Chapter 18: Ghost Marriage
The only paper effigy shop on Xiang’an Road opened its doors once again. Auntie Zhang, a neighbor, couldn’t help but step out to take a few peeks. She paced near the entrance, a handful of melon seeds in her palm, cracking them open as she walked.
“Eh, Little Jiang, what have you been up to these past few days? I haven’t seen you open the shop.”
“I went out of town,” Jiang Si stood up and replied politely. “Is there something you need, Auntie Zhang?”
“Nothing, nothing.” Auntie Zhang waved her hand hurriedly, her expression a bit strange.
She couldn’t exactly say she thought the shop had finally gone under.
But since he wasn’t making any money and kept the shop closed all the time, it was bound to shut down sooner or later.
Thinking this, Auntie Zhang took a cursory look around and prepared to leave. Suddenly, she inadvertently noticed a few of the smallest paper dolls in the shop staring right at her with pitch-black eyes.
A creeping, gloomy chill climbed up her spine. All her thoughts vanished instantly, and she hurried away without even saying goodbye.
Jiang Si looked blankly at the empty doorway, then turned back to his work. “Why did Auntie Zhang look so awful?”
“I don’t know.” Hai Di shook his head. He was squatting on the table like an action figure, watching Jiang Si measure and gesture over the paper.
Taking advantage of the lull in business, Jiang Si was making several paper dolls needed for the characters.
Since they were for filming, they weren’t very big—each only about twenty centimeters tall. He simply tied the skeletal frames together, then applied makeup and added clothes.
Folklore says that paper dolls should not have their eyes dotted (painted in), because a paper doll with eyes becomes a vessel, easily possessed by all sorts of ghosts and spirits.
But this time, Jiang Si was doing the exact opposite. He dotted the eyes of every paper doll to make it easier for the “actors” he recruited to possess them.
Moreover, unlike the paper effigies used for funeral offerings, Jiang Si put great effort into redesigning their faces. As a result, they didn’t have the eerie feeling common to most paper dolls.
“When is the deadline for your competition entry?” Hai Di asked suddenly.
“The DDL is next month, so there are about twenty days left,” Jiang Si said, feeling a bit worried. “The original plan was tight enough. I hope there aren’t any more unexpected accidents.”
Hai Di looked up at him. Jiang Si was standing against the light in front of the table, his head slightly lowered. His silky hair slipped down naturally, revealing a section of luminous neck.
He was focused on outlining the eyebrows and eyes of the paper doll under his hand, completely immersed in his work. Hai Di wanted to say something but stopped himself.
Frankly speaking, he had just learned the term “jinxing it” (setting a flag) from a book, and it seemed like Jiang Si was doing exactly that.
Sure enough, a visitor arrived in the afternoon.
Stepping through the dappled green shadows of the parasol trees, a woman led the way into the shop. The wind chime tinkled melodiously as the door opened, drawing Jiang Si out from the inner room where he had been resting.
Upon seeing the visitor, Jiang Si was stunned.
It was Xu Jing. She was wearing a black skirt suit, no makeup, with her long hair draped over her shoulders. She looked a bit thinner than the last time they met, but much more spirited. Xu Jing nodded in greeting, glancing sideways to survey the shop’s decor.
“Why are you here?” Jiang Si asked, puzzled.
“Wang Zhao mentioned you opened a shop in Rongcheng. I happened to be flying back to Sijiucheng from the airport here, so I dropped by to take a look,” Xu Jing said, reaching out to touch a standing paper doll. It wore dark red clothes, had rosy cheeks, and stared back at Xu Jing with wide, white eyes that hadn’t been dotted yet.
“Uh… welcome. If you like anything, you can buy it and take it with you.”
Jiang Si spoke very naturally, as if Xu Jing were a tourist buying souvenirs to take home.
Xu Jing paused for a moment, then laughed. “People who can be friends with Wang Zhao really aren’t ordinary. But I actually do need to buy something.”
She looked around, her expression helpless. “My sister’s remains have been buried, but I need to send her something to make her life over there a bit better. I don’t understand these things, so could you please prepare a set for me?”
