Chapter 1: The Mysterious Birthmark

I am from Sichuan. In the winter of 1967, I was born in a poor little village in southwestern Sichuan. Because of professional taboos, I will not reveal my exact birth data, but since it was the trigger for everything that followed, I must mention one thing: I was born at exactly twelve noon, not one second early and not one second late.

At this point, some people will surely ask, “No way, that’s too mystical. Exactly to the second? Who could guarantee that? Even if my father had been staring at a watch, he couldn’t have known that precisely.”

And that is perfectly reasonable!

So what I need to tell everyone is that this time was later calculated by my Master through a precise analysis of my birth data.

I have never doubted a single word my Master told me. Later events proved that everything he said was correct.

So what is special about being born exactly at noon? That will be mentioned soon enough.

Still, I should say first that if you happened to be born around that time, don’t panic. There really are not many people in all of China who were born exactly on that precise moment.

Now, back to the story.

The winter of the year I was born was an extremely cold one, so cold that my parents still remember it vividly to this day.

My father described it this way: “Damn, it was cold. So cold that even the old hens in the yard walked around lifting their claws off the ground.”

I cannot imagine how ridiculous a hen tiptoeing around would look, but in my hometown, where it almost never snowed, a winter that cold was unforgettable. Precisely because there was no snow, the cold felt even worse than in the frigid north. It was not simply cold. It was damp, penetrating cold that seeped into your bones.

I was born in just such a winter. When I came into the world, my parents almost believed I would not survive, especially under such abnormally cold conditions.

Why?

There were three reasons.

First, I was extremely small and skinny. My mother said that when my father first picked me up, he immediately exclaimed, “How is this any different from holding a kitten?”

Second, my cries were very weak, coming only sporadically, as though something were squeezing my throat. It sounded like I was desperately struggling for breath. The experienced midwife who delivered me thought I had inhaled amniotic fluid. She even held me upside down and patted me several times, but it proved useless.

Third, while my father and the midwife were bathing me, they discovered a birthmark on the back of my head. Normally, a birthmark would not be a big deal, but mine was the color of fresh blood. Looking closely, it resembled an eye.

Country people were superstitious. The midwife became somewhat frightened and said, “Looking like an eye is one thing, but why does it feel like it’s staring back at me whenever I look at it? This baby is already so weak, and now he’s got this thing on him. Shouldn’t you have someone take a look?”

My parents had never received much education. Hearing that and seeing my condition, they were terrified.

My mother in particular had just given birth and was already weak. In her panic, she collapsed back onto the bed. My father was the only one who could still think straight. He quickly asked, “Grandma Liu, what do you think is wrong with the child? Who should we get to look at him? Should we go to the township clinic and fetch a doctor?”

Poor rural families had little money, and medical conditions at the time were not very good. In my parents’ eyes, the experienced Midwife Liu was the highest authority imaginable.

Hearing the question, Midwife Liu first glanced mysteriously around before lowering her voice.

“Newborn babies are weak, and that’s when those things like to take advantage. You know how they leave marks, don’t you? If one grabs you, there’ll be dark finger marks on your body. If one kicks you, there’ll be a footprint. Haven’t you seen those people dragged away by water ghosts looking for substitutes? Most of the bodies pulled from the water have handprints on their legs.”

At those words, my father shuddered.

He immediately understood what “those things” referred to. If Midwife Liu had stopped at talking about mysterious marks, he might have dismissed it as nonsense. But when she mentioned water ghosts seeking substitutes, that was something he could not ignore, because he had seen evidence of it himself.

It had happened more than ten years earlier during a summer when my father was only around ten years old. Children from the countryside had few amusements. Who did not go swimming in rivers and streams during the summer?

On the day it happened, my father had finished his chores and invited five or six close friends to go swimming. Among them were twin brothers known simply as Big Twin and Little Twin. The incident happened to them.

My father did not witness every detail. He only remembered that he was still having a mud fight on the riverbank with another boy when he suddenly heard Little Twin shouting.

“My brother’s going under! Quick, quick, help me...”

Startled, my father turned around and saw Big Twin sinking straight down toward the middle of the river. In an instant, only the top of his head remained visible. He barely struggled at all.

