Chapter 54: Housing
Zheng Jun and I stood on one side, I on the left and she on the right. This was also what Master Zhao Juan told us. When we put on makeup, I would start on the left and Zheng Jun would start on the right. And it would be like this every time. We couldn't stand in the opposite direction. As for what would happen, Zhao Juan said, this is the rule. If you want to know what will happen, just try it yourself. I don't want to try it, and I don't think Zheng Jun wants to try it either.
We watched as the master was busy, working very quickly and efficiently.
More than two hours later, the man looked the same as in the photo, full of life, as if he had just fallen asleep. Zhao Juan let out a long breath and washed her hands many times in the basin beside her.
Let’s come out, the man said, holding a bag wrapped in white paper.
"Thanks."
Zhao Juan didn't take it, so I took it and handed the bag to her. Zhao Juan opened the bag, threw away the white paper, and divided the money, giving each of them one thousand.
"I don't want it. I don't do any work."
"This money is worth it if you see it."
Zheng Jun and I took it. Zhao Juan said so, so we didn't dare not take it. There are many rules that we don't know about. The masters here all have strange tempers. Zhao Juan's temper is the best here and the most kind, but it cannot be said that she has no temper.
I went back and called Yinyan, but the call went nowhere. I went to her house, but she wasn't there. It was so strange. Where had she gone? One of her arms was broken.
I waited for over two hours, but Yinyan still hadn't returned. I called dozens of times, but couldn't get through. I wondered if she'd gone to the housing office. A cold sweat broke out. Yinyan always had her own ideas about everything. Master Zhou had said she'd been like that since she was a child, never consulting with anyone. That was what Master Zhou disliked about her.
I drove to the crematorium and the gatekeeper said that Yinyan had been there for two hours. I hurried into Yinyan's office, but there was no one there, so she must have gone to the memorial room.
The crematorium was very quiet in the afternoon, with no one else there.
When I came out of the office, I unexpectedly saw mourning white. It was Mao Xiaoli. Today was her day to wear mourning white. Why was she still in the crematorium?
I walked over, she said.
"Follow me into the office."
I followed Mao Xiaoli into the office.
"I knew you would come. Yinyan went to the housing agency, and I'm helping you. You know why. I hope I can get back to work as soon as possible. I'll take you to the housing agency now. I hope nothing will happen."
Mao Xiaoli changed out of her mourning white clothes and wore a whole set of black, so black that I was shocked.
"Don't be surprised. You'll have a set of black clothes in the future. All the old people here have a set. The longer you stay here, the more things will happen and the bigger the trouble will be. So this black suit is necessary, just like a warrior's armor."
I don't know, no one has told me, and I haven't seen anyone wearing it. Mao Xiaoli wearing the black clothes of a dead person makes me feel that something is not good.
When we got to the altar, it was already dark. The door was open, half open. Inside were offerings of fruits, tablets, and tablets for ghosts. Looking at them made me feel uneasy.
Yinyan was not here, but Mao Xiaoli picked up something from the ground and handed it to me.
"It's a head flower, worn by Yinyan."
"It seems that Yinyan has gone in."
"here……"
This altar room is more than one meter high. When things are placed inside, it is only half a meter wide. People have to nest inside once they go in, but there are no silver swallows inside. This is impossible. I was stunned again.
"Follow me for a while, stay close to me, and don't say a word. No matter what you see, I will take you to find Yinyan. If we can't find her, we will get out. Stay with me, don't get lost, and don't plan to stay in there."
I was completely dumbfounded. It was impossible for two people to enter such a small house. Mao Xiaoli was obviously playing with me. Even if I didn't want to cut my skin for you, you wouldn't play with me like this. I'm not a three-year-old child.
Mao Xiaoli saw through my thoughts and ignored me. She bent down and went in. She was so agile that I couldn't even see her anymore. I hesitated for a moment and followed her in. After entering, I stood there motionless. It was a street, a gray street. Everything here was gray and black, no other colors. I looked at my clothes and they had turned gray. I believed that this must be another world, or a world of ghosts, or souls, or some other world. People will go to another world after they die. What kind of world you go to depends on what you did in your previous life. I believed it.
I followed Mao Xiaoli. There were people walking on the street, but no one noticed us. I couldn't tell whether it was day or night here. It was just black and gray.
Mao Xiaoli was walking in front and I followed. She looked around and saw houses, wells, and even carriages. The flowers there were also black or gray.
We hadn't stopped for more than two hours. I was thirsty, so I walked to the well and wanted to drink some water. Mao Xiaoli came over and glared at me. I knew that the water was not drinkable. It seemed that we were not allowed to talk here.
Four hours later, Mao Xiaoli entered a room, closed the door and spoke in a low voice.
"I can't find her. I can't sense Yinyan's location. She must have been lured here by some ghost. This ghost is very powerful, so I can't sense her. We have to go back. If we go back for more than five hours, we will be in trouble."
Mao Xiaoli walked into the room and said while standing in front of a door.
"Follow me."
She opened the room, went in, and came out, and it was the crematorium. I looked back at the altar, my heart was in turmoil. I went to another world, a gray and black world.
"What world is that?"
"The world of ghosts. After people die, some of them go to this world. Remember, from now on, within 24 hours, you cannot eat anything or drink water, otherwise your soul will leave your body."
I wanted to ask something else, but Mao Xiaoli had already left. I went home, sat on the sofa, and turned on the TV. It was already midnight. I felt like I was in a dream. Everything that had just happened was not reality, but just a dream.
