Chapter 1 A Corpse Cured Like Preserved Meat

Wang Xiaohuan stepped forward and lifted the quilt, revealing a completely desiccated corpse.

My gaze followed the waxy yellow body downwards, and I saw the corpse’s completely shriveled abdominal cavity—its internal organs had long been removed.

Most alarming of all, the corpse was covered in white salt stains.

Someone had cured the body into a mummy, like preserving bacon.

Wang Xiaohuan looked over at me, and I turned to the old woman. “I say, Old Lady, how long has your old man been gone? To be like this, can you even do a face?”

The old woman said, “My old man has been gone for almost ten years. Just because a person is gone doesn't mean they're gone.”

“I want him to be with me, and I want to be with him. So I've had him sitting in the house for ten years, hasn't I?”

The old woman fumbled in a drawer and pulled out a photograph. “I have a photo of the old man here; just use that as a guide!”

“It won’t be the same as he was! I won’t blame you.”

I took the photo and glanced at it. The man in the photo was wearing a long robe and mandarin jacket, with glasses on his face. He looked like a learned man.

The woman next to him, from her age to her clothing, seemed much older than the man.

The old woman said with a smile, “Don’t find it strange. I raised my old man, so I’m bound to look older than him!”

I nodded. “Huanzi, let’s get to work! Do as much as you can!”

When it came to makeup, Wang Xiaohuan was the most skilled in Liangjie Tang (Two Realms Hall).

However, she had never learned how to apply makeup to the dead.

And the makeup she carried in her bag wasn't meant for the dead.

Wang Xiaohuan gritted her teeth and telepathically told me, "This makeup must be reimbursed at public expense!"

"No problem! I'll buy you double!" I agreed to Wang Xiaohuan, adding in my mind, "Jiang Junci is definitely paying for this. No way I'm reimbursing it."

Wang Xiaohuan had no idea that I was plotting to swindle Jiang Junci, and happily opened her makeup bag, taking out the few remaining cosmetics and applying them to the corpse's face.

Wang Xiaohuan really didn’t know how to apply makeup to the dead.

Looks like I'll have to make her practice on Jiang Junci more often in the future.

Doing makeup on a corpse was not something that could be finished in a short time.

I simply found a chair and sat down, watching Wang Xiaohuan while keeping an eye on the old woman.

While Wang Xiaohuan was applying makeup, Wang Butcher was led by the security guard, Old Wu, to a resident's home. The door was unlocked, and the security guard pushed it open.

Security guard Old Wu stood at the door and said in a low voice, “The owner of this house likes quiet. He doesn't lock the door because he's afraid of the noise of knocking.”

“Just don’t speak loudly when you go in. Don’t ask questions if you can avoid it.”

“As for the food! His family is old and doesn’t like stir-fries. They like stews. Stew the vegetables until they’re soft and tender.”

“Go on in! I won’t go in with you.”

After Old Wu finished speaking, he ran as if his life depended on it.

Even when Old Wu was running, his feet didn’t make a sound.

Wang Butcher tiptoed into the house, and the first thing he saw was an elderly couple sitting side by side on the sofa.

The two of them were sitting as if they were posing for a photograph, their upper bodies straight, their legs together, their hands flat on their knees, their eyes looking straight ahead, and their faces wearing smiles that seemed somewhat forced.

Before Wang Butcher could speak, the old woman said softly, as if afraid of disturbing others, “The kitchen is over there. We aren’t picky about what we eat. Just make whatever you want.”

“There are no lights in the kitchen. If you think it’s dark, you can light candles.”

“Be careful, don’t make any noise!”

Wang Butcher nodded to the two of them, turned around, and went into the kitchen.

Apart from the gas stove, the kitchen had no trace of modernity.

Wang Butcher even suspected that if it weren’t for the fact that chimneys couldn’t be installed in apartment buildings, the old couple would have built a stove to burn firewood.

Wang Butcher looked around the kitchen and finally found the bowl rack where the vegetables were stored.

The “bowl rack” is what they call it in the Northeast. It’s not actually a rack, but a cabinet.

Whether it’s washed dishes or leftover food, it’s all placed in the bowl rack.

Therefore, the bowl rack must be far away from the stove and in a cool place; otherwise, the leftover food will all spoil overnight.

It was precisely because the bowl rack was too cool that it had to be placed against the wall, with not even the slightest gap between the cabinet and the wall.

If you leave a gap the size of your palm, a ghost can hide in it.

It's common for wandering spirits to sneak in and find something to eat!

Ghosts that have nowhere to hide will leave after eating.

But if you leave them a place to hide, they’ll take up residence.

This family’s bowl rack had a half-foot-wide gap between it and the wall. Wasn’t this deliberately leaving a nest for ghosts?

Wang Butcher stepped forward, opened the bowl rack, and his eyes suddenly narrowed.

Inside the bowl rack were a bowl of white rice with a rounded top, a bowl of raw meat, and two white candles stuck to the side of the cabinet!