Midnight Bookstore

On the steps of the flowerbed in front of the hospital, Zhou Ze sat there silently, his gaze fixed on his feet.

Actually..,

at this moment, you couldn’t see anything at all. You couldn’t even touch it. However, the scene in the mirror had already explained everything.

This chain was attached to his ankle. The sound that he had heard indirectly was actually the sound that was caused by his movement.

However, there was one thing that Zhou Ze did not understand. When he was in the detention center last night, he had clearly heard the sound of the corridor outside first. This at least proved that the chain was not on his feet at that time.

Then, this also meant that when the sound of the chain suddenly appeared around him, someone, or something, had tied the chain to his feet.

As for Zhou Ze, he did not notice it at all. If it were not for the fact that the old man had stuck the talisman in his pants onto the mirror when he was peeing, he probably would not have realized that the chains that he had been desperately searching for were on him,

they were on him!

He took a taxi again and returned to the bookstore. Zhou Ze sat down behind the bar counter.

He was not in the mood to take a shower and call Bai Yingying to go upstairs to sleep with him,

nor was he in the mood to play with the water of the Resurrection Lily,

nor was he in the mood to read the newspaper, drink coffee, and bask in the Sun,

from time to time, he would lower his head and look at his feet,

then, from time to time, he would raise his head,

to look at the sky.

In short, it was very melancholy.

When the old priest told Bai Yingying about the chain, Bai Yingying was also surprised.

Moreover, because of the silence of the boss, everyone in the bookstore was silent.

The door of the bookstore was locked by the old man. At this time, it was not convenient for any customers to come in. As for the ghosts, the door was open and closed, so it was no different for the ghosts who wanted to come in.

He poured himself a glass of water and gave monkey a handful of peanuts. The old man looked at the boss who was still lowering his head and suddenly felt like laughing.

This scene..,

was a little like the emperor’s new clothes.

The shop owner said that there was a chain on his feet..,

invisible..,

untouchable..,

wasn’t it a copy of the Emperor’s new clothes?

After returning to the bookstore, Zhou Ze took the talisman paper from the old priest and found a mirror. He placed it on the ground in front of him. The mirror reflected Zhou Ze’s feet.

At the same time, a rusty chain was revealed,

he existed,

he really existed,

he was an unquestionable existence.

The old priest also came over to take a look at it at the beginning. Xu Qinglang, Bai Yingying, and the others also came over to take a look, as if they were sizing up a novel thing.

At least for now, this chain didn’t seem to have any other harm, except that it made you unhappy.

But boss Zhou, as the person involved, wouldn’t think so. He didn’t want his feet to be shackled, even if he couldn’t see them normally, but there was a knot in his heart.

Moreover, looking at the reflection in the mirror with the talisman paper, the Dirty Rust and the scalp-numbing potholes, it was even more difficult for boss Zhou, who was a germaphobe, to accept.

To be honest..,

if the chains were made of pure gold, pure silver, or a more modern anti-design style, perhaps boss Zhou would be more comfortable. At least, it would not be like a thorn in his back.

“Boss, could it be that because you were identified as a criminal, there were shackles on your feet?

Do you still remember the suicide teacher who wore the high hat of ‘human-faced Beast Heart’?

“You won’t be able to remove his hat.”

Bai Yingying guessed.

Xu Qinglang nodded at the side. It seemed that there was indeed such a thing.

Everyone speaks gold, and people speak fearfully.

“It’s impossible, it’s not.”

Zhou ze shook his head and denied this guess,

“The incident with that teacher was greatly stirred up on the internet at that time, and the public sentiment was turbulent. This time, I was only suspected by some police officers. There was no way to compare the size, so this shouldn’t have happened.”

Yes, because Zhou Ze could still confirm that the chain was not on his body at the beginning. It had once approached from a distance.

The old priest came over and pointed at the small mirror in front of Zhou Ze, saying, “Boss, to be honest, I think your chain is quite handsome. Think about it, when you were unparalleled, that look…”

As he said that, the old priest’s arms drooped, and his expression was dull. He swayed a few times like a zombie, then he pointed at his feet and said,

“If there’s another iron chain under your feet at this time, it’s really similar to the crazy eight gods who fought with the King of fighters in the game room.”

As he spoke, the old man and his arms propped up,

he made an explosive movement,

then, as if he was still a child, and as if he was really immersed in the atmosphere of playing arcade games in the game room, he waved his arms back and forth, muttering,

“Obscure… obscure… obscure…”

Zhou ze turned his face and looked at the old priest who was immersed in his own world. At the same time, he said,

“Old Priest, the floor of the bookstore…”

“Ah, the death attendants have just cleaned it,”the old priest immediately replied. Ever since he had the death attendants, his work had become much easier.

“OH.”

Zhou ze nodded and continued:

“Isn’t Tongcheng in Shenchong Health City? Go and clean up the streets in front of our bookstore. This is what we citizens should do.”

“…”the old Taoist.

