The tension lingered for quite some time until finally, the venerable Village Chief Tian, who had considerable seniority, spoke up first: “Listen nephew, you kids must’ve done something yesterday. Did you drink untreated water or eat something spoiled or even poisonous mushrooms? Let me tell you, those colorful things deep in the mountains—brighter they are, the more deadly. You shouldn’t even touch them!”
Village Chief Tian was the only college graduate in the village, an intellectual with education, so naturally, his words were more refined than those of the uneducated villagers. He immediately zeroed in on the key issue. Naturally, he assumed the boys had secretly eaten something they shouldn’t have, leading to stomach problems. As for why Liu Dashao alone was fine, that was simple too—he might not have eaten it, right?
“No, we didn’t eat poisonous mushrooms or anything strange,” Liu Dashao replied, his head lowered to his chest, shaking it slightly, looking like a child caught in wrongdoing.
“You kid, why do you always keep your head down? Weren’t you always full of yourself? I heard you even tricked the town postman into the haunted graveyard. He ended up witnessing ghost fires and nearly scared the wits out of that poor young man,” added the father of Goudan.
“It wasn’t me, it was Tian Guoqiang,” Liu Dashao replied, wiping his nose.
“You…” This response angered Village Chief Tian, causing him to puff his mustache and glare.
“It was really him,” Liu Dashao muttered, pouting.
“Enough! That’s all ancient history; bringing it up now is useless. Right now, I just want to know what’s wrong with my kid!” Xiaomazi’s mother, known for her fiery temper and deep concern for her son, was the first to lose her patience and blurted out.
“How should I know?”
“You dare say you don’t know! Then why are you fine? Could it be you did something to my son!” Xiaomazi’s mother was almost ready to curse him out on the spot.
“I…” Liu Dashao tried to speak but hesitated, his lips trembling, biting them nervously, clearly conflicted.
“Big sister, don’t scare the child,” Village Chief Tian interjected, trying to mediate. He gave Xiaomazi’s mother a forced smile and gently guided her back to her seat. Then he pulled out a half-used pack of “Great Union” cigarettes from his pocket, offered one to Goudan’s father, and lit one for himself with a match, puffing away. Cigarettes were rare treasures in those days, available only to cadres, so Goudan’s father’s eyes lit up, though he didn’t smoke it immediately, carefully tucking it behind his ear to save for later.
Village Chief Tian walked up to Liu Dashao, staring into the boy’s evasive eyes. After a moment’s consideration, he spoke in a tone of seniority: “Dashao, I know you’re hiding something. Don’t hide it from your uncle. Tell me! I promise, no matter what, your uncle won’t blame you, and neither will your aunts and uncles.”
“Uncle Tian…” Liu Dashao hadn’t expected his thoughts to be so easily seen through, and he became visibly flustered.
“Go on! If you don’t speak, Guoqiang and the others will be in danger,” Village Chief Tian pressed, his words hard to resist.
“Alright…” After a fierce inner struggle, Liu Dashao finally made up his mind. “Fine, I’ll tell!” And so, he poured out everything—how the four boys had agreed to play cards that night, how they went to Lingguan Temple, how they got separated, and even the dream he had the previous night. The parents listened in stunned silence, exchanging bewildered glances.
“No wonder, no wonder… I was wondering why my child was alternating between chills and fever, delirious. He must’ve been possessed by an evil spirit!” Xiaomazi’s mother slapped her thigh and burst into tears: “Oh my ancestors, my Xiaomazi! I’m counting on you to take care of me in my old age. Please don’t make me bury my child!”
Goudan’s father was more reserved and didn’t join in the emotional outbursts. He simply looked at Village Chief Tian, waiting for his opinion.
“Hmph, big sister, don’t jump to conclusions. You hear thunder in America and think you need to run out and collect your bedding,” Village Chief Tian snorted dismissively through his nose. “Belief in ghosts and spirits has always been baseless and superstitious. What’s there to believe?”