Xu Jing’s eyes were full of worry, while Jiang Si couldn’t help but think of Xu Lanyue, who had been up all night playing Mario with Xiao Fengxian just yesterday.
“Sure. Any special requests? You can choose to have paper houses and such custom-made.”
Xu Jing thought seriously. “The house needs to be at least a two-story villa, the kind with a backyard garden. For cars, three should do: a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, and a Bentley van. Also, lots of clothes. Given the season, more dresses would be best. My sister liked wearing dresses.”
He shouldn’t have asked.
Jiang Si looked blank, then asked curiously, “Why a Bentley van?”
“Vans are convenient for travel.”
“Alright then.” Jiang Si turned to grab a pen to write it down, only to see that Hai Di on the table had already capped the pen. He stood on the table, hands behind his back, looking at him. At his feet lay a piece of yellow paper filled with notes.
Jiang Si nodded to himself, giving him a look of praise. He picked up the paper and quickly checked it. Although the handwriting was a bit scribbly, it was at least correct.
“What is this?” Xu Jing looked over, surprised that such a stylistic outlier—a small figure—was on Jiang Si’s desk.
“My action figure,” Jiang Si replied.
The chibi-proportioned doll with its stern face was incredibly cute. Even a cool, elegant woman like Xu Jing couldn’t resist wanting to touch it. Hai Di dodged nimbly, running to the other end of the table to hide behind a teacup, looking warily at Xu Jing while silently accusing Jiang Si of inaction.
Not expecting it to move, Xu Jing was startled at first, then found it even more novel. “It can actually run.”
“…It’s smart technology. Haha…” Jiang Si explained. Xu Jing immediately slapped the table and pointed at Hai Di. “Then I want the same model. Burn one for her too.”
This is worth six figures, Jiang Si thought, his eyelid twitching violently. He received a threatening glare from Hai Di, as if saying that if he dared agree, Hai Di would run away immediately.
Besides, there’s no need to burn it; your sister can hang out with him day and night right now.
Suppressing the words he wanted to say, he spent a good while persuading this boss to drop the idea of using Hai Di as a funeral offering.
Xu Jing felt it was a pity for a moment, then finally remembered the other purpose of her visit. She took a business card from her handbag and handed it over. “I heard from Wang Zhao that you’re also a director. Have you thought about setting up your own studio and returning to the industry? I can invest in you.”
“After all…” She glanced at the paper dolls and the paper mountains of gold and silver on the floor. “With your talent, doing this is really a waste.”
Jiang Si lowered his eyes to look at the business card in her hand. His eyelashes fluttered. Just when Xu Jing thought he was moved, Jiang Si rejected her without hesitation.
“No thanks. I don’t have that intention for now. This paper effigy shop is a family tradition; someone has to inherit it.”
“Are you sure? Actually, I’ve seen the film that won you the award. It was made with great spirituality, the narrative was smooth, and the style was soothing. It’s truly a pity to just do this.” Xu Jing’s tone became more serious as she sincerely advised him. “Putting aside the favor I owe you, from a professional perspective, you are a very suitable investment target.”
Jiang Si stopped smiling and said seriously, “‘Treating the dead as if they were alive’—I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this profession.”
“Alright then.” Xu Jing was resigned. “But my promise stands. You can come to me anytime.”
Jiang Si didn’t want to chat further. He mumbled an acknowledgment and prepared to see her out when Xu Jing suddenly dropped a bombshell. “One more thing. I want to know why my sister would rather cause trouble on a film set than come find me? I went to Yanming Mountain to look for her many times, but only this time did I sense a trace of her.”
“Probably because… the people on the crew unintentionally offended her,” Jiang Si touched his nose and answered vaguely.
“Is she still there?” Xu Jing asked again, murmuring softly, “It would be good if she were still there. To see those people brought to justice one by one… that would be satisfying.”
Jiang Si had only heard Wang Zhao mention a sentence or two about Xu Jing demanding a re-investigation of the old case. She wanted not only to arrest the villagers who had acted as accomplices to the homestay owner’s crimes but also to pursue responsibility for the police officers’ negligence back then.
