As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I jumped out of bed.
The reason I didn't think there was a corpse inside the coffin was because this was a paper craft shop.
In addition, many old houses in villages where elderly people live also have an unpainted coffin placed inside.
They said it was for the underworld officials to see, to deceive them, because the family elders had already passed away and didn't want them to come up and collect their souls.
But now, this coffin gives me the feeling that there is a corpse lying inside.
This feeling is particularly strong.
I walked around the coffin.
This is the first time I've ever really looked at this coffin closely.
Although the coffin wasn't opened, after circling it twice, I was certain that there was a corpse inside, and it was a woman's corpse.
If nothing unexpected happens, the person lying inside is a bride.
Why do I say that?
Because the coffin had a passage from the "Beidou Yansheng Jing" written on it in cinnabar.
"The North Star shines brightly, and all the stars surround it. May all calamities be dispelled, and may one be reborn in the Pure Land."
This passage uses the "Jade Maiden's Register" calligraphy style, unique to women, with each character having a graceful curve.
If it is a male coffin, the inscription should be the "Nan Dou Yan Shou Jing" (Scripture of Longevity of the Southern Dipper), with its brushstrokes as vigorous as a sword, signifying "suppressing evil spirits and guarding the spirit."
Looking at the yellow talisman pasted on the head of the coffin, the character "镇" (zhen, meaning "to suppress") outlined in cinnabar contains seven copper coins, which correspond to the positions of the Big Dipper.
The "soul-locking pattern" at the base of the talisman, painted with chicken blood, rotates counterclockwise. This is a talisman specifically designed to suppress the resentment of women.
Male coffins typically use "Tian Gang Talismans," which are decorated with patterns of the Twenty-Eight Mansions and are used for killing and suppressing evil.
The most crucial judgment came from the shape of the coffin.
Its length is only seven feet three inches, which is more than a foot shorter than a standard male coffin.
The coffin is decorated with peony vine patterns carved on both sides. This pattern is classified as one of the "Four Grades of Yin Houses" in the Book of Burial, and is used exclusively for unmarried women.
The phoenix pattern faintly visible at the end of the coffin further confirms that this is a "virgin coffin".
If it is for a male, the coffin should be decorated with a "rising dragon pattern" and adorned with twelve gilded copper nails, symbolizing "the dragon reigning over the nine heavens".
Moreover, the placement of the coffin also holds hidden secrets.
With the head facing 15 degrees south of west, this is the "Yin Nu position," directly facing the western ghost gate.
Three Qianlong Tongbao coins were placed at the bottom of the coffin, arranged in a triangular pattern. This is a typical practice of "coffin-pressing money," specifically designed to suppress any "blood evil" that might arise from a female corpse.
Male coffins are usually lined with seven copper coins, symbolizing the Big Dipper, to signify "guiding the soul to heaven".
This is a malevolent coffin!
The thought that a bride with a lot of resentment was lying in that coffin inside made me feel a little uncomfortable.
At the same time, I was also a little puzzled: who was the bride in this coffin?
Why not bury it properly, instead of putting it in a coffin in the warehouse?
I was immediately wide awake.
Just as I was about to take out my phone to ask Yingniang what was going on, a deafening thunderclap suddenly rang in my ears.
The heavy rain pounded against the window, and even the window itself rattled loudly in the wind.
"Knock knock knock!"
There was a rapid knocking on the shop door.
Who is it?
I walked out of the warehouse and instinctively called out through the door.
I regretted it as soon as I shouted it.
Because Yingniang had instructed that after closing the door, one should not pay attention to anything one sees or hears.
"It's me, Lao Zhou! Open the door, I'll sell you some cinnabar."
The voice of Master Zhou came from outside the door, mixed with the sound of rain, and sounded somewhat ethereal.
Master Zhou?
Why would he come to buy cinnabar so late at night? Could something have happened to him?
Seeing that I didn't respond, Master Zhou pounded on the door loudly: "Hurry up, that corpse has come back to life, open the door quickly!"
Did that pregnant female corpse come back to life today?
My heart skipped a beat, but I didn't open the door or answer.
Master Zhou called out several more times from outside, but when I didn't respond, he stopped knocking on the door.
Could something really have happened?
However, with the door in between, I couldn't see what was happening outside, and there were no security cameras at the main entrance.
I wanted to call Yingniang, but I haven't been able to get a signal, probably because of the heavy rain.
At that moment, I was completely wide awake. Instead of returning to the warehouse, I sat in a chair, leaning on the counter, lost in thought.
Fortunately, nothing happened tonight except for Master Zhou knocking on the door.
When it got light, I stood up, stretched, opened the door, put on the brass wind chimes, and opened for business.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw several police cars speeding past on the other side of the road.
There were many people pointing and whispering on the roadside.
I quickly walked up to an older woman who had just returned from grocery shopping and politely asked her what was wrong.
"Sister, what happened? Why are there so many police cars all of a sudden? It's scary."
The older woman looked up and glanced at me.
When I saw her beaming face and the slight upturn of her lips, I knew she was someone who couldn't keep a secret.
Sure enough, as soon as I asked, she immediately became interested. She switched the basket to her other hand and said mysteriously, "I heard someone died."
"dead?"
I raised an eyebrow, my heart skipped a beat, and pressed on, "Sister, do you know who died?"
"Something's happened at the Ji family's house!"
The older woman deliberately kept everyone in suspense.
Seeing my blank expression, instead of getting annoyed, she seemed to have found a stage to showcase her eloquence and spoke even more enthusiastically.
"It's the old Ji family's seafood business at the end of the street. Their daughter, Ji Yunfei, got pregnant by some damned bastard a while ago."
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