“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, unable to grasp the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had kept her presence unnoticed until now, making her seem like a monkey that had sprung out of a rock.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” the old woman chuckled as she spoke. Despite being in her sixties with sharp senses, her appearance was far from flattering. Her deeply sunken eyes, lack of facial elasticity, and weathered, purplish skin with high cheekbones made her look almost skeletal. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet from the old society made her walk with a limp, as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, likely out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, Dad has brought this old woman here. I have a grudge with her; she might just chop me with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her memory fading with age, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“Don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t expose him but pouted her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre. But why did you blow it up? It was a harvest that could’ve helped with the household. Don’t worry, I’m not blaming you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, turned his anger towards Liu Dashao: “You brat, always causing trouble! I don’t force you to study, but at least learn to farm properly so you can inherit the land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao felt it was just a facade, secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi apologized profusely, pulling out a crumpled ten-yuan bill and forcing it into her hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest of an acre,” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept it!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it today, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother brightened upon seeing Granny Fan, her smile widening, while Village Chief Tian’s face turned cold, glaring at this class adversary without a word.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly clairvoyant! Knowing our family is in trouble, you’ve come to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual,” Granny Fan explained.
“So, when did you become so prescient?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan nodded humbly, not showing any resentment towards the chief’s blatant sarcasm. However, halfway through her nod, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you mentioned your family is in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, recounting the incidents involving the three families, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah!” Xiaoma’s mother, upon hearing her son had angered the spirits, immediately fell to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, wailing and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child, you must find a way to save him! We’re willing to pay any amount,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up and take me to see your child.”
In the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, eyes dull, and face pale, his body icy cold, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunched up. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting to expose her as a fraud.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me see again,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the room, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, then stepped back, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder, upon contact with water, began to jump and dance, startling everyone in the room. The rustling sound of the jumping powder filled the room, leaving everyone in awe.
“Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan replied without hesitation.
“How is that possible? Salt doesn’t jump when it meets water!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled without answering, handing him some of the remaining powder. Village Chief Tian tasted it, his eyes watering from the saltiness, confirming it was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of her as a charlatan, thinking there must be some trick involved.
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts. The ancients observed the phenomenon of distillation, where dark, dirty solutions would produce pure, crystalline grains upon heating, leading them to associate these grains with purity.
In ancient Chinese alchemy and Western alchemy texts, such crystals were often recorded, mostly salt. Thus, the belief in salt’s purifying properties has persisted.
Scientifically, salt is a general term for substances composed of ions, which can conduct electricity when dissolved or melted. Crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. If ghosts are considered electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly flexible, his back arching like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense as she slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something without pulling it out.
In those days, birth dates and times were popular in rural areas, unlike today’s tarot cards and zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately provided her son’s birth details, noticing Granny Fan nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Bring a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother obeyed without question, rushing to the kitchen, finding a copper basin, and filling it with water from a large jar, spilling some as she hurried back.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, nearly dropping it from the weight, and poured out two-thirds of the water. She placed the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, and with her right thumb pressed against her middle finger, the other three fingers raised, she lightly tapped the water’s surface. She then used her hand as a brush, writing a series of strange symbols in the water, too fast for anyone to see clearly.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand from her cloth bag, this time holding incense ash, the residue from burning sandalwood for worship. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, tossing handfuls into the basin until the surface was covered with gray particles. She then mixed her hands into the muddy water, kneading it like dough, the purpose unclear. Once the water was absorbed by the ash balls, Granny Fan wiped her sweat and turned to the others: “Quickly bring your sick children here. I’ll handle them together; doing them one by one would exhaust me.”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged on two beds pushed together, covered with new quilts, warm and comfortable, though Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious and unaware.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of incense mud from the basin and spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel, doing the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed, though their bodies were too weak and shivering, requiring the families to support them. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, sighed and straightened Tian Guoqiang, resigned to trying anything since the town doctor hadn’t arrived.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no incense burner, she simply stuck them into the ground.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense burner. After muttering some incantations, she said in a strange tone, “Whatever you see or hear later, don’t be alarmed or make noise, or it will be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times respectfully, took a sip of Erguotou, and blew on a candle, igniting a roaring flame that illuminated the dim room, casting a fierce, glaring light. Liu Dashao, watching from the bedside, felt his heart skip a beat, nearly jumping out of his chest.
“This old witch sure knows how to scare people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, pulling the quilt tighter and shrinking further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the only ventilating windows were closed. The small space was pierced by a faint beam of light, illuminating the floating dust. Strangely, despite the closed windows and door, there was a draft, causing the candle flames to flicker unpredictably. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets, accentuated by the candlelight, looked even more terrifying, accompanied by eerie cries every few seconds, enough to scare anyone on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, banging her head on the solid wood table repeatedly, seemingly unfazed by the pain. Liu Dashao’s jaw dropped again, thinking, “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she train in Shaolin? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped open, bloodshot veins spreading from the sides to the center, forming a bizarre pupil. These pupils, like giant searchlights, scanned the room. Granny Fan then clasped her hands together, repeatedly bowing in worship, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Days Open Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion, Dragon and Tiger Altar Marshal Zhao, Three Mao True Lords, Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities with talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, answer every call, respond to every plea, act without being called!”
“Child,” the old woman smiled and spoke, “we only met last year, and already you’ve forgotten Fan Grandma this year!” She was already in her sixties. Though her hearing was sharp and her vision clear, her appearance was far from pleasing. Even describing her as having a sharp face and sunken cheeks would be complimentary. Looking closer, her two eyes were deeply sunken, her face almost devoid of elastic muscles and soft tissue, leaving only skin turned a dark purplish hue from years of hardship and prominent cheekbones. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked with deep fissures, and thick calluses covered her palms. Her bound feet from the old days, known as “three-inch golden lilies,” resembled little dumplings, and she limped as she walked, as if born with a disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, mostly out of guilt, thinking to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. How did my father invite this old hag? I’ve got a grudge with her. She might just come after me with an axe! No way, if she asks, I’ll just flat-out deny everything. Yeah! Good idea.” Thinking this, he steadied himself and waved his hands, saying, “I don’t know you, Grandma! I don’t know you at all! Hehehe…”
“Which Granny Fan? Which Granny Fan?” Probably because he was just caught up in the argument, Liu Dashao’s brain short-circuited for a moment and he couldn’t quite grasp the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that there was indeed a plainly dressed old lady standing next to Liu Laoshi. Her clothes were so inconspicuous and she had remained silent the entire time, which was why he hadn’t noticed her presence earlier. Now, seeing her, he almost thought she was some old hag who had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Kid, we just met last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan this year?” The old lady chuckled and spoke up. She was already in her sixties, and though her hearing and sight were still sharp, her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks would be a compliment. Up close, her eyes were deeply sunken, her face almost devoid of any elastic muscle or soft tissue, leaving only skin weathered to a purplish hue and high cheekbones. The back of her hands was as rough as old pine bark, cracked with deep fissures, and her palms were calloused. Her feet, bound in the old society, were like small dumplings, and she walked with a limp, as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad bring this old hag here? I have a grudge with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good idea.” With that, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Hehe, hehehe…”
He decided to gamble on the old lady’s memory being poor due to her age, hoping to bluff his way through. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to be the type to fall for that.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t expose him but puffed up her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have such a big appetite for a whole acre of land. But why did you blow it up? It was still a harvest, something to help with the household expenses. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Over there, Liu Laoshi finally understood and immediately turned his cannon towards Liu Dashao: “You little brat, why do you always cause trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just settle down and learn how to farm properly, so you can inherit our land, get married, and live a decent life. But… Granny Fan is the old fairy of our Xiushui Village! You’re making your old man lose face!”
“Alright, alright, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said with a kind expression, but in Liu Dashao’s eyes, it was just an act. Deep down, she was probably enjoying seeing him in trouble.
“Granny Fairy, I’m sorry, really sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing and then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his bag, forcefully handing it to Granny Fan.
“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.
“It’s a small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest of an acre of land, alas!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept it!” Granny Fan declined.
“That won’t do. Today, you must take it, whether you want to or not.” After Liu Laoshi’s repeated insistence, Granny Fan finally stopped arguing and tucked the ten yuan into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Little Pockmark’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, naturally brightened up, her smile so wide it seemed to split her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately pulled a long face, coldly staring at this class antagonist, not cracking a smile.
“Granny Fan, you really have a knack for divination! Knowing our family is in trouble, you came to help. Please, come inside and sit; I’ll make you some tea,” Little Pockmark’s mother warmly greeted.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Hehe, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual (folk yin-yang masters often refer to summoning spirits as ‘drawing flowers’), to see what’s going on at home.”
“I was wondering when you became so prescient and capable!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan said, bowing her head under the eaves, especially in front of the village chief. She didn’t show any resentment towards Village Chief Tian’s blatant sarcasm but instead nodded. However, halfway through her nod, she frowned and looked at Little Pockmark’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you just said your family is in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Little Pockmark’s mother said with a pained expression, then recounted the situation of the three families to Granny Fan in detail. As for Liu Dashao’s experience, she embellished it with her own additions. Granny Fan, standing by, didn’t show any panic but nodded and shook her head from time to time, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I can assure you that your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And that pile of paper money in front of your house is probably a warning from the spirits!”
“Wah…” Little Pockmark’s mother, hearing that her son had indeed offended the spirits, immediately threw herself to the ground, tightly hugging Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wailing, not forgetting to wipe her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“I only have this one child. You must think of a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Little Pockmark’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan said with a bitter smile. “Alright, I promise. Get up now. First, take me to see your child.”
In the room, Little Pockmark was also wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, soaking the quilt. But he kept crying, “Cold, cold, cold…” His expression was that of someone frozen stiff. His lips were purplish, his eyes dull, as if covered by a layer of gauze. His face was pale, and his hands were icy cold, more chilling than a wealthy family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition!” Granny Fan said, touching Little Pockmark’s weak face with her fingers, her nose and eyes scrunched up. Village Chief Tian followed behind, just watching the show, waiting for the right moment to expose this old witch’s scam.
“Then… what should we do…” Little Pockmark’s mother’s voice lost its confidence, her vision darkening, almost fainting. Even Dog Egg’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look!” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes for a moment, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she took out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Little Pockmark’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the area with the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it on Little Pockmark’s face. Before this action completely subsided, she grabbed a handful of white stuff from her pocket and sprinkled it on Little Pockmark’s already wet face. This was extraordinary; the white stuff immediately started jumping around as soon as it touched the water, like pouring a spoonful of water into hot oil. Though it didn’t jump high, it left everyone dumbfounded and shocked. The rustling sound of the jumping spread throughout the room. At that moment, apart from everyone’s heavy breathing, the only sound was the crackling symphony performed by Granny Fan.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian, full of doubts, couldn’t help but speak up, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan didn’t hide it and directly answered.
“How is that possible? You must be fooling me. How can salt jump when it meets water?” Village Chief Tian said with disbelief.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t answer him. She just grabbed a bit of the remaining white stuff from her pocket and handed it to Village Chief Tian. Village Chief Tian took it, personally inspected it, and even tasted it. It was so salty it made his eyes water; it was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his impression of this old woman who was playing tricks. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here. Yes, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has been considered a symbol of “purity” since ancient times, in both Eastern and Western cultures. Therefore, it is also believed to be able to block “impure” things, such as demons and ghosts.
As for why crystalline salt is considered a symbol of purity, it’s because ancient people, through their production and life experiences, discovered the phenomenon of distillation and crystallization. Many black, dirty solutions, after heating, would produce pure, crystalline particles. The ancients didn’t understand the principle behind this and thus considered these “pure” particles as a concrete manifestation of “purity.”
There are related records in the “experimental records” of some ancient Chinese alchemists, as well as in foreign alchemy texts, and these crystals are mostly salt. Therefore, this belief has been passed down from generation to generation.
To explain it scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances, usually composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields and effectively neutralize charges. Ghosts are likely a combination of electromagnetic waves, containing some kind of charge, which is precisely countered by salt. So, theoretically, this makes sense.
In the messy bedding, Little Pockmark’s body still twisted like an earthworm, as if all his joints could move freely, cracking and popping. His back, pressed against the bed board, didn’t stay still either, suddenly arching high, looking from a distance like a stone arch bridge spanning a small river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Little Pockmark’s series of movements, her pair of dim eyes filled with vigilance, her wrinkled face tightly stretched, slowly reached her left hand into the cloth bag she carried, not pulling it out, as if holding something.
At that time, birth dates and times were very popular in the countryside, not like today’s Tarot cards, twelve zodiac signs, etc. Little Pockmark’s mother didn’t hesitate and immediately reported her son’s birth date and time, vaguely seeing Granny Fan, who was facing away from her, nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Is there water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Little Pockmark’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s command and hurriedly stumbled to the kitchen, found a copper basin, poured a full basin of water from the large water vat, and wobbled over, spilling water as she walked.
“I didn’t tell you to fetch so much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, almost losing her grip from the weight, complained a bit, then poured out two-thirds of the water, set the basin down, muttered an obscure incantation, pressed her right thumb against her middle finger, raised the other three fingers high, lightly tapped the water surface, then used her hand as a brush to write a series of strange symbols. However, since it was written in water and the old lady’s movements were too fast, the four people around couldn’t make out the outline.
“Alright!” Granny Fan took a breath, took out her left hand from the cloth bag, this time not with green salt but with handfuls of incense ash, the remains of sandalwood burned in worship of gods and bodhisattvas. This stuff looked sticky and dirty, staining Granny Fan’s already yellowish hand with a hint of black even darker. She didn’t mind, just kept throwing handfuls into the basin, and soon the gray particles floated all over the basin’s surface. Granny Fan didn’t stop, just mixed her hands into the muddy water, vigorously kneading it, the movements almost identical to kneading dough in the countryside, though no one knew what medicine she was really selling. When the water in the basin was almost all absorbed by the ball of incense ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the crowd: “You all quickly bring your sick children here. I need to deal with them together, otherwise, one by one, this old body of mine will be exhausted!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally got their precious children settled. Little Pockmark’s mother pushed two beds together, spread new thick quilts on them, so it was no problem to lay three children on them. It was warm and comfortable, but unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state and couldn’t feel any of it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of evenly mixed incense mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s clothes, and covered his navel with this handful of incense mud. She did the same for Little Pockmark and Dog Egg.
“People from the three families, straighten your children’s bodies. This old woman is going to perform a ritual!” After Granny Fan’s command, Dog Egg’s father and Little Pockmark’s mother quickly picked up their children and slowly straightened them, sitting them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were too soft and kept shivering, so the family members had to use their hands as supports to barely get the children into position. Village Chief Tian, though very reluctant, seeing that the town’s doctor hadn’t shown up yet, could only sigh secretly and, with the attitude of treating a dead horse as a live one, straightened Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three sticks of incense, and since there was no shortage of incense burners here, she quickly found one and inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped patterns from red paper, and placed them in front of the incense burner. After mumbling for a while, she said in a strange tone: “Later, no matter what you see or hear, don’t be alarmed or make any noise, or it will be very troublesome.”
After getting everyone’s assurance, she walked to the temporary altar made from a table, humbly bowed three times, took a sip of erguotou, blew on the candle, and a fierce fire dragon ignited, glaring in the dimly lit small room, looking particularly fierce and terrifying. Liu Dashao, standing by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn it, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered in his heart, grabbed the corner of the quilt, and shrank further into the bed.
At this moment, the bedroom door was tightly closed, and the only ventilating windows on both sides were also pulled shut. In the entire narrow space, only a faint beam of light pierced through, illuminating the floating dust in the surroundings. However, one thing was quite strange: since the windows and door were closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, but the two continuously burning candle flames kept flickering, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes floating, sometimes falling, without any regularity. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets were made even more terrifying by the candlelight, and with the intermittent cries that sounded like a mix of human and ghost, if this were on a midnight street, it would surely scare a large crowd to death.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Two hands shaped like chicken claws pressed tightly on the table. Granny Fan chanted while heavily knocking her head on the solid wood table, each knock louder than the last, as if she didn’t feel any pain. This made Liu Dashao open his mouth wide again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? If I could learn that, even ten bricks wouldn’t knock me down!”
“Pa!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes fully opened, and spiderweb-like blood vessels instantly spread from the sides of her eyes to the center, forming a strange pupil. These two pupils were like two huge searchlights, emitting a sharp light, scanning the room. Then, their owner, Granny Fan, clasped her hands together and continuously made worshiping gestures, chanting:
“Pay homage to the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Patriarch, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Old Man, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Days Open Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion, Dragon Tiger Altar Marshal Zhao, Three Mao Zhenjun, Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all immortals holding talismans and spells, heal the sick and revive the dead, subdue demons and expel evil, call a thousand times and respond a thousand times, call ten thousand times and respond ten thousand times, call not and still respond!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, unable to grasp the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had kept her presence unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like an old monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan this year!” The old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, her hearing and vision still sharp, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a pointed face and monkey-like features would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, lack of facial elasticity, and weathered, purplish skin with high cheekbones were evident. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet from the old society resembled small dumplings, causing her to walk with a limp as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, likely due to a guilty conscience. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag here? I have a grudge with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good idea.” With this thought, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Hehe, hehehe…”
He decided to gamble on the old woman’s failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“Don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t expose him but pouted her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have such a big appetite for a whole acre. But why did you blow it up? It was still a harvest, something to supplement the household. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, immediately turned his cannon towards Liu Dashao: “You rascal, why do you always cause trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just settle down and learn farming skills so you can inherit our land, marry, and live a decent life. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making your old man lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said with a kind expression, though Liu Dashao felt it was all an act. Deep down, she was probably enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing and then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, forcing it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest of an acre, alas!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan declined.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, naturally brightened up, her smile widening. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately pulled a long face, coldly staring at this class adversary without a hint of a smile.
“Granny Fan, you really have a knack for divination! Knowing our family is in trouble, you came to help. Please come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly greeted.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Hehe, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I came to help Brother Liu with a ritual (folk spiritual practitioners often refer to summoning spirits as ‘drawing flowers’), to see what’s going on at home.”
“I didn’t know you had the ability to foresee things!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan, under the eaves, had to bow her head. Especially in front of the village chief, she showed no sign of displeasure at his blatant sarcasm. Instead, she nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and looked at Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you mentioned your family is in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother said with a pained expression, then recounted the situation of the three families to Granny Fan, embellishing Liu Dashao’s experiences. Granny Fan listened without showing any panic, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I can assure you, your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And the pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from the spirits!”
“Wah…” Hearing that her son had offended the spirits, Xiaoma’s mother immediately fell to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“I only have this one child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan smiled wryly. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up now. First, take me to see your child.”
In the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, making the quilt damp. But he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His hands were icy cold, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator in town.
“This child is in serious condition!” Granny Fan’s fingers lightly touched Xiaoma’s weak face, her nose and eyes scrunched together as she spoke calmly. Village Chief Tian followed behind, just watching, waiting for the right moment to expose this old witch’s scam.
“Then… what should we do…” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice lost its strength, her vision blurred, and she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look!” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the spot with the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was fully completed, she grabbed a handful of white substance from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. Instantly, the white substance began to jump and dance like water poured into hot oil, not jumping high but startling everyone in the room. The rustling sound of the jumping filled the room, and apart from everyone’s heavy breathing, only Granny Fan’s clattering symphony remained.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian, full of doubts, couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan didn’t hide it and answered directly.
“How is that possible? You must be tricking me. Salt doesn’t jump when it meets water!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled without answering. She just grabbed some of the remaining white substance from her pocket and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, examined it, and even tasted it. It was so salty it brought tears to his eyes, confirming it was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of this old woman who was playing tricks. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It is believed to ward off “impure” things like demons and ghosts.
As for why crystalline salt is considered a symbol of purity, it’s because ancient people, through their production and life experiences, discovered the phenomenon of distillation. Many dark, dirty solutions, when heated, would produce pure, crystalline particles. Not understanding the principle, ancient people believed these “pure” particles were the embodiment of purity.
There are records of such experiments in the “experimental records” of ancient Chinese alchemists and in foreign alchemy texts, and these crystals are mostly salt. Thus, the belief spread and has continued to this day.
Scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances, usually composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. Ghosts might be a combination of electromagnetic waves, containing certain charges, which are countered by salt, making the theory plausible.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body still twisted like an earthworm, as if all his joints could move freely, making popping sounds. His back against the bedboard didn’t stay still either, suddenly arching high, looking like a stone arch bridge over a small river from a distance.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Xiaoma’s series of movements, her dim eyes filled with vigilance, her wrinkled face tense, slowly reached her left hand into the cloth bag she carried, not pulling it out, as if holding something.
At that time, birth dates and times were very popular in the countryside, not like today’s Tarot cards or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother didn’t hesitate and immediately reported her son’s birth date and time. She vaguely saw Granny Fan, with her back to her, nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Is there water? Bring a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s command, hurriedly stumbling to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from the big water jar, and wobbled back, spilling water as she walked.
“I didn’t tell you to bring so much water!” Granny Fan, taking the basin, almost dropped it from the weight, complained a bit, poured out two-thirds of the water, then set the basin down, muttered a difficult-to-understand incantation, pressed her right thumb against her middle finger, raised the other three fingers high, lightly tapped the water surface, then used her hand as a brush, writing a series of strange symbols in the water. However, because it was written in water and the old woman moved too quickly, the four people around couldn’t make out the outline.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled out her left hand from the cloth bag, this time not with green salt but with handfuls of incense ash, the remains of sandalwood burned in worship of gods and bodhisattvas. This stuff looked sticky and dirty, making Granny Fan’s already yellowish hand with a hint of black even darker. She didn’t mind, just kept throwing handfuls into the basin. Soon, the gray particles floated all over the basin’s surface. Granny Fan didn’t stop, just mixed her hands into the muddy water, vigorously kneading it, almost like kneading dough in a rural household. It was unclear what medicine she was selling. When the water in the basin was almost absorbed by the incense ash balls, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the crowd: “You all quickly bring your sick children here. I need to deal with them together, otherwise, one by one, this old body of mine will be exhausted!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally arranged their precious children properly. Xiaoma’s mother pushed two beds together, spread new thick quilts, so it was easy to lay three children on them. It was warm and comfortable, but unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state and couldn’t feel any of it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of evenly mixed incense mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s clothes, and covered his navel with the incense mud. She did the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. I’m going to perform the ritual!” After Granny Fan’s command, Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly picked up their children, slowly straightened them, and sat them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were too soft and kept shivering, so the families had to use their hands as supports to keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing that the town’s doctor still hadn’t arrived, sighed inwardly and adopted a “better try than not” attitude, straightening Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no shortage of incense burners here, she quickly found one and inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped patterns from red paper, placed them in front of the incense burner, mumbled for a while, then said in a strange tone: “Later, no matter what you see or hear, don’t be alarmed or make noise, or it will be troublesome.”
After getting everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar made from a table, humbly bowed three times, took a sip of Erguotou, blew on the candle, and a blazing fire dragon ignited, looking particularly glaring and fierce in the dimly lit room. Liu Dashao, standing by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered in his heart, grabbed the corner of the quilt, and shrank further into the bed.
At this moment, the bedroom door was tightly closed, and the only ventilating windows on both sides were also pulled shut. In the entire narrow space, only a faint beam of light pierced through, illuminating the floating dust in the room. However, it was strange that since the windows and door were closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, but the two burning candles kept flickering, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes floating, sometimes falling, without any regularity. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets were made even more terrifying by the candlelight, and with the occasional eerie cries that came every few seconds, if this were on a midnight street, it would surely scare a large crowd.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s two hands, shaped like chicken claws, pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, repeatedly knocking her head on the solid wood table, each knock louder than the last, as if she didn’t feel any pain. This made Liu Dashao open his mouth wide again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? If I could learn that, I’d be invincible, ten bricks couldn’t knock me down!”
“Pa!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes fully opened, and spiderweb-like blood vessels instantly spread from the sides of her eyes to the center, forming a strange pupil. These two pupils were like two huge searchlights, emitting a sharp light, scanning the room. Then, their owner, Granny Fan, clasped her hands together, continuously making gestures of worship, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Honored Ones, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Patriarch, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Heavens Opening Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion of the Nine Heavens, Dragon and Tiger Altar Marshal Zhao, Three Mao Zhenjun, Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Stars, all immortals holding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, call a thousand times, respond a thousand times, call ten thousand times, respond ten thousand times, no call, self-respond!”
“Which Granny Fan? Which Granny Fan are you talking about?” Probably still reeling from the earlier squabble, Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, unable to grasp the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had made her presence go unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like an old monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan this year?” the old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, her hearing and eyesight still sharp, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a pointed face and monkey-like features would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, her face devoid of any elasticity, with only weathered, purplish skin and high cheekbones, were striking. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet from the old society looked like small dumplings, causing her to hobble as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, mostly out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag here? I’ve got a score to settle with her. She’s probably going to chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on the old woman’s failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue, just puffed out her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s worth. But why did you blow it up? It was still a harvest, something to help with the household. Don’t worry, Granny doesn’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, catching on, immediately turned his ire towards Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, why do you always cause trouble? I don’t force you to study, but at least learn some farming skills so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making your old man lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said with a kind smile, though to Liu Dashao, it seemed like a facade, secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and forced it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest from that acre of land,” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan protested.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally relented and tucked the money into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Little Pockmark’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, brightened up, her smile stretching the fat under her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately scowled, coldly eyeing this class adversary without a word.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a fortune-teller! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Little Pockmark’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Heh, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual (folk exorcists often refer to summoning spirits as ‘drawing flowers’), to see what’s going on at home.”
“I didn’t know you had the ability to foresee the future!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan, under the eaves, had to bow her head. Especially in front of the village chief, she showed no sign of resentment towards his blatant sarcasm, instead nodding slightly. However, halfway through her nod, she frowned and turned to Little Pockmark’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Little Pockmark’s mother lamented, then recounted the situation of the three families to Granny Fan, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story with extra details. Granny Fan, standing by, showed no panic, just nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And the pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them!”
“Wah…” Hearing that her son had angered the spirits, Little Pockmark’s mother immediately fell to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan, unfazed, helped her up.
“I only have this one child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Little Pockmark’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up now. First, take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Little Pockmark was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His hands were icy cold, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, her nose and eyes scrunching up as she lightly touched Little Pockmark’s weak face. Village Chief Tian, watching from behind, waited for the right moment to expose this old fraud.
“Then… what should we do…” Little Pockmark’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Dog Egg’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look!” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the room, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Little Pockmark’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the area with the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it onto Little Pockmark’s face. Before the action was complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Little Pockmark’s wet face. The white powder, upon contact with water, immediately began to jump and dance, like water splashed into hot oil. Though the jumps weren’t high, they left everyone in the room stunned and terrified. The rustling sound of the jumping filled the room, and apart from everyone’s heavy breathing, only Granny Fan’s crackling symphony remained.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian, full of doubt, couldn’t help but break the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan answered directly without hesitation.
“How is that possible? You must be fooling me. Salt doesn’t jump when it touches water!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t respond. She just grabbed some of the remaining white powder and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, inspected it, and even tasted it. It was indeed green salt, so salty it brought tears to his eyes. However, this didn’t change his opinion of this old woman’s trickery. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here. Yes, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It’s believed to ward off “impure” things like demons and ghosts.
The reason crystalline salt is seen as a symbol of purity is that ancient people, through their life experiences, discovered the phenomenon of distillation. Many dark, dirty solutions, when heated, would produce pure, crystalline particles. Not understanding the science behind it, they considered these “pure” particles as a manifestation of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists’ “experimental records” and foreign alchemy texts both mention these crystalline substances, most of which are salt. Thus, the belief spread and has persisted to this day.
Scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances, typically composed of ions, which conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. Ghosts might be a combination of electromagnetic waves, containing certain charges that are counteracted by salt, making the theory plausible.
In the messy bedding, Little Pockmark’s body twisted like a worm, as if all his joints could move freely, making cracking sounds. His back, pressed against the bed, suddenly arched high, resembling a stone bridge over a small river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Little Pockmark’s movements, her dim eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense, slowly reached into her cloth bag with her left hand, not pulling anything out, as if holding something.
In those days, rural areas were obsessed with birth dates and times, not the modern Tarot cards or zodiac signs. Little Pockmark’s mother immediately recited her son’s birth details, vaguely seeing Granny Fan nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Little Pockmark’s mother, obedient to Granny Fan’s command, hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from the large water jar, and wobbled back, spilling water along the way.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan, nearly dropping the heavy basin, scolded, then poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, pressed her thumb against her middle finger, raised the other three fingers, lightly tapped the water’s surface, and then used her hand as a brush to write a series of strange symbols in the water. Her movements were so fast that the four people around her couldn’t make out the shapes.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand out of the cloth bag, this time not with green salt but with handfuls of incense ash, the remains of sandalwood burned in worship of deities. The sticky, dirty ash made her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand even darker. She didn’t mind, just kept sprinkling it into the basin until the surface was covered with gray particles. She then mixed her hands into the muddy water, vigorously kneading it, much like kneading dough, though no one knew what she was really up to. When the water in the basin was almost absorbed by the ash balls, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I’ll deal with them together. If I do them one by one, this old body of mine will collapse!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally arranged their precious children properly. Little Pockmark’s mother pushed two beds together, covered them with new quilts, so three children could lie down comfortably, warm and cozy. Unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious and couldn’t feel any of it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of well-mixed incense mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s shirt, and covered his navel with it. She did the same for Little Pockmark and Dog Egg.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan ordered. Dog Egg’s father and Little Pockmark’s mother quickly picked up their children, slowly sat them up straight on the bed. However, their bodies were too weak, shivering uncontrollably, so the family members had to use their hands as supports to keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing that the town doctor was nowhere to be found, sighed inwardly and decided to treat the dead horse as if it were alive, straightening Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, pulled out three incense sticks, and since there was no incense burner, she just stuck them into the ground.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, placed them in front of the incense burner, mumbled a string of words, then said in a strange tone: “Later, no matter what you see or hear, don’t be alarmed or make any noise. Otherwise, it’ll be troublesome.”
