Chapter 157: I Peed Too

Liu Yuzhi hurried over and said, “Why don’t we go find that Liu kid and see what’s going on? Maybe there’s something to figure out?”

Yang Baosan, furious, roared, “What’s going on? What’s going on? What happened? Wasn’t it just something making a few noises? Something happened! Something happened! You never have anything good to say! It’s… it’s… even if something did happen, how could I possibly go find him? His master, Zhang the Taoist, died, and although I wasn’t directly responsible, I sure participated in those denunciation meetings. Do you think he’d help me? Impossible!” After that outburst, neither of them spoke again and both went to sleep. That night, strange noises came from all around the house. Unusual sounds kept interrupting the quiet, scaring the two young intellectuals so much they didn’t sleep at all. Yang Baosan was also startled and uneasy, thinking to himself: “I haven’t done anything wrong, so why would something come after me?”

The next day after work, someone from the Fourth Team came and said Lin Anxing hadn’t returned home the previous day, and his relatives were asking what had happened. Yang Baosan was furious, shouting, “So now the thief is acting like the victim? He’s always been a troublemaker. Wherever he went, why should I be responsible?”

The Fourth Team’s leader apologized repeatedly, saying Yang’s words were absolutely correct. Yang, still angry, returned home and found out the two young intellectuals hadn’t come back either—they had gone to sleep at Field Chief Tian’s house, that is, at Tian Guoqiang’s place. Yang exploded in rage: “They don’t even have a sense of protecting the country anymore? Whenever there’s danger, they disappear! These kids!”

His wife scolded him: “So you finally realize there’s danger, huh?” Yang had let slip something he shouldn’t have and was momentarily speechless.

That night, the noises were even worse. They heard strange cries from outside, something screeching in the rice fields. The old neighbor’s cats started howling like mad, their cries even more horrifying than cats in heat. Liu Yuzhi was terrified, clinging tightly to her husband. Yang Baosan had a splitting headache from the cats’ wails and grumbled, “What’s that old woman keeping so many cats for? People can barely feed themselves. I’ll smash every one of them with a brick tomorrow!”

Just then, they suddenly heard footsteps outside, as if someone were deliberately stomping hard. Yang jumped in fright, quickly sitting up and lighting the lamp. Seeing the light helped calm him a little.

Liu Yuzhi clung to his back and whispered, “Oh my God, it sounds like someone is scratching at the door!” Yang’s heart tightened. He listened carefully and indeed heard the front door being scraped noisily, the wooden bolt creaking under pressure. He was so scared he nearly lost his soul, thinking: “Could it be a ghost coming for me?”

Liu pushed him gently and said, “Go check! This can’t go on like this.” Yang, pale with fear, replied, “You say it so easily. Do you even know what’s out there? If we open the door and something comes in, we’re done for!”

Liu scolded him: “What a shame! Aren’t you a man?” Provoked, Yang reluctantly got up, lit another lamp, and shakily walked toward the door. Liu held a kitchen knife she usually kept under her pillow for protection. She followed him, saying, “We have to see what it is. This can’t keep happening every night. Tonight, we must find out what’s causing all this!” Although Liu was a woman, she was clearly braver than Yang.

Yang wiped sweat from his brow and muttered, “What if it’s a black bear?”

Liu replied, “I’ve got the knife. If it comes to it, we’ll fight!”

They approached the front door. The pounding grew louder, and both turned pale. Yang strained to listen, his voice trembling: “Oh my God, it sounds like someone’s crying out there!” Liu listened closely and indeed heard a mournful weeping.

The couple exchanged glances, their legs shaking so badly they could barely stand. The pounding grew more violent, and the weeping louder. Yang, nearly in tears, snatched the knife from his wife’s hand and said, “If it’s fate, it’s not misfortune; if it’s misfortune, I can’t escape it! I’ve served the Party and the people all my life without guilt. Tonight, I’ll see which ghost or demon dares to come!”

With that, he pulled the bolt.

A gust of cold wind blew in, and Liu’s lamp went out.

Yang nearly screamed for help, but a gray shadow darted in, and the knife in his hand was gone in an instant. He cried out, “Oh, ancestors…”

Liu, braver, looked closely and shouted, “Oh my God, you scared me to death! It’s just our dog, Hui! Why is this dead dog scratching at the door?”

Yang looked closely and saw it was indeed their own dog. He was both angry and frightened. Liu scolded, “Why did you let it in? Couldn’t it have made some noise outside?”

Yang glared at her: “What noise? It didn’t bark at all with all this commotion! It was scared too!” Liu shone the lamp on the dog and saw it had its tail between its legs, eyes wide, body curled and trembling—clearly terrified. It had completely lost its “dog composure.” Looking down, Liu gasped: “Oh no! The dog peed itself!”

Yang, hearing this, turned around and saw urine dripping from the dog. Both of them turned pale, whispering, “I remember Liu’s eldest son once said ordinary ghosts fear dogs. Now the dog is scared stiff. What kind of thing is out there?”