Fortunately, those who participated in persecuting Xu Lanyue back then were all still alive, and ultimately, they could not escape the legal sanctions they deserved.
Whether it was karma or not, other places had developed over time, but this place remained under a curse. Any industry introduced there went bankrupt.
In the end, no one dared to develop it anymore.
Jiang Si didn’t answer further. Regardless of their relationship in life, after death, the living and the ghosts should no longer have any ties. Not telling her was also to prevent the obsession of the living from tethering Xu Lanyue and hindering her reincarnation.
“I understand. Thank you.” Seeing his persistence, Xu Jing couldn’t help but feel disappointed. After saying goodbye, she turned and left.
The car parked by the roadside started up and drove away. Silence returned to the front of Jiang Si’s shop.
Jiang Si shrugged, turned around, picked up Hai Di, and went back into the inner room to catch up on sleep.
In the room completely darkened by heavy curtains, only two 200-watt fluorescent lights provided illumination. Everything had been cleared out of the room, leaving only a large table and some scenery sets.
The fluorescent lights made the tabletop as bright as day. Since the light came from directly above, there were no dragging shadows on the surface, only the various props and a paper doll with black hair and a gold hairpin, wearing a watery-red opera robe.
At Xiao Fengxian’s strong insistence, Jiang Si had designed three drafts before finally settling on her image—it bore a fifty to sixty percent resemblance to her real self, but with more exquisite features.
Jiang Si squatted on the floor, adjusting the height of the camera on the tripod. Seeing it was about right, he said, “Okay, ready.”
Standing by the light switch, Hai Di cooperated by dimming the lights. As a figure in an opera robe slowly emerged from behind the screen, he gradually brightened them again. Even possessing a paper doll, Xiao Fengxian was agile. With a twist of her hand and a flick of her sleeve, the movement was smooth and flowing, done in one breath.
Stepping onto a rolled scroll, she kicked it open with the tip of her toe. The magnificent landscape of mountains and rivers within the scroll slowly unveiled itself. The promotional video’s intro ended there.
She danced to her heart’s content. Jiang Si was also very happy watching the monitor. Any director would be thrilled enough to eat an extra bowl of rice upon meeting an actor who could get it right in one take.
After finishing the shot, Jiang Si took the opportunity to give her a thumbs-up, offering full emotional support. “That was amazing, Sister! You are the next superstar!”
“Really?” Xiao Fengxian was a bit skeptical, tugging at her water sleeves. “I see other actors have to NG (Not Good/retake) many times to pass. This is my first time filming…”
“Believe in yourself.” Jiang Si hadn’t expected Xiao Fengxian to know the term “NG.” It seemed she had listened to plenty of actors chatting back at the homestay.
“If I say it’s good, it’s good,” Jiang Si affirmed.
The paper doll cracked a stiff smile.
Jiang Si let her rest while he and Hai Di set up the next scene. Just as the background was set, the two big lights suddenly went out, plunging the room into total darkness.
The curtains blocked all moonlight and streetlights; you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Jiang Si groped for his phone by memory and turned on the flashlight for meager illumination.
Looking at the remaining mess, he couldn’t help but feel angry yet helpless. He opened the property management group chat and typed a furious paragraph to ask about the situation.
The most important thing in stop-motion animation is maintaining consistent lighting. Luckily, he had finished the first shot, or he would have had to start all over.
Before he got a reply from property management, he heard someone scream outside.
The sound was terrified to the extreme, the tail end of the scream trembling. In the quiet, pitch-black night, it was exceptionally eerie and piercing. It penetrated through two doors, reaching Jiang Si clearly.
He ignored it at first, but a moment later, there was another scream.
“Ah————”
This time, it was even more shrill than before.
People in the phone group chat started sending messages frantically, asking what was happening in their building and why someone kept screaming.
Jiang Si glanced at the table. Hai Di, catching his gaze, sat cross-legged on the tabletop and said, “I don’t smell any ghost scent. It shouldn’t be a supernatural phenomenon.”
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Si decided to go out and check the situation. After all, the sound seemed to be coming from his floor.
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