“We had a deadly taboo there.
If a newlywed couple encountered a funeral procession while on their way to welcome the bride, they couldn’t consummate the marriage within seven days, nor could they leave the bridal chamber.
Otherwise, the bride and groom would be cursed, and one of them would turn into an evil ghost and eat everyone in the family.
Ordinarily, such a clash between a wedding and a funeral was extremely rare. But when my brother was on his way to welcome his bride, he happened to come across a funeral procession.
My brother patted his chest to reassure my parents, saying he would sleep on the floor and not touch my sister – in – law within seven days.
Unexpectedly, on the seventh day, my brother couldn’t resist and consummated the marriage with my sister – in – law.
That night, the evil ghost came to eat people.
1
My mother was worried that my brother couldn’t hold back, so she checked my sister – in – law’s bedsheet every day.
For the first six days, my mother was very satisfied and secretly praised my brother as a ‘Liu Xiahui’.
But on the morning of the seventh day, she found something abnormal.
My sister – in – law said embarrassedly that my brother couldn’t resist for a moment at night and had sex with her.
My mother blamed my sister – in – law for seducing my brother, saying that everything was ruined now.
My sister – in – law was both shy and aggrieved. ‘How could I stop him? If you want to blame someone, blame Binzi, not me!’
My father got angry and slapped my brother.
‘It was just one day left. Couldn’t you hold it in? Now, you’ve killed the whole family!’
My brother roared with grievance:.’I’ve endured it for six days. Is it easy for me? Why don’t you try? You talk as if you’re so great!’
My father’s face turned red in an instant. He picked up a shovel and was about to kill my brother.
My mother hugged him around the waist desperately.
‘Binwa, Binwa, quickly apologize to your father!’
Just as the room was in chaos, my grandmother knocked on the door with her walking stick.
‘Stop it! Are you all in such a hurry to die?’
When my father saw that my grandmother was angry, he loosened his grip, and the shovel ‘clang’ fell to the ground.
My mother sat down on the ground and started crying, slapping her legs.
‘The evil ghost is coming into the house. Oh, my god, what should we do?’
My grandmother’s face darkened.
‘Guiqiang’s wife, don’t cry at every turn. Have some backbone. Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at by the children?
‘Besides, this matter isn’t completely hopeless.’
As soon as my mother heard this, she immediately stopped crying.
2
I quickly moved a chair and helped my grandmother sit down.
‘You go and find out which family had a funeral on the day Binwa got married. If it was an old person who died of natural causes, it’s still manageable. Just burn some paper at the grave.
‘What we’re afraid of is that it was a young person who died a violent death. They might be unwilling to die and can’t stand to see others happy. Then it’s not just a matter of burning some paper.’
My mother turned to my brother. ‘Binwa, which family was it that you met on the day of the funeral? Do we know them? So that your father doesn’t have to go and find out.’
My brother glanced at my sister – in – law and mumbled uneasily. ‘It looked familiar, but I can’t remember where I saw them.’
‘You’d better tell the truth.’ My father took off his shoe, pretending to hit him.
My brother reflexively covered his head. ‘It looked like Chun, Chunqin’s family. I’m not sure.’
When my father heard this, he also glanced at my sister – in – law, pointed at my brother with gritted teeth a few times, then stomped his foot and left.
I knew this Chunqin. She was originally engaged to my brother. Later, my brother went to work in the city and met my current sister – in – law. So he broke off the engagement with Chunqin and married this beautiful sister – in – law.
3
Towards noon, my father came back with a gloomy face.
As soon as he came back, he pulled my mother into my grandmother’s room.
I shared a room with my grandmother. I had just finished lunch and was taking off my tattered undershirt to sew it for my grandmother.
My grandmother was wearing reading glasses and sewing a hole in my undershirt.
‘Mom, this matter might be a bit tricky.’
My father said this as soon as he entered the room. My grandmother was startled, and the needle pricked her finger, immediately oozing a blood bead.
My mother was anxious. ‘What’s so tricky? Just say it directly! You’re being so evasive. It’s driving me crazy.’
‘It was Chunqin, the one who was engaged to Binwa. She died, drank poison, and died the day before Binwa’s wedding. The one Binwa met on his way to welcome the bride was Chunqin.’
When my grandmother heard this, she slapped her thigh.
‘What a curse! This girl did it on purpose. Here, those who die a violent death aren’t kept in the coffin for long and are buried as soon as possible. She calculated the time precisely to deliberately make things difficult for Binwa.
‘Today is the seventh day. Success or failure depends on fate.
‘Guiqiang, you two get some more incense, candles, sacrificial offerings, and paper money ready. Ask Binwa to go and pay respects to her at the grave later. Set out more offerings and burn more paper money. See if she can spare our family.’
‘Mom, didn’t you say that they can’t leave the bridal chamber within seven days?’ My mother asked puzzledly.
My father let out a long sigh. ‘The most important taboo has been broken. Whether they leave the bridal chamber or not doesn’t matter now. Besides, this girl Chunqin is clearly targeting Binwa. The one who tied the bell should untie it.’
4
In the afternoon, my mother and father dragged my brother to pay respects to Chunqin, but my brother refused to go.
‘I’m not going. If I go, it seems like I’m really related to her death. How can I face people in the future?
