I suspect that I have a morbid interest, because the more intense the rumors, the happier I become. I even dreamt of Wu Miaoke's face several times, and forgot about the pressure my grandfather brought me.
Every time I woke up to change my underwear, I looked in the mirror and asked myself: "Are you a pervert? Are you a pervert?!"
But, this is just gossip. On the surface, Lin Sanshui's family is quiet.
In the blink of an eye, a week has passed, and this week has felt like the fastest week I've ever experienced.
On the day of my grandfather's death anniversary, we followed our usual routine to the gravesite to burn paper offerings. Even my father went to my grandmother and grandfather, and great-grandparents' graves to burn paper money, asking them to watch over my grandfather.
In the evening, Third Grandfather came to my house. Carrying an oil lamp, my father brought a chair and a pot of tea, and placed Third Grandfather by my grandfather's grave.
"Why not just do it at the doorstep. You're still young?" I admired Third Grandfather's courage and was concerned about him catching a cold at his age.
"It's fine, I'll sit here and chat with my old brother. Our ancestors are all here, how could anything happen? I don't understand you young people nowadays," Third Grandfather laughed.
"Go and get a quilt for your Third Grandfather," my father instructed me.
I went to his room and saw my mother sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Mom," I called her.
She looked at me, her eyes dazed.
She had been sitting in this room for over twenty years, and every day, she dressed herself neatly, like a bride ready to get married in ancient times.
I sighed and didn't say anything anymore, silently took a quilt and joined Third Grandfather and my father.
Third Grandfather sat on the chair with an oil lamp and a pot of tea by his side, chatting with my grandfather. He sent me and my father back.
At this moment, Grandpa San seemed like a guardian of the tomb.
"Nothing will happen, right?" I asked my father.
"No, even when your grandpa was alive, he was afraid of Grandpa San. Let alone now. Go back and have a good sleep. After tonight, everything will be fine," my father frowned and replied.
I nodded without saying anything.
After a while, my father suddenly asked me, "What do you think of Lin Sanshui's wife, Wu Miaoke?"
My heart skipped a beat. Could it be that my perverse taste and this little secret of mine were discovered by my father?
It was impossible, I had never told anyone!
"She's okay. I heard they are about to divorce the village chief recently, right?" I forced a calm nod.
"Yes, probably in the next few days. Wu Miaoke is a gentle person, but Sanshui is unlucky. Xiaofan, if they do get divorced, I plan to match Wu Miaoke and your second uncle. What do you think?" my father asked me.
"It's good," I said.
In my mind, I pictured Wu Miaoke standing next to my second uncle.
I realized they were a perfect match.
That night, knowing Grandpa San was guarding the tomb, I slept especially well. I had a dream, where my second uncle and Wu Miaoke got married.
Lin Xiaoyao suddenly became my sister, and my father said to me, "You two should get married too, making our families even closer."
When I woke up, I suddenly realized that these things were not what I needed to care about.
I need to care about my grandpa who appeared by my bed every seven days.
I turned my head and almost instinctively looked at the edge of my bed, where I saw a figure lying there!
"Damn it!" I cursed and checked with my phone.
The person in mourning clothes with a pale face was none other than my grandpa!!!
"Dad!" I shouted and rolled out of bed. When my father heard me, he ran over wearing only a pair of large shorts and saw my grandpa.
He squatted on the ground and turned pale.
Grandma also hurried over and when she saw my grandpa, she burst into tears, crying out to us, "What are you all still standing around for! If this dead ghost hurts Sanshui, our family will become the scapegoat for the Lin family!"
I immediately rushed out of the house. Grandma's words made me realize instantly. Tonight, Grandpa San was supposed to be guarding the tomb, but with my grandpa appearing there, it was self-evident!
My father and second uncle followed me closely from behind.
When I arrived at the side of Grandpa's tomb, I found Grandpa San still sitting there motionless in a chair. And in front of him, stood my grandpa's grave.
Once again, I was torn apart.
"Grandpa San, are you okay?" I walked closer and asked.
He didn't answer me.
I had a foreboding feeling. I went over and touched Grandpa San, and he slumped to the side.
My father arrived at this scene, a man in his forties, and started sobbing and calling out to my grandpa's empty coffin, "Dad, why is this happening!"
This was the question I wanted to ask too. Grandpa, why is this happening? What kind of trouble are you causing?
Things had reached this point, there was no point in hiding it anymore. The three of us carried Grandpa San back to the ancestral hall. My father said to me, "Xiaofan, go to the school and ring the bell and call everyone over."
