Chapter 11: Growing Flowers with Human Blood
At first I thought that Master Zhou said that for Zhang Xiaoxue, but now it seems that is not the case. She should be more concerned about Yinyan, who is alone. Yinyan said that her family is from another place. In fact, her parents went to work in other places and settled there. However, within two years, her mother died and her father passed away.
My head is a mess.
I walked back. It was past two in the afternoon. I sat by the river, looking at the water, and finally called Yinyan.
"I want to see you."
Yinyan drove to the river and sat next to me.
"You look quite unhappy."
"Master Zhou is looking for me."
Yinyan took a long time to speak.
"You'll know this sooner or later. Zhang Xiaoxue and I are both her granddaughters, but she doesn't like me. She's been like this since we were little. After my mother died and my father went abroad, I haven't heard from him since. She dislikes me even more. I can feel it."
"Don't say that. The pain in your palm is all caused by your flesh."
At this moment, I no longer had the idea of not wanting to be with Yinyan. After Master Zhou told me that Yinyan's mother had died and her father had gone abroad and there was no news of him, I changed my mind. I hugged Yinyan in my arms and she cried.
At work, I made tea for Yinyan and placed it on the operating table No. 9. Yinyan had not come yet. I sat there looking at the stove inside the glass, life and death turned to ashes, and had a lot of thoughts every day.
The director of the department came over, followed by the director of the field.
"Mingzhe, I want to tell you something."
The director of the department and the director of the field walked out again and entered the director's office.
"Mingzhe, sit down!"
I sat down, the director threw a cigarette to me, I lit it, and the head of the department said.
"I'll transfer your job."
I was stunned.
"Why? I've been a disciple for three years, and I still haven't..."
"You don't need to say anything. Work requires you to be transferred to the office to write materials."
I don't understand, what does this mean?
"I think I'd better be a refiner. I like this kind of work."
"This is a work assignment. The person who wrote the documents in the office has been transferred. We looked into it and you're the most suitable person. "
"My master..."
“We’ll do the work.”
"I personally disagree."
I got up and walked back to the workbench, where the master was already sitting.
"master……"
"I get it. It's good. This isn't a good place. Everyone wants to be in the office."
"I'm not going."
"Don't be silly, opportunities like this are rare."
I didn't say anything. After finishing work in the afternoon, I went to see the manager.
"Master, I don't agree."
"Mingzhe, I know. Actually, there's another reason for transferring you out."
"I know, but I like this job."
The director shook his head.
I walked out the door and the driver's car stopped at the door, so I got in.
"It's good that we don't work together."
"It has nothing to do with this. My father is a refiner, so that's why I came here."
The master looked at me and said nothing.
We went to see my mother, and when she saw Yinyan, she still didn't talk to her. I thought, I'm afraid this job won't work.
We came out that day, Yinyan said.
"It seems your mother..."
"Master, let's not talk about this anymore, let's go watch a movie."
I don't want to go back to that home. Ever since I can remember, that home has always felt cold. Only my father gave me warmth, but every time my father gave me this warmth, my mother would immediately lower it to freezing point.
The movie was boring, so I went out and sat by the river.
"Master, what are your plans for the next step?"
"I have no idea."
Yinyan rested his chin on the lacquer cover and looked at the river.
It was a very cold National Day holiday. After dinner, we both went home. I thought it must be just as cold at Master’s house.
I didn't plan to go out and just wanted to stay at home. Yinyan never told me the reason for her disappearance, which left me puzzled. Her two disappearances seemed like a terrible thing was about to happen.
Zhang Xiaoxue asked me to go online and she added me on QQ.
"Mingzhe, Yinyan is really not suitable for you, not because of the disappearance."
"What's going on with the disappearance? I think you know."
"My grandmother and I don't know."
"Then why do you say it's not suitable?"
"It's not suitable anyway."
Zhang Xiaoxue never said why she was not suitable, and I don’t know why.
This makes me very upset. Now it has become a complete mystery that cannot be solved. If Yinyan doesn't tell me, there is nothing I can do.
I go to work every day and have Sundays and Saturdays off.
In the office, there was a woman in her forties sitting opposite my desk, and the director's office was next door.
This woman, who is in her forties, doesn't talk much. She always likes to play with the flower in the window sill. I don't know what the flower is called, but it blooms blood red, which looks a bit creepy. I have never seen such a red flower.
The woman's name is Mao Xiaoli.
I am delivering materials to the director, the director said.
"Don't get too close to Mao Xiaoli."
I didn't ask why. My master told me that it is meaningless to always ask why. If people are willing to tell you, they will tell you.
I went back and sat down, and I saw Mao Xiaoli holding a bottle with something red in it, pouring it into the flowerpot little by little. When she saw me, she immediately stuffed the bottle into the cabinet and locked it.
"Why didn't you make any noise when you came in?"
"Yes, you are so focused."
