01When I was a child, my grandfather opened a shop halfway up the mountain. One day, when the mountain was snowed in, a woman came to the shop. Her face was deathly pale, and her eyes were as red as blood. She bared her white teeth and said with a grin, “Uncle, I want a bowl of raw rice and half a catty of raw pork.”
The woman’s voice was cold, and her smile was terrifying. If it weren’t for the shadow under her feet, I would have really thought she was a female ghost.
My grandmother said, “Girl, we only sell mutton here, no pork.”
As soon as my grandmother finished speaking, the woman took a few quick steps forward and stopped half a meter away from my grandmother. She said gloomily, “Auntie, I want a bowl of raw rice and half a catty of pork.”
The woman’s tone was very strange, as if she would eat people if she didn’t get the raw rice and pork.
Before my grandmother could say anything, my grandfather said, “We have it in the shop. You can find a seat and sit down first.”
The woman glared at my grandfather and chose a window seat to sit down.
My grandmother whispered to my grandfather, “Old man, I think this girl is not right. The mountain is snowed in, and she doesn’t have a speck of snow on her. She comes in and asks for raw rice and pork. She doesn’t look human.”
As soon as my grandmother finished speaking, the woman sitting by the window looked back at my grandmother. She also grinned at my grandmother, baring her white teeth. She looked exactly like a female ghost.
My grandmother was so frightened that she lowered her head and didn’t look at the woman.
My grandfather said gloomily, “The pig has to be killed now. It will take a long time. Please wait a moment.”
When the woman heard my grandfather’s words, she turned her head back.
My grandfather said, “Old woman, come to the yard and catch the pig.”
My grandfather opened the door, and a cold wind blew into the shop, along with thick snow.
The few of us braved the snow and went to the yard. There was only a sheepfold in the yard, and there were five or six sheep in the sheepfold.
My grandmother said, “Old man, that girl is not right. Hurry up and drive her away.”
My grandfather said with a sullen face, “We can’t drive her away. She wants to eat raw pork, and we have to get it for her.”
My grandmother was stunned for a few seconds and said, “Why?”
My grandfather said gloomily, “Let’s go. Catch a wild boar on the mountain.”
My grandmother said anxiously, “The mountain is snowed in. If you go up the mountain to catch a wild boar, you don’t want to live?”
My grandfather frowned and went into the storeroom. He took out three incense sticks from the storeroom, lit them, and handed them to me.
My grandfather held my shoulders and said, “Little Fuzi, when the three incense sticks burn out, if your grandmother and I haven’t come back, you go to the storeroom and take out a bowl of raw rice and put it in front of the woman. Before the three incense sticks burn out, no matter what the woman says to you, don’t give her the rice to eat. Do you remember?”
My grandfather’s expression was very serious. I had never seen him like this before. It seemed that something bad was going to happen.
My grandmother pushed my grandfather away and said angrily, “Old man, are you crazy? Can’t you see that the woman is not right? You still dare to leave Little Fuzi here and let Little Fuzi stay with her. Aren’t you afraid that something will happen to Little Fuzi?”
The three incense sticks in my hand were smoking black, and it was very choking.
My grandfather frowned, looking as if he wanted to say something but held back, as if there was something he was hiding from us.
My grandfather said coldly, “Old woman, Little Fuzi will be fine. We don’t have much time. Hurry up and come with me to catch the wild boar.”
As soon as my grandfather finished speaking, I saw the woman grinning at me through the window. Her grin was very terrifying, like a man – eating devil.
I subconsciously took a few steps back. Thinking about being alone with her was terrifying.
I said, “Grandpa, I don’t want to stay with her. I want to go with you to catch the wild boar.”
02
As soon as I finished speaking, my grandfather said angrily, “Little Fuzi, be obedient.”
My grandmother pushed my grandfather away and said, “Little Fuzi is only five years old. Why are you shouting at him?”
My grandfather said with a cold face, “If you want to live, listen to me!”
After saying that, my grandfather picked me up and said, “Little Fuzi, remember what I said. Before the three incense sticks burn out, you must not give the woman raw rice to eat. No matter what she says, you act as if you didn’t hear her and don’t talk to her. After the three incense sticks burn out, if your grandmother and I haven’t come back, give her the raw rice.”
I nodded and said, “I remember.”
My grandfather carried me into the shop and closed the shop door.
I sat on the bench and saw my grandfather drag my grandmother out of the yard.
