“Damn it, so it’s you, you long-haired beast, causing me trouble!” Enraged, Liu Dashao quickly picked up a roadside stone and hurled it at the crow. The crow easily dodged the stone, flapped its wings twice, and suddenly dove straight at Liu Dashao.
In this critical moment, Liu Dashao instinctively ducked to evade the crow’s attack. With a “plop,” something landed on his head. No need to guess—it was another fresh pile of bird droppings, still warm. Liu Dashao hurriedly brushed it off, his entire body breaking out in goosebumps, feeling both disgusted and terrified. When he looked up again, the crow had already wisely flown away while Tian Guoqiang and Xiao Mazi were picking up stones to throw.
“Bad luck, damn bad luck!” Liu Dashao spat toward the direction the crow had flown off, grumbling in the old Northeast dialect.
“Ah! Dog Young Master, I hate to say it, but you sure are unlucky,” Tian Guoqiang said, pulling out some sunflower seeds from his pocket, popping them into his mouth, cracking them with his front teeth, and mumbling, “Leaving the temple, you met a little ghost carrying a lantern; buying the statue of Lord Guan, you were mysteriously shoved and broke the item; now, getting pooped on twice by a crow—again, it’s you!”
“Tian Guoqiang, don’t enjoy my misfortune!” Liu Dashao pointed his finger and warned, “If anything happens to me, none of you lot will escape either!”
“Besides, what’s the worst that can happen? At most, those ghosts can kill me and turn me into one of them. Once I become a ghost, I won’t be afraid of them anymore. I swear, if I don’t scare them to death, my name isn’t Liu Dashao anymore!”
“Alright then! Dog Young Master, looks like your guts have grown!” Tian Guoqiang laughed.
“My guts have always been big,” Liu Dashao said proudly.
“Okay, okay, we won’t listen to your nonsense anymore. Don’t blow all the village’s cows away. The old cowherds won’t forgive you,” Tian Guoqiang said while patting his hungry, sunken belly, glancing at the evening glow, and yawning, “It’s getting late; I’m heading back. See you tomorrow! And remember to be careful tonight! Before sleeping, better hide a weapon under your pillow. If anything happens, don’t care whether it’s a ghost or a human—grab it and strike, no mercy. In with the white blade, out with the red one!”
“You’ve got no ambition at all! I sleep naked on my mat, and even ghosts won’t dare touch me. If a beautiful female ghost comes by, even better—I’ll deal with her right there!” Liu Dashao joked with a grin.
After hearing their conversation, Xiao Mazi stepped forward and punched Liu Dashao playfully. “Hey, Dog Young Master, that’s not fair. I haven’t even held a girl’s hand yet. If you meet a female ghost, at least let me touch her. Hehe, I wonder what it would feel like!”
“Get lost! With your face full of pimples, you won’t ever get near a pretty girl in this life. Unless, of course, Old Maid is willing to open her doors to you!” Liu Dashao replied, winking mischievously.
“Old Maid?” Xiao Mazi was taken aback, then quickly realized, “Oh hell no! She looks like a hippopotamus. You can have her!”
“I can’t. You know the saying—’a friend’s wife must never be touched.’ How about you ask Tian Guoqiang? I remember he’s into that kind of thing. He even stared at a widow bathing without blinking…”
“Dog Young Master, we’re not done!” Tian Guoqiang almost jumped up.
The three of them immediately got into a playful scuffle. Though laughing out loud, each of them was carrying a heavy burden in their hearts, though none of them showed it.
An indescribable fear had already cast a deep shadow over the hearts of these teenagers.
In the evening, the sun dimmed. Its red glow was no longer dazzling, and its golden light no longer radiant. In the courtyard, Liu Laoshi was wearing a coat, carrying a wooden bucket and a bamboo pole, messing around with something. Wang Guihua followed behind him with a rag, wiping here and there, fussing over cleanliness.
“Little bastard, you’re back!” Seeing Liu Dashao walking in step by step, Liu Laoshi broke into a broad smile.
“Uh-huh,” Liu Dashao nodded.
“Later, help me tidy up the house. It hasn’t been cleaned for over a year; probably full of cockroaches and mice.”
“Dad, come on! Our house isn’t in good shape anyway. Mom locked all the food in the big cabinet. Even if you’re hungry, you need two keys to open it. Any rat that dares to come here must leave wiping its tears,” Liu Dashao replied.
“Plus, I’ve been running all day. I’m completely exhausted, nearly broke my legs.”
