ill-fated relationship

Chapter 2

I scoffed: "Regret? I'll regret it if you don't die!"

An Ting shakily propped herself up, timidly picked up her suitcase, walked to the door, turned back and threw out a deeply hateful sentence: "I'll die right here!"

I slammed the door shut. If she wants to die, let her die.

He thought that An Ting's visit and commotion would keep him up at night, but to his surprise, he fell asleep as soon as he got into bed.

I just had a dream.

I dreamt that An Ting really went to hang herself.

The sight of her hanging herself was horrific; her eyes were half-open, her face was deathly pale, her eye rims and the corners of her mouth were gray, and her dark, half-inch tongue protruded from her lips.

I don't remember how I woke up from the dream, but I think I must have woken up screaming.

At the same time, the bell rang loudly. In the still of the night, it sounded as if an ominous aura was gathering around.

I grabbed the receiver: "Hello! Hello!" There was only silence on the other end.

But the bell kept ringing loudly.

That's when I realized it was the doorbell ringing.

I opened the door, and there were two policemen standing outside.

"Are you a family member of Shen Anting?"

"No," I thought, my mind reeling with a hollow buzz, "but I know Shen Anting. Did something happen to her?"

"She hanged herself in a nearby public toilet..."

"An Ting, you died so tragically..." An Heng, how could you be so foolish...

"An Ting, you're heartless enough to let an old person bury a young one..."

"An Ting, you must be dying with your eyes wide open, hehe..."

"An Ting! My daughter!"

"An Ting, my precious darling!"...

With heavy steps, accompanied by the heart-wrenching wails of An Ting's elderly parents, I finally arrived at the hospital morgue.

After completing the procedures for claiming the body, An Ting's body was brought out.

An Ting's father rushed forward, his hands trembling violently. He pulled back the sheet covering the body, sobbing uncontrollably. Her mother followed suit.

I saw it all too clearly. The way Anting looked after she died was absolutely terrifying. Everything was just like what I saw in my dream. Her eyes were half-open, and her face was frighteningly pale...

I felt a chill run down my spine.

---janeadam

Reply [5]: In a trembling moment, I heard An Ting's mother crying and exclaiming, "My daughter! My daughter! What unfinished business do you have? You're still holding a bunch of keys even after you've died..." Her back was already badly hunched, and now, because of her wailing and crying, her body curled up even more. I felt a pang of sorrow. My gaze naturally fell on the corpse's hand, and upon seeing it, I felt even more uneasy, because An Ting's hand was still tightly holding a bunch of keys.

This is the key to my house!

Even in death, she clung tightly to the key to my house!

An overwhelming sense of dread washed over me, but even more so, a surge of anger welled up within me. Without a second thought, I took two steps forward, grabbed An Ting's icy hand, and tried to retrieve my keys.

But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't pry her fingers open.

An Ting's elderly father asked me, his voice choked with emotion, "Is this the key to your house?"

I nodded.

An Ting's mother, tears welling in her eyes, said, "She held onto the key to your house until her death, clearly determined to come back to you..."

I had already told her parents everything about my relationship with An Ting, especially how we broke up and how she came to them for help. Of course, I omitted the part about suggesting that An Ting hang herself with an atomic rope. An Ting was an only child and was deeply loved by her parents. During our time living together, I accompanied her to visit them many times, and they considered me their son-in-law. If An Ting hadn't been unfaithful to me later, I would have been practically their son. But now, my relationship with them is somewhat awkward. Admittedly, An Ting's death makes me uneasy, but I believe I've done my best. I arranged for her parents to come to Hong Kong to claim her body and promised to help them with her funeral arrangements.

Originally, the two elders planned to transport An Ting's body back to the countryside for burial.

However, all rituals were waived because An Ting was an unmarried woman who had hanged herself and was pregnant. The elders were superstitious and believed that if the deceased's younger siblings, nephews, or other younger relatives did not mourn and observe mourning, any funeral or rites would bring bad luck.

On the other hand, the two elders also firmly believed that pregnant women who were buried without undergoing proper rituals to guide their spirits to the afterlife would inevitably haunt them. Especially since An Ting had such a fiery temper and died such a tragic death, it was unavoidable that her ghost would return and cause trouble.

So how should we properly handle An Ting's funeral arrangements?

The two elderly people, one after the other, tearfully discussed the matter for a long time. Finally, they came to me, knelt down, and almost kowtowed to me. I was so frightened that I repeatedly said, "Oh, Uncle and Aunt, please don't do this, I can't accept this!"