I held the three incense sticks tightly in my hand. I just wanted to turn my head when I saw the woman’s enlarged face.
I was startled, and the three incense sticks in my hand almost fell to the ground.
The woman let out a strange laugh, “Hehe”, which was very harsh and sounded like a ghost’s laugh.
The woman came up to me and stopped half a meter away from me. She asked with a grin, “Little Fuzi, when will your grandfather and grandmother come back?”
Although the woman was smiling, her expression was very ferocious and evil.
I was afraid of the woman and didn’t dare to look at her face.
I turned my head away and faced my back to the woman.
But the woman didn’t intend to let me go. She walked around in front of me again and said gloomily, “Little Fuzi, I’m so hungry. Go and get me a bowl of raw rice.”
The woman’s voice was cold and ethereal, and even the breath she exhaled was cold. She didn’t seem like a living person at all.
I looked down at the incense in my hand. Only one – third of it had burned, so I couldn’t get the woman the raw rice yet.
Seeing that I didn’t speak, the woman suddenly knelt in front of me and cried, “Little Fuzi, I have looked like this since I was born. I look like a ghost and am disliked by others. Since I was a child, my mother has raised me like a ghost, feeding me raw rice and raw meat. I have long been used to eating these. I can’t eat cooked things at all. I’m really hungry. Please have mercy and give me a bowl of raw rice to eat. I haven’t eaten for two days.”
The woman cried sadly, and tears kept falling.
I said, “My grandfather said that I can only give you the raw rice when the three incense sticks burn out. If you are really hungry, I can get you something else to eat first.”
Seeing that I spoke, the woman was visibly excited, but only for a few seconds, and then she became pitiful.
She said pitifully, “Little Fuzi, I have eaten raw rice and raw meat since I was a child, and I can’t eat anything else. Please, help me. I don’t want to starve to death.”
The woman became more and more sad and cried loudly. Her crying was very harsh, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
I whispered, “Wait a little longer. When the incense burns out, I will give you the raw rice.”
The woman cried and said, “I’m starving to death and have no strength at all. Please save me.”
The woman’s hand suddenly grabbed my arm, and I felt a pain in my arm.
I looked down and saw a pale hand clutching my arm tightly, scratching my arm and making it bleed. Her nails had dug into my flesh.
I felt the pain and shook the woman’s hand off.
When I looked up again, I saw the woman staring at me fiercely. There was not a single tear on her face, and her mouth was wide open, baring her white teeth, as if she wanted to swallow me whole.
03
I was startled and felt a chill run down my spine.
I held the three incense sticks tightly in my hand. I felt that time passed very slowly, but when I looked at the incense in my hand again, it was almost burned out.
The woman grinned at me, “Hehe”, very terrifyingly, and said, “Little Fuzi, when will your grandfather come back? I’m hungry.”
As soon as the woman finished speaking, the three incense sticks in my hand burned out.
I said, “I’ll get you the raw rice.”
I quickly ran to the storeroom and took a bowl of raw rice for the woman.
When the woman saw the raw rice, she showed a terrifying smile.
She opened her mouth and poured the whole bowl of raw rice into it. She didn’t chew at all and swallowed it directly.
I didn’t dare to look at the woman and ran to the yard to feed the sheep.
Soon, I heard a noise at the yard gate.
I saw my grandfather driving a donkey cart into the yard. There was also a bloody wild boar on the donkey cart. The wild boar was still alive, and its four legs were tied up.
My grandfather said, “Little Fuzi, did you give the woman the raw rice?”
I nodded and said, “I gave it. The woman ate all the raw rice.”
My grandmother hugged me and said anxiously, “Old man, hurry up and kill the wild boar and let the woman eat the raw pork and then drive her away.”
My grandfather shook his head and said, “Wait a little longer.”
My grandmother said angrily, “What are you waiting for?”
My grandfather frowned and said, “There are more people coming.”
After saying that, my grandfather entered the shop.
My grandmother and I also followed in.
When the woman saw us enter the room, she smiled and said, “Uncle, I want the pig’s heart.”
My grandfather said, “There is only one pig’s heart.”
As soon as my grandfather finished speaking, the woman changed her face and said gloomily, “I want the pig’s heart.”
As soon as the woman finished speaking, a man entered our yard.
The man was wearing black boots and a hat on his head, with a fierce look on his face.
