Seeing this man like this, I felt that the bone must be placed in that man’s home. I have never seen such a person.
After this matter was settled, I called Liu Shougui and asked where He Dana was.
Liu Shougui asked me to go to He Dana’s house and wait.
I went over and opened the door with the key, which He Dana said was the key used by his father.
I went in and sat in the room. He Dana said that this room was my father's room. He lived here when he came. I could feel that there was a picture hanging in the room. He Dana never let me open it. I didn't know what it meant, and I had no interest in touching it. But what I found most strange was that there was a picture hanging in my father's room. It should be my father's, or mine.
I went over and opened it, and was stunned. It was me and my mother Yunbai. Yunbai here was smiling, so beautiful. I knew that my father had always loved Yunbai, and this made me a little sad.
Liu Shougui came. He sat down and said.
"He Dana probably didn't have time to do some things. You should be mentally prepared. I may not be sure."
I looked at Liu Shougui, a reliable man, and what he said was just a reminder of something. Liu Shougui stood up and walked towards the backyard, but he suddenly stopped halfway.
"I think forget it, let's talk about it in a few days."
I was stunned. Liu Shougui just left as soon as he finished speaking. I was stunned for a long time before I went home.
Liu Yang was at home and I didn't tell anyone about Liu Shougui.
I sat there thinking about what happened, a madman, a night watchman, and a piece of black bone. I couldn't figure out what was going on.
All I have to do now is put the bone in that man's house, and I have to get close to this guy.
When I got up in the morning and went to work, I got in the car and saw this guy got in the car too. I started the car and hit the guy's car, but he was not angry.
"sorry."
"It doesn't matter. We are all neighbors. Just report the insurance."
That evening, I made an appointment with the man to have dinner at a restaurant near my home.
His name is Shen Zhiyang. He likes to talk and laugh. I feel like I am mistaken. How can a person kill someone and run away like this
He told me that he had a wife and two children, a boy and a girl. Their parents were both teachers, and they lived together as a very happy family.
When he said this, I was a little hesitant.
"Do you know what I do?"
"Of course, everyone here knows that you burned people to death."
"Aren't you afraid?"
"What's there to be afraid of? It's just work. You're not burning anyone alive."
After he finished speaking, he burst into laughter. This laughter was absolutely genuine, and I was wondering if I had made a mistake. I didn't know.
"Did you know that I hit your car on purpose?"
He stopped smiling all of a sudden, looked down at his wine glass, and spoke for a long time.
"I know what you want from me."
The man covered his face and didn't say anything for a long time. I wondered what he was thinking? Admit it
"It was indeed me who hit him, but how did you know?"
"I'm a refiner. I burn people to death. I can see ghosts."
Shen Zhiyang was suddenly startled and looked at me for a long time with his mouth half open, as if he wanted to bite me.
"Seriously."
"I'm serious. No one probably knows about this. The police haven't found you yet. How do you think I know about it? That person died and became a ghost, and he came to find me."
Shen Zhiyang stood up suddenly.
"What? Dead?"
Shen Zhiyang's face was pale.
"Impossible, impossible, I bumped into her, it's not serious, you scared me, it's not my fault, she came out suddenly, I didn't react, I wanted to save her, but I have two children at home, and parents, I don't dare, I'm scared, I'm scared..."
Shen Zhiyang's speech was a little confusing, and it seemed that he was extremely scared.
I didn't say anything and waited for Shen Zhiyang to recover.
"Brother Ke, please help me. I can do anything. Does she have parents? Did she leave the child behind? I will raise the child. I will raise the child. Just don't tell the police, or I will be finished. My family will be finished. My parents have worked hard all their lives, and good days are just coming..."
"She had a baby in her belly, and it died."
Shen Zhiyang just stayed there for a long time, and then burst into tears. I had never seen a man cry like this before, and I was shocked. What the hell, you ran over someone, why are you running away? What's the point of crying at this time
Shen Zhiyang cried for a long time.
"Okay, stop crying and take me to the scene."
Shen Zhiyang was a little stunned. We went to the scene and saw that it was a section of road without street lights and a small intersection.
"She ran out from here, really, she ran out, I didn't react, it was too sudden, I didn't flash the lights, it's my fault, my fault..."
Shen Zhiyang sat on the curb with a dazed expression.
"Are you a policeman?"
"I'm not, I'm burning people to death."
Shen Zhiyang is a little bit mentally disturbed.
"I don't believe you can see ghosts, and I don't believe that woman turned into a ghost to find you. It's impossible, unless she is the police."
“It’s true.”
I described what the woman looked like, but Shen Zhiyang had no idea. He didn't even get out of the car. He was so scared at the time that he ran away.
"I can do anything for their family, just to keep me out of jail. I can even sell my house or my kidney."
This kid is a mess.
"Okay, that's it for today. You think about it, and I think about it too."
That day I went home and told Liu Yang about this. Liu Yang was stunned for a long time and said.
