Chapter 56: Soul Pendant
I don’t know what will happen to Liu Xiaojing in the Cold Corpse City.
Zheng Qing suddenly called me and asked who gave me the blue pendant I was wearing. I said it was Liu Xiaojing, but the other end fell silent, and the phone didn't hang up. I hung up. Perhaps this soul pendant wasn't a good thing for Zheng Qing. However, I didn't know what it was, and now I had to wait for Liu Xiaojing to come back.
Sitting in the refining room, Zhao Tie was working and I was in a daze, thinking about what happened with Liu Xiaojing. It all felt a little weird. Why was this happening?
Hao Fei's father called and asked me to go to his house in the evening, saying that he had something to do.
After work, I went to Hao Fei's house, where a relative of mine once lived. Whenever I came here, I felt like I could smell Hao Fei's breath, which made me feel like I was back in my childhood.
Hao Fei's father gave me Hao Fei's diary. It was a black-covered diary with a combination lock, but Hao Fei's father didn't know the combination.
I took the diary home and my father had already prepared dinner and was waiting for me.
I put the diary back in the bedroom and ate and drank with my father. My father always took care of me so carefully. He never talked about finding another wife. I mentioned it before when I was so old, but my father was unhappy, so I never mentioned it again.
At night I studied the code, but couldn't find it, so I put the date under my pillow.
The next day at work, Liu Xiaojing still hadn't come back. This was already the third day. I was worried and went to Zheng Qing's place. Zheng Qing didn't come to work and had asked for leave. I felt that this was not a good thing. Zheng Qing might have gone to the Cold Corpse City. Liu Xiaojing was too important to him, even more important than his own life. I also found this a bit strange.
Six people were burned today, and Zhao Tie did it all by himself. I sat on the side watching and smoking, feeling uneasy. Liu Xiaojing said she would come back in three days, but she didn't. Could something really have happened?
I don’t know how this day came to pass.
When I got to work again, the manager called me to his office and poured me a glass of water and said.
"You take a rest today. Your master Yun Zheng will take your place."
I was stunned. What does this mean?
"I'm fine."
"I'll give you a day off. You seem quite tired from work."
This was an excuse. Something must have happened. I nodded, went out, and went to the office. Master Yun Zheng had already changed his clothes.
"Master, what's going on?"
Master Yunzheng sat down, lit a cigarette, looked at me and said.
"It's okay, go home."
"Master, you can't hide this from me too, right?"
Master Yunzheng kept his head down and didn't say anything, just kept smoking.
"Have you met Liu Xiaojing's family?"
"Isn't she alone?"
"No, her family brought her here yesterday."
This confuses me. What does the master mean?
"Liu Xiaojing is dead."
I almost fell to the ground. How could this be possible? Liu Xiaojing is an orphan, everyone knows it. How could this be possible?
My mind was completely confused. Liu Xiaojing came back, but she came back dead.
"I'm going to take a look."
Master Yun Zheng took me into the morgue, opened the freezer, and lifted the shroud. Liu Xiaojing was lying there with her eyes closed. She was indeed dead. My head expanded and my brain went blank. I couldn't process what was happening at all.
The master pulled me out.
"It will burn in a moment."
"Why don't you keep the corpse for three days?"
"That's a family matter. They have their own rules. I don't know Liu Xiaojing's family well."
I find Liu Xiaojing's family strange.
"Master, don't burn it yet. I'm going to Liu Xiaojing's house."
"No need, Liu Xiaojing's family will be here soon, just wait here."
Master Yunzheng left, and I was waiting here. It was almost seven o'clock when Liu Xiaojing's family arrived. Walking in front was an old man and an old woman with silver hair, both of them were supported by others.
"Are they Liu Xiaojing's parents?"
Liu Xiaojing's parents didn't say anything, but a man spoke.
"I'm his brother, tell me what's going on!"
I called Liu Xiaojing's brother to the office.
"How did Liu Xiaojing die?"
"Who are you……"
"I'm her colleague."
"Alas, she was fine, she slept for a while, and then died. When we called her to work in the morning, we found she was dead. The doctor came and examined her, but they couldn't find the cause. She was dead anyway."
"Why not wait three days?"
"Alas, Xiaojing is not married. We have a rule that if an unmarried person dies, he or she will be cremated the next day."
"How could she die?"
Liu Xiaojing's brother left, and I sat down on the chair. I didn't believe it.
Zheng Qing came in, slapped me in the face and left, which made me feel very depressed.
I went into the refining room and my master was at home.
"Master, let me cook it!"
Master Yunzheng glanced at me and nodded.
Liu Xiaojing's body was wheeled in, and the cloth was pulled aside. Looking at the seemingly asleep Liu Xiaojing, I was completely baffled. Liu Xiaojing died in her sleep at home. She should have been in Cold Corpse City. She lived in Mansion No. 8, her own place. How could she be with her parents? Liu Xiaojing was an orphan, and her parents, siblings, showed up at this time. I couldn't understand why this happened.
Liu Xiaojing's body was pushed in and I turned around.
"Okay, I'll do it next."
The master pushed me out. I stared blankly at the chimney outside, smoke coming out. Suddenly, the blue pendant I was wearing rang, like the sound of a flute. It was the voice of the soul. I knew that the master had told me that sometimes when you hear this kind of voice of the soul, don't speak.
That was the voice of Liu Xiaojing's soul. This pendant was a soul pendant. It was Liu Xiaojing's soul. When she gave it to me, I should have thought that she would die, but I didn't.
