“Look, what’s that?” Zhang Li pointed at a dark pile under the banana trees.
It was too far to see clearly, and the recent stories of madmen and ghosts made Lan Lan nervous. “Let’s run quickly!”
As they ran, they glanced back and saw a black figure chasing them, shouting, “Don’t run, stop!”
Zhang Li screamed, “Mama, a ghost! Help! A ghost!”
Her shrill cry made people peek out their windows, asking, “What happened?” But the two were too terrified to hear anything, sprinting as if possessed.
Suddenly, Lan Lan tripped and fell hard. “Ouch, it hurts!” Tears welled up.
“Are you okay?” a gentle male voice asked.
In her panic, Lan Lan thought it was a ghost and cried, “Mama, protect me!”
Ignoring the pain, they reached their rented room and collapsed on the floor, covered in cold sweat.
The next morning, Lan Lan discovered her swollen mouth and lost pager. Unable to work, she asked Zhang Li for a day off, frustrated by the previous night’s events, which she blamed on Zhang Li’s scare tactics.
After changing into fresh autumn clothes, she felt satisfied with her appearance. Her elegant face and magnetic personality made her confident.
As she walked by the bridge and banana plantation, she realized the dark pile she had seen was just coal covered with an old blanket, left there by recent rain. She laughed at her earlier imagination.
An old man’s voice called her: “Miss! Miss!” She turned to see a white-haired, ragged man with kind eyes.
“I feel we have a connection. Could you spare some food?” he asked, appearing pitiful. Although skeptical, she felt moved and gave him ten yuan.
“Thank you! Good deeds bring good fortune!” he exclaimed.
The next day after work, she noticed a crowd at the garbage dump. Pushing through, she saw a person lying and groaning in pain, but no one was helping.
Lan Lan, seeing the person’s condition, turned to Zhang Li, “Should we take him to the hospital?”
“No way. Look how dirty he is,” Zhang Li shook her head.
“Is cleanliness more important than saving a life? Hurry up!”
“Did you bring money?”
“I have just over 200, but I don’t care. Let’s send him to the hospital first!”
“Quick, call a car!”