The woman was very flustered when she saw the man. She quickly returned to the seat just now and faced her back to us.
The man opened the shop door, stamped his feet at the door to shake off the snow on his shoes, and then entered the shop.
The man’s complexion was very good, and his clothes were thick. He said, “Uncle, let me ask you something. Have you seen a woman in white?”
My grandmother was just about to speak when my grandfather stopped her. My grandfather said, “No.”
The man’s eyes rolled around twice, and he sniffed hard. He slowly turned his head and looked at the woman by the window. He let out a gloomy laugh and strode up to the woman, grabbed the woman’s hair and dragged her up, and then threw her hard on the ground.
The woman was very afraid of the man in front of her. She trembled all over, and her whole body moved backward.
The man was visibly excited, with a strange green light in his eyes. He said greedily, “Rose, I finally found you.”
Rose was the woman’s name.
My grandmother looked at my grandfather and whispered, “Old man, what should we do?”
My grandfather said expressionlessly, “Don’t make a sound. Don’t interfere.”
The man took out a rope from his boot, tied it around the woman’s neck, stepped on a stool, and hung the woman on the beam.
The woman stared with scarlet eyes and stuck out her long tongue, looking exactly like a hanged ghost.
She was still alive, struggling randomly, and making strange noises of “uh uh uh” from time to time.
The man was very happy after hanging the woman on the beam. He said, “Uncle, I want a bowl of white wine, a catty of raw pork, and half a bowl of raw rice.”
My grandfather said, “I’ll bring it right away.”
04
After saying that, my grandfather walked out of the room with a knife.
My grandmother and I also walked out of the room.
My grandmother whispered, “Old man, this man has no shadow. He’s not human! Let’s run away!”
My grandfather said very calmly, “We can’t run away. If you want to live, listen to me.”
After saying that, my grandfather raised the knife and cut a piece of meat alive from the wild boar. The wild boar howled in pain, and its body was covered in blood.
My grandmother frowned and said, “Killing is not the same as torturing. Old man, why don’t you kill the wild boar before cutting the meat?”
My grandfather said, “Wait a little longer. There will be more people coming.”
After saying that, my grandfather entered the storeroom again and took out the raw rice and white wine.
My grandfather carried these things and entered the shop.
My grandfather put the things in front of the man, and the man picked up the raw pork and bit into it greedily.
The raw pork was still bloody, and the man’s mouth was full of blood and oil.
The woman was hung on the beam, her face was pale, and her eyes stared straight at the man. She couldn’t make any sound.
Soon, the man ate up all the things on the table. He said coldly, “Uncle, the mountain is snowed in, and I have nowhere to stay. I want to stay here for one night. Is it convenient for you?”
The man’s words sounded like a request, but his tone was not at all like a request.
My grandfather said, “Young man, who is this woman to you?”
The man narrowed his eyes and smiled and said, “She’s a ghost I keep at home. She’s not human at all. You don’t have to be afraid. As long as I’m here, she won’t hurt you.”
After saying that, the man said to my grandfather again, “Uncle, cut another catty of raw mutton.”
My grandfather nodded. Soon, he brought in a catty of bloody raw mutton.
The man threw the raw mutton into the air, and the woman opened her mouth and bit the raw mutton. She swallowed it in a few bites.
The man laughed triumphantly, his eyes rolling around, looking very sly.
The man said, “She’s a ghost who grew up eating raw rice and raw meat. She’s not human at all. Treat her like an animal.”
As soon as the man finished speaking, the woman stared at the man gloomily, as if she wanted to devour the man alive.
The man noticed the woman’s gaze and took out a knife from his boot. He cut the woman’s arm with the knife, and blood flowed all over the floor.
The woman seemed to feel no pain and still stared at the man gloomily.
My grandfather covered my eyes and said to my grandmother, “Take Little Fuzi to the east room. I’ll be back in a while.”
My grandmother carried me back to the east room.
I lay by the window in the east room and looked into the yard. I saw the man come out of the shop and enter the west room.
My grandfather locked the shop door and entered the east room.
My grandmother said fearfully, “Old man, this man and woman are really scary. What’s going on?”
My grandfather said with a sullen face, “Tonight at midnight, the woman will kill the man and hide the man’s body in our shop.”
As soon as my grandfather finished speaking, my grandmother’s face changed, and she said, “Old man, the woman is hanging on the beam and is about to die. How can she kill the man?”