Liu Xiaojing's ashes are stored in the columbarium. I don't dare to visit her because I'm afraid.
A week later, I went to Liu Xiaojing's home. Her parents were at home. The photo hanging on the wall of Liu Xiaojing's bedroom was covered with a black cloth, but it was not taken down. I lifted the black cloth and took a look. It was an artistic photo, and Liu Xiaojing was smiling sweetly.
When I asked about the No. 8 Mansion where Liu Xiaojing lived, Liu Xiaojing's parents were stunned.
"No, Xiaojing has always lived at home. There is no such thing as Mansion No. 8."
I was also stunned. Liu Xiaojing lived in No. 8 Mansion, and I had even been there once. How could they not know? Maybe Liu Xiaojing hadn't told them. But they said Liu Xiaojing went home every day, which made me feel a little strange. Was Liu Xiaojing lying? She said she was an orphan, but ...
I went to No. 8 Mansion. I knew that Liu Xiaojing had a key under the door mat. I took out the key and opened the door. The curtains in the room were drawn and translucent. These curtains had never been opened before. Liu Xiaojing said that she liked staying in this semi-bright and semi-dark place.
Hanging on the wall was a half-length portrait of Liu Xiaojing. When I looked at it, I suddenly realized something was wrong. There was a mole on Liu Xiaojing's face, just to the right of the corner of her mouth. I had seen it at Liu Xiaojing's parents' house, but there was no mole there. I started sweating .
But the strangest thing is that Liu Xiaojing works as a makeup artist at a crematorium. Everyone knows this, including her parents, but...
I was a little confused and sat down on the sofa. The blue pendant rang again. It was the voice of the soul. I didn't know what Liu Xiaojing wanted to say to me.
I felt something was wrong, so I went to Master Yunzheng's house. Master Yunzheng was drinking. I sat down, poured myself a glass of wine, and drank it in one gulp. I was scared, more scared than I had ever been before.
"Master, do you find Liu Xiaojing a little strange?"
"What?"
The master was stunned for a moment and looked at me.
"I suspect this deceased Liu Xiaojing is not the Liu Xiaojing who worked as a makeup artist at our crematorium."
The master looked at me blankly for a long time before speaking.
"Do you have a fever?"
"I'm telling the truth."
I told the master about the photos I saw at Liu Xiaojing's parents' home and the photos I saw at No. 8 Mansion, and the master stared at me.
"Are you sure?"
"We can go over and take a look after get off work tomorrow."
I told my master all my doubts, and he broke out in a sweat. He simply didn't believe it was true.
"Impossible, it must be Liu Xiaojing, because her parents took her belongings from the crematorium."
“That’s the weirdest part.”
The master called the director and asked him to come for a drink. When the director came, the master asked about Liu Xiaojing.
"That's right. Liu Xiao's parents took some of the relics and some of the subsidy money from here. What do you mean?"
The master did not tell the manager about his suspicions about Liu Xiaojing.
The next day, my master and I went to Liu Xiaojing's home and Mansion No. 8. My master confirmed that there was a problem and the Liu Xiaojing who was burned might not be Liu Xiaojing.
So what about the real Liu Xiaojing in the crematorium? Is she still in the Cold Corpse City and hasn't returned yet?
Master, I don't want to tell anyone about this.
Zheng Qing came when I finished changing clothes after get off work and locked the door.
"If you do it again, I won't be polite."
I remembered the last time Zheng Qing slapped me in the face, which made me very angry.
"I was too impulsive last time. I'm sorry. Today I'm here to talk to you about Liu Xiaojing. Liu Xiaojing's soul is in the pendant you're wearing. Liu Xiaojing is already dead, but her body is dead. She needs to borrow a body to come back to life."
"I'm a little confused, please don't talk for now."
I sat down and lit a cigarette, my hands shaking.
"Don't be afraid."
"I'm not scared, I just can't figure it out."
Zheng Qing sat aside and waited for me to calm down. After more than ten minutes, I finally felt better.
"You mean borrowing a body? Then there's one thing I've never understood. Was the Liu Xiaojing who was burned the same Liu Xiaojing who worked as a makeup artist?"
"How should I put it? That's also a borrowed body. In reality, when Liu Xiaojing was alive, she was the makeup artist Liu Xiaojing. This Liu Xiaojing really existed, but her soul was driven away. It's the soul of the makeup artist Liu Xiaojing. Unfortunately, this girl died too young, so our Liu Xiaojing has no physical body. She needs to find another one."
I understand. So that's how it is. I didn't expect it to be like this.
"Driving someone's soul out of their body, and then having it taken over by Liu Xiaojing, isn't that a bit immoral?"
"That's Liu Xiaojing's business, it has nothing to do with me."
"Then how come Liu Xiaojing has another place to live?"
"She will separate at night. She is nurturing herself. One day she will have her own body and break away from Liu Xiaojing's body. The only difference between them is the mole."
I understand, Liu Xiaojing really made me feel scared.
I thought of Bai Jie, which made me feel very scary. Liu Xiaojing was looking for a body to borrow, so who could it be? Bai Jie? That would be the best choice.
Liu Xiaojing doesn't allow Bai Jie to contact me, and we can't be a couple, which makes me very unhappy. We still keep in touch, but when it comes to marriage, Bai Jie shuts up. I know that Liu Xiaojing told her that she can't marry me, otherwise she will die.
As for how he died, I don't know, but Liu Xiaojing could say it and could do it. This Liu Xiaojing, whose body was frozen in time, came from another world, and we were once husband and wife in this life. This makes me feel a little too scary.
