Chapter 003: Corpse Makeup
I could not care about anything else and hurriedly closed the door, rushing to check if the corpse was alright. The coffin lid had been pushed open more than halfway by that bird-like man, and the chalk line was tangled and thrown on the ground. The female corpse lay in the coffin, her hair and dress in disarray
"Stop talking nonsense, just keep it to yourself!" Uncle San impatiently interrupted me, urging me to hurry back to the room and go to sleep.
Uncle San arranged the appearance of the corpse, then closed the coffin lid and re-tied it with a墨斗线. After that, he had me light three incense sticks in front of the coffin, while he went to the bookshelf to take out a large stack of paper money and talismans.
I was just about to ask my third uncle what to do next when suddenly I heard a crack, and the three incense sticks in front of the coffin broke off at the waist! Immediately after, a whirlwind swept through the room, scattering talismans and half-burned paper money all over the place.
In my impression, I have never seen my third uncle so serious before, which makes me feel that this matter is likely truly extraordinary
This old tyrant! However, I am too lazy to argue with him; people tend to become a bit unreasonable as they age, don't they
In addition, we also found a wound at the back of the female corpse's head. Judging by the shape of the wound, it appears to have been caused by a blunt force impact that resulted in a fracture of the skull
I asked my neighbor, Uncle Wang, to request a leave of absence from Teacher Tian, and I stayed home all day watching over the coffin. It wasn't until noon that I went out for a while. Aunt Lin came over in tears, saying that her daughter Jing'er usually has a good relationship with me, and she asked if I knew of any private matters concerning Jing'er.
These joss paper notes are colorful and are all those joss paper worth one hundred million on the market, nothing special. However, those talismans are not ordinary; they are all personally crafted by Uncle San during his spare time and have been accumulated for a long time
After this incident, I no longer dared to leave the coffin even for a moment. When I felt hungry, I went to the kitchen to cook some noodles, and then returned to keep watch. As evening approached, I heard a bustling noise outside, as if many people were clamoring.
The expression on this rogue's face looks quite off, pale with a tinge of iron gray, his eyes bloodshot, resembling a malevolent spirit.
As soon as I arrived at the doorstep, I was taken aback. The door to my house was actually open! I initially thought it was my uncle returning, but soon realized it was not.
I felt a surge of joy in my heart, thinking that it was the Lin family's girl who had been found, so I went out to inquire a bit. As a result, I heard something completely unexpected.
In the main hall of my home, there is a man with his back to me, hunched over and lying on top of a coffin. The lid of the coffin has already been pushed open, and he is intently fiddling with something inside.
I lifted my skirt and glanced down, and indeed saw a birthmark the size of a fingernail beneath the waist and hips of the female corpse. The color and shape of this birthmark were exactly the same as what Lin Wenjing's aunt had described.
Uncle San's expression changed dramatically, and he muttered a curse under his breath as he led me to see the coffin. This time, he personally took charge, inspecting it inch by inch.
It is truly uncanny! I crawled out of the coffin with cold hands and feet. Just as I mentioned that the Lin family's girl had a birthmark on her buttocks, this female corpse just happened to have one as well. Isn't that just too damn coincidental!
I was so nervous that I was sweating, and when I looked at my third uncle, his face was also extremely dark. Those of us in this line of work are accustomed to bizarre and inexplicable occurrences, and we are well aware that unusual events often indicate something sinister. The strange phenomenon we just witnessed can only mean one thing: there is definitely something wrong with the corpse in the coffin
I felt a sense of trepidation and suggested that we should either report it to the police or inform Aunt Lin and the others to come and identify the body. After a long pause, my third uncle urged me to keep this matter to myself and not to mention it to anyone.
It was only around midnight that Uncle San returned home, looking exhausted. I heated up the food and brought it out for him to eat first. Once he had nearly finished eating, I then spoke to him with a pale face about my earlier discovery
I suddenly had an extremely absurd thought: "This corpse... could it really be the Lin family's girl?" However, I can be certain that the face before me is definitely not that of Lin's girl. Although both are quite beautiful, their appearances are still significantly different. Lin's girl has a slightly round face, which gives her a gentle look. This girl, on the other hand, has a standard oval face, with delicate and small eyes and nose, making her look exceptionally exquisite. Lin's girl has a slightly round face, which gives her a gentle look. This girl, on the other hand, has a standard oval face, with delicate and small eyes and nose, making her look exceptionally exquisite.
