Far from the residential area, Xin Hexue stood slightly on his tiptoes, gazing into the distance.
At the front of the procession walked a man of average build, with a white cloth draped over his head, scattering yellow paper money to both sides of the road. Judging by his attire, he was presumably Tang Amei’s son-in-law.
According to local customs, the deceased’s coffin would remain in the ancestral hall for one night before burial, with professional mourners and suona bands singing and playing music until dawn.
The people of the Walled City came from all corners of the country, some even fleeing here from across the ocean. They had no blood relations, let alone a clan, so talk of an “ancestral hall” was out of the question.
For those who had lived in the Walled City for half their lives, the ancestral hall they referred to was, by default, a temple at the summit of Nanshan Mountain.
Calling it a temple wasn’t entirely accurate either; it was said to be a living shrine built in the last century.
As for which living person the shrine was originally erected to commemorate, due to a tsunami decades ago that destroyed and buried the entire Nanwan area, the name of the person commemorated by the living shrine had become blurred and unknown.
The construction developers who acquired this land prioritized rebuilding the ancestral hall based on vague records in local chronicles.
The god now enshrined in the temple was called the Red Prince.
Because Nanwan faced the sea and was located in the tropics, with treacherous and changeable cyclones, Red Prince was portrayed as a sea god capable of suppressing hurricanes and undersea earthquakes, and of course, protecting the local people.
The superstitious developers also believed He would bring wealth.
Xin Hexue remembered the name Red Prince.
On the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar last month, he went to find Tang Amei, originally intending to ask about Tan E. But when he arrived, Tang Amei was pulling down the metal shutter of her dessert shop, muttering as she went to worship the Red Prince.
Tang Amei had spent almost her entire life in the Walled City. Her mother carried her, fleeing from the lowest ship holds, environments filled with rotten fish and shrimp, to settle, live, and reproduce here.
For her, Nanwan Walled City was her home.
Naturally, she revered the god that protected this place.
It was dusk when Xin Hexue and the others ascended the mountain. The sun leaned against Nanshan Mountain, casting a scorching light upon the world and dampening his collar with sweat.
Yu Xingzhou rummaged in his multi-pocketed cargo pants, pulled out a handkerchief, and handed it to Xin Hexue. “Is it very hot?”
He took it. The handkerchief was thin and translucent from long time use and washing, with a slight scent of soap left from long sun exposure.
Xin Hexue pressed against the damp sweat on the side of his neck. “The sun is very hot.”
Logically, the temperature should be slowly dropping by evening. He looked up. The sun looked strange, its texture like orange syrup in a spoon, melted out of shape by the heat and baking the leaves on the treetops until they were glossy and black, like freshly laid asphalt.
Yu Xingzhou didn’t have a fan. He plucked a large and round leaf from the roadside and fanned Xin Hexue. “It will be better once the sun sets completely.”
The jungle on both sides of the mountain path was wild and overgrown. Fortunately, previous generations had built a stone path, otherwise, the way up would require cutting through grass while exploring the trodden dirt paths.
Even though the Qingming Festival had just passed, the newly grown miscanthus grass was boldly sticking onto the path.
Yu Xingzhou pulled Xin Hexue and forcibly swapped positions with him, muttering, “You walk on the inside.”
This way, he would be on the stone path with people blocking both sides, and the annoying miscanthus wouldn’t prick him.
“Thank you.”
Xin Hexue said softly.
Yu Xingzhou pretended to cough, cleared his throat, and let his eyes wander over the mountain. “Huh? Fireflies already at this time of year?”
It wasn’t even summer yet, but the average daytime temperature in Beidao City had reached summer standards for several consecutive days.
The sun sank behind the mountain, and red clouds spread across the horizon.
As night fell, it became easy to spot those unique little creatures amidst the lush grass.
Points of fluorescent light flickered across the mountain.
Also flying about were the yellow paper money in the wind.
But, wasn’t there too much paper money?
Xin Hexue looked left and right. Spirit paper had already piled up into small hills on both sides of the stone path. Looking further into the darkness, flames were leaping up before each grave mound where the eyes could see.
Looking closely, they were individual braziers with flames leaping inside and black smoke curling upward.
The spirit paper money was not burned completely, and ashes were scattering into the air.
