The old man I was chatting with, Mr. Xing, claimed to be the Chairman of the Ermian Staff Dormitory Committee. In fact, he didn’t supervise any employees, just himself.
At around 7 o'clock, Mr. Bai was buried. Baishiqiong's father bought a good cigarette for one of us who had to carry the coffin. I had cigarettes, so I gave this cigarette to the old man. The old man was so happy that he even praised me.
Say it a few times and say I am sensible.
"Are you free tonight?" Bailash Qiong suddenly asked me.
"I'm fine, what's wrong?"
"My dad is busy with other things. I want to guard my grandfather's grave tonight. Are you free tonight? Can you accompany me for a while?"
Bailashqiong's tone sounded calm, but I could feel the loneliness in her heart.
We are a generation apart. I dare not think about how I will face myself if my grandma passes away one day. If my grandma passes away, I will have no relatives in this world.
"No problem, I'll stay with you here tonight. The old man has just left. It's your duty to pay homage to his grave."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
I've seen a lot of dead people, and I don't have any big feelings about Wang Xiaoqin hanging himself from a pear tree decades ago. If something really happened, no one would have lived in the Ermian dormitory long ago. It was probably just rumors.
At around 8 o'clock in the evening, all the wreaths in the mourning hall of the old community were brought in, along with a pair of paper figurines of the golden boy and jade girl given by Manager Niu.
Paper figures stood there, one on the left and the other on the right. There was a fire in front of the new tombstone, and there were a lot of paper money and gold ingots in plastic bags next to it.
The old man Xing Ye said that the factory road across the wasteland was called Yin Yang Road, so he stood there at night and looked towards the tomb. He could see two red-faced paper figures standing in front of the tombstone, keeping their posture motionless. When the wind blew,
Occasionally it would sway back and forth.
During the night vigil, I brought rocks and sat by the fire, chatting with Bailash Qiong.
She looked at the tombstone and told many stories about the old man's life, including how he started from scratch, how he saved people from the 1998 flood, etc.
It's taboo to talk about the owner's name when guarding a grave. I responded with mixed responses and wanted to quickly change the topic and talk about something more relaxed.
At this time, I received a text message on my mobile phone, which was sent by Tian Sanjiu.
"The things I've been waiting for have arrived. I'll start working on it at half past one tonight."
Seeing that Qiong Baishi was concentrating on burning paper, I hurriedly typed and replied to the text message.
"At half past one tonight? What are you waiting for? What's arrived? What's the work?"
The text message was sent, and after a minute or two I received a reply from Tian Sanjiu.
"At half past one, the decoration workers of the North Factory fell asleep. According to the results of my investigation, the Iron Buddha that was on the cotton cart did not leave the Second Factory. Only Tang Xin and Wang Xiaoqin of the Science Popularization Committee know where it is. Let me forget it. It should be these two
place."
"Around the pear tree, around a large warehouse in the south factory area."
I went back again.
"Are you planning to dig now? What did you do in the past two days? Also, Bailash Qiong is guarding her grandfather's grave in the wasteland tonight, how are we going to dig?"
Tian Sanjiu replied.
"I said, I was waiting for something to arrive, but I couldn't find the Iron Buddha without it. You can solve the problem of the daughter of the Bai family by yourself. Let her leave before one o'clock, or else you can do it my way."
"Who are you talking to?"
Seeing me typing on my phone, Bailashqiong asked.
"Oh, I didn't talk to anyone, I just asked a friend where I was at night."
"You can leave if you have something to do. You don't have to stay with me specially."
"It's okay, it's really okay."
I smiled, and at the same time I was thinking about how to get her back.
Because Tian Sanjiu said he would come to the wasteland to look for the Iron Buddha at night.
The weather is still very cold at night in the first month of the year, so burning paper money in a fire doesn't do much good. It's dark all around, and the cold air goes straight into your neck. Occasionally, there will be a cold wind blowing, and the burned paper money will be blown up in the wasteland.
dancing in all directions.
I just sat like this until about ten o'clock. I couldn't help but stand up, rubbed my hands and said, "Boss Bai, it's really cold today. Don't wait any longer. Go back early. If you get cold, your grandpa
I will definitely not be happy if I find out."
