Chapter 4:
Events in Dongpi Village (Part 4):
“Grandpa… It hurts, it hurts so much…”
The Wang family’s axe hadn’t been delivered by the craftsman. Impatient, they went to his house, only to find rotting food on the table and no sign of him. They knew something was wrong.
The men of the village searched everywhere. Finally, a dog, following a foul smell, led them to his body. The craftsman’s head was stuck in a ditch, his body stiff.
Unaware of the events unfolding, Chen Henian only knew his grandfather had gone out and returned with someone.
A tall, sturdy woman entered the house, her eyes fixed on Chen Henian.
Grandpa Chen smiled. “Little Nian, call her Aunt Wang.”
Aunt Wang didn’t stand on ceremony, stepping right up to him, bending down to look him in the eye. “Little Nian sounds nice, I’ll call you that from now on.”
Chen Henian glanced at her and turned away. He disliked being close to strangers, his cold, unwelcoming expression evident. Aunt Wang remarked, “What, you don’t welcome me?”
After a moment, Chen Henian replied, “Not enough food.”
Aunt Wang laughed. “You child, I’m not here to eat your food.” She studied his face. “You look just as delicate as your mother, but too thin, like a little girl. Do you have the strength to work?”
Grandpa Chen said, “He’s still young, and a bit shy with strangers.”
“I can see that.” Aunt Wang nodded, smiling. “Come stay at my house after dinner. I’ll make sure you’re well-fed and grow into a strong boy.”
Chen Henian immediately called out, “Grandpa?”
Grandpa Chen simply smiled, speaking gently. “I was just about to mention that, Little Nian. From now on, you’ll live at Aunt Wang’s house and listen to her.”
Chen Henian stared at them for a moment, realizing they were serious. His face fell, and he snorted, turning and running into his room, slamming the door shut.
Grandpa Chen didn’t follow, mindful of Aunt Wang’s presence. He smiled. “He’s a good boy, he’ll be easier to manage once he gets used to you. I’ll bring him over later.”
“Alright.” Aunt Wang agreed. She had come for Chen Henian and didn’t stay long.
Chen Henian bolted the door from the inside. He was throwing a tantrum. Grandpa Chen knocked. “Come out and eat first.”
Chen Henian snapped, “I won’t eat!”
Grandpa Chen said, “How can you not eat? Come out and talk, okay?”
Chen Henian replied, “Are you giving me away?”
Grandpa Chen didn’t answer immediately. Chen Henian became anxious and angry. “You really are giving me away!”
Grandpa Chen said softly, “Just stay with Aunt Wang for a while. I have things to do, and it’s not convenient for you to be here.”
“I won’t go!” Chen Henian yelled. “I’m not going anywhere!”
“You can’t abandon me!”
Grandpa Chen waited for him to calm down before explaining, “How could Grandpa abandon you? You’re still young, and unclean things want to harm you. I have to protect you, but those things are dangerous. If I don’t, we’ll both end up seeing the King of Hell. Do you want to harm Grandpa?”
Chen Henian was speechless.
Grandpa Chen coaxed, “Be good, open the door.”
Chen Henian reluctantly opened the door, his face sullen.
Grandpa Chen pulled him closer and gave him a light pat on the bottom. “You can’t throw tantrums at other people’s houses, understand?”
Chen Henian nodded unwillingly.
Grandpa Chen forced a smile. “Your auspicious day is in a few days. Grandpa will make you delicious food and bring you back then, how about that?”
Chen Henian’s anger softened. He didn’t remember the date, but his grandfather wouldn’t forget. The second day of the sixth month was Chen Henian’s birthday.
Later that evening, Grandpa Chen packed a bag with clothes and necessities, taking Chen Henian to Aunt Wang’s earthen courtyard.
Aunt Wang was cheerful. She lived alone, without children, her husband having passed away earlier. The house was small, with only two beds.
Chen Henian couldn’t sleep that night.
“What do you usually do at home?” Aunt Wang asked the next morning. “You don’t seem like a lazy pig. Your grandfather didn’t spoil you, which is good.”
Chen Henian, used to taking care of himself with his grandfather, woke up even earlier than Aunt Wang.
Aunt Wang’s initial novelty wore off. Chen Henian’s silence started to annoy her.
“What? Did you become mute after coming here?” Aunt Wang glared at him. Chen Henian remained silent. Exasperated, she said, “Forget it, you’re not a normal child anyway. Go wash the dishes and sweep the floor.”
