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墨書 Inktalez
"Dammit, trying to mess with me? I'll make you just like the God of Joy, playing along with this God of Joy. Damn it, I followed you all night last night. I'm exhausted." With that, the man rubbed his arm, which had been pinched by the God of Joy, and spat on the unconscious Wei Ning lying on the ground.
The night was as dark as water. Zhao Ma lazily sat in her yard, fanning away mosquitoes with a fan. It had been a long time since she had any business come her way. At this rate, relying solely on her small plot of land was becoming too tight financially. With the government promoting cremation, opportunities for her business were dwindling. Fortunately, someone had called her today saying they had "goods." So she had been waiting in the yard for quite a while.
"Zhao Ma! Zhao Ma! Open the door, it's me! Hurry up!"
"Why did you take so long? I've been waiting for you all night," Zhao Ma hurriedly went to open the door upon hearing someone outside. Standing there was the Dwarf, carrying a long black bag on his back. He looked around nervously to ensure no one was watching before quickly stepping inside.
Zhao Ma glanced around to confirm there was no one else before closing and locking the door tightly.
"What's up? Got more goods?" Zhao Ma asked.
The Dwarf dropped the black bag onto the ground, wiped his sweat, and revealed his white teeth as he said, "This time it's fresh merchandise—just died." He opened the bag to reveal a person inside, their face pale and uncertain whether they were alive or dead.
"What a handsome young man! What a pity he died so early—can we trust this?"
"Don't worry; there won't be any trouble. Just bury him in the ground, fill in the hole, build a tomb, and in a few years, it'll just be a pile of bones—who would know who he was?"
Zhao Ma nodded in agreement but remarked, "That's true. It's just that... looking at him, he seems... his complexion still looks somewhat... like he has some life left in him. Doesn’t seem fully dead yet—isn’t that…?" She leaned closer to inspect the young man in the black bag and reached out to check for signs of breath.
"Don't touch him! He died from an infectious disease," the Dwarf quickly pulled up the bag and warned. "This young man is from the city; I heard he caught some disease only city folks get—something related to women. That's how he ended up like this."
Upon hearing it was contagious, Zhao Ma quickly withdrew her hand and asked, "Is this really appropriate?"
"Think about it, the Ding Family just wants a Young Man. It doesn't matter how he died. You don't know, I don't know, who knows how he died? Just put your mind at ease; I guarantee nothing will happen. Besides, the country now requires cremation. If I can find someone like this, that's incredibly lucky. There aren't many options to choose from, and this might even be the choice of Boss Ding's wife herself."
Zhao Ma thought for a moment and said, "Well, it can only be this way. Someone from the Ding Family has been dead for nearly seven or eight years and still isn't at peace. That's why Boss Ding asked me to find a good husband for his daughter, so they can accompany each other in the afterlife, whether as a couple in life or as ghostly partners. As long as they don't come back to haunt us, we can just pray."
Zhao Ma was known in the area as a "Ghost Matchmaker," a term for those who facilitate Ghost Marriages.
A Ghost Matchmaker plays an important role in Ghost Marriage, connecting the families of deceased individuals to arrange marriages and profiting from the process. After a Ghost Marriage is completed, they can earn four to five thousand yuan. Typically, ghost matchmakers enter the profession around the age of seven or eight under the guidance of experienced mentors.
After a ghost matchmaker dies, they must be cremated, but their ashes cannot be placed in an Ancestral Tomb. Instead, they are buried in a cemetery established by the matchmaker themselves, following the order of their entry into the profession.
The request for Zhao Ma to conduct this Ghost Marriage came from a wealthy local boss named Ding. His daughter had fallen ill and died at seventeen. Despite being dead for several years, she was restless and often caused disturbances. Boss Ding thought of arranging a Ghost Marriage for his daughter so she could find peace in the afterlife. However, while he had found a suitable female partner, he had yet to locate a male counterpart.
"Alright then, it's settled at one price: ten thousand."
"Are you kidding me? Five thousand! Not a penny more."
The Dwarf chuckled and replied, "This kind of thing is truly valuable now. I heard that in the city, a kidney goes for two hundred thousand! If you don't want it, city bosses are fighting over them. But since we've been friends for over ten years, I'm giving you a friendly price. Besides, once this deal is done, big bosses like Ding won't treat you poorly."
After some thought, Zhao Ma gritted his teeth and said, "Seven thousand."
After some bargaining, they finally settled on eight thousand.
Ghost Marriage was quite common in ancient China but became rare after the establishment of New China due to various reforms and revolutions. However, it still occasionally occurs in remote areas like Xiangxi. Ghost Marriage is also known as "Bone Marriage," where families of deceased individuals are referred to as "bone relatives." The wedding ceremonies typically take place at night; if people are suddenly awakened by drums and music in the streets while they are asleep, it signals that a Bone Marriage is happening.
After the Dwarf left, Zhao Ma called for Boss Ding. Boss Ding was eager to marry off his daughter and immediately decided to proceed with a Ghost Marriage. Since this was considered feudal superstition, he feared disturbing the authorities, so Boss Ding kept it low-key. He only invited a Yin-Yang Master and a few strong men to carry the "groom" to his daughter's grave.
The Yin-Yang Master consulted his compass to determine the auspicious time. The strong men then lifted the "bride's" coffin, and the Yin-Yang Master poured a bucket of clean water into the pit, tossing in two apples. Meanwhile, Zhao Ma was at the grave, waving paper money high in the air. The strong men opened Sister Ding's coffin, revealing that she had already turned into a skeleton. Boss Ding couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness. Zhao Ma directed the strong men to place the "groom" and "bride" together in a newly purchased coffin for their joint burial as a couple. They nailed it shut, filled it with earth, placed a box of firecrackers on top, and arranged Fruit Offerings in front of the couple's grave. After burning red paper money, the wedding ceremony was deemed complete, and everyone was happy. Zhao Ma followed Boss Ding eagerly to settle the bill.
Wei Ning groggily woke up, touching her head where the Dwarf had struck her. However, she found herself engulfed in endless darkness. Where was she? Wei Ning felt around her surroundings and realized she was in a square wooden box. Wasn't this a coffin? How did she end up in a coffin? As she continued to touch around her, she felt bones—hand bones, rib bones, skulls. Where am I? Could it be that I have been buried alive? Wei Ning desperately pounded on the Coffin Lid, but no one responded. Was she really going to die here? She kept banging and shouting, but it was all in vain; she felt as if the air around her was dwindling. Finally, Wei Ning succumbed to despair and fainted once more…
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