I really didn't expect things to turn out like this. It's developing in a completely unreliable way.
When I got to work, Mao Xiaoli appeared in my office wearing mourning clothes.
"Sister Bai, can you please not wear mourning white? It's ugly."
"He likes it."
"who is he?"
"You talk too much. Yinyan returned the necklace to me, but no matter what, I hope you can help me. I can still help you without the necklace."
"What is there after entering the virtual door?"
"Don't worry about it. It went very smoothly. I came out in just one day and one night. It seems that you are not a complicated person. You are a simple man. I like you."
“But you’re complicated.”
"Xiao Ke, you are quite naughty now, right?"
"I don't dare."
"Okay, you've lost your chance. I hope you can do it again if you meet me. It takes a lot to paint thirteen faces, and you may not succeed every time you cut the skin."
"But I always feel it's immoral and unfair to the deceased."
"That's what you think. If they die, they will be burned. What a pity. Besides, by making face paintings, they can feel the warmth of their relatives and see everything about them."
"What was that like?"
"I'll tell you when I need you to know."
"I want to know what's inside the Void Gate?"
“The real world inside you.”
Mao Xiaoli said this and left.
When I was working, I didn't see the virtual door. Maybe it will never appear again. Mao Xiaoli said that the virtual door is her own world. Is it true? Or is she lying to me? I don't know.
I found that the world here in the crematorium is mysterious, scary and weird.
All of Mao Xiaoli's actions were done in a real way, I saw it, and Yinyan has been controlling other things. Is there something wrong with her ability? If so, tell me, I think it's good. She has been doing something else that distracts her, this is absolutely true.
As for me, I don’t understand Yinyan at all. She wraps herself up and doesn’t let me understand her. I feel like we are getting further and further apart.
Yinyan took me to her master Li Li's house and enclosed the land.
That place is the most chaotic one in the city, with all kinds of people, from all walks of life, including prostitutes and car dealers, hooligans and ruffians, gathering there.
We entered the house. Li Li's house was a mess. She was sitting there watching TV and eating melon seeds. She was a very lazy woman. I couldn't tell at all that she was a refiner.
She lives alone because she is a refiner. She didn't find a partner until she was forty years old. She became mentally unstable and decided not to look for one anymore. Life alone is pretty good.
"master."
"Yanzi, you haven't been here for a while. Have you forgotten your master?"
"No, I'm busy and messy."
"Come downstairs for lunch at noon. It's a new restaurant. It's good. I'll treat you."
"Thank you, Master. I'll treat you."
"Okay, no one needs that little money. Now that we are at the master's house, please come in."
We chatted nonsense, all about women's things. When noon came, we went downstairs to eat. The food in this restaurant was really good. While drinking, Yinyan mentioned the shadow of breathing and the virtual door.
"In this case, the shadow is your other half. To put it bluntly, it can help you do a lot of things that you cannot do. You just have to handle the relationship well. The virtual door is your own door, the door in your heart. If you think about closing it and not being curious, you will never go in. If you go in, you will see your real world. People are half good and half evil. You will see your good and evil sides. When you see your evil side, you will be scared and it will provoke the evil side. So, you'd better not have the idea of going into the virtual door. That's wrong, because that is another world. You need to go to that other world after you die. If you go there early, you will be punished."
"So how can I do that?"
"You are a shady person. You will always see these things and they will tempt you. I can't control yourself. Of course, I have ways, but remember, don't want to know too much in the future. The less you know, the less trouble you will have."
"Got it, Master Li."
"Call me Auntie."
Li Li is a cheerful person. Sometimes she jokes. I am happy and Yinyan laughs too. Yinyan's smile is very beautiful, but she rarely laughs. The first time I saw her laugh was when we first met. After that, she rarely laughed. Is it true that a beautiful smile is worth a thousand gold? I really don't know.
Li Li told me to come and pick something up tomorrow and everything would be fine.
I don’t know what Li Li will give me. Of course, I think it may be something I can’t imagine.
Yinyan told me to go home because she had something to do. She always had something to do, but I didn't know what it was. She didn't say it, and she didn't tell me. Apart from entering the coffin in the small building, I knew nothing else.
What Li Li said made me relax. If that was the case, maybe there was nothing to be afraid of.
The next day, I went to Li Li to pick up something. It turned out to be a bunch of beads. I couldn't tell what they were. She asked me to wear them on my wrist. The beads were shiny and polished.
"thank you."
I sat there for a while and then left. I didn't know what kind of beads these were or why they had such an effect.
