I quickly packed up, said a brief goodbye to the old man at the funeral home entrance, and boarded a bus back to my hometown.
After settling Grandpa's medical fees at the hospital, I returned to the village, thinking about the old fortune-teller who used to live near the village entrance a couple of years ago. Rumor had it that he was very accurate in reading fortunes and faces.
After searching for a while, I couldn't find him. I asked the shopkeeper at a nearby convenience store and learned that the fortune-teller had passed away earlier this year. The shopkeeper sighed, lamenting the unpredictability of life and death. The way he looked at me made me feel uneasy.
I was about to head home when I heard the sound of drums and gongs coming from outside the village. It seemed someone was getting married today. Yet, amidst the festive noises of drums and firecrackers, I kept hearing a strange sloshing sound, like water splashing.
Soon, a group of people swayed into the village, heading toward Lao Liu's house.
Lao Liu's house was across from mine, and we had a good relationship. His family had been a great help when Grandpa fell ill.
Following the crowd, I walked toward their home. The closer I got, the louder the water-like sound grew, as if someone was shaking a container full of water.
The matchmaker, a woman with a prominent mole on her face, cheerfully urged the bride to step over the fire basin. As the bride lifted her skirt and stepped forward, I caught a glimpse of something beneath her shoe. It didn't look human.
Startled, I pushed through the crowd, trying to get a closer look. But before I could, the crowd jostled me into the house.
A gust of wind blew through, lifting the bride's red veil slightly. I caught a glimpse of her face and felt a chill run down my spine.
That was no human face.
It's hard to put into words what I saw. The bride's face was expressionless, her eyes and mouth looking as if they were painted on. It lacked any trace of life. She looked like… a porcelain doll.
The water-like sound in my ears grew louder, unnervingly so.
The jade pendant on my chest suddenly heated up, as if responding to something. I clutched it tightly, my heart pounding wildly.
Terrified, I stared at the bride. I tried to nudge the people around me, but they didn't seem to notice anything unusual. They continued cheering and celebrating as if everything was perfectly normal.
Two children holding chickens were led past me by adults. Seizing the moment, I kicked one of the children.
The chicken in his arms flapped wildly, causing the adults to chase after it. The child stumbled forward, crashing into the bride.
A loud "clang" echoed, as if his head had struck a jar. The porcelain bride immediately shattered, and an eruption of bright red blood gushed from within.
The child wobbled in a daze before plopping to the ground, crying loudly.
The entire crowd was stunned, their gazes shifting between me and the scene before them. For a moment, the atmosphere was suffocatingly silent, save for the wails of the child.
A putrid stench filled the air, emanating from the porcelain bride's body. It smelled like rotting flesh.
The scene was so bizarre that I bolted, running out of the courtyard as fast as I could. Gasping for breath, I leaned against a tree at the village entrance, trying to calm myself.
This jade pendant had to go. Ever since it came into my possession, strange and horrifying things had been happening.
After catching my breath, I decided to find a place to burn the pendant. I remembered my father once saying that jade with red streaks, known as blood jade, was said to be soaked in human blood and carried a spiritual presence. But at the end of the day, jade was still just a piece of stone—burning it should do the trick.
Glancing around to ensure no one was nearby, I reached to untie the pendant. To my frustration, the simple knot in the cord wouldn't come undone.
Clenching my teeth, I prepared to tear it off. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Tsk tsk, that won't do," a voice said.
Startled, I turned around to see a scruffy middle-aged man with a stubbly beard. He smiled at me with squinting eyes.
He held a folding fan in one hand and wore somewhat shabby clothes. A white cloth bag hung from his back, giving him the appearance of a fortune-teller.
I eyed him warily. He smiled and tapped my hand with his fan, his gaze falling on the jade pendant around my neck. "A fine piece, a fine piece indeed!"
With that, he traced a finger along the pendant. Instantly, I felt it radiate warmth.
"It may have chosen you, but alas, you cannot control it."
My expression changed. This man seemed to know everything.
Without further ado, he sighed and said, "This won't do. The pendant won't leave you so easily. But if you follow my instructions, there might be a way."
Hearing this, I grabbed his clothes, ready to kneel before him. "Sir, please help me! These past two days—"
He waved his hand, signaling that he already understood. Turning around, he pulled a bundle of incense sticks from his bag and handed them to me. His smile faded as he spoke solemnly: "Light one at your bedside every night before you sleep. Only go to bed once it has burned completely. Do not forget."
I took the bundle of black incense sticks and sniffed them. They didn't smell like regular incense; instead, they carried a foul odor.
The scent was oddly familiar. I thought hard and suddenly recalled the crematorium, the smell of waiting for urns.
This was the scent of ashes!
A chill ran down my spine. Lighting ashes at my bedside? That sounded like a surefire way to summon ghosts.
Seeing my hesitation, the man tapped the jade pendant on my chest with his fan. "If you don't, this thing will never leave you. Disobey, and you'll invite disaster upon yourself."
Pausing, he added, "A ghost's grudge doesn't end with death. Even if you're reincarnated, it will find you again when you reach this age in your next life."
His words sent shivers down my spine. I quickly nodded.
It wasn't that I was superstitious, but the thought of living through another lifetime haunted by this thing was unbearable. If his method worked, it might just free me.
After all, not everyone can endure constant encounters with ghosts.