I was terrified. What was that thing? They were afraid I'd see it? Blood? I nearly jumped out of my skin. This strange thought was driving me crazy.
I called Yinyan after get off work and asked her out for dinner.
Yinyan came to pick me up. I got in the car and Zhang Xiaoxue came out with a strange look in her eyes.
"What do you want to eat tonight?"
"Let's eat the pot."
Yinyan and I were eating hotpot, and I mentioned Mao Xiaoli. She looked at me and said.
"I forgot to tell you, stay away from Mao Xiaoli."
Yinyan actually said so.
"Why?"
"You just went there and didn't pay any attention to this matter. She always wears white every Wednesday and Friday, no matter spring, summer, autumn or winter, just like she is in mourning."
I shuddered. This guy is really weird.
"Her flowers..."
"Stop it, don't mention it, just pretend you didn't see anything."
Yinyan didn't let me mention it, which made me even more nervous.
I really can't understand this Mao Xiaoli. Facing such a person every day really makes people lose their sense of rhythm.
I sat in the office, across from Mao Xiaoli, who was reading a book, bound in leather, so I couldn't tell what it was, but she was very focused. I was writing the materials for the crematorium—there wasn't much, and nothing particularly important.
Suddenly, Mao Xiaoli said.
"Your master Yinyan is not a very good person. I advise you to stay away from her."
Mao Xiaoli was talking without any expression, and didn't even make any movements. She suddenly blurted out these words, which scared me. I stared at her for a long time. I thought she had something else to say, but no, nothing, as if the words just now were not said by her.
So many people are talking about Yinyan, even Yinyan's grandmother and Zhang Xiaoxue. It's really strange. I have never understood what they mean. Yinyan doesn't explain or say the reason for her disappearance. Anyway, everything has become a mystery.
"Sister Mao, what's the red thing in your bottle?"
Mao Xiaoli took a long time to react.
"Mind your own business and don't ask too many questions, especially here. Your master should have taught you that."
It was cold, really cold, but the red in the bottle made me feel uneasy and scared.
Yinyan came in. It was her shift today. When she came in, it was almost one o'clock and the work was obviously finished.
"Sister Mao, Mingzhe and I have something to do outside."
Mao Xiaoli didn't say anything, didn't even look at us. I packed up and got in the car. While Yinyan and I were having dinner, I asked about the disappearance again. I really wanted to know. It was like a knife, cutting me one by one, making me extremely uncomfortable.
Yinyan thought for a long time, with a cold and confused look in her eyes.
"Mingzhe, since you want to know, I'll tell you. Follow me to the crematorium tonight."
After we finished our meal, I went home, but my mother still hadn't come back. I was looking forward to her coming back every day, but today I knew that my mother would not come back. She left me behind, and I grew up. In fact, she had been insisting on waiting for me to grow up, and now I have really grown up.
It was dark and Yinyan was already downstairs, so I went downstairs and got in the car.
"Master, is it okay if we don't go to the crematorium?"
"That's the problem. If I don't go, I can't explain it clearly."
I had no choice but to go. Going to the crematorium after dark always makes me feel uneasy and puts me under greater pressure.
The car stopped at the entrance of the crematorium, with only the dim lights of the guards on.
When we got off the car, Uncle Zheng had already opened the door and never said a word.
Yinyan and I went in, and she walked to the back of the building. After the crematorium was rebuilt, there was a two-story building behind the building that had never been demolished. It was a red brick house built in the 1960s, but it was covered with ivy, covering the entire building. Only a few small windows were exposed, which looked scary.
"Master, didn't you tell me not to come here?"
The small building was surrounded by wormwood, and it was obvious that no one had ever come here.
"It has to come now."
The master was walking in front, and the wormwood was up to his waist.
I've never been here before and never thought about coming here before. My legs are shaking.
The master didn't say anything and walked slowly. The small building had only one doorway, which was almost completely blocked by ivy. The master reached out and pushed aside the ivy and went in.
I followed him in, and the technician turned on his flashlight. The old building was so dilapidated that it looked like it could collapse at any moment. Despite this, every door was locked, with visible locks, and every window in every room was intact, some even had curtains drawn.
The master went up to the second floor and stood in the corridors on both sides for a while and said.
" Remember, there may be some strange things, but don't talk or move anything."
I didn't say anything. The master walked west and when she reached the end of the corridor, she actually took out a key.
"Master, what room is this?"
"It was originally an office, and later became a morgue."
Is this a morgue? It's on the second floor, and it's not convenient to transport the bodies. I don't understand.
The master opened the door and pushed it open. There were two large coffins inside. I screamed and the master glared at me.
Both coffins were painted black and were mottled. They were obviously old coffins. It was surprising that there were coffins placed here.
"Why is there a coffin?"
"I don't know either, but they've always been here. No one has ever entered this room. It's been sealed for decades."
I looked at my master, wondering why she had brought me here. I was puzzled. Could this be the reason for her disappearance? She had been missing for thirteen days. It was really strange.
