Chapter Nine: Visiting the Graves

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The peak of Qingming Festival grave sweeping had passed, and the flow of people in the cemetery dropped off sharply, leaving it somewhat desolate. The employees from other departments, who had been temporarily assigned to the front lines in volunteer vests, had all returned to their offices. Now, only Xiao Jin remained at the gate of Longevity Park, yawning as he stood watch.

When he opened the gates that morning, he hadn’t seen Shengyao. Full of enthusiasm, he’d sent a message to the work group to inform Chen Jin and Old Xu of this “good news.” But after two hours of the dull routine of guarding the entrance, he grew bored and sleepy. If only Shengyao would come to the cemetery today—then he’d have some motivation to stand sharp and alert.

Thinking this, Xiao Jin raised his large glass mug, in which floated some malva nuts Chen Jin had sent him. He had just taken a sip when he choked, coughing violently, eyes wide as he stared at the asphalt road beyond the cemetery.

Two people were approaching—a man and a woman, each carrying a bouquet. After two nights of studying surveillance footage, Xiao Jin had memorized Shengyao’s figure so well that even from afar he recognized the man. But who was the woman beside him? Had he brought an accomplice?

With this thought, Xiao Jin set down his mug with a thud and rushed to the cemetery gate.

Seeing Xiao Jin charging out, Shengyao gave a friendly wave. “Good morning,” he greeted.

Bai Xiao smiled and nodded to Xiao Jin as well.

Xiao Jin froze, pointing at Shengyao with trembling, theatrical fingers, eyes wide with disbelief. “You dare come back? And bring an accomplice?”

Shengyao’s smile faltered, and he replied helplessly, “I’m just here to pay respects. She’s not my accomplice…”

Still, the word “accomplice” had a playful, endearing ring to it. Shengyao glanced at Bai Xiao beside him. He hadn’t confessed his feelings yet; they were not officially together. At best, they were friends.

Should he find an opportunity to confess to Bai Xiao? Was it too soon? They’d known each other less than ten days…

Shengyao’s thoughts wandered.

Xiao Jin scrutinized Bai Xiao, as if trying to memorize the face of this new criminal. But soon his expression became puzzled. “Weren’t you the one from last evening…? Didn’t you just meet yesterday?” His gaze shifted between them, probing their relationship.

Shengyao immediately understood—the cemetery security had someone tailing him and were watching his every move on the cameras. Bai Xiao had gotten involved by association.

He felt a bit annoyed, but knew it was all his own doing. He explained to Bai Xiao, “They have some misunderstandings about me. They’ve been watching me closely these past days.”

Xiao Jin was about to say something more.

The calm smile on Bai Xiao’s face suddenly froze. The large bouquet in her arms trembled, petals shaking.

Startled, Shengyao reached out to steady her.

Bai Xiao stepped back and thrust the bouquet into Shengyao’s hands. “I need to use the restroom,” she said rapidly, and before Shengyao could react, she dashed into the cemetery.

“Hey—you—” Xiao Jin tried to stop her instinctively.

Shengyao blocked him, “She just needs the restroom.”

Xiao Jin glared at Shengyao, then at the retreating Bai Xiao. Lacking the ability to watch both at once, he decided to keep an eye on Shengyao, pulling out his phone to notify Chen Jin and Old Xu in the work group.

Shengyao grew worried. Bai Xiao was not in the best of health—had something happened? Was it the breakfast that upset her stomach, or the snacks and drinks she’d had staying up last night? Or perhaps she’d gotten carsick coming over so early? Yesterday, she had come very late to pay respects—he’d waited all day, thinking she wouldn’t show up…

Those strange marks on her body seemed to be increasing…

Uneasy, Shengyao headed for the cemetery.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Xiao Jin rushed to block him.

“I’m going into the cemetery,” Shengyao replied, anxious and confused.

“Wait here until Brother Chen arrives.”

“And why is that?” Shengyao’s irritation flared.

“Just wait,” Xiao Jin insisted, arms crossed, unmoving.

Shengyao tried to reason with him. “She ran to the restroom, she might not be feeling well. I need to check on her.”

“We have a medical room in the park. Whatever the issue, it can be handled.”