She didn't even wear gloves, her hands were red from the cold, and she just insisted that I was fine, and that I would protect my grandfather even if he froze to death.
I rubbed my face vigorously and suddenly pointed at the pear tree in front of me and said, "Boss Bai, did you see that just now? There was a woman wandering under the tree with long hair, wearing white clothes, and she seemed to be sticking out her tongue. Is it possible?
It’s the Wang Xiaoqin who used to be in the factory.”
"
You don't have to scare me, I'm not scared." She turned on the flashlight and shined a light around the pear tree twice, but found nothing.
I said stubbornly: "Why not? It's under the tree. I just saw a figure. Please give me the flashlight."
"There, do you see it? It's dark."
I pointed out the pear tree to her.
Bailash Qiong shook her head: "That's the shadow of the tree. There are no leaves on the pear tree in winter, so the shadow of the branches is just like that. It doesn't look like a human figure."
I removed my flashlight and took pictures everywhere.
Unintentionally, the flashlight illuminated the male paper mannequin. The paper mannequin's face was red and there was blush, which looked a little strange.
Sudden
The paper man's head turned.
I just used my flashlight and it was absolutely not dazzling.
My face turned pale.
"I thought I'd come. I have something to do tomorrow, so I'll leave first." I turned around and was about to leave.
I wasn't the only one who saw it, Bailash Qiong must have seen it too.
"Wait for me."
I walked faster and faster without daring to look back.
Walking to the factory road, Bai Shiqiong ran over and said, panting slightly: "I was just dazzled. The paper man's neck seemed to have turned around."
"Don't say it." I swallowed.
"Don't talk nonsense about some things. Go back to sleep now and don't think about anything when you go back."
Bailash Qiong's face turned pale. After hesitating for a moment, she chose to go back. After all, she was a girl.
"You don't want to leave? Take my car back."
I said leave me alone, give me the flashlight, and leave first.
After Bai Shiqiong left, I used my flashlight to pick up a stone and threw it at the paper man standing on the grave.
The first two shots missed, but the third time hit me right in the target, knocking down the standing paper figurine. I plucked up the courage and walked closer.
The paper man fell to the ground, his body turned sideways, his face away from me.
I shook the flashlight back and forth.
Suddenly, the paper man's head moved again, as if he wanted to turn his face.
"What a fool!"
I was so frightened that I backed away, turned around and ran away with my flashlight on.
"Master Xing! Master Xing!" I ran downstairs to the dormitory and banged on the door.
"Who?"
The room was dimly lit, and a voice came from the room.
"Me! Open the door quickly!"
The lights came on in the room and the door opened a few minutes later.
The old man came out wearing plush cotton slippers and a coat.
"It's you. What's wrong? Why don't you go back to sleep at night?"
I looked back at the wasteland in fear.
Bailashqiong is gone, and the fire burning paper money is getting smaller and smaller.
I ducked directly into the house.
The room was very warm, and the small stove that burned briquettes was burning red. He was using the water to set the fire, and the water in the heater was boiling, making a beeping sound.
The old man stood outside the house and looked around, then wrapped his coat tightly, entered the house and closed the door.
"What's wrong, young man, it's already past 11 o'clock. Why are you running here? I just went to bed."
I sat on the bench and warmed myself by the fire. I swallowed my saliva and said, "It's haunted. The wasteland is haunted."
"Haunted?"
The old man put on his long johns and lit a cigarette and took a puff.
The old man yawned, "Are you talking about paper buns?"
I nodded and said, "Yes, it's a paper figurine. Mr. Xing, is it Wang Xiaoqin's ghost that is attached to the paper figurine?"
"Boy, you can really scare yourself."
"Wang Xiaoqin has been dead for decades, and I have lived here in Ermian for decades. I have never seen Wang Xiaoqin. I almost forgot what she looked like."
"He has braids, wears a floral cotton-padded jacket, has wheat-colored skin, and is so tall. Come to me," I compared my height.
"Have you seen Wang Xiaoqin?" The old man looked a little surprised.
I shook my head and said I had never seen it. After thinking about it, I added that I had seen the photo.
At this time, the old man smiled and said: "Look at your coward, do you have a stick? Now take the stick and follow me."
"Where to go?"
The old man was smoking a cigarette. He buttoned up his coat one by one and said, "Where did you say you were going?"