Seeing that Zhou Ze had been staring at him and did not seem to be joking, the old Taoist could only pick up the broom and mop with a bitter expression and walk out of the bookstore to clean up.

Bai Yingying squatted beside Zhou Ze and massaged his calves with her hands. She pouted and asked, “Boss, what do you think is the reason? is someone trying to frame me?”

“I’m not sure. I’m also a little confused right now, so I’ve decided to go back to the detention center and take a look.”

As he spoke, Zhou Ze took out the business card that Zhang Yanfeng had given him last night and dialed the number on it.

The call was quickly picked up,

a deep voice came from the other end:

“Hello, who is this?”

“The one who entered the detention center yesterday,”Zhou Ze answered.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“I want to go in again today, can I?”

“Are you willing to confess your crime?”

“I have no crime,”Zhou Ze repeated.

“Heh.”

Zhou ze patiently said, “To be honest, I’m a writer. Staying in the detention center last night made me feel very inspired. I hope…”

“Du du du…”

The other end hung up the phone.

Boss Zhou looked at the phone and suddenly felt lost.

Then he looked at the old priest who was cleaning the street outside and felt that karma had come so quickly.

Zhou Ze could only call back. The other party picked up the phone again, but this time, the other party did not speak first.

“I want to go back to the detention center. I have my reasons, although I know that this request is a little…”

“Hualala… Hualala… Hualala…”

A sound came from the other end of the phone,

it was a familiar sound,

but because it was transmitted through the phone, the sound was a little distorted. However, Zhou Ze could confirm that the sound came from that side.

“Go on.”Zhang Yanfeng seemed to have lit a cigarette. Seeing that Zhou Ze did not speak, he urged him.

“Have you been suffering from Insomnia and dreams recently? Your body is weak and sweaty, and your waist and legs are in pain?”

“Ha.”

The other party seemed to be ready to hang up the phone again.

“Did you dream that there were shackles on your feet?”Zhou ze asked.

The other party was stunned,

he did not hang up the phone,

it was as if these words had struck a knot in the other party’s heart,

after a short while,

a reply came from the other end of the phone:

“Come to the station to look for me. I’m in my office.”

..

When Zhou Ze appeared in Zhang Yanfeng’s office, it was already night time. Zhang Yanfeng was sitting behind his desk and eating the food from the canteen. He was wolfing down the food while reading the files in front of him.

When Zhou Ze came in, he pushed the food and files aside and looked at Zhou Ze.

“I want to hear about the anklet.”

“I feel that in this environment, in this place, and when you’re wearing a police uniform, it’s a little inappropriate to talk to you about such feudal superstitions.”

“Okay, I’m off work.”

Fifteen minutes later, Zhang Yanfeng and Zhou Ze, who had changed into casual clothes, walked out of the police station together. The two of them walked to a small park diagonally across the police station, found a bench, and sat down.

“Now you can treat me not as a policeman, but as an ordinary person. Let’s have a chat.”Zhang Yanfeng even took the initiative to pass a cigarette to Zhou Ze.

The relationship between the two of them changed very quickly,

before..,

zhou Ze was inside the iron railing, and he was outside..,

but now..,

everyone seemed to have become friends..,

‘cellmates’after all.

Zhou Ze held a small mirror in his hand, and there was an old Daoist talisman stuck on it. Then, he placed the mirror on Zhang Yanfeng’s feet.

The streetlights in the park were not very bright. It was a little dim,

however, one could still barely see the scene in the mirror,

on Zhang Yanfeng’s feet..,

there was also a shackle. However, this shackle was not as thick as his own and was not as long as his own.

It was still thicker and longer than his own.

Why was this emotional inclination strange?

“Did you see it?”Zhou Ze looked at Zhang Yanfeng.

Zhang Yanfeng’s hand that was holding the cigarette trembled slightly.

“This is the first time I’ve seen it seriously. In the past, I often dreamed that I had an anklet on my foot. It’s been more than twenty years.”

“So, what have you done in the past that you feel guilty about?”Zhou ze asked.

“I have a clear conscience. I’m worthy of the police uniform I wear every day and the national emblem on my police cap,”Zhang Yanfeng said firmly, “I have even slowly gotten used to such dreams. In my dreams, I walk around the police station wearing shackles. I feel that this is more like a warning to me.

“It constantly reminds me that my power comes from the people and the country. Therefore, I absolutely can not cross the line. As long as I take one wrong step, the shackles will really appear on my body in the future.”

“Clap, clap, clap…”

Zhou ze clapped lightly at the side,

“So, this should be a kind of confirmation in disguise, just like the Medal of the Brave. Only good people will have this chain?”

“What do you mean?”Zhang Yanfeng asked.

“Let’s solve a historical problem first.”

As he said that,

zhou Ze pointed the mirror at the surface of his feet,

a thick and long iron chain appeared in the mirror,

“Now can you believe that I didn’t Cook Drugs and break the law?”

We,

are all the same.