After my brother's death, my mother, heartbroken but forcing herself to stay strong, took charge of his funeral arrangements. Someone in the village who knew the customs remarked, "This third child died before starting a family, and he died violently. He won't rest in peace. He'll likely turn into a vengeful ghost."
Upon hearing this, my mother was enraged. She wiped her tears and gritted her teeth, insisting that my brother be given a ghost marriage.
The village's matchmaker for ghost marriages inspected my brother's corpse, frowning, "He died a violent death. A dried corpse won't suppress him; you'll need a newly buried wet corpse."
My mother was immediately unhappy, retorting, "I don't want to pair my son with a corpse! I want to find him a living woman, the freshest and most beautiful one. My son deserves the best!"
The matchmaker was stunned by my mother's words. "A living woman won't come cheap," she replied. But my mother, resolute, said, "Don't worry about the money. Just find me a beautiful woman, and I'll take care of the rest." Seeing my mother's confidence, the matchmaker's face lit up. "Alright then, just wait! I'll bring the woman to you tonight."
After the matchmaker left, my mother immediately contacted some of the less honorable men in the village. She slammed a stack of money on the table, saying, "I'll cover most of the cost. Each of you contributes what you can. This woman will be yours while she's alive. As long as you pay, you'll get a share."
The men exchanged glances, clearly tempted but remaining silent. Sensing this, my mother fueled the fire by adding, "This is a woman from the city, high and mighty. Don't you want to know what it's like with a city girl?"
Human nature is weak in the face of temptation. With that, the men hesitated no more and began pulling out their money. Some gave 300, others 500, and soon they had pooled enough.
My mother counted the money, muttering, "Good, go home and have dinner. Come to my house at 8 p.m. Everyone who paid will get a turn with the girl tonight."
The men, faces flushed with anticipation, left one by one. Just as night fell, the matchmaker arrived, leading a woman tied with a rope. From a distance, I saw that she was fair-skinned and very beautiful. My mother circled the woman, extremely pleased. She struck a deal with the matchmaker, exchanging money for the girl. The matchmaker winked at my mother, saying, "This is the best one of the batch. Your boy is lucky!" She pulled the woman's clothes aside, revealing one shoulder to prove the quality of the goods. The woman, though resistant, quieted under the matchmaker's glare, showing she had suffered a lot.
After the matchmaker left, my mother barely glanced at the woman before ordering me to tie her up on my brother's bed. I wasted no time, leading the woman to my brother's room.
She didn't resist, only gazing at me with tearful eyes. As I was finishing tying her, she finally spoke, "Will you treat me well in the future?"
Her words made me realize she misunderstood the situation. But I couldn't bear to tell her the truth, so I said nothing and hurried out of the room.
As soon as I stepped outside, I saw a long line of men, stretching from my brother's room to the front gate of our house. They were lined up based on how much they had paid, with those who gave more at the front and those who gave less at the back.
Uncle Ge, who was at the front, couldn't wait any longer and rushed into the room as soon as I came out. Shortly after, I heard the sounds of screaming and pleading from inside. As more men entered, the cries grew quieter until eventually, there was only silence. I wanted to go in and check, but I didn't have the courage. I covered my ears and fled.
The next morning, at first light, a group of men carried the barely alive woman out of my brother's room. She was on the brink of death, her body limp and unresisting as they placed her into my brother's coffin. The moment she saw my brother's corpse, her weak body suddenly began to struggle violently.
Seeing this, my mother rushed forward, kicking the woman hard in the stomach and then driving long nails into her chest. Only then did the woman quiet down.
While she was still, my mother quickly called for the coffin to be sealed with long nails. At first, we could hear banging from inside the coffin, but as time went on, the noise grew weaker and eventually stopped altogether. The funeral master, Uncle Wu, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Alright, now she's truly dead. Go fetch the Eight Vajra to carry the coffin for burial."
The Eight Vajra were from the neighboring village and had been arranged the day before. I was supposed to take a red envelope and roast chicken to their house to guide them here. Just as I was about to leave, Uncle Wu pulled me aside and whispered, "Liuzi, you're clever but inexperienced. Let me give you a word of advice. When the Eight Vajra ask, you must insist your brother died of illness. Don't mention anything about your sister-in-law. Every trade has its taboos. Say the wrong thing, and they won't come."
I stared wide-eyed at Uncle Wu. "You want me to lie? But didn't you say the Yin-Yang trade must not deceive?"
As soon as the words left my mouth, Uncle Wu's face darkened. He didn't get a chance to reply before my mother slapped me hard across the face, twice.
"You'll say what Uncle Wu tells you to say! If you say the wrong thing and delay your brother's burial, I'll beat you to death!"
Seeing the anger in my mother's eyes, I didn't dare argue. I grabbed the offerings and ran towards the Eight Vajra's home. Luckily, the invitation went smoothly.