‘I wasn’t afraid of her when she was alive, and I’m even less afraid of her now that she’s dead. Let her come. I’m waiting.’
‘What a curse!’ My mother stamped her feet in a hurry.
‘You little brat! You have to go even if you don’t want to! I’m telling you, this isn’t just your business!’
My father slapped my brother hard and grabbed him, literally dragging him into the car.
In the evening, my father, mother, and brother came back, and their faces were darker than each other.
My father said to my grandmother, ‘Wang Laosan stopped us. He wouldn’t let us pay respects. We almost got into a fight.’
Wang Laosan was Chunqin’s mute father. Chunqin was his only child, and he cherished her very much. He must have hated our family deeply.
My grandmother’s body swayed twice, almost fainting.
I quickly supported my grandmother.
My grandmother waved her hand weakly. ‘Then pay respects by the roadside, facing the direction of the grave. Hurry up.’
My mother quickly set up incense, candles, and sacrificial offerings by the roadside as my grandmother asked and asked my brother to pay respects.
But strangely, although there was no wind, the candle couldn’t be lit after several attempts.
My father got angry and pressed my brother to kowtow more than a dozen loud heads in the direction of the grave, making my brother’s forehead red.
Then my mother held the candle, and he used two lighters to light it. It took a full five minutes to finally light it.
My grandmother let out a long sigh of relief.
My brother was pressed by my father to kowtow a few more heads, and they barely finished the sacrifice.
5
My grandmother said to my father, ‘Guiqiang, go and bring Huanghuang back. With the dog around, if there’s any dirty thing coming in, we’ll know.’
We had a big yellow dog named Huanghuang. Because of my brother’s wedding, the family was busy and no one could take care of it, so we sent it to my great – aunt’s house for a few days.
My father nodded. ‘I’ll leave right now. I can be home before dawn tomorrow.’
My mother wrapped three big steamed buns and a pot of boiled water for my father. He put them on the electric bike and left.
‘Please don’t let anything happen. God bless, please don’t let anything happen…’
My grandmother murmured softly. The moment she turned around, pulling me, she seemed to have aged ten years.
Unfortunately, the gods and Buddhas didn’t hear my grandmother’s prayer. Something still happened at night.
6
My mother died.
In the middle of the night, my grandmother shook me awake and whispered in my ear, ‘Xiaoshitou, good boy, quickly put on your clothes. The evil ghost is here. It’s starting to eat people.’
I opened my eyes, and it was pitch – black. I wanted to cry.
‘Don’t cry. If you cry, we can’t leave. We have to be quiet.’ My grandmother whispered.
I rubbed my eyes.
‘Grandma, I can’t see where my clothes are without turning on the light.’
‘We can’t turn on the light. The evil ghost will see us. Come, grandma will dress you.’
My grandmother dressed me, put on my shoes, and stuffed the small lantern my father made for me into my hand.
‘Here, take it. Use it to light the way when we go out.’
‘Grandma, where’s my mother? And my brother and sister – in – law. Let’s go together.’
My grandmother sighed, wrapped a cotton overcoat around me, and whispered, ‘Xiaoshitou, your mother is dead. She was eaten by the evil ghost. One of your brother and sister – in – law is possessed by the evil ghost. We can’t tell which one.’
My grandmother carefully opened the door. A cold wind blew, and a strong smell of blood rushed towards us.
The door of the room where my father and mother lived was wide open, and it was pitch – black inside.
I held my grandmother’s hand and walked towards the courtyard gate, taking deep and shallow steps. The ground was somehow slippery and sticky.
When we reached the gate, my grandmother gently opened the latch and opened the gate a crack. The old wooden door ‘creaked’. We were startled and quickly looked around. It was still pitch – black.
But I always felt a chill on the back of my neck, as if someone was blowing air. There seemed to be something in the corner of the darkness staring at us, exuding a cold air.
My grandmother pulled me through the crack of the door. We closed the door and walked towards the main road, thinking that we would feel more at ease when we saw the villagers.
But strangely, the road that was usually flat was full of jagged rocks, like walking on a mountain path.
Even more absurdly, as we walked, we arrived in front of another wooden door, which was identical to the door of my house.
‘Grandma, didn’t we just go out of the gate? Why is there another door?’
I reached out to touch the door, but my grandmother stopped me.
My grandmother spat. ‘This is a ghost barrier set up to prevent us from escaping. The ghost barrier can let people in but not out. It wants to eat all of our family!’
7
My grandmother’s face was solemn. She was trembling and lit the small lantern. The dim yellow light shone on the old door latch, making it clearly visible.
But she still didn’t let me open the door.
‘Xiaoshitou, this isn’t the real door. Hu%bus can watch the follow – up for free.’
My grandmother bit the tip of her tongue and spat a mouthful of saliva on the door. The door swayed twice like water waves and actually disappeared.
In the light, my mother’s body came into our view.
Her internal organs had been eaten by something. Her body was lying on the ground in a strange posture, with her eyes wide open, blood – red.
I opened my mouth wide to scream, but my grandmother covered my mouth and pressed me into her arms.
Tears couldn’t help but well up in my eyes, and my face was wet.
My grandmother trembled and said, ‘This is a warning from the evil ghost to us. We can’t get out at night.’