Their entire group was walking on the stone path. Who was burning the paper?
The person walking to Xin Hexue’s right turned his head and said with a smile, “It’s the Daoist priests from the temple. There’s too much paper money from the Qingming Festival and funerals that it scatters all over the mountain. They collect it and help us burn it in the braziers.”
“Ah, they seem to be wearing black clothes, which makes it a bit hard to see them at night….quite scary.”
Following his gaze, Xin Hexue indeed saw figures standing beside those grave mounds, probably the Daoist priests the man mentioned.
Ascending the stone steps, a temple painted cinnabar red finally appeared before them.
The coffin being delivered couldn’t enter through the main gate and had to enter via a side path. As they turned into the side path, Xin Hexue glanced down the mountain again.
The Daoist priests were still standing in the same spot, unmoving.
The night wind blew, lifting their legs off the ground and folding them up.
The flickering firelight illuminated them. They were thin and flat….they were paper figurines.
Their faces were painted a deathly white, and all were facing him in unison.
Xin Hexue vaguely heard a “san value -1” sound.
…………
After death, the first thing before placing the body in a coffin is washing the body.
This shares the same custom as the “third-day bath” three days after birth.
The first lesson upon birth and the last lesson upon death are the same. Every person arrives in the world naked and leaves naked, bringing nothing, taking nothing.
An auntie from the neighborhood helped wash Tang Amei’s body, changed her into burial clothes, tied up her white hair, and fastened the ends with a blue hair tie before others helped place her into the coffin.
She was still running her dessert shop during the day. Customers who had dessert at that time said she was still glowing with health, but a sudden stroke in the middle of the night took her away.
Life is impermanent, but compared to elderly people lingering sick in bed in their twilight years, Tang Amei’s death wasn’t too painful.
As people sat around, they talked about how Tang Amei missed her daughter deeply and couldn’t wait another twenty years.
Her coffin was placed at the front of the main hall, right before the stone pool. Above this stone pool was a square skywell. On rainy days, water would gather noisily from all four sides toward the center and fall into the pool, gathering wealth and prosperity.
Her son-in-law knelt beside the coffin, facing the spirit tablet placed on the long table.
Because there was a stone pool in the center, and two high thresholds from the entrance to the main hall, the guests were naturally separated into different areas.
Candlelight flickered, shadows moved, and everyone sat on long benches chatting.
Xin Hexue sat in a position closer to the main door, as he wasn’t a close relative of Tang Amei nor a particularly close neighbor or friend, so there was no reason to sit further inside.
He casually inquired for information from those sitting with him.
“I heard that Grandma Tang’s son-in-law used to be a sailor. The salary should be quite good, right?”
The middle-aged uncle sitting with him cracked some sunflower seeds. “Ah, little sister, you don’t know about this.”
Xin Hexue’s eyelid twitched when he heard this form of address, but he didn’t say anything.
“Sailors, they come with the wind and go with the waves. A trip out to sea from Nanwan can be a few weeks short or half a year long. You never know when a storm or a big wave might hit.” The uncle gestured with his hands, stained from long-term smoking, the nails carrying nicotine and tar like dark yellow shells. “Don’t just see the good wages for a trip, they spend little time with their families, sleep restlessly on the ship, and are always on standby. Who knows whether you docking tomorrow and seeing the wife will come first, or an accident will.”
The uncle added, “If you marry, never marry a seaman!”
Seeing the uncle take out tobacco and rolling paper, Xin Hexue slowly touched his lower abdomen. “Thanks for the reminder, but I’m already married.”
The uncle glanced at his movement and sheepishly put away the tobacco. “Where’s your husband? Didn’t he come with you?”
Xin Hexue put his hand down and answered calmly, “He hasn’t come back for many days.”
The uncle: “A man who doesn’t care for his family, tsk tsk, they’re never any good. What, is your husband a seaman too?”
Xin Hexue gave a vague affirmative and probed, “Is it really that dangerous?”
The uncle lifted his chin and gestured forward. “Look, Grandma Tang’s son-in-law is an example. A couple of years ago, he encountered a shipwreck at sea. Everyone thought he was dead. But on the day the auntie died, he suddenly came back, a living person appearing out of nowhere! He said he was picked up by a fishing boat back then, had nothing on him, so he had to work in the South Seas for two years to save up for the fare back!”
