“What do you mean, ‘me’? A dragon begets a dragon, a phoenix begets a phoenix, and a rat’s son knows how to dig holes! Your son must’ve learned this from you!” Wang Guihua said, hands on her hips.
“Me? What did I teach him! I’m an honest man…”
“Do you have any shame? Any shame at all! You, calling yourself honest! Back then, wasn’t it me who drugged you with love potions through all sorts of means? I don’t even know what possessed me to agree to spend my life with such a filthy guy like you!” Wang Guihua said bluntly.
“You… you’re really bringing up the sore spots!” Liu Laoshi said, embarrassed.
Wang Guihua turned and went inside, then handed a bundle filled with joss paper and incense to Liu Dashao: “Master Dog, do you want your mother to accompany you?”
“No need. It’s broad daylight, and besides, I know the way.” Liu Dashao didn’t want anyone else to get involved—he still needed to pray to his ancestors to protect him from evil spirits!
“Fine then, I won’t go with you. Remember to take good care of my future daughter-in-law! Girls need some pampering…” Wang Guihua continued to chatter on, passing her wisdom to Liu Dashao.
“Yeah, yeah, I know, I know.” Liu Dashao impatiently waved his hand, grabbed the bundle, and stepped out the door, leaving behind a mess. He was in a terrible mood. He didn’t know whether those spirits would come after him again or what had happened to Tian Guoqiang and the others. After burning the joss paper, he needed to visit their homes first to check things out, then discuss plans together.
“Oh right, Master Dog!” Just as Liu Dashao was leaving the courtyard with a furrowed brow and a gloomy expression, Wang Guihua’s reminder rang out again from behind.
“Heavens, what now?”
“Remember there’s a willow tree next to our ancestral graves? Don’t go burning joss paper at someone else’s grave by mistake…”
“Cough… cough…” Liu Dashao had an urge to choke himself with his own saliva, but he nodded briskly and quickly made his way up the mountain path, heading toward the graveyard.
As Wang Guihua had said, there were mounds of graves everywhere. With time and weather wearing away the tombstones, the inscriptions had become blurred and hard to read. But with the willow tree as a landmark, Liu Dashao finally found the right graves among all the “great uncles.”
The sun was shining brightly, and a gentle breeze occasionally blew, as soothing as a woman giving a back massage—so comfortable that even though Liu Dashao was alone in this desolate graveyard, he didn’t feel particularly uneasy.
He took out a fire starter, blew hard, and lit the yellow paper spread in front of the tombstones. The flames grew bigger and hotter, scorching his face. The yellow paper curled into balls, gradually turning into black butterflies that fluttered away into the distance.
From the bundle, Liu Dashao took out several neatly made paper gold ingots and tossed them into the fire. Mimicking the monks he had seen in operas, he pressed his palms together and bowed after reciting each sentence.
“Ancestors, great uncles, your grandson is having a streak of bad luck and was chased by ghosts. Please be merciful and protect me from now on, so that I never cross paths with those things again. Here are some gold ingots for you to buy some braised pork in the underworld. And if you still have some vigor left, maybe buy a few girls to serve you.”
“But let me make one thing clear—if you take my offerings without protecting me and allow ghosts to harm me, then our Liu family’s single lineage will be cut off forever! Don’t expect anyone to offer you anything again!” After saying these words in a tone half entreating and half threatening, Liu Dashao finally sat down on the ground to catch his breath and looked around.
“They say when a family produces a top scholar, the ancestral grave emits green smoke. If a villain is born, black smoke rises. Look at our family graves—they didn’t emit green smoke, but they didn’t emit black smoke either. So I must be a pretty pure and kind-hearted person!” Liu Dashao said to the sky, indulging in self-praise.
But the moment he said it, trouble really came. Suddenly, Liu Dashao noticed his surroundings darken. Looking down, he saw that the three ancestral graves had simultaneously emitted three thick columns of black smoke, as if responding to his call.
“Oh my God! Grandpas, I know I messed up!” Liu Dashao jumped three feet high and fled down the hill.
It turned out—he really was beyond redemption…
As for the saying that good friends would take a dagger in the ribs for each other—whoever said that must’ve been a bastard. Liu Dashao couldn’t even remember who had coined it. If he did, he might have wanted to kill that person with his bare hands for making such a painless remark.
There was no other reason. He had spent the entire day in fear and anxiety, while Tian Guoqiang, Goudan, and the others were leisurely and carefree, like immortals, playing Chinese chess by the village entrance. Liu Dashao was furious and decided to confront them.