The coffin lid is too heavy; I cannot close it by myself. I lit three sticks of incense, clasped my hands together, and bowed several times, praying that if anything happens, she must seek out Er Laizi and not blame me.
I got out of bed and asked him, it's so late, where are you going? Uncle San said he was going to inquire about the surroundings. I was a bit worried and said, at your age, can you take it easy? Can't you go tomorrow instead?
Uncle San locked the door from the inside and led me outside to talk. In our line of work, this is done to stay away from coffins and to avoid being overheard by the dead
When I glanced at the coffin as I returned to the house, my heart raced as I climbed into bed. However, my third uncle showed no intention of resting; he tidied up his belongings, seemingly preparing to go out
I was so frightened that my face turned pale. This scoundrel has a notorious reputation, and at over 30 years old, he is still a bachelor. Usually, he behaves in a careless and unrestrained manner, displaying very inappropriate conduct. Just as I rushed in, this person was holding a corpse, and I couldn't tell what filthy deeds he had been up to.
This is more like ... a composite of two individuals ... as if ... the torso belongs to the Lin family's girl, while the head and limbs belong to another person
Of course, the main reason is not this. My third uncle is usually very laid-back, not concerned with anything, and typically, I am the one in charge of household matters. However, once this old fellow starts to be authoritarian, I will definitely listen to him, which indicates that something truly significant has happened
Soon, the main hall was filled with yellow talisman papers. The white smoke rising from the three incense sticks in front of the coffin ascended straight up, thick and continuous, creating a rather eerie atmosphere
Uncle San said that this matter is urgent, and if it is not resolved, I won't be able to sleep. He told me to stay at home and guard the coffin, and to make sure nothing else goes wrong. Then I heard the sound of the door opening, and the old man left without looking back.
Who is it! I am anxious and cannot care about anything else, so I shouted and rushed in
I also did not dare to pursue. Just now, when that person turned around, I caught a clear glimpse of him; he is a well-known scoundrel in our village, usually idle and a mere ruffian.
I returned to my room and closed the door, feeling that something was amiss in my heart. That night, I casually had some noodles and then picked up a novel to continue my vigil by the coffin
The villagers were abuzz with discussion, all suggesting that these two rascals were likely attempting to steal a cow. Unexpectedly, the cow suddenly went wild, resulting in the loss of their lives
I went to the main hall and carefully inspected the coffin, confirming that there were no issues, before returning to the inner room to sleep. The entire night was a blur, and I could not sleep soundly
Fortunately, after the examination, there were no signs of violation on the corpse, which allowed me to breathe a little easier. In my heart, I silently prayed for the Buddha's protection and carefully arranged the corpse's appearance and dress.
Not long ago, this rogue was found dead in a family's cow shed, his abdomen pierced by a cow's horn, resulting in a gruesome disembowelment, with intestines spilling all over the ground
This time, a significant investment has truly been made, as talismans and paper money were mixed and burned in front of the coffin, and I was also instructed to sprinkle a portion around the coffin.
Er Lai Zi has died
Generally, girls of this age have some little secrets in their hearts, but how could she tell me? Seeing Aunt Lin cry made me feel extremely distressed. I helped her back home and comforted her for quite a while before I reluctantly made my way back.
I think of the young girl from the Lin family, such a beautiful little girl, and I may not see her again in the future, which inevitably makes my heart ache and fills me with sadness. However, I still hold onto a glimmer of hope; perhaps this is just a coincidence? It is possible that the girl from the Lin family is merely lost for a moment and will return soon.
I do not agree. I said that it is very likely that the Lin family's girl has been harmed by someone, how can we conceal this and not report it
The next morning, I woke up feeling a bit dizzy, but fortunately, there were no issues with the coffin. Yesterday, the villagers searched all day, turning over every pond and river, yet there were still no discoveries. Aunt Lin was so anxious that she fainted several times; her aunt had already reported it to the police, and I heard that the police had just come by.
At that moment, I felt as if I had fallen into an ice cave, trembling with fear. I had dealt with my third uncle and corpses for so many years, yet I had never encountered such a bizarre situation.
Upon hearing the sound, the person was startled, and the corpse that had just been lifted from the coffin fell back with a thud. The person then turned and fled, knocking me over as they rushed past the door. By the time I got back on my feet, the individual had already disappeared without a trace
"Damn it, it's really two people!" Uncle San scolded with a gloomy face. Due to the extremely meticulous handling of the seam and the very similar skin tones of the two individuals, we initially did not notice anything amiss. However, after such a detailed inspection, the discrepancies became apparent.