Chapter 26 The Four Seasons Train (3) p1
As long as she was willing to bet food coupons, the three university students were happy to play.
But they never expected Zhu Ming’s hand to be so terrible, her card playing skills practically non-existent!
The male student almost won with a straight, but the pigtailed girl discreetly stepped on his foot, signaling him to hold back. Oblivious, Zhu Ming cheerfully slapped down an ace when they played singles. “Anyone want this?”
The three shook their heads.
Zhu Ming continued, slapping down another card. “A king!”
They shook their heads again.
Zhu Ming, beaming, “A ten! A pair of sevens! Three threes with a four! A six! Hahaha! I win!”
The pigtailed girl forced a smile. “You’re so good at cards! We’re not sure we can beat you. Want to bet?”
Zhu Ming looked at her suspiciously. “But my hand wasn’t good. Are you letting me win on purpose?”
The pigtailed girl quickly denied it. “Of course not! What would we gain from that? You’re overthinking it.”
Zhu Ming said, “Let’s play a few more rounds. I’ll bet candy, but I don’t want your food coupons yet.”
The male student didn’t understand. “Why not? What do you want then?”
Zhu Ming smiled sweetly. “This candy was a gift, so I need to prepare some return gifts. What if you lose your food coupons and get upset and refuse to bet anymore? So, let’s bet something else first. Bring out any snacks you have. Once I have enough return gifts, we’ll bet food coupons.”
The pigtailed girl stared at Zhu Ming, her smile strained. This woman with the high ponytail and the half-dyed hair was a walking disaster!
But!
If they refused, Zhu Ming wouldn’t play, and they wouldn’t get anything.
The pigtailed girl forced a wider smile. “Fine, we’ll do as you say. Don’t worry, we’re just playing because we’re bored. We don’t have any ulterior motives.”
Zhu Ming beamed. “That’s good, that’s good! I was afraid you’d find me annoying! You’re so kind and patient! Unlike me. If I met someone as fussy as me, I’d just resort to violence.”
The pigtailed girl: “…”
To avoid arousing Zhu Ming’s suspicion, the three university students had to play carefully, letting her win some rounds and lose some, all while making it seem natural, as if they weren’t deliberately throwing the game.
It was exhausting. They had never been so tired playing cards.
The pigtailed girl felt like her skin had aged several years.
After a few rounds, their wins and losses were roughly equal, though Zhu Ming had won the most. The pigtailed girl tentatively suggested, “You’re so good. Want to bet food coupons now? Don’t worry, even if we lose, we’ll keep playing. We won’t ignore you.”
Zhu Ming, thoroughly enjoying herself, readily agreed. “Sure! I lost the last round, but I’m confident I can turn the tables and defeat all three of you! However…”
The pigtailed girl’s heart skipped a beat. “However what?”
Zhu Ming leaned back, her left hand resting on the back of the chair, one leg crossed over the other. She held a piece of candy in her raised right hand. “I lost three candies to you in the last round. To celebrate our friendship and to boost morale for the next game, let’s eat some candy together!”
The three university students fell silent, staring at Zhu Ming with identical expressions of suspicion, a tense atmosphere settling over the small table.
Zhu Ming didn’t back down, her smile widening. She flicked the candy in her hand. “Is there something wrong with this candy? I remember the little girl’s mother saying it was okay to eat a little of your food… Did I miss something? You’re all so kind. You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”
The pigtailed girl took a deep breath. “Of course not! It’s just a piece of candy. It’s nice to share.”
The three university students seemed to have made up their minds. They unwrapped their candies along with Zhu Ming and, to reassure her, ate them first.
Zhu Ming held her candy, about to put it in her mouth, as the little girl watched quietly, sucking on her lollipop.
Just as the candy touched her lips, Zhu Ming suddenly frowned and exclaimed, “Ouch! My tooth hurts!”
The university students: “…”
Zhu Ming winced and sighed dramatically. “Oh dear, I almost forgot about my cavity. Just looking at candy makes my tooth ache. I can’t eat this. One of you eat it for me.”
She tossed the candy onto the table and turned to the dumbfounded little girl, smiling. “Little girl, even if you’re not human, remember to brush your teeth, or you’ll get cavities like me and won’t be able to eat candy.”
The little girl almost couldn’t keep a straight face. “Big sister is right.”
“I can’t help it. I’m just a sweet, caring big sister.” Zhu Ming handed the snacks she had won from the university students to the family. “These are my return gifts. Eat up! If you don’t, you’re not giving me face.”
The little girl asked innocently, “But if we eat them, what will you eat, big sister?”
Zhu Ming said, “I’ll eat what they lose to me next. I’m so good at cards; I’m sure they’ll lose.”
The beautiful, intelligent wife pulled the little girl closer and glanced at Zhu Ming. “What if big sister keeps losing? Let’s save these for her, sweetie.”
The pigtailed girl glared at the family, then turned to Zhu Ming, her patience wearing thin, her expression dark. “Are you done with the pleasantries? Can we play now?”
“Fine, fine. Look how impatient you are. Let’s bet food coupons this time,” Zhu Ming said magnanimously.
They shuffled and dealt the cards again. The three university students exchanged glances, relief evident in their eyes. Finally, this was almost over! They wouldn’t have to endure this annoying woman any longer!
“Three of a kind with a single!” Zhu Ming threw down four cards and held up the remaining three. “Anyone want these?”
The three shook their heads.
