I didn't press him for more details, and in fact, I felt genuinely guilty towards Lin Sanshui. This man was indeed good to my family and the entire Lin family estate, and I had been harboring thoughts of betrayal towards my wife. But how could I control my own desires? ... To have restrained myself and not had any actual action with Wu Miaoke up to now was already the limit of my self-control.
After chatting with Lin Sanshui for a while, I learned from him that the fat man had been introduced by Mr. Xu, and there had been quite a few twists and turns in the process. First, for a genuine country bumpkin like Lin Sanshui to find someone in a big city like Shanghai, even if they had an address, was a very difficult thing. I still remember the dizziness I felt when I first set foot in Hangzhou, with all the brightly lit skyscrapers.
When he finally saw Mr. Xu, who was a kind person in the village, he didn't even want to see Lin Sanshui. Later, he heard that the eternal lamp had gone out, and Mr. Xu directly issued an eviction order, saying, "I was barely willing to deal with that thing before, and I also said, whether it's the eternal lamp or the peach wood bench, if either of them causes trouble, I can't handle it. You'd better find someone else."
Lin Sanshui tried to sweet-talk him, using sayings like "saving a life is more meritorious than constructing seven levels of pagodas," but Mr. Xu was unmoved. Still, Lin Sanshui wasn't willing to give up. In the end, Mr. Xu was softened by Lin Sanshui's cajolery and could only sigh, "Sanshui, we have a long-standing relationship, and as a matter of fact, I have something to tell you. It's not that I won't help, it's just that, honestly, from the bottom of my heart, I can't help. The matter at the Lin family estate, I've always felt it's not that simple. So, let me introduce you to someone, a friend of mine who is like an outsider, living in the urban area of Luoyang. If you can get him to make a move, maybe there's still hope for the Lin family estate."
Once Lin Sanshui heard that Mr. Xu had made up his mind not to come, he immediately made his way back to Luoyang. As for the outsider Mr. Xu mentioned, it was clear from the start that he was referring to the sleazy fat man.
Lin Sanshui told me that he couldn't believe his eyes when he first saw the fat man, who seemed like someone Mr. Xu valued highly. But later, he discovered that this fat man, Mr. Liu, indeed had real abilities.
"So what did he do that made you so confident in him? Or was it just because of Mr. Xu's recommendation?" I asked.
"Xiaofan, I can't say certain things, but you have to believe me, I'm not someone who's easily fooled." Lin Sanshui said.
Lin Sanshui frowned and remained silent, as if there were some things that were inconvenient to say. I didn't press him for more details. Lin Sanshui was definitely not a simple and easily manipulated farmer. He even had his own unique cleverness and wisdom, and could be considered a powerful figure in the Lin family village. The fact that he could trust Fatty to such an extent meant that Fatty must possess some genuine skills. But even though I could understand this, I still couldn't bring myself to trust this sly Fatty. I had never seen such a shameless outsider before.
Shouldn't a true outsider be dressed in a Taoist robe, with a beard, exuding an air of wisdom and compassion, and not like this old man Lin Sanshui?
So I mentioned the problem with Lin Erduan to Lin Sanshui, speculating that perhaps Lin Erduan may not be able to return from his unconscious state, and directly asked if it was possible that my use of chicken blood had caused Lin Erduan's coma. Since Fatty had real skills, I proposed that he try to help Lin Erduan.
I don't know why, but I had an inexplicable trust in my Second Uncle. Perhaps it was his unique charisma that made people believe in him. I've always felt that my Second Uncle was the most extraordinary person in the world. Whenever he took action, monsters and demons disappeared in the blink of an eye. If he said something was tricky, others probably wouldn't dare approach. That's why I wanted to test this Fatty. We had to expose him to see if he was the real deal.
After listening to the whole story, Lin Sanshui nodded and said, "After Mr. Liu wakes up, I will talk to him. I really don't know if he is willing to help, after all, his temper is very strange. You should know. Oh right, Xiao Fan, you should go find your aunt and Xiaoyao. Only you can convince that stubborn girl."