She wiped my tears with her sleeve and said, ‘Xiaoshitou, we have to find this man – eating evil ghost. When your father comes back, we’ll deal with this ghost together!’
I wiped my tears. ‘Grandma, let’s hide. If the evil ghost can’t find us, it won’t eat us.’
My grandmother smiled bitterly. ‘It’s no use, Xiaoshitou. It ate your mother and remembered our family’s smell. In this yard, no matter where we hide, it can find us.’
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something, stood up abruptly, and pulled me back to the room we lived in. She rummaged through the box for a long time and found a small peach wooden stick, which she tied to me.
‘Xiaoshitou, evil ghosts are afraid of peach wood. You keep it with you. Don’t give it to anyone who asks. From now on, don’t leave it.’
After that, my grandmother wiped her tears and asked me if I was sleepy and let me go to sleep for a while.
My mind was blank. I wanted to cry but couldn’t. I nodded and shook my head.
‘This child is scared silly.’
My grandmother hugged me in her arms and patted me gently. I managed to sleep for a while, waking up several times in the middle. I always felt that there was someone walking around the yard, calling my name.
My grandmother whispered to comfort me, ‘Don’t be afraid, Xiaoshitou. When it gets light, we’ll cut down the peach tree in the yard, find the evil ghost, and stab it to death with peach branches.’
8
When it was almost dawn, my grandmother went to the yard to cut the peach tree but found that the peach tree was gone.
My grandmother sighed.
‘This evil ghost is really smart. It knows that we want to use peach branches to deal with it, so it hid the peach tree with an illusion. It can’t be found.
‘I don’t know if your father knows to break some peach branches and bring them back.’
My grandmother thought for a moment, then hunched over and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Soon, the smell of food wafted out.
‘Xiaoshitou, go and call your brother and sister – in – law to eat.’
She first shouted loudly, then pulled me closer and whispered to me, ‘Remember, stand at the door and call. Don’t go in. Whoever isn’t hungry is the evil ghost. Stay away from that person.’
I sniffed and asked why.
My grandmother sighed. ‘Silly child, because it’s already full.’
I understood. Because the evil ghost ate my mother, it wasn’t hungry.
I couldn’t help crying again.
9
I wiped my tears as I walked and went to my brother and sister – in – law’s door to call them to eat.
There was a cool air coming from the door. A gust of cold wind blew out, making me sneeze.
I tremblingly shouted into the door, ‘Brother, sister – in – law, come out and eat. Grandma has made breakfast.’
My brother told me to get lost. He wasn’t hungry.
But my sister – in – law came out with red eyes.
‘Xiaoshitou, let’s go. Don’t blame your brother. He’s sad because mom died.’
On the way, my sister – in – law wanted to hold my hand. Maybe because of shyness, she stretched out her hand halfway and then retracted it into her sleeve.
‘Xiaoshitou, did you hear any noise last night?’
I sniffed twice, looked up at my sister – in – law, and shook my head. ‘I slept soundly. I didn’t hear anything.’
It wasn’t fully light yet, and my sister – in – law was standing with her back to the light. I couldn’t see her expression clearly, but I always felt that she was smiling.
‘Xiaoshitou, what’s that little wooden stick tied to you? It looks interesting. Let sister – in – law take a look, okay?’
My sister – in – law stretched out her hand and tugged at my clothes. Her fingernails were very long.
I remembered what my grandmother said, covered the small wooden stick, and shook my head. ‘This wooden stick can’t be taken off once it’s tied on. You can only look at it. You can’t touch it. If sister – in – law likes it, tell grandma, and let grandma make another one for you.’
My sister – in – law didn’t say anything, just stared at the wooden stick on me.
10
When we got to the kitchen, it was a little brighter. Only then could I see my sister – in – law’s appearance clearly.
In the first seven days when she couldn’t come out of the bridal chamber, I only saw her from a distance twice, not very clearly.
Now, seeing her up close in the light, I knew why my brother didn’t want Chunqin and married my sister – in – law.
She was really beautiful. Her skin was white, and her eyes were watery when she cried.
But she had a small appetite. She only ate a small bowl of porridge for a meal and didn’t even eat a steamed bun.
After she was full, she was worried about my brother. She took a steamed bun and a plate of pickles and went back to the room.
My grandmother, however, stared at my sister – in – law’s graceful back and whispered, ‘Xiaoshitou, the evil ghost is your sister – in – law.’
I choked on a mouthful of porridge and coughed violently.
‘Grandma, didn’t you say that whoever isn’t hungry is the evil ghost? But my brother said he wasn’t hungry, and my sister – in – law came out to eat.’
I suspected that my grandmother was being partial.
My sister – in – law was so good – looking. She didn’t look like an evil ghost at all.
My brother was so fierce. He was the one who looked like an evil ghost.
11
‘Xiaoshitou, I didn’t tell your brother and sister – in – law the news of your mother’s death at all. The only one who knows your mother is dead is the evil ghost.’
I held the steamed bun in my mouth, my scalp tingling and my back turning cold.
My grandmother stroked my head and said, ‘The evil ghost knew we were testing her, so she deliberately ate that small bowl of porridge to confuse us. But she has the smell of blood on her, and the blood at the corner of her mouth wasn’t even wiped clean. I’m afraid your brother is in great danger.’
