Day 13: Don't Follow the Sound of the Gong

In the drawer was a piece of paper torn from his placement consent form. Three lines of pen writing, with heavy strokes: On your first day, don't follow the sound of the gong. The next day, don't write your name on the paper. On the third day, don't cry. The person who wrote this piece of paper knew what he would encounter and what day he would read it. There are only four words on the back of the paper, the ink is newer than on the front: She has been here. Shen Mo is forty-seven years old and has no family members. The Resettlement Office sent him to Room 301 on a street in the west of the city. His skill is counting: how many lamps there are, how many doors there are, how many steps from here to there. These numbers enter his mind on their own and cannot be stopped. He is not a genius, nor is he famous. He only has one thing - once the rules are set, follow the rules. The street is full during the day and empty at night. Go east all the way to the end and you will return to the original place. There is a temple on the street. On the day of welcoming the gods, the gong sounded and the people carrying the sedan chair passed through the street. There are seven sedan chairs, all empty. After thirteen days, it's the thirteenth day. There are no taboos on the thirteenth day, the only one was added later. He is forty-seven years old and has not cried in three years. So the third one should be the easiest one.