“He never thought that when he returned home, heaven and earth had already turned upside down. His wife was dead, one corpse two lives. Before he left, his mother-in-law was healthy, she only had some epilepsy and stomach problems, but could work and eat. Now she’s gone too.”
“He was originally an orphan, and he formed a family only after meeting Tan E. Now this family is left with just him again. He was devastated, and it took a lot of effort to comfort him.”
“The dead are gone, the living must live well…”
Having obtained the information he wanted, Xin Hexue excused himself for some air, stood up, and walked to the door.
He called the little monster out from the shadows, found a small stick, and played fetch with the little black dog.
The child’s physical training is also very necessary. All-round development is the key to success at the starting line later on.
No matter how many times it was thrown, the little black dog would always wag its tail, bark as it held the wooden stick in its mouth, and run back to him happily.
At this time, Xin Hexue would pat its head and throw the wooden stick out again.
Good, obedient children will get rewards…his behavior conveyed this meaning, making the little black dog run even more eagerly.
This time, however, the stick was thrown a bit too far.
A sports shoe happened to step on the thin wooden stick, and with a slight grind, it broke in two.
Hearing the noise, Yu Xingzhou glanced down at his feet, appearing somewhat cold and harsh. “Where did this little stray come from? So dirty.”
The little black dog whimpered and ran back to Xin Hexue’s side.
If the person who had said those words was Gu Mifeng, the little black dog would have already chased after him for two miles and bitten at his pant legs.
Xin Hexue had not yet explained the little black dog’s origins to Yu Xingzhou, and it was difficult to explain anyway, so he simply made an excuse: “It’s probably raised by the temple. Black dogs ward off evil spirits.”
“Is that so? Do you believe in that? Or do you just like black dogs?”
Yu Xingzhou found two pinewood chairs from somewhere and moved them in from the doorway, so the two of them wouldn’t have to sit on the long bench with everyone else.
“Come sit. I borrowed these from a Daoist priest in the nearby hall.”
The little black dog followed Xin Hexue’s steps inside and lay down, snuggling closely against his feet.
Yu Xingzhou tilted his head and looked at it for a moment. “It’s pitch-black and really ugly. I can’t even tell where its eyes and nose are.”
[How dare you! How dare you speak to the Crown Prince like this!]
[This is the legitimate son of the Cat King!]
[Outrageous, there’s no respect for superiors! The legitimate dog son sells off the evil stepfather! No, he hasn’t even received the stepfather’s number tag…sell him off, sell him off!]
Xin Hexue expressionlessly scooped up the little black dog, dusted it off, and rubbed its warm little body. “Black is quite beautiful.”
They didn’t discuss this topic much further.
Because soon, the line of mourners had completed its turn and it was finally their turn.
Xin Hexue set the little black dog down on the ground and gave it a pat.
While Yu Xingzhou turned to walk forward, the little black dog took advantage when no one was seeing and obediently retreated back into the shadow.
……….
According to custom, both weddings and funerals in the Walled City would set out banquets. Food would be provided late at night, and before the deceased was buried at dawn, there would be a full table morning banquet. Those keeping vigil overnight and those paying their respects could all eat.
Since they had also brought “monetary gifts”, although in the form of paper money bought from the deceased’s relatives and burning it for the deceased as a sign of mourning, they were included.
The wailing of professional mourners and the sound of suona horns interwove. Xin Hexue and Yu Xingzhou stepped over the wooden threshold and walked toward the innermost area.
“Two people.”
Yu Xingzhou handed over the white “red envelope,” which looked somewhat thick.
The son-in-law knelt beside the coffin, while the neighbor aunt entrusted to help was responsible for receiving guests and distributing paper money.
Xin Hexue and Yu Xingzhou were not very familiar with the deceased, and even less so with the son-in-law whom they had never met before. So, they hastily burned the paper money in the brazier, pressed their palms together in prayer, and only said, “Please accept our condolences.”
Xin Hexue said softly, “I’ve tasted Grandma Tang’s sweet soup. She was a very good person during her lifetime.”
The son-in-law knelt on the ground and bowed forward to express thanks to the mourning guests. “Thank you.” His voice was hoarse.
