It was cold, and it was Friday. Mao Xiaoli came in mourning white, which was too eye-catching, especially in this season. I felt uncomfortable looking at it, but it was quite suitable for the crematorium.
Listening to the wailing and looking at Xiaobai every day, I really feel like I have fallen into a funeral pit.
The director came in, looked at me and told me to go out.
I followed the director out of the crematorium and walked along this path.
"Mingzhe, just feel at ease here. Mao Xiaoli is a little weird, but I don't think she would do anything out of line. Don't think too much about it. Just pretend you didn't see it..."
When I heard what the director said, I felt that it was meaningless and boring to talk about it anymore, but I had an idea.
After dark, I entered the crematorium. Uncle Zheng smiled at me, opened the door, and still didn't say much. When I walked past, I smelled alcohol on him.
I opened the door, entered the office, and saw that the fragrance of the flowers all smelled of blood.
I took out the tools from my bag and opened Mao Xiaoli's cabinet from the back, found the bottle, and poured out a small bottle. After I was done and ready to leave, my cell phone rang. I screamed in fright, "Oh my god! That idiot called me at this time and scared me to death."
"Master, what is it?"
I spoke in a low voice, like a thief.
"Are you a thief?"
"That's right."
"Come out, I missed you."
I was stunned. Go out? What does that mean
When I went out, I saw a new car at the door, so I became careful. Whose was it
Uncle Zheng locked the door and went back into the house without even looking around.
I stood in the dark and wanted to take a look. The car door opened and it turned out to be the master. She brought back the new car.
I went over to get in the car.
"Is the car nice?"
"Come on, what are you doing here?"
"You're following me?"
"Yeah, that's right!"
"I'm not very satisfied."
Yinyan came up and hit me, but I dodged.
Drive out and find a place to eat.
"What did you do?"
"I stole a small bottle of water that Mao Xiaoli used to water the flowers, and asked a friend to do a test to see if it was human blood."
"You are free, right? Why do you care about other people's business? Even if they eat human flesh, it has nothing to do with you."
When the dish came, there was meat in it and I almost vomited, but Yinyan laughed.
"You have a very vivid imagination, which is not good."
"Master, what do you mean?"
"Then do the test."
Yinyan and I drank until midnight.
On Saturday, I rest and Yinyan also rests.
"Go to your mother's place today and talk about the marriage."
"Let's go to the hospital first."
Yinyan was putting on makeup while I sat aside and watched the news.
I wondered, what if it was human blood? I shuddered.
"What are you thinking about?"
Yinyan saw me in the mirror.
"No."
We went to the hospital, and Yinyan asked an acquaintance to do some tests, and the results came out half an hour later.
"There is a nutrient solution in the blood."
"What blood?"
“Human blood.”
My legs trembled. It was really human blood. This was not what I expected. Yinyan looked at the money and came out with the test report.
"Are you happy this time?"
"Why do you always speak in a sarcastic tone?"
"You're taking it upon yourself when it has nothing to do with you."
I stopped talking because it doesn't matter to me, but I feel uncomfortable watching it every day.
We went to my grandma's house and my mother prepared food for her.
"Auntie, what do you think about my marriage with Mingzhe?"
Yinyan is too direct, my mother was stunned for a long time.
"No comments, it's good, it's good."
I could see on my mother’s face that she disagreed.
After dinner, we are leaving, said the mother.
"Xiaozhe, wait a moment, I want to talk to you."
Yinyan went out.
"Xiaozhe, Miss Yinyan is good, but she is also a refiner. If you have children in the future, the children will feel that life is like hell..."
My mother thinks about my future in her own way, but I don't agree with her.
"Mom, if you don't object to this, I think..."
"Okay then! I won't stop you."
My mother was extremely disappointed, her face was distorted. This was like a knife stabbing my heart, and I wavered again.
I came out, got in the car, and lit a cigarette.
"It's okay, it will get better slowly."
Yinyan guessed what her mother would say.
Yinyan drove to her house and cooked and fried food for me.
"Actually, you don't have to feel any psychological burden. We will decide our marriage. I know that you love your mother, and your mother is you..."
I waved my hand and Yinyan didn't say anything.
