Chapter 7 China's First Female Refiner
I never imagined my son would become a refiner. This was the last thing I wanted, because my wife had never been happy since I became one, and that was the most painful thing for me. So, I never imagined my son would become a refiner. Although I'm dead, I still know that death means existing in another form, able to see everything about my loved ones. Only after I died did I come to believe this: after death, people do exist in another form, or, in other words, live in another way.
I went on to talk about what happened at the crematorium.
I was walking towards the crematorium, and my master rode over and I jumped on him. We didn't say anything.
Go into the office and change clothes, the master said.
"Two new people will be here in a few days . We'll take turns, working one day and resting the next."
This is what I look forward to. I hope not to have to come to work every day. Most people can’t stand it.
The day went smoothly and the work was completed by noon.
When I got home, my father made me some delicious food.
"Today, let's have a drink together ."
Father is very happy today.
"What good news?"
"I'm happy that you're working and stable now."
My father had always been a knot about me going to the crematorium, and it seemed like he had untied it today, which was a good thing. Dad got drunk and started singing. This was the first time I heard him sing; I hadn't heard him sing since Mom passed away.
On this day, I couldn’t tell whether I was happy or sad.
I didn't expect that two more refiners would come, one was a man in his twenties, Yi He, and the other was a woman, which surprised me very much, also in her twenties, Bai Jie.
Master Yunzheng said.
"Take Bai Jie with you. She is your apprentice."
I was stunned. My apprentice? I was even shocked! I actually became the master. Isn't that ridiculous?
Master Yunzheng called me aside and spoke in a low voice.
"If you are a master, you should act like one . You can do anything now."
My heart was pounding. Could it work? I had become a master without realizing it, and Bai Jie actually treated me like one, calling me "Master, Master." Yi He followed her, but we didn't form a master-disciple relationship, nor did we sign a master-disciple contract. I didn't know why, but my master was sometimes quite eccentric, so I didn't dare ask too many questions.
I was working alone with Bai Jie. Master and Yi He were in another shift, so we couldn't see them going to and from get off work.
The master asked me to go home and asked us to come to work tomorrow.
The weather was still very cold, so I went there early and sat in the office, drinking hot water. Bai Jie came in, covering herself so tightly that only her eyes were left exposed.
"Those are your clothes. Change here. I'm going to go out."
I didn't expect that a female refiner would come, so I went to the director's office.
"Manager, it's not very convenient to get Bai Jie a dressing room or something."
"It depends on the conditions. We'll just have to make do with it for now. It's conditional."
Indeed, the crematorium had only been established for two days and everything looked so shabby.
I sat down and drank some water, the manager said.
"Don't miss your chance."
I looked at the director and realized what he meant. It was then that I understood my master's intentions. Finding a partner while working at a crematorium was a real challenge. Anyone who saw someone like me was intimidated.
"Why would a little girl like Bai Jie come here? And as a refiner, you can do something else, right?"
"You'll slowly learn about it yourself."
I came out of the director's office and entered Bai Jie's office. I had changed my clothes, which were a little big.
"Master, what should I do today?"
"go home."
"What? Am I unqualified?"
I don’t know either, but that’s what the master did.
"No, this is a work arrangement."
Bai Jie stared at me for a long time. I got up and went to the crematorium. I was alone there and felt dazed.
Lighting the stove, hugging the corpse, I gradually got used to it, and it seemed like nothing happened.
I lit a cigarette and looked at the stove. Actually, there was nothing to be afraid of.
I was busy until after two in the afternoon. I went back to the office and sat down, feeling very tired. I didn't eat lunch. We ate in the crematorium when we were busy buying food. At first, I couldn't eat anything at all, but gradually I got used to it. The master seemed to be eating like he was at home, and sometimes he would even have a few bites.
After I changed my clothes and came out, I saw Bai Jie standing outside.
"Have you been standing here all this time?"
"Master, I just want to ask why you let me go home. I am unwilling to do so."
Bai Jie was shivering with cold.
"You're a little silly."
I took off my cotton coat and put it on Bai Jie. We walked out of the crematorium, walked onto the main road, found a restaurant and went in. It was very warm inside.
We ordered two dishes and I asked for white wine.
"Master, why?"
"This is to allow you to adapt slowly. If you enter the crematorium all of a sudden, you won't be able to bear it."
"So, I thought you didn't like this apprentice."
I wanted to ask Bai Jie why she came here, but I didn’t. Everyone has a reason, and I have mine too.
Bai Jie is very white and pretty.
That day, after dinner, I sent her home and then went home.
Master Qu Zheng and the director had an argument. I heard this from someone in the urn storage room after work. No one knows the reason.
After Bai Jie changed her clothes, I asked her to go home, but she just stood there motionless.
"I'll go with you."
"No, you'll be scared."