My grandfather sighed and said, “Tonight at midnight, the woman will kill the man, but she is weak and can’t move the man’s body at all. So she will come and knock on the door and ask us for help. She will knock on the door three times. The first time, she will ask Little Fuzi to help light the candles in the shop. Little Fuzi, remember, there are only four candles in our shop, in the four corners of the east, west, south, and north. You light the candles and come back. No matter what the woman says, you must come back.”
05
As soon as my grandfather finished speaking, my grandmother hugged me tightly and said angrily, “Little Fuzi is only five years old, small and thin. You let him go and light the candles. I think you’re crazy! I don’t agree.”
I whispered, “Grandpa, there are lights in our shop, and there’s no power outage. Why don’t we turn on the lights? Why do we have to light candles?”
My grandfather said, “The lights are too bright, and the candles are dim. It’s easier for the woman to hide the body.”
My grandmother frowned and said anxiously, “No, we can’t let Little Fuzi take the risk.”
As soon as my grandmother finished speaking, we heard a noise outside the house.
My grandfather signaled my grandmother to be quiet.
By the moonlight, I saw the woman tiptoe out of the shop. She was covered in blood, and her originally white clothes were all dyed red.
The woman walked carefully to the door of the west room. She lay on the crack of the door and looked inside first, and then walked to the window and lay on the window to look inside.
The woman’s walking posture and movements were all very strange.
She entered the storeroom again and soon came out with an axe in her hand.
She raised the axe and split the wooden door of the west room. She pushed the door open and entered the west room.
Immediately, there was a man’s scream in the west room.
The man screamed a few times and then there was no more sound.
My grandfather’s expression was serious, and he said, “Little Fuzi, remember what I said. Light the four candles and come back. No matter how she tries to keep you, you must come back.”
I nodded and said, “I know.”
My grandmother hugged me tightly and said anxiously, “Don’t let Little Fuzi go. I’ll go.”
My grandfather said, “No, this is the rule.”
My grandmother said angrily, “What kind of stupid rule is this? Little Fuzi is only five years old. Won’t he be scared out of his wits?”
As soon as my grandmother finished speaking, we heard a “knock knock knock” on the door.
There was a woman’s voice outside the door, and she said, “Uncle, the lights in the shop are broken, and there’s no light at all. I’m scared. Can Little Fuzi help me light the candles?”
My grandfather said, “Yes.”
After saying that, my grandfather was about to pick me up, but I stopped him.
My grandmother said, “I think you’re crazy! You block the door and don’t let the woman in. Isn’t that okay?”
My grandfather said, “We can’t block her. If the woman comes in, we’ll all die. Give Little Fuzi to me quickly.”
There was another woman’s voice outside the door, and the woman was obviously impatient. She said, “Uncle, open the door quickly. It’s cold outside.”
My grandfather was in a hurry. He snatched me from my grandmother’s arms, held me, and opened the door.
The moment the door opened, I smelled a strong smell of blood.
The woman’s face was pale, and there was a black and purple mark on her neck, which was very frightening.
My grandfather pushed me out of the door and closed the door.
My back was tightly pressed against the wooden door, and my hands couldn’t help shaking.
The mark on the woman’s neck was deep and frightening. I was scared.
The woman grinned at me, baring her white teeth, and said with a smile, “Little Fuzi, are you hungry? I’ll take you to the storeroom to eat something.”
After saying that, the woman reached out her hand to me.
I looked at the woman’s hand. There was still bloody minced meat in her nails, and it smelled very bad.
I couldn’t go to the storeroom with the woman. I had to go and light the candles.
I turned my head away and didn’t look at the woman. I summoned up my courage and ran into the shop.
I opened the shop door and saw the positions of the candles in the shop by the moonlight.
I lit a match and ran to the first candle. I was just about to light the candle when I heard the woman’s voice: “Little Fuzi, don’t rush to light the candle. Come here.”
06
The woman’s voice was ethereal and cold. Looking at her pale face, I felt scared.
I quickly lit the first candle.
I went to light the second candle, but as soon as I walked to the second candle, the woman came over. She cried and said, “Little Fuzi, don’t light the candle. My man is looking for me everywhere. If you light all the candles, he will find me and kill me. Please, don’t light the candle.”
The woman cried sadly, and tears kept falling.
