Chapter 2: Transmigration of a Bewildered Soul (2)

Carrying the tray, I ran down the corridor and into a small room. Inside, a dozen people were frantically busy. When they saw the plate in my hands, no one took it...

One dark-faced man snapped, "By the time you bring it, the food will be stone cold! Who works like you do? Get out of the way!"

I was truly driven mad with anger. My sister had glared at me, and now these people had this kind of attitude. Slamming the plate down, I stomped out in a rage.

Loud bangs and crackles erupted. The firecrackers grew more terrifying with each blast, flashing sparks and flying in all directions. Black smoke drifted, creating a foul haze filled with the sharp stench of gunpowder.

My mood was at its absolute worst. Just who was the deceased? Wasn't I perfectly fine? Able to take abuse, indifferent to cold shoulders, yet useless at getting things done...

My sister brushed past me, her face pale and sinister, just like before, though her voice had changed: "You annoy me just by existing! Get lost! Don't stand there like an eyesore!"

I was about to burst with anger! What kind of place was this? I didn't have a sister or a daughter. Why, then, were they both my family here?

Here, I had become a useless nuisance. I wanted to find a place to hide.

"Dad, don't run around. They won't be able to find you when it's time to go into the coffin!" My daughter walked up from behind, her voice very close, a smile playing on her face.

"Who were those two old folks just now?" I asked, utterly bewildered. "Why are we preparing a coffin when everything is fine? Isn't there already someone inside?"

"Those were Grandpa and Grandma," my daughter snapped impatiently. Flicking her long sleeves, she floated away like a beauty from ancient times, her voice drifting back: "I'm not talking to you! I have things to do."

She left the rest of her thought unsaid... I stared blankly at her retreating figure, my frustration lingering, with nowhere to vent it...

*Di-di, da-da...* A blare of horns echoed.

Dozens of people formed a long queue to circle the coffin. Two horn players led the way, swaying their heads. Behind them, a man held a funeral banner, while another beside him rhythmically rang a bell, producing a steady *ding-ding* sound.

Eight men approached from ahead. For no reason at all, they pinned me down, hoisted me high, and carried me to the open coffin. They shoved me brutally inside, and four men who had been waiting nearby forced the lid shut.

I screamed desperately, "Help! Help!"

Suddenly, I heard someone shout, "Wait!"

The voice wasn't very familiar, but I had heard it before. Who could it be? Was he here to save me? How I wished someone would open this cursed coffin lid!

There was a lot of noise outside, muffled and unclear. I couldn't make out what they were saying.

With a sharp scrape, the coffin lid slid open.

I immediately sat halfway up in the coffin, only to be pushed back down by his grimy, black hands. He said, "So you finally have a day like this! Good riddance! Now that you're dead, no one will ever bully my sister again!"

"What are you talking about? I've never bullied your sister, and I don't even know her!" I protested, trying to stand up.

The two burly men by the coffin were not just for show. They stepped forward, pinning my shoulders down and roaring, "Behave! You're dead, so stay dead! Are you still trying to escape?"

I struggled desperately, but I had no strength at all, held fast by the four hands of the two burly men.

The little girl appeared. She wasn't even as tall as the coffin, yet she could see me sitting inside. At the same time, I got a clear look at her small face. It was dark and grimy, just like her brother's, smudged with playful dirt. Looking at me, she asked, "Why are you sitting in a coffin?"

"No, it's not that I want to sit here. Can't you see they're holding my shoulders? By the way, your brother says I always bully you. Do you even know me?"

She shook her head. "No. Who are you?"

I looked everywhere for my sister, but there was no sign of her. I didn't even know what my name was now; I needed to ask. But crowds of onlookers surrounded the coffin on all sides. What a thick wall of people! Even if they let me down, I wouldn't be able to escape their clutches.

Yet, the two burly men holding my shoulders gave me no such chance. They forced me down again and shut the lid.

I screamed with all my might, "Let me out! You've got the wrong person! Can't you see I'm a living human being?"

The little girl's sweet, childish voice drifted in faintly: "Big brother, what crime did he commit?"

"I don't know either. I just heard someone died, so I brought you over to look!"

"He... he doesn't seem dead. He can move, he can talk, he's full of life," someone whispered quietly, and I heard it loud and clear.

"He might not be dead now, but in the coffin, he'll soon become a corpse." That was another stranger's voice.

