Chapter 18: 18 A Dirty First Nigh

I took out the bag with the paper and candles out of the cupboard. When I about to leave, I saw a white thing among the gold and red candles. I stared at it. It was a business card.

I picked up the business card. There was a name on it - Ge Xianshou - and a phone number. The back of the card had a small symbol, like a stamp. I immediately identified it - it was from the Hall of Tianshou. I remembered the old man in the Chinese tunic suit from inside the nice funeral shop I had visited the day before. When had he put the card in my bag? I could have sworn I never took it from him.

It didn’t matter anyway. I threw his business card into the trash can.

It was 11 o'clock when I arrived at Kaoshan Street. There was almost no one around and all the stores were closed. Only the streetlamps were lit. I took a deep breath, standing in the gateway to the ghost house. I had never been here alone before. I had to admit, not having anyone with me made it significantly scarier.

I hesitated for a moment before going through the gateway, but eventually I pushed aside the gate and entered the courtyard. Not wanting to linger outside, I entered the main hall quickly. The hall looked was dimly lit only by the beam of light coming from the flashlight in my hand. It was as lonesome as I was. I dared not raise my head as I went forward towards the ceremonial bowl. I silently hoped the scene from last night would occur once more. Even though I knew they were ghosts, I’d be less scared if they took those forms.

The paper money and candles from the Hall of Tianshou were different than those from the mysterious shroud shop. They burst into flames as soon as I used my lighter. It was not difficult for me to burn them, so I let out a sigh of relief.

The light and warmth from the fire comforted me. However, everything around me suddenly became very bright when I put the last bit paper money into the bowl. I covered my eyes with my hand.

A burst of laughter rang around me. My heart rate accelerated. I opened my eyes, ignoring the urge to keep them shut. The sudden appearance of Sister Hua in front of me was so startling that I stumbled back two or three steps.

“Bang!”

I had crashed into something behind me. I turned my head back and saw that I had crashed into a table, knocking over a few cups. Transparent liquid was spilling slowly along the surface of the table.

A young, beautiful girl standing by the table said shyly, “Uncle Liu, please excuse him. He is new. Don't mind him.”

Mr. Liu twitched his nose and said: “A living person?”

The beautiful girl said, “I don’t mind if he’s a living person or not!” The beautiful girl picked up a cup and poured wine into it, handing it to him.

The man she called Uncle Liu didn't pay any more attention to my shivering form and continued enjoying his delicious wine.

I felt a sudden pain in my ear. When I turned around, I saw Sister Hua was twisting it. She said, “If you hadn’t burned the paper money for me, I’d eat you right where you stand. Follow me.”

She pulled me away as I was reluctantly dragged behind her. On the way, I saw many people in the hall of the ghost house. Then I remembered, they were not human. They were all ghosts. They were all drinking happily, but in a strange silence.

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Sister Hua dragged me to a seat next to the back door. Then she let go of my hand and asked me to sit down. She said to me, “Today, I will teach you the rules. This is the Fan House. The doors open at 11 o'clock; you should come here on time to do some trivial things. It’s easy.”

I nodded, but I never asked her whether the time she meant was 11 o'clock in the evening or the morning. I asked cautiously, “Um, Sister Hua, why are you making me do this?”

“You don't need to know that now. But you should work hard. If you do a good job, I will give you money to buy things. It is a profitable job.”

I wasn’t quite sure if I should believe her. I wanted to ask something, but I was scared of angering Sister Hua. After all, she was a ghost. After some thought, I finally spoke my mind about the question burning on my mind, “Sister Hua, do you know about the pictures, those sets of three pictures?”

I had not yet finished my sentence when Sister Hua interrupted me, “Oh, that… it is none of my business. However, you should know that I put you on duty here just because somebody asked me to protect you.”

I was bewildered. I always believed those envelopes were from the ghost house. However, Sister Hua denied any involvement with them. I felt there was no point in doubting her; Sister Hua wouldn’t lie to me, since she didn’t really want to harm me. But what did she mean by helping somebody protect me? Just when I thought I was about to get some answers, everything got a little more complicated.

Sister Hua sighed, “Do you know the different types of ghosts there are in the world?”

I looked up towards Sister Hua, not knowing anything on the matter. To be honest, I didn’t believe anybody really knew the answer anymore.

“When people die, they become the ghosts. If the ghost has feelings of bitterness, we call it a resentful ghost. If the personality of the ghost is evil, we call it a demon. If the ghost is stubborn, it is called a haunting ghost. Here, we are spiritual ghosts, neither good nor bad. We just want to enjoy the world. There is also the last type, a ferocious ghost. Ah, they are such pitiful creatures... They are...” Sister Hua sighed and ended her sentence there.

I was very curious. Looking at Sister Hua, I asked: “Sister Hua, ghosts don't kill human beings, right?” I was hoping Sister Hua would say no. At least then, I would feel a bit more at ease.

Sister Hua used a hand to cover her mouth, letting out a giggle. After a moment, she said, “All ghosts can kill human beings.”

Sister Hua’s words sent a chill down my spine, but I forced what was probably an ugly looking smile.

At that moment, someone called out to Sister Hua from outside. Sister Hua responded and turned to me, saying “I’m going out. Yan’er will explain the rest to you.”

Yan’er, I was suddenly reminded of the female ghost who kept a worm in her hair. My face soured. A silvery voice rang out behind me, “Yan’er is accompanying the guests. Let me tell him.”

I turned my head and saw the small figure of Xiao Lingdang in front of the door. Sister Hua seemed surprised, nodding, “Okay… Xiao Lingdang, teach him properly.”

Xiao Lingdang nodded seriously. Sister Hua turned around to tell me, “Take this serious.” and floated out the door.

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