Reservoir Dogs chapter 56
Chisang Town
They entered the villa but didn’t go to the living room; instead, they went to a small side room.
The interior of the villa was connected by corridors, but it could almost be seen as two separate buildings. The side room was in the slightly shorter building.
After sitting down, a servant brought tea.
Xiao Zhou smelled a pleasant, elegant sandalwood scent from the lady.
The three chatted for a while, but since they had to make up lies, after just twenty minutes, Xiao Zhou felt extremely uneasy, like sitting on pins and needles. Fortunately, a butler soon came over and whispered something to Mrs. Jiang. Mrs. Jiang nodded, stood up, and informed them that Mr. Jiang had gone out to sea and would return late, suggesting they rest in their rooms until dinner when someone would come to get them. She excused herself due to other matters.
Xiao Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, glad to escape quickly. Lying to such a kind elderly lady was torture for him.
Their rooms were on the second floor, directly opposite each other, and the butler led the way. The old butler was named Zhang, and everyone called him Uncle Zhang.
Xiao Zhou casually asked what Mrs. Jiang was going to do. Jiang Chengyuan said his mother would go to the Buddha Hall every day at this time to recite the Heart Sutra 100 times and wouldn’t come out until dinner.
Xiao Zhou then understood why the lady had a sandalwood scent—because she was a devout Buddhist. With age and death approaching, one would always hope for something to hold on to, even if it was just a fleeting deity.
At dinner, Mr. Jiang was still not back, so it was just the three of them. Mrs. Jiang said she was fasting and didn’t eat meat for two months each year. She had tried a completely vegetarian diet before, but her body couldn’t handle it, so she switched to periodic fasting.
Halfway through the meal, there was a loud crash from upstairs. Xiao Zhou looked up, but everyone else acted as if they hadn’t heard anything.
Perhaps sensing Xiao Zhou’s gaze, Mrs. Jiang wiped her mouth with a napkin and said that the strong sea wind these days might have knocked something over on the roof.
After dinner, Mrs. Jiang said she needed time to catch up with Jiang Chengyuan and suggested Xiao Zhou explore on his own. “There are flowers in the small courtyard outside that I take care of, and there’s a swimming pool on the roof. If you want to swim, tell Uncle Zhang, and he’ll get you clean clothes,” she said with a smile.
Xiao Zhou nodded.
He didn’t want to swim, so he went to the small garden in the backyard. A stone path led through the flowerbeds filled with canna lilies, dahlias, and other colorful flowers. There was a swing outside and a small pond with a few koi fish, creating a small garden landscape.
Under the moonlight, the fresh sea breeze blew. He sat on the swing in the garden for a while, then went to the pond to watch the koi fish. Turning to find the butler to ask for some fish food, he suddenly heard a crash behind him. A flower pot had fallen right where he had just been standing. Startled, he looked up but saw no one. Only the top-floor window was open, with white curtains fluttering in the night breeze.
He found Uncle Zhang and brought him over, pointing to the upstairs room. “Is there someone staying there?”
Uncle Zhang observed the scene, called someone to clean up, and said, “The young lady lives there. Maybe the wind was too strong, and the flower pot wasn’t secured.”
“Young lady? Does Jiang Chengyuan have siblings?”
Uncle Zhang shook his head, “Mr. Jiang is an only child. The young lady is an adopted daughter of Mrs. Jiang. She had a tragic past, so Mrs. Jiang let her stay here.”
The butler didn’t seem to take the matter seriously, and the servants quickly cleaned up the broken pot and soil.
Xiao Zhou couldn’t rest easy. If he hadn’t moved just then, the falling pot would have hit him.
He had been watched in prison long enough to be sensitive to being watched. From the moment he stepped into the villa, he felt someone’s eyes on him. He initially thought it was just discomfort in a new place, but now he realized it might not be his imagination.
“What happened?”
Xiao Zhou turned to see Jiang Chengyuan standing at the glass door between the garden and the building. Jiang Chengyuan came over and saw the servants cleaning up. “Just a fallen flower pot, why so many people?”
The butler said, “It fell from the young lady’s room.”
Jiang Chengyuan frowned, “Why does she still have such things in her room?”
Uncle Zhang said, “This year, the roses bloomed well. Madam was worried she’d be too lonely, so she sent a few pots up to keep her company.”
“Clear everything from her room that doesn’t belong there.”
The butler agreed and took a few people upstairs.
Soon, there was a commotion upstairs, and a woman screamed. More flower pots were thrown out the window, and the roses mixed with soil made a mess.
Jiang Chengyuan pulled on Xiao Zhou’s arm, taking a step back to avoid getting hurt by accident.
