Chapter 38: The Young Monk

I said, “Alright, when and where? I was just thinking of thanking you for your help the other day.”

In essence, Gao Mo and I are cut from the same cloth. She’s a physiognomist who can’t help but see through strangers at first glance; I’m a Feng Shui master who can see through ghosts in the dark of night. Eating together wouldn’t clash or restrain either of us. If she hadn’t declared she already had a “male god,” I might’ve considered pursuing her.

Gao Mo added, “Come early, there’s a surprise.” I chuckled, “What, are you too shy to admit you’re setting me up with a girlfriend?” She replied, “You’ll see when you get there. Come to the riverside bar early tonight, we’ll enjoy the breeze and some drinks.”

The thought of going out made me instinctively call Shen Yihu. Though Chong Laowu was caught, there was still no trace of Huang. Shen Yihu said, “I’m working on a big case and forgot to tell you. By the time we got to Chong Laowu’s hideout, Huang had already fled.”

By seven o’clock, Xie Lingyu was heading to the flower shop. I asked if she wanted to join us for drinks and fun. She said, “I won’t join you guys for dinner. It’s better for you all to have fun without me—a ghost tagging along wouldn’t fit.”

To guard against a possible ambush from Huang, I grabbed a backpack, stuffed my jade ruler inside, along with two drawn corpse-suppressing talismans and a handful of floral foam, then headed out. After all, I was meeting a beautiful woman for drinks, and there was a surprise. I patted the head of my dog, Jianjian, and said, “Are you going to the shop with Miss Xie or staying home to sleep? Your bro’s heading out without you tonight.”

Jianjian barked disdainfully twice, wagged his tail, and trotted off with Xie Lingyu to Bai Meng Flower Shop. Before leaving, he lifted his leg and peed at the door in protest.

At the riverside bar, I spotted Gao Mo from a distance. To my surprise, Chen Tutu was there too. Was she the surprise? What kind of surprise was that? My heart sank instantly.

The river breeze swept through the bar. By mid-to-late May, the weather was warming up. All around were women in camisoles and black stockings, and a few heavily made-up girls smoked cigarettes. I glanced down at my “AdiKing” shoes, and my initial self-consciousness turned into a burst of confidence.

Before I could speak, Chen Tutu said icily, “Oh, it’s this jinx?”

Chen Tutu, a Shanghai native, spoke Mandarin with a Wu dialect lilt. Today, she wore high-waisted jeans and a white blouse, exuding urban sophistication. In the short time she stood there, a few bold guys tried to hit on her, only to be scared off by her piercing, sinister stare.

Gao Mo laughed, “Relax, it’s just him. What, are you two already frenemies?”

I said, “Long time no see, Forensic Chen.” She shot back, “We just saw each other last night. Long time, my ass.” Gao Mo sighed, “I thought you two would make a great pair—one deals with people, the other with ghosts.”

I thought to myself, She deals with dead bodies!

We sat in the bar for a bit as the river breeze blew in. Gao Mo glanced at Chen Tutu’s fierce expression and quickly apologized, “Alright, big sister, next time I’ll set you up with a filthy rich, unmatched gentleman. Today, just treat this guy as the one footing the bill.”

I said, “Talking like that in front of me isn’t cool.” Chen Tutu gritted her teeth, “What, you’re not happy to pay?” I replied, “Forensic Lady, how could I not listen to you? Of course, I’m happy to.”

A faint smile curled on Chen Tutu’s lips.

About half an hour later, another icy woman approached, even colder than Chen Tutu. Gao Mo waved, “Over here, Zhong Li!”

The woman sat down quickly, her eyes red as if she’d been crying. She glanced at me, “Why’s there a guy here?” Her makeup was light, her cherry lips small, her ponytail neat, and her teeth pearly white. Dressed elegantly and simply, she had a sweet, youthful beauty.

For some reason, the moment I sat near her, I sensed the aura of death.

What caught my attention was the tear-shaped mole beneath her eye. According to physiognomy texts: A life like flowing water, half spent adrift. A lone star destined for solitude.

This Zhong Li—where would her fated love be? Her life was likely to be plagued by romantic troubles, a fate of wandering.

Gao Mo smiled, “This is Xiao Qi, a jinx. And this is Zhong Li, who works at a funeral parlor and has studied dream divination. Share any dreams with her, and she might give you the answers you seek.”

“Wait, where did you say she works?” I interrupted Gao Mo’s enthusiastic introduction.

