Chapter 33: The Empty Door in the Morgue
Although the face painting that Mao Xiaoli gave me was broken into pieces, leaving only a piece of white paper, I still remember that face looked like one of my classmates, absolutely, I can even say that with certainty.
This classmate is my high school classmate. She is a very beautiful girl, Shao Yu. This girl always makes people feel arrogant. She rarely talks to others and is also very good at studying.
I kept my distance from Shao Yu, always standing aside and looking at her from a distance. Her beauty was irresistible. If she smiled at me, I would be soft. However, she never smiled at anyone, that was a fact.
I really don't know much about Shao Yu. During the three years of high school, we never spoke a word to each other, nor did I ever see her smile.
In the end, Shao Yu could have gone to the best university, but she went to Xiamen University, which surprised everyone. It was the most beautiful campus. Perhaps, since she was so beautiful, she should go there.
Regardless, I never saw Shao Yu again, nor did I hear anything about her. Maybe I'd see her at a class reunion. However, I was already outside the circle. They all knew I was a refiner, but they never said "refiner" because they thought it was too elegant. They only wanted to say that someone burned someone to death, and they didn't even want to mention it.
At that time, I thought that when you die, I will burn you with my own hands. In the end, you will still need me. It’s a bit of a perverted mentality. Staying in the crematorium will cause some psychological problems.
Unexpectedly, what I said came true.
The blue snow is really blue, dancing in the air like a soul.
I went into the office, changed my clothes, sat there, and lit a cigarette. Mao Xiaoli came in and scared me. She was dressed in mourning white. I knew that today was Wednesday.
"Xiao Ke, your classmates are looking for you and thought you were in the office. Also, think about that matter."
I know what she said.
My classmates came in, three of them. I was stunned for a moment. They actually came together, three male classmates.
"you……"
"Ke Zuo, Liu Gang is dead."
I was stunned. Liu Gang? I got it. Liu Gang, the dark-skinned guy who played basketball all day long.
"How did he die?"
"I bought a lottery ticket and won tens of thousands of dollars. I treated you to a drink, but you drank too much and got hit by a car."
I closed my eyes. Even at the crematorium I already knew that there is no age barrier in the underworld.
"I'll take care of this. When will the person be sent over?"
"Sending it here now!"
I called Yinyan. I need someone here.
"Swallow, come to my office for a moment."
There is a director at the operating table, but he can only take over for a while.
The swallows came over.
"Yanzi, one of my classmates died and will be sent over soon. You arrange for a private room and find a good makeup artist. I'll take care of everything else."
Yan Zi took these people out.
I didn't find this strange, perhaps because I'd met too many people younger than my classmates. Furthermore, Master Zhou once told me that death is simply living on in another form, perhaps a happier one. There's no need to grieve. Leaving simply means you've grown tired of life here, had enough, and yearn for another world, a different way of living.
I think Master Zhou is right.
I sent the bodies one by one to the farewell hall, and then to the transmission platform.
Now I hold the dead with no fear, only awe.
I was busy until noon. After changing my clothes, I went to Baihua Hall. I asked Yinyan to arrange my classmate Liu Gang to stay in Baihua Hall because I knew it was empty.
I entered the Baihua Hall, opened the lid of the cabinet, and gently pulled open the white cloth. The makeup was already done, and it looked very good, but I couldn't recognize him. It didn't even evoke any memories of me. Liu Gang had become like this. I couldn't recognize him for a while. After looking at him for a long time, he looked a little familiar. I shook my head and covered him with the white cloth.
"Have a safe trip, buddy."
I walked out and suddenly stopped. There were two doors in front of me. I shuddered and what was about to happen finally happened.
Master Zhou once told me that when there are two doors in front of you, the real door may be the fake one, and the fake one may be real. However, the fake one may just be fake. It is your choice. At this time, look at it yourself and think about it yourself. If you can't understand it or can't think of it, just recognize one door. That is your fate.
I had absolutely no idea that something like this would happen at this moment.
I walked to the corner, sat on a chair, lit a cigarette and started smoking. The two doors were exactly the same, but I knew that the door on the left was a normal door. However, if I did as Master Zhou said, then this normal door might not be normal.
Damn it! They suddenly came up with this trick. They're not going to let me follow Liu Gang and leave, are they? That would be a miserable world.
After finishing a cigarette, I called Yinyan, but I could only ask her to help me, or go find Master Zhou, or her master Li Li.
The strangest thing was that the phone couldn’t be dialed and there was no signal. At this time, I believed it.
We were not allowed to use our phones when we entered the morgue. I don't know what the rules were, as I have never used them before. But today was different. After I changed my clothes, I put my phone in my pocket and prepared to go to Liu Gang's house after the examination.
