Chapter 9 Eight, the mother-in-law

"What the hell is going on! Why did the corpse disappear?" I sat down leaning against the edge of the bed, hugged my elbows and said. "Was it moved away by someone?" Mei Xiang said from the side.Yeah, that's all I can think of.Since Mr. S who is dead can't move by himself, someone else must have moved him away. "However, if that's the case, then the action is really fast. I went back to school to report immediately after seeing Mr. S's body, and when I found Mr. S's body, there was no one else around. Not in the yard, nor near the house. The whole house is quiet, and there are only Mr. S’s shoes at the entrance. If there are, only Daji.”

"Still don't get it—maybe someone's hiding it?" "why?" "Because he wanted to remove Mr. S's body?" I raised my head and looked at the ceiling silently for a while.Then he turned to Mei Xiang and asked again. "why?" Meixiang sighed softly. "I don't understand either. Just talking casually." We both said "uh" in unison and fell silent. After a while, Meixiang suddenly said loudly: "I have a good idea!" I said "Oh" and looked at Meixiang.When Mei Xiang said this, she must have really had a good idea.

"Let's go to the mother-in-law to discuss it!" "Yes!" I couldn't help clapping my hands. The mother-in-law is an old woman who lives nearby and is very close to us.The name of the old lady is "トコ", and I don't know if it should be written as "suo", but once we encounter any embarrassing things, we are always the first to think of going to the mother-in-law to discuss it.So my mother-in-law also likes us very much, and always listens to our troubles like a real mother-in-law. "Oh, why didn't I think of it! That's right, so my mother-in-law will definitely be able to solve this mystery! If you can't solve it at all--I beg my mother-in-law to use 'that kind of power' to solve it!"

Meixiang and I decided to go right away.As I walked down the stairs and put on my shoes at the entrance, on the other side of the open door, the back of my mother who was watching TV in the living room appeared in my sight.I tried not to make too much noise, but when I turned the doorknob, I heard my mother's voice behind me. "Where are you going?" "Go to the mother-in-law's house..." Mom frowned, then said "oh", and curled her lips. "That crazy place!" I didn't say anything and walked out of the house. The weather was very hot, and we walked to the mother-in-law's house while listening to the cicadas.From time to time, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his sweat.

"Brother, do you have a handkerchief like that?" "Iwamura-sensei lent it to me. —Oh, I wish I had just returned it to him." Go out of the community, walk along the avenue to the opposite direction to the school for about five minutes, and you will find a commercial street.At the entrance of the commercial street, there is a signboard on a building that says "Ochi Flour Mill".The pattern is that factories and houses are connected together. A reinforced concrete square building in front is where the mother-in-law's son and other employees work, and the wooden structure on the opposite side is where their family lives.There is an old wooden sign hanging by the door of the residence, on which is written "King Jundali Ming's Royal Prayer House" in ink.When I came here for the first time, my mother-in-law told me that "Gundari" is pronounced "Gundari", which means "coiled into a ball" in the former Indian language.My mother was with me then.Before Mei Xiang was born, my mother always went out with me.

"Oh, long time no see!" The uncle happened to be standing at the gate of the factory.We always call the only son of my mother-in-law "Uncle Flour".With a "hey yo", he picked up a flat box stacked on the ground with both hands, and then pointed in the direction of the house with his chin. "You don't come here recently, our old lady is lonely." Uncle Flour always likes to roll his tongue when he says some words, I especially like it. "Is grandma here?" "Stay in the old place." We came to the window of the house, and we could see the profile of the mother-in-law through the open window.So the mother-in-law always stays there and hardly sees her go out. ——Looking at the scenery outside through that window is a great hobby of my mother-in-law.

I remember when Uncle Flour seemed to say that. ——There is nothing better than a hobby that costs nothing—— "Grandma, hello!" I greeted my mother-in-law through the window lattice, and her voice was full of joy: "Oh, it's the Daoist husband! My mother-in-law has been very lonely recently." So my mother-in-law rolled her eyes and looked at me like a shemale on TV. "Has that incident from a while ago been resolved? The 'line sound' issue..." I nodded vigorously. "It's because iron shrinks!" So the mother-in-law smiled lovingly and said, "Correct!"

