At the sight of two Fatties, we broke out in cold sweats. Some of the more timid ones cried, "Oh, Mom!" and ran for their lives.
In the end, Old Wu was the first to speak. "You're Fatty? Then who's this?"
As he spoke, Old Wu pointed at the dead man kneeling in front of the bronze clock.
Fatty looked toward the bronze clock and dropped onto his backside in fright, scrambling backward as he muttered:
"Wh-who the fuck is that? Why's he wearing the same clothes as me?"
Fatty was wearing a white tank top, blue shorts, and old Beijing cloth shoes that day. The man in front of the bronze clock wore the very same three items, right down to the patterns.
Old Wu frowned, pulled out his phone, and hurriedly called the police.
After the police arrived, they laid down the man who had died from striking the bronze clock. Only then did we get a clear look at his face.
It wasn't Fatty!
Although his clothes and build were very similar to Fatty's, his facial features were distinctly different.
The police took a statement from Liu Sheng, who had been the first to find him. Liu Sheng had followed Fatty three to five minutes after Fatty got up.
The police sealed off the scene and questioned everyone in turn. It took three whole days before they removed the seals.
Over those few days, word of the death spread through the company like wildfire. Old Wu, who was usually surrounded by people flattering him to the skies, now had no one around him.
Anyone with eyes could tell that Old Wu would inevitably share responsibility for something this serious.
I went to the finance office to claim expenses and happened to run into Old Wu as I passed his office.
"Brother Wu, where are you off to?"
Old Wu no longer looked as relaxed and cheerful as before. Seeing it was me, he nodded, his face full of worry.
"Mm, I'm going to throw out that bronze clock!"
"Have the police come back with anything? That guy wasn't even from our company, was he?"
Old Wu sighed. "It's fucking bizarre. It was suicide. He killed himself by banging his head against the clock!"
I sucked in a breath. "Was he... mentally ill? Why would he dress exactly like Fatty and come to our company to kill himself?"
"Who knows? The police said he was from Tiger Waist Mountain Village. He left home and went missing a couple of days ago!"
"Tiger Waist Mountain? Isn't that the village just before Tangwazi Village?"
Old Wu nodded and said fiercely:
"Forget all that. Come with me and get this fucking death knell out of the lobby."
I agreed and followed Old Wu to the first-floor lobby where the bronze clock stood.
Old Wu fetched Little Six and Old Li, who drove Route 7. We gathered around the bronze clock, and something strange happened again-we couldn't lift it!
When the delivery arrived the day before yesterday, two men had carried the bronze clock inside. Now four of us surrounded it, each lifting a corner, yet we couldn't get it off the ground!
Old Wu was dumbfounded. With his hands on his hips, he cursed, "Fuck, this really is bizarre. A lousy clock like this can't weigh more than a hundred-odd jin. How come we can't lift it?"
Little Six said quietly:
"It is pretty strange. Brother Wu, remember what I told you that night when I came back from the toilet? The clock had stopped at two. But look, how come its pendulum's still swinging just fine? The building's been sealed for days, and nobody's touched it. Could the police have fixed it?"
Old Wu shook his head. "Like the police have fucking time for that!"
"Let's push it over first. It'll be easier to lift once it's down!"
We all moved to one side and pushed hard. Yet the bronze clock, which clearly didn't look all that heavy, was like a mountain now. We couldn't budge it an inch.
Old Wu grew anxious and called to the driver beside him, "Old Li, go get a couple of crowbars. If we can't lift it or push it over, we'll pry it up!"
Old Li nodded and went out to get the crowbars.
Seeing Old Wu frown, I couldn't help asking:
"Brother Wu, I still don't understand why our group's boss would send us this old bronze clock."
Old Wu sighed and said meaningfully, "Well, word's come from the group. They didn't send this clock!"
"What?"
Little Six and I both cried out in surprise.
"The boss is in America. I've been wondering which bastard sent this clock myself!"
"Then why did you say it was from the group's boss in the first place?"
"That's what the delivery guy said! Said it was sent by the city bus group. Li Yao, you've got nothing on during the day anyway. When you have time, go find that delivery guy and ask him!"
"Sure, I'll go in a bit."
As we spoke, the driver returned with the crowbars. Old Wu and I took one each and began prying at the clock's base.
The tiles all around the bronze clock had cracked from our efforts, but no matter how we pried, it stayed rooted in place, not moving an inch.
We couldn't lift it, push it over, or pry it loose!
After working all morning, we were all drenched in sweat. Only the bronze clock remained perfectly unruffled.
Furious, Old Wu raised his foot and kicked the bronze clock, cursing:
"What the hell is this thing? It's fucking put down roots!"
Old Li wiped away his sweat and said quietly:
"Brother Wu, I reckon maybe the soul of the guy who smashed his head into it is still inside this clock. I know a master who's pretty good with this sort of thing. How about I bring him over to take a look?"
Old Wu nodded. "All right, bring him. Whatever it costs, claim it from finance. Say we bought a new engine."
"Done. I'll give him a call in a bit!"
A whole morning of wasted effort made us give up on doing anything about the bronze clock. We split up and went back to our respective jobs.
After lunch in the canteen, Little Six insisted on coming with me to the courier company to find the delivery guy.
At two that afternoon, we found the courier depot, a place called Scud.
The depot had a small storefront, with parcels piled high inside. Two women in their thirties were counting them by the entrance.