“You’re always full of excuses. If you don’t help me clean, no dishes for you tonight!” Liu Laoshi frowned and handed the bamboo pole to Liu Dashao.
“Tie a chicken-feather duster to it and start cleaning the cobwebs off the ceiling.”
Swallowing hard, faced with the choice between not working and not eating, Liu Dashao resolutely chose the latter. He reluctantly took the bamboo pole and walked into the house, swaying with every step.
“Damn it, it was you, you hairy beast, messing with me!” In a fit of rage, Liu Dashao quickly picked up a stone from the roadside and hurled it at the crow. The crow easily dodged the stone, flapped its wings a couple of times, and then suddenly dived straight towards Liu Dashao.
At the critical moment, Liu Dashao instinctively crouched down to avoid the crow’s attack. With a “plop,” something fell on his head—needless to say, it was a fresh, warm pile of bird droppings! Liu Dashao hurriedly brushed it off with his hand, his whole body breaking out in goosebumps, feeling both disgusted and terrified. When he looked up again, by the time Tian Guoqiang and Xiaomazi had picked up stones to throw, the crow had already wisely flown away.
“Bad luck, damn bad luck!” Liu Dashao spat in the direction the crow had flown, cursing in his northeastern dialect.
“Ah, Dashao, not to say it, but you really are unlucky,” Tian Guoqiang said, pulling a few sunflower seeds from his pocket, cracking them with his front teeth, and then mumbling as he rolled the kernels with his tongue. “First, it was you who ran into that lantern-carrying ghost after leaving the temple; then it was you who inexplicably got shoved and broke the statue of Guan Yu; and now, it’s you who got shat on twice by a crow!”
“Tian Guoqiang, don’t gloat over my misfortune!” Liu Dashao pointed a finger at him. “If anything happens to me, the rest of you won’t get away either!”
“Besides, when a man dies, he faces the sky. Those old ghosts and little ghosts can at most kill me and turn me into one of them. Once I become a ghost, I won’t be afraid of them anymore. If I don’t mess with them, my name isn’t Liu Dashao!”
“Alright, Dashao, you’ve got guts,” Tian Guoqiang laughed.
“I’ve always had guts,” Liu Dashao said, raising his head.
“Enough, enough, let’s not listen to your nonsense. Don’t blow all the village’s cows away with your bragging, or the old cowherds won’t let you off,” Tian Guoqiang said, rubbing his hungry belly, glancing at the sunset, and yawning. “It’s so late, I’m heading back now. See you tomorrow! Remember to be careful tonight! Before you sleep, it’s best to put something under your pillow. If anything happens, whether it’s a person or a ghost, grab it and chop. Screw it, white blade in, red blade out.”
“That’s all you’ve got! I’ll sleep naked on the bed, and even the ghosts won’t dare mess with me. If a ghost girl prettier than a swallow comes, that’d be great. I’ll deal with her right then and there!” Liu Dashao said with a cheeky grin.
Xiaomazi, hearing their conversation, stepped forward and punched Liu Dashao. “I say, Dashao, that’s not fair. I haven’t even touched a girl’s hand yet. If you meet a ghost girl, at least let me feel her. Heh, I wonder how it would feel!”
“Get lost, with your pockmarked face, you’ll never get to touch a beautiful woman in this lifetime. Of course, if you don’t mind, the old maid’s door is open for you,” Liu Dashao teased, squinting.
“Old maid?” Xiaomazi was stunned for a moment before realizing. “Damn, she looks like a hippopotamus. You can have her!”
“I can’t, a friend’s wife is off-limits. Why don’t you ask Tian Guoqiang? I remember he’s into that sort of thing, even staring at widows while they bathe…”
“Dashao, I’m not done with you!” Tian Guoqiang almost jumped up.
The three of them immediately started bickering, though they were all laughing, each of their thoughts unusually heavy, though none of them showed it.
An indescribable fear had already cast a deep shadow over the hearts of these young men.
In the evening, the sun dimmed, no longer so dazzlingly red or brilliantly golden. In the yard, Liu Laoshi was draped in a coat, holding a wooden bucket and bamboo pole, fiddling with something. Wang Guihua followed behind with a rag, wiping here and there, clearly obsessed with cleanliness.
“Brat, you’re back!” Seeing Liu Dashao walking in step by step, Liu Laoshi grinned, his old face beaming with joy.
“Yeah,” Liu Dashao nodded.
“Give me a hand later, tidy up the house. It hasn’t been cleaned in over a year, probably full of cockroaches and rats.”
