The tension lingered for quite some time before it was finally broken by the experienced village head, Tian Cunzhang, who spoke first: “Listen, my young nephew, what exactly did you kids do yesterday? Did you drink unboiled water or eat something unclean or even poisonous mushrooms? Let me tell you, those colorful things deep in the mountains, the brighter they look, the more poisonous they are! You’d better not even touch them!” As the only college graduate in the village and an intellectual with formal education, Tian spoke differently from the coarse villagers. His words struck right at the heart of the matter, naturally assuming the boys had secretly eaten something forbidden behind their parents’ backs and upset their stomachs. As for why Liu Dashao alone was fine, that was simple too—he probably hadn’t eaten it, right?
“No, we didn’t eat poisonous mushrooms or anything strange,” Liu Dashao replied, his head bowed low to his chest, shaking it slightly, looking like a child caught misbehaving.
“You kid, why do you always keep your head down? Weren’t you full of spirit and confidence before? I heard you even tricked the town postman into the haunted graveyard, right when ghost fires appeared. That poor young man nearly died of fright, crying and shouting for his parents,” added Goudan’s father from the side.
“It wasn’t me—it was Tian Guoqiang,” Liu Dashao replied, wiping his nose.
“You…” This angered Tian Cunzhang, who immediately looked furious, his moustache practically twitching.
“That’s just how it was,” Liu Dashao muttered, pouting.
“Enough with the old stories already! What good does it do to bring them up now? Right now, I just want to know what’s wrong with my kid!” Xiaomazi’s mother, a fiery woman who doted on her son, couldn’t hold back any longer and shouted 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 nearly ready to curse him out loud.
“I…” Liu Dashao started to speak, then hesitated, his lips trembling, biting them nervously, clearly struggling with indecision.
“Big sister, don’t scare the child,” Tian Cunzhang interjected, flashing a forced smile at Xiaomazi’s mother, gently guiding her back to her seat. Then, he pulled out a half-used pack of Datuanyuan brand cigarettes from his pocket, offering one to Goudan’s father while placing another in his own mouth. He struck a match, lit it, and began puffing clouds of smoke. At that time, cigarettes were rare treasures, available only to cadres and officials, so Goudan’s father’s eyes lit up. He didn’t light his yet, only carefully tucking it behind his ear, planning to save it for later and split it into smaller portions to enjoy slowly.
Tian Cunzhang approached Liu Dashao, staring directly into his evasive eyes. After a moment of thought, he spoke in a tone of an elder: “Dashao, I know there’s something you’re hiding in your heart. Don’t hide it from your uncle anymore—tell me! I promise, no matter what, I won’t blame you, and neither will your aunts and uncles.”
“Uncle Tian…” Liu Dashao hadn’t expected his thoughts to be so quickly uncovered, and he grew visibly flustered.
“Speak up! If you don’t, Guoqiang and the others might be in danger,” Tian Cunzhang urged, his tone impossible to resist.
“Alright…” After a fierce internal struggle, Liu Dashao finally made up his mind: “Fine, I’ll tell!” And so, he spilled everything—how the four of them had secretly agreed to play cards that night, how they went to Lingguan Temple, how they got separated, and even the strange dream he had the previous night. He recounted it all in detail, leaving the parents stunned, exchanging confused glances, mouths agape in shock.
“No wonder, no wonder… I was wondering why my child was burning hot one moment and freezing cold the next, delirious and out of his mind. He must have been possessed by evil spirits!” Xiaomazi’s mother slapped her thigh and burst into loud wailing: “Oh my ancestors for eight generations! My little Xiaomazi! I was counting on you to take care of me in my old age—don’t make me suffer the grief of burying my own child!”
Goudan’s father was more reserved and quiet. He didn’t join in the dramatics or echo Xiaomazi’s mother’s outbursts. Instead, he simply looked at Tian Cunzhang, hoping he would offer some solution.
