readbooksol Chapter 3 Fountain Pen
Chapter 3 Fountain Pen
Daytime is the world of living people.
Ma Ye had just put the cinnabar jar back in its place when he prepared to close the window.
Suddenly, a cold wind arose.
In the shadows inside the room, a minor official of the City God, dressed in a short shirt, knelt on one knee, holding a small piece of locust wood in his hands.
"A new ghost, not very resentful, died suddenly, but just stays at the work station where he died and refuses to leave."
There are many people around, and the City God is worried that if you stay too long, you will turn into a vengeful ghost, so he wants you to leave as soon as possible.
After receiving the small wooden tablet engraved with his birth and death dates, the kneeling clerk vanished from the room in the blink of an eye, leaving only the window trembling slightly.
Ma Ye glanced at the contents of the wooden board.
Liu Gan, almost 30, a line of small print was written in the corner.
"The family has contacted the temple keeper."
As soon as possible? Even if we're in a hurry, we need to let Ma Ye catch up on some sleep first.
I worked for more than two months without getting paid; I was treated like a volunteer.
But before going to bed, I still need to go to the yard to check on the hibiscus.
"Xiao Jin, hurry up! If your master's wife were here, you wouldn't be this slow."
"Shut up, even if my master's wife were here, she wouldn't let me do it all by myself!"
Zhu Jin gets a little angry whenever her teacher's wife is mentioned.
Why did those two just leave like that, disappearing without a trace, leaving only a simple-minded older brother behind?
A small mountain of one-inch-wide bamboo strips was piled up to the side.
Zhu Jin picked up a few bamboo sticks, placed them by the stove to bake out the bamboo oil, and casually bent them a few times, and a simple paper doll skeleton was assembled.
"Who was talking inside just now?"
"The City God's men have come to work again."
Zhu Jin placed the paper skeleton on the ground. The bungalows opposite had already been demolished, and the passing workers looked on with curiosity.
"Why is the City God making arrangements again? He's not even paying my wages!"
Paper money and bamboo strips—aren't they all bought with money?
We haven't had any customers for two months.
"Stop complaining. He's a god, after all. What if Master Wen hears us?"
"So what if you heard it? I don't need anything more, just pay my tuition for this year. You can cover my living expenses too."
The four paper skeletons had been assembled during the chat. Zhu Jin took two in each hand and walked to the studio in the courtyard. The paint and cotton paper were inside.
"Okay, I'll ask Uncle Sun if he can give us some wages when I have time."
Is two thousand a month enough for living expenses? If not, I'll give you an extra five hundred.
"1500 is fine. If I really ask for 2500 for living expenses, you'll probably be starving when school starts."
The small door to the studio was gently closed, leaving only a small window open.
Seeing that Zhu Jin knew how to work, Ma Ye could go back to sleep with peace of mind.
Just as I was about to go back inside, I heard the sound of brakes coming from outside the yard.
Three middle-aged men had just gotten out of a white sedan. Seeing Ma Ye there, the taller man at the head of the group raised his hand and greeted him.
"Xiao Ye, you're up early!"
"Uncle Sun, come in and talk to me."
As soon as the courtyard gate opened, Uncle Sun pulled two middle-aged men to sit on the stone bench inside the courtyard.
"I'm here to ask you for a favor. You can call these two Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu."
This is Ma Ye. Don't let his young age fool you; he's been in this industry longer than I have.
The two shook hands lightly, and Uncle Sun got straight to the point.
"Your Uncle Liu's son suffered an acute myocardial infarction the night before last and collapsed at his workstation. Normally, he could have been buried after completing the formalities."
But your Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu both dreamt last night that their child was sitting at his workstation, writing and drawing, and wouldn't respond no matter how they called him. They were quite frightened and came to me.
As the local temple keeper, he would preside over rituals in the temple on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, and the older generation throughout Jinchuan City knew him well.
When people encounter things that science cannot explain, they go directly to him.
However, Uncle Liu himself was not good at these things, and his appointment as temple keeper was also due to the organization's appointment and dismissal.
"Okay, it's not a big deal."
Let's go inside and talk; it's chilly outside this early in the morning.
He invited the two men inside, but Uncle Sun did not follow them in.