Sure enough, the shadow did not appear, and I did not see the virtual door anyway. It all feels good. If it always stays like this, it would be nice to stay in a quiet place like the crematorium.
However, this is not a quiet place. Mao Xiaoli suddenly came to my house and scared me. She was wearing mourning clothes.
"Sister Mao, can you please stop wearing this mourning white? It's unlucky."
"What do you know?"
Mao Xiaoli was very angry and said after she sat down.
"Don't mess around. I'm telling you, I'm helping you, so why are you making such a fuss? If I'm not here, other people's help will only be temporary, and it won't be of any use."
"I… "
"Take off the bracelet."
I was stunned. She knew all this.
"How do you know that?"
"I'm telling you, I've already made my little man, and I know all the changes you've made."
"What villain?"
I was really fooled. Mao Xiaoli is so evil.
"Come to my house tonight."
Mao Xiaoli walked away in her mourning clothes. I was really impressed by this woman. She was so scary. What on earth was she going to do? What was her purpose after painting thirteen faces? I had no idea. I decided to go there in the evening. I had to ask clearly, otherwise I would not help her do that thing.
All this made me feel dizzy. It seemed that I had fallen into a deep pit and could not get out of it.
I seemed to be completely led by Mao Xiaoli, and this kind of thing left me puzzled.
Mao Xiaoli took the bracelet away, so what else will happen
The next day, I went to the crematorium and the director came to me and told me that I didn't need to carry the body anymore.
"Where should I go then?"
"The columbarium, it's a bit more relaxing there. The master in the columbarium is sick, so you'll be there for the time being."
It was arranged by the director. I don't want to ask too much. Just go wherever you are told to go. Talking too much here will only bring bad luck.
I packed my things and entered the urn. The work here was relatively easy and I only dealt with ashes. Everything was very stable. The large urn was clean and transparent. The urn storage tables were lined up in rows and horizontally, with urns of various styles placed on them, and all kinds of photos on the urns.
It's around one o'clock in the afternoon and work is done. I don't feel tired and feel relaxed. Usually there are women here.
I didn't expect that just when I was about to leave, I heard someone in the columbarium. I knew, and the manager also reminded me, that ashes were lost in the columbarium six years ago. Don't think that no one has stolen the ashes. If they were really lost, it would be a huge deal, even more serious than being embarrassed. I can realize this.
I sat in the chair without moving. The sound was a bit strange, like dripping water, one drop at a time, very clear. Because the urn was very large, there was even an echo, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Maybe water was dripping somewhere. I had to go in and take a look, otherwise the water would soak the urn.
I used the card to open the door, went in, and walked around, row by row, but didn't find any dripping water. Just as I was about to come out, I saw a figure flash by. I was so scared that I leaned against the wall. I stared and saw nothing. A few minutes passed and there was still nothing. I came out immediately.
After I came out, I checked the surveillance cameras in every place and every corner, but nothing was found. I breathed a sigh of relief. In this place, sometimes it is a psychological effect that makes you have an illusion.
I packed up, changed my clothes and came out. I got in the car and Zhang Xiaoxue opened the door and got in.
"Brother Mingzhe, I'd like to invite you to dinner. I know you haven't eaten yet, and I've been waiting for you."
Zhang Xiaoxue did not give up on her love for me. She always believed that she would get me in the end. In fact, I hesitated for a while. Yinyan did many things without letting me know. Since we were lovers, there were some things she should tell me, but she didn't. She seemed not to believe me, which made me very annoyed.
Zhang Xiaoxue and I went to Master Zhou's house. When I was sitting there drinking tea, I heard the sound of dripping water again. I was surprised. Was it an illusion
Master Zhou saw through my expression.
"Is there something wrong?"
I frowned and told him about the water droplets. Master Zhou looked at me and said.
"As expected, there are many shady people and shady things. It seems that you will never have a peaceful life in the crematorium. Alas."
"What if I leave here?"
"I think you can't leave."
Master Zhou's words surprised me. In fact, I had already started to consider leaving the crematorium. This place really made me uneasy all the time. Although I really wanted to stay here, whether out of curiosity or to be closer to my father, I really needed to leave now. Things kept happening, and Mao Xiaoli asked me to have my skin cut, which terrified me to the extreme.
Zhang Xiaoxue could see that I was unhappy because I wanted to leave the crematorium. This decision was made very quickly, in a split second. Sometimes, people make decisions in a split second.
That day I drove home and sat at home. The cold house made me uncomfortable. My mother's escape meant that this home no longer existed. She escaped after enduring for decades. So where should I escape to? (To be continued)