The footprints were very delicate, and they were obviously women's. The master squatted down and looked closely at the black lines, which were actually moving.
"It's trapped."
The master took out a black bag, the same as a noodle bag, black in color, maybe he dyed it himself. When the master took it out, I saw that his hands were stained black. The master covered them, then closed the bag and tied it up.
"Pack up the white ash, black thread and other things, and throw them outside the gate. I'm going back."
We stared blankly at the master as he walked away. The black bag was bulging, as if it contained some living thing, but we didn't see it, obviously didn't see it. My father was stunned.
Bai Jie held my hand tightly and didn't move.
Let’s go back to the room, said my father.
"Send her back."
I know what my father meant, that no matter how late it is, he must send Bai Jie back.
"Uncle, I'm scared."
Bai Jie didn't want to leave, and her father glared at me.
"It's okay, I'll take you back."
When I sent Bai Jie off, there were two of us anyway, and when I came back, I got nervous. As I started running, I heard someone chasing me from behind, also running. I suddenly stopped, and the footsteps disappeared. I thought, the master's trick might not work, and this would cause a big disaster.
I ran wildly again and rushed into the yard. My father was standing in the yard.
"Why are you running?"
"Don't mention it. Master's trick might not have worked. Someone is chasing me and I can't see him."
"You are just feeling the effects, you will be fine after a good night's sleep."
My father didn't believe it.
At work, Bai Jie's eyes were red, obviously she didn't sleep well.
As soon as we entered the refining room, the master came. He looked at me without saying anything, and I came out.
"I drank too much yesterday and cut a hole in the bag."
I closed my eyes and understood. What that meant was that the thing in the bag ran away
"What on earth is that?"
"How should I put it? What people often call ghosts are actually a kind of guardian spirit, the spirit of the soul."
"What if he runs away?"
"It will take some effort to catch her again. This is not a problem. I'm just telling you not to be afraid. She is just following you now and can't do anything. But I am also confused. How can she follow you? Do you have any problem?"
I was thinking about it, and suddenly I remembered that before this incident happened, when I was transporting the corpse, it was a woman who was about my age. When I saw her suddenly, I was shocked. She looked a bit like my classmate, but after putting on makeup, it was not so easy to recognize her. At that time, I just thought she looked a bit similar.
I told this and the master looked at me.
"Come to the Dalai Hotel after get off work. I'll wait for you."
The master left, and I noticed that he was acting a little strange recently.
Yi He has always been angry because his master did not acknowledge him as his apprentice and just kept him as a disciple. This is something I don’t understand.
I asked the master, and he almost kicked me, so I didn't dare to ask again. Yihe asked me to ask, but I didn't dare to ask. Yihe didn't dare to ask the master either. I heard that Yihe was slapped twice by the master just because he asked about this. I don't believe it, it's all nonsense. The master is a well-educated person and he won't slap anyone easily. He will only do this to his apprentice. He believes that his apprentice is his son.
After get off work, Bai Jie and I went to the Dali Restaurant. In this era, the Dali Restaurant is like a five-star hotel. Sitting there is a symbol of style, money, status, and position.
I held Bai Jie's hand. She hesitated for a long time but finally put on the watch given by the master.
When we went in, the master was already there. We sat down and started ordering dishes without asking Bai Jie or me. He said, "I'm the apprentice and I have to listen to the master. Logically speaking, Bai Jie is my apprentice, and my master is her master's grandfather. There's no need to ask. In this era, the master is older than the father."
The chef ordered six dishes. Bai Jie glanced at me and I knew that this meal would cost ten yuan and the chef had money.
We drank, and Bai Jie drank a little too.
"When you have time, go check on your classmate and see if she's still alive."
I was shocked when the master suddenly mentioned this. I didn’t want this to happen.
"I'll be there right away. It's on the third floor at the back."
It was said that this classmate of mine was a big landlord and a capitalist. Among all our classmates, she lived in a building and was the most beautifully dressed. She had a pair of leather shoes that were always very shiny. At that time, few teachers in our school wore leather shoes. Even if there were any, they were not made of leather but leather. Their shoes were pure leather and so shiny that they could reflect light in people's eyes.
I went downstairs and walked to the back. The building was a four-story building, and her home was at the back. I had been to her home four times and was the only classmate who had been there.
At that time, she was very kind to me. There were three sons in my family. Although my father was educated, he earned very little, so we were poor as hell. But she was always kind to me. She gave me food and sometimes even brought me her brother's clothes. Anyway, she was always kind to me.
I walked up to the building again. It was dilapidated. I went up the dark stairs. She lived on the third floor. Both houses on this floor were hers.
I knocked on the door for a long time, and after a while, an old man came out. I recognized him. It was Hao Fei's father.
"I'm Hao Fei's classmate, Ke Zuo."
Obviously, the old man no longer remembers me. His reaction is very slow. Unlike when I met him, he was a handsome man at that time, but now he has become like this. I think it’s a bit strange.
"You are the little boy who came to our house when he was a child, right?"
I nodded, he actually remembered.
"Come in!"
The house was obviously in decline. I sat down. It was still the same sofa, a little sagging. Who could have a sofa in that era? It was cool to have a chair with a backrest.
The old man went into a room, which belonged to Hao Fei. She let him in, and after a while the old man came out with a diary in his hand.
"This is for you."
I was very surprised.
"Hao Fei is dead. Before she died, she told me to give this to you. She said you would definitely come."
I was stunned. What did this mean? The old man didn't keep me. He said he was tired and wanted to sleep.
I took out the diary, thought for a long time, and put it in the pocket of my cup. I couldn't let Bai Jie see it. Although there was nothing between Hao Fei and me, women are narrow-minded.