“You three little bastards! You ran off and left me all alone! Is there any justice left in this world!” Liu Dashao knocked all the chess pieces off the stone table with one sweep of his hand, sending them clattering to the ground.
“Brother, brother, calm down! Let’s talk!” Seeing Liu Dashao’s fury, Tian Guoqiang quickly stepped forward to calm him.
“Don’t touch me! I’m not gay!” Liu Dashao snapped angrily.
“And you, Tian Guoqiang! After I risked my life dragging you out of that haunted temple when you were possessed by ghosts, you just took off with them like nothing happened! Is this how you repay me? Are we even brothers?”
“Look, it’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! It was pitch dark, and those ghosts were behind us—we only had one thought: escape! Besides, we got separated while running. Luckily, we four are blessed with good fortune and are safe now!” Tian Guoqiang explained.
“Don’t try to dodge the issue.” Liu Dashao sneered. “Even if that’s true, once you were safe, didn’t you look for me or check if I had returned?”
“Oh, how wronged I am! We did look for you! Your dad said you were home sleeping, so we didn’t want to disturb you. We’ve been feeling pretty awful ourselves, too, with a heavy heart,” Tian Guoqiang replied.
“Fine, fine. But besides us, no one else knows about last night, right?” Liu Dashao lowered his voice and asked.
“Well…” Tian Guoqiang frowned. “We don’t know. None of us dared to say anything.”
“That’s good. Everyone should keep a low profile for the next few days and avoid going out at night. The village has been pretty unsafe lately.”
“What about me! Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and the son of a rat knows how to dig holes! Your son has certainly learned this from you,” Wang Guihua said, hands on her hips.
“Learned what from me? I’m an honest man…”
“Shameless, utterly shameless! You, honest? Back in the day, wasn’t it me who you tricked with your sweet talk, bewitching me into agreeing to spend my life with you, you slob!” Wang Guihua didn’t hold back.
“You… you really know how to hit where it hurts!” Liu Laoshi said, embarrassed. Wang Guihua turned and went into the house, handing Liu Dashao a bundle filled with joss paper and incense. “Dashao, do you want me to go with you?”
“No need, it’s broad daylight, and I know the way,” Liu Dashao replied. He didn’t want anyone else involved; he needed to pray to his ancestors to protect him from the evil spirits.
“Alright then, I won’t accompany you. Remember to take good care of my future daughter-in-law! Girls need to be pampered…” Wang Guihua rambled on, imparting her wisdom.
“Alright, I know, I know,” Liu Dashao waved impatiently, grabbed the bundle, and stepped out the door, leaving a mess behind. He was in a foul mood, unsure if those things would come after him again or what had happened to Tian Guoqiang and the others. After burning the paper, he’d have to visit their house to check on them and discuss what to do next.
“Oh, Dashao!” Just as Liu Dashao, frowning and sullen, stepped out of the yard, Wang Guihua’s voice called out again.
“My goodness, what now?”
“Remember, there’s a willow tree by our family grave. Don’t get it wrong and burn the paper at someone else’s grave…”
“Cough, cough…” Liu Dashao felt like choking on his own saliva. He nodded quickly and then followed the mountain path, winding through the desolate graveyard.
Wang Guihua was right; the graves were piled up, weathered by wind and rain, and the inscriptions on the tombstones were barely legible, making it hard to find the right one. But with the willow tree as a reference, Liu Dashao finally found his ancestors among the many graves.
The sun was shining, and a gentle breeze occasionally brushed past, like a woman massaging his back. It was so comfortable that even though he was alone in the desolate graveyard, Liu Dashao didn’t feel much fear.
He took out a fire starter, blew on it, and lit the yellow paper laid out in front of the tombstone. The flames grew larger, scorching his face. The burning paper slowly curled up and turned into black butterflies, flying away into the distance.
Liu Dashao took out a few gold ingots from the bundle and tossed them into the fire. Mimicking the monks he had seen in operas, he clasped his hands together, bowed, and chanted.
“Ancestors, your grandson has had a rough year, chased by ghosts. Please have mercy and protect me from now on, so I never have to see those things again. Keep these gold ingots and buy some braised pork in the underworld. If you’re still strong, get a few maids to serve you.”
“But let’s be clear: if you take the money and don’t protect me, letting the ghosts harm me, then our Liu family line will end with me. You’ll never receive offerings again!” After saying this with a mix of pleading and threat, Liu Dashao sat down to catch his breath and looked around.