“But she’s alone in the restroom—”

“Relax, Brother Chen is on his way.”

Shengyao paused.

“You people…” Shengyao took a deep breath, tamping down his temper. Arguing now would only waste time. He explained sincerely, “I’m really not a bad person. I’ve said it many times, I’m here to pay respects, I’m Sheng Zuyi’s grandson, Shengyao. It was wrong of me to wander into the Longevity Section, but I won’t do it again. If you checked the surveillance, you should have seen it—I come here every day just to pay respects. I was just curious and wandered over to the Longevity Section a few times.”

His attitude was earnest, his explanation thorough.

Xiao Jin recalled the footage he’d checked last night. Shengyao had entered the cemetery early, heading straight to Row 13 in the traditional section, then sat there, barely moving.

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The surveillance camera’s angle was limited. Once Shengyao sat on the ground, only the crown of his head was visible between the tombstones. Only Old Xu, who’d stood guard, had seen exactly what Shengyao did—which was nothing at all but stare blankly at the photo on the headstone.

Not until evening, when a girl entered the aisle and approached Shengyao, did he seem to come alive. On camera, his body reappeared, and he chatted with her, smiling.

What they spoke of, the cameras didn’t capture, nor did Old Xu overhear. Soon, they parted ways—the girl retraced her steps, and Shengyao lingered briefly before suddenly darting off, vanishing from both the surveillance and Old Xu’s watch.

Xiao Jin remembered what Chen Jin had said last night and straightened up, still blocking Shengyao. “Let’s discuss this later. Just wait here at the gate.”

Shengyao frowned deeply.

Xiao Jin looked pleased with himself, as if he’d seen through Shengyao’s schemes. “You’d better not try anything funny. Still pretending to be Sheng Zuyi’s grandson… The girl is probably the real family member, right? Our Brother Chen and Brother Xu are experienced guards—they can see through you at a glance.”

Shengyao was stunned. “Why would you think that?”

“What do you mean why? It’s obvious. You think you’re a good actor?”

Clenching his fists, Shengyao squeezed the bouquet until it creaked. He changed his demeanor, his face darkening, and asked in a low voice, “What about the grave beside Sheng Zuyi’s? Who is the family member there?”

His heart pounded faster with this question.

…

The cemetery’s restroom was a small building in the relatives’ rest area, about the combined size of the security office and surveillance room, and its appearance was similar: men’s on the left, women’s on the right, corresponding to the security and monitoring rooms.

Two restrooms weren’t nearly enough for the grave-sweeping crowds. But the park had little incentive to add more—after all, the peak only lasted a few days a year. The rest of the time, the restrooms were quiet, used mostly by employees working in the cemetery.

Today, the restroom was deserted.

Only one stall was closed in the women’s restroom, and for a long time, there was no sound of running water from inside, making one wonder if the door was simply ajar and unoccupied.

Chen Jin was smoking under a tree. He’d brought a cigarette with him. With few visitors and the usual haze of burning offerings gone, the air was clear enough for a smoke. He stood at first but, growing bored, sat on the bench by the fence.

He finished his cigarette, but still there was no noise from the restroom.

Feeling uneasy, Chen Jin tossed the butt in the bin and checked the work group messages. No updates from Xiao Jin; the last message clearly explained the girl’s whereabouts.

He looked up at the women’s sign, then typed another question in the group chat.

Old Xu and Xiao Wu were patrolling the Longevity Section, Xiao Jin was at the gate, and two others were patrolling the traditional section.

With fewer people, everyone was slacking off a bit, but with fewer visitors, anyone in the traditional section would be easy to spot.

All replied “no” except Xiao Jin.

Chen Jin grew restless. He took a few steps toward the women’s restroom, then turned toward the nearby shop, hurrying over. “Sister Hu!”

A round, plump face peered out from the shop.

“Could you check the ladies’ restroom? A girl went in a while ago and hasn’t come out,” Chen Jin said.

“A girl?”

“A teenager, I think,” Chen Jin recalled the footage from last night. “Maybe she’s not feeling well.”

“Oh.” Sister Hu, experienced as ever, grabbed a pack of sanitary napkins and tissues from the shelves, and strolled toward the restroom.