I was about to cry, but my grandmother shook her head and made a gesture for me to be quiet.
I swallowed the steamed bun in my mouth with tears in my eyes.
‘Grandma, let’s save my brother.’
My grandmother sighed and said, ‘We definitely have to save him, but it may not be that easy. However, we have to give it a try. It would be great if we could kill this evil ghost.’
I sniffed and asked my grandmother, ‘How do we kill it?’
My grandmother took out a fried dough stick from the cupboard as if by magic, put it in a large porcelain bowl, and handed it to me.
‘Go, take this to your brother and see if he eats it. If he doesn’t eat it, tell him this is the bowl he used when he was a child. If he eats it, don’t say anything and come back quickly.’
I remembered that my brother didn’t eat fried dough sticks.
The year before last, he ate a lot of fried dough sticks, got cold, and vomited. After he recovered, he never ate them again.
Before I went out, my grandmother touched my head and said tearfully, ‘Xiaoshitou, whether it’s a person or a ghost, they have less guard against children. So, I’m asking you to do such a dangerous thing. Don’t blame grandma.’
I nodded. ‘Grandma, I know. Xiaoshitou understands. Don’t worry. I can do it well.’
‘Good boy.’
12
It was already the season when winter jasmine was in bloom, but the bridal chamber of my brother was extremely cold.
As soon as I stepped into the door, my brother roared, ‘Get out! I’m annoyed just by looking at you! Snot – nosed brat, get as far away as you can!’
‘Brother, Grandma asked me to bring you fried dough sticks to eat.’
‘Get out, get out! I don’t eat! Go away quickly!’
I put the bowl in front of him without hesitation and said, ‘Brother, Grandma said this is the bowl you used when you were a child.’
‘Why is Binzi being so fierce? Xiaoshitou is so cute. Come, come, let sister – in – law give you a hug.’
My sister – in – law came over and was about to hug me.
My brother’s face turned pale, and he pushed me. ‘Hurry up and get out! Don’t disturb me and your sister – in – law’s intimacy!’
I was pushed hard by him and fell to the door with a thud. Ignoring the pain in my butt, I ran to tell my grandmother.
13
My grandmother let out a long sigh and said,
‘Your brother hasn’t been eaten by the evil ghost yet, but he’s in a very dangerous situation. He drove you away and scolded you several times because there’s something extremely dangerous beside him.
‘He was trying to save you, Xiaoshitou.’
I anxiously tugged at my grandmother’s clothes and said, ‘Grandma, let’s go and save my brother.’
‘The thing that can save him, I’ve already asked you to take it to him. There’s a talisman on the bottom of that bowl to exorcise evil spirits and kill ghosts. The bowl was brought back from the temple when he was five years old.
‘As long as you can secretly cover the bowl on the evil ghost’s head when it’s not paying attention, you can kill the evil ghost.’
‘If we go, it will arouse the evil ghost’s vigilance. So, whether it works or not depends on your brother himself.’
At this moment, a sound of something breaking came from the bridal chamber.
My grandmother and I rushed over to take a look. The large sea – bowl with the talisman was shattered at the door of the bridal chamber.
My grandmother saw this, closed her eyes weakly, and two lines of turbid tears rolled down. When she opened her eyes again, despair was evident in her eyes.
At this time, the sweet – fishy smell of blood filled the air from the bridal chamber.
It was already lunchtime, and the evil ghost was hungry again.
Amorous sounds came from the bridal chamber, the woman’s voice was gentle and pleasant, and the man’s voice was low and gasping.
My grandmother covered my ears and pulled me away.
Seeing that I didn’t understand, my grandmother whispered to me with red eyes, ‘Xiaoshitou, it didn’t work. Remember, from now on, your brother is no longer your brother. Stay away from him. Don’t believe anything he says.’
I nodded ignorantly.
At that time, I didn’t realize that my brother had actually died just now.
14
‘Woof, woof!’ The barking of a dog came from outside the door.
It was Huanghuang who came back!
There was a mixture of joy and worry on my grandmother’s face. She pulled me and whispered, ‘Xiaoshitou, listen to grandma. When someone enters this ghost barrier, it will be broken. Later, when your father comes back and pushes the door open, you run out without looking back. Go to your great – aunt’s house and say that I’ve entrusted you to her.’
I shook my head desperately with tears in my eyes, pulling her sleeve and saying, ‘Grandma, let’s go together, with my father and Huanghuang.’
My grandmother managed a rather awkward smile and, with reluctance, stroked my head and said:
‘We can’t, Xiaoshitou. That evil ghost hates our family and won’t stop until it eats us all. I have to stay with your father to kill it. Otherwise, none of us can survive.’
As she was speaking, my father had already opened the gate and walked in.
‘I encountered a ghostly maze on the way back. I actually arrived at our house a long time ago, but I just couldn’t find the door. It was only at noon when I broke a bunch of peach branches and held them that I found the gate. It’s really strange.’
I threw myself into my father’s arms.
My grandmother choked and told my father in a low voice about the changes at home.
As soon as my father heard this, his face turned pale. With red – rimmed eyes, he pushed me out.
‘Xiaoshitou, go! Don’t come back!
