Siheyuan: Being a fisherman in 1962

However, when Sha Zhu closed his eyes again, the nightmare came back like a ghost.

I dreamed that I was running in the alley, and I heard Jia Zhang's sinister laughter behind me.

Holding a kitchen knife, he approached Sha Zhu step by step, with a cruel light flashing in his eyes.

Sha Zhu tried his best to run forward, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not escape Jia Zhang's pursuit.

I felt as if I was bound by an invisible force and couldn't break free.

Just when he was about to despair, a kitchen knife suddenly flew out from under the pillow and turned into a golden light that shot straight towards Jia Zhang.

However, all this is just Sha Zhu's fantasy.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself still lying in bed.

The hatchet was still lying quietly under the pillow, but Jia Zhang had disappeared without a trace.

Sha Zhu let out a long sigh, but his heart still couldn't calm down.

He knew that this nightmare would not end.

We must find a way to completely get rid of this shadow.

So he lay down on the bed again and tried to let himself fall into a deep sleep.

However, every time he was about to fall asleep, the nightmare would come back again.

In his dream, Jia Zhang followed him like a shadow, leaving him nowhere to escape.

Just like that, the night passed.

When the first ray of sunlight shone into the room through the window, Sha Zhu finally woke up from his nightmare.

I felt exhausted both physically and mentally, as if I had just gone through a long battle.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up.

Only then did he realize that the dark circles under his eyes had become as dark as a panda's.

He smiled bitterly and sighed in his heart: "It seems that I will suffer from insomnia again tonight."

However, just as he was about to get out of bed and wash up, he heard the neighbors' discussions outside the door.

They gathered at the door, pointing at Sha Zhu's dark circles under his eyes and talking about him.

"Hey, what happened to Shazhu? How did you become a panda eye overnight?"

"Yeah, the dark circles under his eyes are too deep! Did he sneak out to play cards last night?"

"Haha, looking at his appearance, he must have had a nightmare last night!"

When Sha Zhu heard these discussions, he couldn't help but feel angry.

The neighbors were all laughing at him.

However, he had no way to refute it. After all, he did become like this because of the nightmare.

I shook my head helplessly and decided to ignore the gossip.

Walking to the mirror and looking at his haggard face, he swore to himself, "I must find that mysterious man Fade Chen and let him tell me how to get rid of this nightmare!"

At this moment, Sha Zhu was curled up on a simple wooden bed, with cold sweat pouring down his forehead and his fists clenched, as if he was experiencing a nightmare from which he could not escape.

"No! Don't come over here!" Sha Zhu screamed in his dream, his eyes were closed, his brows were furrowed, and the muscles on his face were twisted and deformed with fear.

My breathing became rapid and heavy, like a volcano about to erupt.

In his dream, he saw the crimes he had committed - those people he had hurt, those families who had suffered because of him, they turned into evil spirits and demanded his life.

His face was distorted and hideous, his eyes were bloodshot, and he stretched out his dry arms and grabbed at him.

He had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and could only watch himself being swallowed by endless darkness.

"Ah!" Sha Zhu suddenly woke up from his dream. He sat up abruptly, gasping for breath.

His chest heaved violently, as if he had just experienced a life-and-death struggle.

His hands were still clenched into fists, his nails dug deep into his palms, and blood slowly flowed out from between his fingers.

"Having a nightmare again?" Qin Huairu's voice sounded in her ears.

He patted Shazhu's shoulder gently, trying to calm his nervous mood.

Qin Huairu is Sha Zhu's neighbor and also his confidante.

She has a gentle and kind personality, and always gives care and help to Shazhu when he needs it most.

Sha Zhu raised his head, looked at Qin Huairu's concerned eyes, forced a smile, shook his head and said, "It's okay, it's just a nightmare."

"You've been having nightmares recently. Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to go to the hospital?" Qin Huairu asked with concern.

She looked at Sha Zhu's pale face and haggard expression, and couldn't help feeling worried.

Sha Zhu shook his head and refused: "I'm fine, I'm just a little tired from work recently, plus I have a cold, so I can't sleep well at night. I'll be fine after a few days of rest."

Qin Huairu knew that Sha Zhu had a stubborn personality and once he made a decision, it would be difficult to change it.

He sighed helplessly and said, "Then you should have a good rest tonight and stop thinking about it."

Sha Zhu nodded, lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

I tried to relax, but those horrible dreams kept resurfacing in my mind.

I can't go on like this, or sooner or later I'll be driven crazy by these nightmares.

At this moment, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door.

When Sha Zhu opened his eyes, he saw Chen Fei walking in with a gloating look on his face.

He is Sha Zhu's mortal enemy and always likes to find faults and provoke Sha Zhu.

Seeing Sha Zhu's haggard face, he couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Hey, isn't this our big brother Sha Zhu? Why are you so listless today? Did you have another shameful dream last night?"

Sha Zhu glared at Fade Chen and said angrily, "Stop gloating over my misfortune! I'm telling you, I won't have nightmares tonight!"

Chen Fei curled his lips in disdain and said, "Oh, you are quite arrogant! What if you have a nightmare again tonight? How about we make a bet? If you have a nightmare again, how about you treat us all to a big meal?"

Sha Zhu was angered by Chen Fei's words. He sat up suddenly and glared at Chen Fei and said, "Okay! I'll make this bet with you! If I have a nightmare again tonight, I'll treat you all to a big dinner! But what if you lose?"

Fade Chen was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud, "Hahaha! How could I lose? But since you said so, I'll play with you! If I lose, you can do whatever you want to me!"

Sha Zhu nodded and swore secretly in his heart: I must defeat this nightmare tonight!

I lay on the bed, closed my eyes, and began to adjust my breathing and mentality.

Tell yourself to relax, be calm, be strong...

As the night deepened, the lights in the courtyard gradually went out.

Shazhu tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Chen Fei's words and that horrible nightmare kept echoing in his mind.

We cannot let these nightmares defeat us, otherwise we will never be able to get rid of this shadow.

Just then, a gentle breeze blew in from the window, brushing across Sha Zhu's cheek, taking away the sweat and fatigue on his face, as well as the fear and uneasiness in his heart.

"Hu——" Sha Zhu let out a long breath, as if he had unloaded all his burdens and baggage.

He closed his eyes and began to focus on his breathing and heartbeat, feeling every subtle change in his body.

Gradually, Sha Zhu's breathing became slow and deep, and his heartbeat slowly returned to normal.

I feel as if my body is wrapped in a warm force, comfortable and at ease.

After an unknown amount of time, Sha Zhu finally fell into a deep sleep.

This time, he did not have a nightmare, but dreamed of a beautiful scene.

He stood in a vast field, with the sun shining, birds singing and flowers blooming; he saw his family and friends, all of whom were smiling and waving to him; he also saw the person who had once hurt him, who was now apologizing and confessing to him.

In his dream, Sha Zhu smiled for the first time in a long time, and his mood became happy and relaxed...