After getting everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar made from a table, humbly bowed three times, took a sip of Erguotou, blew on the candle, and a fierce flame erupted, casting a glaring, menacing light in the dim room. Liu Dashao, standing by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, grabbing a corner of the quilt and shrinking further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the only ventilating windows were also closed. The small space was pierced by a faint beam of light, illuminating the floating dust in the air. Strangely, with the windows and door closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, yet the two burning candles flickered incessantly, brightening and dimming, rising and falling unpredictably. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets, highlighted by the candlelight, looked even more terrifying, and her intermittent, ghostly cries would have scared a crowd to death if heard on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s chicken-claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, repeatedly knocking her head on the solid wood table, each thud louder than the last, as if she felt no pain. Liu Dashao, watching, opened his mouth wide again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she train in Shaolin’s iron head skill? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable—ten bricks couldn’t knock me down!”
“Pa!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped wide open, the blood vessels spreading from the sides to the center, forming a strange pupil. These pupils, like two giant searchlights, emitted a sharp light, scanning the room. Then, Granny Fan clasped her hands together, repeatedly bowing in worship, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Honored Ones, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Patriarch Yue, Master Li, Elder Dongshan, Younger Sister Nanshan, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Qilang, Luoshan Jiulang, the Three Heavens’ Emperor, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion, the Dragon and Tiger Altar’s Marshal Zhao, the Three Mao True Lords, the Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities holding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, respond to every call, manifest with every plea, manifest without being called!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier spat, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment, failing to grasp the situation immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had kept her presence unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like a creature that had sprung from the cracks of a rock.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” the old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, her hearing and sight still sharp, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp face and monkey-like features would be generous. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, lack of facial elasticity, and weathered, purplish skin with high cheekbones were evident. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet, relics of the old society, resembled small dumplings, causing her to hobble as if born with a disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, mostly out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad bring this old woman here? I’ve got a grudge with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her failing memory due to old age, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“Don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue but puffed her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I can’t finish a whole acre’s harvest anyway. But why did you blow it up? It was still a crop, could’ve helped with the household expenses. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, turned his anger towards Liu Dashao: “You brat, always causing trouble! If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just focus on learning farming skills, inherit our land, and you’ll never starve when you marry and settle down. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao saw it as a facade, suspecting she was secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry,” Liu Laoshi apologized profusely, pulling out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and forcing it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest of an acre of land,” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother brightened upon seeing Granny Fan, her smile widening. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately frowned, coldly staring at this class antagonist without a word.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly clairvoyant! Knowing our family is in trouble, you’ve come to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual,” Granny Fan said.
“So, you’ve suddenly become a fortune-teller?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan nodded humbly, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you mentioned your family is in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s the children being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, recounting the events of the three families in detail, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah!” Xiaoma’s mother, hearing her son had angered the spirits, immediately fell to her knees, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. Please, think of a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up and take me to see your child.”
In the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were purple, eyes dull, and face pale. His hands were icy cold, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunching up. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting to expose this old fraud.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, nearly fainting. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. She then took out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, and stepped back to the bed. She took a sip of tea and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder, upon contact with water, began to jump and dance like water in a hot oil pan, startling everyone. The rustling sound filled the room, and apart from everyone’s heavy breathing, only Granny Fan’s crackling symphony remained.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tension.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan answered directly.
“How could that be? Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled without answering, handing some of the remaining white powder to Village Chief Tian. He tasted it, tears welling up from the saltiness, confirming it was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of this old charlatan. “Hmph, there must be some trick here, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off “impure” entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason salt crystals are seen as pure stems from ancient observations of distillation, where dark, dirty solutions would produce clean, crystalline particles upon heating. Without understanding the science, ancient people saw these “untainted” particles as embodiments of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists and foreign alchemists’ records often mention these crystals, mostly salt. Thus, the belief spread and persists to this day.
Scientifically, salt is a general term for substances composed of ions, which conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. If ghosts are electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like an earthworm, his joints seemingly flexible, his back arching like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her dark eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense. She slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something without pulling it out.
In those days, rural areas were more about birth dates and times than modern tarot cards or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately provided her son’s birth details, seeing Granny Fan nod and smooth a strand of silver hair.
“Get some water, fill a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from a large vat, and wobbled back, spilling water as she went.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, nearly dropping it from the weight, and poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, and with her right thumb pressed against her middle finger, the other three fingers raised, she lightly tapped the water’s surface. She then used her hand as a brush, writing a series of strange symbols in the water, too fast for the four onlookers to discern.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand from the bag, this time holding incense ash, the residue from burning sandalwood offerings to deities. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, tossing handful after handful into the basin until the surface was covered in gray particles. She then mixed her hands into the muddy water, kneading it vigorously, much like kneading dough. Once the water was absorbed by the ash balls, Granny Fan wiped her sweaty face and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I’ll handle them together; doing them one by one would exhaust this old body!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged. Xiaoma’s mother combined two beds, laid out new quilts, making it comfortable for three children to lie down, though Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious and unaware.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of incense mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s shirt, and covered his navel with it, doing the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly propped up their children, sitting them upright on the bed, though their bodies were too soft and shivering, requiring their families to support them. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing no sign of the town’s doctor, sighed and propped up Tian Guoqiang, treating it as a last resort.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no incense burner, she simply stuck them into the ground.
She found scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense burner. After muttering for a while, she said in a strange tone: “Later, whatever you see or hear, don’t be alarmed or make noise, or it’ll be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurances, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times respectfully, took a sip of Erguotou, and blew on a candle, igniting a fierce flame that shone brightly in the dim room, startling Liu Dashao by the bed, whose heart nearly leapt out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao thought, grabbing a corner of the quilt and shrinking further into the bed.
Now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the only ventilating windows were closed. The small space was pierced by a faint beam of light, illuminating the floating dust. Strangely, with the windows and door closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, yet the two burning candles flickered unsteadily, their flames dancing unpredictably. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eyes, accentuated by the candlelight, looked even more terrifying, accompanied by eerie cries every few seconds. If this were on a midnight street, it would surely scare a crowd.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, knocking her head heavily on the solid wood table, each knock louder than the last, as if she felt no pain. Liu Dashao’s mouth hung open again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she train in Shaolin’s iron head skill? If I learned that, I could withstand ten bricks!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped open, blood vessels spreading from the sides to the center like a spider’s web, forming a strange pupil. These pupils, like two giant searchlights, scanned the room. Then, Granny Fan clasped her hands together, repeatedly bowing in worship, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms’ Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Ancestral Master, Li Gong the True Man, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Heavens’ Founding Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion of the Nine Heavens, Dragon-Tiger Altar’s Marshal Zhao, Three Mao True Lords, Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities holding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, respond to every call, manifest with every plea, manifest without being called!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, failing to grasp the situation immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her unremarkable attire and silence had made her presence go unnoticed until now, making her seem like she had just sprung out of a rock, a mother monkey from a stone crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan this year!” The old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, her hearing and vision still sharp, but her appearance was less than flattering. Even describing her as having a pointed face and monkey-like features would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, the lack of elasticity in her facial muscles, and the weathered, purplish skin with high cheekbones were evident. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet from the old society resembled small dumplings, making her walk with a limp as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, mostly out of guilt, thinking, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag here? I have a score to settle with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that thought, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Hehe, hehehe…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and declining memory, hoping to bluff his way through. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“Don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t expose him but puffed her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre of them. But why did you blow it up? It was still a harvest, something to help with the household expenses. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, immediately turned his cannon towards Liu Dashao: “You brat, why do you always cause trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just settle down and learn farming skills so you can inherit our land, marry, and live a decent life. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making your old man lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said with a kind expression, though Liu Dashao saw it as a facade, thinking she was secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and insisted on giving it to Granny Fan.
“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.
“It’s a small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest from an acre of land,” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept it!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, lit up with a smile that stretched the fat under her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately pulled a long face, coldly staring at this class adversary without a hint of a smile.
“Granny Fan, you really have a knack for divination! Knowing our family is in trouble, you came to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly greeted.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Hehe, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I came to help Brother Liu with a ritual (folk yin-yang practitioners often refer to summoning spirits as ‘painting flowers’), to check on the house.”
“I didn’t know you had the ability to foresee the future!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan, under the eaves, had to bow her head. Especially in front of the village chief, she showed no sign of resentment towards his blatant sarcasm. Instead, she nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and looked at Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family is in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, then recounted the situation of the three families to Granny Fan in detail. She even embellished Liu Dashao’s experiences, making them sound more dramatic. Granny Fan, standing by, showed no sign of panic, only nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I can assure you, your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And the pile of paper money in front of your house is probably a warning from them!”
“Ah…” Hearing that her son had offended the spirits, Xiaoma’s mother immediately fell to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do that,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“I only have this one child. You must think of a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan smiled wryly. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up now. First, take me to see your child.”
In the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, making the quilt damp. But he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were purple, his eyes dull as if covered with a veil, and his face was pale. His hands were icy cold, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator in town.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s weak face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunched up. Village Chief Tian followed behind, watching the scene, waiting for the right moment to expose this old witch’s scam.
“Then… what should we do…” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice lost its strength, her vision darkening, almost fainting. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look!” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the area with the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action fully subsided, she grabbed a handful of white substance from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The white substance, upon contact with water, immediately started jumping around like water poured into hot oil, not high but enough to leave everyone stunned. The rustling sound of the jumping filled the room, and apart from everyone’s heavy breathing, only Granny Fan’s crackling symphony remained.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian, full of doubts, couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan didn’t shy away, answering directly.
“How is that possible? You must be fooling me. Salt doesn’t jump when it meets water!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled without answering. She just grabbed some of the remaining white substance from her pocket and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, examined it, and even tasted it. It was indeed green salt, so salty it brought tears to his eyes. However, this didn’t change his impression of this old woman who seemed to be playing tricks. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here, that’s for sure!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It is believed to ward off “impure” things like demons and ghosts.
The reason why crystalline salt is considered a symbol of purity is that in ancient times, people observed the phenomenon of distillation, where many dark, dirty solutions would produce white, crystalline particles when heated. Not understanding the principle, they believed these “pure” particles were a manifestation of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists’ “experimental records” and foreign alchemy texts both have related records, and these crystals are mostly salt. Thus, the belief spread widely and continues to this day.
Scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances, usually composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. Ghosts might be a combination of electromagnetic waves containing certain charges, which are counteracted by salt, making the theory plausible.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body still twisted like an earthworm, as if all his joints could move freely, cracking and popping. His back against the bed board wasn’t still either, suddenly arching high, looking from afar like a stone arch bridge over a small river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Xiaoma’s series of movements, her dim eyes filled with vigilance, her wrinkled face tense, slowly reached into her cloth bag with her left hand, not pulling anything out, as if holding something.
At that time, birth dates and times were very popular in the countryside, unlike today’s tarot cards, zodiac signs, etc. Xiaoma’s mother didn’t hesitate and immediately reported her son’s birth date and time, vaguely seeing Granny Fan nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Bring a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s command, hurriedly stumbling to the kitchen, found a copper basin, poured a full basin of water from the large water jar, and wobbled back, spilling water along the way.
“I didn’t tell you to bring so much water!” Granny Fan, taking the basin, almost dropped it from the weight, complained a bit, poured out two-thirds of the water, then set the basin down, muttered an obscure incantation, pressed her right thumb against her middle finger, raised the other three fingers high, lightly tapped the water surface, then used her hand as a brush to write a series of strange symbols in the water. However, because it was written in water and the old woman’s movements were too fast, the four people around couldn’t make out the outline.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled out her left hand from the cloth bag, this time not with green salt but with handfuls of incense ash, the remains of sandalwood burned in worship of gods and bodhisattvas. This stuff looked sticky and dirty, making Granny Fan’s already yellowish hand with a hint of black even darker. She didn’t mind, just kept throwing handfuls into the basin, soon the gray particles floated all over the basin surface. Granny Fan didn’t stop, just mixed her hands into the muddy water, vigorously kneading, the action almost identical to rural families kneading dough, no one knew what medicine she was selling. When the water in the basin was almost absorbed by the incense ash balls, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the crowd: “You all quickly bring your sick children here, I need to deal with them together, otherwise one by one, my old bones will be exhausted!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally arranged their precious children properly. Xiaoma’s mother pushed two beds together, spread new thick quilts, so lying three children on them was naturally not difficult, and it was warm and comfortable, but unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state and couldn’t feel any of it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of evenly mixed incense mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s clothes, and covered his navel with the incense mud. She did the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“People from the three families, straighten your children’s bodies, I’m going to perform the ritual!” After Granny Fan’s command, Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly picked up their children, slowly straightened them, and sat them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were too soft, still shivering uncontrollably, so the family members had to use their hands as supports to barely keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing that the town’s doctor still hadn’t appeared, could only sigh inwardly, adopting a “dead horse as a live horse doctor” attitude, straightened Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no shortage of incense burners here, she quickly found one and inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped patterns from red paper, placed them in front of the incense burner, mumbled for a while, then said in a strange tone: “Later, no matter what you see or hear, don’t be alarmed, don’t scream, otherwise, it will be troublesome.”
After getting everyone’s assurance, she walked to the temporary altar made of a table, humbly bowed three times, took a sip of erguotou, blew on the candle, and a fierce fire dragon ignited, particularly glaring and ferocious in the dimly lit small room. Liu Dashao, standing by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered in his heart, grabbed the corner of the quilt, and shrank further into the bed.
At this moment, the bedroom door was tightly closed, and the only ventilating windows on both sides were also pulled shut. In the entire narrow space, only a faint beam of light pierced through, illuminating the floating dust around. However, it was quite strange; since the windows and doors were closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, but the two burning candles kept flickering, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes floating, sometimes falling, without any certainty. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets were even more terrifying under the candlelight, and with the occasional eerie cries that came out every few seconds, if this were on a midnight street, it would surely scare a large crowd to death.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s two hands, shaped like chicken claws, pressed firmly on the table, chanting while heavily knocking her head on the solid wood table, each knock louder than the last, as if she didn’t feel any pain. This made Liu Dashao open his mouth wide again, “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? If I learned that, I’d be unstoppable, ten bricks couldn’t knock me down!”
“Pa!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes fully opened, blood vessels like spider webs instantly spread from the sides of her eyes to the center, forming a strange pupil. These two pupils were like two huge searchlights, emitting a sharp light, scanning the room. Then their owner, Granny Fan, clasped her hands together, continuously making worshiping gestures, chanting:
“Pray to the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Honored Ones, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Patriarch, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Old Man, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Heavens Open Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion, Dragon Tiger Altar Marshal Zhao, Three Mao Zhenjun, Five Stars Twenty-Eight Constellations, all immortals holding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, eliminate evil, call a thousand times, respond a thousand times, call ten thousand times, respond ten thousand times, no call, self-respond!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still dazed from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment, failing to grasp the situation immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had made her presence unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like an old monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan this year?” The old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, with sharp senses but a less than flattering appearance. Her deeply sunken eyes, weathered skin, and high cheekbones gave her a gaunt look. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet from the old society made her walk with a limp, as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, mostly out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old woman? We have a history, and she might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t expose him but puffed her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for an entire field. But why did you blow it up? It was a harvest that could’ve helped with the household. Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding the situation, turned his anger toward Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, always causing trouble! I don’t force you to study, but at least learn some farming skills to inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said with a kind smile, though Liu Dashao suspected it was just an act. She was probably enjoying seeing him squirm.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry,” Liu Laoshi apologized repeatedly, pulling out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and forcing it into her hands.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest of an entire field,” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother’s face lit up at the sight of Granny Fan, while Village Chief Tian’s expression turned cold as he glared at this class adversary.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly clairvoyant! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual,” Granny Fan explained.
“So, you’ve suddenly become a fortune-teller?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan humbly nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you mentioned your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s the children, they’re so naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, recounting the events of the three families in detail, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Wah…” Xiaoma’s mother, hearing that her son had angered the spirits, immediately fell to her knees, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child, you must find a way to save him! We’re willing to pay any amount,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, take me to see your child.”
In the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His body was icy to the touch, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s face briefly. Village Chief Tian watched from the sidelines, waiting to expose Granny Fan’s charade.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, nearly fainting. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. She took out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, then stepped back, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder immediately began to jump and sizzle, like water hitting hot oil, startling everyone in the room. The crackling sound filled the air, and the only other noise was the heavy breathing of the onlookers.
“Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tension.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan replied without hesitation.
“How is that possible? Salt doesn’t jump when it hits water!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t answer. She handed some of the remaining powder to Village Chief Tian, who tasted it and confirmed it was indeed salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of her. He still thought there must be some trick involved.
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures. It’s believed to ward off “impure” entities like demons and ghosts. The ancients observed that many dark, dirty solutions, when heated, produced clean, crystalline particles. Without understanding the science, they saw this as a manifestation of purity.
From a scientific perspective, salt is a substance composed of ions, which can conduct electricity when dissolved or melted. Crystalline salt can disperse electric fields and neutralize charges. If ghosts are a form of electromagnetic waves with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints cracking as if they could move freely. His back arched high, resembling a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her eyes filled with caution. She slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something tightly.
In those days, birth dates and times were popular in rural areas, unlike today’s tarot cards or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately recited her son’s birth details. Granny Fan nodded slightly, brushing a strand of silver hair from her forehead.
“Do you have water? Bring a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from a large jar, and wobbled back, spilling some along the way.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, nearly dropping it from the weight. She poured out two-thirds of the water, set the basin down, and muttered an incantation. She pressed her thumb to her middle finger, raised the other three fingers, and lightly tapped the water’s surface. Then, using her hand as a brush, she wrote a series of strange symbols in the water. Her movements were so fast that no one could make out what she was writing.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath and pulled her left hand from the bag. This time, it wasn’t salt but incense ash—the remains of burned joss sticks used to worship deities. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, tossing handful after handful into the basin until the surface was covered with gray particles. She then mixed her hands into the muddy water, kneading it like dough. No one could guess what she was up to. Once the water was mostly absorbed by the ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quickly, bring your sick children here. I’ll deal with them together. If I do them one by one, this old body will collapse!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children settled. Xiaoma’s mother pushed two beds together, covered them with new quilts, and laid the three children side by side. Though the beds were warm and comfortable, Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious and couldn’t appreciate it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of the incense mud from the basin and spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel. She did the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“Everyone, hold your children upright. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were too weak and kept trembling, so the families had to use their hands as supports to keep them in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, sighed and held Tian Guoqiang upright, resigned to trying anything.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and found an incense holder to place them in. She then took a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense holder. After muttering some incantations, she said in a strange tone, “Whatever you see or hear later, don’t be alarmed or make any noise. Otherwise, it’ll be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurances, she walked to the makeshift altar made from a table, bowed three times, took a sip of erguotou (a strong liquor), and blew on a candle, igniting a roaring flame. In the dimly lit room, the fire looked particularly fierce and menacing. Liu Dashao, watching from the bedside, felt his heart skip a beat, nearly jumping out of his chest.
“This old witch sure knows how to scare people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, pulling the quilt tighter and shrinking further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the windows were closed. The only light in the small room came from a faint beam, illuminating the floating dust. Strangely, even though the windows and door were closed, the candle flames kept flickering, brightening and dimming unpredictably. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eyes looked even more terrifying in the candlelight, and her occasional eerie cries would’ve scared anyone on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan pressed her claw-like hands on the table, chanting and banging her head on the solid wood, each thud louder than the last, as if she felt no pain. Liu Dashao’s jaw dropped again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she train in Shaolin? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-closed eyes snapped wide open, bloodshot veins spreading like spiderwebs across her pupils, forming a bizarre pattern. Her eyes shone like searchlights, scanning the room. She then clasped her hands together, bowing repeatedly, and chanted:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Sovereigns, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Laoren, Nanshan Xiaomei, Dimu Yuanjun, Hengshan Qilang, Luoshan Jiulang, the Three Heavens’ Emperor, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion, the Dragon and Tiger Altar’s Marshal Zhao, the Three Mao Zhenjun, the Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities wielding talismans and spells, to heal the sick, revive the dead, exorcise demons, and vanquish evil. A thousand calls, a thousand responses; ten thousand calls, ten thousand responses; no call, yet still it works!”
“Just a small token, as compensation for your loss. An entire acre of harvest, sigh!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment, unable to process the information clearly. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her unremarkable attire and silence had made her presence go unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like an old crone who had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” The old woman chuckled and spoke up. She was in her sixties, her hearing and eyesight still sharp, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp face and sunken cheeks would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, lack of facial elasticity, and weathered, purplish skin with high cheekbones were evident. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused. Her bound feet, remnants of the old society, resembled small dumplings, causing her to walk with a limp as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, mostly out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old woman here? I’ve got a score to settle with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way through. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“Don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue but puffed out her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s harvest. But why did you blow it up? It was still a crop that could’ve helped with the household expenses. Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding the situation, immediately turned his anger towards Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, why do you always cause trouble? I don’t force you to study, but at least learn how to farm properly so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said with a kind expression, though Liu Dashao suspected it was just an act. She was probably enjoying seeing him squirm.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing and pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, forcing it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss. An acre’s harvest, sigh!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, brightened up, her smile so wide it seemed to stretch her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately frowned, coldly staring at this class adversary without a hint of a smile.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a fortune-teller! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual,” Granny Fan explained.
“So, you’ve become a prophet now, have you?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan said, bowing her head. She didn’t show any resentment towards Village Chief Tian’s blatant sarcasm but nodded slightly. However, halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, then recounted the situation of the three families in detail, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened attentively, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah…” Xiaoma’s mother, hearing that her son had angered the spirits, immediately fell to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to pay any amount,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan said with a bitter smile. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up and take me to see your child.”
In the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His body was icy to the touch, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s weak face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunching up. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting for the right moment to expose this old fraud.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision blurring as she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the room, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder immediately began to jump and dance like water in a hot oil pan, startling everyone in the room. The rustling sound of the jumping powder filled the room, accompanied only by heavy breathing and Granny Fan’s rhythmic chanting.
“Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan answered without hesitation.
“How is that possible? Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t respond. She handed some of the remaining white powder to Village Chief Tian, who tasted it and confirmed it was indeed salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of the old woman’s trickery. He thought, “There must be some other trick here, that’s for sure!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason salt crystals are seen as pure stems from ancient observations of distillation, where dirty solutions would produce clean, white crystals upon heating. Without understanding the science, ancient people saw these crystals as embodiments of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists and Western alchemists both recorded such phenomena, often involving salt. Thus, the belief in salt’s purifying power has persisted.
Scientifically, salt is a compound of ions that can conduct electricity when dissolved or melted. Crystalline salt can disperse electric fields and neutralize charges. If ghosts are electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly able to move freely, his back arching like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense. She slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something without pulling it out.
In those days, rural areas were more concerned with birth dates and times than modern practices like tarot or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately provided the information, and Granny Fan nodded, brushing a strand of silver hair from her forehead.
“Get some water, fill a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water, and wobbled back, spilling some along the way.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, nearly dropping it from the weight, and poured out two-thirds of the water. She placed the basin down, muttered an incantation, and with her right hand, drew strange symbols on the water’s surface. Her movements were too quick for anyone to make out the shapes.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath and pulled out her left hand from the bag, this time holding incense ash, the remains of burnt joss sticks. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, tossing handfuls into the basin until the water was covered in gray particles. She then mixed the ash and water vigorously, much like kneading dough. Once the water was absorbed by the ash balls, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I’ll handle them together, or I’ll be exhausted dealing with them one by one!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged on two beds pushed together, covered with new quilts. The children lay comfortably, though they were semi-conscious and shivering, requiring their families to prop them up.
Granny Fan scooped some incense ash from the basin and spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel, doing the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“Everyone, hold your children upright. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. The families quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed, though their bodies were too weak to stay still, requiring constant support. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, sighed and held Tian Guoqiang upright, resigned to trying anything.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and placed them in an incense burner. She cut three human-shaped figures from red paper and placed them before the burner, muttering incantations before saying in a strange tone: “Whatever you see or hear, don’t panic or scream, or it’ll cause trouble.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times, took a sip of liquor, and blew on a candle, igniting a roaring flame that lit up the dim room, casting eerie shadows. Liu Dashao, watching from the bedside, felt his heart skip a beat.
“This old witch is just trying to scare us!” Liu Dashao thought, pulling the quilt tighter and shrinking further into the bed.
The bedroom door was tightly shut, and the windows were closed, leaving only a faint beam of light piercing through the dust-filled room. Strangely, despite the closed windows and door, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, casting Granny Fan’s sunken eyes in a terrifying light. Her occasional eerie cries would have been enough to scare anyone on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan chanted, her claw-like hands pressed on the table, banging her head against the wood rhythmically, seemingly unfazed by the pain. Liu Dashao watched in awe, thinking, “Is her head made of iron or did she train in Shaolin? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-closed eyes snapped open, bloodshot veins spreading across her eyes like spiderwebs, forming a strange pupil that glowed like a searchlight, scanning the room. She then clasped her hands together, bowing repeatedly, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Sovereigns, Laozi, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, the Three Heavens’ Emperor, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion, Zhao Yuan Marshal of the Dragon Tiger Altar, the Three Mao True Lords, the Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all immortals wielding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, answer every call, respond to every plea, act without being called!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily muddled, likely due to the earlier argument, and he hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her unremarkable attire and silence had made her presence go unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like a monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan this year?” the old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, with sharp senses but a less-than-flattering appearance. Her deeply sunken eyes, leathery skin, and high cheekbones gave her a weathered look. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet, relics of the past, made her walk with a limp.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, why did Dad bring her here? I’ve got a score to settle with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! I’ll just deny everything if she asks. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her memory failing due to her age, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to be the forgetful type.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue but pouted her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s worth. But why did you blow it up? It was a harvest, after all, something to help with the household expenses. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, catching on, immediately turned his ire toward Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, always causing trouble! I don’t force you to study, but at least learn to farm properly so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said with a kind smile, though Liu Dashao suspected it was just a facade. She was probably enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry,” Liu Laoshi apologized profusely and pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, insisting Granny Fan take it as compensation for the lost harvest.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to make up for your loss,” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept it!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it,” Liu Laoshi insisted, and after much persuasion, Granny Fan finally pocketed the money. By then, others in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother brightened upon seeing Granny Fan, while Village Chief Tian’s face turned cold as he glared at her.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a fortune-teller! You’ve come to help us in our time of need. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual,” Granny Fan explained.
“So, you’ve suddenly become a prophet?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan humbly nodded, though she frowned halfway and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family is in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s the children’s mischief,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, recounting the events in detail, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
Upon hearing this, Xiaoma’s mother collapsed to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, wailing and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. Please, think of a way to save him! We’re willing to pay any amount,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale and icy to the touch.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said after a brief touch, her nose and eyes scrunching up. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting to expose her charade.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, and she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father grew anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. She then took out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, and then stepped back. She took a sip of tea and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder reacted violently, jumping and crackling like water hitting hot oil, leaving everyone stunned.
“Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tension.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan replied without hesitation.
“How can that be? Salt doesn’t jump when it hits water!” Village Chief Tian said, unconvinced.
Granny Fan smiled without answering, handing him some of the remaining powder. Village Chief Tian tasted it and confirmed it was indeed salt, though it didn’t change his opinion of her. He suspected there was more to it.
Salt crystals have long been considered symbols of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts. This belief stems from ancient observations of distillation, where dirty solutions would produce clean, crystalline salt, leading to the idea that salt was inherently pure.
In ancient Chinese alchemy and Western alchemy texts, salt was often mentioned as a purifying agent. Scientifically, salt is composed of ions and can neutralize electric fields, which might explain its supposed ability to repel spirits, often thought to be electromagnetic entities.
In the chaotic bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly able to move freely, his back arching like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her eyes filled with caution as she reached into her cloth bag, holding something tightly.
In rural areas, birth dates and times were commonly used for divination, unlike today’s Tarot cards or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately provided the information, and Granny Fan nodded, smoothing a strand of silver hair from her forehead.
“Fetch some water, a basin full.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother hurried to the kitchen, returning with a copper basin filled with water, spilling some as she walked.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan complained, pouring out two-thirds of it. She then placed the basin down, muttered an incantation, and with her right hand, drew strange symbols on the water’s surface, too quickly for anyone to see clearly.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath and pulled out her left hand from the bag, this time holding incense ash, the residue from burnt joss sticks. She sprinkled it into the basin, mixing it with the water, kneading it like dough. Once the water was absorbed, she wiped her sweat and turned to the others: “Quickly, bring your sick children here. I’ll deal with them together, or I’ll be exhausted treating them one by one!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged on two beds pushed together, covered with new quilts. The children, however, were semi-conscious and couldn’t appreciate the comfort.
Granny Fan scooped some incense paste from the basin and applied it to the children’s navels, covering them completely.
“Everyone, hold your children upright. I’m about to begin the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. The parents quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright, though their bodies were too weak to stay still, requiring support.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and placed them in an incense burner. She cut three human-shaped figures from red paper and placed them before the burner, muttering incantations before saying, “Whatever you see or hear, don’t panic or make noise, or it will complicate things.”
After receiving assurances, she walked to a makeshift altar, bowed three times, took a sip of liquor, and blew on a candle, igniting a fierce flame that illuminated the dim room, casting eerie shadows. Liu Dashao, watching from the bed, felt his heart skip a beat.
“This old witch is just trying to scare us!” Liu Dashao muttered, pulling the quilt tighter around him.
The bedroom door was tightly shut, and the windows were closed, leaving only a faint beam of light piercing through the dust. Despite the lack of wind, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, casting Granny Fan’s sunken eyes in a terrifying light. Her intermittent, ghostly cries would have been enough to frighten anyone on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan chanted, her claw-like hands pressing on the table as she repeatedly knocked her head against the solid wood, seemingly unfazed by the pain. Liu Dashao watched in awe, wondering if her head was made of iron or if she had trained in Shaolin Kung Fu.
