landlady.
“Hey? You also rent here, right? Have you paid the rent these days?” One person pointed at Liu Yuan and asked.
Liu Yuan said, “Not yet . I’m waiting for her to come.”
That person then turned around and started chatting with the others again.
“It’s strange. Could she be dead?”
“If she’s dead, she deserves it. She always kicks people out suddenly and then rents the place at a higher price.”
“Yeah, last month she suddenly asked me to leave in the middle of the night. I had to pay an extra 100 yuan to make her stop. Damn it.”
The few people gathered around, imagining the landlady’s possible death.
Liu Yuan quickly walked back home, packed her things, and left the landlady’s property in a hurry.
Less than 24 hours after killing the landlady, so many people had already noticed her disappearance.
She couldn’t wait any longer.
Liu Yuan quickly recalled the situation when she rented the house in her mind.
There was no outsider present, no contract was signed, no phone number was exchanged, and every time the rent was collected, they met at night.
If she was lucky, no one should know her.
Liu Yuan avoided the streetlights and walked towards Dongshui Street.
She heard that there were cameras on the buses, and she would be too conspicuous carrying big bags.
Staying in a hotel required registering with an ID card, which could easily expose her.
For now, there was only one place to go.
In the early morning, Liu Yuan waited for Lu Guang to get off work at the entrance of the foot – massage shop.
He was holding a blind stick, still trying hard to play the role of a blind man.
When they got to a place where there was no one around, Liu Yuan caught up with him.
“I was kicked out. Can I stay at your place for one night?” Liu Yuan tried to look pitiful.
“Kicked out?” Lu Guang seemed surprised.
“Yes. In the middle of the night, she suddenly asked me to leave. I don’t have enough money to pay the higher rent.” Liu Yuan carefully recalled what those people had said.
“Come with me.”
Liu Yuan naturally took Lu Guang’s arm.
After walking for about ten minutes, the two turned into an alley, and Lu Guang opened a small door.
“Where is this?” Liu Yuan felt that the house didn’t seem to be lived in.
“It’s my mother’s old house. You can stay here for now.”
“Can you… stay with me? I’m scared.”
“I’ll go get you some daily necessities. You rest first.”
Liu Yuan hugged Lu Guang tightly.
“I don’t need daily necessities. I just need you.”
“I’ll be back soon. Otherwise, you won’t even have a quilt. Wait for me. It won’t take long.”
Lu Guang left.
The dim light bulb illuminated the old – fashioned furniture and the wall.
The blue light lit up again.
“If you leave, how can I find you?”
15
Until dawn, Lu Guang still didn’t come back.
Abandonment is the most common thing in the world. As long as abandonment can make one’s life better.
Liu Yuan only felt that there were blue – lit squares all over the sky.
The blue lights shuttled and changed. Sometimes it was Zhao Gang and the real Liu Yuan, sometimes it was the landlady. Boss Wang and Lu Guang were also among them, as if they were dancing an exorcism dance.
In Shenzhen, Liu Yuan didn’t know many people.
The police must have found the foot – massage shop and then arrested Lu Guang. If she stayed here for another minute, she would also be caught.
Liu Yuan summoned up her courage, picked up her big bag, and was about to go out.
The door was locked from the outside.
The intense fear overwhelmed Liu Yuan again. She struggled frantically on the ground, as if an invisible force was binding her.
Looking up from the bottom, there was something sticking out a little bit from the edge of the wardrobe top.
Liu Yuan gathered all her strength, got up, stood on a stool, and reached out to touch the top of the wardrobe.
There was only a slit on the top, and it was very difficult to put her hand in.
Finally, her fingers touched something.
Liu Yuan grabbed it and pulled it out. But she lost her footing and fell to the ground.
Her head hit the ground, and her consciousness quickly began to fade.
Vaguely, the landlady’s face was right in front of her.
Smiling, smiling at her.
16
“You’re awake? Why did you fall?”
A familiar voice rang in her ears. Liu Yuan opened her eyes, and Lu Guang was sitting by the bed, looking at her.
“Ghost, there’s a ghost. Where did you go? Why didn’t you come back?” Liu Yuan’s tears welled up instantly.
“The police came and questioned me for a long time.” Lu Guang said.
Liu Yuan’s heart jumped to her throat.
She was right.
“The police? What did they ask you?” Liu Yuan tried to pretend calm.
“Don’t ask. You’ll be scared.”
“I’m not afraid. I… I’m worried about you.”
“Your landlady is missing.”
“Miss… missing? No way. She kicked me out last night.” Liu Yuan felt that she couldn’t even believe it herself.
“Yeah. She probably disappeared after kicking you out.”
Liu Yuan let out a sigh of relief.
“Then why did the police come to you?”
Lu Guang held her hand. “The police were looking for you.”
Liu Yuan felt that everything about her had been seen through.
Three lives, after all, couldn’t be hidden.
“The police were looking for a woman named Lin Shufen, saying she was a major suspect in a crime. I said I hadn’t seen such a person.”
Lu Guang said calmly, “Do you know her?”
Liu Yuan shook her head. “I don’t know her either.”
“You’re Liu Yuan, not Lin Shufen, right?”
“I’m Liu Yuan. How could I be Lin Shufen?”
“The police also found two other bodies under the mudflat. One of them is Lin Shufen’s husband.”
“I don’t know anything.”
“Dear, do you want to be with me forever? I don’t need you to work to earn money. I’ll support you. But it’s better not to go out for now.”