Chen Jin followed close behind.

Just as they reached the door, a “plop” sounded from inside, as if something had fallen in the basin.

Chen Jin paused, embarrassed, and stopped.

Plop. Plop.

The sound continued.

Sister Hu entered without hesitation, found the closed stall, and knocked. “Miss, are you alright? Did you forget something? I can toss it over the top for you.”

Plop.

Plop.

Only that strange sound came from the stall—no reply.

Sister Hu coaxed patiently, “Don’t be embarrassed, this happens every year during grave sweeping. I’m tossing them in now, be ready to catch.”

With that, she tossed the two packs over the stall.

Thud. Thud.

The items landed and bounced.

“Did you get them?” Sister Hu called.

Plop!

Another sound from inside.

Then a hoarse, faintly tearful moan.

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Sister Hu froze at the door.

“You… Miss, what’s wrong? Open the door, let me see!” She pounded on the stall with her fleshy palm.

“I’ll fetch someone from the medical room!” Chen Jin cried, jumping up.

From the stall came heavy, labored breathing, then a weak female voice, “I’m fine. Just a stomach ache. I’m alright now.”

Chen Jin stopped in his tracks.

There was a rustling inside.

“Thank you. But I don’t need these,” the voice said, gaining strength and fluency as she spoke.

A few seconds later, the sound of flushing came from within.

Whoosh—

Sister Hu sighed with relief. “As long as you’re alright.”

The water stopped, but the stall door didn’t open.

Sister Hu added, “Don’t be embarrassed. I’m from the shop. If you don’t need those, just bring them by the shop later. I’ll be going.”

She left, nudging Chen Jin at the door. “Don’t just stand here. The young lady’s shy.”

Inside, another flush sounded.

Sister Hu returned to the shop; Chen Jin walked back to the tree.

Whoosh—

The flushing echoed through the quiet cemetery, as if something inside refused to be washed away, and so the girl stayed in the stall, over and over…

Whoosh—

Chen Jin shivered, feeling cold—perhaps the tree’s shade was too deep, blocking the spring sun and leaving him trembling.

What exactly…was being flushed away?

And those earlier “plop” sounds—they really didn’t sound like normal bathroom noises. More like…more like…

He thought of the baby food his son used to eat, and the way his wife mixed meat fillings.

Whoosh—

After another flush, the stall finally opened.

This time, Chen Jin didn’t wait long. He saw the girl from last night’s surveillance footage.

Her figure flashed past the restroom door, then the sound of running water—this time, hand washing, not flushing.

The girl emerged, holding the unopened sanitary napkins and tissues.

She looked even thinner than in the video, her jacket sleeves hanging limp, so loose that the wind pressed them flat against arms that seemed to be nothing but bone.

Chen Jin cleared his throat. “Hello, miss, you’re Sheng Zuyi’s relative, right? Great-granddaughter?”

Bai Xiao smiled, raising her hand. “I’ll return these to the shop first.”

“Oh, alright, alright.” Chen Jin followed her, talking nonstop. “I’m a guard here. There’s something I want to mention—about the young man you met yesterday. You should be careful. That young man…”

“Don’t run! I told you to wait at the gate!”

Chen Jin was interrupted.

He turned to see Shengyao standing silently behind him, the bouquet trembling in his hands, yet he seemed to have appeared out of thin air, not even breathing hard. Behind him, Xiao Jin was panting, his hoarse voice now cracking from shouting.

Chen Jin cursed inwardly. He shouldn’t have left the task of separating them to Xiao Jin; the more seasoned Old Xu would have been better. But yesterday, when reviewing footage in the surveillance room, they never imagined the two would come pay respects together.

Even so, Chen Jin instinctively tried to stop Shengyao.

But Shengyao sidestepped him in a flash, reaching Bai Xiao.

Of them all, Bai Xiao remained the calmest. She smiled at Shengyao, raised her hand. “I just need to return something,” and headed for the shop.

Inside, Sister Hu poked her round face out, curious. “Is this your boyfriend? What are you all up to?”

“Nothing, just a misunderstanding,” Bai Xiao answered, returning the items and thanking her, then walked back to stand before Shengyao.