“Pa!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-closed eyes snapped open, bloodshot veins spreading across her pupils like spider webs, forming a bizarre, glowing gaze. She clasped her hands and began bowing, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Sovereigns, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, the Three Heavens’ Emperor, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion, the Dragon-Tiger Altar’s Marshal Zhao, the Three Mao True Lords, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, and all deities wielding talismans and spells to heal, revive, exorcise, and vanquish evil. Call a thousand times, respond a thousand times; call ten thousand times, respond ten thousand times; call not, and still respond!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment, failing to grasp the situation immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had made her presence go unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like an old hag who had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” the old woman chuckled, breaking her silence. She was in her sixties, her hearing and eyesight still sharp, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a pointed face and monkey-like features would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, the lack of elasticity in her facial muscles, and the weathered, purplish skin stretched over high cheekbones were evident. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, while her bound feet, relics of the old society, resembled small dumplings, causing her to hobble as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, mostly out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad bring this old woman here? I’ve got a score to settle with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“Don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue, just pursed her thin lips and said, “How about the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s harvest. But why did you blow it up? It was still a crop, something to help with the household. Don’t worry, I’m not blaming you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, immediately turned his anger toward Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, why do you always cause trouble? I don’t force you to study, but at least learn some farming skills so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao suspected it was just an act. She was probably enjoying seeing him squirm.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and forced it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss. An acre’s harvest, after all!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it. Whether you want to or not, you’re taking it today.” After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally relented and pocketed the money. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, brightened up, her smile stretching the fat under her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately scowled, coldly eyeing this class adversary, his face stern.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a seer! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Ah, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual (folk spiritualists often refer to summoning spirits as ‘drawing flowers’), to see what’s going on at home.”
“So, when did you become so prescient and capable?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, then recounted the situation of the three families in detail, embellishing Liu Dashao’s experiences. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And the pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah…” Hearing that her son had angered the spirits, Xiaoma’s mother immediately fell to her knees, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up and take me to see your child.”
In the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were purple, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His body was icy to the touch, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s weak face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunching up. Village Chief Tian watched from the sidelines, waiting to expose the old woman’s charade.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision blurring as she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father grew anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the room, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder, upon contact with water, began to jump and dance, like water splashed into hot oil, startling everyone in the room. The rustling sound of the jumping powder filled the room, accompanied only by the heavy breathing of the onlookers and the crackling symphony orchestrated by Granny Fan.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“Salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan replied without hesitation.
“How is that possible? Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t answer. She handed some of the remaining white powder to Village Chief Tian, who tasted it and confirmed it was indeed green salt. However, this did little to change his opinion of the old woman’s trickery. “There must be some other trick here,” he thought.
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts. The reason for this belief lies in ancient observations of distillation, where dirty solutions, when heated, produced clean, crystalline particles. Without understanding the science, ancient people saw these particles as embodiments of purity.
Both Chinese alchemists and Western alchemists documented similar findings, often involving salt. Thus, the belief in salt’s purifying properties has persisted.
Scientifically, salt is a class of substances typically composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. If ghosts are thought to be electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly flexible, his back arching like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense. She slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something without pulling it out.
In those days, rural areas were more concerned with birth dates and times than modern practices like tarot or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately provided the information, and Granny Fan nodded, smoothing a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Get some water. Fill a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from a large jar, and wobbled back, spilling water as she went.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, nearly dropping it from the weight, and poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, and with her right hand, drew strange symbols on the water’s surface. Her movements were so quick that the four onlookers couldn’t make out the shapes.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, then pulled her left hand from her bag. This time, it wasn’t green salt but incense ash—the remains of sandalwood burned in offerings to deities. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, just kept sprinkling it into the basin until the surface was covered with gray particles. She then mixed the ash into the water, kneading it like dough, though no one could guess her intentions. Once the water was absorbed by the ash balls, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I’ll handle them all at once, or I’ll be exhausted dealing with them one by one!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged on two beds pushed together, covered with new quilts. Though the beds were warm and comfortable, Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious, unable to feel it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of the incense ash mixture from the basin and spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel, doing the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, hold your children upright. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Xiaoma’s mother and Gou Dan’s father quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed. Their bodies were so weak and shivering that the families had to use their hands as supports to keep them in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, sighed inwardly and held Tian Guoqiang upright, resigning to the situation.
Granny Fan nodded, pulled out three incense sticks, and found an incense holder to place them in. She then took a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense holder. After muttering a series of incantations, she said in a strange tone, “Whatever you see or hear later, don’t be alarmed or make any noise. It could cause trouble.”
After receiving assurances from everyone, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times, took a sip of Erguotou (a strong liquor), and blew on a candle, igniting a roaring flame that cast a glaring, menacing light in the dim room. Liu Dashao, watching from the bedside, felt his heart skip a beat, nearly jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old hag sure knows how to scare people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, pulling the quilt tighter and shrinking further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the windows were closed. The only light in the small room came from a faint beam, illuminating the floating dust. Strangely, despite the closed windows and door, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, brightening and dimming, rising and falling without pattern. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eyes, accentuated by the candlelight, looked even more terrifying, especially with the occasional eerie cries that, if heard on a midnight street, would surely frighten many.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, banging her head on the solid wood table with increasing force, seemingly unfazed by the pain. Liu Dashao, watching, thought, “Damn, this old woman’s head must be made of iron or trained in Shaolin’s iron head skill. If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable—ten bricks wouldn’t knock me down!”
“Snap!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-closed eyes snapped wide open, the blood vessels in her eyes spreading like spiderwebs, forming a strange, glowing pupil. Her eyes, like two giant searchlights, scanned the room. She then clasped her hands together, repeatedly bowing as if in worship, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Zushi, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Laoren, Nanshan Xiaomei, Dimu Yuanjun, Hengshan Qilang, Luoshan Jiulang, Santian Kaihuang, Wuyue Dadi, Shenxiao Wangfu, Longhu Xuantan Zhao Yuanshuai, Sanmao Zhenjun, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities wielding talismans and spells, to heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, and vanquish evil. A thousand calls, a thousand responses; ten thousand calls, ten thousand responses; even without calling, the spirits will act!”
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Hehe, Sister Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to ‘paint a flower’ for Brother Liu (a folk term for summoning spirits), to check the house.”
“I said, when did you become so prophetic and capable!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably because he had just been caught up in the argument, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment and he didn’t fully grasp the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that an elderly woman dressed simply had been standing beside Liu Laoshi all along. However, her attire was so inconspicuous and she had remained silent the entire time, which is why he hadn’t noticed her presence earlier. Now that he saw her, he couldn’t help but think she looked like a monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and now you don’t recognize Granny Fan?” The old woman smiled and spoke up. She was already in her sixties, and though her hearing and eyesight were still sharp, her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, a face with almost no elastic muscle or soft tissue, only skin weathered to a purplish hue and high cheekbones, were evident. The back of her hands was as rough as old pine bark, cracked with numerous fissures, and her palms were calloused. Her feet, bound in the old society, resembled small zongzi, and she walked with a limp, as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag? I have a grudge with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good idea.” With this in mind, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on the old woman’s memory failing due to her age, hoping to bluff his way through. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue but instead puffed out her thin lips and said, “How about the big pumpkin I grew? It’s okay if you ate it. I don’t have the appetite for an entire acre of land, but why did you have to blow it up? It was still a harvest, something to help with the household expenses. Don’t worry, I won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, on the other hand, understood immediately and turned his cannon towards Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, why do you always cause trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just settle down and learn how to farm properly, so you can inherit our land, get married, and live a decent life. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making your old man lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said with a kind expression, though Liu Dashao felt it was all an act. Deep down, she was probably enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, really sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing and then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, forcing it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.
“It’s a small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest from an acre of land, sigh!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally relented and tucked the ten yuan into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Little Pockmark’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, naturally brightened up, her smile so wide it seemed to split her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately pulled a long face, coldly staring at this class antagonist, not cracking a smile.
“Granny Fan, you really have a knack for divination! Knowing our family is in trouble, you’ve come to help. Please, come inside and have some tea,” Little Pockmark’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Heh, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual (folk yin-yang practitioners often refer to summoning spirits as ‘drawing flowers’), to see what’s going on at home.”
“I didn’t know you had the ability to foresee the future!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan said, bowing her head. Faced with the village chief, she didn’t show any sign of displeasure at his blatant sarcasm. Instead, she nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and looked at Little Pockmark’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family is in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Little Pockmark’s mother said with a pained expression, then proceeded to explain the situation of the three families to Granny Fan in detail. She even embellished Liu Dashao’s account, making it sound more dramatic. Granny Fan, standing by, didn’t show any panic, just nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I can assure you, your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And the pile of paper money in front of your house is probably a warning from them.”
“Wah…” Hearing that her son had indeed offended the spirits, Little Pockmark’s mother immediately fell to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wailing, even wiping her tears and snot on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“I only have this one child. You must think of a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Little Pockmark’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan said with a bitter smile. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up! First, take me to see your child.”
In the room, Little Pockmark was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, making the quilt damp. But he kept crying, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, as if covered with a layer of gauze, and his face was pale. A touch revealed his skin was icy cold, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator in town.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, her nose and eyes scrunched up, after briefly touching Little Pockmark’s weak face. Village Chief Tian, following behind, was just watching, waiting for the right moment to expose this old witch’s scam.
“Then… what should we do…” Little Pockmark’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening, almost fainting. Even Dog Egg’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look!” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes for a moment, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she took out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Little Pockmark’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the area with the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it on Little Pockmark’s face. Before this action fully subsided, she grabbed a handful of white substance from her pocket and sprinkled it on Little Pockmark’s wet face. This caused an immediate commotion; the white substance, upon contact with water, started jumping around like water poured into hot oil. Though the jumps weren’t high, they were enough to leave everyone dumbfounded and terrified. The rustling sound of the jumping filled the room, and apart from everyone’s heavy breathing, only Granny Fan’s orchestrated symphony of crackling sounds remained.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian, full of doubts, couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan didn’t hide it and answered directly.
“How is that possible? You must be fooling me. Salt doesn’t jump when it meets water!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t answer. She just took some of the remaining white substance from her pocket and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, examined it closely, even tasted it, and it was so salty it brought tears to his eyes. It was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his impression of this old woman who was playing tricks. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here, that’s for sure!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It is believed to ward off “impure” things, such as demons and ghosts.
As for why crystalline salt is considered a symbol of purity, it’s because ancient people, through their production and life experiences, discovered the phenomenon of distillation and crystallization. Many dark, dirty solutions, when heated, would produce pure, crystalline particles. The ancients, not understanding the principle, believed these particles, which emerged from the mud without being tainted, were the embodiment of “purity.”
Some ancient Chinese alchemists’ “experimental records” have related entries, as do foreign alchemy texts, and these crystals are mostly salt. Thus, word spread, and this belief has persisted to this day.
To explain it scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances, usually composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. Ghosts might be a combination of electromagnetic waves, containing certain charges, which are countered by salt, so theoretically, it makes sense.
In the messy bedding, Little Pockmark’s body still twisted like an earthworm, as if all his joints could move freely, cracking and popping. His back, pressed against the bedboard, didn’t stay still either, suddenly arching high, looking from a distance like a stone arch bridge spanning a small river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Little Pockmark’s series of movements, her dim eyes filled with vigilance, her wrinkled face tense, slowly reached into the cloth bag she carried, not pulling anything out, as if holding something.
Back then, in rural areas, birth dates and times were very popular, not like today’s Tarot cards or zodiac signs. Little Pockmark’s mother, without hesitation, blurted out her son’s birth date and time, vaguely seeing Granny Fan, who was facing away, nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Little Pockmark’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s command, stumbling to the kitchen, finding a copper basin, and pouring a full basin of water from the large water jar, swaying as she walked, spilling some along the way.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan, taking the basin, almost dropped it from the weight, muttered a couple of complaints, then poured out two-thirds of the water, set the basin down, and muttered an obscure incantation. She pressed her right thumb against her middle finger, the other three fingers raised high, lightly tapped the water’s surface, then used her hand as a brush to write a series of strange symbols in the water. However, because it was in water and the old woman moved too quickly, the four people around couldn’t make out the shapes.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, took out her left hand from the cloth bag, this time not with green salt but with handfuls of incense ash, the remains of sandalwood burned in worship of gods and bodhisattvas. This stuff looked sticky and dirty, staining Granny Fan’s already yellowish, slightly blackened hand even darker. She didn’t mind, just kept throwing handfuls into the basin, soon filling the surface with gray particles. She didn’t stop, mixing her hands into the muddy water, vigorously kneading it, the motion almost identical to rural families kneading dough. It was unclear what she was up to. When the water in the basin was almost entirely absorbed by the ball of incense ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I need to deal with them together, otherwise, one by one, this old body of mine will be worn out!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally got their precious children settled. Little Pockmark’s mother pushed two beds together, spread new thick quilts, so it was no problem for three children to lie down, warm and comfortable. Unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state and couldn’t feel any of it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of evenly mixed incense mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s shirt, and covered his navel with the incense mud. She did the same for Little Pockmark and Dog Egg.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. I’m going to perform the ritual!” After Granny Fan’s instruction, Dog Egg’s father and Little Pockmark’s mother quickly picked up their children, slowly straightened them, and sat them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were too weak, still shivering uncontrollably, so the family members had to use their hands as supports to barely keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing that the town’s doctor still hadn’t shown up, sighed inwardly and decided to treat a dead horse as if it were alive, straightening Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no shortage of incense burners, she quickly found one and inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped patterns from red paper, placed them in front of the incense burner, muttered a string of words, then said in a strange tone: “Later, whatever you see or hear, don’t be alarmed, don’t scream, or it will be troublesome.”
After getting everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar made from a table, humbly bowed three times, took a sip of erguotou, blew on the candle, and a roaring flame dragon ignited, particularly glaring and fierce in the dimly lit small room. Liu Dashao, standing by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch sure knows how to scare people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, grabbing the corner of the quilt and shrinking further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly closed, and the only ventilating windows on both sides were also shut. The entire cramped space was pierced by a single beam of faint light, illuminating the floating dust clearly. However, it was strange; with the windows and door closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, yet the two continuously burning candle flames kept flickering, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes floating, sometimes falling, without any consistency. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets were made even more terrifying by the candlelight, and with the occasional ghostly cries every few seconds, if this were on a midnight street, it would surely scare a large crowd.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s hands, shaped like chicken claws, pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, banging her head heavily on the solid wood table, each thud louder than the last, as if she felt no pain. This made Liu Dashao’s jaw drop again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? If I could learn that, even ten bricks wouldn’t knock me down!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled-up eyes snapped wide open, bloodshot veins spreading from the sides to the center like spider webs, forming a bizarre pupil. These pupils, like two giant searchlights, emitted a sharp light, scanning the room. Then, Granny Fan, their owner, clasped her hands together, continuously making worshiping gestures, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Honored Ones, the Supreme Lord Laozi, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, the Patriarch Yue, the True Man Li, the Old Man of the East Mountain, the Little Sister of the South Mountain, the Earth Mother, the Seventh Brother of Heng Mountain, the Ninth Brother of Luo Mountain, the Three Heavens’ Opening Emperor, the Five Peaks’ Great Earth, the Divine Mansion of the Azure Clouds, the Dragon and Tiger Altar’s Marshal Zhao, the Three Mao True Lords, the Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all the immortals holding talismans and spells, to heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, and exorcise evil spirits. A thousand calls, a thousand responses; ten thousand calls, ten thousand responses; even without calling, they respond!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, unable to grasp the situation clearly. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her unremarkable attire and silence had kept her presence unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like a strange old woman who had sprung out of nowhere.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” the old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, her hearing and eyesight still sharp, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp, monkey-like face would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, the lack of elasticity in her facial muscles, and the weathered, purplish skin with high cheekbones were striking. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet, remnants of the old society, resembled small dumplings, causing her to walk with a limp as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old woman? I have a grudge with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue, just puffed out her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s worth. But why did you blow it up? It was a harvest, after all, something to help with the household expenses. Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, immediately turned his anger toward Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, why do you always cause trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just focus on learning farming skills so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao suspected her kindness was feigned, secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and forced it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest from an acre of land,” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, lit up with a smile that stretched her chubby cheeks. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately scowled, coldly eyeing this class adversary without a word.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a fortune-teller! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual,” Granny Fan said.
“So, you’ve become a prophet now?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan, under the village chief’s roof, had no choice but to bow her head. She didn’t show any resentment toward his blatant sarcasm, just nodded slightly, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother said, then recounted the situation of the three families in detail, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep was likely a warning from them.”
“Ah!” Xiaoma’s mother, hearing that her son had angered the spirits, immediately fell to her knees, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. Please, you must save him! We’ll pay any amount,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His body was icy to the touch, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s face briefly. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting to expose her as a fraud.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder, upon contact with water, began to jump and dance like water hitting hot oil, startling everyone in the room. The rustling sound of the jumping powder filled the room, leaving everyone breathless and wide-eyed.
“Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“Salt! Pure old northeastern salt!” Granny Fan answered directly.
“How is that possible? Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan just smiled and didn’t respond. She handed some of the remaining white powder to Village Chief Tian, who tasted it and confirmed it was indeed salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of her as a charlatan. He thought, “There must be some trick here, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like ghosts and demons.
The reason salt crystals are seen as pure is rooted in ancient experiences with distillation, where dark, dirty solutions would produce clean, white crystals upon heating. Without understanding the science, ancient people saw this as a manifestation of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists and Western alchemists both recorded such phenomena, often involving salt. Thus, the belief in salt’s purifying power has persisted.
Scientifically, salt is a compound of ions, typically conductive only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields and neutralize charges. If ghosts are electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly able to move freely, his back arching high like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her dark eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense as she slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something without pulling it out.
In those days, rural areas were more concerned with birth dates and times than modern tarot cards or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately recited her son’s birth details, noticing Granny Fan nod slightly and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Fetch some water, a basin full.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother obeyed without question, rushing to the kitchen, grabbing a copper basin, and filling it with water from a large vat, spilling some as she wobbled back.
“I didn’t ask for this much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, nearly dropping it from the weight, and poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, and with her right hand, drew strange symbols on the water’s surface. Her movements were so fast that the four people around her couldn’t make out what she was writing.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand from her bag, and this time, instead of salt, she held a handful of incense ash—the remains of burned joss sticks used to worship deities. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, just kept sprinkling it into the basin until the water’s surface was covered with gray particles. She then mixed the ash and water vigorously, her movements resembling kneading dough. Once the water was absorbed by the ash balls, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I’ll handle them together. If I do them one by one, this old body won’t hold up!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged. Xiaoma’s mother pushed two beds together, covered them with new quilts, and laid the three children side by side. Though they were warm and comfortable, Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious and couldn’t feel it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of the incense ash mixture from the basin and spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel, doing the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, hold your children upright. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were so weak and trembling that the families had to support them with their hands to keep them in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing no sign of the town doctor, sighed and decided to treat this as a last resort, holding Tian Guoqiang upright.
Granny Fan nodded, pulled out three incense sticks, and since there was no incense burner, she simply stuck them into a makeshift holder.
She found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense burner. After muttering some incantations, she said in a strange tone: “Whatever you see or hear later, don’t be alarmed or make noise. Otherwise, it’ll be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times respectfully, took a sip of Erguotou, and blew on the candles, igniting a roaring flame that lit up the dim room, casting a fierce, glaring light. Liu Dashao, standing by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, nearly jumping out of his chest.
“This old witch is just scaring us!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, pulling the quilt tighter and shrinking further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the only windows were closed. The small room was lit by a faint beam of light, illuminating the floating dust. Strangely, despite the closed windows and door, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, brightening and dimming, rising and falling without pattern. Granny Fan’s sunken eyes, illuminated by the candles, looked even more terrifying, and her occasional eerie cries would have scared anyone on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, banging her head on the solid wood table repeatedly, seemingly unfazed by the pain. Liu Dashao watched in awe, thinking, “Damn, this old woman’s head must be made of iron or she’s trained in Shaolin kung fu! If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-closed eyes snapped wide open, bloodshot veins spreading from the sides to the center, forming a strange, glowing pupil. Her hands clasped together, she began bowing repeatedly, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Sovereigns, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Laoren, Nanshan Xiaomei, Dimu Yuanjun, Hengshan Qilang, Luoshan Jiulang, the Three Heavens’ Emperor, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion, the Dragon and Tiger Altar’s Marshal Zhao, the Three Mao Immortals, the Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities wielding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, answer every call, respond to every plea, act even unasked!”
“Grandma Fan, which Grandma Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, failing to grasp the situation immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had made her presence go unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like a monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Grandma Fan this year?” the old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, her hearing and eyesight still sharp, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a pointed face and monkey-like features would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, the almost lifeless muscles and soft tissues on her face, the weathered, purplish skin, and high cheekbones were evident. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused. Her bound feet, relics of the old society, resembled small dumplings, causing her to walk with a limp as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, mostly out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old woman? I have a grudge with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on the old woman’s failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Grandma Fan didn’t seem to be the forgetful type.
“You don’t know me?” Grandma Fan didn’t press the issue, just puffed out her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for an entire acre’s harvest. But why did you blow it up? It could have been a bit of extra income for the family. Don’t worry, I’m not mad. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, immediately turned his anger towards Liu Dashao: “You brat, why do you always cause trouble? I don’t force you to study, but at least learn some farming skills so you can take over the family land and make a living. But… Grandma Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Grandma Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao suspected her kindness was feigned, secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Grandma Fan, I’m truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi apologized profusely, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and insisted on giving it to her.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Grandma Fan asked.
“A small compensation for your loss. An acre’s harvest, after all!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Grandma Fan refused.
“You must take it. Whether you want to or not, you’re taking it today.” After much persuasion, Grandma Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother’s eyes lit up at the sight of Grandma Fan, her smile widening. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately scowled, coldly watching this class adversary without a word.
“Grandma Fan, you’re truly a fortune-teller! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside. I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual,” Grandma Fan explained.
“So, you’ve suddenly become a prophet, have you?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning enlightenment.
“Shame, shame,” Grandma Fan replied, bowing her head slightly, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, then recounted the events involving the three families, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Throughout, Grandma Fan remained calm, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Grandma Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep was likely a warning from them.”
“Ah…” Xiaoma’s mother, hearing that her son had angered the spirits, immediately fell to her knees, clutching Grandma Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her tears on the old woman’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, please, don’t do this,” Grandma Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to pay any amount,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Grandma Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His hands were icy, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Grandma Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunching up. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting to expose her charade.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father grew anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Grandma Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it onto Xiaoma’s face. Before the action fully subsided, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder, upon contact with water, began to jump and dance like water in a hot oil pan, startling everyone in the room. The rustling sound of the jumping powder filled the room, leaving everyone breathless, except for Grandma Fan’s rhythmic chanting.
“Grandma Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tension.
“Salt! Pure old northeastern salt!” Grandma Fan replied without hesitation.
“How is that possible? Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Grandma Fan just smiled, not answering. She handed some of the remaining white powder to Village Chief Tian, who tasted it and confirmed it was indeed salt. However, this did little to change his opinion of her as a charlatan. He thought, “There must be some trick here, definitely!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason salt crystals are seen as pure stems from ancient observations of distillation, where dark, dirty solutions would produce clean, white crystals upon heating. Without understanding the science, ancient people saw these crystals as embodiments of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists and Western alchemists both recorded such phenomena, often involving salt. Thus, the belief in salt’s purifying power has persisted.
Scientifically, salt is a general term for ionic compounds that conduct electricity when dissolved or melted. Crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, neutralizing charges. If ghosts are electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them, making the belief somewhat plausible.
In the chaotic bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly flexible, his back arching like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Grandma Fan asked, her eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense. She slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something without pulling it out.
In rural areas, birth dates and times were more popular than modern tarot cards or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately provided the information, seeing Grandma Fan nod slightly and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Bring a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from a large jar, and wobbled back, spilling water along the way.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Grandma Fan nearly dropped the heavy basin, scolded lightly, then poured out two-thirds of the water. She placed the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, and with her right thumb pressed against her middle finger, the other three fingers raised, she lightly tapped the water’s surface. She then used her hand as a brush, writing a series of strange symbols in the water. Her movements were so swift that the four people around her couldn’t make out the shapes.
“Done!” Grandma Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand from the bag, this time holding incense ash—the remains of burnt joss sticks offered to deities. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, just kept sprinkling it into the basin until the water’s surface was covered with gray particles. She then plunged both hands into the muddy water, kneading vigorously, much like kneading dough. No one knew what she was up to. Once the water was mostly absorbed by the ash balls, Grandma Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I’ll deal with them together. If I do them one by one, this old body will collapse!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged properly. Xiaoma’s mother pushed two beds together, covered them with new quilts, making it comfortable for the three children to lie down. Unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious, unable to feel the warmth.
Grandma Fan scooped some incense ash from the basin, grabbed a handful of the well-mixed mud, and spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel. She did the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, straighten your children. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Grandma Fan instructed. Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were too weak, trembling uncontrollably, so the families had to use their hands as supports to keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing no sign of the town doctor, sighed and decided to give it a try, straightening Tian Guoqiang.
Grandma Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no incense burner, she simply stuck them into a makeshift holder.
She found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense burner. After muttering for a while, she said in a strange tone, “Whatever you see or hear later, don’t be alarmed or make noise. It could cause trouble.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the temporary altar made from a table, bowed three times respectfully, took a sip of erguotou (a strong liquor), and blew it onto a candle, igniting a roaring flame. In the dimly lit room, the fire was particularly glaring and menacing, making Liu Dashao’s heart skip a beat, nearly jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao thought to himself, grabbing a corner of the quilt and shrinking further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the only ventilating windows were closed. The small room was illuminated by a faint beam of light, highlighting the floating dust. Strangely, despite the closed windows and door, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, brightening and dimming, rising and falling without any pattern. Grandma Fan’s deeply sunken eyes looked even more terrifying in the candlelight, and her occasional eerie cries would have scared anyone on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Grandma Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, knocking her head heavily against the solid wood, each thud louder than the last, as if she felt no pain. Liu Dashao’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she train in Shaolin Temple? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable—ten bricks wouldn’t knock me down!”
“Pa!” Suddenly, Grandma Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped wide open, bloodshot veins spreading from the sides to the center, forming a bizarre pupil. These pupils, like two giant searchlights, scanned the room. Then, with her hands clasped together, she began bowing repeatedly, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Sovereigns, Laozi, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, the Three Heavens’ Emperor, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion, the Dragon-Tiger Altar’s Marshal Zhao, the Three Mao Immortals, the Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities wielding talismans and spells, to heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, and exorcise evil. A thousand calls, a thousand responses; ten thousand calls, ten thousand responses; even without calling, they respond!”
“Which Granny Fan? Which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier spat, Liu Dashao’s brain short-circuited for a moment, failing to grasp the situation immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed modestly standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had made her presence go unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like a monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” the old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, with sharp senses but a less-than-flattering appearance. Her deeply sunken eyes, weathered skin, and high cheekbones gave her a gaunt look. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet, relics of the past, made her walk with a limp.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, his guilt evident. He thought to himself, “Oh no, why did Dad bring her here? We’ve got a score to settle. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her failing memory due to old age, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue but puffed out her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I can’t finish a whole field’s harvest anyway. But why did you blow it up? It could’ve been a good addition to the household. Don’t worry, I’m not mad. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding the situation, turned his anger toward Liu Dashao: “You rascal, always causing trouble! I don’t force you to study, but at least learn to farm properly so you can inherit the land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered figure! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao suspected her kindness was feigned, secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry,” Liu Laoshi apologized profusely, pulling out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and forcing it into her hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small compensation for your loss. A whole field’s harvest, sigh!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it. Today, you’re taking it whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, the rest of the household had come out. Xiaoma’s mother brightened at the sight of Granny Fan, her smile widening, while Village Chief Tian’s face turned cold as he glared at her, the class enemy.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a fortune-teller! You’ve come to help us in our time of need. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to perform a ritual for Brother Liu’s family, to see what’s troubling them.”
“So, when did you become a prophet?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan humbly nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, recounting the events in detail, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened intently, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits. The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah…” Xiaoma’s mother, upon hearing that her son had angered the spirits, fell to her knees, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. Please, think of a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money.”
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His body was icy to the touch, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said after a brief touch, her nose and eyes scrunching up. Village Chief Tian watched from the sidelines, waiting to expose her charade.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, nearly fainting. Even Gou Dan’s father grew anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. She pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red scarf, then stepped back, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder reacted violently, jumping around like water in hot oil, startling everyone in the room. The crackling sound filled the room, leaving everyone breathless.
“Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tension.
“Salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan replied without hesitation.
“How can that be? Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said, skeptical.
Granny Fan smiled without answering, handing him some of the white powder. Village Chief Tian tasted it, his eyes watering from the saltiness. It was indeed green salt, but he remained unconvinced, suspecting some trickery.
Salt crystals have long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts. This belief stems from ancient observations of distillation, where dirty solutions produced clean, crystalline particles, leading to the association of salt with purity.
In ancient Chinese alchemy and Western alchemy texts, salt was often mentioned as a purifying agent. Scientifically, salt is composed of ions and can neutralize electric fields, which might explain its supposed effectiveness against spirits, theorized to be electromagnetic in nature.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints cracking as he moved. His back arched like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her eyes filled with caution as she slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something tightly.
In rural areas, birth dates and times were commonly used for divination, unlike today’s tarot cards or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother quickly provided the details, and Granny Fan nodded, smoothing a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Fetch some water, a basin full.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water, and wobbled back, spilling some along the way.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan complained as she took the heavy basin, poured out two-thirds, and set it down. She muttered an incantation, dipped her right thumb and middle finger into the water, and drew strange symbols too quickly for anyone to see clearly.
“Done!” Granny Fan exhaled, pulling out a handful of incense ash from her bag and sprinkling it into the basin. She mixed the ash into the water, kneading it like dough, until the water was absorbed. Wiping her brow, she turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I’ll handle them all at once, or I’ll be exhausted.”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged on two beds pushed together, covered with new quilts. The children, however, were semi-conscious, unaware of the warmth.
