Chapter 2 Sleeping In The Coffin

• “No... Eh?”
• I responded instinctively but then paused.
• During the day, only that old lady had been here, and she had left a fine scratch on the coffin. But could that really have anything to do with the coffin lid being ajar now?
• I glanced at the coffin lid and was startled to find, besides the fine scratch, a faint handprint on it. It was bizarre, as if someone had pressed their hand against the lid.
• What's going on here? Who did this?
• Grandpa stared at the handprint on the coffin lid, his face darkening further, but he said nothing.
• He pushed the lid open and looked inside the coffin. His face turned completely black, and he muttered through gritted teeth, “D*mn it...”
• Following his gaze, I peeked into the coffin and was stunned.
• Inside, there was a set of black and red clothes, resembling traditional wedding garments. But these were made of paper mache, not fabric. The dyed paper clothes had a pungent smell, with the bright red and deep black creating a jarring visual contrast.
• My heart pounded with an inexplicable fear.
• I suddenly recalled the old lady's words before she left, about arranging a marriage for me.
• A chill ran down my spine. I shivered, looking back at the coffin. Besides the paper clothes, there was a piece of black paper with some writing on it.
• Just as I was trying to see what was written, my grandfather pulled me away from the coffin.
• “Zayne, go upstairs!”
• His voice was deep and commanding, leaving no room for argument.
• I felt both anxious and puzzled, but seeing my grandfather's grim expression, I nodded and went upstairs without a word.
• Back in my room, I couldn't sleep. I sat on the bed, thinking about what I had just seen.
• Whose handprint was that on the coffin lid? Who left the paper mache clothes in the coffin? Grandpa seems to know something. What is going on?
• As I pondered anxiously, my grandfather soon came into my room.
• He sat next to me, his tone serious. “Tell me everything that happened today. Don't leave out a single detail.”
• I calmed myself and recounted the strange encounter with the old lady.
• After hearing my story, my grandfather was silent for a while, lost in thought.
• A while later, he sighed deeply. It might have been my imagination, but he seemed to have aged a lot overnight.
• He gently rose to his feet, giving my shoulder a light pat. Softly, he said, “Okay, time for bed!”
• Without any further explanation, he left the room.
• I couldn't hold back anymore and asked cautiously, “Grandpa, do you know that old lady?”
• He paused, then replied softly, “Yes, she's an old acquaintance.”
• I wanted to ask more, but my grandfather didn't give me the chance. He simply walked out of my room and shut the door behind him.
• That night, I had a restless sleep, plagued by nightmares.
• I kept seeing the paper clothes and the old lady's eerie smile. I woke up several times, frightened.
• The following morning, I crawled out of bed, utterly drained. Yawning incessantly, I washed up, which somewhat revived my spirits, before I headed downstairs.
• Grandpa was already up. Instead of strolling at the park with his friends, he was sitting at the glass counter and looking at a calendar.
• On the calendar, the date of the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month was circled several times.
• It seemed my grandfather was also troubled by this matter.
• In the span of a single night, it seemed as if numerous wrinkles had etched themselves onto his forehead.
• “Grandpa!” Unable to contain my curiosity any longer, I asked cautiously, “Can you tell me what's going on? I couldn't sleep all night...”
• “Someone wants to end the Meyer family line!” he interrupted.
• I was stunned. My grandfather stood up and walked to the door. He sat on the threshold, smoking his pipe.
• Snapping back to reality, I quickly moved to his side, crouching down next to him. I watched my grandfather with a mix of anxiety and anticipation, waiting for him to continue his story.
• After what seemed like an eternity, just as I was growing a tad impatient, my grandfather spoke again.
• “If I knew she would find us here, I should have let you leave to work after your university entrance exam to avoid this. Now it's too late to hide... The fifteenth of the seventh lunar month, a perfect day for a wedding, huh!”
• Listening to my grandfather's ramblings, I stared at him in disbelief, exclaiming, “Grandpa, you can't be serious! What do you mean by getting married? I don't even know who the other person is! That old woman is completely out of her mind!”
• My grandfather didn't look at me. Narrowing his gaze, he took a puff of his pipe and said, “She's not crazy... she's worse than crazy.”
• He knocked the ash from his pipe and, as if making a decision, said seriously, “I have to go on a trip. I'll be back before the fifteenth of the seventh lunar month. During this time, stay at home. Close the shop before sunset, and don't open the door for anyone. Before you sleep, light an incense stick at the door. If it burns out, you can sleep peacefully. If it goes out midway, get into the coffin and stay there until morning, no matter what you hear. Understand?”
• My grandfather's words left me bewildered. My heart raced.
• “G-Grandpa!” I swallowed and stuttered nervously. “Don't scare me! This sounds so creepy!”
• Burning incense and sleeping in the coffin sounded so mysterious and eerie!
• My grandfather didn't elaborate much and merely looked at me. From his gaze, I could tell there was a sense of helplessness.
• Patting my shoulder, he sighed and told me solemnly, “Just remember my words. There are things I can't explain right now. I have to go now as my destination is quite far away.”
• Without waiting for my response, my grandfather left.
• By the time I came to my senses, he was already gone, leaving me alone at the burial clothing shop.
• The whole day passed in a blur. My mind was in complete disarray.
• That evening, following my grandfather's instructions, I closed up the shop before the sun went down.
• As night fell, I took an incense stick and lit it behind the door. Wisps of smoke began to rise.
• My grandfather's words haunted me, but I was also deeply curious. I watched the incense burn down curiously.
• The incense completely burned out, and nothing happened.
• I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Clearing my mind of all the cluttered thoughts, I went straight upstairs, took a bath, and then went to sleep.
• For several days, nothing out of the ordinary happened, and the tension I had been feeling gradually eased.
• It was a week after my grandfather's departure. On that particular night, I found myself lighting an incense stick behind the door as usual. I yawned, waiting for the stick to burn out.
• When the incense stick was halfway burned, a peculiar situation arose.
• It suddenly went out.
• No warning, no sign. It was as if an invisible hand had snuffed it out.
• My eyes widened in fear as a chill gripped my heart. My entire body broke out in goosebumps, effectively dispelling any trace of sleepiness.
• My heart pounding. I rushed to the black coffin, ignoring whether the incident was just a coincidence.
• I pushed open the coffin lid, swiftly crawled inside, and with some effort, managed to close the lid back.
• Inside the coffin, I found a paper doll wearing black and red paper clothes. It looked strange.
• This was definitely my grandfather's doing. At that moment, I couldn't afford to ponder on his intentions. I lay on my side in the coffin, my heart pounding. My whole body was tense. Even my hands and feet were trembling in extreme nervousness.
• After a while, I heard faint footsteps outside the coffin, growing closer.
• In the silent night, they sounded unnervingly loud. My heart raced even faster.
• Who is it?