Seeing that I didn’t speak, the woman cried again and said, “Little Fuzi, please have mercy and save me. My man is in the yard, and he’s looking for me everywhere. Please don’t light the candle.”
The woman’s crying was very pitiful, which made me feel uncomfortable.
The hand holding the match was suspended in mid – air, and I didn’t know what I was thinking.
I just felt that the woman in front of me was very pitiful.
Seeing that I didn’t move, the woman simply put her hand on my shoulder. Her hand was pale and cold, like ice.
The woman’s hand was so cold that I was startled.
I came to my senses and looked at the woman again. I saw that the woman had two lines of bloody tears and was staring at me fixedly.
Her eyes were full of horror and strangeness, as if she had been greatly frightened before she died, and her eyes couldn’t focus at all.
I was so scared that my hands shook, and the match in my hand fell to the ground.
The woman laughed, and her originally pale face became even more distorted.
I quickly lit another match and lit the second candle.
After the second candle was lit, I ran to the third candle. Before the woman could say anything, I lit the third candle.
Three candles had been lit, and there was a faint light in the room.
The candles emitted a yellow light, which made my body look yellow.
I ran to the fourth candle. I was just about to light the candle when the woman came over again. She said gloomily, “Quickly light the fourth candle. If you light the fourth candle, I can eat you.”
I was stunned for a few seconds. The woman wanted to eat me?
Seeing that I was stunned, the woman suddenly shouted at me, “Quickly light the candle!”
The woman’s expression was ferocious, and she stared at me fiercely, which made me feel flustered.
The woman must be lying to me again.
She had lied to me many times.
I picked up the match and lit the fourth candle.
The moment the candle was lit, I felt that the room became much brighter, and even the moon outside became brighter.
It was like a layer of gray fog had dissipated.
The woman’s face became ugly and distorted. She opened her arms and was about to pounce on me. I was so scared that I quickly ran towards the east room.
My grandfather had opened the door of the east room long ago. Seeing me running back, he quickly pulled me into the room.
He then closed the door of the east room.
I was scared half to death and collapsed on the ground.
My grandmother picked me up and said distressedly, “Little Fuzi, are you scared?”
I cried and said, “I’m scared to death.”
My grandfather said, “Little Fuzi, don’t cry and don’t make a sound.”
I covered my mouth with my hand to prevent myself from making a sound.
My grandfather said, “The woman is going to start moving the body now, but she is weak. After moving a few pieces, she will come and knock on the door. Old woman, you go with the woman to move the body. Remember, you only move five pieces of the body and put the five pieces of the body in the shop and then come back. No matter what the woman says to you, don’t listen. Come back after moving.”
My grandmother frowned, and her eyes were full of panic.
My grandfather held my grandmother’s shoulders and said calmly, “Old woman, don’t be afraid. I and Little Fuzi will watch you from the room. Come back after moving.”
07
As soon as my grandfather finished speaking, we saw the woman enter the west room. She carried out a piece of minced meat from the west room.
The minced meat was wrapped in the man’s clothes.
The woman’s walking posture was very strange. She came and went three times and then came to knock on the door.
There was a woman’s cold voice outside the door, and she said, “Auntie, the road is slippery in the snow. Please help me move something. I can’t move it by myself.”
My grandfather said, “Old woman, remember what I said. Go.”
My grandmother looked flustered and said fearfully, “The one outside is not human.”
My grandfather frowned and said, “Old woman, listen to me. Hurry up and go out. If the woman comes in, we’ll all die!”
My grandfather’s expression was very serious, and he didn’t seem to be scaring people at all.
My grandmother got off the kang and replied bravely, “Coming.”
My grandfather opened the door. The moment the door opened, my grandmother took two steps back.
The woman’s appearance was really frightening. Her pale face was still wearing a terrifying smile, looking exactly like a female ghost.
My grandfather gave my grandmother a look and pushed my grandmother out.
When the woman got a little closer to my grandmother, my grandmother screamed in fright, “Ahhhh… Ghost!”
My grandfather lay by the window and watched my grandmother anxiously.
My grandmother fell to the ground and crawled in fright.
The woman showed a terrifying smile and walked towards my grandmother with small steps. She said coldly and gloomily, “Auntie, get up quickly and come with me to the west room to move things.”
My grandmother was so scared that her legs were weak. She shouted, “I won’t move, I won’t move.”
The woman laughed and said, “If you don’t move, then stay in the snow.”