Granny Fan scooped some incense paste from the basin and smeared it on the children’s navels, repeating the process for each.
“Everyone, hold your children upright. I’m about to begin the ritual,” Granny Fan instructed. The parents lifted their children, struggling to keep them steady as they shivered uncontrollably. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, helped hold Tian Qiang upright, resigned to the situation.
Granny Fan nodded, pulled out three incense sticks, and lit them. She found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense burner. After muttering some incantations, she said in a strange tone, “Whatever you see or hear, don’t panic or make noise. It could complicate things.”
After receiving assurances, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times, took a sip of liquor, and blew on the candles, igniting a fierce flame that illuminated the dim room. The sight made Liu Dashao’s heart skip a beat.
“This old witch is just trying to scare us!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, pulling the quilt tighter and shrinking further into the bed.
The bedroom door was tightly shut, and the windows were closed, leaving only a faint beam of light piercing through the dust-filled room. Strangely, despite the lack of wind, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, casting eerie shadows. Granny Fan’s sunken eyes, illuminated by the candles, looked even more terrifying, especially with the occasional ghostly wails that would’ve scared anyone on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan chanted, her claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she repeatedly banged her head against the solid wood, seemingly unfazed by the pain. Liu Dashao gaped, wondering if her head was made of iron or if she’d trained in Shaolin’s iron head technique.
“Thud!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped open, bloodshot veins spreading across her eyes, forming a bizarre pupil that scanned the room like a searchlight. She clasped her hands together, bowing repeatedly as she chanted:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Laozi, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, the Three Heavenly Emperors, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Thunder Palace, the Dragon-Tiger Altar’s Marshal Zhao, the Three Mao True Lords, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, and all deities wielding talismans and spells to heal, revive, exorcise, and vanquish evil. A thousand calls, a thousand responses; ten thousand calls, ten thousand responses; no call, yet still responsive!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, unable to process clearly. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her unremarkable attire and silence had made her presence unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like a monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan!” the old woman chuckled, speaking up. She was in her sixties, her hearing and vision still sharp, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp mouth and monkey-like cheeks would be a compliment. Up close, her eyes were deeply sunken, her face devoid of elastic muscles and soft tissues, leaving only weathered, purplish skin and high cheekbones. The back of her hands was as rough as old pine bark, cracked with deep fissures, and her palms were calloused. Her bound feet, remnants of the old society, resembled small rice dumplings, causing her to walk with a limp, as if born with a disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag? I have a grudge with her. She might just chop me with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With this in mind, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Hehe, hehehe…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way through. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“Don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t expose him but puffed her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have such a big appetite for a whole acre. But why did you blow it up? It was a harvest, something to supplement the household. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, immediately turned his cannon towards Liu Dashao: “You brat, why do you always cause trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just settle down and learn farming skills, so you can inherit our land and make a living without starving. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making your old man lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said kindly, but to Liu Dashao, her demeanor seemed deliberately put on. Deep down, she might be enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and forced it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest of an acre, alas!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan declined.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Little Pockmark’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, naturally brightened up, her smile stretching the flesh under her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately pulled a long face, coldly staring at this class antagonist, not cracking a smile.
“Granny Fan, you really have a knack for divination! Knowing our family is in trouble, you came to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Little Pockmark’s mother warmly greeted.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Hehe, Sister Chen, what are you talking about? I came to help Brother Liu with a ritual (folk yin-yang masters often refer to summoning spirits as ‘drawing flowers’), to see the house.”
“I didn’t know you had the ability to predict the future!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan, under the eaves, had to bow her head. Especially in front of the village chief, she showed no sign of resentment towards his blatant sarcasm, instead nodding. But halfway through her nod, she frowned and looked at Little Pockmark’s mother: “Sister Chen, you said your family is in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Little Pockmark’s mother said with a pained expression, then recounted the situation of the three families to Granny Fan in detail. As for Liu Dashao’s experiences, she embellished them with vivid descriptions. Granny Fan, standing by, showed no sign of panic, only nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Sister Chen, I can assure you, your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And the pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them!”
“Ah…” Hearing that her son had indeed offended the spirits, Little Pockmark’s mother immediately fell to the ground, tightly hugging Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Sister, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan, unfazed, helped her up.
“I only have this one child. You must think of a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Little Pockmark’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan smiled wryly. “Alright, I promise, get up! First, take me to see your child.”
In the room, Little Pockmark was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, making the quilt damp. But he kept crying, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were purple, his eyes dull, as if covered with a layer of gauze, and his face was pale. A touch revealed his icy coldness, more chilling than a wealthy family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition!” Granny Fan’s fingers lightly touched Little Pockmark’s weak face, her nose and eyes scrunched together, she said calmly. Village Chief Tian, following behind, was just watching the show, waiting for the right moment to expose this old witch’s scam.
“Then… what should we do…” Little Pockmark’s mother’s voice lost its strength, her vision blurred, and she nearly fainted. Even Dog Egg’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look!” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she took out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Little Pockmark’s head, and laid him flat again. With her left hand, she made a strange gesture, tapped the area with the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it on Little Pockmark’s face. Before this action fully subsided, she grabbed a handful of white substance from her pocket and sprinkled it on Little Pockmark’s wet face. This was extraordinary; the white substance, upon contact with water, immediately began to jump around, like water poured into hot oil. Though it didn’t jump high, it left everyone dumbfounded and terrified. The rustling sound of the jumping filled the room, and apart from everyone’s heavy breathing, only Granny Fan’s crackling symphony remained.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian, full of doubts, couldn’t help but break the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan didn’t shy away, directly answering.
“How is that possible? You must be fooling me. Salt doesn’t jump when it meets water!” Village Chief Tian said with disbelief.
Granny Fan smiled without answering. She just grabbed some of the remaining white substance from her pocket and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, personally inspected it, and even tasted it. It was so salty it brought tears to his eyes, confirming it was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his impression of this old woman who played with superstitions. Hmph, there must be some other trick here, yes, that’s it!
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It is believed to ward off “impure” things like demons and ghosts.
As for why crystalline salt is considered a symbol of purity, it’s because ancient people, through their life experiences, discovered the phenomenon of distillation. Many dark, dirty solutions, when heated, would produce pure, crystalline particles. Not understanding the principle, they believed these “lotus emerging from the mud” particles were the embodiment of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists’ “experimental records” have related records, as do foreign alchemy texts, and these crystals are mostly salt. Thus, word spread, and this efficacy has been passed down to this day.
Scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances, usually composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. Ghosts might be a combination of electromagnetic waves, containing certain charges, which are counteracted by salt, making this theoretically plausible.
In the messy bedding, Little Pockmark’s body still twisted like an earthworm, as if all his joints could move freely, cracking as they did. His back, pressed against the bed board, didn’t stay still either, suddenly arching high, resembling a stone arch bridge over a small river from a distance.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Little Pockmark’s series of movements, her dim eyes filled with vigilance, her wrinkled face tense, slowly reached into her cloth bag with her left hand, not pulling anything out, as if holding something.
In those days, rural areas were particularly fond of birth dates and times, not the current tarot cards or zodiac signs. Little Pockmark’s mother, without hesitation, recited her son’s birth date and time, vaguely seeing Granny Fan, who was facing away, nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Little Pockmark’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s command, hurriedly stumbling to the kitchen, found a copper basin, poured a full basin of water from the large water vat, and wobbled over, spilling as she walked.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan, taking the basin, nearly dropped it from the weight, complained a bit, then poured out two-thirds of the water, set the basin down, muttered an obscure incantation, pressed her right thumb against her middle finger, raised the other three fingers high, lightly tapped the water surface, then used her hand as a brush to write a series of strange symbols. However, since it was written in water and the old woman’s movements were too fast, the four people around couldn’t make out the outline.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled out her left hand from the cloth bag, this time not green salt but a handful of incense ash, the remains of sandalwood burned in worship of gods and bodhisattvas. This stuff looked sticky and dirty, staining Granny Fan’s already yellowish, slightly blackened hand even darker. She didn’t mind, just kept sprinkling handfuls into the basin, soon filling the surface with gray particles. Granny Fan didn’t stop, mixing both hands into the muddy water, vigorously kneading, the action almost identical to rural families kneading dough, leaving everyone clueless about her intentions. When the water in the basin was almost entirely absorbed by the clumped incense ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the crowd: “Quickly, bring your sick children here. I need to deal with them together, otherwise, one by one, this old body of mine will collapse!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally arranged their precious children properly. Little Pockmark’s mother pushed two beds together, laid out brand new thick quilts, making it easy for three children to lie down comfortably, warm and cozy. Unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state, completely unaware of this.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of evenly mixed incense mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s clothes, and covered his navel with it. She did the same for Little Pockmark and Dog Egg.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. I’m about to perform the ritual!” After Granny Fan’s command, Dog Egg’s father and Little Pockmark’s mother quickly picked up their children, slowly straightened them, and sat them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were too weak, still shivering uncontrollably, so the family members had to use their hands as supports to barely keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing that the town’s doctor still hadn’t arrived, sighed inwardly and, adopting a last-ditch attitude, straightened Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no shortage of incense burners here, she quickly found one and inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped patterns from red paper, placed them in front of the incense burner, mumbled a bit, then said in a strange tone: “Later, no matter what you see or hear, don’t be alarmed or make noise, or it will be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar made from a table, humbly bowed three times, took a sip of erguotou, blew on the candle, and a blazing fire dragon ignited, appearing particularly glaring and ferocious in the dimly lit small room. Watching from the bedside, Liu Dashao’s heart inexplicably skipped a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered in his heart, grabbed the corner of the quilt, and shrank further into the bed.
At this moment, the bedroom door was tightly closed, and the only ventilating windows on both sides were also pulled shut. In the entire cramped space, only a faint beam of light pierced through, illuminating the floating dust clearly. However, it was strange; with the windows and door closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, yet the two continuously burning candle flames kept flickering, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes floating, sometimes falling, without any consistency. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets were made even more terrifying by the candlelight, coupled with the intermittent, ghostly cries that emerged every few seconds. If this were on a midnight street, it would surely scare a large crowd.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” With her chicken claw-like hands firmly pressed on the table, Granny Fan chanted while heavily knocking her head on the solid wood table, each knock louder than the last, as if she didn’t feel any pain. This made Liu Dashao, watching from the side, open his mouth wide again. Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? If I could learn that, even ten bricks wouldn’t knock me down!
“Pa!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes fully opened, spiderweb-like blood vessels instantly spreading from the sides to the center of her eyes, forming a bizarre pupil. These two pupils were like two huge searchlights, emitting a sharp light, scanning the room. Immediately after, their owner, Granny Fan, clasped her hands together, continuously making worshiping gestures, chanting:
“Pay respects to the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Honored Ones, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Ancestral Master, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Old Man, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Heavens’ Opening Emperor, Five Peaks’ Great Earth, Divine Mansion of the Azure Clouds, Dragon-Tiger Altar Marshal Zhao, Three Mao Zhenjun, Twenty-Eight Constellations, all immortals holding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, call a thousand times, respond a thousand times, call ten thousand times, respond ten thousand times, call not, respond not!”
“He’s my only child! Please, Grandma, you have to think of a way to save him! We’re willing to spend as much money as it takes,” Mama Mazi said.
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably because he had just been caught up in the argument, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment and he couldn’t quite grasp the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that an elderly woman dressed simply had been standing beside Liu Laoshi all along. However, her attire was so inconspicuous and she had remained silent the entire time, which is why he hadn’t noticed her presence earlier. Now that he saw her, he couldn’t help but think she looked like a monkey that had just sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and now you don’t recognize Granny Fan?” the old woman chuckled and spoke up. She was already in her sixties, and though her hearing and eyesight were still sharp, her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp mouth and monkey-like cheeks would be a compliment. Up close, her eyes were deeply sunken, her face lacked any elasticity in the muscles and soft tissues, leaving only skin weathered to a purplish hue and high cheekbones. The back of her hands was as rough as the bark of an old pine tree, cracked with numerous fissures, and her palms were calloused from years of hard work. Her feet, bound in the old society, resembled small dumplings, and she walked with a limp, as if she had been born with a disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, clearly feeling a pang of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag here? I have a score to settle with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With this in mind, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on the old woman’s memory failing due to her age, hoping to bluff his way out of the situation. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t expose him but instead puffed out her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have such a big appetite for a whole acre of land. But why did you blow it up? It was still a harvest, something to supplement the household. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, on the other hand, understood immediately and turned his cannon towards Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, why do you always cause trouble? I don’t force you to study, but at least learn some farming skills so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered shaman! You’re making your old man lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said with a kind expression, though Liu Dashao felt it was all an act. Deep down, she was probably enjoying seeing him squirm.
“Granny Fan, I’m really sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing and then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, forcefully handing it to Granny Fan.
“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.
“It’s a small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest from an acre of land. Sigh!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan declined.
“You must take it. Whether you want to or not, you have to take it today.” After much persuasion from Liu Laoshi, Granny Fan finally relented and tucked the ten yuan into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother, upon seeing Granny Fan, naturally brightened up, her smile stretching the flesh under her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately pulled a long face, coldly staring at this class adversary, not saying a word.
“Granny Fan, you really have a knack for timing! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside and have some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Heh, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to perform a ritual for Brother Liu, to see what’s going on in his house.”
“I didn’t know you had the ability to predict the future!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan said, bowing her head. She didn’t show any sign of displeasure at Village Chief Tian’s blatant sarcasm. Instead, she nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and looked at Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you just said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother said with a pained expression, then proceeded to explain the situation of the three families to Granny Fan in detail. She even embellished Liu Dashao’s story, making it sound more dramatic. Granny Fan, standing by, didn’t show any signs of panic. She just nodded and shook her head intermittently, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I can assure you that your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And the pile of paper money in front of your house is probably a warning from them.”
“Wah…” Upon hearing that her son had indeed offended the spirits, Xiaoma’s mother immediately threw herself to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wailing, even wiping her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“I only have this one child. You must think of a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan said with a bitter smile. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up now and take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, making the quilt damp. But he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were purple, his eyes dull, as if covered by a layer of gauze, and his face was pale. His hands were icy cold, colder than the fridge of a wealthy family in town.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s weak face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunching up. Village Chief Tian, standing behind her, was just watching, waiting for the right moment to expose this old witch’s scam.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening, almost fainting. Even Dog Egg’s father was getting anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes for a moment, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the area where the red cloth was tied, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was fully completed, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The result was astonishing—the white powder, upon contact with water, immediately started jumping around like water poured into hot oil. Though the jumps weren’t high, they were enough to leave everyone in the room dumbfounded and terrified. The rustling sound of the jumping powder filled the room, and at that moment, apart from everyone’s heavy breathing, the only sound was the crackling symphony orchestrated by Granny Fan.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you just throw?” Village Chief Tian, full of doubt, couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan answered directly without hesitation.
“How is that possible? You must be kidding me. Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelief written all over his face.
Granny Fan just smiled and didn’t respond. She took a bit of the remaining white powder from her pocket and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, examined it closely, and even tasted it. The saltiness made his eyes water—it was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of this old woman who seemed to be playing tricks. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here. Yes, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It is believed to ward off “impure” entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason why crystalline salt is seen as a symbol of purity is that ancient people, through their production and life experiences, discovered the phenomenon of distillation—many dark, dirty solutions would produce white, crystalline particles after heating. Not understanding the science behind it, they considered these “untainted by mud” particles as the embodiment of “purity.”
There are records of this in the “experimental notes” of some ancient Chinese alchemists, as well as in foreign alchemy texts, and these crystals are mostly salt. Thus, the belief spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and this efficacy has been passed down to this day.
To explain it scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances, usually composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. Ghosts might be a combination of electromagnetic waves, containing certain charges, which are counteracted by salt, so theoretically, it makes sense.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body still twisted like an earthworm, as if all his joints could move freely, making popping sounds. His back, pressed against the bedboard, was also restless, suddenly arching high, looking from a distance like a stone arch bridge spanning a small river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Xiaoma’s series of movements, her dim eyes filled with vigilance, the wrinkled skin on her old face tightening, slowly reached into the cloth bag she carried with her, not pulling anything out, as if holding something.
At that time, in rural areas, birth dates and times were very popular, unlike today’s Tarot cards, zodiac signs, etc. Xiaoma’s mother didn’t hesitate and immediately reported her son’s birth date and time, vaguely seeing Granny Fan, who was facing away from her, nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Bring a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s command, hurriedly stumbling to the kitchen, found a copper basin, poured a full basin of water from the large water vat, and wobbled back, spilling water as she walked.
“I didn’t ask you to bring so much water!” Granny Fan, taking the basin, almost dropped it from the weight, complained a bit, poured out two-thirds of the water, then set the basin down, muttered an obscure incantation, pressed her right thumb against her middle finger, the other three fingers raised high, lightly tapped the water surface, then used her hand as a brush to write a series of strange symbols in the water. However, because it was written in water and the old woman’s movements were too fast, the four people around couldn’t make out the outline.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, took out her left hand from the cloth bag, this time not green salt, but handfuls of incense ash, the remains of sandalwood burned in worship of gods and Bodhisattvas. This stuff looked sticky and dirty, staining Granny Fan’s already yellowish, slightly blackened hand even darker. She didn’t mind, just kept throwing handfuls into the basin, soon the surface was covered with gray particles, Granny Fan didn’t stop, just mixed her hands into the muddy water, kneading vigorously, the action almost identical to rural families kneading dough, no one knew what she was really up to. When the water in the basin was almost completely absorbed by the clumped incense ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face. She turned to the crowd and said, “You all, quickly bring your sick children here, I need to deal with them together, otherwise one by one, this old body of mine will be exhausted!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally got their precious children settled. Xiaoma’s mother pushed two beds together, covered them with brand new thick quilts, so it was no problem for three children to lie down, and it was warm and comfortable, but unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state and couldn’t feel any of it.
Granny Fan scooped in the incense ash in the copper basin, grabbed a handful of well-mixed incense mud, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s clothes, and covered his navel with this incense mud. She did the same for Xiaoma and Dog Egg.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies, I’m going to perform the ritual!” After Granny Fan’s command, Dog Egg’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly picked up their children, slowly straightened them up, and sat them upright on the bed, but their bodies were too soft, still shivering uncontrollably, so the three families had to use their hands as supports to barely get the children into position. Village Chief Tian, though very reluctant, seeing that the town’s doctor still hadn’t shown up, could only sigh inwardly and adopt a “treating a dead horse as a live one” attitude, straightening Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no shortage of incense burners here, she quickly found one and inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped patterns out of red paper, placed them in front of the incense burner, muttered a string of words, then said in a strange tone, “Later, no matter what you see or hear, don’t be alarmed, don’t scream, otherwise, it will be very troublesome.”
After getting everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar made of a table, humbly bowed three times, took a sip of Erguotou, blew on the candle, and a roaring fire dragon ignited, in the semi-dark small room, it looked particularly glaring and ferocious. Liu Dashao, standing by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered in his heart, grabbed the corner of the quilt, and shrank further into the bed.
At this moment, the bedroom door was tightly closed, and the only ventilating windows on both sides were also pulled shut. In the entire small space, only a faint beam of light pierced through, illuminating the floating dust in the room brightly. However, one thing was quite strange—since the windows and door were closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, but the two continuously burning candle flames kept flickering, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes floating, sometimes falling, without any regularity. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets were made even more terrifying by the candlelight, and with the occasional ghostly cries that emerged every few seconds, if this were on a midnight street, it would surely scare a large crowd to death.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s two hands, shaped like chicken claws, pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, knocking her head heavily on the solid wood table, each knock louder than the last, as if she didn’t feel any pain. This made Liu Dashao, standing by, open his mouth wide again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? So badass! If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable—ten bricks wouldn’t knock me down!”
“Pa!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled-up eyes snapped wide open, and spiderweb-like blood vessels instantly spread from the sides of her eyes to the center, forming a bizarre pupil. These two pupils were like two huge searchlights, emitting a sharp light, scanning the room. Immediately after, their owner, Granny Fan, clasped her hands together, continuously making gestures of worship, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Honored Ones, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Patriarch, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Old Man, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Days of Opening the Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion of the Dragon and Tiger Altar, Marshal Zhao of the Xuantan, the Three Mao True Lords, the Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Five Stars, all the immortals holding talismans and spells, to heal the sick, bring back life, subdue demons, and exorcise evil spirits. A thousand calls, a thousand responses; ten thousand calls, ten thousand responses; even without calling, they respond!”
Inside the room, Mazzi was similarly wrapped in a thick quilt, his entire body drenched in sweat, soaking the blanket, but his mouth kept repeating, “Cold, cold, cold…” Looking at his expression, he seemed frozen stiff. His lips were purplish-blue, his eyes dull and clouded, as if covered by a veil. His face was pale, and his hands were icy cold to the touch, even colder than the refrigerator in a rich family in town.
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, failing to grasp the situation immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had kept her presence unnoticed until now, making her sudden appearance seem as if she had sprung out of a rock like a mythical monkey.
“Child, we just met last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan this year!” the old woman chuckled and spoke. She was in her sixties, her hearing and sight still sharp, but her appearance was less than flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp mouth and monkey-like cheeks would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, almost devoid of any elastic muscle or soft tissue on her face, only the weathered, purplish skin and high cheekbones were visible. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet from the old society resembled small dumplings, causing her to walk with a limp as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, mostly out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag? I have a score to settle with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on the old woman’s failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to be the type to fall for such tricks.
“Don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue, just puffed her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre of them. But why did you blow it up? It was still a harvest, could have supplemented the household. Don’t worry, Granny doesn’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, immediately turned his anger towards Liu Dashao: “You brat, always causing trouble! If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just focus on learning farming skills to inherit our land and live a decent life. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said with a kind smile, though Liu Dashao suspected it was just a facade, secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, really sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and forced it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest of an acre of land, sigh!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, naturally brightened up, her smile widening. However, Village Chief Tian immediately frowned, coldly staring at this class antagonist, not saying a word.
“Granny Fan, you really have a knack for timing! Knowing our family is in trouble, you came to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Hehe, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual (folk practitioners often refer to summoning spirits as ‘drawing flowers’), to check the house.”
“I didn’t know you had the ability to predict the future!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and looked at Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family is in trouble, what happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, then recounted the situation of the three families to Granny Fan, embellishing Liu Dashao’s experiences. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I can assure you, your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And the pile of paper money in front of your house is probably a warning from them!”
“Ah…” Hearing that her son had offended the spirits, Xiaoma’s mother immediately fell to her knees, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“I only have this one child, you must find a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan smiled wryly. “Alright, I’ll help, get up! First, take me to see your child.”
In the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale, his body icy cold, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition!” Granny Fan touched Xiaoma’s weak face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunching up as she spoke calmly. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting to expose this old fraud.
“What… what should we do…” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening, almost fainting. Even Dogdan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look!” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, then stepped back to the bed, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action fully subsided, she grabbed a handful of white substance from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. Instantly, the white substance began to jump and dance like water poured into hot oil, startling everyone in the room. The rustling sound of the jumping substance filled the room, accompanied only by the heavy breathing of the onlookers and the crackling symphony orchestrated by Granny Fan.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“Salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan answered directly without hesitation.
“How is that possible? You must be tricking me. Salt doesn’t jump when it meets water!” Village Chief Tian said in disbelief.
Granny Fan smiled without responding, just handing some of the remaining white substance to Village Chief Tian. He took it, examined it, and even tasted it, the saltiness bringing tears to his eyes. It was indeed green salt. However, this did not change his opinion of this old woman who seemed to be playing tricks. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It is believed to ward off “impure” entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason why crystalline salt is seen as a symbol of purity lies in ancient people’s production and life experiences. They observed the phenomenon of distillation, where many dark, dirty solutions would produce white, crystalline particles upon heating. Not understanding the principle, they considered these “untainted by mud” particles as a concrete manifestation of “purity.”
Ancient Chinese alchemists’ “experimental records” and foreign alchemy texts both contain related records, and these crystals are mostly salt. Thus, the belief spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, and this efficacy has been passed down to this day.
Scientifically speaking, salt is a general term for a class of substances, typically composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. Ghosts are likely a combination of electromagnetic waves, containing certain charges, which are countered by salt, making the theory plausible.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body still twisted like an earthworm, as if all his joints could move freely, cracking and popping. His back against the bedboard also didn’t rest, suddenly arching high, resembling a stone arch bridge over a small river from a distance.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Xiaoma’s series of movements, her dim eyes filled with vigilance, her wrinkled face tense, slowly reached into her cloth bag with her left hand, not pulling it out, as if holding something.
At that time, rural areas were particularly fond of birth dates and times, unlike today’s Tarot cards, zodiac signs, etc. Xiaoma’s mother immediately reported her son’s birth date and time without hesitation, vaguely seeing Granny Fan nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s command, hurriedly stumbling to the kitchen, found a copper basin, poured a full basin of water from the large water vat, and wobbled over, spilling as she walked.
“I didn’t tell you to fetch so much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, almost dropping it from the weight, complained a bit, then poured out two-thirds of the water, set the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, pressed her right thumb against her middle finger, the other three fingers raised high, lightly tapped the water surface, then used her hand as a brush to write a series of strange symbols. However, since it was written in water and the old woman’s movements were too fast, the four people around couldn’t make out the outline.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled out her left hand from the cloth bag, this time not with green salt, but with handfuls of incense ash, the residue from burning sandalwood offered to deities. This substance looked sticky and dirty, staining Granny Fan’s already yellowish, slightly blackened hand even darker. She didn’t mind, just kept sprinkling it into the basin, soon the gray particles floating all over the surface. Granny Fan didn’t stop, mixing her hands into the muddy water, vigorously kneading, the action almost identical to rural families kneading dough, no one knew what she was really up to. When the water in the basin was almost entirely absorbed by the ball of incense ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the crowd: “Quickly, bring your sick children here, I need to deal with them together, otherwise, one by one, this old body of mine will collapse!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally arranged their precious children properly. Xiaoma’s mother combined two beds, laid out new thick quilts, so naturally, it wasn’t difficult for three children to lie down, warm and comfortable, though Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state, completely unaware.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of evenly mixed incense mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s shirt, and covered his navel with the incense mud, doing the same for Xiaoma and Dogdan.
“Families, straighten your children’s bodies, I’m going to perform the ritual!” After Granny Fan’s instruction, Dogdan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly picked up their children, slowly straightened them, sitting upright on the bed, though their bodies were too soft, shivering uncontrollably, so the families had to use their hands as supports to barely keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing that the town’s doctor still hadn’t arrived, sighed inwardly and straightened Tian Guoqiang with a last-ditch effort.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no shortage of incense burners here, she quickly inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped patterns from red paper, placed them in front of the incense burner, mumbled for a while, then said in a strange tone: “Later, whatever you see or hear, don’t be alarmed, don’t scream, or it will be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar made of a table, humbly bowed three times, took a sip of Erguotou, blew on the candle, and a roaring flame ignited, glaring and ferocious in the dimly lit room, making Liu Dashao’s heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, grabbing the corner of the quilt, shrinking further into the bed.
Now, the bedroom door was tightly closed, the only ventilating windows on both sides also pulled shut. In the narrow space, only a faint beam of light pierced through, illuminating the floating dust clearly. However, it was strange that with the windows and door closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, yet the two burning candles kept flickering, brightening, dimming, floating, falling, without any consistency. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets were made even more terrifying by the candlelight, coupled with the occasional human-like or ghostly cries, if this were on a midnight street, it would surely scare a large crowd.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s hands, shaped like chicken claws, pressed firmly on the table, chanting while heavily knocking her head on the solid wood table, each knock louder than the last, as if she didn’t feel any pain. This made Liu Dashao’s mouth drop open again, “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable, ten bricks couldn’t knock me down!”
“Pa!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes fully opened, spiderweb-like blood vessels instantly spreading from the sides to the center, forming a bizarre pupil. These two pupils, like two huge searchlights, emitted a sharp light, scanning the room. Then, their owner, Granny Fan, clasped her hands together, continuously making worshiping gestures, chanting:
“Invoke the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Ancestor, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Heavens Opening Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion, Dragon and Tiger Altar Marshal Zhao, Three Mao True Lords, Five Stars Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities holding talismans and spells, heal and revive, subdue demons and expel evil, call a thousand times, respond a thousand times, call ten thousand times, respond ten thousand times, no call, self-respond!”
“What… what should we do…” Mama Mazi’s voice immediately lost its strength, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Dogzi’s father became anxious.
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably because he had just been caught up in the argument, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment, and he didn’t react immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that there had been a plainly dressed old lady standing next to Liu Laoshi all along. However, her clothes were so inconspicuous, and she hadn’t made a sound the entire time, so he hadn’t noticed her presence earlier. Now that he saw her, he thought she might as well have been a monkey mother who had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Kid, we just met last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan this year!” The old lady smiled and spoke up. She was already in her sixties, and though her hearing and eyesight were still sharp, her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a “pointed face and monkey cheeks” would be a compliment. Up close, her eyes were deeply sunken, her face almost devoid of any elastic muscle or soft tissue, leaving only skin weathered to a purplish hue and high cheekbones. The back of her hands was as rough as the bark of an old pine tree, cracked with deep fissures, and her palms were calloused from years of hard work. Her feet, bound in the old tradition of “three-inch golden lotuses,” looked like a pair of small dumplings, and she walked with a limp, as if she had been born with a disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag here? I’ve got a score to settle with her. She’s going to chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yeah, that’s a good idea.” With that, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on the old lady’s memory failing due to her age, hoping he could easily fool her. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t expose him but instead puffed out her thin lips and said, “So, how did my big pumpkins taste? It’s fine if you ate them. I don’t have the appetite for an entire acre of them anyway. But why did you blow them up? They were still a harvest, something to help with the household expenses. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, on the other hand, immediately understood and turned his anger toward Liu Dashao: “You little brat, why do you always cause trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just stay calm and learn how to farm properly. You can inherit our land, get married, and live a decent life. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered old sage! You’ve made me lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said with a kind expression, though Liu Dashao felt it was all an act. Deep down, she was probably enjoying seeing him squirm.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing and then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, forcing it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“It’s a small token to compensate for your loss. An entire acre’s harvest, sigh!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan tried to refuse.