“Hmph, big sister, don’t be like that. You really believe every rumor you hear. It’s like saying it’s raining in America, so you run out to collect your bedding,” Tian Cunzhang snorted disdainfully through his nose: “Belief in ghosts and spirits has always been baseless and unfounded. What’s there to believe?”
In his eyes, 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—it had cost the previous village head a fortune, with daily incense and offerings, yet people still died, couples still quarreled, and crops still failed. There had been no divine protection whatsoever. It was a complete waste of resources. Precisely because of this, Tian Cunzhang naturally held no reverence or fear for such superstitious nonsense, and he snorted three times in succession to show his stance.
“Village head, please don’t say that! My Xiaomazi is in this condition—what else could it be if not a punishment from the Lingguan gods?” Xiaomazi’s mother wiped her tears: “Don’t forget, your own Guoqiang fell ill along with Xiaomazi and Goudan. If you provoke the Lingguan gods again with that sharp tongue of yours, not only will our families be ruined, but you, Village Head Tian, won’t escape either!”
“You… Big sister, how can you still be so stubborn-minded!” Tian Cunzhang expressed his frustration and pity toward this unenlightened rural woman still clinging to feudal superstitions: “They’re just sick! The priority is to send them to the town hospital and find a doctor to figure out what’s wrong.” He pointed at Xiaomazi’s mother and added: “You’re only harming your own son this way! Don’t you understand!”
“A doctor? Do you think I haven’t called the village vet already? He’s useless—his skills are worse than nothing. He’s so old, his years must’ve gone straight into a dog’s belly!”
“Mind your words! Don’t insult others. Doctor Wang is a Party member who volunteered to come here to serve us villagers,” Tian Cunzhang retorted.
“Pfft!” Xiaomazi’s mother shot back with a glare: “No way. I’m going to find Grandma Guanhua. Only her magic can save my child now!”
“You’re not going anywhere!” Tian Cunzhang blocked the doorway: “Scientific issues must be handled scientifically. Grandma Fan is just a shaman, a mad old woman. Besides, the village clinic doctor has already gone to the town to fetch a real doctor. Help should arrive in a few hours. What’s the rush? Sit down, 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—tigers may be fierce, but they don’t eat their own cubs!” Xiaomazi’s mother was now thoroughly enraged at Tian Cunzhang and gave him no kindness. Her sarcastic remarks made Tian’s face darken with anger, turning shades of blue and purple like a freshly picked eggplant.
At that moment, a voice echoed through the village—Liu Lao Shi’s call: “Dashao! Dashao! Where are you, you little brat…”
“Dad! It’s Dad!” Liu Dashao, who had been sitting there with a pounding head listening to the two argue, immediately brightened his eyes upon hearing his father’s voice. He rushed out of the house, shouting as he ran: “What’s wrong? I’m here!”
“Hehe, you little brat. I went to Village Head Tian’s house looking for you but couldn’t find you. I figured you might’ve wandered off somewhere else, so I came to Goudan’s house, and sure enough, I found you. Good, good! Saves me the trouble of running all over looking for you,” Liu Lao Shi said with a warm smile on his honest face.
“Why are you looking for me? I was just about to go to Village Head Tian’s house to take care of Guoqiang. He’s sick,” Dashao said.
“Guoqiang’s always been so strong. How could he suddenly fall ill? Well, I understand. You inherited your grandfather’s medical knowledge. Taking care of Guoqiang suits you,” Liu Lao Shi nodded approvingly: “But first, come back home with me for a moment. Let Grandma Fan check you before you go take care of Guoqiang.”
“Grandma Fan? Which Grandma Fan?” Liu Dashao, still a bit dazed from the earlier arguments, couldn’t quite grasp what his father meant at first. When he finally looked carefully, he noticed an old woman dressed simply standing beside his father, who had been there all along but hadn’t spoken a word. She had gone completely unnoticed until now. At that moment, she seemed to have popped out of nowhere, like a monkey from a crack in the rocks.
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