As soon as the woman finished speaking, it began to snow heavily outside.
The snow was very heavy, and I felt cold even in the room.
My grandmother was wearing very little. If she didn’t come back earlier, she would freeze to death.
My grandfather was so anxious that he stamped his feet. He knocked on the glass with his hand. My grandmother heard the knocking on the glass and looked back at my grandfather.
My grandfather signaled my grandmother to stand up and go and move the minced meat.
My grandmother looked flustered and finally managed to get up from the ground with great effort.
She was trembling all over.
My grandfather pointed to the west room with his finger, signaling my grandmother to go to the west room.
My grandmother walked tremblingly towards the west room, and the woman followed my grandmother, making a few ghostly laughs from time to time.
My grandmother carried out a piece of minced meat from the west room and carried it into the shop.
My grandfather had been watching my grandmother, and his eyes were full of worry.
I said, “Grandpa, can we go and help Grandma?”
My grandfather shook his head and said, “No, this can only be done by your grandmother herself.”
My grandmother bravely moved the third piece.
The woman came up to my grandmother and said with a sly smile, “Auntie, the road is slippery in the snow. Be careful of your feet.”
As soon as the woman finished speaking, my grandmother slipped and fell to the ground, and the piece of minced meat she was holding also fell out.
It was the man’s arm.
The arm was still bloody.
My grandmother saw the arm and screamed in fright. She kept trembling.
The woman came up to my grandmother and said softly, “Auntie, it’s too cold today. Let’s move it tomorrow. Come with me to the west room and stay for one night.”
My grandmother was so scared that she became stupid. She kept nodding and mumbling, “Let’s go, let’s go. I won’t move, I won’t move.”
My grandmother crawled and ran towards the west room, not even daring to look back. She was scared stupid by that severed hand.
The woman laughed and followed slowly into the west room.
08
My grandfather frowned and said with a serious expression, “It’s over. Your grandmother is probably in great danger.”
I cried and said, “Grandpa, think of a way to save Grandma.”
My grandfather said with a solemn expression, “Little Fuzi, the woman will come and knock on the door again later and ask me to help hide the body. I can’t go out of the room now. Only you can save your grandmother.”
I said, “Grandpa, how can I save Grandma?”
My grandfather said, “You go and move the remaining three pieces of minced meat into the shop. You can only move one piece at a time. After moving, shout for your grandmother in the yard and call your grandmother out of the west room.”
My hands clenched tightly. Thinking of the woman’s pale face, I trembled all over.
But I didn’t want my grandmother to die.
I said, “Grandpa, I’ll go and move the minced meat pieces.”
My grandfather’s eyes turned red, and he hugged me tightly. He said, “Little Fuzi, remember, after moving, shout for your grandmother and call her out. Don’t listen to the woman’s words and don’t believe what the woman says.”
I nodded and said, “I know.”
My grandfather opened the door, and a cold wind blew in. I braved the wind and went to the yard.
The yard was very cold, and it was still snowing.
I summoned up my courage and ran to the severed hand. I carried the severed hand into the shop.
I came out of the shop and hurriedly ran to the door of the west room.
The west room was not lit, and it was pitch black inside, looking very gloomy.
I summoned up my courage and entered the room. As soon as I entered the room, I saw the woman sitting on the kang with a ferocious smile on her face. My grandmother was sitting opposite the woman, and she had a blank expression and her eyes were scattered, as if she had lost her soul.
When the woman saw me enter the room, she was first angry and stunned, and then she put on a strange smile. She slowly got up and walked up to me. She said with a smile, “Little Fuzi, you’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Come up on the kang, and I’ll get you some candies.”
The woman’s voice was cold, and even the breath she exhaled was cold.
I saw that there were more than a dozen pieces of minced meat of different sizes on the ground, all wrapped in rags.
I chose a small piece and was just about to go out when the woman stopped me. She said with a smile, “Little Fuzi, you have two hands. You can carry two pieces. Take one more.”
After saying that, the woman picked up a small piece of minced meat from the ground and handed it to me.
I could indeed carry two pieces at a time.
But my grandfather said that I could only carry one piece at a time.
I turned my head away and didn’t look at the woman. I carried the minced meat piece out of the west room.
The woman was furious and followed me. She said angrily in my ear, “Little Fuzi, don’t move. Come into the west room and have a rest. Stay with your grandmother.”
The woman’s voice was ethereal and harsh, and it sounded very frightening.