I fell asleep and when I woke up it was daylight.
I went to work, changed my clothes, and went into the dressing room. Zheng Jun was already there, but Master Zhao had not arrived yet.
"You didn't sleep well?"
I nodded, not wanting to talk.
I pushed the deceased in on a hearse and carried him to the bed. Then Master Zhao came in and sat down to drink tea.
She always looked at me and not at the work in my hands. I felt it too. Until noon, when she said she wanted to go out for dinner, I knew I couldn't eat. Twenty-four hours hadn't passed until midnight.
"I have something to do."
After I finished speaking, Master Zhao stood up and said.
"Come to my office, Zheng Jun, you go home."
I followed Master Zhao into the office and she locked the door.
"There's a special smell on you. It comes from another place. Where have you been?"
"I just stayed at home."
I don't want to tell Master Zhao.
"I'm an old hand here. I'll retire after I'm done with you. I'm afraid there are some things you can't hide from me."
I thought about it and told her. Zhao Juan looked at the teacup. After I finished speaking, she stood up after a long time and walked to the window to speak.
"Your father was like that too. You and your father are both extremely yin people. Perhaps this is fate. Only people like you who are extremely yin can go to that world. Going to that world to see your relatives is just like seeing your father."
I stood up immediately.
"Can I see my father?"
"Yes, but you have to know which world he went to. There's nothing strange about it. A wizard can do that, pull the Yang into the Yin."
My hands were shaking. Could I see my father? Could I? I didn't know. So, what kind of world had my father gone to? I had no idea.
"Okay, go back. Remember, don't eat or drink."
I was stunned for a moment. It seemed that Zhao Juan understood everything. Maybe she had been to another world.
I walked to the door and opened it, Zhao Juan said.
"Remember, don't go to the other world next time. After all, they are two different worlds. If you can't come back, it will be a troublesome thing."
"There's one thing I haven't told you. Yinyan is over there."
Zhao Juan stared at me for a long time and said.
"Then you have to find Master Zhou. She's her granddaughter. It would be wrong if you didn't tell her about this. Besides, Master Zhou turned out to be a refiner."
I thought about it and left. I went to Master Zhou's house. As soon as I sat down, Zhang Xiaoxue came back and jumped towards me when she saw me.
"Brother Mingzhe."
"Xiaoxue, come in. I want to talk to Mingzhe about something."
I told him what happened, and Master Zhou thought for a long time before speaking.
"This girl has been like this since she was a child, disobedient. Now that she has gone to another world , I don't know what she is going to do?"
"She said her abnormal behavior was because something in the other world was tempting her, so she wanted to go there."
Master Zhou did not say what method he would use to save Yinyan.
"Since she's gone, there's a way for her to come back. You don't have to worry."
"But……"
Master Zhou waved his hand. That day I went home and called Yinyan, but still couldn't get through. I thought, if Yinyan doesn't come back tomorrow night, I will go to the fortress. No matter what, I will find Yinyan.
The next day at work, I told Master Zhao about this. She meant that I shouldn't go, but Yinyan should go instead. But she had her own way. No matter what, don't mess around. There are too many things I don't understand.
After get off work, I didn't leave. I waited until dark. Looking at the location of the memorial room, I found that it was the way to another world. This was something I could never have imagined. Before I came to the crematorium, I had heard that there were wormholes in this world, or passages to another space or world, but ordinary people couldn't find them. I didn't believe it at all, and no one would believe it. But now I have to believe it. It seems that this thing is completely true.
I called Mao Xiaoli.
"Sister Mao, what should we do about Yinyan? I'm worried."
"I'm thinking of a way. There's another way. Instead of paying for the house, I can find Yinyan. And this method is the most direct."
"Then find Yinyan."
"Come to me and I'll tell you."
When I went to Mao Xiaoli's house, there was always a weird atmosphere in her house, perhaps due to psychological reasons.
There was a new painting in Mao Xiaoli's house. I took a look at it and frowned. This painting was the same as the one hanging in the private room of Xilai Hotel. In that painting, I saw a face, and then it disappeared. I stared at the painting.
"Just an ordinary painting."
Mao Xiaoli said something and poured me some tea.
"Through a strange dream, go to another world and find Yin Yan. She can see you and hear you speak, but she doesn't really exist. You have to persuade her to come back. This is the only way."
A strange dream? I don't understand, not at all. Someone knocked on the door, and Mao Xiaoli opened it. It was Sergeant Lin. I was stunned, and he was also stunned when he saw me. He came in and sat down. I thought Mao Xiaoli was looking for Sergeant Lin, the feng shui master who was actually a ghost breeder.
"Sister Mao, what do you want from me?"
When Sergeant Lin asked, Mao Xiaoli told him about Yinyan, and he hesitated for a long time before speaking.
"That can be done, but I have one condition."
Mao Xiaoli stood up and said.
"You still dare to put forward conditions? If you don't live, I can agree to it."
"I'm kidding, but not today. My ghost is out of control. I can't come back until tomorrow."
"Then tomorrow after dark."
Sergeant Lin looked at me, smiled and left. That smile made me feel scared.
I knew that Sergeant Lin used ghosts, so I was worried. Mao Xiaoli said, there is no problem at all, he dare not do anything to you, if he dares, he will die faster than you. Now it seems that no matter life or death, I have to find Yinyan. There has been no news of Yinyan. It seems that she has not come out yet. If this goes on, I am afraid she will never come back. Seven days are left. If she doesn't come back in seven days, she will be stuck between the two worlds forever, neither human nor ghost. That's how she became.