Although silent, Chen Henian did as he was told, washing dishes, sweeping the floor, cutting grass to feed the chickens. He was efficient, which pleased Aunt Wang, and he found some peace in his tasks.
“Why are you squatting here again?” At lunchtime, Aunt Wang called his name, but there was no response. She went to the haystack by the entrance, and there he was, sitting on top, looking out.
“What are you doing here all day?” she scolded. “Come down, you’ll fall and break your bottom!”
Chen Henian wasn’t afraid of her. He looked back and asked, “Is someone else dead?”
Aunt Wang glared. “Dead? Speaking of such unlucky things right off the bat. Go back inside!”
Chen Henian said, “If you won’t tell me, I’ll go back and see for myself.”
The sun was scorching. Aunt Wang looked at the little boy’s face, finding it not cute, but cold and hard like a small ice cube.
“I want to see my grandfather.” Chen Henian climbed down from the haystack, dusted himself off, and headed for the gate.
Aunt Wang stopped him, her strong hand gripping his arm. “Where are you going? This is your home now, you can’t go anywhere!”
Chen Henian glared back. “I want my grandfather, I want to go home!”
“Forget about your grandfather, you’re part of my family now, understand?” Aunt Wang was getting angry.
“Nonsense!”
“Your grandfather will be gone soon! He won’t be able to take care of you anymore!” Aunt Wang said. “There’s no use talking to a child like you. From now on, you won’t be surnamed Chen anymore, you’ll take my surname, Wang.”
“If you don’t listen, I’ll beat you!” She grabbed Chen Henian by the collar, lifting him off the ground. Used to farm work, she was stronger than most men, holding him effortlessly despite his struggles.
Chen Henian bit her hand, but she simply pinched his face with her other hand. He scratched and clawed at her, helpless, letting out frustrated grunts.
“Oh no! My chickens!”
Aunt Wang suddenly screamed, dropping Chen Henian to the ground.
Chen Henian’s head spun from the fall, his face covered in dust. He watched as Aunt Wang rushed to the chicken coop, wailing. Her chickens were all dead, seemingly mauled, feathers and blood mixed together.
“You really are a jinx!” Aunt Wang’s face was red with distress. Losing the chickens, a rare treat usually reserved for special occasions, was a painful blow. She grabbed a broom. “You little brat, I’ll teach you a lesson!”
But in that moment, when she looked back, Chen Henian was gone.
Chen Henian ran straight home, ignoring everything else.
He had been waiting for his grandfather to bring him home, standing on high ground, watching and hoping. But today, he saw two men carrying a large piece of wood, heading towards his house. The thick, debarked wood looked familiar. He had seen it at home, used for making coffins.
A coffin meant someone had died. Alarmed, Chen Henian ran home.
“Grandpa!” He burst through the door. His house was full of people, sawing wood and hammering nails, all unfamiliar faces he had only seen once before. An unfinished coffin lay in the main room, these strange things invading his familiar home.
“Where’s my grandfather!” Chen Henian shouted.
No one responded. He yelled again, “Where’s my grandfather!” He glared at the adults, like a bird whose nest had been raided.
“Why are you back?”
Hearing his voice, Grandpa Chen emerged from the inner room.
Chen Henian’s fierce expression softened, but seeing his grandfather, his budding smile faded. His mouth opened, his eyes widening.
His grandfather was wearing burial clothes.
“Little Nian, let’s talk inside.”
Grandpa Chen quickly led the stunned Chen Henian into the inner room, closing the door firmly behind them.
“What’s wrong?” Grandpa Chen smiled, brushing the dirt off him. “Why are you covered in dirt again? Did you fall?”
Chen Henian noticed a scrape on the back of his hand, oozing blood and covered in dust. He didn’t cry or fuss, his dark eyes clear as river stones.
Grandpa Chen’s heart ached. He took his hand, his face serious. “Even if you wanted to come back, you should have been more careful.”
He blew on the wound as if to blow away the dirt, the tears, the pain.
Chen Henian remained quiet, then suddenly hugged his grandfather, his arms around his waist, his head buried in his belly, the only soft part of his grandfather’s otherwise hard frame.
Grandpa Chen hugged him back, asking uncertainly, “Did Aunt Wang bully you?”
Chen Henian looked up. “Make them leave, I don’t want to see other people.”
His gaze was firm, almost pleading. “I won’t go out, I’ll stay in the house, sleep in the coffin, just like before.”