The wedding will be held on May Day next year, so let's put this matter aside for now. It will be frustrating if this knot cannot be untied.
The weather was getting cold, and I drove the car Yinyan gave me to work. When I got in, Mao Xiaoli had already arrived. She didn't even see me. She was watering the flowers with a bottle, and obviously didn't notice.
I sat for a while, then went to the director's office. I hesitated whether to give him the test results. She used blood to water the flowers, so where did the blood come from? I couldn't figure it out.
I walked into the director's office. He looked at me, said nothing, and continued looking at the documents.
I am still hesitating. The manager has made it clear that he doesn't want to get involved in this matter, but if I keep doing this, is that not a good thing
I didn't say anything and left. The manager understood what I was thinking and didn't ask any more questions.
"Isn't the tea good?"
The manager asked as I pushed open the door.
"Very good, thank you."
"Come back for more when it's gone."
I went out and stood outside and let out a long sigh. It was really difficult for that office to let me go back.
I went back and sat down and lit a cigarette.
"Xiao Ke agrees. You should consider other people's feelings when you smoke."
"Yes, Comrade Mao, you have to take my feelings into consideration. I can't stand the smell of human blood watering the flowers."
Mao Xiaoli stood there in a daze, her eyes wide open, looking scary.
"How do you know that?"
I didn't say anything and Mao Xiaoli locked the door. I shuddered.
"Everyone knows this. Soul flowers must be nourished with human blood. I just said it out loud because I was too talkative."
"Xiao Ke, what I do has nothing to do with you. If you don't like staying here, just get out. I can get rid of you. Do you believe me?"
Mao Xiaoli got angry, but I was not afraid. I thought it would be better if they got me away.
"Look at Comrade Mao's strength. I've been tired of staying here for a long time. Staying with an abnormal person will drive me crazy."
Mao Xiaoli opened the door and went out, and almost slammed it down. I was startled.
The manager came and asked me to leave.
"I told you not to mess with her. Now move your things to my office and work with me face to face."
"I'm going back to the refining room."
"Mao Xiaoli is sick, and so are you."
The manager was so angry that he was going crazy.
My master came and I sat on the sofa in the manager's office and smoked.
"Master Yin, you should control your apprentice. He is going to cause trouble. Who dares to provoke Mao Xiaoli before? Your apprentice doesn't know his place and is causing me trouble."
"Director, you are watering the flowers with human blood. Where does the blood come from? This is not just a moral issue, it is illegal. If you cover up for this, you are also committing a crime..."
"Shut up."
My master was angry and she wanted to beat me, I could see that.
"Director, I will educate him. Please don't worry about this matter."
"It seems like I can't just ignore it. I've violated the law and I don't want to go to jail."
The manager picked up the phone and called 110. I knew that the matter had gotten serious. Yinyan pulled me out of the crematorium, found a place where there was no one, and looked at me and said.
"Ke Mingzhe, how many times have I told you? In this place, don't be curious, stay here honestly, don't look for trouble unless it comes to you, don't look for trouble, don't you want to live? Who dares to mess with that weird Mao Xiaoli? Everyone gives her some face, even the director gives her some face."
"Yinyan, let me tell you, I am an upright person. I am not as hypocritical as you."
My words irritated Yinyan, and she reached out to hit me, but I dodged.
“Yinyan, let me tell you, even if you are a master, you won’t beat your apprentice.”
Yinyan didn't say anything. She came up and kicked me in the shin bone. I screamed and squatted down. Yinyan turned and left.
The police came, not just the police, but leaders from the Cultural Bureau also came. This was a big deal.
The bottle of blood of Mao Xiaoli was turned out and she was taken away. The leaders of the bureau were very angry and scolded the director.
Yinyan ignored me that day, and I didn't expect that the matter would become so serious. I was still too young.
I was at work, and just as I entered the office, the manager came in. Mao Xiaoli unexpectedly came in, glared at me, and sat down.
"Ke Mingzhe, go back to the refining room and work."
I stood there in a daze, said Mao Xiaoli.
"Xiao Ke, you are still too young."
I didn't expect that Mao Xiaoli was fine.
I packed my things and went to the refining room, where I found the director.
"Xiao Ke, go and move the body from the morgue to the underground transport platform."