He walked up to Ma Ye and stuffed a thick envelope into his pocket.
"Zhu Jin needs to pay her tuition when school starts, right? Your master and mistress aren't here, so I, as her uncle, can't just ignore it."
The City God also contributed some money from the incense offerings, as an advance on your wages.
The envelope was thick and felt heavy in my pocket.
Uncle Sun patted Ma Ye on the shoulder, then leaned into the house and said:
"Brother and sister, you two can talk here. I need to go back to the temple; I still have a lot of work to do."
You two can leave your affairs to Xiao Ma without worry. My nephew is skilled and kind-hearted.
Turning around and leaving the courtyard, Uncle Sun didn't look back even once, and drove the white sedan straight away.
"Uncle Sun, it's hard to get a taxi around here!"
Ma Ye still couldn't catch up with the car, so he had to go back inside.
The water in the teapot was still hot. Ma Ye pinched two pinches of tea leaves and threw them into the pot. He then sat down on the armchair, just like his master.
"Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu, you don't need to worry anymore now that we're here. Tell me in detail about your child's situation, and I'll think about how to handle it."
A small white cloth bag was placed on the wooden table. The two middle-aged men's hands trembled, but they still unbuttoned it together.
At that moment, the teapot made a sharp sound, but it could not mask the grief of the two parents.
"This is my son Gan's fountain pen. I gave it to him when he first started college. He has kept it with him all these years."
Last night was the last time I saw Xiaojun; he was still holding this pen in his hand, though the nib was broken.
The pen has the words "Liu Gan" engraved in the middle. The pen body is somewhat dark, and the character "Gan" has been worn down to "Nian".
Instead of immediately removing the pen cap, Ma Ye poured a cup of hot tea for the two elderly people.
The fragrance of jasmine had already filled the room, but the two elderly people didn't rush to drink; they just sat there quietly.
The dark circles under their eyes suggested that neither of them had slept all night.
"Uncle Liu, what does your child do for a living? When was the last time we spoke on the phone?"
When asked about his children, the middle-aged man was at a loss for words, but Aunt Liu, who was standing next to him, spoke up first.
Liu Gan started working at an architectural design company five years ago after graduation. Because of the poor economic climate, even though he only received a raise once in five years, he never thought of quitting.
The last time I called was in mid-July, which was just over ten days ago.
We had planned to have his dad cook something nice for us to eat over the weekend, but because of a batch of urgent work coming in at the company, I had to work overtime at the company over the weekend. I thought I could finish it in a few days, but somehow, the next time we met, it was a final farewell.
At this point, Aunt Liu choked up, and her husband took out a tissue to help wipe away her tears.
Ma Ye paused slightly while holding the pen, but still finished writing down Aunt Liu's words.
Outside the window, Zhu Jin, who had been eavesdropping, pulled her head back inside; the girl, easily moved to tears, couldn't bear to hear such things.
Ma Ye put down his pen, having basically figured out the direction for resolving the grievances, but still needed to conduct on-site investigations for the details.
"Uncle Liu, Aunt Liu, I have a general understanding of the matter."
However, my approach to the ritual of guiding the souls of the deceased differs from others; it may require examining the deceased's living environment during their lifetime.
You two probably didn't get a good night's rest last night, so let's stop here for now. I'll add your contact information, and we'll visit the deceased's workplace and home this afternoon.
The tea had cooled slightly, and Ma Ye had already taken the elderly couple to the nearest bus stop.
Interacting with people can also help ease emotions.
Once on the bus, the elderly couple gently waved to Ma Ye on the platform.
"Old man, it's getting hot lately, how about we send some summer clothes over to Xiao Gan?"
"OK."
Strolling back outside the shop, I saw Hibiscus sitting relaxed under the signboard of "Aoki-do".
"Brother, what is this person's obsession?"
"It hasn't been investigated yet, but it might be related to the pen."
But judging from his mother's tone, the elderly couple probably thought it was because he was too tired from work.
Zhu Jin paused for a moment, then took the pen from Ma Ye's hand:
"So what do you plan to do?"
"Go check out his living conditions and make some careful plans."
"and then?"
"Then give him a second chance. This time, make it more enjoyable."