“You must take it. Whether you want to or not, you’re taking it today.” After Liu Laoshi’s repeated insistence, Granny Fan finally stopped arguing and tucked the money into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaomaozi’s mother, upon seeing Granny Fan, naturally lit up with a smile that stretched the flesh under her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately put on a stern face, coldly watching this class adversary without a hint of a smile.
“Granny Fan, you really have a knack for divination! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside and have some tea,” Xiaomaozi’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Heh, Sister Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual (often referred to as ‘drawing flowers’ by folk spiritual practitioners), to see what’s going on with his family.”
“So, when did you become so prescient and capable?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan said, bowing her head. She didn’t show any sign of displeasure at Village Chief Tian’s blatant sarcasm. Instead, she nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaomaozi’s mother: “Sister Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaomaozi’s mother said with a pained expression, then proceeded to explain the situation of the three families in detail. She even embellished Liu Dashao’s account, making it sound more dramatic. Granny Fan, standing by, didn’t show any panic. She just nodded and shook her head occasionally, deep in thought.
“Sister Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And that pile of paper money in front of your house is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah…” Xiaomaozi’s mother, upon hearing that her son had indeed offended the spirits, immediately fell to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Sister, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaomaozi’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan said with a bitter smile. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up now. First, take me to see your child.”
In the room, Xiaomaozi was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat that had soaked the blanket. Yet, he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull as if covered by a veil, and his face was pale. When touched, his skin was icy cold, more chilling than a wealthy family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, her nose and eyes scrunched up as she lightly touched Xiaomaozi’s weak face. Village Chief Tian, standing behind her, watched like a spectator, waiting for the right moment to expose this old fraud.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaomaozi’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaomaozi’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the area with the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it onto Xiaomaozi’s face. Before the action even settled, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaomaozi’s wet face. The moment the powder touched the water, it began to jump and dance, like water splashed into hot oil. Though the jumps weren’t high, they were enough to leave everyone in the room stunned and terrified. The rustling sound of the jumping powder filled the room, and apart from everyone’s heavy breathing, the only sound was the crackling symphony orchestrated by Granny Fan.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian, unable to contain his curiosity, broke the tense silence.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan answered without hesitation.
“How is that possible? You must be fooling me. Salt doesn’t jump when it touches water!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t respond. Instead, she grabbed a bit of the remaining white powder and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, inspected it, and even tasted it. The saltiness brought tears to his eyes, confirming it was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of this old woman who seemed to be playing tricks. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here. Yes, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It’s believed to ward off “impure” entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason crystalline salt is seen as a symbol of purity is that ancient people, through their life experiences, discovered the phenomenon of distillation. Many dark, dirty solutions, when heated, would produce pure, crystalline particles. Not understanding the science behind it, they believed these “untainted by mud” particles were the embodiment of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists’ “experimental records” contain related notes, as do foreign alchemical texts, and these crystals are mostly salt. Thus, the belief spread far and wide and continues to this day.
Scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances typically composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. Ghosts are likely a combination of electromagnetic waves containing certain charges, which are countered by salt, making the theory plausible.
In the messy bedding, Xiaomaozi’s body still twisted like an earthworm, as if all his joints could move freely, clicking and popping. His back, pressed against the bed, suddenly arched high, resembling a stone bridge spanning a small river from a distance.
“Sister Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Xiaomaozi’s movements, her dim eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense, slowly reached into the cloth bag she carried, not pulling anything out, as if holding something.
In those days, rural areas were particularly fond of birth dates and times, unlike today’s Tarot cards or zodiac signs. Xiaomaozi’s mother, without hesitation, recited her son’s birth date and time. She vaguely saw Granny Fan, who was facing away, nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaomaozi’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s command and hurriedly stumbled to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from a large vat, and wobbled back, spilling water along the way.
“I didn’t ask for this much water!” Granny Fan, taking the basin, nearly dropped it from the weight, scolded a bit, then poured out two-thirds of the water, set the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, pressed her thumb against her middle finger, raised the other three fingers, lightly tapped the water’s surface, then used her hand as a brush to write a series of strange symbols. However, because it was written in water and the old lady’s movements were too fast, the four people around couldn’t make out the shapes.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand out of the cloth bag, this time not with green salt but with handfuls of incense ash, the residue from burning sandalwood used to worship deities. The ash looked sticky and dirty, making Granny Fan’s already yellowish, slightly blackened hand even darker. She didn’t mind, just kept throwing handfuls into the basin until the surface was covered with gray particles. She didn’t stop but mixed her hands into the muddy water, kneading it vigorously, much like how rural families knead dough. It was unclear what she was up to. When the water in the basin was almost entirely absorbed by the ash balls, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I’ll deal with them all at once. If I do them one by one, this old body of mine will collapse!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally arranged their precious children properly. Xiaomaozi’s mother pushed two beds together, laid out new thick quilts, so it wasn’t difficult for three children to lie down comfortably. It was warm and cozy, but unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state and couldn’t feel any of it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of the evenly mixed ash mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s shirt, and smeared the mud all over his navel. She did the same for Xiaomaozi and Gou Dan.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. I’m about to perform the ritual!” After Granny Fan’s instruction, Gou Dan’s father and Xiaomaozi’s mother quickly picked up their children, slowly sat them up straight on the bed. However, their bodies were too weak, still shivering uncontrollably, so the family members had to use their hands as supports to keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing that the town’s doctor still hadn’t arrived, sighed inwardly and decided to treat it as a last resort, straightening Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no shortage of incense burners here, she quickly found one and inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped patterns from red paper, placed them in front of the incense burner, muttered a series of incantations, then said in a strange tone: “Later, no matter what you see or hear, don’t be alarmed or make any noise. Otherwise, it will be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar made from a table, humbly bowed three times, took a sip of erguotou (a strong liquor), blew on the candle, and a roaring flame burst forth, casting a glaring, menacing light in the dimly lit room. Liu Dashao, watching from the bedside, felt his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, grabbed the corner of the quilt, and shrank further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the only ventilating windows on both sides were also closed. In the narrow space, only a faint beam of light pierced through, illuminating the floating dust. However, it was strange—since the windows and door were closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, yet the two burning candles kept flickering, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes rising, sometimes falling, without any consistency. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets were made even more terrifying by the candlelight, and with the eerie cries that emerged every few seconds, if this were on a midnight street, it would surely scare a large crowd.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s hands, shaped like chicken claws, pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, banging her head heavily on the solid wood table, each thud louder than the last, as if she felt no pain. Liu Dashao, watching from the side, opened his mouth wide again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron, or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? If I could learn that, ten bricks wouldn’t knock me down!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped wide open, bloodshot veins spreading from the sides to the center like a spider’s web, forming a bizarre pupil. These pupils, like two giant searchlights, emitted a sharp light, scanning the room. Then, Granny Fan clasped her hands together, repeatedly making gestures of worship, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Sovereigns, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Laoren, Nanshan Xiaomei, Dimu Yuanjun, Hengshan Qilang, Luoshan Jiulang, Santian Kaihuang, Wuyue Dadi, Shenxiao Wangfu, Longhu Xuantan Zhao Yuanshuai, Sanmao Zhenjun, the Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Five Stars, all deities holding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, respond to every call, manifest with every plea, act without being called!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably because he had just been caught up in the bickering, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment and he didn’t fully grasp the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that there had been a plainly dressed old lady following Liu Laoshi all along. Her clothes were so inconspicuous and she had remained silent the entire time, which is why he hadn’t noticed her presence earlier. At this moment, seeing her, he thought she might as well have sprung out of a rock like a female monkey.
“Kid, we just met last year, and this year you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan!” The old lady smiled and spoke up. She was already in her sixties, and though her hearing and sight were still sharp, her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks would be a compliment. Up close, her eyes were deeply sunken, her face almost devoid of elastic muscles and soft tissue, leaving only skin weathered to a purplish hue and high cheekbones. The back of her hands was as rough as old pine bark, cracked with numerous fissures, and her palms were calloused. Her feet, bound in the old society’s ‘three-inch golden lotus,’ resembled small rice dumplings, and she walked with a limp, as if born with a disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag? I have a score to settle with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good idea.” With that, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on the old lady’s memory failing due to her age, hoping to bluff his way through. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t expose him but puffed up her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for an entire acre of land. But why did you blow it up? It was a harvest that could have supplemented the household. Don’t worry, I won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, on the other hand, understood immediately and turned his cannon towards Liu Dashao: “You brat, why do you always cause trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just settle down and learn farming skills so you can inherit our land and live a decent life. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making your old man lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said with a kind expression, but to Liu Dashao, it seemed like a deliberate act. Deep down, she was probably enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m sorry, really sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing and then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, forcefully handing it to Granny Fan.
“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.
“It’s a small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest of an acre of land, alas!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan declined.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the ten yuan and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Little Pockmark’s mother’s eyes lit up when she saw Granny Fan, her smile so wide it seemed to split her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately put on a stern face, coldly watching this class antagonist without a hint of a smile.
“Granny Fan, you really have a knack for divination! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside and have some tea,” Little Pockmark’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Heh, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I came to help Brother Liu with a ritual (folk yin-yang masters often refer to summoning spirits as ‘drawing flowers’), to check on the house.”
“I didn’t know you had the ability to foresee the future!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan said, bowing her head. She didn’t show any resentment towards Village Chief Tian’s blatant sarcasm but instead nodded. However, halfway through her nod, she frowned and looked at Little Pockmark’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you just said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Little Pockmark’s mother said with a pained expression, then proceeded to explain the situation of the three families to Granny Fan in detail. She even embellished Liu Dashao’s account, making it sound more dramatic. Granny Fan, standing by, didn’t show any signs of panic but nodded and shook her head thoughtfully, as if pondering something.
“Mrs. Chen, I can assure you that your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And the pile of paper money in front of your house is probably a warning from them.”
“Ah…” Little Pockmark’s mother, upon hearing that her son had indeed offended the spirits, immediately threw herself to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wailing, even wiping her tears and snot on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“I only have this one child. You must think of a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Little Pockmark’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan said with a bitter smile. “Alright, I promise to help. Get up now and take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Little Pockmark was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, making the quilt damp. But he kept crying, “Cold, cold, cold…” His expression was that of someone frozen stiff. His lips were purplish, his eyes dull as if covered by a veil, and his face was pale. His hands were icy cold, more chilling than a wealthy family’s refrigerator in town.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, lightly touching Little Pockmark’s weak face with her fingers, her nose and eyes scrunched together. Village Chief Tian, following behind, was just watching the show, waiting for the right moment to expose this old witch’s scam.
“What… what should we do…” Little Pockmark’s mother’s voice lost its strength, and she nearly fainted. Even Dog Egg’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look!” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes for a moment, and gestured for everyone to step back a few paces. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Little Pockmark’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the spot where the red cloth was tied, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it onto Little Pockmark’s face. Before the action had fully settled, she grabbed a handful of something white from her pocket and sprinkled it on Little Pockmark’s wet face. This was no ordinary substance—upon contact with water, the white particles immediately began to jump and dance, like water poured into hot oil. Though they didn’t jump high, the sight left everyone stunned and terrified. The rustling sound of the jumping particles filled the room, and at that moment, apart from everyone’s heavy breathing, the only sound was the crackling symphony orchestrated by Granny Fan.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you just throw?” Village Chief Tian, full of doubts, couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan answered directly without hesitation.
“How is that possible? You must be fooling me. Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelief written all over his face.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t respond. Instead, she grabbed a bit of the remaining white substance from her pocket and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, examined it closely, and even tasted it. The saltiness brought tears to his eyes—it was indeed green salt. However, this did not change his impression of this old woman who seemed to be playing tricks. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here. Yes, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It is believed to ward off “impure” entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason why crystalline salt is seen as a symbol of purity is rooted in ancient people’s production and life experiences. They observed the phenomenon of distillation, where many dark, dirty solutions would produce pure, crystalline particles upon heating. Without understanding the underlying principles, they took these “lotus-like” particles as a concrete manifestation of “purity.”
Ancient Chinese alchemists’ “experimental records” contain related accounts, as do foreign alchemical texts, and these crystals are mostly salt. Thus, word spread, and this belief has persisted to this day.
From a scientific perspective, salt is a general term for a class of substances typically composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when molten or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields and effectively neutralize charges. Ghosts might be a combination of electromagnetic waves containing certain charges, which are counteracted by salt, making this theory plausible.
Amidst the messy bedding, Little Pockmark’s body continued to twist like a worm, as if all his joints could move freely, making cracking sounds. His back, pressed against the bed, also didn’t stay still, suddenly arching high, resembling a stone bridge spanning a small river from a distance.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Little Pockmark’s series of movements, her dim eyes filled with vigilance, her wrinkled face tense, slowly reached into the cloth bag she carried, not pulling anything out but seemingly holding something.
In those days, rural areas were particularly fond of birth dates and times, unlike today’s Tarot cards and zodiac signs. Little Pockmark’s mother immediately recited her son’s birth date and time without hesitation, vaguely seeing Granny Fan nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Little Pockmark’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s command, hurriedly stumbling to the kitchen, finding a copper basin, and filling it with water from the large water jar. She wobbled back, spilling water as she walked.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan, taking the basin, nearly dropped it from the weight, grumbled a bit, then poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an obscure incantation, pressed her right thumb against her middle finger, raised the other three fingers, lightly tapped the water’s surface, and then used her hand as a brush to write a series of strange symbols in the water. However, since it was written in water and the old lady’s movements were too fast, the four people around couldn’t make out the shapes.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled out her left hand from the cloth bag—this time not with green salt but with a handful of incense ash, the residue from burning sandalwood used to worship deities. This stuff looked sticky and dirty, making Granny Fan’s already yellowish, slightly blackened hand even darker. She didn’t mind, just kept sprinkling handfuls into the basin until the surface was covered with gray particles. She didn’t stop there, mixing both hands into the muddy water and kneading vigorously, almost like kneading dough in a rural household. No one knew what she was up to. When the water in the basin was almost entirely absorbed by the ball of incense ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I need to deal with them all at once, otherwise, one by one, this old body of mine will collapse!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally arranged their precious children properly. Little Pockmark’s mother pushed two beds together, covered them with brand-new quilts, so it was no problem for three children to lie down comfortably. However, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state and couldn’t feel any of this.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of evenly mixed incense mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s shirt, and covered his navel with it. She did the same for Little Pockmark and Dog Egg.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. I’m going to perform the ritual!” After Granny Fan’s instruction, Dog Egg’s father and Little Pockmark’s mother quickly picked up their children and slowly sat them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were too weak and kept trembling, so the family members had to use their hands as supports to keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing that the town’s doctor still hadn’t arrived, sighed inwardly and decided to treat this as a last resort, straightening Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no shortage of incense burners here, she quickly found one and inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped patterns from red paper, and placed them in front of the incense burner. After mumbling for a while, she said in a strange tone: “Later, no matter what you see or hear, don’t be alarmed or make any noise, or it will be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar made from a table, bowed three times respectfully, took a sip of erguotou (a strong Chinese liquor), blew on the candle, and a roaring flame shot up, glaring fiercely in the dimly lit room, making Liu Dashao, who was guarding by the bed, feel his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch sure knows how to scare people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, grabbing the corner of the quilt and shrinking further into the bed.
At this moment, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the only ventilating windows on both sides were also closed. In the narrow space, only a faint beam of light pierced through, illuminating the floating dust in the room. However, it was strange—since the windows and door were closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, yet the two burning candles kept flickering, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes rising, sometimes falling, without any consistency. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets were made even more terrifying by the candlelight, and with the occasional eerie cries that emerged every few seconds, this scene on a midnight street would surely scare a large crowd to death.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s two hands, shaped like chicken claws, pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, repeatedly knocking her head heavily on the solid wood table, each knock louder than the last, as if she didn’t feel any pain. This made Liu Dashao’s mouth drop open again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? If I could learn that, I’d be invincible—ten bricks wouldn’t knock me down!”
“Pa!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped wide open, and spiderweb-like blood vessels instantly spread from the sides to the center of her eyes, forming a bizarre pupil. These two pupils were like two giant searchlights, emitting a sharp light that scanned the room. Then, Granny Fan, their owner, clasped her hands together and repeatedly made gestures of worship, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Honored Ones, the Supreme Lord Lao, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, the Patriarch Yue, the True Man Li, the Old Man of the East Mountain, the Little Sister of the South Mountain, the Earth Mother, the Seventh Lord of Heng Mountain, the Ninth Lord of Luo Mountain, the Emperor of the Three Heavens, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion of the Azure Clouds, the Mystic Altar of the Dragon and Tiger, Marshal Zhao, the Three Mao True Lords, the Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Stars, all the immortals and deities who wield talismans and spells, to heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, and exorcise evil spirits. A thousand calls, a thousand responses; ten thousand calls, ten thousand responses; even without calling, they respond!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment, failing to grasp the situation immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her unremarkable attire and silence had kept her presence unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like an old monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan!” The old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, with sharp hearing and clear vision, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a “pointed face and monkey cheeks” would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, lack of facial elasticity, and weathered, purplish skin with high cheekbones were evident. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused. Her bound feet, remnants of the old society, resembled small dumplings, causing her to walk with a limp as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, mostly out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old woman here? I’ve got a grudge with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t expose him but puffed her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s harvest. But why did you blow it up? It could’ve been a good addition to the household. Don’t worry, I’m not blaming you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, turned his anger toward Liu Dashao: “You brat, why do you always cause trouble? I don’t force you to study, but at least learn to farm properly so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said with a kind smile, though Liu Dashao suspected it was all an act. She was probably enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry,” Liu Laoshi apologized profusely, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and forced it into her hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss. An acre’s harvest, sigh!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it. Whether you want to or not, you’re taking it today.” After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally relented and tucked the money into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother’s eyes lit up at the sight of Granny Fan, her smile widening. However, Village Chief Tian immediately frowned, coldly staring at this class adversary without a hint of a smile.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly clairvoyant! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a spiritual matter,” Granny Fan replied.
“So, when did you become a fortune-teller?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan said, bowing her head. She didn’t show any resentment toward Village Chief Tian’s blatant sarcasm but nodded instead. However, halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, then recounted the events involving the three families, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah!” Xiaoma’s mother, upon hearing her son had angered the spirits, immediately fell to her knees, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to pay any amount,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan said with a bitter smile. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up and take me to see your child.”
In the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His body was icy cold, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s weak face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunching up. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting to expose the old woman’s charade.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father grew anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the room, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action fully settled, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder, upon contact with water, began to jump and dance like water poured into hot oil, startling everyone in the room. The rustling sound of the jumping powder filled the room, leaving everyone breathless and wide-eyed.
“Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan replied without hesitation.
“How is that possible? Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t answer. She handed some of the remaining white powder to Village Chief Tian, who tasted it and confirmed it was indeed salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of the old woman’s trickery. He thought, “There must be some other trick here, that’s for sure!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off “impure” entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason salt crystals are seen as pure stems from ancient observations of distillation, where dark, dirty solutions would produce clean, crystalline particles when heated. Without understanding the science, ancient people saw these particles as embodiments of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists and foreign alchemists’ records often mention these crystals, mostly salt. Thus, the belief spread and persists to this day.
Scientifically, salt is a general term for substances composed of ions, which conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. Ghosts, possibly electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, could theoretically be repelled by salt.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly flexible, moving with a crackling sound. His back arched high, resembling a stone bridge over a small river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense. She slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something without pulling it out.
In those days, birth dates and times were popular in rural areas, unlike today’s Tarot cards or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately provided her son’s birth details, noticing Granny Fan nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Fetch some water, a basin full.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from a large jar, and wobbled back, spilling water as she walked.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan nearly dropped the heavy basin, scolded a bit, then poured out two-thirds of the water. She placed the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, and with her right thumb pressed against her middle finger, the other three fingers raised, she lightly tapped the water’s surface. She then used her hand as a brush to write a series of strange symbols in the water. Her movements were so fast that the four people around couldn’t make out the shapes.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath and pulled her left hand from the cloth bag. This time, it wasn’t green salt but incense ash—the remains of joss sticks burned in worship of deities. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, tossing handful after handful into the basin until the surface was covered with gray particles. She then mixed her hands into the muddy water, kneading it vigorously, much like kneading dough. No one could guess what she was up to. Once the water was mostly absorbed by the ash balls, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quickly, bring your sick children here. I’ll deal with them together. Handling them one by one would wear me out!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged properly. Xiaoma’s mother pushed two beds together, covered them with new quilts, making it comfortable for the three children to lie down. Unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious, oblivious to the warmth.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of the incense mud from the copper basin and spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel. She did the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. I’m about to perform the ritual!” After Granny Fan’s instruction, Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were too weak, shivering uncontrollably, forcing the families to use their hands as supports to keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, sighed inwardly, seeing no sign of the town’s doctor, and decided to go along with it, straightening Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, pulled out three incense sticks, and since there was no incense burner, she simply stuck them into the ground.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense. After muttering for a while, she said in a strange tone: “Whatever you see or hear later, don’t be alarmed or make any noise. Otherwise, it’ll be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar made from a table, bowed three times respectfully, took a sip of Erguotou, and blew on a candle, igniting a fierce flame that illuminated the dim room, casting a menacing glow. Liu Dashao, standing by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, nearly jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, grabbing a corner of the quilt and shrinking further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the only ventilating windows were closed. The small room was lit by a faint beam of light, illuminating the floating dust. Strangely, despite the closed windows and door, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, brightening and dimming, rising and falling without any pattern. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets looked even more terrifying in the candlelight, accompanied by eerie cries every few seconds. If this were on a midnight street, it would surely scare a crowd.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, banging her head on the solid wood table with increasing force, seemingly impervious to pain. Liu Dashao’s jaw dropped again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? If I could learn that, ten bricks wouldn’t knock me down!”
“Snap!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped wide open, bloodshot veins spreading from the sides to the center, forming a bizarre pupil. These pupils, like giant searchlights, scanned the room. Granny Fan then clasped her hands together, repeatedly bowing in worship, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Zushi, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Laoren, Nanshan Xiaomei, Dimu Yuanjun, Hengshan Qilang, Luoshan Jiulang, Santian Kaihuang, Wuyue Dadi, Shenxiao Wangfu, Longhu Xuantan Zhao Yuanshuai, Sanmao Zhenjun, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities wielding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, vanquish evil, answer every call, respond to every plea, act even unsummoned!”
“How is that possible? You must be fooling me. Salt doesn’t jump when it touches water!” Village Chief Tian said disbelievingly.
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably because he had just been caught up in the argument, Liu Dashao’s brain short-circuited for a moment, and he didn’t fully grasp the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that an elderly woman dressed simply had been standing beside Liu Laoshi all along. Her clothes were so inconspicuous, and she hadn’t uttered a word the entire time, which is why he hadn’t noticed her presence earlier. Now that he saw her, he couldn’t help but think she looked like a monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Kid, we just met last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan this year!” The old woman chuckled and spoke up. She was already in her sixties, and though her hearing and eyesight were still sharp, her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a pointed face and monkey-like features would be a compliment. Up close, her eyes were deeply sunken, her face almost devoid of any elastic muscle or soft tissue, leaving only skin weathered to a purplish hue and high cheekbones. The back of her hands was as rough as the bark of an old pine tree, cracked with deep fissures, and her palms were calloused from years of hard work. Her feet, bound in the old society’s ‘three-inch golden lotus,’ resembled a pair of small dumplings, and she walked with a limp, as if she had been born with a disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, clearly feeling a pang of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag here? I have a score to settle with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yeah, that’s a good plan.” With that in mind, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Hehe, hehehe…”
He decided to gamble on the old woman’s memory failing due to her age, hoping he could smoothly deceive her. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t expose him but instead puffed out her thin lips and said, “So, how did my big pumpkin taste? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for an entire acre of land. But why did you blow it up? It was still a harvest, something to supplement the household income. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
On the other side, Liu Laoshi finally understood and immediately turned his cannon towards Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, why do you always cause trouble for me? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just stay calm and learn the skills of farming. In the future, you can inherit our family’s land, get married, and live a decent life. But… Granny Fan is the village’s old fairy! You’re making your old man lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said with a kind and gentle expression, but in Liu Dashao’s eyes, it was all an act. Deep down, she was probably enjoying seeing him squirm.
“Old Fairy Fan, I’m sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing and then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, forcefully handing it to Granny Fan.
“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.
“It’s a small token of compensation for your loss, the harvest of an acre of land, sigh!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan declined.
“You must take it. Today, whether you accept it or not, you have to take it.” After Liu Laoshi’s repeated insistence, Granny Fan finally stopped arguing and tucked the ten yuan into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Little Pockmark’s mother, upon seeing Granny Fan, naturally brightened up, her smile so wide it seemed to stretch the flesh on her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately pulled a long face, coldly staring at this class adversary, not cracking a smile.
“Granny Fan, you really have a knack for divination! Knowing our family is in trouble, you came to help. Please, come inside and have some tea,” Little Pockmark’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Hehe, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to draw a flower for Brother Liu (a term used by folk spiritualists to refer to summoning spirits) and check on the house.”
“I didn’t know you had the ability to foresee the future!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and looked at Little Pockmark’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family is in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Little Pockmark’s mother said with a pained expression, then proceeded to explain the situation of the three families to Granny Fan in detail. As for Liu Dashao’s experiences, she embellished them with her own flair. Granny Fan, standing by, didn’t show any signs of panic but instead nodded and shook her head intermittently, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I can assure you that your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally spoke after a while. “And that pile of paper money in front of your house is likely a warning from the spirits!”
“Wah…” Upon hearing that her son had indeed offended the spirits, Little Pockmark’s mother immediately threw herself to the ground, tightly clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wailing, even wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan, unfazed, helped her up.
“I only have this one child. You must think of a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Little Pockmark’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan smiled wryly. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up now. First, take me to see your child.”
In the room, Little Pockmark was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, soaking the blanket. But he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His expression was one of being frozen stiff. His lips were a purplish-blue, his eyes dull as if covered by a veil, and his face was pale. A touch of his hand felt icy cold, more chilling than a wealthy family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said lightly, her nose and eyes scrunched together as she briefly touched Little Pockmark’s weak face. Village Chief Tian, following behind, just watched the show, waiting for the right moment to expose this old witch’s scam.
“What… what should we do…” Little Pockmark’s mother’s voice lost its strength, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Dog Egg’s father grew anxious.
“Let me take another look!” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes for a moment, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Little Pockmark’s head, and laid him back down. With her left hand, she made a strange gesture, tapping the spot where the red cloth was tied, then retreated to the bedside. She took a sip of tea and suddenly sprayed it onto Little Pockmark’s face. Before the action fully subsided, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Little Pockmark’s wet face. This caused an immediate reaction; the white powder, upon contact with water, began to jump and dance like water poured into a hot oil pan. Though the jumps weren’t high, they left everyone in the room stunned and terrified. The rustling sound of the jumping powder filled the room, and at that moment, apart from the heavy breathing of everyone present, the only sound was the crackling symphony orchestrated by Granny Fan.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you just throw?” Village Chief Tian, filled with doubt, couldn’t help but break the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan didn’t shy away and answered directly.
“How is that possible? You must be fooling me. How can salt jump when it meets water?” Village Chief Tian said, his face full of disbelief.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t respond. Instead, she grabbed a bit of the remaining white powder from her pocket and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, inspected it closely, and even tasted it. The saltiness made his eyes water, confirming it was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his impression of this old woman who seemed to be playing tricks. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here. Yes, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It is believed to ward off “impure” entities like demons and ghosts.
As for why crystalline salt is seen as a symbol of purity, it’s because ancient people, through their life experiences, discovered the phenomenon of distillation. Many dark, dirty solutions, when heated, would produce pure, crystalline particles. Without understanding the science behind it, they believed these particles, which emerged clean from the filth, were the embodiment of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists’ “experimental records” and foreign alchemy texts both mention this, with most of these crystals being salt. Thus, the belief spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and this effect has been passed down to this day.
Scientifically speaking, salt is a general term for a class of substances typically composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. Ghosts might be a combination of electromagnetic waves, carrying certain charges, which are counteracted by salt. So, theoretically, this makes sense.
In the messy bedding, Little Pockmark’s body continued to twist like a worm, as if all his joints could move freely, making popping sounds. His back, pressed against the bedboard, didn’t stay still either, suddenly arching high, resembling a stone arch bridge over a small river from a distance.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Little Pockmark’s series of movements, her dim eyes filled with vigilance, her wrinkled face tense, slowly reached into the cloth bag she carried with her, not pulling anything out but seemingly holding something.
At that time, birth dates and times were very popular in rural areas, unlike today’s Tarot cards or zodiac signs. Little Pockmark’s mother, without hesitation, recited her son’s birth date and time. She vaguely saw Granny Fan, with her back turned, nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Little Pockmark’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s command, stumbling to the kitchen, finding a copper basin, and filling it with water from a large water jar. She wobbled back, spilling water as she walked.
“I didn’t tell you to fetch so much water!” Granny Fan, taking the basin, nearly dropped it from the weight, muttered a couple of complaints, then poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an obscure incantation, pressed her right thumb against her middle finger, raised the other three fingers, lightly tapped the water’s surface, and then used her hand as a brush to write a series of strange symbols in the water. However, because she wrote in the water and her movements were too fast, the four people around her couldn’t make out the shapes.
