Chapter 0052 The Homicide House
I gave a dry laugh. How would I know who that man was? But since Ms. Bao asked, there must be a reason. My mind suddenly clicked, and I blurted out, "The real estate agency manager?"
Ms. Bao nodded vigorously: "It was him!" I thought, what a coincidence, but it didn't seem to mean much; perhaps the girl's mother also wanted to buy or rent a house.
Ms. Bao said: "I initially thought it might be a coincidence, but since I saw it, I had to be cautious. So, I secretly investigated. Guess what? You'd never imagine it—that agency manager turned out to be her college classmate!"
So that was it. I was also a bit surprised, but surprise aside, this still didn't prove there was any foul play; it could still be a coincidence. Ms. Bao then voiced her suspicion: she thought the two were colluding and wanted to investigate, but she and her husband knew both of them, making it difficult to show their faces. She wanted me to help her find out the truth.
I gave a bitter smile: "Not only do I have to do a spiritual consultation (Kanshis), but I also have to act as a spy."
Ms. Bao pleaded: "Brother Tian, since you've come all this way, please see this through. It's not a difficult task anyway. Help us run this errand. Even if the problem isn't solved in the end, I'll still pay you for your trouble."
Since she put it that way, I couldn't refuse, so I went downstairs. At the community entrance, I saw that plump little dog again, still squatting motionless by the roadside, occasionally resting its body on the ground, looking very tired. Several people were gathered around, watching the dog and chatting. I approached and noticed that the little dog's eyes were narrowed into slits, seemingly stained with blood. I asked what was wrong with the dog.
One onlooker said hatefully: "You don't know yet? This dog belongs to a resident named Bao in this community. One day, the naughty dog knocked the owner's new cell phone off the coffee table onto the tile floor, shattering the screen. The owner threw the dog out, but the dog was attached to its home. It actually returned to that building. Not only could it follow people into the elevator, but it also knew which floor the owner lived on and could find the Bao family's door. That family threw it out a third time, and the dog returned again. So, that person named Bao gouged out the dog's eyes with a steel spoon. Now the dog can't find its way home, so it just wanders around the community entrance."
I was shocked. I quickly asked if it was the Old Bao family living in Building XX, Unit XX. Everyone confirmed it was. Just then, the security guard walked over. Seeing me, he gave the onlookers a meaningful look, and they all stopped talking. I politely left, my heart heavy. I had heard Ms. Bao talk a lot about her husband's bad temper and poor character, but I hadn't paid much attention since there are many people like that. However, gouging out a dog's eyes was something I couldn't comprehend a human doing.
Anger aside, I still had a task to perform. Following the address Ms. Bao gave me, I found the real estate agency called "Tiantian Fa" (Every Day Prosper). As soon as I entered, a girl in a white shirt, short skirt, and black stockings immediately came up to greet me, addressing me affectionately. I don't know who decided on the uniform for female employees in Chinese real estate agencies, but they all wear this outfit, and every woman looks like a Japanese AV actress in it.
I pretended I wanted to buy a house in the XX Garden Community where Ms. Bao lived. I looked through the listings for a while but didn't see the manager Ms. Bao described. I feigned dissatisfaction and turned to leave. The girl became anxious, took out a business card, and handed it to me, promising to let me see a suitable house within three days. I said if she could really do that, and if I liked the house, I would pay a deposit immediately. I also asked her about the agency fee. The girl seemed to have poor recent sales performance. Hearing that I was willing to pay a deposit, she became very excited and said the agency fee was only three points. I said that was too much. The girl offered to lower it to two points, just to make a friend. I said I didn't believe her and asked her to call the manager to verify. Unaware of my trick, the girl called the manager back from outside.
As soon as I saw the manager, I recognized him immediately; he looked exactly as Ms. Bao had described. I chatted with him in the manager's office for a while, looked at photos of several properties on the computer, and expressed moderate satisfaction. Then I brought up the issue of Feng Shui. The manager said: "People nowadays care a lot about Feng Shui. This XX Community has very good Feng Shui and a great location, so you don't have to worry. As long as it's not a Homicide House, there's no problem."
I pretended not to understand: "There are Homicide Houses?"