Zhong Li slammed the table, “Are you deaf? I work at a funeral parlor. If you’re scared, run away before a female ghost eats you. I deal with them every day.”

I said, “No wonder you seem so cold—working at a funeral parlor?”

This trio of women was a waste of beauty: a forensic scientist, a physiognomist, and a mortician. All likely lone stars destined to live alone. No man in the world would likely want such wives. Gao Mo might have a chance, but Zhong Li and Chen Tutu would need men who loved them fiercely.

Chen Tutu shot me a glare, “Zhong Li, he’s got a crow’s mouth. Ignore him like a fart and order some drinks.”

Gao Mo laughed, “Little beauty, don’t blame Xiao Qi. He’s not much better—a ghost-catching Feng Shui master who’s not afraid of spirits but doesn’t have many friends. I thought the four of us, all misfits, could sit together. By the way, why are your eyes so red?”

Perhaps because our identities were so unique, Zhong Li’s anger faded.

She said, “Before coming here, the funeral parlor got two twin sisters who died in a car accident. Their faces were slashed. I did their makeup before coming. I held back tears, but their parents were sobbing uncontrollably, saying it was the girls’ birthday and they’d gone out to celebrate, only to meet tragedy. I couldn’t help but cry my eyes out.”

Chen Tutu, used to gruesome scenes like car accidents, comforted Zhong Li briefly. But Gao Mo couldn’t handle it and started sobbing too, almost hysterically. After nearly an hour, the two women finally stopped crying, only to realize their makeup was ruined and headed to the bathroom to fix it. That left me and Chen Tutu awkwardly staring at each other. She glared, “Keep looking with those dog eyes, and I’ll dig them out.”

I said, “Forensic Chen, don’t be so fierce. Who’ll marry you like that? You’re lucky anyone’s looking at you.”

Chen Tutu snapped, “Get lost. I’d never look at you. Careful, or I’ll dissect you with a scalpel.”

I teased, “Sure, don’t come begging me later.” Seeing her about to explode, I quickly changed the subject, “Hey, big sis, has the case with the scarred doctor wrapped up? Why did he kick the car at the accident scene? I’ve been thinking about it and can’t figure it out.”

Chen Tutu sipped her water and said slowly, “The kid in the car was the one who scarred Qin Zhun’s face. His sister was badly injured and sent to the hospital, where Qin Zhun operated, but she died. The teenage brother and some punks attacked Qin Zhun, disfiguring him. Since he was underage, he spent two weeks in a reformatory before money got him out.”

Her explanation made sense. Ten years later, the kid would only be in his early twenties. As for whether Bai Yu’s spirit caused the April 30th crash, that was unclear.

I said, “Forget it, it’s in the past. No use dwelling on it.”

Gao Mo and Zhong Li returned, looking radiant again. The bar was getting crowded, the atmosphere lively. Zhong Li pointed at a table, “Look, there’s a little monk over there with a glass of water, chanting ‘Amitabha’ nonstop.”

I turned and saw a young monk with short, dense hair, faint ordination scars visible on his scalp.

Zhong Li sat down, “Is this what Xuzhu from the mountains looks like? Should we go tease him?” Gao Mo clapped, “Who’s going? Tutu, you up?”

Chen Tutu shook her head, annoyed, “Bet he’s just posing as a monk to pick up girls, acting pure but really a wolf. I’m not going.”

Gao Mo glanced at Zhong Li.

Zhong Li grinned, “I’ll check it out.” The drinks she’d ordered arrived. I’d never seen a female mortician flirt in a bar, let alone with a monk. She carried two drinks to the young monk and said, “Hi, handsome. I lost a bet with my friends and have to drink with a guy. Would you do me the honor?”

The monk looked at the elegantly dressed Zhong Li, shook his head, and said, “I can’t drink.”

Zhong Li replied, “But I lost the bet. If I don’t drink with someone, I have to kiss a guy.”

The monk hesitated, his clasped hands parting as he scratched his head, making his ordination scars gleam. “Well, in that case, I’ll make an exception,” he said, then paused.

I was about to step in to save Zhong Li when the monk drank the wine she offered.

He seemed to muster great resolve, saying, “If that’s the case, I’ll make an exception and let the lady kiss me. That way, I won’t break my vow of chastity.”

“Hahaha!”

Gao Mo burst out laughing, and even the icy Chen Tutu couldn’t help but chuckle.