Master Zhou said that cell phones have no signal in certain places because the dead emit a wave that affects all transmissions within two days of death. I initially didn't believe it, but now I have to believe it. If I can't make calls, what should I do? Wait for death? Obviously, I won't agree. My worst-case scenario is to choose a door and walk in or out.
I don't know why this morgue room is designed like this. There are no windows, only doors.
The flickering electronic candlelight made the air here even more gloomy, which made me start to feel uneasy. I started to sweat and realized that this was truly a moment that decided life and death.
In fact, walking into that door does not necessarily mean death, Master Zhou said, but no one knows what will happen. Only one person has walked in and out, but she has never told anyone what she encountered, what she saw, or what kind of world it was. This person is Li Li, Yinyan's master.
Li Li, who lives in the circle building on Badao Street, doesn't seem to be any different from ordinary people. I also find it a bit strange.
At this moment, I have to decide, no matter what, I have to make a choice. There are too many choices in life, and the choice between life and death is the most uncomfortable for me.
Master Zhou told me that if you don’t choose, then the person outside will come in. He walks in and chooses for you. The door you see from the outside is a door, but the hidden door is a overlapping door. You don’t know which door you will walk into. If you walk in and he doesn’t see you, then you are in another world.
I guess I have to choose for myself.
I decided to go through the normal door. I closed my eyes and walked forward. I counted my steps and knew I had walked through the door, but what would it be like? What would I see?
I opened my eyes, and oh my god, it was everything I was familiar with. As expected, I was excited. I had never been so excited before. I was so excited once when I received the college acceptance letter, and I have never been so excited since then.
At this moment, I found that my clothes were all wet.
I didn't go to Liu Gang's house yesterday because I felt so damn unlucky.
When I got up in the morning, I went to the mourning shed, burned incense and bowed. About twenty classmates were there.
I said a few words of comfort to Liu Gang's parents, which was just courtesy, and then my classmates gathered around me.
"Ke Zuo, you have to help me this time. Give Liu Gang a good ride."
I didn't expect that they had a good relationship with that black guy Liu Gang.
"Of course, when you have this day, I will too."
My words were very exciting, because they never took me with them when they played, and only at this moment were they willing to approach me, as if I was the only angel at this moment, only at this moment.
None of the classmates left, they kept vigil for Liu Gang, and when it got dark we all went to see the horse and the donkey. After we came back we went to eat.
My classmates were all crowded at the same table with me. It seemed that at this moment they were no longer annoyed with me, but hated me.
"Ke Zuo, to be honest, we all have that day. My previous opinion of you..."
"Don't worry, I understand. But if that day ever comes, and I'm still alive, I'll open the first furnace, get a good urn, find the best makeup artist, and even ask Master Jingkong to perform a ritual for your soul-restoration."
I was showing off after drinking some wine, and I had nothing to do, so why did I mention Master Jingkong? Now, they brought it up and asked Master Le Le to perform the ritual to liberate Liu Gang. Damn it, I just said it and they took it seriously.
It was already past ten o'clock when I finished dinner. I had to visit Master Jingkong at night. Tomorrow was the day of the funeral, so I had to leave at five o'clock in the morning. I asked Master Shen to cover for me for a day. Tomorrow was my shift, and I had to make arrangements.
I went to Gol Mountain by myself and there were lights on the mountain.
Master Jingkong has been the abbot of Gaolu Mountain for ten years. I am not familiar with him and have only met him once. Yinyan is familiar with him, but I don’t know if Master Jingkong will give me this face.
I went up the stairs and ran to the house where Master Jingkong lived. I knocked three times on the wooden door and Master Jingkong opened it.
"Master Jingkong, I am Ke Zuo."
Obviously, Master Jingkong did not recognize me.
"Yin Yan's apprentice."
"Oh, what's wrong?"
I told him this and Jingkong shook his head.
"There's something to worry about tomorrow."
After saying that, he closed the door. I thought, this is an excuse.
I called Yinyan, but she was already asleep.
I told her what happened, and Yinyan took a long time to speak.
"What can an ordinary person do for salvation?"
"I blew it out of proportion."
"Okay, wait."
Yinyan's car was parked at the foot of the mountain. I saw it. She came up, glared at me, and knocked on the door. Master Jingkong opened the door and saw that it was Yinyan. He let her in and I followed her in.
Master Jingkong studies scriptures until late at night every day. When Yinyan told him about this, Jingkong thought about it and agreed.
"I'll pick you up at six tomorrow morning."
Master Jingkong nodded and said, "Let's go out."
"Don't agree to this kind of thing again. Ask your classmates to prepare 2,000 yuan for incense offerings."
I nodded, Yinyan drove home, and I drove to Liu Gang's place to keep watch.
