My Ghost Lover Is Too Annoying

39

39. Nostalgia

There were no clues for the other two revival items. Everything

was already in your destiny, and you couldn’t force it. Haste makes waste,

and life must go on.

This day, Chen Ming wanted to tidy up the inner room

seeing that things were piling up on the table. When he was doing it, he suddenly

found an old object. He stopped cleaning and began to feel nostalgic.

It was an old, dusty radio with its black cover turning ragged and

yellow. Chen Ming cleaned it, changed the battery, and then pushed

the play button. But there was no sound. He curled his lip and was a little depressed.

Such radios were rather rare these days. Zhou Nan felt it strange

that Chen Ming had kept it till now and even tried to make it work.

The nostalgic boy wouldn’t give up. He knocked at it and somehow

caught the knack of the physical maintenance of electrical appliances, and miraculously

awakened this old guy.

It cried hoarsely, making a harsh sound.

Chen Ming kept adjusting and soon received the signal.

He wiped the sweat and rubbed a black patch on his forehead,

“Hey, I’m a real genius.”

“What are you doing with it? You have a nostalgia?”

Chen Ming smiled slightly, but his eyes darkened:

“It’s my late master’s belonging.”

Zhou Nan was stunned. He didn’t expect that the mysterious

master had passed away.

“I’m sorry…”

Chen Ming waved his hand to show that he didn’t care.

The radio was playing a Chinese opera, which was melodious,

gentle, and ineffable; it  was like drizzle falling and apricots blooming. One could even see a lady in red standing by the bridge

alone. She had watery eyes and black eyebrows, looking sad.

Zhou Nan had never tried to appreciate the hobbies

of the older generation.

Then, he heard Chen Ming’s low voice, ” My master

likes operas. Unfortunately, I’m a layman, and I still can’t get the fun of

it.”

Maybe it was an illusion. Zhou Nan could tell there was remorse

in his words.

Chen Ming sighed. It seemed he wanted to pull himself out

of the depressing atmosphere, and he changed the channel. The opera suddenly

stopped, and a broadcasting voice appeared.

It was the news.

“Recently, the local police station received a weird report

late at night. According to the party concerned, a pen stood up and wrote

down notes by itself. However, the surveillance camera was dysfunctional, and

it was not clear whether this incident was true or not.”

Chen Ming looked at Zhou Nan in surprise, “You

are so bold?”

Zhou Nan smiled awkwardly.

“The police went to the location on the note and sealed up a

large area of poppy fields. There were obvious signs of fighting in the field.

Many villagers involved confessed that they had illegally grown poppies, and

they saw swarms of zombies and a ghost-catching master. Identification

showed what they said were hallucinations under the effect of drugs.”

Then came a familiar law

popularization of drugs.

Chen Ming was both angry and amused — he didn’t expect Zhou

Nan would call the police with such a fuss, and he became part of the hallucination.

“I know I shouldn’t call the police like that, but anyway,

I’ve acomplished the task.” Zhou Nan grinned and showed his two little upper canine teeth.

Chen

Ming lost his temper. He just wanted to say something but was interrupted

by a knock on the window. Out of the back room, a middle-aged man was outside

the counter.  He looked ill and skinny,

and his blue shirt was already white from washing.

“Hello?”

When seeing Chen Ming, he was full of doubts, “Is it master Chen Ming?” He rubbed his hands nervously.

The address term choked Chen Ming, and Zhou Nan tried to hold back laughter beside him.

“Yes, I’m Chen Ming,” he admitted. Observing the

man, he speculated, “Calling me master, you’re not here to buy flowers,

right?”

The man nodded, ” Someone introduced me here. You’re

younger than I thought.”

Chen Ming had heard such comments many times, and he had

even wanted to buy a fake beard to make himself look older.

“Don’t worry, I am young, but I am experienced.”

He opened the door and said, “Come in, please.”