“I do. I won’t go out. I’ll never go out.”
Liu Yuan tightly grabbed Lu Guang’s hand, like a life – saving straw she met after floating at sea for three days and three nights.
Lu Guang gently lifted the quilt, slowly took off Liu Yuan’s clothes, and lay on top of her.
17
I bought some braised dishes and wine, and took the daily necessities I had already bought, and came to the old house.
Ten years had passed, and it still hadn’t been demolished. It was really a pity.
This was Shenzhen. As long as there was demolition, a ten – square – meter house could be exchanged for a new one.
I knocked on the door politely, then took out the key and opened the door.
“Dear, I’m here. I bought your favorite lollipop.”
I put the things on the table, walked to the bed, and gently stroked her hair.
She smelled a bit. It was time for a bath.
“They’re cracking down on murderers outside. The situation is very tense. What do you think you should do?”
She shook her head in fear and said in a voice that wasn’t very clear, “I won’t go out.”
“Dear, come and eat. After eating, I’ll give you a bath.”
“Eat… bath… eat… bath…”
She sat at the table, grabbed a pig’s trotter, and started gnawing on it.
After eating half of the braised dishes, she drank two liang of wine and kept saying she felt dizzy.
I carried her to the bathroom. There was a newly installed bathtub and shower here.
I have to say that after ten years, her body was still beautiful.
With a well – proportioned figure and delicate features, she was the type I liked.
Just that her skin was a bit too white, probably because she hadn’t been exposed to the sun for a long time.
I washed her body clean and carried her to the bed.
The time that made me excited and happy began.
An object with no power to resist, a body at my mercy.
It was not until noon that I walked out of the old house.
My legs were a bit weak, and I was a bit out of breath.
This kind of happiness should be able to last until the house is demolished.
Would a person who hasn’t seen the sun for ten years be scared by the light?
I walked to the store leisurely. The manager saw me and said affectionately, “Boss is here.”
I glared at her, and she smiled. “There’s no one in the store yet. It won’t be exposed. I know what I’m doing.”
I let out a sigh of relief and took the tea she handed me.
“Boss, you really don’t have to pretend to be blind for ten years. Many people asked me how come they’ve never seen the boss. I didn’t know what to say.”
I said, “I just like massage. Being a blind man saves a lot of trouble.”
“That’s true. If they knew you were the big boss of our foot – massage shop, those migrant girls would be all over you.”
“Don’t let it slip.”
“Don’t worry, boss. I’ve been with you for more than ten years anyway.”
I nodded. “I’ll leave early later. I’m going to visit my mother’s grave. It’s better to go in the afternoon when there are fewer people. It’s easier to pretend to be blind.”
The manager showed a regretful expression. “Auntie has been gone for ten years, right? Thinking about it now, it’s a pity. Why did she pass away so suddenly?”
I said, “There’s nothing to pity her for. When she was young, she had an affair with a man with the surname Wang. It drove my father to his grave, and she also swindled his house and money. If it weren’t for the fact that she raised me for a few years, I would beat that bastard every time I saw him. Give an order. From now on, don’t call that bastard Boss Wang.”
The manager nodded and immediately looked up and shouted, “You two, remember to clock in. You’ll be deducted if you’re late!”
I quickly put on my sunglasses, felt my way to the back – field along the front desk. The two newly – arrived female technicians on the left and right supported me.
One said obsequiously, “Master Lu, how come your skills are so good?”
The other one followed, “Master Lu Guang is the living sign of our store.”
I sneered in my heart. Even women who massage feet would worship a blind massage master.
“Lu Guang, Lu Guang. Is that what you can call him?”
“Yeah. I’m afraid I’ll forget, so I remember a jingle: Braised dishes all gone.”
“Braised dishes all gone? Master Lu, I’ll teach her a lesson for you.”
I showed a kind smile and stopped her. “Braised dishes all gone is quite good. I like eating braised duck heads the most. You can call me Master Yatou from now on.”
“Hahaha… Master Yatou, you’re so humorous.”
I fell into deep thought.
Ten years ago, a female netizen came all the way to join me.
At that time, I was still in a relationship with someone else. In a hurry, I let her temporarily live in my mother’s self – built house as a tenant.
Occasionally, I would secretly go to see her after work at night and be intimate with her.
After several times, I found out that she was having an affair with the strong man next door.
To be honest, I didn’t take her very seriously. It was just because she was good – looking and it was exciting to be with her.
Since she was unfaithful to me, I just thought we should break up.
Who knew that she was not only shameless but also turned around and accused me of being an online – dating scammer, saying that I wasn’t worthy of her. Unless I found her a job so that she could survive in Shenzhen, she would rather die.
So, I had no choice but to ask the manager to pretend to recruit her as a technician. I thought that after working for a couple of days and getting tired, she would give up on her own.
However, on the day she was supposed to report to the foot – massage shop, another woman came.
She was holding her ID card and the Nokia 8250 I bought for her, and told the manager that she was Liu Yuan.
The manager had never seen what Liu Yuan looked like, so she naturally let her be hired as a technician and specifically asked me to introduce the place to her.
I thought my online – dating partner must be dead.
She was very passionate, daring to love and hate. When she was in love, she would give her life for me. When she hated, she would want to take my life.
She was very clingy. When we were dating online, she made fun of me, saying that Lu Guang meant “braised dishes all gone”, so she wanted to give me a nickname using a kind of braised food she liked the most.
So, she insisted on calling me Yatou.
(The End)
