TN –
Extra chapter thanks to the K0-fe from “Moonfishie”.
Old Wang was a northerner, and the story of the crazy woman in the psychiatric hospital searching for her child was a local legend from his northern hometown, known only by the people from that area. Even residents from neighboring towns had rarely heard of it.
However, Xu Yintang spoke standard Mandarin with a hint of the southern accent his mother had brought with her. Most people, including Old Wang, assumed he was from the south, even pinpointing his potential origins to the Huai-Shen region. Xu Yintang himself wasn’t sure where he came from, as his memories began at the hospital. He considered himself a hospital person.
So, Xu Yintang merely smiled and said that he heard the story from his mother, sidestepping the question about his origins, which he couldn’t answer. Fortunately, Old Wang wasn’t the type to pry too much. He listened to the story and expressed his surprise that Xu Yintang and his relatives might be from the same hometown, even suggesting they could be distantly related, considering their town wasn’t very big, and families often had connections going back several generations.
However, the characters in the story didn’t seem to have any connection to their town.
The story dated back to the time of Old Wang’s great-grandmother. Some outsiders had purchased a barren hill on the east side of the town and converted the old, dilapidated hospital, which had been used during a war, into a treatment facility, advertising it as the “Happiness Sanatorium.”
The locals were initially unaware of the sanatorium’s purpose, but once they learned it was meant for the insane, they started using euphemisms like “the hospital” or “that place” to avoid mentioning it directly, as the townsfolk had a taboo against discussing such matters.
One evening, a woman managed to escape from the sanatorium. She introduced herself as Tian Jiao, a woman in her twenties with a sweet and gentle demeanor, speaking in a soft Wu dialect.
She claimed that her husband, who had cheated on her, wanted to take her child away and falsely accused her of insanity, resulting in her being sent to the sanatorium. In reality, she wasn’t mentally ill at all. She sobbed, saying that if she were taken back to the hospital, they would surely torture her to death. She begged the townsfolk to hide her.
Seeing Tian Jiao’s pitiable state, the locals believed her and agreed to shelter her in the town, helping her elude the hospital staff who came searching. Those staff members all had an intimidating appearance, appearing tough and muscular, which reinforced the townspeople’s belief in Tian Jiao’s story.
However, during the following month, two children from the town mysteriously disappeared. Both were young boys around the age of four, and no one could find any suspects related to their disappearances. Suspicion fell on the only outsider, Tian Jiao, due to the timing, and some townspeople believed her story was just a ruse.
Tian Jiao continued to act perfectly innocent and harmless, even when the families of the missing children came to the town searching for her and eventually took her back to the sanatorium. In her room, they discovered children’s clothing hidden under her bed, which belonged to one of the missing boys. Despite the evidence, Tian Jiao maintained an air of shock and ignorance.
It wasn’t until the parents of the missing children were on the brink of despair, pleading with her to reveal the children’s whereabouts, that Tian Jiao finally confessed. She laughed and revealed that she had her “Tangtang” with her where he should be.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
This chilling statement sent shivers down their spines. They realized the children’s fate was grim. The doctor from the sanatorium, who had suggested that Tian Jiao had killed her own son and been sent to the hospital by her husband, condemned her as well. He argued that she would snatch any child who resembled her own son and alternated between treating them like treasures and subjecting them to abuse. This was why she had fled the sanatorium to find people to help her.
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Despite her death, the town continued to experience child disappearances, and some claimed they saw Tian Jiao holding the missing children in the ruins on the hill, singing her songs. Others reported that children who misbehaved and ventured into the hills returned home covered in injuries, unable to eat or drink and only crying for their mothers. They would pass away soon after being brought back home.
People began to say that the fire at the sanatorium was set by Tian Jiao herself. She had become an evil spirit, haunting the town to take the lives of all the children. Families with children were terrified, and many moved away, avoiding discussing the story. Strangely, after the children disappeared, nothing unusual ever happened in the town again. It was as if Tian Jiao had never existed.
By the time Old Wang heard the story, the insane woman from the sanatorium had turned into a ghost story used by parents to scare their children. Even the barren hill had been cleared and turned into an orchard.
“Is that so…” Xu Yintang muttered, listening to Old Wang’s description of Tian Jiao, which closely matched his mother’s characteristics, including her singing style. Thanks to this story, Old Wang, a northerner, could even hum a few verses of a local song from the Huai-Shen region, which people from the northern part of the country rarely encountered, let alone recognized.
At this point, Xu Yintang could reasonably assume that his mother was the Tian Jiao from the story. The nature of the hospital he was in might be similar to the Laura scenario, situated on the edge of reality but separate from it. He considered that, by starting from the point in time when child disappearances ceased in the town, he might uncover a significant number of victims who fit the criteria.
Or perhaps, Xu Yintang himself was one of them.
Xu Yintang didn’t remember such an incident, but he had at least confirmed a long-held suspicion—he was indeed not his mother’s biological child. His mother, who had passed away decades ago, couldn’t have given birth to a living twenty-year-old son.
Xu Yintang’s heart was beating hot and strongly in his chest, proving that he was still very much alive.
The story of Tian Jiao was of immense significance to Xu Yintang. However, for his teammates, it was just a cliché and not particularly frightening ghost story. Tiantian was already feeling drowsy and on the verge of yawning, and she couldn’t resist poking Xu Yintang, who was lost in thought, asking him to tell a different story. Otherwise, she’d forbid him from eating duck blood when it arrived.
