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The three of them walked towards the classroom door, their moods heavy and downcast. As they approached, they ran into a classmate named An Jian, who rushed in with messy hair clinging to his forehead, sweat glistening on his flushed face and neck.
"Class monitor... uh..." An Jian stammered as he entered, suddenly spotting Ziya and Sun Meng with Zhiqing. He hesitated, swallowing hard and biting back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Ziya and Sun Meng exchanged puzzled glances at the flustered An Jian. Noticing his hesitation, Ziya thought it might be because they were both girls present. She tugged at Sun Meng's arm and waved goodbye to Zhiqing and An Jian.
"Okay, you guys chat. We'll go hang out," Ziya said with a bright smile, taking Sun Meng's hand as they tried to slip past the boys.
"Wait! If you have something to say, just say it! There's no need to beat around the bush; they don't need to avoid anything!" Zhiqing interjected firmly.
"Uh..." The impulsive An Jian swallowed again, lifting his chin to wipe the sweat from his face. "I was playing soccer on the field earlier, and a senior from the third year said that someone heard... uh, heard crying last night..." The boy seemed frightened as he glanced around nervously, as if afraid something might overhear him.
Ziya grabbed Sun Meng's arm upon hearing this, her heart sinking as her brows furrowed slightly. Sun Meng's face paled, her muscles twitching in fear. Zhiqing frowned deeply and asked loudly, "Who did you hear this from, and when did it happen?"
"Alright, you guys talk. Mengmeng and I are going to the restroom," Ziya quickly suggested, sensing that Sun Meng's hand had turned icy with fear. She needed an excuse to leave immediately.
"Okay, you two go ahead!" Zhiqing replied as she and An Jian headed back towards the classroom while Ziya and Sun Meng made their way toward the restroom.
"Ziya, do you think what An Jian said is true?" Sun Meng whispered anxiously about the incident that still haunted her.
"Don't be scared; everything has a reason behind it. We'll ask the class monitor when we get back," Ziya reassured her as they stepped outside into the sun-dappled courtyard filled with blooming flowers and fluttering butterflies dancing among them.
Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting scattered spots of light on the ground. A refreshing breeze wafted from the other end of the corridor, gently brushing against Ziya's face as they both sighed in relief. Looking up at the clear blue sky dotted with a few translucent white clouds drifting slowly by, they noticed students laughing and playing around them, their faces flushed with joy.
“Ziya!” A voice called out, and the two turned to see their class monitor, Zhiqing, running towards them.
“What did An Jian say to you?” Ziya asked directly. Sun Meng, noticing Zhiqing approaching, quickly released her grip on Ziya's arm and squatted down by the flowers to look at the pale purple orchids.
“He said he heard crying again last night from Yellow Crane Tower, it sounded like a baby,” Zhiqing replied as they walked down towards Huangguoshu. At the bottom of Huangguoshu, there was a tiled railing where some students sat, trying to escape the heat. They were pressing buttons on their phones, occasionally interrupted by the beeping sounds of chat notifications, each one grinning foolishly at their small screens.
“Crying? Is it related to that thing you mentioned last time?” Ziya pulled Sun Meng up from the ground and turned to ask her.
“Do you know about the back door of the hospital?” Zhiqing asked as she picked up a shuttlecock for a girl and tossed it back to her, then turned to Ziya.
“Yeah, it’s near Moso Bamboo Forest on Gravel Road, across from our school’s side door!”
“Well, there’s a room at the back of the hospital that specifically deals with discarded medical equipment and dirty instruments from surgeries, and also…” Zhiqing suddenly stopped mid-sentence, as if she had something difficult to say.
“What else?” Ziya disliked leaving topics unfinished and asked with some urgency.
“Why don’t we talk about it in the classroom? It’s not good to discuss it here with so many people around,” Zhiqing suggested. It made sense; the school was already cramped, and students were constantly rushing past them.
The three entered the classroom and noticed they had a few minutes before class started. Zhiqing sat down on the bench next to Ziya and Sun Meng.
“There’s a male gynecologist here; he used to be a village doctor who specialized in delivering babies,” Zhiqing said with a hint of embarrassment.
“A male obstetrician? That’s unusual…,” Sun Meng remarked, feeling intrigued by the idea of a man in such a profession. She leaned forward to listen more closely.
"What’s the big deal? It's the modern age, there are plenty of male obstetricians and gynecologists in county towns. You’re making a fuss over nothing! By the way, what does this have to do with the crying of the baby at Yellow Crane Tower?" Ziya said, glancing at them both with a hint of sarcasm.
"The problem isn't here. Do you remember the story I told you? The villagers who died at Yellow Crane Tower were killed by the inexplicable cries of a Ghost Baby."
"Uh... right, you did mention that. What’s the deal with this Ghost Baby?" Ziya continued to probe. Sun Meng felt an inexplicable sense of dread wash over her as she heard them discussing such ghostly matters.
"I'll be right back; I need to use the restroom," Sun Meng quickly excused herself, not wanting to hear any more supernatural stories.
Ziya nodded and continued to look at Zhiqing, eager to hear more of the story. Zhiqing turned back after Sun Meng left the classroom and asked, "What’s up with her? She seems upset?"
"Nothing much. Ever since her mom had that accident, she’s been acting strange. She doesn’t like ghost stories, so let’s just ignore her and you keep going!"
"This male gynecologist's surname is Mao. His family has been practicing medicine for generations, treating both people and animals—like cows, pigs, and dogs."
"Oh!" Ziya nodded in understanding but still didn’t see how this related to the hospital. Patience was key; she needed to wait for Zhiqing to explain everything.
"I’ll tell you this: beneath the foundation of Yellow Crane Tower lies a baby grave. Back then, there was no family planning; women kept giving birth. A family could have several children, but most families couldn’t bear that burden. They would find ways to abort the babies before they were born, and once they saw daylight, they couldn’t bring themselves to do it. The villagers around here would have Teacher Mao give them abortion pills, and those that were born were naturally Dead Babies. With so many Dead Babies, they needed a place to bury them. So beneath Yellow Crane Tower became the burial ground for Dead Babies, and later on, villagers started hearing the cries of babies."
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