An Ting's father, with tears streaming down his face, said, "My daughter did something wrong. I apologize to you on her behalf."

I sighed, "It's all in the past, let it go."

An Ting's mother cried uncontrollably, "I know you're a good person, so please go all the way. If you help us with this again, heaven will be watching and you'll be rewarded!"

I truly meant it from the bottom of my heart: "I'll definitely help if I can, after all, An Ting and I were once..." The word "husband and wife" was on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it back and said instead, "...acquaintances... oh no... friends..." I felt incredibly embarrassed.

Seeing that I agreed, the two elderly people shakily propped themselves up, each taking one of my hands, and said in unison, "We knew you would help! You are such a kind person!"

"What else do you need my help with?"

The two old people suddenly started pushing and shoving each other.

"Uncle and Aunt, please speak frankly. Is there a problem with money? Or do you wish for me to accompany you to send An Ting's coffin back to your hometown?"

“If you agree, Anting’s body will not be transported back to the countryside for burial.”

That's what An Ting's father said.

---janeadam

Reply [6]: "What?" I was taken aback, "Changed your mind?"

“I’ve discussed it with the old man,” An Ting’s mother murmured. “An Ting died so tragically… and she was… pregnant… she’ll be a vengeful ghost after death… If you… are willing to help with this… use… use… her husband’s… identity… to hold a funeral for her… so that her spirit… has a place to rest… in the afterlife… she can finally find peace… The old man and I… don’t dare to ask for too much… just put up a memorial tablet for her at home… we only ask that you acknowledge her as your wife… don’t let her become… a wandering, unclaimed ghost… after her cremation… it’s fine to keep her ashes in a temple… you won’t… suffer a loss… you can still… get married in the future…”

After hearing this, I was speechless for a long time.

“I know my daughter’s…personality…better than anyone else…” An Ting’s mother said to herself, her voice trembling, “…If she hadn’t been…desperate…she wouldn’t have hanged herself…and after she died…it even made the news in the newspapers…How could someone as competitive and proud as her swallow…this humiliation…her…ghost…will definitely not…give up……”

An Ting's father, weeping, said, "We just plan to have a simple ceremony. We'll send An Ting's body to any funeral home in Hong Kong, find a sorcerer to perform a ritual, and before sealing the coffin, you comb An Ting's hair and then break the comb. That will be equivalent to acknowledging that she is your wife. As long as she has this title, she can enter the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn as a human. Otherwise, there will be another vengeful ghost on the road to the underworld..."

Hearing this made my heart ache, twisting in pain, and I didn't know whether it was fear or pity.

"Alright! I promise you," I managed to say with great effort. As soon as I finished, I felt a chill run down my spine; I was drenched in cold sweat. After discussing it, we decided to move An Ting's body to the funeral home first, and then arrange for a memorial service and cremation. Once everything was ready, I asked the two elders to guard An Ting's coffin while I went home for a short while, and would go to the funeral home later.

After all that commotion for most of the day, I was completely exhausted and fell asleep as soon as I got into bed.

I created a dream.

I dreamt that workers from a coffin shop carried a cheap, poorly made coffin into the funeral home. The coffin was made of cedar wood, crudely made, with an unpolished, uneven surface. The paint was freshly dried, dark and dull, without any luster. The coffin itself was of standard size, long and horizontal in the center of the hall, its ends curving upwards. My first task was to cleanse and dress the deceased, Anting. So I went to the back to boil a pot of water, poured it into a colander, added some cold water, and adjusted it to a comfortable temperature. Next, I prepared to thoroughly clean Anting's body. Her body was already cold—no, to be more precise, stiff—and had turned a bluish-black. I removed the white robe covering her, but it was too tight, and her abdomen was protruding, making it difficult to peel off. Anting's arms were frozen stiff, and I had to force them up. Finally, I found a pair of scissors and cut the white robe in half lengthwise, front and back, before slowly removing the two halves from her hands. I rolled up my sleeves and began to wipe An Ting's face, starting with her cheeks. Strangely enough, as I gently wiped her eyes with the towel, her half-open eyes closed completely. Then I wiped the towel on her lips, and in an instant, the half-inch of her dark tongue that had been sticking out diagonally retracted into her mouth. Next, I wiped her hand, the one still tightly gripping the bunch of keys to my house. But no matter how I wiped or pried, her five fingers remained firmly clenched in a fist. I felt a sense of defeat, and suddenly looked up, noticing the sharp scissors that had been lying to the side. Without thinking, I tried to pry her fingers open with the tip of the scissors, but to no avail. With a heavy heart, I slashed at her wrist with the scissors. Surprisingly, it went smoothly. Then I forcefully threw An Ting's hand, still tightly gripping the bunch of keys, out the window, the keys rattling in mid-air. At this point, a huge weight lifted from my heart. Just as I was about to turn around and stride away with a light heart, I took two steps when a familiar voice sounded behind me, "Oh!" It was An Ting's voice. She was saying, "You haven't combed my hair yet, how am I supposed to go see the King of Hell?" Turning her head, she saw An Ting still lying there stiffly. However, her eyes, which had been closed, were now half-open again, and the black half-inch of her tongue, which had been retracted into her mouth, was sticking out of her lips again. And... there were two lines of water stains on her face, probably tears.

