After I said these words, Grandpa's still moving arm actually stopped, then he stood up and slowly walked away, very peacefully.
It wasn't until Grandpa walked out of the courtyard that second uncle crawled out from under the bed and asked me, "Any gains?"
I sat on the bed weakly. I told second uncle, "Grandpa must have known something. The previous times, it was because I was sleeping too deeply. Actually, he came back just to tell me a message, to escape. He wants me to escape!"
I don't know why, but I suddenly thought of the dream I had just had.
The disaster in Linjiazhuang. Could Grandpa's warning to me have something to do with that dream?
"There's a disaster in Linjiazhuang! Everyone's dead!" I said to second uncle.
Second uncle's face darkened as he asked me, "What did you see? Just now in the dream?"
"People, everyone's dead." At this moment, my heart was blank, all the scenes from the dream just now, all the people in Linjiazhuang, not one was spared, all dead.
Second uncle stood at the head of my bed, silent, seemingly pondering something.
That night, neither of us slept, my mind was blank, and second uncle, a non-smoker, even smoked most of my pack of cigarettes at the window.
The next day, before it was even light, our door was knocked on. Fatty aunt ran over to my house and started shouting.
"Yutang? Yutang? Wake up! Your father has come out again!"
Both I and second uncle hadn't been asleep, so when Fatty aunt shouted, I was startled. In my mind, since Grandpa had always wanted to convey a message to me, then his purpose last night had been accomplished. In theory, his wish had been fulfilled, and he should have gone back to the afterlife. But why was Fatty aunt able to see him after he left my room last night?
"Fatty aunt? Where did you see my grandpa?" I asked.
"At the ancestral hall, I was thinking, Little Fan, there's no trouble over by the ancestral hall, right? I went over in the morning to offer some incense to my father-in-law, and found the door had been blocked, and there was someone kneeling outside wearing a shroud. I thought to myself who would be kneeling there so early in the morning, went over for a look, and almost scared me out of my wits, it turned out to be your grandpa, old man Lin!" Fatty aunt said.
At this point, Father also came out of the room, and Grandmother also almost simultaneously came out of the room, and when they saw Grandpa, they started to cry and scolded, "You damn ghost, why can't you just rest in peace?"
When our family arrived at the ancestral hall, there was already a crowd of people around, and when I got closer, I could see my grandpa, still wearing that shroud, kneeling in front of the door that my father and I had blocked up last night. Everyone was whispering and pointing at him, and when they saw us coming, they all suspected the ancestral hall, because fortune-teller Xu Lin had come, in fact, for my grandpa's situation. The originally calm grandpa was now causing trouble again, and there was only one possibility, the eternal lamp had gone out.
The villagers didn't immediately demand an explanation from us or insist that we open the door of the ancestral hall to see the eternal lamp, for one thing, the occurrence of such an event was not at all what our family wished for, and second, while my grandpa had feigned death repeatedly, he had never harmed anyone.
Grandpa's body remained in the kneeling position at the door of the ancestral hall, and when I saw it, I didn't feel good about it, Grandpa must know about the female ghost in the ancestral hall, was this a request for forgiveness or a plea to spare our family, this I didn't know, but I really felt that in the future of Linjiazhuang, there seemed to be a real disaster.
"Give your grandpa more paper money, isn't it the tradition to bury the dead?" Someone was consoling us.
"Little Fan, how's that fortune-teller's arrangement for the eternal lamp?" There were such voices in the crowd. I also knew that the truth couldn't be hidden any longer, the door of the ancestral hall had been blocked up, a helpless act in itself, and grandpa's kneeling last night was undoubtedly a fuse, making it impossible to hide the truth we wanted to keep hidden.
When we lifted grandpa up, he still maintained the posture of kneeling, the body had not rotted, but it had already stiffened into a distorted shape, we couldn't even make his legs stand straight up.
"Second uncle, is there a solution?" I asked him in a whisper. He shook his head. With so many people around, he wanted to keep his secret, even if there was a solution, he couldn't say it. In the end, grandpa was buried in a kneeling position—except for when grandpa passed away, this was the first time I cried.
He was not well-educated, and although my grandmother had taught him a few characters later, he couldn't even write his own name, he was an honest man, but he had told me before that when he was captured by the Japanese, he had almost been tortured to death, and he didn't confess. I asked him at the time, why didn't you confess?
If I confessed, I wouldn't be a man. He said as he smoked dry tobacco.
Without much ambition and understanding of grand theories, the man, apart from his wife, could stand to die but not kneel to live. That's the biggest lesson my grandfather lived by.
However, after standing through his whole life, he unexpectedly knelt down and was buried in a kneeling position. What an insult to a straightforward and honest person?
This matter made everyone uncomfortable, especially after I didn't conceal the fact that the night light had gone out. People with keen eyes could see that my grandfather's kneeling was not for himself. This made the later-arriving Seventh Grandpa burst into tears, saying, "Youngest one, you're so much stronger than Third Brother."