I lowered my head and walked towards the shop. I put the fourth piece of minced meat into the shop and then hurriedly ran to get the fifth piece of minced meat.
The woman still followed me, staring at me fiercely. The woman was very close to me. She could have directly reached out and strangled me, but she didn’t. She just kept coaxing and scaring me.
I put the last piece of minced meat into the shop and then ran to the yard and shouted, “Grandma, come out!”
There was no response.
I shouted again, “Grandma, wake up! Come out!”
My shout shook the snow accumulated on the roof down.
The woman beside me sneered and said, “You can’t shout her out. Don’t waste your energy.”
I shouted loudly, “Grandma, come out!”
As soon as I finished speaking, I saw my grandmother hunched over, looking very haggard. She still had a blank expression and stood blankly at the door of the room. Her eyes seemed to be unable to see.
09
Seeing my grandmother, I was very happy. The method worked.
I shouted at my grandmother again, “Grandma, come out! Lift your foot and step over the threshold.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the woman came up to my grandmother and said gloomily, “Auntie, there is minced meat in the yard. It’s safe in the room. Go back.”
As soon as the woman finished speaking, my grandmother, who had originally lifted her foot, put it down again. She turned around and was about to walk into the west room.
I quickly shouted to stop my grandmother and said loudly, “Grandma, don’t believe the woman’s words. She killed the man. She is the murderer. Come out quickly!”
The woman glared at me and said fiercely, “Go back to the west room! Go back to the west room! There is minced meat in the yard!”
I said, “Grandma, there is no minced meat in the yard. Come out quickly. The woman is lying to you.”
As soon as I finished speaking, I saw my grandmother’s eyes move. She seemed to have just woken up from a nightmare.
She looked at the woman in fear and hurriedly walked out of the west room.
I said, “Grandma, come back quickly.”
My grandmother trotted all the way back. Behind her, there was the woman’s shrill scream, “Ahhhhhhhhh~”
The woman’s ghostly scream was very frightening. I subconsciously looked at the woman. Her face became distorted and broken, her eyes were as red as blood, and two lines of bloody tears flowed down from the corners of her eyes.
Her face was pale, her whole body seemed weak, her shoulders were drooping, and she was making a terrifying miserable laugh.
I was so scared that my legs were weak, and I was still dragged into the room by my grandfather.
My grandmother and I entered the room. My grandmother collapsed on the kang and cried, “Thanks to Little Fuzi, otherwise I would be dead.”
After my grandmother finished speaking, she looked at my grandfather and said, “Old man, tomorrow morning, let’s go and ask blind Chen at the foot of the mountain to take this female ghost away.”
My grandfather shook his head and said, “Old woman, it’s not over yet. There will be more people coming. Only after killing the people who come tomorrow will this be over.”
As soon as my grandfather finished speaking, we heard a knock on the door.
There was a woman’s mournful voice outside the door, and she said, “Uncle, please help me open the cellar. I want to put the meat in the cellar.”
My grandfather replied, “Coming.”
My grandmother said, “Old man, be careful.”
My grandfather nodded and took out a knife from the cabinet and hid it in his clothes.
My grandfather opened the door and saw the miserable woman. She tilted her neck and grinned ferociously at my grandfather.
My grandfather closed the door and followed the woman into the shop.
My grandmother and I lay by the window and stared at the shop.
I said, “Grandma, that woman is very frightening. Won’t Grandpa be in trouble?”
My grandmother frowned and said worriedly, “No, your grandfather can’t be in trouble.”
As soon as my grandmother finished speaking, we heard a woman’s scream, “Ah”.
I saw that the shop window was covered in blood.
Soon, my grandfather came out of the shop. He was holding a bloody knife in his hand, and his body and face were covered in blood.
It was very frightening.
My grandfather said, “Old woman, you two come out.”
My grandmother and I went to the yard.
My grandmother said, “Old man, let’s quickly throw the woman and the man’s bodies to the foot of the mountain while it’s still dark.”
My grandfather shook his head and said, “No, there will be more people coming tomorrow. We can only hide the woman and the man’s bodies in the shop.”
After saying that, my grandfather entered the shop, and my grandmother and I also followed in.
There was a strong smell of blood in the shop. The woman died very miserably, being cut into eight or nine pieces.
My grandfather said, “We can only hide their bodies while it’s still dark. It won’t work if it’s dawn. People will see them.”