The sound of the line that I hear when riding a tram changes with the seasons. This is a question that has puzzled me for a long time.About a month ago, Meixiang and I went to the mother-in-law to inquire.At that time, the mother-in-law said: "My husband, what will you do when it's cold?" This is the usual way of my mother-in-law.Just give me a hint, not a real answer.Although I am somewhat dissatisfied with this method, I can experience more fun from it. The words of my mother-in-law have been turning over and over in my mind, whether at home or at school.Not long ago, I finally figured it out.

"Because iron expands in the summer and contracts in the winter, there is a gap when the rails are connected. And that gap gets bigger in the winter, so the 'click-click' sound gets louder. Isn't that right? Mother-in-law?" "You're so clever, Mr. Taoist!" So the mother-in-law looked at my face with a gratified expression.Then, she looked down inadvertently, and suddenly said loudly: "Oh, Xiao Meixiang is here too!" "Come on. Hello, mother-in-law!" "It seems to have grown up a bit." "How come, I haven't seen you for a month."

I put in a sentence.So the mother-in-law was still staring at Meixiang: "Really?" "Let's not talk about that first. Mother-in-law, we still have something to discuss with you today." "What's the matter?" So the mother-in-law's voice seemed to be mischievous, and there was a faint smile.However, my mother-in-law immediately noticed that the expression on my face today was different from usual.So the mother-in-law lowered her voice and said, "It seems very serious." "Well, very seriously." I told my mother-in-law everything about Mr. S's death.Although the mother-in-law didn't know Mr. S, she was surprised because my friend died, and then she sighed sadly and said, "My God, how could such a thing happen..."

So the mother-in-law stared at her nails while talking.Then, he began to talk to himself in a voice that could hardly be heard by others.Looking at my mother-in-law, I also felt pain in my eyes, and tears welled up. "elder brother!" Meixiang encouraged me in a low voice.So, I restrained myself and tried to raise my face. I also told my mother-in-law about the disappearance of Mr. S's body. "It's gone..." "Yeah. The corpse and the rope are all gone. The chairs are still in the kitchen, and the wardrobe seems to have been moved back to its original place. But Mr. S was really dead when I saw it! So, there must be someone He moved Mr. S's body away, hid the rope, and moved the chair and wardrobe back to their original positions. And it must be the same person who cleaned up the excrement!" "Is there any trace of wiping excrement?" "Well, yes. That excrement belongs to Mr. S. That's what the police said." The mother-in-law was silent for a while, and then slowly looked away from me. "It's best to start thinking about..." "initial?" "Yeah—from the very beginning. From the time Mr. S died." "From the time of death? That is, not from the time when the body disappeared?" My mother-in-law didn't say anything to my rhetorical question. It went like this for about a minute.Probably because it was strange that Meixiang, Suo's mother-in-law and I were silent at the same time. People coming and going on the commercial street looked at us from time to time. "Grandma, can you use 'that power'?" After hearing Meixiang's suggestion, So's mother-in-law said in embarrassment: "Oh, I seldom use it recently. I don't know if it can be used well." "Try it. We're really confused." I asked again, so my mother-in-law closed her eyes as if she was lost in thought. I glanced at the back of my mother-in-law. In a corner of the room, there was a wooden Buddha statue about one and a half meters high, which was King Jundali Ming.There was an indescribable terror in the face staring ahead.The base of the Buddha statue looks like it is made of rock, but it is actually made of wood.King Gundali Ming has three eyes, eight hands, each holding a halberd and flames and many other things.All arms and feet are entwined with countless snakes.These snakes symbolize reincarnation. "Oh um, amiri..." Suddenly, the mother-in-law spoke.I breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her.That language sounds familiar, which means that the mother-in-law is starting to use "that power". "Oh um, Amiliti, um, Pata... oh um, Amiliti, umm, Pata... oh um, Amiliti, umm, Pata..." Time and time again, the mother-in-law recited the same scriptures, her eyes closed, seriously, and in a low voice.I felt my heart pounding in my chest, as if it were some other creature. Suddenly, the mother-in-law stopped. I held my breath and watched the face of my mother-in-law. So the mother-in-law said in a weak voice like the evening wind: "The smell—" There are only two words. "Smell? What does that mean?" But the mother-in-law didn't answer.Next, no matter what we asked, the mother-in-law didn't speak anymore, but just stared at a certain place with a tired face and a blank look.