Liu re-bolted the door and turned to see Yang still on the floor, scolding him: “Are you scared out of your mind? Get up!”

Yang groaned, “I peed myself too. Help me up…”

Liu brought him clean pants and whispered, “Maybe tomorrow we should go see Mr. Liu… This house just won’t be peaceful…”

Yang frowned, struggling internally for a while before finally muttering, “Hmm.” The couple were still talking by the door when suddenly they heard a commotion from the chicken coop. Several chickens squawked and flapped wildly in their cages.

“Damn it, is someone stealing chickens again?” Yang snapped to attention. His love for the chickens quickly overpowered his fear. Grabbing a hoe, he rushed toward the backyard. Liu, worried, followed with a lit lamp.

Yang pushed open the back door and roared, “Who the hell…” before cutting himself off. He saw a white figure crouching in front of the chicken coop. Startled, he swallowed the rest of his yell. Back then, no one wore white clothes—what was this white thing?

Using the dim light from behind, Yang looked carefully and his legs nearly gave way. He turned to his wife and whispered, “Oh my God! It’s a naked person… with… with two heads!”

Liu’s scalp prickled. She bravely stepped forward and peeked, saying, “Hey, it’s naked, but… only one head!”

Yang’s legs nearly buckled. Leaning on the hoe, he was about to step forward when he looked again. Indeed, it had only one head, still crouching in front of the chicken coop, humming something. Seeing this, Yang’s courage surged. If it only had one head, what was there to fear? If it had two, better to hide. But it only had one.

Yang gripped the hoe and charged. To avoid killing, he held it by the blade and struck the back. A muffled groan came as the naked figure took the blow but seemed unaffected. Slowly, it stood up and turned its face toward them.

Yang was so scared he wet himself. The figure was completely naked, covered in black and blue bruises, eyes nearly rolled back, mouth smeared with blood and chicken feathers. In its left hand, it held half a chicken.

“L… L… Lin Anxing?” Yang staggered backward and sat heavily on the ground. He recognized the face immediately. Wasn’t this Lin Anxing, who had been beaten the previous night?

Liu, hearing the noise and fearing for her husband, held the lamp in one hand and the knife in the other, shouting, “Get out! Get out, or I’ll cut you!” As she approached and saw Lin Anxing, she froze: “Oh my God, Anxing! Why are you not wearing any clothes?”

Lin opened his mouth and took another bite of the chicken in his hand, blood and feathers smeared around his mouth. The couple were horrified into silence. He smiled sinisterly and quickly approached them. Yang snapped out of it, stood up, ready to fight, when suddenly a loud “Meow!” rang out. A big cat leaped from the wall and pounced onto Lin Anxing, claws slashing furiously. Lin screamed, jumped twice, and leaped over the one-meter wall.

The cat landed, flicked its tail, and ran off in another direction. Liu and Yang stared at each other. Yang said, “This… this… is probably your mother’s cat, right?”

Liu replied, “Probably… but… did you see Lin Anxing? His eyes… they were glowing green…”

Yang said, “Of course I saw! He jumped that high…”

The couple stood in the yard. Though it was early summer, they felt a chill. Looking at each other again, they simultaneously said one name: “Liu Dashao!”

After finishing the story, Yang’s cigarette nearly dropped from his trembling hand as he spoke to Liu Dashao: “I heard from the Fourth Team that Lin Anxing hasn’t returned these past few days… I’ve been feeling uneasy. Mr. Liu, why don’t you come check out my place?”

Liu Dashao had just returned home and already heard much from Field Chief Tian. He asked Yang, “So you haven’t been home these past two days. Did anything strange happen?”

“Yes!” Yang’s voice dropped, “They say my mother’s cats have been dying one by one, and even the dog died.”

Liu Dashao was genuinely surprised—not by the deaths of cats and dogs, but by the old woman keeping so many pets. It must be costing as much as feeding a person! He heard Yang rarely fed her properly, yet she still kept so many animals?

Hearing Liu’s question, Yang sighed, “You’ll have to ask my mother. She’s always been superstitious, always badmouthing me and Yuzhi. I don’t even want to talk to her.” Then he added, “Tonight, no matter what, Mr. Liu, you must come see my place. This can’t wait! I haven’t been home these past two days!” Liu Dashao secretly wanted to rest at home first, but he knew his fate depended on this radical leader. He had to suppress his resentment and dared not offend him. He quickly said, “Okay, okay, I’ll get ready.” He told Liu Laoshi briefly, grabbed some tools, and left with Yang.

Just as they reached the door, a loud bang came from outside, followed by someone shouting, “Sister Lü, Sister Lü! Brother Ma!” Liu Dashao was puzzled. He opened the door and saw it was Li Hong, Wang Sanlian’s wife from the team. Seeing Liu Dashao, Li Hong was delighted and hurriedly said, “Oh my God, Mr. Liu, I heard you came back today. I came to see if it was true!”

Liu politely greeted her: “What’s wrong, Auntie Li?”