‘Huanghuang, follow Xiaoshitou! Both of you go!’
My father closed the courtyard door and locked it with a ‘click’.
I patted the door a few times, but my father and grandmother didn’t open it.
I wiped away my tears, remembered what my grandmother had said before, and ran to my great – aunt’s house with Huanghuang.
15
My great – aunt lived in the next village and knew some magic arts. Maybe she could save our family.
But strangely, a fog rose as we were running. I couldn’t tell the direction. Huanghuang and I had just run for a while when I saw my great – aunt’s house. My great – aunt was standing at the door, smiling and waving at me.
‘Great – aunt!’
I was about to go forward when Huanghuang bit my trouser leg tightly.
Huanghuang looked up at me, whining, with tears in its eyes, its ears drooping, and its whole body trembling.
I hugged Huanghuang’s neck and gently comforted it.
But it broke free from me and ran back, peeing as it ran, in scattered drops, with its tail tucked between its legs.
Was Huanghuang scared?
Usually, it took Huanghuang and me almost half a day to run to my great – aunt’s house. It seemed that today was particularly fast.
My scalp tingled, and I couldn’t help but look back at my great – aunt. She was already walking towards me with a smile from her door.
No, she wasn’t walking. She was floating. There were no legs under her body!
This wasn’t my great – aunt!
I was so scared that my legs were trembling, and I couldn’t move. Fear, like a big hand, grabbed my stomach, and I couldn’t help but vomit.
Hearing the sound, Huanghuang ran back, bit my clothes, and dragged me to run.
Both the dog and I were weak – legged and trembling all over.
16
I just followed Huanghuang and ran. Unexpectedly, when I looked up, it was the gate of my house.
We ran back again.
Seeing that the floating ‘great – aunt’ was getting closer, I was so scared that I started crying and patting the door. My grandmother heard the abnormal sound and opened the door for me.
The dog and I were forced back into the courtyard again.
My grandmother looked at me and Huanghuang slumped on the ground and sighed, ‘Sure enough, it won’t spare even the child and the dog.’
My grandmother gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and said, ‘Xiaoshitou, you’re right. We won’t try to kill the evil ghost anymore. Let’s go together. Call your father, cover Huanghuang’s eyes, and let it lead the way with its nose. We’ll go to the Demon – Subduing Temple in the town to hide.’
‘W – why not go to my great – aunt’s house?’ My teeth were chattering.
‘This evil ghost is too powerful. Now it seems that this evil ghost won’t spare any living thing in our family. We can’t implicate your great – aunt’s family.’
My grandmother said this and pointed to the chickens on the ground.
Like my mother, their internal organs were gone. Their eyes were wide open, and their feathers were covered in blood.
I threw myself into my grandmother’s arms.
‘Grandma, where’s my father? Let’s go. I don’t want to stay here for a moment.’
My grandmother whispered to me, ‘Your father went to kill the evil ghost. On his way back, he broke some peach branches and stabbed them into the evil ghost’s body. The evil ghost will die…’
My grandmother suddenly stopped talking, staring fixedly at behind me, her body starting to tremble slightly.
17
A burst of cold laughter came. It was my brother’s voice.
‘Grandma, Xiaoshitou, where are you going?’
I turned around. My brother was standing beside the dead chickens with a pale face, an unprecedented coldness on his face.
My grandmother protected me behind her. Huanghuang had already shrunk into the corner, peeing all over the place.
‘Binwa, what did you do to your father?’
My brother grinned, grinding his teeth. ‘Him? He’s fine. He’s sleeping with my wife. Do you want me to take you to have a look?’
My grandmother didn’t believe it. She asked me and Huanghuang to stay in the yard and she went with my brother to take a look.
I held onto my grandmother’s clothes tightly, shaking my head desperately with tears streaming down my face.
Grandma, my brother doesn’t look right. The place where his stomach is under his clothes is sunken, and blood is dripping from his trouser legs!
But I couldn’t say a word.
My grandmother pressed my hand and stuffed a small, hard peach branch into my hand from her sleeve.
‘Xiaoshitou, be good here and play ‘pulling the cart’ with Huanghuang.’
My grandmother winked at me.
Looking at my grandmother’s trembling figure walking away with my brother, I suddenly understood what my grandmother meant.
18
The ‘cart’ in ‘pulling the cart’ referred to the dog – cart my father made for me.
Although Huanghuang was a native dog, it was large in size, weighing about fifty or sixty pounds. To make it easier for it to pull me around to play, my father made a four – wheeled cart.
There were reins and a harness on the dog – cart. When I sat on the cart and put the harness and reins on Huanghuang, it could pull me and run.
When the dog – cart was made, it happened to be the Spring Festival. To make the dog – cart look imposing, my grandmother pasted two New Year pictures on it. One was of Zhong Kui capturing ghosts, and the other was of Yuchi Jingde fighting ghosts.
So, my grandmother meant for me to put the reins on Huanghuang, sit on the dog – cart, quietly open the gate, and wait for her to come back so that we could run together.
19
Huanghuang seemed to know its importance. Once it was harnessed to the dog – cart, it actually stopped shaking, and its eyes were very determined.
It was giving me courage.