“They say if someone in the family becomes a top scholar, the ancestral grave will emit blue smoke. If someone becomes a villain, it’ll emit black smoke. Look, our family grave isn’t emitting blue smoke, but it’s not emitting black smoke either. Seems like I’m still a pure and kind person!” Liu Dashao mused, gazing at the sky.
But as soon as he said this, something strange happened. Suddenly, the area around him turned dark. Looking down, he saw three columns of black smoke rising from his family’s three ancestral graves, as if responding to his words.
“Grandpa, I was wrong!” Liu Dashao jumped three feet high and scrambled down the hill.
It seemed he was beyond redemption…
As for the saying “true friends would take a knife for you,” Liu Dashao couldn’t remember who said it. If he could, he’d probably want to stab that person for speaking so lightly.
All day, he had been terrified, while Tian Guoqiang and the others were as carefree as immortals, playing chess at the village entrance. This made Liu Dashao furious, and he decided to confront them.
“Hey, you three rascals, you left me behind! Is there no justice?” Liu Dashao swept all the chess pieces off the stone table, sending them clattering to the ground.
“Brother, calm down! Let’s talk this through,” Tian Guoqiang quickly stepped in to mediate.
“Don’t touch me! I’m not into that!” Liu Dashao snapped.
“And you, Tian Guoqiang, I risked my life to pull you out of that haunted temple, and you just ran off with them. Is this how you repay me? Is this what friends do?”
“Look, it’s a misunderstanding! It was pitch dark, and with those things chasing us, all we could think of was running. We got separated. Thankfully, we’re all safe now,” Tian Guoqiang explained.
“Don’t downplay it,” Liu Dashao sneered. “Even so, you didn’t come looking for me or check if I made it back?”
“Come on, I’m innocent! We did look for you. Your dad said you were home sleeping, so we didn’t disturb you. We’re all shaken up too,” Tian Guoqiang said.
“Fine, fine. Did anyone else find out about last night?” Liu Dashao lowered his voice.
“Well…” Tian Guoqiang frowned. “No, we didn’t dare tell anyone.”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way. Don’t cause any trouble these days, and don’t go out at night. The village isn’t safe right now.”
“Bro, you don’t have to tell me. After last night, even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn’t dare walk at night!” Tian Guoqiang looked as if he’d been roughed up by a bunch of ghosts.
“Alright, let’s go to the store. My treat!” Liu Dashao decided to let it go and slapped his chest, which immediately brought cheers.
Back then, it wasn’t like now with supermarkets full of snacks like Lay’s, Pringles, and Sprite. At most, there were some salted sunflower seeds, honey candies, and small biscuits. Even these humble treats were considered luxurious snacks.
Seeing the three pairs of hungry eyes behind him, Liu Dashao felt like he’d walked into a den of wolves. After some hesitation, he gritted his teeth and decided to buy four packs of seeds and a small bag of candies.
“Well, well, young man, did you strike it rich? Usually, you buy seeds by the handful, but today you’re buying so much. Did you hit the jackpot?” The shopkeeper, Chen Da Tou, grabbed four simple bags from under the counter and weighed some candies, glancing at Liu Dashao and Tian Guoqiang with a teasing smile.
“You guessed right. I won a little, just for fun! Besides, such a small amount of money is nothing to me. So, on this fine day, I’m treating my brothers to a little feast,” Liu Dashao boasted, seizing the opportunity to show off.
“Alright then, let’s go to the convenience store. My treat!” Liu Dashao decided not to dwell on it further and slapped his chest proudly. As soon as the words left his mouth, cheers erupted.
Back then, unlike nowadays supermarkets filled with all sorts of snacks like Oishi, Pringles, Sprite, and milk tea, the most they had were salted sunflower seeds, candied fruits, and a few biscuits. Even these humble snacks were considered luxurious treats.
Seeing the three pairs of hungry, green-eyed gazes behind him, Liu Dashao felt like he had fallen into a den of wolves. After a moment of hesitation and inner pain, he gritted his teeth and decided to buy four packs of sunflower seeds and a small bag of candy.
“Hey there, young man, did you strike it rich or something? Usually, I see you buying sunflower seeds only by the single pack. Now you’re buying so many all at once—did you hit the jackpot?” The shopkeeper, Chen Bighead, handed out four simply wrapped small bags and weighed some candy, glancing at Liu Dashao and Tian Guoqiang with a teasing tone.
“You’re actually right this time. I won a little—just a small win, for fun, you know! Besides, I don’t really care about such small change. So with such a beautiful day, I thought I’d treat my brothers to a little feast,” Liu Dashao replied. He loved showing off, and today was the perfect opportunity he couldn’t possibly miss.
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