Although the face painting that Mao Xiaoli gave me was shattered, leaving only a piece of white paper, I still remember that face looked like one of my classmates, absolutely, I can even say that for sure.
This classmate was my high school classmate. She was a very beautiful girl, Shao Yu. This girl always made people feel arrogant. She seldom talked to others, but she was also very good at studying.
I kept my distance from Shao Yu, always standing far away and looking at her. Her beauty was irresistible. If she smiled at me, I would be soft. But she never smiled at anyone, that was a fact.
I really don't know much about Shao Yu. During my three years of high school, we never spoke a word to each other, and I never saw her smile.
In the end, Shao Yu could have gone to the best university, but she went to Xiamen University, which surprised everyone. It was the most beautiful campus. Perhaps, since she was so beautiful, she should go there.
Anyway, I never saw Shao Yu again, nor did I hear any news about her. Maybe I would see her at a class reunion. However, I was already outside the circle. They all knew that I was a refiner. They never said refiner because they thought it was too elegant. They only wanted to say that someone burned someone to death, and they didn't even want to mention it.
At that time I thought, when you die, I will burn you with my own hands. In the end, you will still need me. It’s a bit of a perverted mentality. Staying in the crematorium will cause some psychological problems.
Unexpectedly, what I said came true.
Green snow, it is really green, dancing in the air like a soul.
I went into the office, changed my clothes, sat there, and lit a cigarette. Mao Xiaoli came in and scared me. She was dressed in mourning white. I knew that today was Wednesday.
"Xiao Ke, your classmate is looking for you and thought you were in the office. Also, think about that matter."
I know what she said.
My classmates came in, three of them. I was stunned for a moment, because they came together, three male classmates.
"you… "
"Ke Zuo, Liu Gang is dead."
I was stunned. Liu Gang? I know. Liu Gang, the dark-skinned boy who played basketball all day long.
"How did he die?"
"I bought a lottery ticket and won tens of thousands of dollars. I treated you to a drink, and you drank too much and got hit by a car."
I closed my eyes. Even at the crematorium I already knew that there is no age limit in the underworld.
"I'll take care of this. When will the person be sent over?"
"Send it here now!"
I called Yinyan. I need someone here.
"Yanzi, come to my office for a moment."
There is a director at the operating table, but he can only take over for a while.
The swallows came over.
"Yanzi, one of my classmates died and will be sent over soon. You arrange for him to stay in a single room and then find a good makeup artist. I will arrange the rest."
Yan Zi took these people out.
I didn't think it was strange, maybe because I had seen too many people younger than my classmates. Moreover, Master Zhou once told me that when a person dies, he or she lives in another form, perhaps happier, so there is no need to be sad. Leaving means that life here is boring, enough, and tiring, and you want to go to another world and live another way.
I think Master Zhou is right.
I sent the bodies one by one to the farewell hall, and then to the transmission platform.
Now I hold the dead with no fear, only awe.
I was busy until noon. After changing my clothes, I went to Baihua Hall. I asked Yinyan to arrange my classmate Liu Gang to stay in Baihua Hall because I knew it was empty.
I entered the Baihua Hall, opened the lid of the cabinet, and gently pulled back the white cloth. The makeup was already done, and it looked very good, but I couldn't recognize him. It didn't even evoke any memories of me. Liu Gang had become like this. I couldn't recognize him for a while. After looking at him for a long time, I found him a bit familiar. I shook my head and covered him with the white cloth.
"Have a safe trip, buddy."
I walked out and suddenly stopped. There were two doors in front of me. I startled and what was about to happen finally happened.
Master Zhou once told me that when there are two doors in front of you, the real door may be the fake one, and the fake one may be real. However, the fake one may just be fake. It is your choice. At this time, look at it yourself and think about it yourself. If you can't understand it or can't figure it out, just recognize one door. That is your fate.
I had absolutely no idea that something like this would happen at this moment.
I walked to the corner, sat on a chair, lit a cigarette and started smoking. The two doors were exactly the same, but I knew that the door on the left was a normal door. However, if what Master Zhou said was true, then this normal door might not be normal.
Damn it, they suddenly came up with this trick. They wouldn't let me follow Liu Gang and leave, would they? That would be a miserable world.
After finishing a cigarette, I called Yinyan, and could only ask her to help me, or go find Master Zhou, or her master Li Li.
The strangest thing was that the phone call couldn’t be connected and there was no signal. At this time, I believed it.
We were not allowed to take our phones into the morgue. I had no idea what the rules were, as I had never taken one before. But today was different. After I changed my clothes, I put my phone in my pocket and prepared to go to Liu Gang's house after the visit.