After waiting for about the time it usually took me to eat a steamed bun, I heard a very unpleasant and ear – piercing scream. My grandmother came running over, staggering and covered in blood.
She jumped onto the dog – cart, hugged me, and shouted, ‘Huanghuang, run!’
Huanghuang pulled the dog – cart and started running. The dog – cart bumped all the way towards the main road.
My grandmother was thin and small, and I was only six or seven years old at that time.
Huanghuang had a little difficulty pulling, but it wasn’t impossible.
It was also strange that for the past few days, whether in the yard or outside, the sun couldn’t be seen during the day. The sky was always gray, as if it was about to get dark, and there was fog.
There was a small bell hanging on the dog – cart, tinkling in the white fog. The usually lively village road had no pedestrians, and the only sound around was the bell.
‘Grandma, where’s my father?’ I asked with a sobbing voice.
‘Shh… Keep your voice down.
‘Xiaoshitou, listen to grandma. Your father had his heart ripped out by the evil ghost to let me escape. Your sister – in – law is the evil ghost. The people she ate became her accomplices, ghosts under her control. Your brother and mother have become her helpers.
‘Remember, no matter who calls you later, don’t answer. If you answer, you’ll go with them.’
I nodded and huddled beside my grandmother.
‘Sleep for a while. Huanghuang has a good sense of smell. Maybe it can lead us out of this maze. Once we get out of the maze, we have a chance to escape.’
I didn’t know whose blood was on my grandmother. It was sticky, and the smell of blood was very strong, a bit choking. So, I had to turn my back to her and breathe facing outside.
20
From last night until now, my nerves had been in a state of tension. As soon as my grandmother said that, I immediately felt sleepy. Leaning against her, I fell asleep.
I slept deeply to the sound of the bell. When I woke up, the sky was darker than before, the fog was lighter, but the sun still couldn’t be seen. Judging from the darkness of the sky, it was very much like dusk. I couldn’t see people’s faces clearly more than five steps away.
As soon as I wanted to speak, my grandmother covered my mouth.
‘Don’t talk. There’s something following the dog – cart.’
Fear, like a piece of bark, clung tightly to my neck. I stiffly turned my head. In the distance, there seemed to be several figures faintly.
I counted. One, two, three. Exactly three people.
Were they my father, mother, and brother?
It was too far away, the sky was dark, and there was fog. I really couldn’t see clearly.
Huanghuang seemed to be tired. The speed of pulling the cart was obviously much slower.
It stuck out its tongue from time to time, and its steps were a bit unsteady.
At a fork in the road, Huanghuang stopped and lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
‘Xiaoshitou, the cart is too heavy. Huanghuang can’t walk anymore. I’ll get off and stop them. If you’re alone, the cart will be lighter. Let Huanghuang pull you and run.’
‘I don’t want to. I don’t want to leave grandma.’
I shook my head, sobbing softly.
The three figures behind the cart were getting closer, and I seemed to hear my father, mother, and brother calling my name. I could even smell the stench of decay.
‘Be obedient, Xiaoshitou. Live well.’
My grandmother gritted her teeth, pried open my hand, jumped off the vehicle, still clutching her cane in hand.
21
At this time, the sound of a cartwheel came from not far ahead.
Huanghuang barked twice in that direction.
‘Huanghuang? Is that Huanghuang!
‘Elder sister? Xiaoshitou? Is that you?’
It was my great – aunt’s voice.
As she spoke, my great – aunt arrived. My eldest cousin was driving a donkey – cart. My great – aunt was sitting on the flatbed cart with a headscarf wrapped around her head.
When I saw my great – aunt and eldest cousin, I burst into tears.
‘Why did you come so late?’
My grandmother let out a long sigh of relief and kept wiping her tears.
‘We set off as soon as we got the news. We’ve been wandering around here for a long time. The resentment of this evil ghost is really strong. I bit my middle finger and dripped a drop of blood on the talisman paper before I could find you. I was so anxious that I was sweating all over.’
My great – aunt wiped the sweat from her face, looked at behind us, and her face turned pale.
‘It’s so vicious. After eating three people, it still wants to wipe out the whole family.’
Then she muttered something, burned a talisman paper. It flew towards the three figures as if it had eyes.
‘Zi’ sound, like the sound of a balloon leaking air.
The fog thickened instantly, then suddenly dispersed.
Looking again, the three figures had vanished from sight.
“Quick! Get on the donkey – cart!”
My cousin untied Huanghuang from the dog – cart. Huanghuang jumped onto the donkey – cart and barked twice, indicating to my cousin to also lift the dog – cart onto the donkey – cart.
My cousin laughed and said, “You still care about your cart.”
My great – aunt said to my cousin, “Take the bell off the cart and throw it away, then put the dog – cart on the donkey – cart.”
“This dog – cart has an image of Zhong Kui on it. It can exorcise evil spirits.” My grandmother said as she picked me up and got on the donkey – cart.
“Go, hurry up!”
The donkey – cart moved quickly on the bumpy road, jolting up and down. I felt like my bones were about to fall apart.
But even though we couldn’t see those three figures anymore, I could still faintly smell a stench of blood, very faint, as if carried by the wind from afar.
“Take me and Xiaoshitou to the Demon – Subduing Temple on the mountain. That evil ghost is very powerful. You can’t fight against it.”
