Heavenly Eyes 3: A Song of Hope

CHAPTER 1

01.

My name is Shen Tong, and I was born with three eyes.

 

I can see things that ordinary people cannot.

Before I was eight, I was raised by my grandmother, a fortune teller in the countryside. After that, I was taken back to my parents and began attending school.

Summer vacation ended, and I became a freshman in high school.

I thought that leaving the haunted bathroom in middle school meant I would finally have the freedom to use the restroom without fear.

But I didn't expect that high school would be even more bizarre than middle school.

Our classroom was on the first floor.

The motion-sensor light at the end of the hallway, by the bathroom, was broken. Every night, it would flicker on and off by itself, making everyone too scared to use the restroom.

One day, I couldn't hold it anymore and went to the bathroom.

Then, I saw a girl in white clothes fall ‘splat’ from the roof, and the motion-sensor light flickered on.

Me: “???”

As I stood there, completely bewildered, the girl who had landed turned her head towards me. Her face, covered in a mixture of blood and brain matter, broke into a wide, manic grin.

The laughter echoed for a full minute before she flew back up.

The next second, another ‘splat’ as she fell again.

I was terrified.

Case closed, everyone!

The reason why the high school bathroom's motion-sensor light flickered so often was…

Ahem, I've digressed.

I said to the white-clothed upperclassman who had jumped, “Senior sister, can you jump later?”

The senior sister's voice was cold, “New student, don't you know the rules? Go to the other end, upstairs on the second floor.”

I was so frustrated, “I can't hold it! I'm desperate! Or... I'll burn some paper money for you tomorrow? Will you let me go?”

The senior hesitated for a moment before grudgingly agreeing, “Then hurry up, I can't control myself for long.”

I immediately rushed into the bathroom and finished quickly.

On my way home, I went to Bai Ze's funeral supplies shop and bought some paper money. Seeing a new, lifelike smartphone, I grabbed one for the senior as well.

The most important thing in life is to be honest. Don't deceive people during the day, and don't deceive ghosts at night.

My younger brother, Shen Chen, had something to say about this.

“Sis, I understand the principle, but why didn't you use your own allowance to buy it?”

02.

Back home, I found Liang Zhen, the mentally disabled girl from next door, clinging to the fence, reaching into our yard and drooling.

I looked up and saw the rocking chair in our yard swaying back and forth without a breeze.

A bowl of fresh fruit sat on the nearby coffee table.

It was Grandma Yueying, teasing the girl.

She was wearing an elegant, old-fashioned lace cheongsam, her hair in wavy curls, sitting in the rocking chair with her legs crossed at the ankles, her toes tapping lightly against the ground.

In her hand, she held a delicate silk fan, gently waving it over the fruit, her profile turned in a moment of intoxicated appreciation as she inhaled the fragrance.

She was beautiful, like someone who had stepped straight out of a Republican-era magazine illustration.

I looked at her and sighed helplessly.

At that time, the situation was urgent, and to get Grandma Yueying to save Shao Lanxuan, I said I would make offerings to her.

I was just being polite, but I never expected her to actually show up.

My allowance is mostly gone, thanks to her.

Seeing Liang Zhen making distressed noises, I went over and said, “Knowing she's like this, why do you keep teasing her!”

Then I took a fresh peach from the fruit bowl and gave it to Liang Zhen.

“Here you go, Sister Liang Zhen.”

Liang Zhen giggled and happily started munching on the peach.

Grandma Yueying snorted, sitting up straight and shouting at me, “That peach was for me, why did you give it to her?”

She sniffed the air, then happily started rummaging through my school bag.

“What goodies did you buy? The new Kiwi phone? For me?”

I quickly snatched my bag back.

“It's not for you, don't grab it!”

Then I told her about the senior sister in the white clothes jumping from the building.

“I thought that senior sister was pretty lonely, so I bought her a phone to watch short videos. Surely she won't have time to jump off buildings and scare people anymore!”

Grandma Yueying looked me up and down, rolled her eyes, and said, “You're so clever, you have more tricks than ghosts!”

03.

As Grandma Yueying and I were talking, we heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps from the next courtyard.

A woman emerged from the house, clad in pajamas, her hair secured with a shark clip.

Although she was over forty, she looked younger than her actual age, well-maintained.

Liang Zhen was diligently munching on the peach in her hand, oblivious to the woman approaching from behind.

The woman, wearing slippers, swayed gracefully to Liang Zhen's side. Suddenly, she raised her hand and grabbed Liang Zhen's ear.

“You little rascal, hiding here to slack off? Where did you get this peach? Did you steal it?”

She went over and knocked the peach from Liang Zhen's hand, then slapped her across the face.

“I'll beat you to death!”

Liang Zhen's previously clear and innocent eyes instantly filled with terror. She cried out in alarm and scrambled to pick up the peach on the ground.

The woman, seeing her struggle, tightened her grip even further, turning Liang Zhen's ear crimson.

This woman was Liang Zhen's mother.

She was always ordering Liang Zhen around, making her do this and that, and constantly scolding or hitting her.