"Why do that?" the little girl asked, puzzled.

I didn't hear her brother's voice, but instead, another strong man's voice came through: "Go play somewhere else, kid. This is no place for you!"

I strained my ears to listen, but the voices faded. I pushed with my hands and kicked hard with my feet, but despite my best efforts, I couldn't budge it...

*Thud, thud.* The sound of coffin nails being hammered in echoed as they were driven home. Not a single crack of light remained. It was pitch black.

I pushed desperately and kicked with all my strength until I was utterly exhausted. Suddenly, I felt the coffin sway, moving forward continuously with an uneven, rocking motion. I felt terribly sick, waves of dread washing over me. I screamed frantically, "Let me out! What are you trying to do?"

At this point, there was only motion, but no reply.

The coffin continued its bumpy journey. No matter how much I screamed, it was useless.

I had no idea how much time passed. I was exhausted, and my struggles had run their course. Finally, with all my options exhausted, I could only wait quietly for death to come. How unwilling my heart was! To die so young was such a waste. Yet, my fate was in the hands of others; what could I do? The more I thought, the sadder I became. Tears flowed uncontrollably down the sides of my face, past my ears to the back of my head, dripping quietly onto the wood of the coffin.

Suddenly, with a loud *bang*, the coffin lid blew open. A circular blue light flashed in the air, creating a violent gust of wind that sucked me up and spun me around in a daze...

With a *whoosh*, it vanished. After an unknown period, I landed gently on an operating table.

Before my eyes stood several doctors in white coats and blue surgical masks. Wiping the sweat from their brows, they wore victorious smiles and said, "He's finally awake! Our round-the-clock efforts weren't in vain!"

I was completely bewildered. The voices I heard seemed surreal—what on earth had happened? I wanted to ask, but my throat was parched and dry, and I couldn't make a sound.

Before me, over a dozen people in white coats stood with their masks on, covering their mouths, their faces hidden...

I lay on the operating table; the sheets were entirely white, stained with traces of blood here and there.

One of the masked figures spoke in a voice I could understand. Four people in white coats lifted me onto a gurney, covered me with a thin blanket, opened the door, and wheeled me out...

*What happened to me? Why was I on an operating table? Which hospital is this?*

The gurney was pushed by a doctor, while the others followed alongside.

Three people stood outside the door, rushing over in a panic.

A woman of about thirty-five, dressed in a beautiful long skirt and looking exceptionally anxious, fixed her lovely eyes on the gurney. She took a close look and asked, "Doctor, how is my daughter?"

One of the surgeons pulled down his mask, letting it hang from one ear. Revealing a face I didn't recognize, he smiled joyfully and said, "Ma'am, congratulations! The surgery was a complete success!"

My mind was in complete turmoil. I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, so I asked, "What surgery? What happened to me?"

Tears of emotion welled up in the lady's eyes. Without looking at anything else, she nodded repeatedly and said, "Thank you! Thank you!"

Judging by her appearance, this strange lady was four years younger than me. I didn't know her at all. There was no way she could have given birth to me. Who was she?

The hospital corridor was crowded, but the appearance of the gurney didn't attract anyone's attention; everyone was busy with their own affairs.

Wheeled into a ward, the gurney stopped beside an empty bed. After two nurses in light blue scrubs busied themselves for a moment, I was laid down comfortably. I didn't realize how many people had died in this bed, nor did I know how many corpses these sheets and blankets had covered.

The nurses wheeled the gurney away. The doctor pulled back my blanket, put the stethoscope in his ears, and pressed the round chestpiece to my chest for a moment. "You're fine now! Just rest for a few days, and we'll see."

The doctor left, followed closely by four or five people. A medical cart rolled in and stopped by the bed. A nurse spent some time preparing the IV solution, pricked my hand sharply with a needle, secured it with white medical tape, hung the bottle high on the IV stand, and quietly departed...

A strange man of about thirty-six came into my line of sight by the bedside. With a gentle, fatherly hand, he stroked my head and said, "Zhengtai, the doctor says you're fine now. You need to hurry back to class and make up for the schoolwork you've missed, or you won't be able to keep up!"

Hearing him speak, I was even more confused. None of this made any sense. My name wasn't Zhengtai, and my father couldn't possibly be this young—he was much older than this man.

The strange man smiled and asked, "Zhengtai, what do you want to eat? I'll have Tiantian go buy it."