Chapter 7: The Shadow Woman

After Granny Huang finished her prayers, she waved to us, and we followed her to the living room outside, where we sat down. Granny Huang said that after she went down, she quickly found that woman without much effort. She mentioned that this woman is 42 years old, with the surname Weng, and her full name is Weng Moumou, originally from Guizhou. In her youth, she did not receive much education, so she went to nearby Chongqing to work. Because she is eager to learn and is also quite astute, she quickly accumulated a considerable network and experience. In the 1990s, due to the impact of the financial crisis, the company she had been working for could no longer operate. The boss called the employees for a farewell dinner, and just like that, the company ceased to exist. At that time, Ms. Weng was no longer young, approaching 30 years old. Having been busy with work, she missed many suitors, and due to the hardships she faced in her youth, she appeared relatively strong in various aspects, which made many men feel somewhat intimidated by her.

In the case of three divinations, the hexagrams consist of one yin and one yang. To elaborate, her cow horn hexagram is created by splitting the cow horn from both ends; the rounded side represents the yang hexagram, while the flat side represents the yin hexagram. When divining, it is cast in, and if the side facing up shows two identical faces, it indicates two yin hexagrams or two yang hexagrams, which cannot combine to form a yin-yang. This signifies that at this moment, the yin will encounter resistance. Based on the three hexagrams, if there are three pairs of yin and yang, it indicates that things will proceed smoothly. This is also a protective measure that Granny Huang takes by entrusting herself to her deities before each yin divination.

Old Mrs. Huang remarked that Ms. Weng is a shrewd woman. Thus, the couple spent several years with Ms. Weng managing the financial accounts while Mr. Yang was responsible for negotiating business with clients. They transformed their agency, which initially consisted of just the two of them, into a company with proprietary patented technology products. The company's workforce grew from the original couple to dozens of office staff and hundreds of workers, evolving into a business with significant growth potential, all accomplished in less than 10 years.

After examining the divination, Granny Huang said that the fortune was good, and there would be no obstacles this time. Moreover, the owner of the hair was even eagerly waiting for someone to listen to her story. Whether it was a grievance or a hidden matter, she suggested discussing it upon her return. After speaking, Granny Huang prepared a special tea that she drank every time before entering the spirit world, and then she began to meditate with her eyes closed

I gave the strand of hair to Granny Huang, who remained indifferent and frail as ever. Hu Zongren and I had long since grown accustomed to it. Granny Huang's methods for cursing someone were limited; either she needed the person's birth date and name, or she had to possess something belonging to that individual. I was unable to find out the name of the female vice president who had died suddenly from a heart attack, and I could not verify the exact time either. The only thing I had related to her was this strand of hair that I had pulled out.

It must be stated that before mingling with me, Hu Zongren's behavior was indeed rather reckless. His approach to handling matters was vastly different from mine; he lacked my patience and the habit of probing into every detail, opting instead for a more straightforward and blunt manner in dealing with spirits. However, after spending a considerable amount of time together, I noticed that he gradually began to understand the importance of tolerance and compassion, rather than resorting to direct action for the sake of convenience.

Ms. Weng told Granny Huang that during this period, although her career was flourishing and she had earned a considerable amount of money, enhancing both her social status and her position in the literary world, the couple was not happy. This was because Ms. Weng, due to a congenital physiological defect, was unable to have children with Mr. Yang. Granny Huang, feeling somewhat moved, remarked that Ms. Weng was originally older than Mr. Yang, and coupled with her inability to bear children, even though Mr. Yang often claimed that he did not mind these issues, it instead made her feel a strong sense of guilt. She began to regret her inability to provide Mr. Yang with a complete family. As the days passed and living conditions improved, Mr. Yang gradually forgot his initial promises.

Time quickly passed by. After Granny Huang woke up, she took a sip of tea, seemingly having made this round trip quite swiftly. When Hu Zongren and I heard the noise, we went into the inner room, just as we were about to ask Granny Huang a question, she raised her palm towards us, as if to say, "Please wait a moment." Both Hu Zongren and I fell silent, merely watching Granny Huang. She approached the Bodhisattva, lit incense, and bowed. While bowing, she murmured: "Such sins... such sins... No wonder your journey is not smooth... After consuming my incense, it is time to let go..."

Ms. Weng stated that after dating for 2 years, they obtained their marriage certificate. However, due to financial constraints, they only held a small ceremony at their respective families' homes. Initially, Mr. Yang's parents were somewhat dissatisfied with Ms. Weng because she was a few years older than their son. Nevertheless, this did not affect the couple, as Mr. Yang, being from a district in Chongqing, worked in the main urban area and had limited opportunities to see his parents, so it did not matter much. Life continued in this manner, and with Ms. Weng's assistance, Mr. Yang's work soon began to improve. Consequently, the couple started to consider whether they could become their own bosses and start a company.