“Alright!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand out of the cloth bag, this time not with green salt but with handfuls of incense ash, the remains of sandalwood burned in worship of deities. This stuff looked sticky and dirty, staining Granny Fan’s already yellowish hand with a hint of blackness even darker. She didn’t mind, just kept sprinkling handful after handful into the basin. Soon, the surface of the basin was covered with gray particles. Granny Fan didn’t stop, mixing her hands into the muddy water, vigorously kneading it, the action almost identical to how rural families knead dough. It was unclear what she was really up to. When the water in the basin was almost entirely absorbed by the clumps of incense ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quickly, bring your sick children here. I need to deal with them together. Otherwise, one by one, this old body of mine will be exhausted!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally arranged their precious children properly. Little Pockmark’s mother pushed two beds together, covering them with brand-new thick quilts. Thus, laying three children on them wasn’t difficult, and it was warm and comfortable. Unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state, completely unaware of their surroundings.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of evenly mixed incense paste from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s shirt, and covered his navel with the paste. She did the same for Little Pockmark and Dog Egg.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. This old woman is going to perform a ritual!” After Granny Fan’s instruction, Dog Egg’s father and Little Pockmark’s mother quickly picked up their children, slowly helping them sit upright on the bed. However, their bodies were too weak, shivering uncontrollably, so the family members had to use their hands as supports to barely keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing that the town’s doctor still hadn’t shown up, sighed inwardly and decided to treat the situation as a last resort, straightening Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no shortage of incense burners, she quickly found one and inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped patterns from red paper, and placed them in front of the incense burner. After mumbling for a while, she said in a strange tone: “Later, no matter what you see or hear, don’t be alarmed or make any noise. Otherwise, it will be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar made from a table, humbly bowed three times, took a sip of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), blew on the candle, and ignited a roaring flame. In the dimly lit small room, it looked particularly glaring and ferocious. Liu Dashao, standing by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, grabbing a corner of the quilt and shrinking further into the bed.
At that moment, the bedroom door was tightly closed, and the only ventilating windows on both sides were also shut. In the entire cramped space, only a faint beam of light pierced through, illuminating the floating dust in the air. However, it was quite strange; since the windows and door were closed, there shouldn’t be any wind. Yet, the two continuously burning candle flames kept flickering, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes floating, sometimes falling, without any consistency. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets looked even more terrifying under the candlelight, and with the eerie cries that emerged every few seconds, if this were on a midnight street, it would surely scare a large crowd.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s hands, shaped like chicken claws, pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, repeatedly knocking her head on the solid wood table, each knock louder than the last, as if she didn’t feel any pain. This made Liu Dashao’s mouth hang open again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice Iron Head Kung Fu at Shaolin Temple? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable—ten bricks couldn’t knock me down!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped wide open, and spiderweb-like blood vessels instantly spread from the sides to the center of her eyes, forming a bizarre pupil. These two pupils, like two giant searchlights, emitted a sharp light, scanning the room. Immediately after, Granny Fan clasped her hands together, continuously making gestures of worship, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Honored Ones, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Ancestral Master, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Old Man, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Heavens Opening Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion of the Azure Clouds, Dragon-Tiger Altar Marshal Zhao, Three Mao True Lords, Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Stars, all deities holding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, a thousand calls, a thousand responses, ten thousand calls, ten thousand efficacies, no call, still efficacious!”
Crystalline salt has been regarded as a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures since ancient times. Therefore, it is also believed to be capable of repelling “impure” things, such as demons and ghosts.
As for why salt crystals are considered symbols of purity, it is because ancient people, through their daily production and life experiences, discovered the phenomenon of distillation and crystallization. They noticed that many murky, dirty solutions would produce white, sparkling particles after being heated. Since they didn’t understand the scientific principles behind this, they believed these particles, which seemed to “emerge unstained from the mud,” were a concrete manifestation of “purity.”
In the “experimental records” of ancient Chinese alchemists and the ancient texts of Western alchemy, there are related records, and most of these crystals were salt. Therefore, through word of mouth, this belief has been passed down to this day.
To explain it scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances, usually composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when in a molten state or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields and effectively neutralize electric charges. Ghosts are likely to be a combination of electromagnetic waves with some kind of electric charge, which is exactly counteracted by salt, so theoretically, this explanation still holds.
Under the disheveled bedding, Mazzi’s body was still writhing like an earthworm, as if all his joints could twist freely, making popping sounds. His back, pressed against the bed board, was not still either; suddenly, it arched high, looking from afar like a stone arch bridge spanning across a small river.
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, failing to grasp the situation immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had kept her presence unnoticed until now, making her seem like she had sprung out of nowhere, akin to a mythical monkey born from a stone crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” the old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, her hearing and vision still sharp, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp face and sunken eyes would be generous. Up close, her eyes were deeply set, her face lacking any elasticity, with skin weathered to a purplish hue and prominent cheekbones. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet from the old society resembled small dumplings, causing her to walk with a limp as if born with a disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, likely out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old woman? I’ve got a grudge with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press further, just puffed her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s harvest. But why did you blow it up? It was still a crop, something to help with the household. Don’t worry, I’m not mad. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, turned his wrath on Liu Dashao: “You brat, always causing trouble! I don’t force you to study, but at least learn to farm properly so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao suspected her kindness was feigned, secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry,” Liu Laoshi apologized profusely, pulling out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and insisting Granny Fan take it.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest of an acre,” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept it!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money. By then, others had come out of the house. Mrs. Xiaoma’s mother brightened at the sight of Granny Fan, her smile widening, while Village Chief Tian’s face turned cold, glaring at this class antagonist without a word.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly clairvoyant! Knowing our family’s in trouble, you’ve come to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Mrs. Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to perform a ritual for Brother Liu’s family,” Granny Fan said.
“So, you’ve become a fortune-teller now?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan nodded humbly, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Mrs. Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family’s in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s the kids, they’ve been misbehaving,” Mrs. Xiaoma’s mother lamented, recounting the events in detail, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Wah…” Mrs. Xiaoma’s mother, hearing her son had angered the spirits, collapsed to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan helped her up.
“He’s my only child. You must find a way to save him! We’ll pay any amount,” Mrs. Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, eyes dull, face pale, and his body icy to the touch, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunching up. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting to expose her charade.
“What… what should we do?” Mrs. Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, nearly fainting. Even Dogdan’s father grew anxious.
“Let me see again,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. She then took out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, stepped back, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action settled, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder reacted violently, jumping like water in hot oil, startling everyone. The crackling sound filled the room, leaving only the heavy breathing of the onlookers and Granny Fan’s orchestrated chaos.
“Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tension.
“Salt! Pure old northeastern salt!” Granny Fan answered directly.
“How could that be? Salt doesn’t jump when it hits water!” Village Chief Tian disbelieved.
Granny Fan smiled without responding, handing him some of the white powder. Village Chief Tian tasted it, his eyes watering from the saltiness, confirming it was indeed salt. Yet, his opinion of this charlatan remained unchanged. “There must be some trick here,” he thought.
Salt crystals have long been considered symbols of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts. Ancient people, observing the distillation process, saw dirty solutions yield pure crystals, leading them to associate salt with purity. Alchemists’ records, both Chinese and foreign, often mention salt crystals, perpetuating this belief.
Scientifically, salt consists of ions, which can conduct electricity when dissolved or melted. Crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, neutralizing charges. If ghosts are electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the chaotic bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly flexible, his back arching like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth details?” Granny Fan asked, her eyes wary, her wrinkled face tense, her left hand slowly reaching into her cloth bag, gripping something.
In rural areas, birth details were more popular than modern tarot or zodiac signs. Mrs. Xiaoma’s mother quickly recited her son’s birth details, noticing Granny Fan nod and smooth a strand of silver hair.
“Fetch some water, a basin full.”
“Yes, yes…” Mrs. Xiaoma’s mother obeyed immediately, rushing to the kitchen, filling a copper basin with water, and wobbling back, spilling some along the way.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan nearly dropped the heavy basin, complaining as she poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an incantation, and with her right hand, drew strange symbols on the water’s surface, too fast for anyone to see clearly.
“Done!” Granny Fan caught her breath, pulling her left hand from the bag, this time holding incense ash, the remains of burnt offerings to deities. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish hand. She sprinkled it into the basin, mixing it with the water, kneading it like dough. Once the water was absorbed into the ash balls, she wiped her sweat and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I’ll handle them together, or I’ll be exhausted doing them one by one!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged. Mrs. Xiaoma’s mother combined two beds, covering them with new quilts, comfortably accommodating the three children, though they were semi-conscious and couldn’t feel the warmth.
Granny Fan scooped some incense mud from the basin, smeared it on Tian Guoqiang’s navel, and did the same for Xiaoma and Dogdan.
“Everyone, hold your children upright. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Dogdan’s father and Mrs. Xiaoma’s mother quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed, though their bodies were too weak and shivering, requiring support. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, sighed and held Tian Guoqiang upright, resigned to trying anything.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and found an incense holder to place them in. She cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, placed them before the incense holder, and muttered some incantations before saying eerily, “Whatever you see or hear later, don’t panic or make noise, or it’ll be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times respectfully, took a sip of Erguotou, blew on a candle, and ignited a fierce flame, casting a glaring, menacing light in the dim room. Liu Dashao, watching from the bedside, felt his heart skip a beat, nearly jumping out of his chest.
“This old witch sure knows how to scare people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, pulling the quilt tighter and shrinking further into the bed.
The bedroom door was tightly shut, the windows closed, leaving only a faint beam of light piercing through, illuminating the floating dust. Oddly, despite the closed windows and door, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, brightening and dimming, rising and falling without pattern. Granny Fan’s sunken eyes, illuminated by the candles, looked even more terrifying, accompanied by eerie cries that would surely frighten anyone on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, banging her head on the solid wood table repeatedly, seemingly unfazed by the pain. Liu Dashao gaped, thinking, “Damn, is her head made of iron or did she train in Shaolin? If I could do that, I’d be unstoppable!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped open, bloodshot veins spreading like spiderwebs, forming a bizarre pupil. These pupils, like searchlights, scanned the room. Granny Fan then clasped her hands, bowing repeatedly, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Sovereigns, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Laoren, Nanshan Xiaomei, Dimu Yuanjun, Hengshan Qilang, Luoshan Jiulang, the Three Heavens’ Emperor, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion, the Dragon and Tiger Altar’s Marshal Zhao, the Three Mao Zhenjun, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities wielding talismans and spells, to heal the sick, revive the dead, exorcise demons, and vanquish evil. Call a thousand times, respond a thousand times; call ten thousand times, respond ten thousand times; call not, yet respond!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still tangled from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, not fully grasping the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her unremarkable attire and silence had kept her presence unnoticed until now, making her seem like she had sprung out of nowhere, akin to a mythical creature.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” the old woman chuckled, breaking her silence. Despite her age, her hearing and sight were sharp, though her appearance was less than flattering. Her deeply sunken eyes, lack of facial elasticity, and weathered skin gave her a gaunt look. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet from the old society made her walk with a limp, as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, his guilt evident. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old woman here? I have a grudge with her; she might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her age and memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to be the forgetful type.
“Don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press, just puffed her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre. But why did you blow it up? It was a harvest, after all, something to help with the household. Don’t worry, I don’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, catching on, immediately turned his ire towards Liu Dashao: “You brat, always causing trouble! If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just focus on learning farming skills so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao suspected her kindness was feigned, secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, truly,” Liu Laoshi apologized profusely, pulling out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and forcing it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest of an acre, alas!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan protested.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally relented and pocketed the money. By then, the rest of the household had come out. Xiaoma’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, lit up with a smile, while Village Chief Tian’s face turned cold, his gaze icy.
“Granny Fan, you truly have a knack for knowing when we’re in trouble and coming to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a spiritual matter,” Granny Fan explained.
“So, you’ve suddenly gained the ability to foresee the future?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan nodded humbly, not showing any resentment towards Village Chief Tian’s blatant sarcasm. However, halfway through her nod, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you mentioned your family is in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the children being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, then recounted the situation of the three families in detail, embellishing Liu Dashao’s experiences. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I can assure you, your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah!” Xiaoma’s mother, upon hearing her son had angered the spirits, immediately fell to her knees, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, please, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child; you must find a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale, his body icy to the touch, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said gravely, her nose and eyes scrunched up as she touched Xiaoma’s weak face. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting for the right moment to expose the old woman’s charade.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the room, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red scarf, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and spat it onto Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder, upon contact with water, began to jump and dance, like water splashed into hot oil, startling everyone in the room. The rustling sound of the jumping powder filled the room, accompanied only by the heavy breathing of the onlookers and the crackling symphony orchestrated by Granny Fan.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan answered directly.
“How is that possible? Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said incredulously.
Granny Fan just smiled without answering. She handed some of the remaining white powder to Village Chief Tian, who tasted it and confirmed it was indeed green salt, though it didn’t change his opinion of the old woman. He thought, “There must be some trick here, for sure!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason salt crystals are seen as pure is rooted in ancient experiences where heating dirty solutions would yield clean, crystalline particles. Without understanding the science, ancient people saw this as a manifestation of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists and foreign alchemists both recorded such phenomena, often involving salt. Thus, the belief in salt’s purifying power has persisted.
Scientifically, salt is a compound of ions, typically conductive only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, neutralizing charges. If ghosts are electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the chaotic bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly flexible, his back arching like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her dark eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense as she slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something.
In those days, rural areas were more about birth dates and times than modern tarot cards or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately provided her son’s birth details, noticing Granny Fan nodding and smoothing a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother obeyed without question, rushing to the kitchen, finding a copper basin, filling it with water from a large jar, and wobbling back, spilling water along the way.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan nearly dropped the heavy basin, complaining as she poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, and with her right hand, made a gesture, tapping the water’s surface and writing strange symbols in the water. Her movements were too fast for the four onlookers to catch.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand from the bag, this time holding incense ash, the residue from burning sandalwood for deities. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, sprinkling handfuls into the basin until the water’s surface was covered with gray particles. She then mixed her hands into the muddy water, kneading it like dough, her actions resembling those of a rural housewife making dough. Once the water was absorbed by the ash balls, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the group: “Quickly, bring your sick children here. I need to deal with them together; otherwise, my old bones will be worn out!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged. Xiaoma’s mother combined two beds, laying out new quilts, making it comfortable for the three children, though Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious, unaware of their surroundings.
Granny Fan scooped some incense mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s shirt, and covered his navel with the mud, doing the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies; I’m going to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed, though their bodies were too weak and shivering, requiring the families to support them. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing no sign of the town’s doctor, sighed and straightened Tian Guoqiang, treating it as a last resort.
Granny Fan nodded, pulled out three incense sticks, and found an incense holder to place them in.
She took a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense holder. After muttering some incantations, she said in a strange tone: “Whatever you see or hear later, don’t be alarmed or make noise, or it will be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times respectfully, took a sip of Erguotou, blew on the candle, and ignited a roaring flame, casting a glaring, fierce light in the dim room. Liu Dashao, watching from the bedside, felt his heart skip a beat, nearly jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, grabbing a corner of the quilt and shrinking further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the only ventilating windows were closed. The small space was pierced by a faint beam of light, illuminating the floating dust. Strangely, despite the closed windows and door, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, brightening and dimming, rising and falling without pattern. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets, highlighted by the candlelight, looked even more terrifying, especially with the occasional eerie cries. This scene, if played out on a midnight street, would surely frighten many.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, banging her head on the solid wood table with increasing force, seemingly unfazed by the pain. Liu Dashao, watching, thought, “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable, not even ten bricks could knock me down!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped open, bloodshot veins spreading from the sides to the center, forming a bizarre pupil. These pupils, like two giant searchlights, scanned the room. Granny Fan then clasped her hands together, repeatedly bowing in worship, chanting:
“Paying homage to the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Patriarch, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Heavens Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion, Longhu Altar Marshal Zhao, Three Mao Zhenjun, Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities wielding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, exorcise demons, a thousand calls, a thousand responses, ten thousand calls, ten thousand responses, no call, self-response!”
“Is there any water? Bring a basin!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily tangled by the earlier bickering, and he hadn’t fully processed the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her unremarkable attire and silence had made her presence go unnoticed earlier. At first glance, she seemed like a strange old woman who had sprung out of nowhere.
“Kid, we just met last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” the old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, with sharp hearing and clear vision, but her appearance was far from flattering. Her deeply sunken eyes, sagging skin, and high cheekbones gave her a gaunt look. Her hands were rough like old tree bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet, remnants of the old society, made her walk with a limp, as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, why did Dad invite this old woman? We have a history, and she might just chop me with an axe! If she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue but pouted her thin lips and said, “How about those big pumpkins I grew? It’s fine if you ate them; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s harvest. But why did you have to blow them up? They could’ve been used to supplement the household. Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding the situation, turned his anger toward Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, always causing trouble! If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just focus on learning farming skills so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said with a kind smile, though Liu Dashao suspected it was all an act. She was probably enjoying seeing him squirm.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry,” Liu Laoshi apologized profusely and pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, forcing it into her hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss. The harvest from an acre of land, sigh!” Liu Laoshi lamented.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan protested.
“You must take it. Today, whether you want it or not, you’re taking it.” After much insistence, Granny Fan finally relented and tucked the money into her pocket. By then, the rest of the household had come out. Xiaoma’s mother’s eyes lit up at the sight of Granny Fan, her smile widening. However, Village Chief Tian’s face turned cold as he glared at this class adversary, his expression stern.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a seer! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside and have some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a spiritual matter, to see what’s going on in his home.”
“So, you’ve suddenly become a fortune-teller, have you?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan nodded humbly, though she frowned halfway through and turned to Xiaoma’s mother. “Mrs. Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, recounting the events in detail, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened intently, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah!” Xiaoma’s mother, hearing that her son had angered the spirits, threw herself to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, wailing and wiping her tears on the old woman’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, please, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His hands were icy, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said after a brief touch, her nose and eyes scrunched up. Village Chief Tian watched from the sidelines, waiting to expose the old woman’s charade.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, nearly fainting. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. She pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, and then stepped back. She took a sip of tea and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder reacted violently, jumping around like water in hot oil, startling everyone in the room. The crackling sound filled the air, leaving everyone in awe.
“Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tension.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern salt!” Granny Fan replied without hesitation.
“How can that be? Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said skeptically.
Granny Fan smiled without answering, handing him some of the white powder. Village Chief Tian tasted it, his eyes watering from the saltiness. It was indeed salt, but he remained unconvinced, suspecting some trickery.
Salt crystals have long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts. The ancients observed that heating dirty solutions often produced pure, white crystals, leading them to associate salt with purity. Alchemists and ancient texts from both China and abroad documented this belief, which has persisted to this day.
Scientifically, salt is composed of ions and can conduct electricity when dissolved or melted. Crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, neutralizing charges. If ghosts are electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the chaotic bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints cracking as if they could move freely. His back arched high, resembling a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her eyes filled with caution as she reached into her cloth bag, holding something tightly.
In rural areas, birth dates and times were more significant than modern practices like tarot or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother quickly provided the information, and Granny Fan nodded, smoothing a strand of silver hair from her forehead.
“Bring a basin of water.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother hurried to the kitchen, fetched a copper basin, filled it with water, and wobbled back, spilling some along the way.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, nearly dropping it from the weight, and poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an incantation, and with her right hand, drew strange symbols on the water’s surface. Her movements were too quick for anyone to catch the details.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath and pulled out a handful of incense ash from her bag—the remains of burnt incense offered to deities. The ash clung to her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand, making it darker. She didn’t mind, sprinkling it into the basin until the water’s surface was covered in gray particles. She then mixed the ash and water vigorously, resembling someone kneading dough. Once the water was absorbed into clumps of ash, she wiped her brow and turned to the others. “Quickly, bring your sick children here. I’ll handle them all at once, or I’ll be exhausted dealing with them one by one!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged on two beds pushed together, covered with new quilts. The children lay comfortably, though they were semi-conscious and couldn’t feel the warmth.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of the ash mixture and spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel, repeating the process for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, hold your children upright. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Xiaoma’s mother and Gou Dan’s father quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed. Their bodies were too weak to stay still, trembling uncontrollably, so the parents had to support them. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, sighed and held Tian Guoqiang upright, resigned to trying anything since the town doctor hadn’t arrived.
Granny Fan nodded, pulled out three incense sticks, and found an incense holder to place them in. She cut three human-shaped figures from red paper and placed them before the incense holder. After muttering some incantations, she said in a strange tone, “Whatever you see or hear later, don’t panic or make noise. It could cause trouble.”
After receiving everyone’s assurances, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times, took a sip of liquor, and blew on the candles, igniting a fierce flame that lit up the dim room, casting eerie shadows. Liu Dashao, watching from the bedside, felt his heart skip a beat.
“This old witch sure knows how to scare people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, pulling the quilt tighter and shrinking further into the bed.
The bedroom door was tightly shut, and the windows were closed, leaving only a faint beam of light piercing through the dust-filled air. Oddly, despite the closed windows and door, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, brightening and dimming without reason. Granny Fan’s sunken eyes, illuminated by the candles, looked even more terrifying, especially with the occasional eerie cries that would’ve scared anyone on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan chanted, her claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she repeatedly knocked her head against the solid wood, each thud louder than the last, as if she felt no pain. Liu Dashao gaped, thinking, “Damn, is her head made of iron or did she train in Shaolin? If I could do that, I’d be unstoppable!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-closed eyes snapped wide open, bloodshot veins spreading like spiderwebs across her pupils, which glowed like searchlights, scanning the room. She clasped her hands together, bowing repeatedly, and chanted:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Sovereigns, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, the Three Heavens’ Emperor, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion of the Thunder Court, the Dragon and Tiger Altar’s Marshal Zhao, the Three Mao Zhenjun, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, and all deities wielding talismans and spells to heal the sick, revive the dead, exorcise demons, and vanquish evil. A thousand calls, a thousand responses; ten thousand calls, ten thousand responses; no call, yet still effective!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment, not fully grasping the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her unremarkable attire and silence had kept her presence unnoticed until now, making her seem like she had sprung out of a rock crevice, a mother monkey of sorts.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan!” the old woman chuckled, speaking up. She was in her sixties, her hearing and sight still sharp, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp face and monkey-like features would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, the skin on her face weathered to a purplish hue, and high cheekbones were evident. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet from the old society resembled small dumplings, making her walk with a limp as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, mostly out of guilt, thinking, “Oh no, why did Dad invite this old woman? I have a grudge with her; she might just chop me with an axe! If she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way through. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“Don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press, just pouted her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s harvest. But why did you blow it up? It could have been some extra income for the family. Don’t worry, I’m not mad. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, turned his cannon towards Liu Dashao: “You brat, always causing trouble! I don’t force you to study, just learn farming properly to inherit our land and live a decent life. But Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao saw it as a facade, thinking she was secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m really sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his bag and forced it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest of an acre,” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept it!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it today, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money. By then, others had come out of the house. Xiaoma’s mother brightened up at the sight of Granny Fan, her smile stretching her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately frowned, coldly watching this class adversary without a word.
“Granny Fan, you’re so wise! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please come in, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual,” Granny Fan said.
“I didn’t know you could predict the future and become so capable!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and looked at Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, then detailed the situation of the three families, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m sure your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your door is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah…” Xiaoma’s mother, hearing her son had angered the spirits, fell to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan helped her up.
“He’s my only child. Please, think of a way to save him! We’ll pay any amount,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up and take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold…” His lips were blue, eyes dull, face pale, and his skin icy to the touch, colder than a rich family’s fridge.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunching up. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting to expose the old woman’s trickery.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, nearly fainting. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me see again,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. She took out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, then stepped back, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action fully settled, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder, upon contact with water, began to jump and dance like water in hot oil, startling everyone. The rustling sound filled the room, leaving only the heavy breathing of the onlookers and Granny Fan’s bizarre symphony.
“Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tension.
“Salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan answered directly.
“How could that be? Salt doesn’t jump in water!” Village Chief Tian said in disbelief.
Granny Fan smiled without answering, handing him some of the white powder. Village Chief Tian tasted it, his eyes watering from the saltiness, confirming it was indeed green salt. However, he remained skeptical, thinking there must be some trick.
Salt crystals have long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like ghosts and demons. This belief stems from ancient observations of distillation, where dirty solutions would yield pure, white crystals, leading to the association of salt with purity.
Scientifically, salt is a compound of ions, conductive only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, neutralizing charges. If ghosts are electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints cracking as if they could move freely. His back arched high, resembling a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her eyes wary, her wrinkled face tense, her left hand slowly reaching into her cloth bag, holding something.
Back then, birth dates and times were popular in rural areas, unlike today’s tarot cards and zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately provided the details, seeing Granny Fan nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from a large jar, and wobbled back, spilling some along the way.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, nearly dropping it from the weight, complained, poured out two-thirds, then set it down, muttered an incantation, and with her right thumb pressed against her middle finger, the other three fingers raised, she tapped the water surface, then wrote a series of strange symbols in the water, too fast for anyone to see clearly.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand from the bag, this time not with green salt but with incense ash, the remains of burnt joss sticks. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, just kept sprinkling it into the basin until the surface was covered with gray particles, then mixed it with the muddy water, kneading it like dough. Once the water was mostly absorbed by the ash balls, Granny Fan wiped her sweat and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I’ll deal with them together, or I’ll be exhausted handling them one by one!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children settled. Xiaoma’s mother pushed two beds together, covered them with new quilts, making it comfortable for the three children, though Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious, unaware of the warmth.
Granny Fan scooped some incense mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s shirt, and covered his navel with it, doing the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed, though their bodies were too weak and shivering, requiring the families to support them. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, sighed and straightened Tian Guoqiang, resigned to trying anything.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no incense burner, she just stuck them in place.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, placed them before the incense burner, muttered some incantations, then said eerily: “Whatever you see or hear later, don’t panic or scream, or it’ll be troublesome.”
After receiving assurances, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times, took a sip of erguotou, blew on a candle, igniting a fierce flame that lit up the dim room, making Liu Dashao’s heart skip a beat.
“This old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao thought, grabbing the quilt corner and shrinking further into the bed.
Now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, the only ventilating windows closed. The narrow space was pierced by a faint beam of light, illuminating the floating dust. Strangely, with the windows and door closed, there shouldn’t be wind, yet the burning candles flickered, brightening and dimming unpredictably. Granny Fan’s sunken eyes, lit by the candles, looked even more terrifying, accompanied by eerie cries every few seconds, enough to scare anyone on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed on the table as she chanted, banging her head on the solid wood table, each thud louder than the last, as if she felt no pain. Liu Dashao’s jaw dropped again, thinking, “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she train in Shaolin? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped open, bloodshot veins spreading from the sides to the center, forming a strange pupil. These pupils, like giant searchlights, scanned the room. Then, Granny Fan clasped her hands, repeatedly bowing, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Ancestor, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Heavens Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion, Dragon and Tiger Altar Marshal Zhao, Three Mao Zhenjun, Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all immortals with talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, answer every call, respond to every plea, act without being called!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier squabble, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment, failing to grasp the situation immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had made her presence go unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like an old hag who had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” The old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, her hearing and vision still sharp, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp, monkey-like face would be a compliment. Up close, her eyes were deeply sunken, her face devoid of any elasticity, with only weathered, purplish skin and high cheekbones. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused. Her bound feet, relics of the old society, resembled small dumplings, causing her to hobble as if she were born with a disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old woman? I’ve got a score to settle with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue, just pursed her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for an entire field. But why did you blow it up? It was a harvest, after all, something to help with the household. Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding the situation, immediately turned his anger toward Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, why do you always cause trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just focus on learning farming skills so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said with a kind smile, though Liu Dashao felt it was all an act. Deep down, she was probably enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, truly,” Liu Laoshi apologized profusely, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and insisted on giving it to her.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss. An entire field’s harvest, after all,” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan protested.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally relented and tucked the money into her pocket. By then, the rest of the household had come out. Xiaoma’s mother’s eyes lit up at the sight of Granny Fan, her smile so wide it seemed to split her face. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately scowled, coldly eyeing this class adversary without a word.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a seer! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside and have some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Ah, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual,” Granny Fan replied.
“I didn’t know you had the ability to foresee the future,” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan said, bowing her head slightly. She didn’t show any resentment toward Village Chief Tian’s blatant sarcasm but instead nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the children being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, then recounted the situation of the three families in detail, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story as she went. Granny Fan listened without showing any panic, nodding and shaking her head as if deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Wah…” Xiaoma’s mother, hearing that her son had angered the spirits, immediately fell to her knees, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, sobbing and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to pay any amount,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan said with a bitter smile. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His body was icy to the touch, colder than a wealthy family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said after briefly touching Xiaoma’s face, her nose and eyes scrunched up. Village Chief Tian watched from the sidelines, waiting for the right moment to expose this old fraud.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father grew anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan said, shaking her head. She closed her eyes, signaling everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action fully subsided, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder immediately began to jump and dance like water poured into hot oil, startling everyone in the room. The crackling sound filled the room, leaving everyone breathless and wide-eyed.
“Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“Salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan replied without hesitation.
“How is that possible? Salt doesn’t jump when it touches water!” Village Chief Tian said, unconvinced.
Granny Fan just smiled and didn’t answer. She handed some of the remaining white powder to Village Chief Tian, who tasted it and immediately teared up from the saltiness. It was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of the old woman’s trickery. He thought, “There must be some other trick here, that’s for sure!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason salt crystals are seen as pure stems from ancient observations of distillation, where dark, dirty solutions would produce clean, white crystals when heated. Without understanding the science, ancient people saw these crystals as embodiments of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists and Western alchemists both documented this phenomenon, with most of these crystals being salt. Thus, the belief spread and persists to this day.
Scientifically, salt is a class of substances typically composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. If ghosts are electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly able to move freely, his back arching high like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her dim eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense. Her left hand slowly reached into her cloth bag, gripping something but not pulling it out.
In those days, rural areas were more concerned with birth dates and times rather than modern practices like tarot or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately recited her son’s birth details, noticing Granny Fan nod slightly and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Get me some water, a basin full.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother obeyed without question, rushing to the kitchen, grabbing a copper basin, and filling it with water from a large vat. She wobbled back, spilling water as she went.