"This man is so infuriating, but it's no wonder. He has two children and an elderly person at home. He can't afford to go to jail!"
“No one can afford to go to jail.”
I cannot forgive Shen Zhiyang for what he did.
The next day at work, just as I took my first sip of tea, the doorman came in.
"Director Ke, did you keep the black bone?"
I was shocked. What does this mean? What is this gatekeeper going to do
"Bring it with you tonight. I'll treat the director to a meal at Xilai Building."
He said that and left.
Regarding Xilailou, when my father Ke Zuo was alive, Xilailou was open. They always went there, and it seemed that many stories happened there.
The boss’s surname is Dong, Dong Xiaoqiang. His father seems to be called Dong Jun, a painter. After Dong Xiaoqiang graduated from Gome, he actually took over this restaurant and painted there. It’s a pity.
The business of Xilailou is quite good now. During funerals, those private rooms are used to entertain individual guests. Even though it is a funeral, there are quite a lot of guests in these private rooms. I don't know why, most people won't go there because they think funerals are unlucky. But it's different here.
That day, my doorman Heli was having dinner in a private room on the second floor of Xilai Building. There was a painting by Dong Jun hanging in the room. It was Dong Jun’s painting, Heli said. He said it had been hanging there for decades.
He Li has been the gatekeeper at the crematorium all his life and is about to retire in two years. He is a very nice person and never talks much.
"Director Ke, this tea is for you. I know you like it."
"Uncle, don't call me the director, just call me Xiaozhe. When my father was alive, you were guarding the gate here. Take this tea back, I should give it to you."
"You kid, you're being polite to me. I'm not happy with you. I was drinking with your father, Mr. Ke Zuo. We were buddies. He was a good man, but he left too early. After he left, no one drank with me anymore."
He Li shook his head and sighed.
Heli drank a little too much that day, he told me.
"That crazy man is not crazy, nor is he lost. I know this man. As for reminding you to keep a piece of black bone, it is for your own good. If a pregnant woman dies, I will keep a piece of black bone. Otherwise, it will haunt your wife and prevent her from having children for ten years. After ten years, if you give birth, the child will be a ghost child."
I shuddered.
"No way?"
"I don't know, but this is what your father told me. Keep it. It's okay. You can put it anywhere. It will be fine in two or three years."
"Who is that man?"
"Yan Jie."
I haven't heard of it.
"Perhaps you don't know, in the early days, the refining furnace was old-fashioned. There was always a furnace cleaner who went into the furnace to clean it. This job was very light, but a little bit... The furnace was cleaned once a month. There were four furnaces in the early days. They were old-fashioned. They were not like now. They were all automatic."
I have heard of the furnace cleaner. In the old-style furnaces, ashes would slowly accumulate and the furnace would need to be cleaned. The work of the people who do this job is very light and they only need to work once a month. However, no one is willing to get into the furnace, as they always seem to feel uncomfortable.
"How could he ..."
"Ah, this is a strange thing. That year, Yan Jie went to clean the furnace at night. The furnace was cold, so he went in. Unexpectedly, he fell asleep in it. The next day, the refiner came and lit the furnace without looking inside. The fire started, and he came out from inside, ran outside screaming, and rolled on the fire. The two refiners on duty that day were so scared that they almost went crazy. Who wouldn't be scared when a person came out of the furnace?"
Yan Jie had this injury, and had burns on his body, face, and hands. What you saw that day was not the real him. His face and hands were fake, made of plastic skin. He always did this, and it was a very uncomfortable thing, but he didn't want anyone to see it. From that day on, he stopped going to work, but he would run to the crematorium when he had nothing to do. Later he didn't come anymore and hadn't shown up for a long time. He looked a little crazy, but actually he wasn't crazy.
I didn't expect things to turn out this way.
"He reminded you of this. He has a good relationship with your father and your father has helped him before, so he came to remind you. It seems that he is always paying attention to the crematorium."
I shook my head. It was really scary that such a thing actually happened back then.
When we were leaving that day, Dong Xiaoqiang suddenly appeared.
"Uncle He, are you coming to eat?"
"Well, I haven't been here for a while."
“This painting is for you.”
"Thanks."
It seemed natural for them to take over the painting together.
We came out and spoke together.
"Dong Xiaoqiang sometimes gives paintings to guests, but he does it selectively. His paintings are a bit weird, and he seems to be following his father's path. For example, Dong Jun's paintings have never been understood by others in his lifetime. But your father likes his paintings. They are weird, but he can understand them. I can't. They just feel messy."
Heli handed me the painting and said.
"I've given it to you. I don't understand it either. People say Dong Xiaoqiang's paintings are worth some money, but I don't think so."
When I got home that day, Liu Yang had already prepared dinner.
"Whose painting is this? Open it and take a look."
I opened the painting and was stunned. Liu Yang was also stunned. (To be continued)