My grandmother gasped and said to my great – aunt.
“It’s getting dark soon. The mountain road is narrow and slippery. It’s not safe to go up the mountain. The ones following your cart just now were all ghosts under the evil ghost’s control. The real evil ghost will appear at night and can possess anyone.
“In my opinion, we should first take shelter at my house. There are many talisman papers in my courtyard. We can hold out for one night. As soon as it gets light, we’ll set off.”
“All right, but I’m afraid your house will be destroyed.”
My grandmother nodded, feeling a bit guilty.
“Those are all worldly possessions. It’s more important that you and Xiaoshitou can survive. Don’t think too much about it.”
My grandmother sighed and murmured softly, “One more night. I don’t know if we can make it to the temple.”
23
My great – aunt concentrated, recited incantations, and lit the talisman papers to disperse the fog. The road gradually emerged.
Just as it was getting dark, we finally arrived at my great – aunt’s house.
As soon as my great – aunt entered the gate, she pasted talisman papers on the door, and then on the windows and doors.
“Xiaoshitou, you and your grandmother live in the west room. I see that your grandmother doesn’t look well. Take care of her at night.”
As soon as my grandmother entered the courtyard, she said she had a stomachache. My cousin helped her into the west room and she lay down on the kang to rest.
She was old. These two days, with all the fatigue and shock, her back was even more hunched. Even with a walking stick, every step she took seemed very difficult.
24
At night, I was sleeping vaguely when I faintly heard the sound of a bell outside the courtyard gate. The sound was very similar to the bell that was taken off and thrown away from the dog – cart.
Because this bell had been bitten by Huanghuang and played with in its mouth, with a corner missing, it made a slightly broken sound when it rang.
I woke up suddenly.
Wasn’t this bell already thrown away by my cousin?
“Clang,” the gate seemed to be hit by something.
I shook my grandmother.
“Grandma, grandma, something is hitting the gate.”
My grandmother groaned twice and opened her eyes.
I don’t know if it was an illusion, but my grandmother’s eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of gauze, a bit white.
“Xiaoshitou, what’s wrong?”
“Grandma, something is hitting the courtyard gate.”
At this time, the gate seemed to be blown open by the wind, making a slow “creak” sound. “Tat – tat – tat,” it seemed that someone was walking in. At the same time, a stench of decay seeped in through the window cracks.
I covered my mouth tightly, almost vomiting.
“Don’t be afraid, Xiaoshitou. Grandma is here. Even if grandma dies, she won’t let that evil thing hurt my Xiaoshitou.”
My grandmother gently stroked my head with her rough hand and held me in her arms.
The stench in the room became stronger, very much like the smell of a dead mouse in a cesspool. I couldn’t help but vomit.
25
“Where’s Huanghuang?” I suddenly remembered that Huanghuang went out to pee at night and hadn’t come back yet.
Huanghuang, although a dog, never urinated or defecated anywhere randomly.
“Woof! Whine…”
Suddenly, a shrill scream came. It seemed to be Huanghuang’s voice.
I got anxious, broke free from my grandmother’s embrace, and pushed open the window crack to look.
In the moonlight, I saw “my father,” “my mother,” and “my brother,” their eyes rolled up, pouncing on the ground, huddled together, gnawing on Huanghuang’s body.
Huanghuang’s four legs were trembling, and it let out a “whining” moan.
I was so scared that I covered my mouth and quickly closed the window.
At the moment I closed the window, the three corpse – like figures turned their heads in my direction at an incredible angle.
I locked the window with trembling hands, my palms full of cold sweat.
Soon, the three figures appeared in front of the window. The strong stench of blood and decay rushed into the room.
26
The east and west rooms of my great – aunt’s house were connected. My great – aunt and my cousin heard the commotion, worried about me and my grandmother, and came to the west room through the main hall.
My great – aunt motioned for me and my grandmother to be quiet, and immediately pasted three or four more talisman papers on the window.
However, the next second, the three shadows crashed into the window one after another. The talisman papers on the window were constantly damaged, emitting wisps of black smoke.
The smell of burning mixed with the stench of decay was extremely unpleasant.
My great – aunt took out a wooden box. Inside were more than a dozen wooden thorns. She took them out and handed them to my cousin, asking him to insert them into the window cracks during the intervals when the three corpse – like figures hit the window.
My great – aunt and my cousin each held five wooden thorns, one for the upper part and one for the lower part, with the sharp tips of the wooden thorns facing outwards. When the black shadow crashed into the window, they stabbed out.
The black shadow let out a strange scream, its whole body making a “hissing” sound, as if electrocuted, and “poof” fell to the ground.
The remaining two figures disappeared in a flash.
We quietly waited for the time it took to urinate. There was no movement outside at all.
My great – aunt carefully opened the window to check.
Under the window was a pile of human – shaped black ashes.
It should be that one of the three corpse – like figures was dead.
27
Looking at the shape of the black ashes on the ground, it was somewhat like my mother. I couldn’t help my nose getting sour.
“Great – aunt, what did you use to burn my mother?”
“Thorns made from lightning – struck peach wood.” My great – aunt let out a sigh of relief and looked at the sky outside the window.
The east was already faintly turning white, and the cocks were crowing one after another in the distance.