At the open window, a woman’s torso suddenly leaned out. Her long hair covered her face, and her skeletal arms waved wildly as she screamed for help. However, several hands, large and small, black and white, quickly grabbed those unruly arms and pulled them back inside. The woman didn’t give up, clinging to the window frame.
Xiao Zhou was shocked, staring at those hands. The knuckles were prominent, the skin pale and bloodless, and the hands were as skinny as bony chicken claws, gripping the window frame tightly. Long fingernails tried to wedge into the gaps, but one by one, her fingers were pried away. A fingernail split in half, and the woman let out a sharp scream. Soon, someone closed the window, muffling her cries.
“What’s going on?” Xiao Zhou turned his head, his voice unsteady, still reeling from the scene.
“Scary, huh?” Jiang Chengyuan looked at him.
Xiao Zhou opened his mouth. “She… what’s wrong with her?”
“She’s insane,” Jiang Chengyuan replied simply. “If she’s not locked up, she’ll hurt herself or others.”
Xiao Zhou sensed something eerie and terrifying. “But she’s locked up all the time? Isn’t she getting treatment?”
“A designated doctor visits her weekly. Given that she’s being taken care of, where do you think is better, a mental hospital or here?” Jiang Chengyuan countered.
Xiao Zhou couldn’t respond. He felt that imprisoning her was wrong, but he couldn’t argue against Jiang Chengyuan’s point.
Jiang Chengyuan pulled his arm, leading him into the villa. As they stepped inside, Xiao Zhou felt a resentful gaze on his back, cold and chilling.
He shivered involuntarily.
Jiang Chengyuan noticed his reaction. “What’s wrong?”
“I feel like someone’s watching me,” Xiao Zhou said.
“Maybe you’re just on edge from what you saw,” Jiang Chengyuan suggested dismissively.
Xiao Zhou didn’t argue, just pondered, and then asked, “Uncle Zhang said she’s the adopted daughter. What happened to her?”
Jiang Chengyuan’s face darkened, as if Xiao Zhou’s persistence on the subject annoyed him. “It’s none of your business. Just stay here for two days.”
This sharp resistance made Xiao Zhou instinctively close his mouth and say no more.
Jiang Chengyuan quickened his pace, leading Xiao Zhou upstairs.
They were given adjacent rooms. Jiang Chengyuan let him into his room first, then stopped him from closing the door.
Xiao Zhou looked at him, puzzled.
Jiang Chengyuan frowned, watching him for a moment before asking, “Are you hurt?”
Xiao Zhou shook his head.
Jiang Chengyuan lowered his hand from the door frame, his gaze dropping. “Get some rest. We’ll leave after breakfast tomorrow.”
“So soon?” Xiao Zhou was surprised. He thought they’d stay longer, considering how difficult it was to get to the island.
Jiang Chengyuan’s face turned grim. “I shouldn’t have brought you here.” He didn’t wait for Xiao Zhou’s response, turning into his own room.
Xiao Zhou stood there stunned for a moment before entering his room.
After showering, he stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, drying his hair. The villa was perched on the highest point of the island, offering a perfect view of the sea below. Under the moonlight, the sea shimmered like countless sleeping stars, peaceful and serene. The lush, uncut forest on the hillside gave the place an untouched, secluded feel, making it an ideal place to live.
After drying his hair, he felt it was still early, so he left his room to find the butler. He got some paper, ink, and a brush and started writing under the lamp.
By the time he finished, it was midnight. Feeling thirsty, he went downstairs for water. As he reached the staircase, he noticed the living room TV was on, faintly playing an opera.
After descending two steps, he saw the TV was playing Peking Opera “Chisang Town,” portraying the just and stern judge Bao Zheng who executed his own nephew, Bao Mian.
The old woman playing Bao Mian’s mother sang sadly, “My son died under the executioner’s sword, how pitiful! Blame Bao Zheng for ignoring family ties… Today, the law is in your hands, why hesitate to show leniency?”
The living room was dark, lit only by the blue glow of the TV. In that glow, an old man lay in a rocking chair with his eyes closed. Xiao Zhou couldn’t tell if he was listening or asleep.
He stood there for a while, then carefully went down the stairs. One of the wooden boards creaked loudly in the quiet night.
The old man woke up, opening sharp, hawk-like eyes that made Xiao Zhou freeze in place.
The old man watched him for a moment without speaking, then closed his eyes, tapping his fingers on the chair in time with the opera.
Xiao Zhou hesitated, unsure if he should continue, but the old man suddenly asked, “What are you doing standing there?”
Author’s note:
The next part I would call “Island Horror,” primarily focuses on Jiang Jiang.