I couldn't even remember how many times my grandfather had been laid to rest, but this time I felt genuinely saddened for him. When his grave was filled again, my father, who had remained silent all this time, unexpectedly brought cement and completely sealed the grave.
"Dad, once this is over, you don't have to worry. There's always a way for the living." My father said with a choked voice after finishing everything.
After everything was done, the villagers dispersed, and there was no more unnecessary talk about our family's responsibility, because Lin Er Dan had been possessed, not Third Grandpa, and certainly not my real grandfather.
As it turned out, this matter became more and more mysterious.
At this time, the only one who could provide the strongest sense of security was the Yin Yang Master, not the police.
But Lin San Shui, who went to invite Xu Lin, still hadn't returned.
Lin Er Dan only had a week left. Second Uncle still hadn't made any move. I was even worried. If Second Uncle chose not to take action in the end, what would happen if Er Dan died?
It was fortunate that our village was relatively poor. If this happened in a prosperous area, with so much going on, people would probably have left long ago. However, even so, the next day, some residents left, or at least went to relatives' houses for refuge. Last time it was Lin Er Dan, who would it be next? Who knows?
The next day, I didn't wait for Xu Lin, but instead, I waited for Wu Miaoke and Lin Xiaoyao. Both of them had been discharged from the hospital.
The village head's wife being discharged made Wu Miaoke, who was generally well-liked, the center of attention when she returned. When they came back, the villagers all went to visit. Even my father prepared a basket of eggs for me, instructing me, "Your Third Shui Uncle has been busy, go see them. It's a matter of courtesy."
When I took the basket of eggs, I saw that the dark line on my father's forehead had become even more pronounced.
"Dad, you should go to the hospital for a check-up. Why does your forehead look so dark?" I was really worried, fearing it was the after-effects from the night in the ancestral hall, and also because of a phrase I often read in novels - "I see your forehead darkening, and I know you are about to encounter great difficulties."
So no matter what the reason, I felt my father should check it out.
"I didn't die that night, so what could possibly be wrong? Stop talking and go see your Aunt Miaoke. By the way, take Xiaoyao with you to buy some clothes, it's no trouble." My father said.
He seemed to have accepted Lin Xiaoyao. The development of things was exactly as he initially predicted. He said that we should not publicize Grandpa's incident to avoid impacting my marriage. At first, I didn't believe it, but after all this time, no one else had discussed my marriage with me, so I had to acknowledge my father's judgement. Now, probably apart from Lin Xiaoyao, not many people dared to keep pestering me about my grandfather's fake death.
Damn, is this fate?
In the end, I still went. I realized that my father actually thought about everything, after all, a person who had lived for decades had his own knowledge and insight. For instance, he was unusually suspicious of Second Uncle now, but he wouldn't show it openly. If I deliberately alienated Lin Xiaoyao and Wu Miaoke, he would notice something was wrong.
Of course, the most important thing was that I was afraid that Wu Miaoke would not think things through. Once someone survives death, they are not afraid of anything. Take the time she stretched her foot towards me in the hospital, the normal Wu Miaoke would never do such a thing. She had even told me that if I didn't agree, she would find someone else. - She was capable of doing such a thing. Even if it was just a neighbor, or even if Lin San Shui was the village head, if Wu Miaoke really let go and didn't care, how many men would approach her? There was no doubt about that, in this village, more than half of the men would have thoughts about Wu Miaoke, after all, she was a charismatic woman.
I didn't want to get too close to this mother and daughter, I had my concerns. But I was afraid that my deliberate alienation would lead Wu Miaoke to think too much, and she might end up finding someone else. Thinking about other men drooling over her and leaning on her snow-white body made me really upset. I also hated my own attitude.
Agreeing to her, obtaining her, this was contrary to my upbringing, against the principles I had upheld for over twenty years. I would even feel guilty towards Lin San Shui and Lin Xiaoyao, who had been good to me. But, deep down, I selfishly wanted to possess her and didn't want her to have any link with any other man.
Carrying the basket of eggs, which was a typical gift among villagers, I arrived at Lin San Shui's house, where Wu Miaoke's health had already improved. She was entertaining guests, but when she saw me, despite the fact that I had abandoned Lin Xiaoyao by the roadside, she still came up to me and said, "Little Fan, why are you so courteous? Take it back."
"Leave it here. My dad asked me to bring it," I said.
"They said you didn't go to see Lin Erdan. I thought you were avoiding me, so you didn't go. Auntie is discharged from the hospital. She just didn't want to make things difficult for you," said Wu Miaoke.
This woman is crazy!!! Lin Xiaoyao is right beside me! When I heard this, I dared not look at Lin Xiaoyao, and blurted out, "You're mistaken. It's my grandpa's matter. You can go outside and ask around."
"I know, I heard someone say it. Auntie, Xiaoyao, I'm leaving now. I'm going to see Er Dan," I said, and then I left.
Too stimulating! Too stimulating! I can hardly take it anymore, can't you see? Wu Miaoke dares to say such things in front of Lin Xiaoyao. I guess this bizarre mother-daughter pair have already reached a consensus. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil, but I really am not prepared yet!