“What are lightning – struck peach – wood thorns?”
“They are wooden thorns made from peach wood struck by lightning. These wooden thorns are very powerful, but they are basically used up.
“Xiaoshitou, they just retreated temporarily. They haven’t gone far. We can’t delay. Let’s take some food and set off. When we get to the temple on the mountain, you and your grandmother will be safe.”
As soon as she finished speaking, my grandmother spat out a mouthful of black blood with an extremely foul smell.
My great – aunt’s face changed instantly. She pulled me to her side and hid.
My cousin nervously protected us in front.
“I… I can’t hold on anymore, Xiaoshitou. Grandma is useless. I can’t trap it. You… you listen to your great – aunt…”
Before my grandmother could finish speaking, her mouth opened wider and wider, making an “ah – ah” sound. Her stomach swelled bigger and bigger, like a pregnant woman about to give birth. There was something wriggling under her belly skin.
Maybe it was too painful. Her two withered hands forcefully tore open her front clothes, revealing her chest. There were five or six blood – red branches inserted there, exactly the peach branches she had given me before.
“The evil ghost is in your grandmother’s body! Run, Xiaoshitou!”
My eyes were so sore that I couldn’t open them. I ran around like a headless fly, but I ran in the wrong direction.
“That’s the east room, you fool!”
My cousin grabbed my collar and threw me into the yard.
My great – aunt’s face was deathly pale. She retreated while pasting talisman papers along the way.
My cousin quickly harnessed the donkey – cart, grabbed me, who was shaking all over, and threw me onto the cart. He beckoned my great – aunt to get on the cart, and whipped the donkey. The donkey – cart rushed out of the gate like crazy.
The moment we rushed out of the gate, I looked back at the courtyard. My grandmother had walked out of the door. In the morning light, her stomach was empty, and there was a hole in her chest. When she saw me looking back, she showed a strange smile.
That smile was gloomy and charming.
It wasn’t my grandmother. It was very much like my former would – be sister – in – law, Chunqin.
28
I was so scared that I buried my head in my great – aunt’s arms.
Only then did I remember that the stench I smelled when I was in my grandmother’s arms was exactly the same as the stench of the mouthful of black blood she spat out.
So, my grandmother had died before escaping from home.
I thought that at that time, when “my brother” called her to the bridal chamber, and she rushed out of the bridal chamber covered in blood later, she was no longer alive.
Tears welled up uncontrollably. It felt like there was a piece of hot charcoal in my throat, making my throat burn.
“Xiaoshitou, don’t cry. Your grandmother used her body as a container to trap the evil ghost for half a day and a night, just to send you to a safe place.
“However, she was really tough. When the evil ghost entered her body and ate her internal organs, she inserted peach branches into her body to protect her heart veins and block the evil ghost’s way out. She not only trapped it in her body but also maintained her sanity and remained awake, so as not to become a ghost under its control and managed to escape from home with you.
“Xiaoshitou, you have a great grandmother. For your grandmother’s sake, you have to live well, child.”
Inserting peach branches into her own body, not just one.
Grandma, how much pain must you have endured!
29
When it was broad daylight, we arrived at the Demon – Subduing Temple in the town.
The abbot of the temple came out to welcome us and drew talismans all over my body.
Reciting sutras to help Spring Zither and our family cross over.
But when counting the souls, one was missing.
The abbot looked at my great – aunt, my cousin, and me, and asked us to stay in the temple and not leave.
Chunqin has become a malevolent ghost, with a heavy aura of evil, not amenable to exorcism. She caused a disturbance outside the temple for a day and a night, until the abbot shot her with a Bodhi bead, causing black smoke to rise from her body.
Her father, Wang Laosan, came and knelt on the ground, begging the abbot to spare Chunqin.
The abbot sighed and said,
“It’s too late. I understand your resentment, but indulging your daughter to do evil will only harm others and yourself. Chunqin has killed five people and was also injured by the bodhi seed. In her next life, she will be either stupid or idiotic. This is her karma.
“You can go. If you had known this would happen, why did you let it go in the first place?”
After sending away these souls, the abbot asked my great – aunt and cousin to go back first, and he left me to live in the temple for half a year. He also accepted me as a lay disciple and gave me the Dharma name “Jingyuan”.
In the same year, during the Ghost Festival, when a grand Dharma assembly was held, the abbot asked me to sit in front of him and chant scriptures. When I closed my eyes, he slapped my head hard.
I felt a warmth in my body, and heard an “ah” scream. A ghostly figure flew out of my body.
It was actually my sister – in – law.
“How long do you want to possess this child’s body? Go to where you should go!”
It turned out that the missing soul had somehow entered my body.
30
Half a year later, my great – aunt came to pick me up from the temple to go to school.
But I often woke up crying from my dreams. My great – aunt couldn’t bear to see me suffer, so she asked my master for a dose of medicine. After taking it, my memory became extremely poor. I forgot something about the past every day, and gradually, I forgot everything.
Only occasionally, when I saw a wedding procession meeting a funeral procession, I would feel inexplicably sad and want to cry.
But strangely, not a single tear could come out.
It seemed that a very long time ago, I had a terrifying nightmare.
This nightmare had drained all my tears.
(The End)