“Dad, don’t worry! Our house isn’t in great shape to begin with, and Mom locks all the food in the big cabinet. When we’re hungry, we have to find two keys to open it. The rats probably leave our house in tears,” Liu Dashao said.
“Besides, I’ve been running around all day, I’m exhausted, my legs are almost broken.”
“You’re full of complaints. If you don’t work later, there’s no dinner!” Liu Laoshi said sternly, handing the bamboo pole to Liu Dashao.
“Tie on the feather duster and start by sweeping the cobwebs off the ceiling.”
Swallowing his saliva, faced with the choice between not working and not eating, Liu Dashao resolutely chose the latter. So, he reluctantly took the bamboo pole and shuffled towards the house.
“If the kid’s tired, let him rest. You’re so heartless!” Wang Guihua, who doted on her son, said, watching Liu Dashao’s back with concern.
“You, what can I say? You can’t spoil the kid. Look at how he’s turned out because you spoiled him since he was young,” Liu Laoshi said earnestly.
“But…”
“Enough, doing some work won’t kill him.”
“Ouch!” Just then, halfway there, Liu Dashao suddenly stumbled, almost falling to the ground. Two large beads of sweat rolled down his temples, and a sharp, burning pain shot through his waist, as if someone were stabbing him with a needle.
Fortunately, the pain came and went quickly, disappearing in the span of a breath, so Liu Dashao didn’t pay much attention to it. He casually reassured the worried Wang Guihua and stepped over the threshold.
As he entered the house, a cold breeze blew down from above, an unusual chill that made Liu Dashao’s hair stand on end.
He shivered violently and looked up.
There was a hole in the roof, letting in the wind.
“Ugh!” Liu Dashao spat in disgust and walked into the house.
“Dad, haven’t you noticed? The roof’s broken, and you’re still messing around!”
“Where?”
“Right above your head!”
“Damn, how did the tile break? Guihua, bring me a ladder, I’ll fix it…”
Seeing his father busy, Liu Dashao finally caught his breath. He picked up a large tea mug, poured himself a cup of cold tea from the pot, and gulped it down until his belly was round like a small watermelon. No wonder, after running around all day—climbing mountains, walking, riding a tractor—without a drop of water, his throat was parched.
“Ah, so refreshing!” Liu Dashao said, putting down the tea mug and squinting. Then, facing the mirror in the living room, he began to comb his hair. But just as he pulled the comb down, he unexpectedly saw a white shadow flash by in the mirror.
When he looked again, the shadow was gone.
“Must be seeing things, seeing things…” Liu Dashao chuckled self-deprecatingly, put down the comb, and went to clean the cobwebs off the ceiling.
“You… what can I say about you? You can’t spoil the child like this. Look at how you’ve spoiled him since he was little. Now look at him, what kind of person has he become?”
“But…”
“Enough said. A little work won’t kill him.”
“Ahhh!” Just then, halfway into the house, Liu Dashao suddenly staggered, nearly falling to the ground. Two large beads of sweat rolled down from his temples, and a searing pain shot from his waist, as if someone was poking his flesh with needles.
Luckily, the pain came quickly and left just as fast. Within a breath, it vanished completely, so Liu Dashao didn’t think much of it. He casually replied to his doting mother and stepped across the threshold.
The moment he entered the house, a cold gust of wind poured down from above, an unusual chill that made Liu Dashao’s heart race and his hair stand on end.
He shivered violently and looked up.
There was a hole in the roof, letting in the wind.
“Pfft!” Liu Dashao spat angrily.
“Dad, look at this! The roof has a hole, and you’re still fussing around here!”
“Where?”
“Right above your head!”
“Oh no! How did the tiles break? Guihua, bring me a ladder. I’ll fix it…”
As his father hurried off, Liu Dashao finally got a breather. He picked up a large teacup, poured himself a glass of cooled tea from the pot, and gulped it down until his belly was round like a small watermelon. No wonder—he hadn’t had a drop to drink all day after climbing mountains, walking, and riding a tractor.
“Ah, that was refreshing!” Putting the cup down, Liu Dashao said with his eyes half-closed. Then, facing the mirror in the living room, he started combing his hair with a grin. But as he pulled the comb through, he unexpectedly caught a glimpse in the mirror—a white shadow flashing behind him.
When he looked again, the shadow was gone.
“Must have been my eyes playing tricks… my eyes playing tricks…” Liu Dashao chuckled at himself, put the comb down, and went to clean the cobwebs from the ceiling.
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