“I didn’t ask for this much water!” Granny Fan nearly dropped the heavy basin, scolding lightly before pouring out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an incantation, and with her right hand, drew strange symbols on the water’s surface. Her movements were so quick that no one could make out what she was writing.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, then pulled her left hand from the bag, this time holding not salt but incense ash—the residue from burning sandalwood offerings to deities. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, just kept sprinkling it into the basin until the surface was covered with gray particles. She then mixed the ash into the water, kneading it like dough, though no one could guess her intentions. Once the water was mostly absorbed by the ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quick, bring all your sick children here. I’ll deal with them together. If I do them one by one, this old body won’t hold up!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged on two beds pushed together, covered with new quilts. The children lay comfortably, though Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious, oblivious to their surroundings.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of the ash mixture from the basin and spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel, repeating the process for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, hold your children upright. I’m about to begin the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed, though their bodies were so weak they trembled uncontrollably, forcing the families to use their hands as supports. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, sighed inwardly and held Tian Guoqiang upright, resigned to treating this as a last resort.
Granny Fan nodded, pulled out three incense sticks, and since there was no incense burner, she simply stuck them into the ground.
She found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense. After muttering a series of incantations, she said in a strange tone, “Whatever you see or hear later, don’t be alarmed or make any noise. It could cause trouble.”
After receiving everyone’s assurances, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times, took a sip of Erguotou, and blew on a candle, igniting a roaring flame that cast a glaring, menacing light in the dim room. Liu Dashao, standing by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, nearly jumping out of his chest.
“This old witch is just trying to scare us!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, grabbing a corner of the quilt and shrinking further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the windows were closed, leaving only a faint beam of light piercing through the dusty air. Oddly, despite the closed windows and door, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, brightening and dimming, rising and falling without any pattern. Granny Fan’s sunken eyes looked even more terrifying in the candlelight, and her intermittent, ghostly cries would have scared anyone on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, banging her head against the solid wood with increasing force, as if she felt no pain. Liu Dashao’s jaw dropped again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she train in Shaolin? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable!”
“Snap!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-closed eyes shot wide open, bloodshot veins spreading from the sides to the center, forming a bizarre pupil. These pupils, like giant searchlights, scanned the room. Then, with her hands clasped, Granny Fan began to bow repeatedly, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Zushi, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Laoren, Nanshan Xiaomei, Dimu Yuanjun, Hengshan Qilang, Luoshan Jiulang, Santian Kaihuang, Wuyue Dadi, Shenxiao Wangfu, Longhu Xuantan Zhao Yuanshuai, Sanmao Zhenjun, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities wielding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, vanquish evil, answer every call, respond to every plea, act even unsummoned!”
It took about half an hour for the three families to finally get their precious children arranged properly. Mazzi’s mother pushed two beds together and laid out brand new thick quilts. This way, it wasn’t difficult for three children to lie down, and it was warm and comfortable to sleep on. Unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state and couldn’t feel any of this.
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still tangled up from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, not fully grasping the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing next to Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had kept her presence unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like an old crone who had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we just met last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan this year!” the old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, her hearing and eyesight still sharp, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp face and monkey-like features would be generous. Up close, her eyes were deeply sunken, her face devoid of elasticity, with only weathered, purplish skin and high cheekbones. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused. Her bound feet, relics of the old society, resembled small dumplings, causing her to hobble as if born with a disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, likely out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag? We’ve got a score to settle. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue, just puffed her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it. I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s harvest. But why did you blow it up? It was still a crop, something to help with the household. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, immediately turned his anger toward Liu Dashao: “You brat, always causing trouble! If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just focus on learning farming skills so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao suspected it was just an act. She was probably enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and forced it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss. The harvest from an acre of land, sigh!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan protested.
“You must take it. Whether you want to or not, you’re taking it today.” After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally relented and tucked the money into her pocket. By then, others in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, lit up with a smile that stretched her chubby cheeks. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately frowned, coldly eyeing this class adversary without a word.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a fortune-teller! Knowing our family is in trouble, you’ve come to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual, to see what’s wrong with his house.”
“So you’ve become a prophet now, have you?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family is in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, then recounted the situation of the three families to Granny Fan, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Wah…” Xiaoma’s mother, hearing her son had angered the spirits, immediately fell to her knees, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His hands were icy, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s weak face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunched together. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting to expose this old fraud.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the room, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red cloth, then stepped back to the bed, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action fully settled, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The powder, upon contact with water, began to jump and dance, like water splashed into hot oil. Though the jumps weren’t high, they left everyone stunned. The rustling sound filled the room, and aside from heavy breathing, only Granny Fan’s strange symphony remained.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tension.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan answered directly.
“How is that possible? Salt doesn’t jump when it hits water!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled without answering, handing him some of the white powder. Village Chief Tian tasted it, his eyes watering from the saltiness. It was indeed green salt, but his opinion of this old charlatan didn’t change. He thought, “There must be some trick here, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason salt crystals are seen as pure stems from ancient observations of distillation, where dark, dirty solutions would yield clean, white crystals upon heating. Without understanding the science, ancient people saw these “untainted” crystals as embodiments of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists and Western alchemy texts both recorded such phenomena, often involving salt. Thus, the belief spread and persists to this day.
Scientifically, salt is a general term for substances composed of ions, which conduct electricity only when dissolved or molten. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, neutralizing charges. If ghosts are electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly flexible, his back arching like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her dim eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense. She slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something without pulling it out.
In those days, rural areas were more about birth dates and times than modern tarot cards or zodiac signs. Xiaoma’s mother immediately provided the details, seeing Granny Fan nod and smooth a strand of silver hair from her forehead.
“Fetch some water, a basin full.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from a large jar, and wobbled back, spilling water along the way.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan nearly dropped the heavy basin, complaining as she poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, and with her right hand, drew strange symbols on the water’s surface. Her movements were too fast for the four onlookers to catch.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand from the bag, this time holding incense ash—the remains of burned sandalwood offerings to deities. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, just kept sprinkling it into the basin until the water was covered in gray particles. She then mixed the ash into the water, kneading it like dough, though no one knew what she was concocting. Once the water was absorbed into clumps of ash, Granny Fan wiped her brow and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I’ll handle them together, or I’ll be worn out dealing with them one by one!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children settled. Xiaoma’s mother pushed two beds together, covered them with new quilts, making it comfortable for the three children, though Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious, unaware of their surroundings.
Granny Fan scooped some ash paste from the basin, spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel, and did the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“Everyone, hold your children upright. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed, though their bodies were too weak and shivering, requiring the adults to prop them up. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, sighed and held Tian Guoqiang upright, resigned to this last-ditch effort.
Granny Fan nodded, pulled out three incense sticks, and found an incense holder to place them in. She cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, placed them before the incense, and after muttering some incantations, said in a strange voice, “Whatever you see or hear, don’t panic or scream. It’ll only complicate things.”
After receiving everyone’s assurances, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times, took a sip of Erguotou, and blew on a candle, igniting a fierce flame that cast a glaring, menacing light in the dim room. Liu Dashao, watching from the bedside, felt his heart skip a beat.
“This old witch sure knows how to scare people!” Liu Dashao thought, pulling the quilt tighter and shrinking further into the bed.
The bedroom door was now tightly shut, the windows closed, leaving only a faint beam of light piercing through the dust-filled room. Strangely, despite the closed windows and door, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, brightening and dimming, rising and falling without pattern. Granny Fan’s sunken eyes, illuminated by the candles, looked even more terrifying, especially with the eerie cries that occasionally broke the silence. This scene, if played out on a midnight street, would surely terrify many.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, banging her head on the solid wood with increasing force, seemingly unfazed by the pain. Liu Dashao, watching, thought, “Damn, this old woman’s head must be made of iron or she’s trained in Shaolin’s Iron Head Kung Fu. If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable—ten bricks couldn’t knock me down!”
“Snap!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-closed eyes shot wide open, blood vessels spreading like spiderwebs across her eyes, forming a bizarre pupil. These pupils, like giant searchlights, scanned the room. Granny Fan then clasped her hands, repeatedly bowing as she chanted:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Sovereigns, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Qilang, Luoshan Jiulang, Three Heavens’ Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion, Longhu Altar’s Marshal Zhao, Three Mao Zhenjun, Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities with talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, answer every call, respond to every plea, act without being called!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably because he had been distracted by the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment and he couldn’t quite grasp the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that an elderly woman dressed simply had been standing beside Liu Laoshi all along. Her unremarkable attire and silence had made her presence go unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like a monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and now you don’t recognize Granny Fan?” the old woman chuckled and spoke up. She was already in her sixties, and though her hearing and eyesight were still sharp, her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp face and monkey-like features would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, almost devoid of any soft tissue, revealed skin weathered to a purplish hue and high cheekbones. Her hands were rough like the bark of an old pine tree, cracked and calloused. Her feet, bound in the old society, resembled small dumplings, causing her to walk with a limp as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag? I have a score to settle with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good idea.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Hehe, hehehe…”
He decided to gamble on the old woman’s failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to be the forgetful type.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t expose him but puffed her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it. I don’t have the appetite for an entire acre of land, but why did you blow it up? It was a harvest that could have supplemented the household. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, on the other hand, understood immediately and turned his anger towards Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, why do you always cause trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just focus on learning farming skills so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said with a kind expression, though Liu Dashao felt it was all an act. She was probably enjoying seeing him squirm.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, really sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing and then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, forcing it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.
“It’s a small token to compensate for your loss. An acre of harvest, sigh!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally relented and tucked the money into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Little Pockmark’s mother’s eyes lit up when she saw Granny Fan, her smile so wide it seemed to stretch her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately scowled, coldly staring at this class adversary, not saying a word.
“Granny Fan, you really have a knack for timing! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside and have some tea,” Little Pockmark’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Hehe, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual (folk practitioners often refer to summoning spirits as ‘drawing flowers’), to see what’s going on at home.”
“I didn’t know you had the ability to predict the future!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan, under the eaves, had to bow her head. Especially in front of the village chief, she didn’t show any resentment towards his blatant sarcasm. Instead, she nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Little Pockmark’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you mentioned your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Little Pockmark’s mother said with a pained expression, then proceeded to explain the situation of the three families in detail. She even embellished Liu Dashao’s account, making it sound more dramatic. Granny Fan, standing by, didn’t show any panic. She just nodded and shook her head intermittently, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I can assure you that your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And the pile of paper money in front of your house is likely a warning from them.”
“Wah…” Hearing that her son had indeed offended the spirits, Little Pockmark’s mother immediately fell to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan, unfazed, helped her up.
“I only have this one child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Little Pockmark’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan smiled wryly. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up! First, take me to see your child.”
In the room, Little Pockmark was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, soaking the blanket. But he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, as if covered by a veil, and his face was pale. His hands were icy cold, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said lightly, her nose and eyes scrunched together as she touched Little Pockmark’s weak face. Village Chief Tian, watching from behind, was just waiting for the right moment to expose this old witch’s fraud.
“What… what should we do…” Little Pockmark’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Dog Egg’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look!” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Little Pockmark’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the spot where the red cloth was tied, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it on Little Pockmark’s face. Before the action was fully completed, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Little Pockmark’s wet face. The result was astonishing. The white powder, upon contact with water, immediately began to jump around, like water poured into hot oil. Though the jumps weren’t high, they were enough to leave everyone in the room dumbfounded and terrified. The rustling sound of the jumping filled the room, and apart from everyone’s heavy breathing, only Granny Fan’s crackling symphony remained.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian, full of doubt, couldn’t help but break the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan answered directly without hesitation.
“How is that possible? You must be tricking me. Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said, unconvinced.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t respond. She just grabbed some of the remaining white powder and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, examined it, and even tasted it. It was so salty it made his eyes water. It was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of this old woman who seemed to be playing tricks. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here, that’s for sure!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It is believed to ward off “impure” things like demons and ghosts.
The reason why crystalline salt is considered a symbol of purity is that ancient people, through their life experiences, discovered the phenomenon of distillation. Many dark, dirty solutions, when heated, would produce pure, crystalline particles. Without understanding the science behind it, they believed these particles, which emerged clean from the muck, were the embodiment of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists’ “experimental records” and foreign alchemy texts both mention this, and these crystals were mostly salt. Thus, the belief spread and has persisted to this day.
Scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances, typically composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields and effectively neutralize charges. Ghosts might be a combination of electromagnetic waves containing certain charges, which are countered by salt, making this theory plausible.
In the messy bedding, Little Pockmark’s body continued to twist like a worm, as if all his joints could move freely, making cracking sounds. His back, pressed against the bed, arched high, resembling a stone arch bridge over a small river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Little Pockmark’s movements, her dim eyes filled with vigilance, her wrinkled face tense, slowly reached into her cloth bag with her left hand but didn’t pull anything out, as if holding something.
At that time, birth dates and times were very popular in rural areas, unlike today’s Tarot cards or zodiac signs. Little Pockmark’s mother immediately recited her son’s birth date and time without hesitation. She vaguely saw Granny Fan, with her back to her, nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Little Pockmark’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s command, hurriedly stumbling to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from the large water jar, and wobbled back, spilling water as she walked.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan, taking the basin, almost dropped it due to the weight, muttered a few complaints, poured out two-thirds of the water, then set the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, pressed her right thumb against her middle finger, raised the other three fingers, lightly tapped the water surface, then used her hand as a brush to write a series of strange symbols. However, since she wrote in water and her movements were too fast, the four people around couldn’t make out the shapes.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand out of the cloth bag, this time not with green salt but with a handful of incense ash, the residue from burning sandalwood used to worship deities. This stuff looked sticky and dirty, making Granny Fan’s already yellowish hand, tinged with black, even darker. She didn’t mind, just kept throwing handfuls into the basin. Soon, the surface was covered with gray particles. Granny Fan didn’t stop, mixing her hands into the muddy water, kneading vigorously, almost like kneading dough in rural households. No one knew what she was up to. When the water in the basin was almost absorbed by the clumps of incense ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the crowd: “Hurry and bring your sick children here. I need to deal with them all at once, otherwise, one by one, this old body of mine will collapse!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally arranged their precious children properly. Little Pockmark’s mother pushed two beds together, covered them with new quilts, so it was easy to lay three children on them. It was warm and comfortable, but unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state and couldn’t feel any of it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of the incense ash mixture from the copper basin, pulled up Tian Guoqiang’s shirt, and smeared the incense paste all over his navel. She did the same for Little Pockmark and Dog Egg.
“All three families, hold your children upright. I’m going to perform the ritual!” After Granny Fan’s instruction, Dog Egg’s father and Little Pockmark’s mother quickly picked up their children, slowly sat them up straight on the bed. However, their bodies were too weak, still shivering uncontrollably, so the families had to use their hands as supports to keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing that the town doctor still hadn’t arrived, sighed inwardly and decided to treat this as a last resort, holding Tian Guoqiang upright.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no shortage of incense burners, she quickly found one and inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, placed them in front of the incense burner, muttered a series of incantations, then said in a strange tone: “Later, no matter what you see or hear, don’t be alarmed or make any noise, or it will be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar made from a table, humbly bowed three times, took a sip of Erguotou, blew on the candle, and a fierce flame erupted, casting a glaring, menacing light in the dimly lit room. Liu Dashao, standing by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered in his heart, grabbed the corner of the quilt, and shrank further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the only ventilating windows were also closed. In the narrow space, only a faint beam of light pierced through, illuminating the floating dust in the air. However, it was strange. Since the windows and door were closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, yet the two burning candles kept flickering, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes rising, sometimes falling, without any consistency. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets were made even more terrifying by the candlelight, and with the occasional ghostly cries that emerged every few seconds, this scene on a midnight street would surely scare a large crowd to death.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s hands, shaped like chicken claws, pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, knocking her head heavily on the solid wood table, each knock louder than the last, as if she felt no pain. This made Liu Dashao’s jaw drop again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable, not even ten bricks could knock me down!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped wide open, blood vessels like spider webs instantly spreading from the sides to the center, forming a bizarre pupil. These two pupils, like two huge searchlights, emitted a sharp light, scanning the room. Then, Granny Fan, their owner, clasped her hands together, continuously making gestures of worship, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Heavens Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion, Dragon and Tiger Altar Marshal Zhao, Three Mao Zhenjun, Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities holding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, respond to every call, manifest in every invocation, manifest without invocation!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably because he had just been caught up in the argument, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment, and he didn’t react immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that there had been an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi all along. However, her clothes were so inconspicuous, and she hadn’t made a sound the entire time, so he hadn’t noticed her presence earlier. Now, seeing her, he almost thought she was some old hag who had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Kid, we just met last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan this year!” The old woman chuckled and spoke up. She was already in her sixties, and though her hearing and eyesight were still sharp, her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a “pointed face and monkey cheeks” would be a compliment. Up close, her eyes were deeply sunken, her face lacked any elasticity in the muscles and soft tissue, leaving only skin weathered to a purplish hue and high cheekbones. The back of her hands was as rough as the bark of an old pine tree, cracked with deep fissures, and her palms were calloused from years of hard work. Her feet, bound in the old tradition of “three-inch golden lotuses,” looked like small dumplings, and she walked with a limp, as if she had been born with a disability.
Seeing this old woman, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag here? I’ve got a score to settle with her. She’s probably going to chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yeah, that’s a good idea.” With that, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on the chance that the old woman’s memory had faded with age and that he could easily fool her. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to be the type to fall for such tricks.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue but instead puffed out her thin lips and said, “So, how did you like the big pumpkins I grew? It’s fine if you ate them; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s worth. But why did you have to blow them up? They were still a harvest, something to help with the household expenses. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids, after all!”
On the other side, Liu Laoshi finally understood and immediately turned his anger toward Liu Dashao: “You little brat, why do you always cause trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just settle down and learn how to farm properly so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making your old man lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said with a kind expression, though to Liu Dashao, it seemed like a deliberate act. He suspected she was secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing and then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, forcing it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.
“It’s a small token to compensate for your loss. An acre’s harvest, after all!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan tried to refuse.
“You must take it. Whether you want to or not, you’re taking it today.” After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally relented and tucked the ten yuan into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother, upon seeing Granny Fan, naturally brightened up, her smile so wide it seemed to split her face. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately scowled, coldly staring at this class enemy, his expression stern.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a fortune-teller! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside and have some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Heh, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual (folk practitioners often refer to summoning spirits as ‘drawing flowers’) to see what’s going on at home.”
“So, when did you become so prescient and capable?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan said, bowing her head. She didn’t show any sign of offense at Village Chief Tian’s blatant sarcasm. Instead, she nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you just said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother said with a pained expression, then proceeded to explain the situation of the three families to Granny Fan in detail. She even embellished Liu Dashao’s account, making it sound more dramatic. Granny Fan, standing by, didn’t seem flustered. She nodded and shook her head intermittently, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I can assure you, your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And that pile of paper money in front of your house is likely a warning from them.”
“Wah…” Upon hearing that her son had offended the spirits, Xiaoma’s mother immediately threw herself to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wailing, even wiping her tears and snot on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“I only have this one child. You must think of a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“This isn’t about money,” Granny Fan said with a bitter smile. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, get up and take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, which had soaked the bedding. Yet, he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, as if covered by a veil, and his face was pale. His hands were icy cold, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s weak face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunched together. Village Chief Tian followed behind, watching the scene, waiting for the right moment to expose this old fraud.
“So… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the area with the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it onto Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was fully completed, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The moment the white powder touched the water, it began to jump and dance, like water poured into hot oil. Though the jumps weren’t high, they were enough to leave everyone in the room stunned and breathless. The rustling sound of the jumping filled the room, and for a moment, the only sounds were the heavy breathing of the onlookers and the crackling symphony orchestrated by Granny Fan.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you just throw?” Village Chief Tian, unable to contain his curiosity, finally broke the tense silence.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan answered without hesitation.
“How is that possible? You must be pulling my leg. Salt doesn’t jump when it touches water!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelief written all over his face.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t respond. Instead, she grabbed a bit of the remaining white powder and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, examined it closely, and even tasted it. The saltiness brought tears to his eyes, confirming it was indeed green salt. However, this did little to change his opinion of this old woman who seemed to be dabbling in the supernatural. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here,” he thought. “Yes, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It is believed to ward off “impure” entities, such as demons and ghosts.
As for why crystalline salt is seen as a symbol of purity, ancient people observed the phenomenon of distillation in their daily lives. They noticed that many dark, dirty solutions, when heated, would produce clean, crystalline particles. Not understanding the science behind it, they concluded that these “untainted by mud” particles were the embodiment of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists’ “experimental records” contain references to this, as do foreign alchemical texts, and these crystals were often salt. Thus, the belief spread far and wide, and this practice has persisted to this day.
From a scientific perspective, salt is a general term for a class of substances typically composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, effectively neutralizing charges. Ghosts, possibly being a combination of electromagnetic waves with certain charges, are theoretically countered by salt, making this belief somewhat plausible.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body continued to twist and turn like a worm, as if all his joints could move freely, cracking and popping. His back, pressed against the bed, arched suddenly, resembling a stone bridge spanning a small river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, observing Xiaoma’s movements, her dim eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense, slowly reached into the cloth bag she carried, not pulling anything out but seemingly grasping something.
In those days, birth dates and times were highly regarded in rural areas, unlike today’s fascination with tarot cards and zodiac signs. Without hesitation, Xiaoma’s mother recited her son’s birth details, faintly seeing Granny Fan nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Do you have water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s command, stumbling to the kitchen, finding a copper basin, and filling it with water from a large vat. She wobbled back, spilling water as she went.
“I didn’t ask for this much water!” Granny Fan, nearly dropping the heavy basin, scolded lightly, then poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an obscure incantation, pressed her thumb against her middle finger, raised the other three fingers, and gently tapped the water’s surface. Then, using her hand as a brush, she drew a series of strange symbols in the water. However, her movements were so swift that the four people around her couldn’t make out the shapes.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand from the cloth bag, and this time, instead of green salt, she held a handful of incense ash—the remains of joss sticks burned in worship of deities. The ash, sticky and dirty, further darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, though, and continued to sprinkle handfuls into the basin until the surface was covered with gray particles. She then plunged both hands into the muddy water, kneading vigorously, much like kneading dough. It was unclear what she was concocting. Once the water in the basin was mostly absorbed by the ash balls, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quickly, bring your sick children here. I’ll deal with them all at once. If I do them one by one, this old body of mine will collapse!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally arranged their precious children properly. Xiaoma’s mother pushed two beds together, covered them with new quilts, and laid the three children side by side. Though the beds were warm and comfortable, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state and couldn’t feel any of it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of the well-mixed ash paste from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s shirt, and smeared the paste over his navel. She did the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. I’m about to perform the ritual!” After Granny Fan’s instruction, Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly picked up their children, propped them up, and sat them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were so weak and trembling that the family members had to use their hands as supports to keep the children in position. Though Village Chief Tian was reluctant, with no sign of the town’s doctor, he sighed inwardly and decided to go along with it, straightening Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, pulled out three incense sticks, and since there was no shortage of incense burners, she quickly found one and inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense burner. After muttering a series of incantations, she said in a strange tone, “Later, whatever you see or hear, don’t be alarmed or make any noise. Otherwise, it will be troublesome.”
After receiving everyone’s assurance, she walked to the makeshift altar made from a table, bowed three times humbly, took a sip of Erguotou (a strong liquor), and blew on the candles, igniting a roaring flame. In the dimly lit room, the fire was particularly glaring and menacing. Liu Dashao, watching from the bedside, felt his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just trying to scare us!” Liu Dashao thought to himself, grabbing the corner of the quilt and shrinking further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the only ventilating windows were also closed. The small space was pierced by a single beam of faint light, illuminating the floating dust in the air. Strangely, though the windows and door were closed, there shouldn’t have been any wind, yet the two burning candles flickered incessantly, brightening and dimming, rising and falling unpredictably. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets, accentuated by the candlelight, looked even more terrifying. Combined with the eerie, ghostly cries that emerged every few seconds, the scene would have been enough to scare a crowd if it had occurred on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s hands, resembling chicken claws, pressed firmly on the table as she chanted and knocked her head heavily against the solid wood, each thud louder than the last, as if she felt no pain. Liu Dashao, watching from the side, gaped in astonishment. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron, or did she train in Shaolin Temple’s iron head technique? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable—ten bricks couldn’t knock me down!”
“Snap!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped wide open, and spiderweb-like veins spread from the sides to the center of her eyes, forming a bizarre pupil. These pupils, like two giant searchlights, emitted a sharp light, scanning the room. Then, Granny Fan clasped her hands together and began to bow repeatedly, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Patriarch Yue, Master Li, Elder Dongshan, Younger Sister Nanshan, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Qilang, Luoshan Jiulang, the Three Heavens’ Emperor, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion of the Dragon and Tiger Altar, Marshal Zhao, the Three Mao True Lords, the Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities holding talismans and spells, to heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, and exorcise evil. A thousand calls, a thousand responses; ten thousand calls, ten thousand responses; even without calling, the spirits will act!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably still reeling from the earlier argument, Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, unable to grasp the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had made her presence go unnoticed until now. At first glance, she seemed like a monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” The old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, with sharp senses but a less than flattering appearance. Her deeply sunken eyes, lack of facial elasticity, and weathered, purplish skin with high cheekbones made her look almost skeletal. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet from the old society made her walk with a limp, as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, likely out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, why did Dad invite this old woman? I’ve got a grudge with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fit that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue but pouted her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s worth. But why did you blow it up? It was a harvest, something to help with the household. Don’t worry, I’m not mad. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding the situation, turned his ire on Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, always causing trouble! I don’t force you to study, but at least learn some farming skills to inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao suspected she was secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry,” Liu Laoshi apologized profusely, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and insisted on giving it to her.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss. An acre’s harvest, after all!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan protested.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, the rest of the household had come out. Little Pockmark’s mother brightened at the sight of Granny Fan, her smile widening. Village Chief Tian, however, scowled coldly at the class adversary, remaining stern.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a seer! You’ve come to help us in our time of need. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Little Pockmark’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual,” Granny Fan explained.
“So, you’ve become a fortune-teller now?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan nodded humbly, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Little Pockmark’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s the children, they’ve been misbehaving,” Little Pockmark’s mother lamented, then recounted the events involving the three families, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah!” Little Pockmark’s mother, hearing that her son had angered the spirits, fell to her knees, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, weeping and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, please, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. You must find a way to save him! We’ll pay any amount,” Little Pockmark’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan sighed. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Little Pockmark was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale and icy to the touch, colder than a wealthy family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, her nose and eyes scrunched together as she lightly touched Little Pockmark’s face. Village Chief Tian watched from the sidelines, waiting to expose the old woman’s charade.
“What… what should we do?” Little Pockmark’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Dog Egg’s father grew anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Little Pockmark’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the area with the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and sprayed it onto Little Pockmark’s face. Before the action was complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on the wet face. Instantly, the white powder began to jump and dance like water in a hot oil pan, startling everyone in the room. The rustling sound of the jumping powder filled the room, leaving everyone in awe.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“Salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan replied without hesitation.
“How can that be? Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said, unconvinced.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t respond. Instead, she handed some of the remaining white powder to Village Chief Tian, who tasted it and found it indeed to be salt, salty enough to bring tears to his eyes. However, this did little to change his opinion of the old woman’s trickery. He thought to himself, “There must be some trick here, that’s for sure!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts. The ancients observed the phenomenon of distillation, where dark, dirty solutions would produce pure, crystalline particles when heated. Without understanding the science, they saw these particles as embodiments of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists and Western alchemists alike documented this in their records, and these crystals were often salt. Thus, the belief in salt’s purifying power has persisted through the ages.
Scientifically, salt is a compound of ions, typically conductive only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields and neutralize charges. If ghosts are thought to be electromagnetic wave entities with certain charges, salt could theoretically counteract them, making the belief somewhat plausible.
In the messy bedding, Little Pockmark’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly flexible, his back arching like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense as she slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something inside.
In those days, rural areas were more concerned with birth dates and times rather than modern practices like tarot or zodiac signs. Little Pockmark’s mother immediately provided her son’s birth details, noticing Granny Fan nod and smooth a strand of silver hair from her forehead.
“Fetch some water, a basin full.”
“Yes, yes…” Little Pockmark’s mother hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from a large vat, and wobbled back, spilling some along the way.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, nearly dropping it from the weight, then poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an obscure incantation, and with her right hand, drew strange symbols on the water’s surface. Her movements were so swift that the four onlookers couldn’t make out the shapes.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, then pulled her left hand from the bag, this time holding incense ash—the remains of burnt sandalwood offerings to deities. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, tossing handful after handful into the basin until the surface was covered in gray particles. She then mixed her hands into the muddy water, kneading it like dough, though no one could guess her intentions. Once the water was mostly absorbed by the ash balls, Granny Fan wiped her brow and turned to the others: “Quickly, bring your sick children here. I’ll handle them together; doing them one by one would wear me out!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged on two beds pushed together, covered with fresh quilts. Though the children were semi-conscious and shivering, the families managed to prop them up with their hands.
Granny Fan scooped some incense mud from the basin and spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel, doing the same for Little Pockmark and Dog Egg.
“Everyone, hold your children upright. I’m about to begin the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. The families quickly complied, holding their children in place as they sat upright on the bed, though their bodies were so limp and shivering that the families had to support them.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and found an incense holder to place them in. She then took a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense holder. After muttering some incantations, she said in a strange tone, “Whatever you see or hear, don’t panic or make noise. It could complicate things.”
After receiving everyone’s assurances, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times, took a sip of erguotou (a strong liquor), and blew on a candle, igniting a roaring flame that cast an eerie, menacing light in the dim room. Liu Dashao, watching from the bedside, felt his heart skip a beat, nearly jumping out of his chest.
“This old witch sure knows how to scare people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, pulling the quilt tighter and shrinking further into the bed.
The bedroom door was now tightly shut, and the windows were closed, leaving only a faint beam of light piercing through the dust-filled room. Strangely, despite the closed windows and door, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, brightening and dimming, rising and falling without pattern. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eyes, illuminated by the candles, looked even more terrifying, especially with the occasional ghostly cries that, if heard on a midnight street, would surely frighten many.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, banging her head on the solid wood with increasing force, seemingly impervious to pain. Liu Dashao’s jaw dropped again, thinking, “Is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she train in Shaolin’s iron head technique? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable!”
