The scene inside the tree arch can be described in only five words as "everything is green".
The flat ground is covered with moss, even the asphalt road is covered with moss, and even the tree trunks are covered with moss.
But the strange thing is that there are no weeds on the road, only moss. The surrounding trees are tall and dense, and the shadows of the trees can only cover a small area. The scorching sun in the afternoon hit the moss directly, which did not turn it yellow due to sunburn, but instead gave it a rich dark green color. And as if it had just been watered, it shone brightly in the sunlight, making it very dazzling.
The air was filled with a slightly fishy moisture, but the surface of the soil was dry and hard. From time to time, one or two small black beetles as big as mung beans appear, and they don't know where to burrow in the blink of an eye.
In the center of this moss field stood a small two-story flat-roofed building.
There are four large characters "Weaver Girl Bathhouse" erected on the roof, and behind the characters there is a large green oil tank. According to visual inspection, each floor of the house is more than 100 square meters. There are no windows on the front of the first floor, but there are two transom windows. There are three small windows and two transom windows on the front of the second floor, and the left transom window has fallen down.
The door of the bathhouse is at the right end of the small building. There is an independent small room next to the door. There is a five-meter-high iron chimney on the roof, which is a boiler room.
The entire small building is also green, but it is not covered with moss, but covered with paint. Only the words Zhinu Bathhouse are in red.
From the outside, the exterior paint of the bathhouse is faded and partially peeled off. The house was not damaged, only the lock on the door was broken open.
This scene couldn't even be described as desolate, let alone weird.
"Can it still be called a haunted house with this look?"
Jiang Jinjiu was disappointed, and suddenly realized that Qin Xuan was not around. After searching around, he found that she was still walking inside the tree arch, very slowly.
He shouted "Hey - hurry up!"
Qin Xuan ignored him and continued to move forward slowly, observing both sides of the road.
He wanted to go up to him, but he didn't know why he wanted to wait where he was. Watching her approach eagerly, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But when Qinxuan took out two blue things from his bag, they turned out to be a pair of shoe covers.
Jiang Jinjiu smiled bitterly and said, "Is this necessary?"
"What do you know? Take a good look at the moss on the ground. It grows vertically and horizontally, with one stem and three branches. This is the purple beard. Some things like to use it as tentacles or to mark people. If you step on it, the other party doesn't need to look. I know your actions.”
"Ah!? What should I do?"
"Come out and give it a good rub, then light it with fire."
"OK."
He came to the asphalt road and rubbed it several times, and found that there was a lot of moss residue left in the pattern of the soles. He took out a lighter and lit it, and the residue turned into ashes like hair.
After Jiang Jinjiu finished taking care of things and put on his shoe covers, the two of them walked into the bathhouse together.
The front desk is not big, there is a counter, and there are many small wooden grids on the right wall. The largest number is 60. Apart from the thick dust, only grids No. 16 and No. 44 contain a key each.
Behind the counter were two empty shelves that appeared to be for merchandise for sale.
There are two shoe cabinets like bookshelves behind the shelves, with 60 number plates hanging on them. There are a total of nine pairs of slippers on them, one of which is for the right foot.
There is an empty door on the left wall, but the door panel is missing.
After passing the door is the dressing room. The light shines in slantly from the transom window, and it can only give an overview. The three-story wooden cabinets are all against the wall, and the cabinet doors are all closed. There are two benches side by side in the middle of the locker room. Unlike other places, there is only a small amount of dust on the bench surfaces. It seems that these two benches have been used recently.
Going around the partition further inside is a lounge, about 40 square meters. The transom window is opened in the corner and is in the shade, so the light is very weak. You can only vaguely see that there are many single beds inside, and there is a small coffee table between every two beds. There was a 21-inch old TV hanging on the wall, covered with a transparent plastic sheet. Besides dust, there was something dark on it.
The stairs leading to the second floor are in the dressing room.
The second floor is relatively bright, and the white ceramic tiles are still white, with only yellowish scale deposited on the edges and corners. If it weren't for the rust on the water pipes and the patches of mildew on the ceiling, there would be no sign of abandonment.
The entire second floor is a bathing area, with thirty shower heads and two bathtubs. There is also a row of eight faucets on one wall, about half a meter above the ground. They can only be used while squatting or sitting. I don’t know what they are used for. There is an oval mirror above each faucet. It has no frame and is all glued to the wall, except for the innermost mirror.
That mirror has a frame, a red frame.
Jiang Jinjiu's eyes were immediately attracted to it and he came to the mirror to look at it.
The style of the frame is retro, and it looks like the dressing mirror of an aristocratic daughter in a costume drama. The wooden frame is about three fingers wide. The top is embossed with two budding lotuses, the middle is outlined with water patterns, and the bottom is carved with lotus leaves. The workmanship is very exquisite.
"This...why does this look so familiar?" Jiang Jinjiu thought about it and couldn't remember where he had seen it before.
Qinxuan walked to the bathtub and saw him dazed in front of the mirror. He shouted, "Hey! What are you so pretty about there?"
Jiang Jinjiu didn't respond. He looked at himself in the mirror and felt more and more strange. The mirror is located where the sun is not directly exposed, and the light is dimmer than elsewhere. Standing here, one feels like being cast in a shadow. Looking at himself for a while, he would feel that the mirror image's eyes were becoming colder, stranger, and even full of cunning and scheming, which made him feel inexplicably flustered.
"It feels so familiar...I remembered it! This mirror is the same as the one in the haunted house I entered for the first time." He looked at the pattern of the frame carefully, "Yes, exactly the same!"
Suddenly Qin Xuan slapped him from behind, "You didn't hear me!"
Jiang Jinjiu's panic turned into palpitations, and he was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat.
Qinxuan smiled and said, "You coward, why don't I just slap you?"
Jiang Jinjiu gasped, "No, look, look, this mirror."
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"Do you remember the mirror in the toilet in the haunted house?"
"Which one?"
"Just kill your wife, cut her body into pieces, and hang yourself."
"Oh, that one...I haven't been to the toilet before, the smell is too horrible. What, you mean the mirror from that one came here?"
"It looks the same."
"Are you sure?"
Jiang Jinjiu suddenly wasn't completely sure. He took off the mirror and looked at the back, but there was only a dark brown wooden board.
"This...there's nothing on the back."
"Ahem, then you are overthinking it, it just happens to be the same."
Jiang Jinjiu was puzzled, "Then why do you feel the same way?"
He said, "Even if it's not the same mirror, don't you think it's weird? The other mirrors don't have frames, but this one in the corner does."
"You don't understand this. People of the older generation have a lot of superstitions about the placement of mirrors. You see, this mirror is in the corner and cannot get sunlight all day long. It is also in a bathroom with such high humidity. The filth invades the wall and affects the feng shui. It is similar to mold. But adding a wooden frame is different, which is equivalent to separating the mirror from the wall. So it is better to look obtrusive than to violate taboos. Do you understand."
Jiang Jinjiu nodded, but his heart was still full of doubts.
"Don't worry about it, come with me, there's something discovered over there."
Jiang Jinjiu put the mirror back in its place and followed Qin Xuan to the bath.