I nodded, bid farewell to Lin Sanshui, and thought about looking for Lin Xiaoyao. However, after searching the village for a while, I couldn't find this strange and unique mother-daughter duo. I wondered if Wu Miaoke had already taken Lin Xiaoyao back home. Due to certain reasons that everyone understood, I didn't want to spend too much time alone with this mother and daughter, so I didn't look for them again and went home.
When I arrived home, I found Lin Xiaoyao and Wu Miaoke sitting in my house. Lin Xiaoyao was even wiping my grandmother's face with a towel, chatting and laughing with her, while Wu Miaoke was quietly cleaning the table and chairs. I stood at the door, looking blankly. How harmonious this scene was. If these two were not mother and daughter, but sisters, and both were mine, how happy would that be?
"Xiaofan, why are you standing at the door? Come in and help!" my father called out as he came out of his room.
With just one sentence, my attempt to secretly observe the mother and daughter was exposed. Dad, I've never seen you tease me like this! As expected, when the mother and daughter saw my embarrassed face, they couldn't help but cover their mouths and giggle.
— I initially thought that they had come out to relax, but when I entered my room, I received the second piece of shocking news of the day.
Wu Miaoke and Lin Xiaoyao, the mother-daughter duo, were going to move in and live with us!
After I moved my things into my room, my Second Uncle told me this news. I didn't think he would joke about it. After hearing this news, my wild excitement was almost uncontrollable, but immediately, I felt deeply conflicted. Was this really a good thing?
I swallowed nervously and asked my Second Uncle, "Do you know why they want to move in with us?"
"I heard that Lin Sanshui brought a master back and directly occupied the room belonging to your Aunt Miaoke and Lin Sanshui. Furious, they decided to move out and let Lin Sanshui and the master have the place to themselves," my Second Uncle explained.
I knew about Fatty occupying Aunt Miaoke's room, but Lin Sanshui's house was not small, and there were still empty rooms available. These two, I couldn't help but feel speechless. Their decision to move in with us was definitely related to me. The absurdity of this situation was evident. They must be determined to force me into a corner!
I couldn't reveal my emotions in front of my Second Uncle, so I pretended to remain calm and said, "Uncle, have you heard about this master? Can I ask him to help save Lin Erduan?"
My Second Uncle glanced at me and said, "Give it a try."
Give it a try? I was really hanging by a thread! Trying meant gambling with Lin Erduan's life!
"Can we really try this?!" I asked.
"Have you developed blind admiration for me? I am not a god," my Second Uncle replied before leaving the room.
He gave me the feeling that he was a lazy person who was forced to take action, and now that someone else had stepped in, he was quick to pass the responsibility. But I had no other choice, what could I do?
Originally, I relied on my Second Uncle for everything, but suddenly, there was this Fatty, who seemed so unreliable. At this moment, I had to put all my hopes on this unknown Fatty, and I could only pray that Lin Sanshui hadn't made a mistake in this situation.
Otherwise, if Lin Erduan really perished, I would become an eternal sinner.
Thinking this, I had to go to Lin Sanshui's house again. But as soon as I stepped out the door, I saw Lin Xiaoyao and Wu Miaoke setting up the dining table, truly looking like the mistresses of the house. I stood there at a loss. How harmonious this picture was? If these people were not mother and daughter, what a happy family it would be!
"Xiaofan, why are you just standing there? Come in and help!" unexpectedly, my grandmother, who rarely made appearances, scolded me with a straight face.
When the old lady spoke, I immediately stopped in my tracks and asked, "Grandma, is there something you need?"
"Today is the first day of Xiaoyao and your aunt staying in our house, can't you even sit down for a meal with them? Xiaofan, today I want to make something clear to you. It was my fault before, for trying to stop you from getting close to Xiaoyao. I hope you don't blame me. Now, I've thought it over. If you both truly like each other, then be together. Xiaoyao is a good girl, if you ever mistreat her, I won't forgive you!" Grandma said.
Her words made Lin Xiaoyao couldn't even raise her head, gripping onto Grandma's sleeve and scolded, "Grandma, don't say anymore."