The school used a bell to signal the beginning and end of classes. This thing should be familiar to many people. Grandpa San was a kind person and had no children of his own, so he was especially nice to us kids. At this moment, because of the situation in my family, he was being implicated. I couldn't understand my feelings.
I felt very disgusted with my grandpa right now, this was very unfilial, but it was the truth.
I rang the bell continuously, pulling all the villagers who were still asleep out of their dreams, and gathering them in the ancestral hall.
When I went back, I found that it was already crowded there.
I pushed through the crowd and walked in, and I saw my father kneeling in front of Grandpa San crying, and my grandma fainted from crying.
"Xiaofan, what exactly happened?" Lin Sanshui, as the village chief, asked me without delay.
I told him everything, including the fact that my grandpa appeared on my bed every seventh day. By the time I finished, the onlookers were already discussing loudly.
"Stop making noise! I know about this!" Lin Sanshui's mood was not good.
"Xiaofan, should we call the police?" Lin Sanshui asked me.
"Call the police?" I was stunned.
"What else can we do? This is a murder case!" Lin Sanshui said. After that, he patted my shoulder and said softly, "I still don't believe your grandpa would do this. He was afraid of Grandpa San even when alive, and even after death. This was all done by someone else!"
My head spun for a moment, because just a moment ago, I had turned my entire life view upside down after Lin Sanshui told me this.
Before Lin Sanshui spoke, I believed that Grandpa San was killed by my grandpa!
Seeing me in a daze, Lin Sanshui said to me, "Even if it's a ghost, we still have to follow the proper procedures. Call the police first, if they can't handle it, then we can find a Taoist priest. What's the big deal?"
Previously, I couldn't call the police when my grandpa's body appeared on my bed, but this time, it was Grandpa San who had died. This was a murder case, the nature of which was completely different.
In handling this matter, I, a university student, wasn't as good as Lin Sanshui who had only completed primary school.
Several hours later, the police arrived, in a Santana police car, and two policemen got out, one skinny, and the other fat and tall.
The fat one seemed to know Lin Sanshui and said, "Sanshui, you dog, it's really hard to get here. Where is the deceased?"
The villagers who were just discussing fervently were all quiet now. Because subconsciously, the villagers still had a fear of the police.
"Hey, Wang, you've come." Lin Sanshui walked over and led two policemen to the side of Sanye's body, saying, "This is my third uncle."
The thin policeman seemed to be a professional forensic scientist. He first took out a camera and took several photos of Sanye, then put on white gloves and asked, "Where was the deceased found?"
I was speechless.
Seeing that I didn't answer, the thin policeman snorted and said, "I asked, where was the crime scene?"
Regardless of the rumors circulating outside about him, Lin Sanshui, as the village chief, was still a decent person. He seemed to see my dilemma and pulled the fat policeman, saying, "Brother Wang, it's not convenient to talk with so many people around. Let's go inside and talk, and have some of this year's new tea."
The fat policeman nodded, exchanged a few words with the thin policeman, and said to me, "Let's go."
We went to Lin Sanshui's house together.
The thin policeman carried Sanye into the ancestral hall and performed a post-mortem examination. It seemed that the efficiency of the police work being criticized outside was not appropriate.
I realized I had lost my mind. When I was going to Lin Sanshui's house, I was not thinking about Sanye or my grandfather, but about Wu Miaoke.
Because of this, I slapped myself, trying to get rid of my wild thoughts.
The fat policeman looked at me, looking baffled.
When we arrived at Lin Sanshui's house, Lin Xiaoyao opened the door. The fat policeman was startled when he saw Lin Xiaoyao's face.
"Damn!" he exclaimed.
This exclamation made Lin Xiaoyao, who opened the door, teary-eyed. Lin Sanshui's expression also became exceptionally ugly.
After all, Lin Sanshui was Lin Xiaoyao's biological father.
And I was someone that Lin Xiaoyao had feelings for.
"Come in, let's talk inside," Lin Sanshui forced a smile. When we entered the room, I saw Wu Miaoke, who, having just woken up, had unruly hair, wrinkled clothes, red eyes, and seemed to have not rested well.
"Is she your sister? Hello, I'm Wang Haiyang, Sanshui's brother," the fat policeman said, reaching out to shake Wu Miaoke's hand. But this action had an extraordinary impact on the woman from the mountains, and her face instantly turned red to the roots of her ears. She awkwardly broke free and said, "Hello, hello."
With just this one action, I knew that the rumor about Lin Sanshui trading his wife for the position of village chief definitely wasn't reliable.
Lin Sanshui wouldn't do such a thing, and a reserved woman, once indulged once, wouldn't stick to her original principles.
It was clear that Wu Miaoke hadn't, and at that moment, I felt relieved.