Women are the best tonic for men, of course, provided that you like the woman. My terrible, oppressive, and confused mood from the last few days almost disappeared after meeting Wu Miaoke again. I shamelessly admit that I particularly enjoy the feeling of being with them mother and daughter. This may be due to my perverse taste, or it may be a common human sentiment. I don't know, but both my physical and mental states are greatly comforted and satisfied by them.
As I made my way back home, I barged into Uncle Er's room and asked in a lowered voice, "Er Dan is still unconscious in the hospital. When are we going to do the soul-summoning ritual you mentioned?! If he dies, everyone will say I sprayed the chicken blood for nothing!"
"Do you know now? This matter is different from the hospital. The people who go to the hospital are all patients. Even if a real patient dies, it's the doctor's best effort. But getting injured by evil spirits is different. It's a healthy person who ends up getting killed. Who can accept the explanation of being 'killed by a ghost'? In the end, blame will still fall on you. If the soul-summoning ritual goes wrong, you'll be the one facing the consequences. You might even get implicated," Uncle Er said shaking his head with a sigh.
"But I can't just ignore Er Dan's situation," I said.
Talking about this, I'm really torn. This is really tricky. The nature of this is similar to seeing an elderly lady fall on the side of the road. Our education from a young age doesn't allow us to stand by and do nothing when someone falls. If you don't help, you'd be criticized. The problem is not just about getting sued for that, but it's also revolting. It's absolutely more revolting than eating a dead fly that's landed on your leg and has a pregnant belly full of feces.
If I think about it a bit more, in that situation with Lin Er Dan, would I save him or not? - Although the voice in my heart leans more toward saving him, I have to admit, I'm a little hesitant.
Morality is just so diluted. This is really not easy. Uncle Er said that the difficulty of the upcoming soul-summoning ritual is greater. To save or not to save?
I clicked my tongue, indicating that this problem is really difficult. But when I think about every little thing I've experienced with Er Dan growing up, whether it's fishing in the river, hunting birds in the mountains, or stealing peaches from Great-grandfather, or pulling the beard of Third Grandfather, even watching the old widow bathe. I suddenly realized that I have very deep feelings for everyone in this mountain village, these emotions are so precious because of the seclusion of this mountain village.
My present concerns stem from the fact that I have walked out of the mountains, and have witnessed the harsh realities of the outside world. I've used the outside world to evaluate this simple mountain village. Lin Xiaofan is actually the most mundane of all! It can be said that if I were there, would Village Chief Lin Sanshui care about the matters of the village? Er Dan's family would have probably already come to ask for money at home.
"Save! The villagers are not as bad as we think," I said.
"Saving is a definite must, it's just not the right time yet. The seventh day is a hurdle, and also an opportunity. Success or failure depends on that day," Uncle Er said.
"Then why don't I see you making any preparations? Isn't the soul-summoning a big deal? Just call Er Dan back with some tattered clothing, and it's done?" I asked.
"I am prepared. By the way, we can let Er Dan leave the hospital. It's just a waste of money there," Uncle Er said.
After chatting with Uncle Er, I thought about it. Since Uncle Er said he would help, he must have his own plan. There's a kind of person in this world who doesn't speak unless necessary, but once they do, it gives people a sense of safety and trust. It's precisely what Uncle Er is like. After bidding farewell, I grabbed my bicycle and went to the town.
Miaoke's intuition is very accurate, perhaps this can even be considered a woman's natural gift. Before this, aside from Grandpa's issue, my reason for not going to town to see Lin Er Dan was mostly because Miaoke and her mother were at the hospital. Once any major mix-up arises, the consequences would be significant.
In this remote Lin Family Village, extramarital affairs have the potential to destroy two families. A few decades ago, that would have been a serious matter.
Fortunately, Miaoke is a understanding person and made the choice to leave the hospital without causing me any trouble. So, I had to go and see Lin Er Dan immediately. I had promised someone to go first and I did. When I reached the town hospital, the situation was just as I had imagined. Lin Er Dan was still unconscious, and the hospital couldn't identify the problem. They could only say more observation and examination. If that doesn't work, they would transfer him to a major hospital in the city, then the provincial capital, and then Beijing. And then, the death sentence.
In reality, everyone knows that transferring to a major hospital means that Lin Er Dan will likely never return. For rural people, there isn't that much money to spare.
After I arrived, I negotiated the matter of Lin Er Dan's discharge under the name of Master Xu Lin. This was partly to conceal the identity of Uncle Er, and also because in everyone's eyes, I was the disciple of Xu Lin. Only by presenting Xu Lin's intentions could I convince everyone to bring Lin Er Dan home from the hospital.
Because, if I, a young man, told them to discharge the patient, on what basis would they trust me?
So, I brought Lin Er Dan back home, and told his family that my master Xu Lin had contacted me by phone and would soon return to treat Er Dan. They believed this, too. I didn't mention that my phone's SIM card was overdue for deactivation. Of course, now the only one feeling anxious is me.
If Uncle failed, I would have to go on the run.