The Strange Tales of Gu Village Middle School is the second of five strange-tale stories by the author.
Set in the summer of 2004, the story centers on a loosening seal over a dry well beneath the ruins of a Qing-dynasty yamen at Gu Village Middle School.
Three teenagers, Liu Lin, Sun Kun, and Wang Fang, set out to uncover its secrets.
The loosening seal triggers a string of supernatural events: dead birds appear facing the well, strange comics show up in a schoolbag, and a female teacher, Li Juan, suffers a miscarriage after being frightened. The clues point to an old case from twenty years ago, when a teacher named Lin Xiu fell into the well. The three gradually uncover the truth: Uncle Zhang, the caretaker at the time, was too cowardly to save the pregnant Lin Xiu after she fell in. The well was once a “well of vengeful spirits” from the Qing dynasty, and resealing it requires a bloodied bucket of water, a new mother's hair, and a baby's clothes.
In the end, the three gather the items, and Uncle Zhang kneels to confess his remorse. They successfully put the sealing stone back in place. The supernatural events cease, and the three bury a box and promise to reunite every year. Lin Xiu thanks them with brown sugar. The summer of 2004 not only sealed away the evil spirits, but also witnessed three teenagers quietly grow up through courage and redemption.