He straightened up, revealing a decent looking man of average build. His pale face had a sorrowful expression, and there were dark circles under his eyes, nothing unusual.
Xin Hexue nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Just as he was about to walk out, he turned and saw two coffins at a glance.
It turned out that beside the long table where the spirit tablet was placed to the left, there was also a mirror positioned sideways toward Tang Amei’s coffin right against the wall.
So, at first glance, it looked like there were two coffins.
“Why is there a mirror placed here? Is there some particular custom behind this?” Xin Hexue asked aloud.
The son-in-law said, “It’s a local custom here. The saying is that by placing a mirror to make it look like there are two coffins, the family won’t experience another death for some time afterward.”
His head drooped dejectedly again. “But what meaning is there in leaving me alive in this world?”
Everyone knew that he was the only one left in his family.
Xin Hexue could only offer condolences again.
He glanced into the mirror out of the corner of his eye and a sudden chill crept up his spine. He looked closely and realized that the burial clothes worn by the deceased in the coffin were exactly the same as those worn by the figure in his dream.
A wooden wedge held the deceased’s mouth open, which was stuffed with rice. This was her farewell meal. When the coffin is sealed at dawn, the wedge could be removed.
However, the grains of rice were stuffed too full and too much, and the white clusters looked more like maggots.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Xingzhou asked.
Xin Hexue heard the surrounding sounds as if they came from far away, so upon hearing Yu Xingzhou speak, he almost thought it was an echo in a valley.
He shook his head and walked out of the mourning area with Yu Xingzhou.
As they passed through the courtyard, he looked up at the moon’s position…the night was still long.
Returning to sit side by side in their chairs, Xin Hexue whispered closely into Yu Xingzhou’s ear about the abnormalities.
“Although nothing seems wrong on the surface, the fact that the son-in-law returned on the very day his mother-in-law died is just too coincidental.”
Yu Xingzhou frowned, also deep in thought.
“I find it very strange too. I’ve seen this old woman before. On the fifteenth of last month, I came here looking for clues to a question and this old woman was among the crowd paying respects. I heard from the Daoist priest that she seemed to come every lunar fifteenth after Tan E’s death to make offerings.”
“Maybe Tan E’s grave mound isn’t far from here. She probably comes to pray for blessings and peace while visiting her daughter.”
They pondered various speculations but ultimately found no clear leads and could only wait quietly for the vigil period to pass.
Xin Hexue was accustomed to sleeping early, so even with the mourners’ sorrowful wails in the front hall and the dramatic sounds of drums and suona horns, he grew drowsy. As soon as his eyes closed, he fell into a dream.
……
When his back touched the bed, Xin Hexue realized he had continued the dream from this morning.
The old-fashioned telephone in the living room rang, “beep, beep.”
Once again, He Qinghong’s message played: “Xin Hexue, don’t open your eyes!”
This time, he actively opened his eyes.
The paper figure clung to the ceiling with its limbs, its head still inverted 180 degrees to look at him.
The burial clothes had a large “Longevity” character (word).
Its posture was like that of a frog, its hind limbs seemingly ready to spring forth, shooting out a long tongue as fast as a frog catching its prey.
Xin Hexue bit the tip of his tongue, and the pain steadied his nerves.
The paper figure loosened its jaw, revealing only a short stump of a tongue inside, clearly bitten off.
It had bitten off its own tongue.
As if feeling phantom pain, Xin Hexue released the tip of his own tongue.
“Ah, ah, mmm…”
The paper figure couldn’t form proper words.
“You…” Xin Hexue had just spoken when suddenly, white maggots began crawling out from the paper figure’s dark oral cavity and fell from the ceiling!
Xin Hexue’s eyes widened.
Fortunately, before the maggots could fall onto him, he suddenly struggled and disrupted the dream.
“Huu..”
Returning to the ancestral hall, he slowly let out a breath and realized he had been leaning on Yu Xingzhou’s shoulder while asleep. “Thank you.”
Yu Xingzhou turned his head and stared intently at him, his throat moving.
His voice was somewhat hoarse, saying, “Umm… you smell really good.”
Not only him, but Xin Hexue himself also caught a faint, sweet fragrance.
More importantly, he could feel a small, damp patch on his chest.