Little Twin was already swimming frantically toward him, and two others quickly followed.

At that point, my father stopped thinking. They were childhood friends. How could he stand by and watch? He also swam toward Big Twin.

After only a few strokes, he saw Little Twin grab Big Twin by the hair on the top of his head. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but then Little Twin suddenly shouted, “Damn, he’s so heavy! Wang Gou’er, come help me!”

Wang Gou’er was the closest. Hearing the cry, he hurried forward and barely managed to grab Little Twin’s hand as it flailed above the water.

“Go hold my brother. I can’t keep hold of him...” Little Twin shouted, not even pausing for breath, as though using every ounce of strength he had.

What followed was utter chaos. Fortunately, there were five or six boys there, and several adults working nearby were also alerted.

In the end, the twin brothers were pulled ashore.

Afterward, Big Twin remained unconscious. No one knew how much water he had swallowed. His belly was swollen and round. Little Twin’s face had turned pale blue. Despite the hot weather, he was trembling slightly, though everyone assumed it was from fright.

No one had time to ask questions. Everyone focused on saving Big Twin. People living beside rivers all knew a little about treating drowning victims. About fifteen minutes later, Big Twin finally woke up.

His eyes were vacant, as though he could hardly believe he was still alive.

Before he could say anything, Uncle Li Si smacked him on the head and scolded, “You damn naughty brat. Why were you swimming out into the middle of the river? Do you have no sense?”

It was a scolding born of genuine concern. People in those days were simple and sincere. Most villagers knew one another well. Nobody wanted to see a child from the village come to harm.

Big Twin did not answer back. My father understood that the boy still had not fully recovered. But Little Twin, who was still trembling nearby, could not help saying, “Uncle Si, I don’t think my brother swam into the middle. I think someone dragged him there. Really.”

His voice was not loud, but the moment he spoke, silence fell over the crowd.

Even Uncle Li Si froze.

Country people all grew up hearing strange tales from the mountains and countryside. Little Twin was practically saying that a water ghost had been looking for a substitute.

People talked about such stories all the time. Yet when faced with one in reality, they found it difficult to believe.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Afraid your father will beat you when you get home? Don’t go around frightening people with stories like that,” Uncle Li Si said heavily.

Country people respected spirits and ghosts. They believed that casually invoking such matters to dodge responsibility would bring bad luck.

“I’m not making it up!” Little Twin became agitated. Jumping up, he shouted, “I saw my brother dive down, then suddenly he couldn’t move. He started sinking toward the middle of the river like something was dragging him. And... and...”

“And what?” Uncle Li Si’s expression darkened.

He knew the boy was not lying. The situation was becoming unsettling.

“And when I grabbed my brother, he felt incredibly heavy, like somebody was pulling against me. And cold. The moment I touched him, my whole body felt cold...”

As Little Twin spoke, he continued trembling.

At that point, everyone believed at least part of it.

My father had helped drag Big Twin ashore and knew exactly what Little Twin meant. Big Twin’s body had been as cold as ice.

Still, none of the other boys seemed affected.

Looking back, perhaps the strong vitality of several healthy young boys had driven the thing away. Otherwise, how could someone supposedly entangled by such a thing have been rescued so easily?

At that moment, Big Twin finally spoke.

“I saw fish in the river and went after them. As soon as I went in, somebody grabbed my ankle. The moment it grabbed me... I couldn’t move. My whole body couldn’t move. It was so cold I couldn’t move...”

As he spoke, his eyes remained somewhat vacant, but terror was clearly visible on his face.

Then my father witnessed something he would never forget.

Following Big Twin’s words, he instinctively looked at the boy’s ankle.

There, plainly visible, were three thumb-shaped bruises.

They were dark blue-black and looked profoundly eerie.

“You damn brat, you’re lucky to be alive...”

Everyone saw them.

Uncle Li Si had clearly seen them too. After holding back for a long while, that was all he managed to say.

My father’s recollection ended there.

Remembering it now only made him more anxious. My family already had two daughters. My father desperately wanted a son. After finally having one, how could he stand by and watch me slip away?

“Grandma Liu, then what’s wrong with my child?” he asked helplessly.

