Chapter 7: Do Not Leave the Room, No Matter What

At this point, Aunt Xu paused for a moment. She had intended to simply tell her that the master was a light sleeper, easily awakened by the slightest noise, which was why the household rule was that absolute silence must be maintained at night. Even the servants returned home to rest in the evenings and only came back at dawn. Precisely because of this concern, she had deliberately arranged for Lin Nanxun’s room to be the farthest from the master’s quarters.

But Aunt Xu worried that Lin Nanxun might still not understand, so she recalled the tricks she used to soothe her grandson at home. She put on an air of mystery and looked at her conspiratorially.

"When night falls, there are all sorts of frightful things about. You mustn’t leave your room after dark, do you understand?"

As expected, upon hearing this, Lin Nanxun’s pure and delicate face turned pale with fright. Her wide eyes stared at Aunt Xu in terror as she asked, “Are there ghosts?”

Aunt Xu gave a gentle nod.

Immediately, Lin Nanxun pulled her blanket up over her face, shaking her head in fear.

“I won’t go out,” she promised earnestly, tugging the blanket tighter around herself, her voice trembling with worry. “I’ll stay under the covers. I won’t go anywhere.”

She was terrified of ghosts.

Seeing her like this, Aunt Xu couldn’t help but laugh. She pulled the blanket down and said with a smile, “There’s no need to hide under the covers. As long as you close your eyes and sleep obediently, nothing will harm you.”

Hearing this, Lin Nanxun nodded and obediently shut her eyes, attempting to fall asleep. Only when Aunt Xu saw that she had drifted off did she finally breathe a sigh of relief and quietly leave the room.

…

The unfamiliar surroundings made Lin Nanxun sleep fitfully, her dreams restless and uneasy. In her dreams, her uncle abandoned her, and no matter how she chased after him, she could never catch up.

“Uncle!” she cried out.

The overwhelming fear jolted her awake. As she opened her eyes, a trace of hope lingered in her heart—she wished desperately to see her uncle, but there was nothing before her. Only a silent room, so quiet that not a single sound could be heard.

A single dim lamp lit the large room, heightening her sense of unease and filling her with dread.

She was so frightened.

Turning her head, she glanced at the pitch-black window. Her fear instantly deepened. She quickly pulled the blanket over herself again, but soon found it suffocating and poked her head out.

Something about that dark window made her feel as if something was watching her from outside, sending shivers down her spine.

Clutching her pillow in terror, Lin Nanxun hugged it tightly to her chest. After a moment’s hesitation, she slipped out of bed, pillow in hand.

She opened her bedroom door. The long corridor was lit but eerily silent, not a soul in sight.

Holding her pillow tightly, she finally summoned the courage to step forward and walk out into the hallway. Along the way, she knocked on several doors, but no one answered, and her fear only grew.

Yet she didn’t give up. She kept walking until she reached the door of the bedroom farthest from her own—the one with light shining from beneath the door.

Her face lit up with hope. She hurriedly reached out and knocked.

“Is anyone there?” she asked timidly, her voice still tinged with fear.