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墨書 Inktalez
I heard voices outside and stepped out.
Big Pillar was my classmate from school. After graduating, he stopped attending and stayed home to help his family with the sheep. In that regard, my Adoptive Father and Adoptive Mother were actually quite kind. Of course, the main reason was that I performed well academically, so I was exempt from textbook fees in Junior High and High School.
I never expected Big Pillar would die; what could have happened?
I followed my mother and a woman toward Big Pillar's house.
His home wasn't far from the river, where a crowd had gathered. I caught a glimpse of a pale woman, completely naked, jumping around by the water.
My mother and Big Pillar's mother were somewhat related; they were cousins, I think. Anyway, when they reached the riverbank, my mother helped the woman into the Zhuzi Family's house.
Big Pillar's father was out working, leaving the house in disarray. In our Shantai Village, when something like this happened, half the village would come to gawk.
I squeezed into the Zhuzi Family's house.
On the floor lay a person covered with a canvas sheet. The people around were whispering quietly, speculating about how Big Pillar had died.
I swallowed hard and walked over to the figure on the ground. I lifted the sheet, revealing a pale, emaciated face that looked like a blood-drained Zombie.
It was indeed Big Pillar.
Seeing his lifeless form made my heart race wildly. I immediately thought of Lian! Despite my fear, I knelt down to check his shoulder to see how he had died.
On his shoulder, there was indeed a clear imprint—a distinct mark left behind.
"Ah!"
I stumbled backward.
With a thud, the head of the pillar fell to the ground, making a dull sound.
My mother came out from the back room. Seeing my expression, she said, "Fei! What are you doing here? Hurry back home! Your brother is alone at home!"
I stood up and said, "It... it was Lian, Mom. Lian killed the pillar."
"Slap!"
My mother reached out and smacked the back of my head. "You little rascal, what nonsense are you talking? Get back home! It's a shame you're a college student; all you're learning in school is garbage!"
I swallowed hard, truly frightened. "Mom, then... then I'll go back now. Oh, I'll head back to school first. How about we all go to the city together? I can take you out for some fun?"
"Get out!"
My mother pushed me outside. "If you want to leave, then go! Wasting money studying outside, we can't afford to have fun! You're twenty years old and still don't know how to earn money; all you do is mess around!"
I was pushed out by my mother.
The sun outside was warm.
I took a deep breath; my mind cleared up a lot. I didn't take my mother's harsh words to heart. Although they were a bit cruel, for farmers who had never seen much of the world and lacked any education, they were doing well enough—after all, I was an adopted child.
As I walked away, my mind raced with thoughts. The pillar was definitely killed by Lian; even if it wasn't Lian who did it, it was someone just like her who caused the loss!
I didn't know why I was still alive, nor did I understand what had happened at the Village Head's House. In any case... I had to escape from here!
With that thought, I calmed myself down. It was daytime, the sun was high in the sky, and I felt less afraid. I made up my mind: I would head up the mountain immediately to take care of my grandfather's Grave, his coffin, and his remains, and then I would leave right away and return to school.
Suddenly, I remembered the monk on the train, that nine-year-old Brat who had warned me about impending doom. Perhaps he wasn't joking after all.
I returned home, grabbed an Iron Pickaxe, and ran towards the forest on the back mountain of the village.
Our Song Family members were all buried in one place known as the forest. For those who had already been laid to rest, nothing could be worse than having their bones exposed to the elements; it was no different from being desecrated!
Once buried, they should be left undisturbed. If disturbed, their spirits would be restless, and future generations would suffer for it.
With the Iron Pickaxe in hand, I quickly reached the forest and found my grandfather's Grave.
As expected, my grandfather's Grave had been dug up. However, contrary to what I had imagined, it was excavated very neatly, with a pavilion built above it. There was nothing left in the Grave—no bones, no coffin—nothing at all.
Previously, I had worried that my grandfather's remains might be scattered everywhere. But now it seemed that wasn't the case at all; it was as if... as if his grave had been relocated! The bones and coffin had been moved away, and a beautiful Stone Pavilion had been constructed in its place.
"What is going on? Did my dad move my grandfather's Grave? Was it not someone who dug it up?"
I felt quite puzzled but also relieved; as long as my grandfather's remains weren't exposed to the sun, that was what mattered.
I bowed three times at the head of the Grave and then headed down the mountain with the Iron Pickaxe.
When I got home, it was lunchtime. My dad and mom were there cooking while discussing the incident involving Zhuzi's death.
My mom said, "Hey, Dad, do you think it might really be haunted? I find it suspicious that Zhuzi died; she’s already a corpse. Zhuzi's mom has gone crazy looking for Xu Bansian to check it out. Xu Bansian was so scared that he lost his mind and it’ll take him a year and a half to recover."