I don't remember how I woke up from the dream, but I think I must have woken up screaming.

---janeadam

Reply [7]: At the same time, the bell rang loudly. As the night deepened and the darkness gradually settled, one could feel an ominous aura surrounding them.

I grabbed the receiver, "Hello! Hello!" There was only silence on the other end.

But the bell kept ringing loudly.

"That's when I realized it was the doorbell ringing."

I opened the door, and my older sister was standing outside.

"Oh! It's you, elder sister."

“I’ve been looking for you all day, but I haven’t seen you anywhere. I called the accounting firm, but they said you weren’t at work. I came several times, but you still haven’t come back,” my sister glanced at me. “Are you busy with Shen Anting’s funeral arrangements?”

"Um."

"The body has been claimed? Or taken back to the hometown?"

"I've received it, but it's being kept at the funeral home. It will be cremated tomorrow at noon."

"Why not just transport it back to its hometown for burial?"

"Her parents wanted me to use my status as their son-in-law to hold a funeral for An Ting, so she wouldn't be left as a lost soul..."

Before I could finish speaking, my sister interrupted me sharply: "You agreed?"

"Um."

"Are you crazy?!" the older sister yelled.

"What's wrong?" Actually, my mind was in a complete mess.

"Of course it's completely inappropriate!" The older sister was more anxious than accusatory. "Brother, Shen Anting was your ex-girlfriend. She's hanged herself. Out of consideration for your past relationship, it's only right that you help her parents with her funeral arrangements. But there should be limits to how much you can help others; you have to be mindful of your actions!"

"How is it that I have no sense of propriety?" I still stubbornly insisted, but my heart was trembling with pain.

"Given Shen Anting's temperament, and the way she died, her ghost must be incredibly powerful. Why would you want to provoke her? You might end up causing chaos and misfortune at home!"

“I don’t think…An Ting is that much of a ghost…I helped her, she deserves…to rest in peace…”

“You’ve experienced firsthand how formidable Shen Anting was, haven’t you? She was already arrogant and domineering in life, and she’s even more terrifying after death!” The older sister said, stamping her foot in exasperation. “I had an old colleague, Peter, the one who married a Siamese woman, you’ve met him, right? Peter’s brother had a girlfriend, but they somehow broke up, and the woman later died by taking herbicide. Peter’s brother felt incredibly guilty, so he agreed to marry her ghost, take her body home, and bury her as her husband. But his good intentions brought him a lifetime of misfortune. That woman is incredibly jealous. Whenever Peter’s brother gets close to any woman, her ghost comes and wreaks havoc. Now, Peter’s brother has given up on the idea of marriage and doesn’t dare to get close to any woman for fear of harming them. That woman’s ghost has tormented several of Peter’s girlfriends to the point of near death. If it weren’t for the worry about his family, Peter’s brother would have smashed that woman’s memorial tablet to pieces long ago!”

I was drenched in cold sweat: "Is this really true?"

"You're my brother, why would I lie to you!"

"But I've already promised An Ting's parents..."

"You didn't sign any written agreement, so what are you afraid of going back on your word for!"

"Those two elderly people must be very sad and disappointed..."

"It's better for them to be heartbroken and disappointed than for you to get into trouble and lose your life!"

"Sister!" A chill ran down my spine, and I stammered, "An Ting was clutching a bunch of keys to this house even as she died. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't pry her fingers open to get the keys back. I'm afraid she'll try to find her way in..."

Her sister's face suddenly turned ashen, and she hesitated, then finally sighed dejectedly, "There's something I didn't want you to know, because I was afraid you'd be shocked..."

"What's up?"

"The night Shen Anting hanged herself, she called my house. She said she also called you, but you wouldn't answer..."

I interrupted my sister, "I must have been asleep when she called. I didn't hear the phone ring."

---janeadam