I felt for her mother's bitterness. I admit that at the moment, Lin Xiaoyao held a significant place in my heart. When a woman treated me, Lin Xifan, like this, even the hardest of hearts would melt. But the thing currently coming between us was not the mole on Lin Xiaoyao's face, but Wu Miaoke, my obsession for so many years.
I was a person with immoral thoughts but no courage. I admitted this. If Wu Miaoke hadn't approached me, I might have continued treating her as an aunt, as a mother-in-law, and keeping my illicit thoughts to myself. But now, we had already developed an actual relationship. Lin Xiaoyao knew all this.
I really couldn't handle the relationship between the three of us, and I didn't even know why Wu Miaoke had come to me. Was it because I was young and strong? Because I was a college student? Or because I looked good? Or was it purely to find a man and have children?
The meal was tasteless as ever. Looking at the mother and daughter, I felt conflicted about my feelings towards them. What's more, Wu Miaoke was related to me. It was impossible for us not to see each other. What a strange and difficult situation we were in. After the meal, I immediately slipped away to find Lin Sanshui. Since I was leaving tomorrow's business in the hands of this sly Fatty, it was important to establish a good relationship with him. After all, we were not on good terms at the moment.
When I arrived at Lin Sanshui's house, I saw him and Fatty drinking. I had heard of Lin Sanshui's personal stock of strong liquor, which was now discontinued and impossible to find. When Lin Sanshui saw me, he immediately called me over and urged me to have a few drinks with Fatty, saying that he couldn't keep up with him.
"Village head, what do you mean? Are you deliberately trying to take advantage of me by having this youngster call me 'Liu uncle', or what?" the Fatty retorted.
Lin Sanshui was taken aback and didn't know whether to put down or pick up his glass of liquor. Seeing this, I felt angry at the Fatty's attitude, but I had to lower my head since I needed his help. So, I bowed and picked up a glass of liquor, saying, "Uncle Liu, just now, Uncle San misspoke because he had too much to drink. Please don't take offense."
The Fatty threw a peanut into his mouth, looked at me and said, "Young man, can you handle your alcohol? Come, finish this bottle of liquor and let Fatty see."
As he spoke, he pushed the newly opened bottle of strong liquor towards me. Then he lay back lazily in his chair, clearly indicating that he wanted to see me drink it.
The atmosphere was tense; the Fatty's domineering manner, his way of speaking, and behavior, all pointed to him being someone who would be beaten up outside. But I had to admit, this Fatty was very confident, and his display of power over me was quite impressive.
My use of 'Uncle Liu' indicated to him that I was trying to show my goodwill. His words were very clear—just calling him 'Uncle Liu' was enough to make up for my earlier mistake. But he wanted me to drink the entire bottle of alcohol, and it was obvious he was putting me in a difficult position. Thus, the atmosphere once again became tense.
"Liu gentleman, Xiaofan is a student, and he just graduated. He can't handle too much drink. Can I finish this bottle of liquor for him?" Lin Sanshui exclaimed before reaching for the bottle of liquor.
The Fatty slapped his hand and glared at him, saying, "Did Fatty tell you to drink it? Young man, yes or no, give me a straightforward answer."
Lin Sanshui glanced at me with a helpless look. Obviously, I had been too optimistic about asking the Fatty. How could this turn out well?
In the end, I took the bottle of 56-degree liquor on the table and looked at the Fatty, saying, "Uncle Liu, was I really supposed to drink this for the thing we discussed earlier?"
The Fatty nodded, smiling and looking at me, but said nothing, indicating that I had to drink it.
"After drinking this, we'll have a deal?" I asked.
The Fatty nodded again. He was a smart man and knew what I meant by “the thing.”
In the gaze of the fat guy, I opened the bottle cap, poured the throat-scalding white liquor down my throat, and only realized how bad it tasted when it reached my mouth. But in this situation, I had to finish it in one go. If there was a break in between, I wouldn't be able to drink it again.
I don't know what happened after that. Before I passed out, I saw the fat guy looking at me with a smile, and Lin Sanshui's concerned eyes. I didn't know anything after that.
When I woke up, Lin Xiaoyao was by my side wiping my forehead. My head was splitting, but my mind was not too muddled. I still remembered what I had to do.