The manager said: "Of course. They are houses where people have died. Dying of old age or sickness is better, but the most taboo are those who died violently. For example, by suicide or homicide, or houses that are inexplicably haunted. The owners can't live there, so they put them up for sale cheaply, using any excuse, like needing money urgently or needing to move abroad urgently." I immediately stated that I wouldn't buy such a house, no matter how cheap it was. All houses in the city cost about the same; who would dare buy a cheap one?
The manager smiled: "You wouldn't dare buy it, but some people are willing to take advantage of a bargain. As soon as they hear the owner is moving abroad and the house price is ten percent lower, they immediately think they've hit the jackpot."
I asked, "Are there really houses like that? Are there any in the XX Community I'm interested in?"
The manager whispered: "To be honest, there is one in Building XX, Unit XX. The owner's son and daughter-in-law were sleeping inside. They didn't notice the kettle boiling over in the kitchen. The water put out the fire, and the gas leaked out. It was winter then, and the doors and windows were tightly shut. As a result, the couple was suffocated in the bedroom. It's truly a shame. I heard they were going to get married in another month, but they lost their lives before the wedding."
I was alarmed. The Building XX, Unit XX the manager mentioned was exactly where Ms. Bao lived. Without asking, I knew he was referring to Ms. Bao's house. I then asked, "I wonder who would buy a house like that."
The manager chuckled: "Our real estate company would never sell a house like that, but I heard it was eventually sold. Chinese people love a good bargain."
I made an excuse and left the real estate agency. The manager deliberately concealed the fact that he recommended the Homicide House to Ms. Bao, which suggests he has something to hide. Since he was a college classmate of the little girl's mother, his motive for recommending the Homicide House becomes very suspicious. It's quite possible that the little girl's mother set a trap to take revenge on Mr. Bao by having the Bao family live in a Homicide House, thus getting her own back.
Returning to Ms. Bao's house, I told her the situation. Ms. Bao immediately became furious, ready to call Mr. Bao to go settle the score with the manager and the little girl's mother. I stopped her: "You have no evidence to prove this. Besides, a Homicide House is still a house. There's no law stating that houses where people have died cannot be traded."
Ms. Bao was extremely angry. I said, "The priority now is to solve the haunting problem. There are two paths: either you sell the house, or I find a way to deal with the problem."
"Alas, Brother Tian, to be honest, we listed the house with multiple real estate agencies months ago, but it seems everyone knows this is a Homicide House, except for us. Forget selling it; we haven't even had anyone come to view it," Ms. Bao said dejectedly. I thought to myself, that's really unfortunate. Who told your mother-in-law to love a bargain so much?
With the situation mostly clear, I called Uncle Xie and explained the specific circumstances. He said: "This business is quite straightforward now. Mr. Bao's mother bumped into the couple who died from gas suffocation in the living room. The Yin-煞 (malignant Yin energy) hit her, coupled with extreme fear, and she died immediately from shock. However, her body carried unreleased Sha Qi, which is why the corpse did not decompose. If I'm not mistaken, no matter where they bury her, her remains will never rot unless cremated."
"Does that have any bearing on the current situation?" I asked.
Uncle Xie said: "Of course it does! An uncorrupted corpse (Yin Shi) is an extremely ominous sign that brings disaster to the family. It must be resolved. Now, the Bao family has two issues to solve: first, allowing the spirits of that couple to rest peacefully and no longer disturb the house; second, neutralizing Old Mrs. Bao'sYin Shi."
I asked Uncle Xie how to solve it. Uncle Xie told me to wait for his message, no later than the afternoon. I called Ms. Bao out of the room to reassure her, telling her not to worry and that I would have news soon. Ms. Bao was delighted: "That's great! Money is no object. If you can really solve this for me, Brother (literally 'elder sister') will truly thank you!"
In our small talk, Ms. Bao mentioned her marriage with Mr. Bao. She said: "My husband, he can earn money, but he has a terrible temper and poor manners, and he likes to take advantage of people just like his mother." I smiled and said every man has flaws, and she should get used to it. Suddenly, my head started to spin, my vision blurred, and my ears were buzzing. It seemed like a voice was talking right into my ear, but I couldn't quite make it out. Ms. Bao asked me what was wrong. I said, "Nothing, just an old problem. I'll be fine in a moment."