I have presided over many weddings, and this was the simplest one I had ever seen. I glanced at Liu Jiguang and asked, "Are there no family members from the bride's side?"
Liu Jiguang smiled and said, "They're not coming, just the two of us is enough."
Keeping in mind that the customer is always right, I didn’t ask too many questions, just nodded and gestured to Du Xiaolan to pick up the camera and prepare.
As I was about to leave to bring in the audio equipment, Liu Jiguang suddenly stopped me, "We don't need to make a big deal out of this, we just need you as a witness."
"What?" I blurted out. Typically, a witness in our tradition is usually an elder from the groom's side. Since we were not familiar with each other, it didn't seem right for me to be a wedding witness.
But before I could ask, Liu Jiguang respectfully bowed to me, "Thank you for being part of my wedding. I won't forget this."
I was somewhat puzzled, and before I could process it, Li Qingqing also bowed, "Mr. Yin, thank you very much. If you hadn't come, Jiguang and I would only be looking at each other."
I was at a loss, scratching my head, as her words seemed a bit too serious.
"Alright, it's time," the lady behind Li Qingqing said softly, folding up the red umbrella, and then took a step back.
I checked the time, and it was exactly eight o'clock.
Li Qingqing and Liu Jiguang exchanged glances, then suddenly knelt down in front of me.
This abrupt scene startled me, and I almost jumped up. I quickly stepped back, nervously watching them and asked, "What are you doing? I am just a wedding emcee, there is no need to show such a grand gesture to us."
Liu Jiguang did not respond to my question, but lifted his head and asked, "Do you agree to our marriage?"
I inwardly groaned. Was this guy actually serious? When it comes to marriage, you just go to the Civil Affairs Bureau, get a marriage certificate, and that's it. But his question did make me unsure how to answer.
As I was feeling torn, Du Xiaolan suddenly poked my back and whispered, "Mingyang, what are you waiting for? Can't you see they are kneeling on the ground?"
I snapped out of my daze and quickly said, "Agreed, I fully approve. Today you two are a couple."
Li Qingqing nodded happily, and Liu Jiguang consecutively kowtowed to me three times before it was all over. I almost wished I could also kneel down for them. The wedding customs here were too bizarre – instead of kneeling to their parents, they were kneeling to the wedding emcee.
"The ceremony is over, I should be leaving now," the woman holding the red umbrella said, without any expression, then glanced at me and turned to walk out to the black car.
Her gaze made me shiver. I swallowed hard, feeling more and more uncomfortable.
But the wedding was already finished, and I didn't want to stay any longer. After watching Liu Jiguang and Li Qingqing go upstairs, Du Xiaolan and I returned to our respective rooms to pack up.
After sorting everything out, I prepared to check if my grandfather had replied to my message. Just as I held my phone, I noticed a red mark on my neck in the screen's reflection.
This discovery made my heart race; the red mark on my neck was what the hanged ghost left on me. It proved that what I had seen and heard was not an illusion but real.
There were actually ghosts here!
As I was about to put the phone in my pocket, my arm suddenly stung. I grimaced and looked down, seeing five claw marks on my arm.
Recalling the skeleton wearing a phoenix coronet and robes who had pulled me back from the dream, I finally realized that she was the ghost bride I had never seen before, the one who had pulled me back from death.
Invisible fear enveloped me like a huge net. I closed my eyes and kept thinking about all the things that had happened on this journey. When I remembered the scene in the Chai Chi Ling Village, I suddenly opened my eyes.
No wonder I always found Liu Jiguang's wife, Li Qingqing, so familiar. It turned out she was the daughter of the family of three who died in a car accident!
They were really ghosts. The world was completely chaotic. I had unknowingly served as a witness to a ghost's wedding!
I swallowed hard and took a rapid breath, then shook my head vigorously and hurriedly left the room.
Du Xiaolan was still packing up, so I told her to wait, and I quickly went upstairs. The bridal chamber from last night remained the same, but there was no one in the room, and Liu Jiguang had disappeared.
Hastily, I opened the door to Liu Jiguang's parents' room, but there was nothing inside except an empty bed.
He was really dead!
I broke out in a cold sweat, and a buzzing sound filled my ears as the scene in front of me started to spin. A nauseating feeling surged over me; I quickly leaned against the wall and dry-heaved, but nothing came out.
After a long time, I turned my head and looked outside.
I swiftly walked out of the door, and to my surprise, several villagers were appearing in the village in small groups. Some of them noticed me coming out and cast wary glances in my direction.
Ignoring these, I hastened to Uncle Liu's doorstep and knocked forcefully. A middle-aged woman opened the door and looked at me warily, asking, "Whom are you looking for?"
I gasped for breath and pointed to Liu Jiguang's house, asking, "Auntie, is there anyone in that house?"
"Now only Liu Jiguang is left," she replied.
As I suspected, I asked again, "What about his parents?"
The middle-aged woman sighed and said, "Ah, his father fell seriously ill and passed away five years ago. His mother, stricken, went insane and hung herself in the room two years ago."
Even though I already knew the truth, this news still hit me like a bolt from the blue.
The middle-aged woman inquired, "By the way, why do you ask?"
"Nothing, just curious," I hastily waved her off and glanced inside, asking, "Is Uncle Liu not here?"
The middle-aged woman visibly froze, staring at me intently for a long time before asking, "He's been dead for several years, how? Do you know him?"
"Dead?" I exclaimed inwardly, feeling uneasy as I looked past her, only then noticing a dim hallway with a table holding a portrait, the face of which was the same as the Uncle Liu I had seen last night.
I didn't hear the rest of what the middle-aged woman said, nor did I know when she had closed the door.
My mind was in chaos, everything I saw yesterday was a ghost; Uncle Liu, Liu Jiguang's parents, even today's bride, were all ghosts, completely subverting my world view.
In a daze, a hand suddenly landed on my shoulder. Startled from my reverie, I turned around and saw the crazy person I had seen last night, grinning at me with a mouthful of yellow teeth, making me almost faint.
"Hehehe, I saw ghosts getting married just now, so funny, and I saw you too."