"No, I'm not afraid."
Bai Jie insisted, "I thought it was nothing. Sooner or later, we'll have to get through this stage." I took Bai Jie into the crematorium. It was dark, and the dim lights made the four furnaces look eerie.
"There are four stoves in total. Today, four people are working on it. It takes nearly two hours for each person to do it. If we light two stoves, we can finish it by noon."
I lit the stove and Bai Jie actually helped me. When I first came in, I leaned against the wall to play. The master said that the wall was not very strong. I don’t know if it was a joke or true, but I don’t think it’s funny.
The stove was lit and I sat aside and lit a cigarette.
"Master, what are we going to do next?"
"Go to the morgue and pick up the body."
Bai Jie stared at me and asked me for a long time.
"Is it scary?"
"I don't know. If you're scared, just leave here. I can do it myself."
"I'm not afraid."
"You wait here."
I entered the morgue, carried a dead body to the car and pushed it in. Bai Jie leaned against the wall and looked at me. She was scared. I saw beads of sweat on her forehead.
"It's okay. The dead won't scold you or hit you."
The master talked to me.
I gently pulled the shroud open and was shocked myself. She must have drowned. Bai Jie screamed and disappeared in a flash. Bai Jie's cold cry scared me so much that I broke out in a cold sweat.
By noon, everything was done and I returned to the office. Bai Jie was sitting there, looking listless.
"Master, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I didn't take good care of you."
"No, Master, can you see if I have a fever?"
I hesitated for a moment and went over to touch Bai Jie's forehead.
"You can't touch it, head to head. My mother is always like this."
I thought this girl was quite busy, so I put my forehead against hers. It was the first time I was so close to a girl.
"You have a fever. I'll take you home."
I sent Bai Jie home. She lived in Room 8, but I didn't go in.
Bai Jie was really sick and didn't come to work. I was busy all day and didn't finish until after two in the afternoon. I went to see Bai Jie, knocked on the black door, and her mother came out.
"I am Bai Jie's master, Ke Zuo."
"Master Ke, come in quickly, come in quickly."
When I went in, I found the house was very tidy, with two rooms.
"Xiaojie is in that room."
I was brought in. Bai Jie was lying on the kang. When she saw me come in, she got up.
"You lie down."
I put aside the things I brought.
"Master, I'm sorry, I'm sick."
"It's okay, I came to see you, are you scared?"
"Um."
Bai Jie was about to cry.
"Don't cry, it's okay, you'll get used to it."
I didn't see Bai Jie's father that day, maybe he was still at get off work.
That day, when I came home from Bai Jie's house, the master was actually in my house, chatting with my father.
"Master, you're here?"
"I have something to talk to you about."
My master and I went out.
"Ke Zuo, you have to seize the opportunity of Bai Jie. There aren't many such opportunities. Also, remember, don't let Bai Jie carry the body."
"Why?"
"No reason, just listen."
The master left after he finished speaking, and I stood there in a daze, not understanding what he meant. Of course, I understood the first part, but not the second part.
Bai Jie came to work on the 8th and had lost a lot of weight.
"You can stay here today. You don't have to go to the crematorium."
"No."
Bai Jie was stubborn and she followed me to the crematorium.
"Just help me light the stove."
I thought about what Master had said about not letting her hold the body. There must be a reason for that, but I didn't know what it was.
I put the body on the shelf, pushed it in, and stood at the small entrance, watching.
Suddenly, I felt someone pulling my clothes. I turned around and saw Bai Jie standing by, watching nervously. It wasn't her who pulled me, my hair stood up.
"Bai Jie, go back to the office."
Bai Jie left without saying a word. She was really too nervous.
As soon as Bai Jie left, I was stunned. I didn't see who was pulling the corner of my clothes.
Just as today's work was about to end, the corner of my clothes was pulled again. Obviously, I was not wrong, it was real.
I hurried out of the crematorium, changed my clothes, and went into the office.
"Bai Jie, go home!"
I hurried out of the crematorium and ran to my master's house.
The master is drinking at home.
"Sit down and have a drink together."
I was drinking with my master, and I told him about someone pulling the corner of my clothes. The master looked at me for a long time and said.
"It's okay. We'll encounter this kind of thing again in the future. Strange things always happen here."
"Who said that?"
"Don't ask so many questions, just pretend it didn't happen."
When it doesn't happen? Is that scary? I'm scared.
"It's okay. You won't be scared after a while . It's a habit. Everything is a habit."
The master actually told me to get used to it, but I can’t get used to it. If someone pulls the corner of your clothes and you can’t see the person, how can you get used to it?
I was also dazed when I drank that day, and the master didn't tell me anything more. In fact, I also knew that the master would not tell me too much at least for now, and everything had to be done slowly.
That day I went home, chatted with my father for a while, and then went to bed.