10
My grandmother frowned and whispered, “The mountain is snowed in. There is only our family nearby. How could anyone see them?”
My grandfather didn’t speak. He put the bodies into the cellar and also put two pieces of the body on the counter.
My grandmother was stunned for a few seconds and said, “Old man, it’s too obvious to put them on the counter. Let’s put them in the cellar.”
My grandfather shook his head and said, “We must put them on the counter. Let’s quickly clean up the shop while it’s still dark and don’t let people notice anything unusual.”
My grandmother nodded and said, “Okay.”
My grandfather said, “Wipe the blood clean. There can’t be any footprints on the ground.”
We cleaned for a long time before we finally cleaned up the shop.
The next morning, as soon as it was dawn, a little boy entered the yard.
The little boy was very short and old – looking, with wrinkles all over his face, looking like a little old man.
The little boy stared gloomily at our yard. After looking around, he opened his mouth and said in a gloomy voice, “Grandpa, I’m hungry. I want a bowl of raw rice, a catty of raw pork, and the pig should be alive and the pork should be freshly killed.”
After saying that, the little boy grinned at my grandfather, showing a mouthful of black teeth. There was still blood and bloody minced meat on his black teeth.
My grandfather said, “Okay.”
My grandmother whispered, “Old man, where do we have freshly killed pork?”
My grandfather said, “We have.”
After saying that, my grandfather entered the sheepfold and carried out the wild boar.
The wild boar was covered in dried blood, and it still had a breath. It was about to die.
My grandfather killed the wild boar in front of the little boy and took a catty of meat from the wild boar.
The little boy glared at my grandfather angrily and then turned around and entered the shop.
We also followed into the shop.
My grandfather put the raw rice and pork in front of the little boy.
The little boy opened his mouth and swallowed the raw rice and raw pork. After eating, he asked my grandfather gloomily, “Grandpa, the mountain is snowed in, and I got separated from my parents. Have you seen them? My mother is wearing a white dress, and my father is wearing boots. If my father sees my mother, he will kill her.”
The little boy had an old man’s face, and his voice was gloomy and strange, very frightening.
My grandfather said, “I haven’t seen them. If I see your parents, I will tell you.”
The little boy smiled strangely and walked to the counter. He picked up the minced meat on the counter, opened the ragged clothes wrapped around the minced meat, and threw the minced meat on the ground. He let out a shrill laugh, “I found it. You killed my parents.”
After saying that, the little boy stared at us fiercely. There was saliva at the corner of his mouth, as if he was very greedy for us.
My grandmother said nervously, “Old man, what should we do?”
My grandfather said, “Old woman, close the curtain.”
My grandmother said, “If we close the curtain, there will be no light in the room.”
For some reason, as long as the curtain in the shop was closed, the room would be pitch black.
My grandfather said, “If you want to live, listen to me. Close the curtain.”
As soon as my grandfather finished speaking, the little boy rushed up. He opened his bloody mouth and bit my grandfather’s arm. My grandfather’s arm instantly bled, and I even heard the sound of bones breaking.
My grandmother quickly closed the curtain, and the room was pitch black.
In the darkness, I heard the little boy’s screams.
I don’t know how long it took, but the screams stopped.
My grandfather opened the curtain, and there were only the three of us in the room. The little boy was gone, and even the minced meat pieces that had just fallen on the ground were gone.
My grandfather’s face was covered in blood, and he said with a smile, “Old woman, we will never suffer from the pain of separation and death again.”
My grandmother frowned and said, “Old man, what do you mean by that?”
My grandfather said, “From now on, our family can only come out at night, and we have to hide in the room during the day.”
After saying that, my grandfather leaned over to my grandmother’s ear and said a few words. My grandmother’s face was full of shock. After a few seconds, she became calm again.
In a blink of an eye, a few days passed. There was an extra family opposite our house. Their family also opened a shop, and the shop was called “The Eerie Guesthouse”.
The shop owner was a young couple, and people often went to their shop to eat.
Since their shop opened, no one has come to our shop. The passing guests seemed to not see our shop, and no one has come to our shop anymore.
This shop is very strange, and people often die there.
My grandfather didn’t let me go to this shop, but I was very curious.
But my grandfather watched me very closely, and I could only stay in our own shop.
When the things at home were almost eaten up, my grandfather would steal things from their shop at night. I don’t know when he will take me with him.