Li Hong grew anxious: “Oh Mr. Liu, my husband got a strange illness today and can’t get out of bed. He insisted on seeing you!”

Yang grew impatient, thinking someone else was trying to take Liu. He roared, “Li Hong, you’re sick and you don’t go to a doctor, you come looking for Liu Dashao?”

Li Hong had been so focused on Liu she hadn’t noticed the team’s biggest leader standing there. Startled by Yang’s shout, she stammered, “Oh, Captain Yang… I didn’t notice… you were here…”

Yang, anxious about his home, snapped, “I knew it! You people waste time in meetings and study sessions every day, but when something happens, you still rely on old superstitious methods! Consulting a ‘Mr.’ and believing in ghosts, is that it?”

Li Hong feared the accusation of superstition and quickly replied, “Captain, it’s not like that! The illness is just too strange…”

Yang said, “We must believe in science! Using superstition for illness can kill people!” Liu thought to himself: “You’re absolutely right!”

Seeing the impasse, Liu knew Yang must go first—rank had its privileges. He smiled at Li Hong and said, “Auntie, don’t worry. I’ll send my assistant Xiaoyan to check first. If anything happens, let Erlian explain clearly to Xiaoyan. I’ll come as soon as I can tomorrow!”

Li Hong had no choice but to agree. As Liu stood at the door, he felt something was off. On this early summer night, why was it so cold and eerie? He called out to Tian Guoqiang: “Come with me when we go out!”

Tian was hoping to ride a bicycle and happily said, “Captain Yang, can I borrow the bike again to give Xiaoyan a ride?”

Yang, eager to return, waved his hand: “Just don’t fall!”

Ma Xiaoyan asked Li Hong to go back first, explaining that Sanlian had a fever and promising to bring medicine soon. Truthfully, although Xiaoyan feared night travel, she liked riding on bicycles, especially with Tian accompanying her. She was quite happy.

Yang, Liu Dashao, and Li Hong left together. Li Hong curiously asked, “Mr. Liu, why are you going to Captain Yang’s house?”

Yang snapped, “To fix the door! Your husband is sick—why are you still here?”

Li Hong dared not ask more and hurried ahead. Yang, anxious, walked quickly with Liu Dashao. Liu, who hadn’t slept all night, yawned repeatedly as they walked.

Meanwhile, Xiaoyan prepared her medicine kit. Tian, impatient, had already circled the rice fields several times on the bike. After tidying up, Xiaoyan sat on the bike’s back seat. Tian pedaled hard, and the bike carried Xiaoyan through the small forest to the main road.

As they rode, a chill blew in their faces. Xiaoyan said, “I don’t know why it’s so cold these days. Could it really be something, like the Master said, something strange is happening again?”

Tian, focused on riding, felt uneasy and replied, “What could happen? Even if something does, wouldn’t it be at Captain Yang’s house? This time, I’ll ask my dad to get on good terms with him. We must get me transferred back from the construction site soon!”

Xiaoyan said, “There’s no guarantee. They say Captain Yang has a face with no fur—he turns his back on people easily!”

Talking, they momentarily forgot their fear, riding smoothly down the road. Soon, they reached the forest behind the elementary school. After turning a corner and going downhill, they’d reach Wang Sanlian’s house. Feeling cold, Tian slowed the bike. As they reached the forest’s edge, suddenly a sound came from the woods. A stone-like object flew from the left, narrowly missing Tian’s body and landing with a “plop.” Startled, Tian wobbled on the bike and cursed, “Who the hell threw a stone?”

As soon as he shouted, he realized the woods were pitch black—no one in sight. He turned pale: “Xiaoyan, what’s going on?”

Xiaoyan felt uneasy too, but having followed Master Liu for years, she had seen many strange things. She said, “I heard the Master say there are creatures called Tulazi spirits near the roadside. They like to scare travelers at night by throwing things, but they don’t harm people.” Tian, uneasy, thought: “Why are there so many strange things in the countryside?” Just as he was unsettled, another noise came from the woods. A stone flew out and landed right in front of the bike, scaring Tian into stopping abruptly.

Xiaoyan jumped off the bike, picked up a stone, and threw it back, saying, “Don’t throw stones anymore, or I’ll throw one back!” Tian asked, “Xiaoyan, who are you talking to? Why does it sound so creepy?”

Xiaoyan smiled slightly and said, “The Master said these little tricks aren’t dangerous. If you fight back, they’ll stop!”

Tian was surprised: “Is that true?”

Strangely enough, after Xiaoyan threw the stone, the roadside remained quiet. Tian rode Xiaoyan past the forest, turned a corner, and Xiaoyan said, “One more mile and we’ll reach Wang Sanlian’s house.” But as Tian looked ahead, he sucked in a breath. One side of the road was a small hill, the other side wasteland. This hill—Tian knew it too well—wasn’t this the new cemetery built by the brigade? How did they end up on this road?

Xiaoyan, frightened, jumped off the bike and said, “Oh no, get off, Qiangzi! How did we end up on this road?”