I went up and asked, "Ma'am, could you tell me who delivered to Changxin Street Bus Station yesterday?"
A woman in a gray short-sleeved shirt tossed a parcel aside, looked up at me, and said:
"You're a grown man. Don't you know any better? Who are you calling ma'am?"
Taken aback, I quickly corrected myself:
"Oh, that was a slip of the tongue. Miss Beautiful, could you please tell me? I need to speak to the delivery guy!"
The woman grinned and laughed, pointing at a man seated inside.
"That guy there, the one picking his toes. He delivers everything for Changxin Street."
We went inside. The guy was busily picking his toes, but when he saw us, he quickly put his foot down and said:
"You two collecting a parcel?"
"No. We're drivers from Changxin Street Bus Station. You delivered that big bronze clock to our company a few days ago, right? We wanted to ask who actually sent it."
The delivery guy nodded.
"I delivered your big parcel, but it was transferred from another district. They just told me verbally that it was from the bus group. There wasn't a sender listed on the form."
I nodded. "Then how can we find out who sent it?"
The delivery guy hesitated, then lowered his head and said quietly:
"If the sender didn't want to put their name down, that counts as private information!"
His eyes shifted, and he added, "But the guy who transferred it is a buddy of mine. I could find out for you, but, you know... right?"
Little Six looked baffled.
"Know what?"
I waved Little Six quiet, took a hundred yuan from my pocket, and handed it to the delivery guy.
"Then sorry for the trouble. Please find out for us-the sooner, the better!"
He glanced around, quickly took the money, and stuffed it into his pocket.
"Done. Leave me your number. I'll get back to you as soon as I can!"
With that settled, Little Six and I returned to the company and happened to meet the ghost-catching master Old Li had brought.
The master wore a black brimmed hat, a black trench coat, and black leather shoes. He also leaned on a black umbrella.
Once inside the yard, the master took out a feng shui compass and walked around. Old Wu and the rest of us followed meekly behind him.
When we reached the back of the office building, where the abandoned little two-story building stood, the master tilted his head and looked up at it for a long while before saying to Old Wu behind him:
"Why haven't you torn down this shabby little building? It's ruining all the good feng shui!"
Naturally, I was particularly interested in that little two-story building. The archives on its second floor held three folders containing Old Tang's secrets, and I had only stolen one.
Before I had found time to think about the remaining two, all these things had happened.
"Oh, we keep some engines and things in that little building. We use it as a warehouse."
Old Wu was lying!
The building's entrance was tightly locked, and none of the others had been inside to look. With Old Wu saying that, naturally, nobody would think much of it.
But I was different. I had been inside myself. Apart from the archives, every room in that little building was empty.
The master nodded and circled back to the front of the office building with his compass. Looking troubled, he stroked his drooping mustache.
"Have you found anything, master?"
The master didn't answer Old Wu. He strode over, and we followed him closely into the first-floor lobby.
Directly opposite the entrance was the central staircase leading upstairs. The bronze clock stood against the wall to the right of the foot of the stairs.
The master stared at the clock for a long time, nodded, then shook his head.
Finally, he turned and asked, "Where did this clock come from?"
Old Wu hurriedly answered, "We don't know. It was just delivered here a few days ago!"
Frowning, the master said slowly, "This thing is quite powerful. An ordinary person couldn't suppress it. I'm about the only one who can. Anyone else would be no good!"
"Then we're counting on you, master. Even four of us couldn't move it!"
"I'll have to stay here tonight. Go to the market and buy me a black cat. It has to be completely black, without a single hair of any other color!"
Old Wu hastily agreed. "Of course, of course. Anything else?"
"Nothing else. Are there dorms in this compound? You're the one in charge, so don't leave tonight. Tonight will decide whether this works!"
"All right, I'll stay. Li Yao, Little Six, you're on the night shift today. I'll make do in your room tonight!"
I nodded and said it was no problem, thinking, Old Wu, you're really full of shit. You usually stay in that little two-story building. You think I don't know?
With everything arranged, everyone dispersed to their work. Old Wu and I went to the market and bought a black cat. Worried it had been dyed, Old Wu bathed it several times and only brought it back to the company after making sure the color didn't wash off.
Night came quickly. By nine, all the drivers had finished work. Only Little Six, Old Wu, Old Li, the master in black, and I remained in the company compound.
The master seemed very confident. Leaning on his umbrella and holding the black cat, he told us all to go back to our rooms and not come out unless something happened.
Back in the dorm, Old Wu was still uneasy. He kept pacing around the room with his hands behind his back.
It was Little Six's turn to drive that day, so Old Wu and I watched television in the room.
The first half of the night passed without incident. Old Wu finally relaxed and lay down on Little Six's bed for a short nap.
At two, my shrill "The Hottest Ethnic Style" ringtone rang out, startling both Old Wu and me. Little Six was calling.
"Get to the first-floor lobby! Something's happened!"
Little Six sounded tense. Clearly, it wasn't anything good. Old Wu and I hurried downstairs in our slippers.
In the first-floor lobby, Little Six leaned against the doorway, his face full of terror. Seeing us, he hurried over.
Just like the previous nights, there was a smear of blood on the bronze clock and a man kneeling before it, long since dead.
It was the master in black.
Old Wu told me to call the police. I pulled out my phone and noticed an unread message.
It was a text from the delivery guy we had met that afternoon:
Brother, I found the sender information you wanted. Sender's address: 2386 Huaiyuan Road. Sender: Liu Yunbo!