In his view, those so-called gods and monsters were merely tools used by feudal rulers to deceive and manipulate their subjects. Most ghost stories were fabrications. Take the Wuxian Lingguan Temple in the mountain valley near the village, for example. The previous village chief had spent a fortune on it, offering incense and sacrifices daily. Yet people still died, couples still quarreled, and crops still failed. There was no sign of any divine protection—just a waste of time and resources. Because of this, Village Chief Tian naturally had no respect or fear for such superstitious nonsense, and he scoffed three times in succession to make his stance clear.
“Chief, don’t say that! My Xiaomazi is in this state—this must be a punishment from Lingguan, right?” Xiaomazi’s mother wiped her tears. “Don’t forget, your Tian Guoqiang is also sick along with Xiaomazi and Goudan. If you keep offending Lingguan with your words, not only will our families lose our descendants, but you’ll suffer too!”
“You… big sister, how can you still be so stubborn!” Village Chief Tian expressed his frustration and pity for this unenlightened rural woman still clinging to old feudal ideas: “They’re just sick! The priority is to send them to the town hospital and have a doctor check them out.” He pointed at Xiaomazi’s mother and said, “You’re only harming your son like this! Don’t you understand!”
“Doctor? You think I haven’t called the village clinic’s vet already? He’s useless! He can’t even treat a common cold, and he dares to call himself a doctor? He must be older than the hills!”
“Mind your words! Don’t insult others. Doctor Wang is a Party member who volunteered to come here to serve us villagers,” Village Chief Tian replied.
“Pah!” Xiaomazi’s mother shot back with a glare. “No way! I’m going to find Grandma Guanhua. Only her magic can save my child!”
“You will not!” Village Chief Tian blocked the doorway. “Scientific problems must be treated scientifically. Grandma Fan is just a shaman, a crazy old woman. Besides, the village clinic doctor has already gone to the town to fetch a proper doctor. The saviors will arrive in a few hours. What’s the rush? Sit down and have a cup of tea and wait!”
“How can I not be anxious? Everyone has a heart of flesh and blood. When a child is in trouble, how can a parent not worry? You think I’m like you, a tiger who won’t even eat its own young!” Xiaomazi’s mother was now completely furious with Village Chief Tian, giving him no respect at all. Her sarcastic remarks made the chief’s face turn alternately green and purple, like a freshly picked eggplant.
At that moment, however, a voice echoed from outside the village: “Dashao! Dashao! Where are you, you little brat…”
“Dad! It’s Dad!” Liu Dashao, who had been sitting listening to the heated argument with a pounding head, immediately lit up at the sound of his father Liu Laoshi’s voice. He rushed out of the house while shouting: “What’s wrong? I’m here!”
“Heh, you little rascal. I went to Village Chief Tian’s place looking for you, but you weren’t there. Figured you might’ve wandered off somewhere else, so I came to Gou Dan’s place—and sure enough, here you are. Just as well, saves me running all over creation searching for you.” Old Liu’s honest face broke into a warm smile.
“Why are you looking for me? I was going to help Tian Guoqiang at Village Chief Tian’s house. He’s sick,” Liu Dashao said.
“Tian Guoqiang has always been strong as steel. How come he suddenly got sick? Well, I understand. You inherited your grandfather’s medical skills, so it’s good that you’re taking care of him,” Liu Laoshi nodded. “But first, come back home with me for a moment. Let Grandma Fan check you out before you go back to take care of Guoqiang.”
“Grandma Fan? Which Grandma Fan?” Liu Dashao’s mind was still foggy from the earlier argument and hadn’t fully registered what his father meant. He looked again and realized there was an old woman in plain clothes standing beside his father. She had been there all along but had remained silent and unobtrusive, so he hadn’t noticed her until now. At this moment, seeing her suddenly appear, he thought she had just popped out of a crack in the rocks like a monkey from a stone.
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