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Chapter 34: The Strange Paper Effigy Maker
Although my first love was Xia Ling, the person who truly occupied my thoughts was Lin Xiaoqi. Even though we had never been in a romantic relationship, the hidden crush I harbored for years gave me a very special feeling towards her. Now that she has left, completely gone, my heart is filled with sadness and a deep sense of loss.
That night, after Lin Xiaoqi left, Mr. Lin and I returned home. I then burned the Paper Figurine from Lin Xiaoqi's bed. After all, the Paper Figurine is a spiritual object, and leaving it here would only invite trouble from some ghosts.
Mr. Lin told me that having a classmate like me was a blessing for Xiaoqi, and he thanked me for saving her this time. I smiled and didn’t say much; I just told him it was what I should do.
The next day, I left Mr. Lin's house, departed from the county town, and returned to the deep mountains of Yaoshan Village.
Sitting alone in the empty shop, I recalled the experiences of these past few days vividly, as if they were still happening right before my eyes or perhaps had happened a long time ago. Indeed, I had gone through so much during these days—Duan Yang, Qianqian, Lin Xiaoqi—each of their matters weighed heavily on my mind, making it hard to forget.
Perhaps it was time for me to leave and do what I needed to do. After all, I had to bear the consequences of the Chapter of the Mass Grave incident, and I truly had no reason to stay in the shop anymore. Thinking about being all alone made it seem destined that I would wander the world.
A few days later, I left Yaoshan Village and embarked on my journey through the world. I took nothing with me except for some tools needed for Yin Yang practices and, of course, a heart free of attachments.
Walking alone on aimless mountain paths, I often wondered if I was truly destined for such a life—living alone until old age? Born without parents and losing my grandfather while growing up, living alone while every girl I liked drifted away. Perhaps this really is fate; it just seems too absurd for me!
After leaving Yaoshan Village, several days passed in a blur. Although I claimed to be wandering the world to overcome disasters and help others, nothing significant happened during this time. One day, as I continued on without stopping, I arrived at a small town called Gaocheng. This town was one of those lesser-known places in the mountainous region with a small population and underdeveloped transportation.
Upon entering the town, I stumbled upon something strange. At the entrance of a Paper Craft shop, there were many people gathered around, murmuring about something.
Curious, I thought to myself that usually people kept their distance from Paper Craft shops for fear that the items inside might bring them bad luck. Why were there so many people around this Paper Craft shop today?
I wasn't wrong; the paper crafting industry is relatively solitary. It's rare to have friends around or even someone sitting in your shop to chat with you. Indeed, the Paper Figurines in a Paper Craft Shop typically wear red and green clothing with pale white faces devoid of color, dark eye sockets, and bright red mouths—they look frightening. When you consider that these Paper Figurines are meant to be burned for the deceased, it sends chills down your spine!
Could it be that business was thriving here? However, I knew this couldn't be due to good sales; those gathered around didn’t seem interested in buying Paper Craft items but rather looked like they were there to see some excitement. Intrigued, I moved closer…
There were simply too many people outside, making it impossible to enter the shop. However, through the gaps in the crowd, I noticed a few police officers inside looking into something.
At that moment, the surrounding crowd was buzzing with astonishment, discussing the situation at the shop, saying it was truly an unprecedented event, how could such a thing happen in broad daylight?
Someone mentioned that the White Boss of the Paper Craft Shop might have known he was going to die, which is why he did such a thing. Otherwise, a person as shrewd as him wouldn't possibly make a Paper Figurine for himself.
Listening to their discussions left me even more confused. What did it mean to make a Paper Figurine for oneself? It sounded very much like something Lin Xiaoqi had done before.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked an elderly man next to me what had happened and why there were so many people gathered here.
The old man glanced at me and said, "You're not from around here, are you?"
I nodded and replied that I had just arrived and noticed the crowd. Was something wrong?
The old man confirmed that indeed something had happened: the White Boss of the Paper Craft Shop had been scared to death by a Paper Figurine he made for himself!
Upon hearing this, I was quite puzzled because I also worked in the paper crafting business. I had seen all sorts of Paper Figurines and Paper Horses; how could someone be scared to death by a Paper Figurine? Moreover, it was one he made himself!
I immediately told the old man, "To be honest, I work in paper crafting too. How could someone in this line of work be scared to death by a Paper Figurine? That seems absurd!"
Seeing my disbelief, the old man widened his eyes and said, "At my age, why would I lie to a young person like you? Let me tell you. The White Boss's Paper Figurines are different from those of other Paper Effigy Makers; he's got some evil about him. Perhaps this is karma!"
Hearing this made me even more curious, so I asked what was so evil about this paper master. Was there something unique about his paper crafting?
The old man replied, "You probably don't know this. To tell you the truth, the reason the White Boss's paper crafting is different is that he makes his Paper Figurines based on photos provided by others. In other words, if you bring him someone's photo, he'll craft an exact replica of that person as a Paper Figure. Don't you think that's different from other Paper Craft Shops?"
I realized that indeed it was different. After all, these Paper Figurines are burned for the deceased. If someone wanted to harm another person by having him make a figurine based on a living person's photo, wouldn't that be disastrous?
Thinking about this, I pointed towards the shop and asked, "So what exactly happened here?"
The old man saw my curiosity and pulled me aside to share what he knew.
It turned out that the White Boss of the Paper Craft Shop was a young man who inherited the family business. After graduating from university, he took over the paper shop. As a college graduate, he naturally did not believe in ghosts or supernatural matters. He took over the shop purely as a business venture.
In this day and age, every industry emphasizes innovation and uniqueness; without distinctive features, it is impossible to stand out. The White Boss understood these concepts and hoped to make his Paper Craft Shop different from others to grow and succeed.
After much thought, one day while joking around with friends, one of them said that if he died, he wanted the White Boss to burn some celebrity figurines for him so he could enjoy them in the afterlife.
As the saying goes, "the speaker has no intention, but the listener takes it to heart." This remark sparked an idea in the White Boss's mind. He thought, if I could customize Paper Figurines for customers based on their photos, it would surely be a great marketing strategy.
Excited by this idea, the White Boss quickly put out advertisements the next day.
Indeed, in this era, whatever exists in the Yin Realm can be burned for the deceased—phones, computers, cars, you name it. As a result, when the White Boss's advertisement went out, it became quite popular. A large number of customers came to order Paper Figurines of beautiful celebrities to burn for their deceased loved ones, hoping they would have beautiful companions in the afterlife.
However, this practice was quite unethical. Why? Because most of the photos provided by customers were cutouts from beauty magazines featuring living celebrities or models! Just think about it: crafting Paper Figurines resembling these living people and then burning them for the dead so they could accompany those who have passed away—how could this not be considered unethical? It was quite absurd!
Nonetheless, some people warned the White Boss, saying, "Young man, you can't do this; it's unethical and will eventually bring retribution." But being a person educated in modern times, the White Boss dismissed such superstitions. He argued that many people used magazine images for burning without any apparent consequences. Moreover, he believed there were no ghosts in this world; burning figurines was merely a way to satisfy the living's longing for their loved ones.
And so a year passed. The White Boss's Paper Craft Shop thrived, earning him quite a bit of money. One day, a customer jokingly suggested that he should create a Paper Figurine of himself to display at the shop entrance. This way, it would serve as a living advertisement—showcasing both his shop's uniqueness and his craftsmanship.
Upon hearing this suggestion, the White Boss found it reasonable and decided to create a Paper Figurine of himself...
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