At first I thought that Master Zhou said that for Zhang Xiaoxue, but now it seems that it is not the case. She should care more about Yinyan, who is alone. Yinyan said that her family is from another place. In fact, her parents went to work in another place and settled there. However, her mother died and her father left after two years.
My mind 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 unhappy."
"Master Zhou is looking for me."
Yinyan took a long time to speak.
"You will know this sooner or later. Zhang Xiaoxue and I are both her granddaughters, but she doesn't like me. She has been like this since she was a child. After my mother died, my father went abroad and there was no news of him. She disliked me even more. I can feel it."
"Don't say that. Your palms hurt because they are made of 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 operating table No. 9. Yinyan had not come yet. I sat there looking at the stove inside the glass, life and death turning 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? After three years of apprenticeship, I still haven't..."
"You don't have 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 arrangement. The person who writes materials in the office has been transferred. We studied it and found that you are the most suitable one."
"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 see. It's good. This isn't a good place. Everyone wants to get into 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 find the manager.
"Captain, I don't agree."
"Mingzhe, I know. Actually, there is 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 master'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 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. After dinner, we both went home. I thought that the master’s home must be just as cold.
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, opposite my desk was a woman in her forties, 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 on the windowsill. I don't know what the flower is called, but it blooms blood red, which looks a bit creepy. I have never seen a flower blooming so red.
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 you shouldn't always ask why, as it is meaningless. 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.
"How come you came in without making any noise?"
"Yes, you are so focused."
I was terrified. What was that thing? They were afraid I would see it? Blood? I almost jumped up. This strange thought drove 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 attention to this matter. She always wears white every Wednesday and Friday, no matter spring, summer, autumn or winter, just like she is 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 was sitting in the office, and opposite me, Mao Xiaoli was reading a book, wrapped in a leather cover, so I couldn't see what book it was, but she was very focused. I was writing materials, but there wasn't much material for the crematorium, and it wasn't very 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 speaking without any expression, and she didn't even make any movements. She suddenly said this, which scared me. I stared at her for a long time. I thought she would say something else, 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 didn'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?"
It took Mao Xiaoli 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 color in the bottle made me feel uneasy and scared.
Yinyan came in. Today was her shift. 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, and didn't even look at us. I packed up and got in the car. When 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, can we not 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 made me feel uneasy and I felt under greater pressure.
The car stopped in front 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 already covered with ivy, which covered 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 have never been here before and never thought about coming here. 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 the ivy. The master reached out and pushed aside the ivy and went in.
I followed him in, and the master turned on the flashlight. The old-fashioned building was already dilapidated, and it looked like it could collapse at any time. Even so, every door was locked, and the windows of every room were intact, and 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 spoke.
"Remember, there may be some weird 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?"
"This was originally an office, and later became a morgue."
Is this the 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 have always been here. It is said that no one has ever entered this room. It has been sealed for decades."
I looked at the master, wondering why she brought me here. I was wondering, could this be the reason why she disappeared? She disappeared for thirteen days, which was really strange. (To be continued)