Grandpa Chen paused for a long moment before stroking his head. “My good grandson, you must stay away from these things of the dead, understand? Don’t agree to sleep in a coffin, no matter who tells you to.”
“Then whose coffin is that outside?” Chen Henian asked quickly.
He knew the new coffin wasn’t for him. He had always been perceptive. Seeing the burial clothes on his grandfather, he was afraid, more afraid than when he slept alone in the coffin as a child.
If someone had to go into that coffin, it might as well be him.
Chen Henian said, “Can it be for me?”
Grandpa Chen shook his head. “No.”
“When people get old, they have to go into a coffin.”
“You’re my good boy, you don’t understand these things.” He covered his face with his hand, a slight tremor in his voice.
His grandfather was tall. Chen Henian couldn’t see his face clearly, only feeling cold tears falling on his neck in the dim light.
Chen Henian’s eyes reddened. He hadn’t learned much, didn’t understand any grand principles, but he understood one thing: his grandfather was leaving him. He reached out, grabbing his grandfather’s hand, biting his lip. “I don’t want you to.”
Grandpa Chen said, “Little Nian, you only need to know one thing. If anyone bullies you in the future, don’t be afraid. You are the last of our Chen family line. They will only be afraid of losing you.”
“I don’t want that! I only want Grandpa!” Chen Henian didn’t want to hear anything else. He knew what he wanted. He pulled at his grandfather’s burial clothes with all his might.
“Be good, you can’t.” Grandpa Chen held his hands firmly, pushing him away. This was different from before. Two tears rolled down Chen Henian’s cheeks.
Grandpa Chen couldn’t bear to look at him. He sighed. “Be good, you have to listen to Grandpa.”
Chen Henian took a deep breath, tears still welling in his eyes. He turned and ran out the door. Grandpa Chen didn’t know where he was going and couldn’t catch up.
No matter how Grandpa Chen called, Chen Henian didn’t look back. Even when he could no longer hear his grandfather’s voice, he didn’t stop running.
He ran as fast as he could, breathing heavily, his face flushed, all the way to the mountain.
Panting, sweat dripping from his forehead, he followed the path up the mountain from memory. The bright sky suddenly darkened. He stood among the tall grass, gripped by fear and confusion, finally letting out a sharp cry.
“Mother!”
“Mother—!”
Chen Henian didn’t know if she could hear him, or if she was even still there. He simply couldn’t think of anything else to do.
His mother was the person who loved him most in the world. She would appear to protect him in times of danger, driving away the weasels, punishing those nasty adults.
He had to save his grandfather, and his mother was probably the only one who would help him.
Chen Henian kept calling, not stopping, ignoring the giggling sounds behind him. He walked towards the darkness, desperately climbing the mountain, wanting to return to that place from before.
He wanted to find his mother.
He didn’t want to cry, but his arms wrapped around his shivering body, his back hunched, tears falling. He wondered if his mother would feel his pain.
Chen Henian didn’t know his mother was no longer in this world. When he reached the place, it was different. The pond had changed, the water deep, transformed into a large lake, just like in his dream. He dared not breathe deeply, feeling countless eyes watching him.
“Little Nian.”
His grandfather’s voice came from behind. Chen Henian turned and saw Fatty Hu and the two Huang boys standing together, their pale, bluish faces grinning at him.
He was surrounded by floating shadows, baring sharp claws and teeth.
“Chen… Henian—!”
Fatty Hu’s face turned ferocious, roaring at him, their bodies twisting grotesquely.
Chen Henian stumbled backward, his foot slipping. He tumbled down the slope, his body hitting the ground hard, his head striking a stone by the water’s edge. He cut his head, bleeding, his vision blurring.
“Grandpa… it hurts, it hurts so much…” Chen Henian burst into tears, sobbing. His small, frail body lay by the large lake, Fatty Hu’s figure still giggling from above.
The blood from Chen Henian’s forehead, like the roots of a sprouting tree, dripped into the mud, spreading, seeping into the lake. Ripples disturbed the calm surface, mist rising from the edges.
The giggling ghosts on the shore suddenly shrieked in terror, retreating in panic.
A whirlpool formed in the center of the lake, opening a fissure. A mass of black mist emerged, spreading across the water like a giant tree, its roots enveloping Chen Henian. Silently, the clouds in the sky parted, revealing a full moon.
But the moon was stained blood-red, an ominous sight.