"How long have I been asleep?" I asked Lin Xiaoyao.
"The whole day. Why did you drink so much? My dad said it's because you wanted to apologize to that fat guy with the drink. You better not see him, or I'll punch him!" Lin Xiaoyao grumbled.
"Xiaoyao, let's not talk about that now. I need to ask you, has that fat guy gone to Lin Erda's house now?" If I had slept for a whole day, then today should be the seventh day since Lin Erda, which meant whether he was dead or alive would be known today. How could I not worry?
Saying this, I put on a pair of big pants by the bed and was about to get out of bed to check. But when I saw the underwear on me, I suddenly shivered, "Who took off my clothes?"
"You've puked dozens of times!" Lin Xiaoyao said, blushing.
I didn't have the mood to argue with her right now. Lin Xiaoyao, as a girl from the village, was not as scary as Wu Miaoke. Can she even rape me? I put on my pants and jumped out of bed, wanting to rush out. Lin Xiaoyao held me back, saying, "Can you eat something first?"
"Xiaoyao, I have to go see Erda; he's barely holding on! How can I have the mood to eat now?" I said.
"Don't be in a rush. My dad said that fat guy said he values you as a man and agreed to help Erda. Now everyone from the village has gone to the ancestral graves. They said they're going there to help Lin Erda find his spirit. Even if you go, you won't be of much help." Lin Xiaoyao said.
I couldn't careless about telling her so much. But this stubborn girl was grabbing onto me so tightly, and I couldn't even leave. I picked up a bowl of porridge, which was warm, and drank it all in one go. Then I put down the bowl and ran to the cemetery. There, I saw a crowd of people and torches.
Lin Sanshui was directing everyone to their positions. I saw my second uncle outside the crowd because he was too conspicuous. He stood alone, expressionless, watching the busy crowd. I didn't know what everyone was doing, so I had to find my second uncle and walk over to ask, "What's going on?"
"This is done by the fat guy. It looks like this guy is somewhat capable." My second uncle said to me.
"Is his method the same as the one you wanted to use in the beginning?" I asked.
"Pretty much. Keep quiet, it's starting soon." My second uncle said.
At this point, Lin Sanshui saw me, sweating profusely, and walked over to me, "Xiaofan, are you here too? Did Xiaoyao tell you? Who told you were under my watch to rest well?"
"Uncle, are you joking? How can I not come to such a big event? I am not coming here just to rest." I said with a wry smile. Then I asked, "Uncle, what's the fat guy up to this afternoon? Is it reliable?"
The sun was already beginning to set, and the villagers, men, women, and children were gathered at the ancestral tombyard. This was the so-called summoning the spirit?
"Mr. Liu asked everyone to come because Lin Erda's new soul left the body and his life is undone, so he cannot enter reincarnation. After the new soul leaves the body, it usually becomes a ghost, cowardly and belonging to the yin. Usually, it hides in the graveyard. So, everyone must come and form a circle, like the Eight Trigrams. As for why everyone needs to come, I don't know." Lin Sanshui said.
People's nerves got worked up, and everyone wasn't especially afraid of the ancestral graveyard. The ancestral hall was forbidden, and now there were so many people, the young women were gossiping, and the men were chatting as if this wasn't a serious matter at all. Lin Sanshui hadn't even said a few words when the circle was just being fixed and already becoming disorganized. Lin Sanshui exclaimed angrily, "What are you doing? If you make a mess, I swear when we come back tonight, you will regret it!"
"Sanshui, you go handle things; you don't need to inform me." I said to him.
"Fine, these people, they only get nervous when things don't happen to them. They've come here after I worked so hard to get them. What kind of a thing is this?" Lin Sanshui helplessly went to organize the chaotic villagers. After he left, I asked my second uncle, "Uncle, what's the deal with this Eight Trigrams array?"
He asked me, "Did you see us both standing on the coffin upside down? Do you know the reason?"
"How could I know?" I rolled my eyes.