An inevitable victory unfolded once again. Zhu Ming beamed. “A pair of kings! Anyone? Four, five, six, seven! Anyone? A six! Anyone? A nine! Wow! I win again!!!”
The university students forced smiles and applauded weakly. “Very impressive. Since you won, the food coupons are yours.”
Zhu Ming happily collected her winnings.
They hadn’t been playing for long, but Zhu Ming was already hungry again.
The university students, desperate to stop playing cards with her, offered her some snacks. She couldn’t eat candy, but surely a few biscuits were fine?
Zhu Ming: “No, I’m on a diet!”
The pigtailed girl: “…” She had never met such a fussy and difficult woman.
The scenery outside remained unchanged. Zhu Ming leaned back in her chair, resting. Then she noticed the landscape beginning to shift.
As the train steadily moved forward, the distant mountains drew closer. They were approaching a tunnel entrance at the foot of a mountain!
The monotonous scenery finally changed. Two identical guard posts appeared on either side of the tunnel entrance, while the mountains, looming larger and larger, continued to stretch endlessly in both directions.
The first hint on the invitation: Beware the darkness!
And that tunnel entrance, like the gaping maw of a monster, was pitch black!
HOOOOOORN—
The train whistled and plunged into the tunnel without hesitation.
One carriage, two carriages, three carriages… Zhu Ming watched as carriage 17 in front of her was swallowed by darkness, then her own carriage, 18.
In an instant, the carriage was plunged into absolute darkness. The lively, peaceful scene vanished completely, replaced by an unnerving silence.
Flicker, flicker.
The lights above sputtered, momentarily plunging the carriage into darkness, then casting a dim, yellow glow, as if the old wiring was malfunctioning.
During one of these flickering moments, a cold hand grabbed Zhu Ming’s wrist.
Buzz—
The dim lights stabilized, casting a yellow glow within the carriage, the only source of light in the long, dark tunnel. Outside, the darkness was absolute, giving the disorienting illusion that the train was hurtling towards an unknown destination. Perhaps even the center of the earth.
Zhu Ming looked at the three people at her table. The pigtailed girl and her two companions had revealed their true forms.
Their pale, grayish faces, their dark eyes, and the undeniable aura of death surrounding them clearly revealed their identities.
They were ghosts. Or rather, everyone in this carriage, except for Zhu Ming, was a ghost! But now, the other passengers were gone, only the ghosts from the two tables where Zhu Ming had won food coupons remained, ready to collect their prizes.
The pigtailed girl’s smile widened into a grotesque grin, her voice a shrill shriek. “We’ve been waiting for this! You took our food coupons, now you’ll pay with your life!”
Zhu Ming twisted her wrist, and the ghostly hand gripping hers began to smoke and sizzle. The male student yelped and quickly let go.
Zhu Ming smiled sweetly. “But I’m Awakened.”
A cold sensation against her waist. The soft, cuddly little girl stared at Zhu Ming with empty eye sockets, her voice a chilling giggle. “But big sister, I was Awakened too, when I was alive! That little trick won’t kill me. Remember not to trust little kids next time… although you probably won’t have a next time!”
Her hands transformed into claws and swiped at Zhu Ming’s stomach. Zhu Ming quickly twisted away, grabbing the little ghost’s hair and yanking her back.
The little ghost, her short arms and legs flailing, her hair sizzling, shrieked, “What are you waiting for?! Get her!”
Her parents, also transformed into ghosts, lunged at Zhu Ming from both sides.
So this was what “night” meant. The daytime rules against fighting and loud noises no longer applied. The ghosts’ abilities, and her own, were restored!
Zhu Ming swung the little ghost like a weapon, smashing her into the two adult ghosts. She vaulted over the back of her chair, escaping their encirclement. The pigtailed girl yelled from behind her and gave chase.
Zhu Ming noticed that the pigtailed ghost had no legs. They were neatly severed below the knees. She moved surprisingly fast, using her arms to propel herself forward, even faster than the two-legged ghosts.
The doors at both ends of the carriage remained closed. The aisle was narrow. Zhu Ming grabbed a luggage rack, swung herself up, and flipped over the ghosts’ heads, landing on the other side.
She let out a soft cry and collapsed onto a seat, as if she had twisted her ankle.
The pigtailed ghost’s eyes lit up. “Where do you think you’re going?!”
Zhu Ming didn’t run. She yelled, “Wait! You’re trying to kill me for my train ticket, right? But I only have one ticket, and there are six of you! How are you going to divide it?!”
The six ghosts stopped, exchanging dark glances.
Yes, how would they divide it?
Just then, as if on cue, the three university student ghosts’ stomachs growled loudly. Their faces turned even paler.
The candy they had eaten during the “day” was taking effect.
The carriage rattled slightly.
Zhu Ming said, her voice laced with mock concern, “What’s wrong? Upset stomachs? You shouldn’t have gotten involved. That family tried so hard to warn me not to accept food coupons from others. If you hadn’t interfered, I would have been their easy target. Now look… you were too greedy. You worked so hard to join this little party, but you’re not going to let go so easily, are you?”
The family: She’s got a point.
The university student ghosts: Indeed.
The two groups of ghosts glared at each other. The little girl threatened, “Her Yang energy is so strong! You can’t even get close to her! I suggest you back off and don’t interfere!”
The pigtailed ghost’s eyes burned with rage. “Anyone can talk tough! We’ll see who gets the ticket!”
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