My dad, who doesn’t believe in ghosts or gods, replied, "Stop talking nonsense, woman. Hurry up and serve the food; Dayu is about to come home from school for dinner!"
My younger brother is named Dayu, the precious gem in their eyes.
I put down my Iron Pickaxe and decided not to dwell on Zhuzi's matter. "Dad, did you move Grandpa's body?"
"Don't talk rubbish! Do you think I have nothing better to do than mess with your grandfather's corpse?" My dad glared at me and continued, "I don’t know which fool took your grandfather’s body away. They even built a pavilion at the grave; it’s truly bizarre! Could it be that your grandfather had other sons who stole his body?"
Upon hearing this, I realized my grandfather hadn’t suffered, so I dropped the subject. "Dad, Mom, since Grandpa's Grave is fine, I’ll head back to school this afternoon. The midterm exams are coming up soon; I can’t afford to fail. Also, I really feel something strange about Zhuzi's death. Why don’t you and Dayu go out for a while?"
My dad waved his hand dismissively. "Stop with the nonsense. You’re a college student now; you should be ready to face all kinds of weird things. If you want to go back to school, then go ahead. Oh, by the way, the weather forecast says it’s going to rain today. If you're leaving, you better hurry."
"Rain?" I paused for a moment and looked at the sun above.
Not long after, Dayu came home from school. He’s ten years old and in fourth grade.
While our family was having dinner, suddenly there was a loud thunderclap followed by dark clouds rolling in, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling as huge raindrops began to pour down…
Seeing the rain outside getting heavier, I started to feel anxious. We live in a mountain village where the houses are built halfway up the slope. If it rains too heavily, we won’t be able to get out because the roads will be flooded with mud.
I could only hope that the rain would stop soon.
Around three in the afternoon, when the rain changed intensity, I started packing my things to leave.
When my dad saw me packing up to go, he snatched my things away from me. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? The roads are flooded; you might slip into a puddle and drown!"
"I’m not lying to you, Dad. Last night, I saw a ghost at the Village Head's House. It was Lian, and she was wearing a wedding dress. She even bit me. Although I didn’t die, when I saw Big Pillar’s corpse today, I knew it wasn’t a dream. Lian has definitely turned into a ghost. If I don’t leave now, who knows, maybe tomorrow I’ll end up like Big Pillar. I'd rather take my chances and go back to the city than become a Corpse."
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" My dad raised his hand, but he didn’t hit me since I’ve grown taller than him now.
He snorted, "You’re staying home. You slept at the Village Head's House last night, drank too much, and had a nightmare. Tonight you’re sleeping here; let’s see what kind of Evil Spirit can come in."
Just as I was about to argue, there was a knock on our front door.
"Who is it?" my dad asked.
"It’s me, Dog Sheng!" someone shouted from outside.
"Oh, Dog Sheng." My dad walked over and opened the door.
Dog Sheng was also a classmate from my school days. We attended Junior High together, but during Third Year, he didn’t do well academically and skipped the Midterm Exam. After barely graduating, he went to work at a construction site and apparently made quite a bit of money; he even bought a motorcycle.
My dad and Dog Sheng walked through the puddles in our yard, splashing water as they approached the house. Our yard is muddy every time it rains; stepping outside means coming back with mud all over the floor.
Once inside, Dog Sheng set down a box of Yili Milk. "Uncle, this is for Dayu. He needs to nourish his brain and learn from his brother so he can go to college."
"Wow, Dog Sheng, you’re so polite! Bringing gifts when you come to our house," my mom said as soon as she saw the milk. Her attitude immediately brightened up; she didn’t even complain about Dog Sheng tracking mud everywhere and insisted he sit down.
After placing the milk down, Dog Sheng nodded at me. "Song Fei, how about we go inside and chat?"
I smiled back. "Sure! We didn’t get to talk much during New Year’s. Let’s go inside."
Dog Sheng and I headed into the back room, which served as a storage area. There was a bed inside that usually went unused except for when I came home to sleep there occasionally.
"Dog Sheng" smiled and said, "You, a college student, sleeping in this room, aren't you feeling stifled?"
I waved my hand dismissively. "I hardly come back in a year. It's nothing."
"Dog Sheng" just laughed, rubbing his hands together.
I knew "Dog Sheng" had something on his mind, so I pointed to the edge of the bed and said, "Alright, 'Dog Sheng', we're classmates. We've grown up playing around in our underwear, so there's no need for formality. Just say what you want."
"Dog Sheng" nodded vigorously. "Song Fei, I'm begging you... help me."
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