Master Zhou said that there is no signal for mobile phones in a certain place, because the dead will emit a wave, which will affect all transmission waves within two days of death. I didn't believe it at first, but now I have to believe it. If I can't make a call, what should I do? Wait for death? Obviously I won't agree. The worst plan is to choose a door and walk in or walk out.
I don't know why this morgue room is designed like this. There are no windows, only a door.
The flickering electronic candlelight made the air here even more gloomy, which made me start to feel creepy. I started to sweat and realized that this was truly a life-or-death moment.
In fact, walking into that door does not necessarily mean death, Master Zhou said, but no one knows what will happen. Only one person has walked in and out, but she has never told anyone what she encountered, what she saw, or what kind of world it was. This person is Li Li, Yinyan's master.
Li Li, who lives in the circle building on Badao Street, doesn't seem to be any different from ordinary people. I also find it a bit strange.
At this moment, I have to decide, no matter what, I have to make a choice. There are too many choices in life, and the choice between life and death is the most uncomfortable for me.
Master Zhou told me that if you don’t choose, then the person outside will come in. He walks in and chooses for you. The door you see from the outside is a door, but the hidden door is a overlapping door. You don’t know which door you will walk into. If you walk in and he doesn’t see you, then you are in another world.
I guess I have to choose for myself.
I decided to go through the normal door. I walked forward with my eyes closed. I counted my steps and knew I had walked through the door, but what would it be like? What would I see
I opened my eyes, and oh my god, it was everything I was familiar with. As expected, I was excited. I had never been so excited before. I was so excited once when I received the college acceptance letter, and never again.
At this moment, I found that my clothes were all wet.
I didn't go to Liu Gang's house yesterday because I felt so damn unhappy.
When I got up in the morning, I went to the mourning shed, burned incense and bowed. About twenty classmates came.
I said a few words of comfort to Liu Gang's parents, which was just courtesy, and then my classmates gathered around me.
"Ke Zuo, you have to help this time. Give Liu Gang a good ride."
I didn't expect that they had such a good relationship with that black guy Liu Gang.
"Of course, when you have this day, I will too."
My words are very stimulating, because they never take me with them when they play, and only at this moment are they willing to approach me, as if I am the only angel at this moment, only at this moment.
All the classmates stayed together to keep vigil for Liu Gang. We all went to the ceremony to send off the horse and roast the donkey when it got dark. After we came back, we went to eat.
My classmates were all crowded at the same table with me, and it seemed that at this moment they were no longer annoyed with me, but hated me.
"Ke Zuo, to be honest, we will all have such a day. My previous opinion of you..."
"Don't need to say it. I understand. But if that day comes, and I'm still alive, I will open the first furnace, make a good urn, find the best makeup artist, and even let Master Jingkong perform a ritual to help you attain salvation."
I get cocky when I drink a little bit of liquor, and I have nothing better to do than to mention Master Jingkong. Now, they've suggested letting Master Le Le perform a ritual to liberate Liu Gang. Damn it, I just said it and they're serious about it.
It was already past ten in the evening when I finished my meal. I had to visit Master Jingkong at night. Tomorrow was the day of the funeral, so I had to leave at around five in the morning. I asked Master Shen to take over for me for a day. Tomorrow was my shift, so I had to arrange this matter.
I went to Gol Mountain by myself and there were lights on the mountain.
Master Jingkong has been the abbot of Gaolu Mountain for ten years. I am not familiar with him and have only met him once. Yinyan is familiar with him, but I don’t know if Master Jingkong will give me this face.
I went up the stairs and ran to the house where Master Jingkong lived. I knocked on the wooden door three times and Master Jingkong opened it.
"Master Jingkong, I am Ke Zuo."
Obviously, Master Jingkong did not recognize me.
"Yin Yan's apprentice."
"Oh, what's the matter?"
I told this and Jingkong shook his head.
"There's something to worry about tomorrow."
After saying that, he closed the door. I thought, this is an excuse.
I called Yinyan and she was already asleep.
I told her what happened, and Yinyan took a long time to speak.
“What can an ordinary person do to achieve salvation?”
"I blew my own trumpet."
"Okay, wait."
Yinyan's car was parked at the foot of the mountain. I saw it. She came up, glared at me, and knocked on the door. Master Jingkong opened the door, saw that it was Yinyan, and let her in. I followed her in.
Master Jingkong would study scriptures until the middle of the night every day. When Yinyan told him about this, Jingkong thought about it and agreed.
"I'll pick you up at six tomorrow morning."
Master Jingkong nodded and said, "Let's go out."
"Don't make such promises in the future. Ask your classmates to prepare two thousand yuan for incense money."
I nodded, Yinyan drove home, and I drove to Liu Gang's place to keep watch. (To be continued)