Chapter 4The Black Desk Case
570 Words
The furniture market on the east side of the county wasn’t hard to find. I pedaled my heavy-duty 28-inch bicycle for about twenty minutes and arrived. Ning Haoyu’s shop was easy to spot too—head straight in, and the one next to the bathroom at the far end was his.
No one greeted me or asked what I wanted as I wheeled my bike inside. Clearly, they didn’t think I could afford their wares. At Ning’s storefront, I found him haggling with a middle-aged man over a pitch-black desk. The customer kept slapping the desk and rambling about how it wasn’t worth the price.
Ning, despite his bookish looks, had a fiery temper. "If it’s not worth it, shop around. If you find a cheaper one, buy it. If not, come back—same price, not a penny less."
The man cursed Ning for being bad at business and stormed off. Spotting me, Ning grinned. "Li Yi! Long time no see. How’s your grandpa?"
I parked my bike. "He’s gone."
Ning froze. "My condolences…"
I shoved his shoulder. "Don’t talk nonsense! He’s not dead—just left. No idea where. Anyway, got any new old furniture? I need a piece or two."
When I explained I was closing the funeral shop to open a fortune-telling parlor, Ning burst out laughing. "You? Seriously?"
I eyed him. "Your Wealth and Fortune zone looks really troubled. Guessing you haven’t made a sale all day?"
He rubbed his nose. "Lucky guess. Fine, take a look. My new stock’s here. Warehouse is empty—I’m switching careers soon anyway."
As I browsed, he explained his uncle was opening a bigger shop in the city. "More rich folks there. This antique gig’s dead in this backwater."
I pointed to the black desk by the entrance. "How much for that?"
Ning hesitated. "That thing? I’ll deliver it free on my tricycle. But fair warning—it’s… weird. At night, it makes these clacking noises, like someone’s slapping a judge’s gavel on it. Creepy as hell."
I snorted. "Bullshit. Grandpa and I dealt with dead people for years—never saw a ghost."
Ning grimaced. "I’m serious! That’s why I didn’t sell it earlier. Was trying to upsell that guy."
"Your business tactics suck," I said, shrugging. "But free’s free. I’ll take it."
I also bought a chair and an old bookshelf for 400 yuan. Ning loaded everything onto his tricycle and helped me set up the shop. Later, we hit a barbecue stall, downing beers until I staggered.
Ning, slightly steadier, admitted the desk came from a deceased scholar’s home. "His family said it’d clack every night after he died. Freaked them out. I bought it cheap, not knowing… Business tanked ever since. Tried to dump it, but couldn’t."
Back home, Ning crashed in my room while I took Grandpa’s. Around 2 AM, eerie creaks echoed from the courtyard. I yelled, "Keep it down!" Silence followed—until louder, dragging noises erupted.
Grabbing a flashlight, I crept outside with Ning. The shop’s lock was untouched, but inside, the desk sat askew. A shadow crouched by its leg…
Ning whispered, "Told you it’s haunted!"
I bit my thumb, drawing a blood line on our foreheads. "Grandpa said this wards off spirits. No idea if it works."
We pushed the door open. The beam of my flashlight revealed the desk—and something inhuman lurking in the dark.
- Writer