“Snap!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes shot wide open, blood vessels spreading like spiderwebs across her eyes, forming a bizarre pupil that shone like a searchlight, scanning the room. She then clasped her hands together, repeatedly bowing as she chanted:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Heavens’ Opening Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion of the Dragon and Tiger Altar, Marshal Zhao, Three Mao Zhenjun, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities with talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, answer every call, respond to every plea, act without being called!”
After getting everyone’s assurance, she finally walked to the temporary altar made from a table, bowed three times humbly, took a mouthful of Erguotou, and blew toward the candle, igniting a roaring fire dragon. In the dimly lit small room, it appeared particularly striking and terrifying, making Liu Dashao, who was watching by the bed, feel his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Darn it, this old witch is just trying to scare people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, grabbing the corner of the quilt and shrinking further onto the bed.
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably because he had just been caught up in the argument, Liu Dashao’s brain short-circuited for a moment, and he didn’t fully grasp the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that Liu Laoshi had been accompanied by a plainly dressed old lady all along. However, her clothes were so inconspicuous, and she hadn’t uttered a word the entire time, which is why he hadn’t noticed her presence earlier. Now, seeing her, he couldn’t help but think she looked like a monkey that had just sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Kid, we just met last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” The old lady chuckled as she spoke. She was already in her sixties, and though her hearing and eyesight were still sharp, her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a “pointed face and monkey cheeks” would be a compliment. Up close, her eyes were deeply sunken, her face devoid of any elasticity, with only weathered, purplish skin and high cheekbones. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked with deep crevices, and her palms were calloused. Her feet, bound in the old tradition, resembled small dumplings, and she walked with a limp, as if she had been born with a disability.
Seeing the old lady, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old hag here? I’ve got a score to settle with her. She’s probably going to chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yeah, that’s a good plan.” With that in mind, he steadied himself, waved his hand, and said, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on the old lady’s memory failing her due to her age, hoping he could bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue but puffed out her thin lips and said, “So, how did my big pumpkins taste? It’s fine if you ate them. I don’t have the appetite for an entire acre’s worth. But why did you have to blow them up? They were a harvest, after all, and could’ve helped with the household expenses. Don’t worry, Granny won’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, on the other hand, immediately turned his cannon towards Liu Dashao: “You little brat, why do you always cause trouble? I don’t force you to study, but at least learn how to farm properly so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered shaman! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said with a kind expression, though Liu Dashao suspected it was all an act. Deep down, she was probably enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing and then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, forcefully handing it to Granny Fan.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“It’s a small token to compensate for your loss. An acre’s harvest, after all!” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it. Whether you want to or not, you’re taking it today.” After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally relented and tucked the money into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Little Pockmark’s mother’s eyes lit up when she saw Granny Fan, her smile so wide it seemed to stretch her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately frowned, coldly staring at this class adversary, his face stern.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a fortune-teller! You knew our family was in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Little Pockmark’s mother warmly greeted her.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Heh, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual (often referred to as ‘drawing flowers’ by folk shamans) to see what’s going on at home.”
“So, when did you become so prescient and capable?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and looked at Little Pockmark’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you mentioned your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Little Pockmark’s mother said with a pained expression, then proceeded to explain the situation of the three families to Granny Fan, embellishing Liu Dashao’s account with her own details. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And the pile of paper money in front of your house is likely a warning from them.”
“Wah…” Upon hearing that her son had angered the spirits, Little Pockmark’s mother immediately fell to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“I only have this one child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Little Pockmark’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan said with a bitter smile. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, take me to see your child.”
Inside the room, Little Pockmark was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His hands were icy cold, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said after briefly touching Little Pockmark’s face, her nose and eyes scrunched up. Village Chief Tian watched from behind, waiting for the right moment to expose the old woman’s charade.
“What… what should we do?” Little Pockmark’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Dog Egg’s father grew anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the space, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Little Pockmark’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the area with the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it onto Little Pockmark’s face. Before the action was fully complete, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Little Pockmark’s wet face. The moment the powder touched the water, it began to jump and dance like water hitting hot oil. Though the jumps weren’t high, they were enough to leave everyone in the room stunned and terrified. The rustling sound of the jumping particles filled the room, and apart from the heavy breathing of everyone present, the only sound was the crackling symphony orchestrated by Granny Fan.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you just throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan replied without hesitation.
“How is that possible? You must be tricking me. Salt doesn’t jump when it touches water!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelief written all over his face.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t answer. Instead, she grabbed a bit of the remaining white powder and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, examined it closely, and even tasted it. The saltiness made his eyes water, confirming it was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of the old woman’s trickery. “Hmph, there must be some other trick here. Yes, that’s it!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It’s believed to ward off “impure” entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason salt crystals are seen as pure is rooted in ancient experiences. People observed that many dark, dirty solutions, when heated, would produce clean, crystalline particles. Without understanding the science, they concluded that these “pure” particles were a manifestation of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists and Western alchemists both documented this phenomenon, and most of these crystals were salt. Thus, the belief spread and has persisted to this day.
Scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances typically composed of ions, which can conduct electricity only when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields and effectively neutralize charges. Ghosts, often thought to be electromagnetic wave entities, might carry certain charges that salt can counteract, making this theory plausible.
In the messy bedding, Little Pockmark’s body continued to twist like a worm, as if his joints could move freely, cracking and popping. His back, pressed against the bed, arched high, resembling a stone bridge over a small river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her dim eyes filled with caution as she slowly reached into her cloth bag with her left hand, gripping something tightly.
In those days, birth dates and times were highly regarded in rural areas, unlike today’s fascination with tarot cards and zodiac signs. Little Pockmark’s mother immediately recited her son’s birth details, and Granny Fan nodded slightly, brushing a strand of silver hair from her forehead.
“Do you have water? Fetch a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Little Pockmark’s mother hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from the large water jar, and wobbled back, spilling water along the way.
“I didn’t ask for this much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, nearly dropping it from the weight, and poured out two-thirds of the water. She then placed the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, and with her right thumb pressed against her middle finger, the other three fingers raised, she lightly tapped the water’s surface. She then used her hand as a brush, writing a series of strange symbols in the water. However, her movements were so fast that the four people around her couldn’t make out what she was writing.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath and pulled her left hand out of the cloth bag. This time, instead of green salt, she held a handful of incense ash—the remains of joss sticks burned in worship of deities. The ash looked sticky and dirty, further darkening her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t seem to mind, though, and continued to sprinkle handfuls into the basin until the surface was covered with gray particles. She then mixed her hands into the muddy water, kneading it vigorously, much like kneading dough. No one could tell what she was up to. Once the water in the basin was mostly absorbed by the clumps of incense ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the others: “Quickly, bring your sick children here. I’ll deal with them all at once. If I do them one by one, this old body of mine will collapse!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally got their children settled. Little Pockmark’s mother pushed two beds together, covered them with new quilts, and laid the three children down. Though the beds were warm and comfortable, Tian Guoqiang and the others were semi-conscious and couldn’t appreciate it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of the incense ash mixture from the copper basin and spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel. She did the same for Little Pockmark and Dog Egg.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies. I’m about to begin the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Dog Egg’s father and Little Pockmark’s mother quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were so weak and shivering that the families had to use their hands as supports to keep the children in position. Though Village Chief Tian was reluctant, with no sign of the town’s doctor, he sighed and decided to give it a try, straightening Tian Guoqiang’s body.
Granny Fan nodded, pulled out three incense sticks, and since there was no incense burner, she simply stuck them into a makeshift holder.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them in front of the incense burner. After muttering a series of incantations, she said in a strange tone, “Later, no matter what you see or hear, don’t be alarmed or make any noise. Otherwise, things will get complicated.”
After receiving everyone’s assurances, she walked to the makeshift altar made from a table, bowed three times, took a sip of Erguotou (a strong liquor), and blew on the candles, igniting a roaring flame that cast a glaring, menacing light in the dim room. Liu Dashao, standing by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered to himself, grabbing the corner of the quilt and shrinking further into the bed.
By now, the bedroom door was tightly shut, and the only windows were closed. The small room was illuminated by a faint beam of light, highlighting the floating dust in the air. Strangely, despite the closed windows and door, there was a breeze that caused the candle flames to flicker unpredictably, brightening and dimming, rising and falling without any pattern. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eyes looked even more terrifying in the candlelight, and her occasional, ghostly cries would have scared anyone if heard on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, repeatedly banging her head against the solid wood table, each thud louder than the last, as if she felt no pain. Liu Dashao’s jaw dropped again. “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron, or did she train in Shaolin Temple’s Iron Head Kung Fu? If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable—ten bricks couldn’t knock me down!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes snapped wide open, the blood vessels in her eyes spreading like spiderwebs, forming a strange pupil. These pupils, like two giant searchlights, scanned the room with a piercing gaze. Granny Fan then clasped her hands together and began bowing repeatedly, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Laoren, Nanshan Xiaomei, Dimu Yuanjun, Hengshan Qilang, Luoshan Jiulang, the Three Heavens’ Emperor, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion of the Nine Heavens, the Dragon and Tiger Altar’s Marshal Zhao, the Three Mao Zhenjun, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, and all the deities who wield talismans and spells to heal, revive, exorcise demons, and vanquish evil. A thousand calls, a thousand responses; ten thousand calls, ten thousand responses; even without calling, they respond!”
“La la mi ma hong…”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Liu Dashao’s mind was momentarily blank, perhaps due to the earlier quarrel, and he hadn’t fully grasped the situation. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her unremarkable attire and silence had made her presence previously unnoticed. Now, seeing her, he couldn’t help but think she looked like a monkey that had sprung from a rock crevice.
“Child, we met just last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan!” the old woman chuckled as she spoke. She was in her sixties, her hearing and sight still sharp, but her appearance was less than flattering. Even describing her as having a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, lack of facial elasticity, and weathered, purplish skin with high cheekbones were evident. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused. Her bound feet from the old society resembled small dumplings, and she walked with a limp, as if born with a disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly trembled, likely out of guilt. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old woman? I have a feud with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With this in mind, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and declining memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press the issue but pouted her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have such a big appetite for a whole acre. But why did you blow it up? It was still a harvest, something to help with the household. Don’t worry, Granny doesn’t blame you. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, now understanding, immediately turned his anger towards Liu Dashao: “You brat, why do you always cause trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just focus on learning farming skills so you can inherit our land and make a living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Granny Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao felt it was just a facade. He suspected she was secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, truly sorry,” Liu Laoshi kept apologizing and pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket, insisting Granny Fan take it.
“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.
“It’s a small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest from an acre of land,” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan refused.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, lit up with a smile that made the fat under her chin jiggle. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately frowned and coldly stared at this class antagonist, not cracking a smile.
“Granny Fan, you really have a knack for timing! You knew we were in trouble and came to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Heh, Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I came to help Brother Liu with a ritual (folk shamans often refer to summoning spirits as ‘drawing flowers’), to see what’s going on at home.”
“So you’ve become a fortune-teller now, have you?” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan, under the eaves, had to bow her head. Especially in front of the village chief, she showed no sign of resentment towards his blatant sarcasm. Instead, she nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and looked at Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you said your family was in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother said with a pained expression, then recounted the situation of the three families to Granny Fan. She embellished Liu Dashao’s story, making it sound even more dramatic. Granny Fan, standing by, showed no sign of panic, only nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I can assure you, your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said after a while. “And the pile of paper money in front of your house is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah…” Hearing that her son had offended the spirits, Xiaoma’s mother immediately fell to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, don’t do this, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. You must find a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan said with a bitter smile. “Alright, I’ll help. Get up now. First, take me to see your child.”
In the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, making the quilt damp. But he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His hands were icy cold, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, touching Xiaoma’s weak face briefly, her nose and eyes scrunching up. Village Chief Tian, watching from behind, was just waiting for the right moment to expose this old fraud.
“What… what should we do…” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening, almost fainting. Even Gou Dan’s father was anxious.
“Let me take another look!” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the area, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the area with the red cloth, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and suddenly sprayed it on Xiaoma’s face. Before the action was fully completed, she grabbed a handful of white substance from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. The white substance, upon contact with water, immediately began to jump around, like water poured into hot oil. Though the jumps weren’t high, they left everyone stunned and terrified. The rustling sound of the jumping filled the room, and apart from everyone’s heavy breathing, only Granny Fan’s crackling symphony remained.
“Granny… Granny Fan, what did you throw?” Village Chief Tian, full of doubts, couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan didn’t hide it and answered directly.
“How is that possible? You must be fooling me. Salt doesn’t jump when it meets water!” Village Chief Tian said, disbelieving.
Granny Fan smiled but didn’t respond. She just grabbed some of the remaining white substance from her pocket and handed it to Village Chief Tian. He took it, examined it, and even tasted it. It was so salty it made his eyes water; it was indeed green salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of this old woman who seemed to be playing tricks. He thought, “There must be some other trick here, that’s for sure!”
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of “purity” in both Eastern and Western cultures. It is believed to ward off “impure” things like demons and ghosts.
The reason why crystalline salt is considered a symbol of purity is that ancient people, through their life experiences, discovered the phenomenon of distillation and crystallization. Many dark, dirty solutions, when heated, would produce white, crystalline particles. Not understanding the science behind it, they believed these “untainted by mud” particles were the embodiment of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists’ “experimental records” and foreign alchemy texts both have related records, and these crystals are mostly salt. Thus, the belief spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and this effect has been passed down to this day.
To explain it scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances, usually composed of ions, which can only conduct electricity when melted or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can disperse electric fields and effectively neutralize charges. Ghosts are likely a combination of electromagnetic waves, containing some kind of charge, which is countered by salt. So, theoretically, it makes sense.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body still twisted like an earthworm, as if all his joints could move freely, cracking and popping. His back, pressed against the bed board, didn’t stay still either, suddenly arching high, looking from afar like a stone arch bridge over a small river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan, seeing Xiaoma’s series of movements, her pair of dim eyes filled with vigilance, her old, wrinkled face tightened, and her left hand slowly reached into the cloth bag she carried, not pulling anything out, as if holding something.
At that time, in the countryside, birth dates and times were very popular, not like today’s Tarot cards, zodiac signs, etc. Xiaoma’s mother didn’t hesitate and immediately reported her son’s birth date and time, vaguely seeing Granny Fan, who was facing away from her, nod and smooth a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Is there water? Bring a basin.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother naturally obeyed Granny Fan’s orders without question, hurriedly stumbled to the kitchen, found a copper basin, poured a full basin of water from the large water vat, and wobbled over, spilling water as she walked.
“I didn’t ask you to bring so much water!” Granny Fan, taking the basin, almost dropped it from the weight, complained a bit, then poured out two-thirds of the water, put down the basin, muttered a string of obscure incantations, pressed her right thumb against her middle finger, the other three fingers raised high, lightly tapped the water surface, then used her hand as a brush, writing a series of strange symbols in the water. However, because it was written in water and the old woman’s movements were too fast, the four people around couldn’t make out the outline.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled out her left hand from the cloth bag, this time not with green salt, but with handfuls of incense ash, the remains of sandalwood burned in worship of gods and bodhisattvas. This stuff looked sticky and dirty, staining Granny Fan’s already yellowish, slightly blackened hand even blacker. She didn’t mind, just kept throwing handfuls into the basin, and soon the surface was covered with gray particles. Granny Fan didn’t stop, just mixed both hands into the muddy water, vigorously kneading it, the action almost identical to how rural families knead dough, no one knew what medicine she was brewing. When the water in the basin was almost completely absorbed by the ball of incense ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her face and turned to the crowd: “You all quickly bring your sick children here, I need to deal with them together, otherwise one by one, my old bones will be exhausted!”
After about half an hour, the three families finally arranged their precious children properly. Xiaoma’s mother pushed two beds together, spread new thick quilts, so it was no problem to lay three children on them, and it was warm and comfortable, but unfortunately, Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state and couldn’t feel any of it.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of evenly mixed incense mud from the copper basin, lifted Tian Guoqiang’s clothes, and covered his navel with the incense mud. She did the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“All three families, straighten your children’s bodies, I’m going to perform the ritual!” After Granny Fan’s command, Gou Dan’s father and Xiaoma’s mother quickly picked up their children, slowly straightened them, and sat them upright on the bed. However, their bodies were too soft and kept shivering, so the three families had to use their hands as supports to barely keep the children in position. Village Chief Tian, though very reluctant, seeing that the town’s doctor hadn’t shown up yet, could only sigh secretly and, with the attitude of treating a dead horse as a live one, straightened Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and since there was no shortage of incense burners here, she quickly found one and inserted the incense.
Granny Fan found a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped patterns from red paper, placed them in front of the incense burner, muttered a string of words, then said in a strange tone: “Later, no matter what you see or hear, don’t be alarmed, don’t scream, otherwise, it will be very troublesome.”
After getting everyone’s assurance, she walked to the temporary altar made from a table, humbly bowed three times, took a sip of Erguotou, blew on the candle, and a roaring fire dragon ignited, in the dimly lit small room, it looked particularly glaring and ferocious. Liu Dashao, watching by the bed, felt his heart skip a beat, almost jumping out of his chest.
“Damn, this old witch is just scaring people!” Liu Dashao muttered in his heart, grabbed the corner of the quilt, and shrank further into the bed.
At this moment, the bedroom door was tightly closed, and the only ventilating windows on both sides were also pulled shut. In the entire small space, only a faint beam of light pierced through, illuminating the floating dust in the air. However, it was quite strange; since the windows and door were closed, there shouldn’t be any wind, but the two burning candles kept flickering, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes floating, sometimes falling, without any certainty. Granny Fan’s deeply sunken eye sockets were made even more terrifying by the candlelight, and with the occasional ghostly cries that came out every few seconds, if this were on a midnight street, it would surely scare a large crowd to death.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s two hands, shaped like chicken claws, pressed tightly on the table, as she chanted and heavily knocked her head on the solid wood table, each knock louder than the last, as if she didn’t feel any pain. This made Liu Dashao, watching from the side, open his mouth wide again, “Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron or did she practice iron head skills at Shaolin Temple? So awesome? If I learned that, it would be incredible, ten bricks couldn’t knock me down!”
“Pa!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-rolled eyes suddenly opened wide, and spiderweb-like blood vessels instantly spread from both sides of her eyes to the center, forming a strange pupil. These two pupils were like two huge searchlights, emitting a sharp light, scanning the room. Then their owner, Granny Fan, clasped her hands together, continuously making gestures of worship, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Lords, Taishang Laojun, Zhang Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang Ancestor Master, Li Gong Zhenren, Dongshan Old Man, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother Yuanjun, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, Three Heavens Open Emperor, Five Sacred Mountains, Divine Mansion of the Azure Clouds, Dragon Tiger Altar Marshal Zhao, Three Mao True Lords, Twenty-Eight Constellations, all immortals holding talismans and spells, heal the sick and revive the dead, subdue demons and expel evil, a thousand calls a thousand responses, ten thousand calls ten thousand responses, no call still responds!”
“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Probably distracted by the earlier bickering, Liu Dashao’s mind went blank for a moment, failing to grasp the situation immediately. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an elderly woman dressed simply standing beside Liu Laoshi. Her inconspicuous attire and silence had made her presence go unnoticed earlier. Now, seeing her, he couldn’t help but think she looked like a monkey that had sprung out of a rock crevice.
“Kid, we just met last year, and you’ve already forgotten Granny Fan?” the old woman chuckled, speaking up. She was in her sixties, with sharp eyes and ears, but her appearance was far from flattering. Even describing her as having a “pointed face and monkey cheeks” would be a compliment. Up close, her deeply sunken eyes, lack of facial elasticity, and weathered, purplish skin with high cheekbones were evident. Her hands were rough like old pine bark, cracked and calloused, and her bound feet, remnants of the old society, made her walk with a limp, as if she had a congenital disability.
Seeing her, Liu Dashao visibly shuddered, clearly feeling guilty. He thought to himself, “Oh no, this is bad. Why did Dad invite this old lady? I’ve got a history with her. She might just chop me up with an axe! No, if she asks, I’ll just deny everything. Yes, that’s a good plan.” With that, he steadied himself and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you, I don’t know you! Heh, heh, heh…”
He decided to gamble on her old age and failing memory, hoping to bluff his way out. Unfortunately, Granny Fan didn’t seem to fall into that category.
“Don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn’t press further, just pursed her thin lips and said, “How was the big pumpkin I grew? It’s fine if you ate it; I don’t have the appetite for a whole acre’s harvest. But why did you blow it up? It was still a crop, could’ve helped with the household expenses. Don’t worry, I’m not mad. Kids will be kids!”
Liu Laoshi, catching on, immediately turned his wrath toward Liu Dashao: “You little rascal, always causing trouble! If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just focus on learning farming skills so you can inherit our land and make a decent living. But… Granny Fan is the village’s revered elder! You’re making me lose face!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Granny Fan said kindly, though Liu Dashao suspected her kindness was feigned, secretly enjoying his discomfort.
“Granny Fan, I’m so sorry, truly,” Liu Laoshi apologized profusely, then pulled out a crumpled ten-yuan bill from his pocket and forced it into Granny Fan’s hand.
“Brother Liu, what’s this for?” Granny Fan asked.
“A small token to compensate for your loss, the harvest from that acre of land,” Liu Laoshi sighed.
“No, I can’t accept this!” Granny Fan protested.
“You must take it, whether you want to or not,” Liu Laoshi insisted. After much persuasion, Granny Fan finally accepted the money and tucked it into her pocket. By then, everyone in the house had come out. Xiaoma’s mother, seeing Granny Fan, lit up with a smile that stretched her chin. Village Chief Tian, however, immediately scowled, coldly eyeing this class adversary without a word.
“Granny Fan, you’re truly a fortune-teller! Knowing our family is in trouble, you’ve come to help. Please, come inside, I’ll make you some tea,” Xiaoma’s mother warmly invited.
“Hmph!” Village Chief Tian turned his head away.
“Mrs. Chen, what are you talking about? I’m here to help Brother Liu with a ritual,” Granny Fan replied.
“I never knew you had the gift of foresight!” Village Chief Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.
“Shame, shame,” Granny Fan said, bowing her head. She didn’t show any resentment toward Village Chief Tian’s blatant sarcasm, merely nodded, though halfway through, she frowned and turned to Xiaoma’s mother: “Mrs. Chen, you mentioned your family is in trouble. What happened?”
“It’s just the kids being naughty,” Xiaoma’s mother lamented, then recounted the situation of the three families in detail, embellishing Liu Dashao’s story. Granny Fan listened, nodding and shaking her head, deep in thought.
“Mrs. Chen, I’m certain your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan finally said. “The pile of paper money at your doorstep is likely a warning from them.”
“Ah…” Xiaoma’s mother, hearing that her son had angered the spirits, immediately fell to her knees, clutching Granny Fan’s legs, crying and wiping her nose and tears on Granny Fan’s pants.
“Mrs. Chen, please, don’t do this,” Granny Fan said, helping her up.
“He’s my only child. Please, think of a way to save him! We’re willing to spend any amount of money,” Xiaoma’s mother pleaded.
“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan said with a bitter smile. “Alright, I’ll help. Now, take me to see your child.”
In the room, Xiaoma was wrapped in a thick quilt, drenched in sweat, yet he kept muttering, “Cold, cold, cold…” His lips were blue, his eyes dull, and his face pale. His body was icy to the touch, colder than a rich family’s refrigerator.
“This child is in serious condition,” Granny Fan said, lightly touching Xiaoma’s face. Village Chief Tian watched from the sidelines, waiting to expose Granny Fan’s charade.
“What… what should we do?” Xiaoma’s mother’s voice faltered, her vision darkening as she nearly fainted. Even Gou Dan’s father grew anxious.
“Let me take another look,” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and gestured for everyone to step back. After clearing the room, she pulled out a red silk scarf from her pocket, tied it around Xiaoma’s head, and laid him flat again. She made a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the red scarf, then stepped back to the bedside, took a sip of tea, and spat it onto Xiaoma’s face. Before the action fully subsided, she grabbed a handful of white powder from her pocket and sprinkled it on Xiaoma’s wet face. Instantly, the white powder began to jump and dance like water hitting hot oil, startling everyone in the room. The rustling sound of the jumping powder filled the room, leaving everyone breathless and wide-eyed.
“Granny Fan, what did you just throw?” Village Chief Tian couldn’t help but ask, breaking the tense atmosphere.
“It’s salt! Pure old northeastern green salt!” Granny Fan replied without hesitation.
“How is that possible? Salt doesn’t jump when it gets wet!” Village Chief Tian said incredulously.
Granny Fan just smiled, not answering. She handed some of the remaining white powder to Village Chief Tian, who tasted it and confirmed it was indeed salt. However, this didn’t change his opinion of her as a charlatan. “There must be some trick here,” he thought.
Crystalline salt has long been considered a symbol of purity in both Eastern and Western cultures, believed to ward off unclean entities like demons and ghosts.
The reason salt is seen as pure stems from ancient observations of distillation, where dirty solutions would yield clean, crystalline particles upon heating. Without understanding the science, ancient people saw these “pure” particles as a manifestation of purity.
Ancient Chinese alchemists and Western alchemists both recorded such phenomena, often involving salt. Thus, the belief in salt’s purifying power has persisted.
Scientifically, salt is a compound of ions that can conduct electricity when dissolved or melted. Crystalline salt can disperse electric fields, neutralizing charges. If ghosts are electromagnetic entities with specific charges, salt could theoretically counteract them.
In the messy bedding, Xiaoma’s body twisted like a worm, his joints seemingly flexible, his back arching like a stone bridge over a river.
“Mrs. Chen, do you know your child’s birth date and time?” Granny Fan asked, her dark eyes filled with caution, her wrinkled face tense. She slowly reached into her cloth bag, holding something without pulling it out.
In rural areas, birth dates and times were more popular than modern astrology. Xiaoma’s mother immediately provided the details, and Granny Fan nodded, smoothing a strand of silver hair on her forehead.
“Fetch some water, a basin full.”
“Yes, yes…” Xiaoma’s mother hurried to the kitchen, found a copper basin, filled it with water from a large jar, and wobbled back, spilling water as she walked.
“I didn’t ask for so much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, nearly dropping it from the weight, then poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an incantation, and with her right hand, drew strange symbols on the water’s surface. Her movements were too fast for anyone to see clearly.
“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath, pulled her left hand from her bag, and this time, instead of salt, she held a handful of incense ash—the remains of burnt offerings to deities. The sticky, dirty ash darkened her already yellowish, slightly blackened hand. She didn’t mind, just kept sprinkling it into the basin until the water was covered in gray particles. She then mixed the ash and water vigorously, much like kneading dough. Once the water was absorbed into clumps of ash, Granny Fan wiped her brow and turned to the others: “Quick, bring your sick children here. I’ll deal with them together, or I’ll be exhausted handling them one by one!”
After about half an hour, the three families had their children arranged on two beds pushed together, covered with new quilts. The children lay comfortably, though they were semi-conscious and shivering, requiring their families to prop them up.
Granny Fan scooped a handful of incense paste from the basin and spread it over Tian Guoqiang’s navel, doing the same for Xiaoma and Gou Dan.
“Everyone, hold your children upright. I’m about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan instructed. Xiaoma’s mother and Gou Dan’s father quickly lifted their children, sitting them upright on the bed, though their bodies were too weak to stay steady, requiring their families to support them. Village Chief Tian, though reluctant, seeing no sign of the town doctor, sighed and propped up Tian Guoqiang.
Granny Fan nodded, pulled out three incense sticks, and found an incense holder to place them in.
She took a pair of scissors, cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, and placed them before the incense holder. After muttering some incantations, she said in a strange tone, “Whatever you see or hear, don’t panic or scream. It could cause trouble.”
After receiving everyone’s assurances, she walked to the makeshift altar, bowed three times, took a sip of Erguotou, and blew on the candles, igniting a roaring flame that lit up the dim room, casting eerie shadows. Liu Dashao, watching from the bedside, felt his heart skip a beat.
“This old witch is just trying to scare us!” Liu Dashao thought, pulling the quilt tighter and shrinking further into the bed.
The bedroom door was tightly shut, and the windows were closed, leaving only a faint beam of light piercing through the dust-filled room. Strangely, despite the closed windows and door, the candle flames flickered unpredictably, brightening and dimming, rising and falling without pattern. Granny Fan’s sunken eyes, illuminated by the candles, looked even more terrifying, and her occasional eerie cries would have scared anyone on a midnight street.
“La la mi ma hong…”
“La la mi ma hong…” Granny Fan’s claw-like hands pressed firmly on the table as she chanted, banging her head on the wooden table with increasing force, seemingly unfazed by the pain. Liu Dashao, watching, thought, “Damn, this old lady’s head must be made of iron or she’s practiced kung fu! If I could learn that, I’d be unstoppable!”
“Bang!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s half-closed eyes snapped open, bloodshot veins spreading across her eyes, forming a strange, glowing pupil. Her eyes, like searchlights, scanned the room. She then clasped her hands and began bowing, chanting:
“I beseech the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Heavenly Sovereigns, Laozi, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Yue Wang, Li Gong, Dongshan Elder, Nanshan Little Sister, Earth Mother, Hengshan Seventh Brother, Luoshan Ninth Brother, the Three Heavens’ Emperor, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion, Zhao Yuan Shuai of the Dragon Tiger Altar, the Three Mao True Lords, the Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Constellations, all deities wielding talismans and spells, heal the sick, revive the dead, subdue demons, exorcise evil, answer every call, respond to every plea, act without being called!”
“I invoke the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Lords, Lao Tzu, Zhang and Zhao Erlang, Master Yue Wang, Master Li Gong, the Old Man of the Eastern Mountains, the Young Girl of the Southern Mountains, the Earth Mother Yuanjun, the Seventh Son of Heng Mountain, the Ninth Son of Luo Mountain, the Emperor of the Three Heavens, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Divine Mansion of the God of Thunder, the Dragon and Tiger Altar General Zhao, the Three Immortal Sages, the Five Planets and the Twenty-Eight Constellations. May all these deities, holding talismans and wielding magical arts, heal diseases, bring the dead back to life, subdue demons, and expel evil spirits. They shall answer every call and respond to every invocation, even acting without being summoned!”
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