When Granny Huang reached this point, she sighed, and I understood that she was speaking from the heart. Although Granny Huang had been single her entire life, she was still a woman, with rich emotions, easily able to empathize with the experiences of others. Granny Huang continued, saying that Ms. Weng, seeing her age increase day by day, had her career, which had been going well, suddenly collapse, leaving her life and work in disarray, and she had been quite depressed for a time. However, through a friend's introduction, she met someone, who at the time was just a small salesperson at a chemical company, two years younger than her, and that was Mr. Yang. Granny Huang went on to say that Ms. Weng told her that initially, she found him honest, ambitious, and willing to work hard, which made her feel quite fond of him. As they interacted more, the two quickly became lovers. During that period, Ms. Weng was unemployed and lived off her savings, while Mr. Yang's income was also not high, but they still managed to live frugally together.

To be honest, I still feel quite gratified

Hu Zongren interrupted Granny Huang, asking how he could forget. From his tone, it seemed that he was somewhat angry. Granny Huang replied, saying that men, especially those in business, are few who can remember their humble wives until the end. Starting in 2008, Mr. Yang began to lose control over himself. Initially, he only enjoyed frequenting nightclubs, as he was wealthy and mature at that time, which attracted the attention of younger women. However, it was merely superficial and did not develop into any physical relationships. Miss Weng often heard from others that her husband, although not taking any actual actions, had begun to enjoy lingering in nightclubs. At first, she blamed herself for everything, thinking that she was not a complete woman by nature, and thus tolerated her husband's behavior. But over time, Mr. Yang's boldness grew. Seeing that his wife allowed him to do as he pleased, he took it as an implicit approval of his actions. Gradually, he began to stay out all night, occasionally finding excuses for business trips, claiming he was going to negotiate deals. These trips would last ten days to half a month. Initially, he would at least call home, but later, he would leave without a word, even too lazy to make a phone call.

Every time it comes to this moment, Hu Zongren and I always obediently exit Granny Huang's room, but we do not go far, just lingering near the door. This is because someone must stay nearby whenever Granny Huang goes into a trance, to prevent her from being hindered and unable to wake up afterward. If that were to happen, we would have to give her some tea. It is already quite late, and Granny Huang's adopted daughters have all gone to rest; this task can only be handled by either Hu Zongren or myself.

By the time Hu Zongren and I arrived at Grandma Huang's house, it was nearly 10 PM. Normally, at this hour, the old lady would have been fast asleep. However, I had called her earlier to ask her to wait for a bit for Hu Zongren and me. I also informed Sister Cai that I would be home a little later. On the way, Hu Zongren explained to me why we should let Grandma Huang conduct a divination now instead of directly asking General Yang tomorrow. The reason was that we could not be certain that General Yang would tell us the truth. I thought to myself that although Hu Zongren appeared rough and tough, he could be quite meticulous at times. He reiterated that we should let Grandma Huang conduct the divination now instead of asking General Yang directly tomorrow, as we could not be sure he would be truthful. I reflected that despite his imposing appearance, Hu Zongren had a keen mind. Moreover, he was skilled and bold; I was fortunate he was my friend. If he were my enemy, it would indeed be quite difficult to deal with him.

Hu Zongren told me that although he is not particularly close to Granny Huang, his relationship with her has become much closer since Fu Yunni recognized her as her godmother. Ever since we resolved our disputes with Sha Wudao, Hu Zongren often goes to Granny Huang's place to pick up Fu Yunni to go home. Whenever he encounters troubles, he will ask Granny Huang for help if she can assist. Therefore, when we faced this small challenge, he immediately thought of Granny Huang. Hu Zongren also informed me that he learned from the old man at the parking lot that the relationship between the female vice president and General Manager Yang does not seem to be very harmonious, as there have been a few occasions when he saw them arguing while parking before heading to the elevator. Hu Zongren also informed me that he learned from the old man at the parking lot that the relationship between the female vice president and General Manager Yang does not seem to be very harmonious, as there have been a few occasions when he saw them arguing while parking before heading to the elevator

At this point, I understood why Hu Zongren had to seek out Granny Huang first. In fact, both he and I were aware that the elevator ghost we were currently facing clearly harbored a deep obsession. Therefore, it was indeed a good thing to ask the old lady for her insights first

Hu Zongren suddenly said, "Godmother, quickly give me a cup of your tea." I asked him what he wanted to do, and he replied, "I need to calm down"

Old Lady Huang took the strand of hair from my hand, then walked to the wall to retrieve the tortoise shell hanging there, tossing the hair inside. Next, she took out her cow horn divination sticks wrapped in red cloth, brought the two sticks together, and approached the Bodhisattva, clasping her hands in prayer and reciting a sutra for a while. After that, she came back and tossed the two cow horn sticks into the tortoise shell.

Although I did not fully understand the meaning of her words, I vaguely felt that Hu Zongren's guess was likely correct; this woman also seemed to be a pitiable person in our eyes