Seeing this, I immediately said, “Auntie! This peach is for sister Liang Zhen, please don't hit her!”

Liang Zhen's mother, instead of stopping, didn't even look at me. Instead, she started to berate me indirectly.

“Didn't I tell you not to eat things given by others? What if it's poisoned?

If you really want to die so badly, just go ahead and do it. It would save me from having to look at your stupid face every day and being ashamed of you!”

Liang Zhen's mother's words were truly excessive. -_-!

Before I could speak, Grandma Yueying couldn't help herself.

With a flick of her fan, she sent two slaps flying through the air, striking Liang Zhen's mother.

“I've never seen a mother act like this! You're even worse than my worthless ex-husband!”

04.

Liang Zhen's mother suddenly felt a burning pain on her face. Her expression shifted to one of terror, and she looked around wildly.

“Who? What was that?”

Grandma Yueying rose from her rocking chair, walked behind Liang Zhen's mother, and blew a gust of cold air onto the back of her neck.

“Who? Of course, it's your Grandma me!”

The cold air from Grandma Yueying caused Liang Zhen's mother's neck to twist, and she instantly suffered from a stiff neck.

She started crying and wailing.

“What's going on? My neck…”

Then, she glared fiercely at me.

“You little brat, did you do something to me?! I know your grandmother is a fortune teller. Did you use witchcraft on me?! Believe me or not, I'll kill you!”

As soon as she said that, Shen Chen, who had been cooking in the kitchen, rushed out.

“Who are you going to kill?”

Three years had passed, and Shen Chen was no longer the short, chubby boy he once was. The twelve-year-old had grown rapidly and was almost taller than me.

Although he was wearing an apron and holding a spatula at the moment, the sharp, innate aura he exuded actually intimidated the crazy woman next door.

Liang Zhen's mother, seeing that someone was at my house, started grumbling and cursing, making Liang Zhen help her inside.

She also used foul language.

“What's the big idea? You're a spoiled brat with no mother to teach you manners!”

However, due to the exertion, she twisted her neck again: “Ouch…”

Grandma Yueying sneered from behind: “Heh! I wonder who's the one with a father but no mother to teach them!”

“Just you wait, you'll pay for this!”

Liang Zhen helped her mother inside, trembling slightly, her eyes lingering longingly on the peaches on the ground.

Seeing that look in her eyes, my heart clenched.

“Why is her mother like that?!”

At that moment, the neighbor's grandmother from the other side also came out.

“Tongtong, your parents aren't home, so don't get involved in this, you can't do anything about it!”

Seeing my confused expression, the neighbor's grandmother explained, “Liang Zhen's father died young, and her mother raised her alone. That man living with them now is her lover, and he's been there for years.”

She lowered her voice as she spoke.

“I heard...that man...he's been to prison! Don't go near their house unless you have to!”

05.

The neighbor's grandmother's words caused a certain figure to flash quickly through my mind.

It was a man who looked to be in his thirties or forties, tall and broad-shouldered, with a square face.

He usually wore suits with flashy shirts underneath, a large gold chain, and carried a briefcase wherever he went. I never knew what kind of work he did.

But I've seen more than once him bringing Liang Zhen treats when he came home. Liang Zhen would hug him, kiss his face, and sweetly call him “Dad”.

I thought that man really was her father.

So, he's not her real father?

Seeing my puzzled expression, the neighbor's grandmother became even more animated.

She glanced cautiously at Liang Zhen's house next door, then lowered her voice and said to me, “This house was left by Liang Zhen's real father. That man is just a gigolo, I heard he sells insurance.”

And...once, I heard Liang Zhen's mother beating her and calling her names like ‘slut’ and ‘vixen’. That man protected her. I don't know what that means…”

Hearing that, I really didn't know what it meant either.

I looked at the old lady from the neighbor's house with a puzzled expression.

Shen Chen's face looked very unpleasant. Pulling me along, he said, “Sis, let's not talk anymore. Auntie's cooking, we'll be able to eat soon.”

Then he pulled me away.

Grandma Yueying shook her small fan, glanced sideways at the opposite house, spat on the ground, and then, twisting her slender waist, followed us inside.

Because my parents weren't home very often, we had an Aunt Xu who cooked and cleaned for us.

This time, my parents went on a business trip together and won't be back for a week.

At the dinner table, I couldn't help but ask Shen Chen.

“What did Grandma Wang mean just now?”

Shen Chen put a piece of spare rib into my bowl. “Just eat your meal!”

Aunt Xu smiled from the side, “Yes, Tongtong, this spare rib was specially made for you by your younger brother. He said you like it! He's really good to his older sister!”

I was startled. “Ah? Really?”

I, more than anything, love delicious food!

Hearing Aunt Xu's words, my attention was quickly drawn to the spare ribs in my bowl.

In this world, only delicious food is not to be missed; I decided to ask later after I'd eaten my fill.

Unexpectedly, after I finished eating, Shen Chen used the excuse of doing homework and went back to his room.

It made me even more curious.

　

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