Chapter 326: Chapter 326: Encounter with the Corpse Transporter
"He, that damned ghost sometimes doesn’t come back for two or three months at a time."
"That just shows that he’s doing well in the city, doesn’t it? As long as he can bring back some money, what’s there to come back for? You’re an old married couple. What, do you miss him?"
"You rascal, always teasing me about your sister-in-law. Why would I miss him? It’s been so many years, and I know exactly what he’s like. Money, well, he did bring some, but not as much as I imagined."
"That’s good enough, contentment brings happiness. Besides, it’s not easy for a man to be out there on his own."
No sooner had he finished speaking when the child lying in bed suddenly turned over, and then, just as Liu Zheng had anticipated, vomited out a mouthful of black stuff.
"Xiaole, Xiaole, how are you? Are you feeling better?"
"Aunty, I... I’m fine now. What’s happened to me? I feel so much better now."
"That’s great, you had your aunty worried to death just now. Good, good, you’re okay, that’s good. By the way, Dr. Liu, do we need to keep taking medicine? Is there anything else we should do?"
"You don’t need anything else. Just eat something easy to digest for lunch today. Apart from that, there’s nothing special you need to pay attention to. Go on, play if you want to, do whatever you need to, but remember, you can’t eat chicken anymore."
"Don’t worry, you’d have to kill me before I let him eat that again. Okay, Dr. Liu, sorry to trouble you. Ah, how much do I owe you?"
"It’s fine. We’re all neighbors here and a little medicine isn’t worth much. You go ahead, and we’ll settle up later."
"Okay, then I’ll put it on my tab. We’ll settle later, Dr. Liu. We’ll be off now."
After the conversation, the sister-in-law picked up Xiaole, and the two left the clinic.
All this commotion took nearly an hour. Liu Zheng knew he couldn’t delay any longer; otherwise, he would never leave this place.
He hurriedly packed up, locked the door, and headed straight for the hospital.
After knocking on the door, Director Xiao was already waiting for him inside, and, besides him, Liu Zheng saw two young men, lean but with somewhat dark skin.
"Dr. Liu, you finally made it. Let me introduce you two. This is Dr. Liu I mentioned earlier. Dr. Liu, these two guys are responsible for transporting corpses."
"Oh, so it’s you two."
"Dr. Liu, Director Xiao said you had some questions to ask us. Whatever it is, just ask. We’ve got other things arranged soon."
"I want to ask, how long have you two been doing this kind of work in the hospital?"
"It’s been about five or six years now. Nobody really wants to do this kind of job, and it’s considered bad luck, but we don’t mind. At least we earn a bit more, and there’s no risk involved."
"What’re the usual procedures once you get there?"
"The usual stuff. Since we’re already familiar with the staff at the crematorium, we just show up, fill out a form, and we’re free to leave."
"What? You go there, fill out a form, and just leave? Is this how you’ve always handled the corpses?"
"Exactly, always like this. You don’t expect me to stay and watch them cremate, do you? Besides, we don’t understand that stuff."
"So you’re only responsible for delivering to the designated place, and then you’ll leave immediately, is that right?"
"That’s right."
"Okay, I got it. By the way, who do you usually deal with there? Does everyone in charge know you?"
"No, actually, not everyone. We only know this guy named Li Er, and every time he’s been pretty good to us. He either gives us a pack of cigarettes or a bottle of alcohol. Anyway, he makes sure we don’t leave empty-handed."
"Li Er, so he works at the crematorium, right?"
"Should be. Every time we go there, we call him first, and then we see him once we arrive."
"Has there ever been a time when you didn’t call him beforehand, and the person you met there wasn’t him?"
"Well, I don’t really remember, because we’ve already established a tacit understanding. It’s been so many years, so once we leave, we immediately call over there."
"Li Er, okay, I understand now. That’s all then; I won’t bother you two anymore. I’ve got everything I needed."
"Director Xiao, can we leave now?"
"Hold on. Today, we might have two critical patients on the sixth floor who might not make it through the day, and their families want a special transfer vehicle. But it’s not for cremation; they want it sent to their hometown."
"Oh, no problem. By the way, when are they going? Just give us a call when it’s time."
"Okay, I’ll contact you in advance. Just keep the vehicle ready."
"Sure thing, I got it. Director Xiao, then we’ll be off now."
As they spoke, the two men said goodbye and then left the room.
"Dr. Liu, are you perhaps a bit uneasy about the cremation process? But really, there’s nothing to worry about. Normally, they’re definitely cremated right away after they’re delivered there; after all, the fees are paid."
"I know, there should be no issues if everything is done by the book. But I’m worried there might be other problems involved."
"What problems could there possibly be?"
"Director Xiao, you don’t have anything on today, do you?"
"No, nothing. Why?"
"Could you come with me to the crematorium? I want to capitalize on the hospital’s authority to investigate something, but please, you mustn’t spread word of this."
"Well, I’m free this morning, so okay. How do you need me to assist you?"
Having said that, he waved his hand dismissively, then leaned in close to Director Xiao to detail his plan in hushed tones.