A rather peculiar threat.
Xu Yintang sighed, “Tian Jiao’s story is different from what I wanted to say, perhaps because my nickname is also Tangtang…”
“Never mind, let me tell you the story next. Even if you feel like you’ve heard it somewhere, don’t doubt it. I promise this is my personal experience.”
This statement was a mixture of truth and falsehood. Part of it was his personal experience, while another part was related to other patients.
“You are a normal person, broadly defined as someone with a healthy body and a clear mind, leading a life that might not be entirely satisfying but is definitely normal. Then, one day, a group of people claiming to be doctors appears and tells you that you are sick—mentally ill. Without giving you a chance to object, they forcefully take you to a hospital, dress you in a patient’s gown, and lock you in a ward, insisting that you undergo isolation treatment.”
“In the hospital, you lose your name, and you’re left with only a four-digit number. You lose track of time, and every moment has to be governed by the hospital’s rules. Initially, you try to resist, escape, and do everything you can to change the situation. But after being locked in isolation rooms repeatedly, subjected to injections, tube feedings, and medication until you can’t think clearly anymore, and enduring repeated electroshock therapy that leaves you unconscious and awake again…”
“You learn to follow their orders, to obey the rules. You become a part of this hospital. You begin to doubt yourself—Maybe I really am sick.”
Xu Yintang’s tone was calm, devoid of any emotional fluctuations, as though he was narrating someone else’s story. However, his description was incredibly detailed and vivid, conveying a sense of pain pushed to its extreme that required him to remain calm, making you feel as if you were tied to a restraining bed, locked in solitary confinement, driven to the brink of despair, your sanity being gnawed away.
Tiantian’s face turned pale, and she licked her lips, forcing out a dry question, “And then… what happened? How did you get out?”
Xu Yintang looked at her, seemingly smiling, but Tiantian sensed a hint of pity in his gaze.
Softly, Xu Yintang replied, “When did I say I got out?”
In an instant, he seemed to transform into a strange being imitating a human appearance, emitting an eerie, chilling, ghostly aura. He was like a supernatural creature, and the atmosphere turned ominous, sending shivers down the spine.
Tiantian tightly wrapped herself in the blanket, and with a forced smile, she stammered, “This… this joke isn’t funny at all.”
“Mmm…” Xu Yintang leaned back against the makeshift pillow formed by the obedient cubs, and he obediently apologized, “I thought it would be more interesting.”
His apology was swift, and Tiantian found herself unsure whether to believe his words. For a moment, she thought she might have been charmed by him if only her “brother” had been more convincing.
Tiantian glanced around the room, looking for any teammates who could help her out of this awkward situation. Xiao Qing seemed spaced out, clearly daydreaming, while Old Wang was oblivious to her discomfort, still busily preparing potatoes. Fortunately, at this moment, a scream from the neighboring room broke the nearly solidified air, rescuing her from this uncomfortable moment.
Tiantian realized for the first time how quickly she could react. In a second, she jumped up and kicked open the neighboring room’s door, asking, “Huahua, are you okay?!”
Of course, she was also very concerned about her good teammate, Huahua.
Huahua turned to look at Tiantian, who had rushed over with a tense expression, and shook her head, smiling, “I’m fine.”
The one in trouble was Lei Bo.
A lump of flesh was firmly adhered to his face, sizzling and corroding his skin, the meat fusing with Lei Bo’s flesh, emitting a sizzling sound. Lei Bo screamed in agony, covering his face and rolling on the ground, desperately trying to tear the thing off his face. However, as he touched that slippery substance, his hand was also glued to it, intensifying his pain.
Huahua explained to her teammates who had rushed to the scene, “Just now, he tried to attack me. He has a partner, but they got scared and ran away.”
Although Lei Bo had portrayed the unfortunate office worker suffering from workplace-related PTSD to the fullest, it felt too real and therefore raised suspicion. His excessive fear of Xu Yintang, his unwarranted trust in Huahua, and his targeted actions made him suspicious. It was almost as if he had “problematic” written on his face.
Even if they had extracted information from Lei Bo to let Xu Yintang go, his partner who lay in ambush outside could have attacked Xu Yintang when he was alone. Leaving Lei Bo in place, at the very least, would have kept him within their team, and he could always find an opportunity to act against them.
Even if they didn’t take any information from Lei Bo, just leaving him like this would still have ensured that Lei Bo remained in their team, and there was always an opportunity for mischief.
After all, no one could guarantee that they would never be alone.
Author’s Note –
Mother Xu Yingtang: I’m being honest, but one believes me [Scratching head].
Let’s congratulate Xu Yingtang for finally knowing his mom’s name!
*Applause!*
Lmao did he only learn his mother‘s name now?
It’s really interesting to learn more about his past! So he is probably also one of the stolen children but doesn’t remember anything. His circumstances are really sad but it was incredibly funny how he scared Tiantian.
I really really hope no one dies in this instance, I really like this team
Ah?? Xu Yingtang is not actually her biological child? 😱
I wonder when our ML will find out that his whitemoonlight is here haha
So Xu Yingtang’s Mother is a ghost ? Are all the people in the hospital also ghosts ?
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
“who said I ever got out”
Chills..
So tangtang mom is a ghost right???
Or else this timeline doesn’t match
I think his mom is some type of ghost, and I also wonder if XY age may not change while he’s in the hospital (considering that it seems like it’s some sort of supernatural space)
Thank you for your translation 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
This explains why some of the nurses andndoctors faces were burnt