"The upside-down position on the coffin in Feng Shui metaphysics is called 'reversing yin and yang.' When your grandfather faked death, he needed to push open the coffin with his hand, and I was upside down, reversing the yin and yang inside the coffin. His pushing force was converted into the force to push the bottom of the coffin. As for when Mr. Xu Lin wasn't able to pull out the coffin, it's the same principle. This is about changing one force into a reactive force. Of course, don't ask me for the scientific reasons behind this; if it can be explained scientifically, it wouldn't be called metaphysics." My second uncle said.
"Then, how is this so-called reversal of yin and yang explained in feng shui? Uncle, let's not hide anything, tell me, are you trying to kill me?" I asked.
"Because of feng shui and yin-yang, Heaven and Earth are one yin and one yang, and all things have yin and yang. Everyone knows that good feng shui is to gather the wind and water, but what people don't know is that the human body itself is the biggest yin-yang of nature. The best feng shui layout is for the spirit of a person, not just simple intelligence. In other words, why do animals in the world have wisdom, only humans? This is because of the body; it's the biggest natural feng shui layout." My second uncle said a lot of confusing things, but after he finished, I found myself even more confused. I said, "What you said, what does it have to do with what the fat guy is doing?"
"This fat guy is also considered a knowledgeable person. Based on the scope of his skills, he should be from the Yu Huang Dao lineage, practicing the original method of Yuan Shi Tianzun. He's very skilled, but rarely appears. He's having everyone here to form a Tai Chi Eight Trigrams to draw on the yang energy and suppress the ghost qi of the ancestral graves. Also, he's utilizing the human body's feng shui landscape to create a larger feng shui situation. The formations you've seen on TV with apricot yellow flags and whatnot, even if those are powerful artifacts, they aren't as powerful as a healthy living person. The living person is afraid of ghosts by three points and ghosts are afraid of them by seven points. There is reason to this." My second uncle said.
I found this very interesting and didn't pay attention to the commotion in the crowd. I regarded what my second uncle was saying as a curious novel and prompted him, "Uncle, please continue!"
"Now, that Lin Erda's new soul has left its body prematurely, it can't enter reincarnation, it can only hide in the place with the strongest ghostly energy. In Daoist arts, there's a method of capturing a soul and getting it to return to its body. Usually, it's possible to capture the soul and let it reunite with the body. But Lin Erda's situation is very special. He's not a pure yin soul. He was driven out of his body by another spirit. He's not a pure yin spirit, but has remnants of Yang, similar to a sleepwalker who, when frightened, can't come back, and it's very fragile. He himself doesn't even know whether he's dead or alive. He can't be confined, only drawn; to draw the soul back into the body. So I'm telling you, Lin Erda's situation is particularly difficult." My second uncle explained.
What he said was somewhat difficult for me to understand, but based on what he said, I understood that this was indeed a difficult matter. But as I looked at the busy circling people, I still didn't understand and asked, "But, what's the point of having so many people here? Why have they formed an Eight Trigrams pattern?"
My second uncle was in a very good mood today. Perhaps he was excited for a colleague, or maybe he felt that if he couldn't understand this matter, he would be very uncomfortable. After saying a lot, he told me, "Lin Erda's soul will run away when it sees people. He has some remnants of Yang in his body, but the rest is yin. He will definitely avoid people. With this feng shui layout around the human body, we can trap him and keep Lin Erda's soul within this circle. That's just one aspect, secondly, to get Lin Erda's soul back into his body, we have to let 'him' know that 'he' isn't dead yet. Let 'him' know the difference between himself and a ghost. So tonight, this fat guy wants to open the gates to the underworld and allow all kinds of ghosts to roam free! Only with living people's yang energy and this feng shui layout can we ensure the spirits don’t scatter!" My second uncle said.
"Isn't that impressive?" My jaw almost dropped. Then, I thought and said, "So, people like you, people with high skills, it basically means they know more, right? Like the fat guy knows this method, and Xu Lin doesn't, but we can't say the fat guy's skill is deeper than Xu Lin's; we can only say the fat guy knows more, right?"
My second uncle glanced at me and slowly said, "In time, you will understand for yourself."
After saying that, my second uncle didn't speak again. He just watched everyone. I couldn't even tell which was the real him, the one now or the one before.