"The director told me to go back to the refining room?"
"Yes, that place is also under the management of the Refining Department. You work one shift and take one shift off, because there are only two of us."
I'm SBI, this is obviously to make fun of me. My master is sitting on Channel 9 and doesn't even look at me. Damn you, I provoke Mao Xiaoli and it turns out that there is no good ending.
The director took me into an office.
"This is for you and Master Shen. Master Shen has been transporting corpses since he came to the crematorium for more than 20 years. He likes the job here and has never changed. I think if you like it, you can do it. Master Shen will guide you for a day today, and you will operate independently tomorrow."
I sat down and put my things on the table. There were two offices, and it seemed that everything had been arranged yesterday.
Master Shen came in.
"Xiao Ke, come with me."
I know that these people say that Master Shen is a good person. No matter what you ask him for, he will never refuse as long as he can do it.
"Hello, Master Shen."
"Okay, I'll teach you today, and you'll be able to operate independently tomorrow. I wanted to teach you for a few more days, but..."
He didn't finish his words. Someone must be trying to trick me.
I followed Master Shen into the morgue, a modern morgue with electronic freezers, five on each floor, four rows in total. I knew there were single rooms as well. The dead were just like the living, some needed better accommodation, so they had different requirements.
"The ones with lights on have the time and name of the bodies they were brought in. Those without lights have no bodies. The ones in circles are the ones that need to be cremated today. They are lined up with numbers. There are numbers behind the circles. Don't make a mistake."
I watched. It was not complicated. Master Shen pulled the body out and put it on the cart. The body was on the shelf and could be hung directly on the cart.
I thought, it's not that difficult, but I looked carefully. If it wasn't that difficult, Master Shen wouldn't have asked to take me for a few days.
Master Shen didn't let me do anything, he just wanted me to watch. I followed him running around, and thirteen dead people were sent to the transmission platform. Everything went smoothly. I went back to the office to change clothes. Master Shen patted my shoulder and said.
"Good luck."
I was quite puzzled. What was going on? My master once said that the dead were the least scary thing.
When I got off work, Zhang Xiaoxue followed me out. I got in the car and Zhang Xiaoxue opened the door and got in.
"Grandma asked you to come over tonight."
Then he jumped out of the car, got into his own car and drove away.
I hesitated, drove out, went home, and sat in the cold house, but I just felt uncomfortable.
After dark, I drove to Master Zhou's house. Zhang Xiaoxue was there and the dishes were already on the table. Zhang Xiaoxue was smiling and in a good mood. She must have heard something.
"Mingzhe, regarding Mao Xiaoli's matter, you really shouldn't have done that, but it has already happened, so let it go. She used blood to water the flowers, but it was her own blood. She bled herself regularly, that's it."
I shuddered. Bleeding yourself regularly? Not other people's blood? I've heard that some people in hospitals use blood to grow flowers. It seems that I am really doing something unnecessary. If I offend Mao Xiaoli, I don't know how many people I will offend. Although she doesn't usually interact with anyone, she has been in this place for more than 20 years. Who knows what kind of connections she has
"Mingzhe, apart from this matter, there is the matter of the heel bone, which has been handled. You must be careful about such things in the future. Also, when you are transporting corpses, if there is anything strange, don't act rashly, especially when someone calls your name, don't answer, just pretend you didn't hear it."
I was sweating. I had wanted to ask about the heel bone, but now I don't want to ask anymore.
"Master Zhou, is there any trouble transporting the corpse?"
"It's easy to get the one in the cabinet, just connect it to the trailer, but if it's in the single room, you need to carry it out."
"I also held it when I put the body on the transporter, nothing happened."
"That's different. Besides, the transport platform doesn't need to be held, it's just hung up. It's all mechanical."
I was stunned, but they let me hold her, and the master also let me hold her. I was stunned. What on earth was Yinyan going to do
I didn't ask any more questions and didn't say anything else. I just felt that I was in trouble.
I sent Zhang Xiaoxue home that day. I went home and sat down to watch TV. Although it was late, I couldn't sleep. It was just like the first day I went to the crematorium. I felt scared, nervous, curious, and mixed with all kinds of emotions. (To be continued)