Chapter 17: The Woman with Empty Happiness
It was cold, and it was Friday. Mao Xiaoli arrived in mourning white, which was too eye-catching, especially in this season. I felt uncomfortable looking at it, but it did suit the crematorium quite well.
Listening to the wailing every day and looking at Xiaobai, I really feel like I have fallen into a funeral pit.
The director came in, looked at me and told me to leave.
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 extreme. 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 over, I smelled alcohol on him.
I opened the door, entered the office, and saw that the fragrance of the flowers 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 about to leave, my cell phone rang. I was so scared that I screamed, "Oh my god, that ancestor called me at this time, I was scared to death."
"Master, what's the matter?"
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 did that mean?
When I went out, I saw a new car at the door, so I became cautious. Whose was it?
Uncle Zheng locked the door and went back into the house without even looking.
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 and got 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 test it to see if it was human blood."
"Are you free? Why would you meddle in other people's affairs? 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 test it."
Yinyan and I drank until midnight.
On Saturday, I rest and Yinyan rests too.
"Go to your mother's place today to discuss the marriage."
"Let's go to the hospital first."
Yinyan put 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 someone she knew to do some tests. The results came out half an hour later.
"There's 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 results.
"Are you happy now?"
"Why do you always such a sarcastic tone?"
"You're bringing something onto yourself that has nothing to do with you."
I stopped talking because it didn't matter to me, but I felt 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 to 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 have to leave, said 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, they 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 particularly 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 pressure. We'll decide our marriage. I know 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 colder, 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, wondering 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 entered the director's office. He looked at me, said nothing, and continued looking at the documents.
I'm still hesitating. The manager has made it clear that he doesn't want to get involved, but if I keep doing this, isn't that a bad 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 director 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, lighting a cigarette.
"Xiao Ke agrees. You should consider other people's feelings when you smoke."
"Yes, Comrade Mao, you should also consider my feelings. I can't stand the smell of watering flowers with human blood."
Mao Xiaoli stood there in a daze, staring with her eyes wide open, looking scary.
"How do you know?"
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 it?"
Mao Xiaoli got angry, but I wasn't afraid. I thought it would be better if they could get rid of me.
"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, almost slamming it down. I was startled.
The director 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 you are sick too."
The manager was so angry that he was going crazy.
My master came and I sat on the sofa in the manager's office smoking.
"Master Yin, please control your apprentice. He's causing trouble. Who dares to provoke Mao Xiaoli before? Your apprentice doesn't know his place and is causing me trouble."
"Director, you're watering the flowers with human blood. Where does that blood come from? This isn't just a moral issue; it's illegal. If you're covering up for someone like this, you're also committing a crime..."
"Shut up."
My master was furious, she wanted to beat me up, I could tell.
"Director, I'll educate him. Please don't worry about this matter."
"It seems I can't just ignore it. I broke the law and I don't want to go to jail."
The director 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 no one was around, and looked at me and said.
"Ke Mingzhe, how many times have I told you? In this place, don't be curious. Stay still. Don't look for trouble unless it comes to you. Don't you want to live? Who dares to mess with that weird Mao Xiaoli? Everyone gives her some face, even the director."
"Yinyan, let me tell you, I am an upright person. I am not as hypocritical as you."
My words made Yinyan angry. 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. I screamed and squatted down. Yinyan turned and left.
The police came, not just the police, but the leaders of 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 things to get so big. I was still too young.
I went to work and just entered the office when the manager came in. Mao Xiaoli actually 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 off, because there are only two of us."
I was so stupid. This was obviously a prank on me. My master was sitting on Channel 9 and didn't even look at me. Damn it, I messed with Mao Xiaoli and it turned out that there was 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 arrived at the crematorium. He's been doing this for over 20 years. He likes his job here and hasn't changed. I think if you're interested, you can do it. Master Shen will guide you for a day today, and you can 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. He has never refused anything 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 also single rooms. 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 brought in. Those without lights have no bodies. The ones with circles on them need to be cremated today. They are lined up side by side with numbers behind the circles. Don't make any mistakes."
I watched. It wasn't complicated. Master Shen pulled the body out and put it on the cart. The body was on a shelf and could be hung directly on the cart.
I thought it wasn't that difficult, but I looked carefully. If it wasn't that difficult, Master Shen wouldn't have asked me to take 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'm quite puzzled . What's going on? My master once said that the dead are the least frightening thing.
When I got home from get 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 probably had 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 watered the flowers with blood, but it was her own blood. She bled herself regularly, that's all."
I shuddered. Bleeding myself regularly? Not someone else's blood? I've heard that some people in hospitals use blood to grow flowers. It seems I'm really doing something unnecessary. If I offend Mao Xiaoli, I don't know how many people I'll offend. Even though she doesn't interact with anyone normally, she's been in this place for over 20 years. Who knows what kind of connections she has?
"Mingzhe, besides this matter, there's the heel bone issue, which has already been handled. Be sure to be careful about things like this in the future. Also, when you're transporting corpses, if anything strange happens, don't act rashly. Especially if 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?"
"If it's in the closet, it's easy to take 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 transport platform. 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 or say anything else. I felt that I was in trouble.
That day I sent Zhang Xiaoxue home. I went home and sat down to watch TV. Although it was very late, I couldn't sleep. It was the same feeling as the first day I went to the crematorium: fear, nervousness, curiosity, and a mixture of all kinds of emotions.