I went back, sat down, glanced at the master and said.
"Someone is dead. I am sure that the one who was burned was Hao Fei."
After I finished speaking, I felt like crying. Why? Why was it Hao Fei? She died so young. How did she die? I don’t know. I don’t know.
I feel a little confused.
"It is, it is."
The master didn't say anything else, Bai Jie asked.
"What should we do then?"
"Let me think about this."
That day, my master went home, and Bai Jie and I went to her house and talked about the marriage. Her family agreed.
I went home, went into my room and closed the door.
I opened the diary and saw a photo on it, in black and white. In that era, no one could afford to take photos, especially when she was so old. She smiled at me innocently, still so sunny. She liked to smile, especially to me. We held hands and I pulled her to run. She always waited for me outside the school after school, and then we went to a place far away from the school, where there was a piece of grass. She let me pull her to run, and sometimes let me carry her on my back to run. She said that I ran like the wind, and in the end, I really ran like the wind. In the school race, I really ran like the wind, and no one could catch up with me.
I burst into tears. After graduating from elementary school, she transferred to another school, saying she was going to a better school. We never met again. From that day on, I never ran like the wind again. Hao Fei took my speed away.
I felt lonely during those years.
The diary records the days we were together. In almost every entry, she said that I was a man like the wind. Man? She actually used the word man to describe me, saying that sooner or later I would be able to take her to the sky. She firmly believed it.
I couldn't bear to watch any further. I really regretted it. It was her who was burned that day. When I hugged her, my heart ached. I was in a bad mood that day and I didn't realize that it would be her. I covered my face and cried.
The next day, I went to the grassland. The land there had been plowed and it was in a mess. The wild flowers and green grass would no longer grow. I shook my head and left. This was where Hao Fei and I spent the most time. It was full of happy times. We always lay on the grass, she resting her head on me, looking at the sky. The clouds in the sky were always changing, and she could tell at any time whether it was an eagle, a bird, or a snake. Only after she pointed it out could I tell it. It was at that time that I fell in love with the clouds in the sky, the rolling and unrolling clouds.
I went to the crematorium. The master was sitting outside and Yi He was busy inside. It seemed that not many people were being cremated today.
"Master, let her go."
The master stood there in a daze for a long time before speaking.
"She loves you, and has always loved you. It has never changed. Only unchanging love can have the sound of following your footsteps. She will not hurt you, but she will follow you, always, maybe for your whole life. However, she will hurt Bai Jie."
I lit a cigarette for the master and squatted aside.
"What will happen to her if she does?"
"Spiritual energy, she is indeed very spiritual, and ordinary people would not be like this. If I put her in a black bag, and then put her in a jar, seal it, and bury it underground, it will stay there for thousands of years without reincarnation or rebirth, just like that."
"No, it's too dark. She's afraid of the dark."
The master looked at me and said nothing. At this moment, I didn’t know what to do.
"If you don't do this, Bai Jie will be entangled and lose her nature. Then Bai Jie is no longer Bai Jie. It's like a person's temperament changes drastically. A person suddenly becomes a different person. That's because she is possessed by a spirit. The spirit borrows her life, that's it."
"What will happen then?"
"Bai Jie is no longer Bai Jie, but Bai Jie's body. She is Hao Fei. This is not fair."
The master stood up and went in. I sat on the chair, smoking, and started crying loudly. I was used to this kind of crying. At first, I couldn't stand it, but now sometimes, it's as if I can't hear it.
I smoked a few cigarettes and left, not knowing how to make this decision.
I don’t know if the master has any other solutions, but I think maybe he does.
I went downstairs to Hao Fei's house again. I wanted to know more, but I felt it was unnecessary. It would be unfair with Bai Jie around.
I drank too much that day, and my father carried me home and took care of me all night.
When I got up in the morning, today is Labor Day. People have joy on their faces. There are people working and cleaning up everywhere on the road.
When I entered the office, Bai Jie looked unhappy.
"You didn't sleep well?"
"No, Master, I had a dream. One night, there was a girl who kept pestering me and crying behind me. I asked her why she was crying, but she didn't say anything."
I was sweating.
"fine."
Bai Jie took a look at the skull hanging on the window and felt unhappy.
There were only three deaths today.
"All three are open."
I wanted to finish my work early and later, so after the stove was lit, the manager came in, looked at me and said.
"come out."
I went out and saw that the manager was not happy.
"What's up?"
"You run three furnaces, it's a waste."
"I want to open four. If you are introducing me, I won't mind the trouble. But I will have to burn you in the fourth furnace."
The director's face turned green.
"Ke Zuo, don't think I'm afraid of your master. I'm afraid of you too."
The manager was so angry that he walked away with his hands behind his back.
I went in, carried the bodies, and put them in one by one.
Bai Jie stood aside and watched with the chisel in her hand. I lit another cigarette. I couldn't control myself during this period and smoked a little too much.
That day, after get off work, I went to look for the master, but couldn't find him. The master was not at home. I went home and my eldest and second brothers came.
"It's the holiday, let's have a meal together, call Bai Jie over."
The eldest brother said.
"Never mind. She's tired."
The eldest brother looked at me and said.
"Since we are going to become a family, we can't stop you. Let's see what this person is like."
"She lives with me, not with you. What's the point? Besides, she is a burnt corpse. She smells like a dead body. You don't like it."
My words made my father unhappy.
"That's your eldest brother. When I die, the eldest brother will be the father."
"Sorry, not in the mood."
I opened the door and was about to go out, but my second sister-in-law stopped me.
"Xiao Zuo, it's a big holiday, don't."
I went back to my room and locked Hao Fei's diary in that small box. (To be continued)