“This mark looks like an eye. Maybe that’s why something has fixed its attention on him,” Midwife Liu said uncertainly in a low voice.

“Then what should we do?”

My father believed the uncertain explanation completely. When people are desperate, they will try anything.

“What should you do? You’ll probably have to invite...” Midwife Liu looked around carefully before leaning close to my father’s ear. “Invite Widow Zhou to take a look.”

“Ah, Widow Zhou?”

The moment he heard the name, my father gasped softly and frowned.

Even my mother, who had been lying weakly in bed, struggled upright upon hearing it.

“No, no. We can’t. The village meeting just said the day before yesterday that Chairman Mao wanted to sweep away all monsters and demons and destroy the Four Olds. We can’t engage in feudal superstition.”

The moment Midwife Liu heard that, she stood up.

“Old Chen, I’m saying this for your family’s sake. It wasn’t easy finally getting a son. As for what I suggested, that’s your decision. I’ll be leaving now.”

My father shot my mother a glare and quickly got up to see Midwife Liu out.

Near the door, he grabbed a young chicken and firmly pushed it into her hands.

“Grandma Liu, I, Chen Da, know how to behave. We’re fellow villagers. I wouldn’t do something so rotten. Don’t worry. When my youngest son grows up healthy, I’ll bring you some cured pork to thank you.”

“That’s right. We’re all fellow villagers, but these days people aren’t close anymore. Really, who genuinely wants misfortune for their neighbours? Times have changed...” she muttered.

She understood the hidden meaning behind my father’s words and left.

None of this was my mother’s fault. She was an ordinary woman and easily frightened.

Nor was it strange that my father and Midwife Liu spoke so cautiously and indirectly.

After all, it was 1967.

Everyone knew what kind of era that was.

My father had merely assured her that he would never report her to the authorities, and she had only lamented how the times had made people wary of one another.

Compared to the madness outside, however, our poor little village was practically a paradise.

At least the villagers still retained some humanity. They still valued personal relationships and had not been completely consumed by the frenzy beyond the village.

After seeing the midwife off, my father returned to the room with a grave expression.

By then, my two older sisters, who had been waiting in the woodshed, had come inside.

Where I came from, children were expected to stay away when a woman gave birth. It was a long-standing custom.

The moment he stepped inside, my father saw my sisters leaning over the bed, curiously studying tiny little me.

Especially my eldest sister, who was only five at the time. She quietly reminded my second sister, who was three.

“Second Sister, don’t touch our little brother. Don’t poke him. Look how tiny he is.”

The words struck a chord in my father.

He picked up my second sister, patted the eldest on the head, then looked at me and frowned deeply.

“Old Chen, are you really going to invite...” My mother was still worried about the matter and immediately brought it up again.

My father coughed and cut her off.

Setting my second sister down, he said, “Eldest Girl, take your sister to the kitchen and watch the chicken soup. If it boils dry, neither of you will get any chicken tonight.”

Because my father was hardworking and my mother diligent, our family’s circumstances were fairly good by village standards.

Whenever my mother gave birth, there would be a pot of old hen soup to help her recover. Any meat she could not finish went to my sisters.

At the mention of chicken, both girls became enthusiastic and hurried off to guard the pot.

“You can’t talk about these things in front of children,” my father said quietly to my mother. “If they accidentally repeat it, it could bring trouble not only to our family but to others as well.”

“I’m worried, that’s all. Look at our youngest. He’s so small and skinny. I don’t even have enough milk for him. And this winter is so cold. I...”

She could not continue.

Holding my sleeping body tightly against her chest, she looked as though I might disappear at any moment.

“Right now, Widow Zhou is considered one of those so-called monsters and demons. Her reputation is terrible. The village chief and the villagers protected her out of old affection, but the officials sent from above are all watching her, hoping something happens so they can earn credit for themselves.”

My father had learned only a few characters through literacy classes, but when it came to understanding people and navigating society, he was exceptionally shrewd.

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

My mother was at a complete loss.

Then she added quietly, “If Chairman Mao said not to do these things, should we really do them?”

My father did not know whether to laugh or be annoyed.

My mother was an ordinary village woman.

Other than my father, the person she trusted most in the world was Chairman Mao.