Chapter 4: Lighting a Lamp to Question the Ghosts (1)

Fortunately, my father was of the younger generation, so it was not considered a breach of taboo. But how could Old Master Zhou feel at ease letting a grown man kneel before him?

Zhou Er was already trying to pull my father up, and even Old Madam Zhou came hurrying over on her tiny bound feet, grabbing my father’s arm as she said, “Child, you can’t do this.”

“Uncle Zhou, my father always said that a man has gold beneath his knees and shouldn’t kneel lightly, but I truly have no other choice.” As he spoke, my father wiped away his tears. My mother wiped hers as well. It was obvious they had made up their minds. No matter what, they had to persuade Widow Zhou to help this once.

“Ah, I won’t interfere. Let my eldest daughter-in-law decide for herself.” Old Master Zhou sighed, called out to Old Madam Zhou, and the two of them turned and went into the bedroom.

In truth, Old Master Zhou was helping my father. After all, Widow Zhou had lost her husband. The Zhou family pitied her situation. How could they order her around and tell her what to do? That would be bullying a widow and her child. For him to speak to that extent already meant he had done everything he could.

Besides, there was another reason beyond my father’s kneeling. My father had brought up my late grandfather. In their younger days, my grandfather and Old Master Zhou had been close friends, largely because my grandfather had once saved his life.

There were many snakes in the mountain villages. One time, while Old Master Zhou was working in the fields, my grandfather happened to pass by and saw with his own eyes a mawazi, a golden-banded krait, preparing to strike from behind him. Generally speaking, venomous snakes do not attack people unless someone steps on them or approaches their eggs.

At the time, my grandfather had no chance to warn him. He could only swing his hoe down with all his strength. Hearing the commotion, Old Master Zhou turned around. Seeing my grandfather, he followed his gaze downward and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. The mawazi that had been chopped into two pieces was still writhing on the ground, clearly not yet dead.

Mountain folk remembered kindness. Once my father brought up this matter, how could Old Master Zhou possibly keep a straight face? So he willingly accepted the risk for the entire family.

Seeing that the old master had relented, Zhou Er stopped objecting as well. He only said, “Old Chen, get up first. My sister-in-law will decide what to do. Staying on your knees like this won’t solve anything. I’ll head out now.”

After saying that, Zhou Er left too, leaving only our family of three and Widow Zhou in the main hall.

At that point, continuing to kneel would have diminished Widow Zhou’s blessings, so my mother stood up with me in her arms and tugged at my father.

“Old Chen, get up. You shouldn’t keep kneeling.”

My father obeyed and got to his feet, repeatedly wiping away tears with his sleeve. My mother was much calmer. Looking at Widow Zhou, she said, “Yuehong, we’re both mothers. Just look at my son. He’s only a little over a month old, yet he’s been tormented into this state. As his mother, my heart feels as if flesh is being sliced from it every single day.”

Motherhood is universal. The moment my mother said that, Widow Zhou was visibly moved. She hurriedly waved her hands and said between hiccups, “Uh... Xiuyun... uh... don’t... uh... say any more... I actually... uh... wanted to help... uh... I was just worried... uh... about too many things before. Tonight... uh... I’ll help you... this once.”

The moment Widow Zhou agreed, my parents were overjoyed. They did not really understand what guoyin was. They only wished that Widow Zhou would immediately begin some sort of ritual. In their minds, anyone using supernatural abilities had to “set up an altar and perform magic.”

A few minutes later, my mother, carrying me, was led by Widow Zhou into the west side room, while my father could only wait outside.

As for Widow Zhou’s underworld mediumship, there was a rule. Men were absolutely forbidden from entering the west side room. Any questions had to be asked by female relatives. Sometimes Widow Zhou would merely lead a woman into the room, take one look, and then send her back out.

This was rather different from the methods used by other underworld mediums.

And so my mother finally entered Widow Zhou’s west side room, a place that had been made to seem excessively mysterious.

The moment she stepped inside, her first impression was darkness. It was so dark that she could not see her own hand in front of her face. Then came the cold. Winter rooms were naturally cold, but this cold was different. It was a yin chill, a kind of cold that worked more on the mind than the body, making the hairs on the back of one’s neck stand on end.

“Yuehong, why do I feel so uneasy? It’s like something’s watching me.” At that moment, the only person my mother could rely on was Widow Zhou. She clutched tightly at the corner of Widow Zhou’s clothing and refused to move from the doorway of the west side room.

Of course, the main reason was that the room was so dark my mother could not see anything.

“Don’t be afraid... uh... I’ll light the lamp...” Widow Zhou said between hiccups.

My mother reluctantly let go. Waiting in that oppressive darkness was unbearable. Every second felt like an eternity. The room made her so uncomfortable that under normal circumstances she would have turned around and left immediately. She was not a particularly brave person.

But for my sake, my mother was willing to risk everything. Since my father could not come inside, she firmly believed that she was my only hope.

Fortunately, Widow Zhou was very familiar with the room. After a period of rustle rustle, light finally appeared. Widow Zhou had lit an oil lamp.

The lamp’s glow was extremely dim, but it was enough for my mother to make out the room’s layout. She saw that the room had no windows at all. Thick black cloth hung along all four walls, though she had no idea why.

The furnishings were equally sparse. The original furniture had apparently been removed long ago. Only a bed, a table, and two stools remained.

There was food placed on the table, though it was unclear who it was meant for. Looking more closely, my mother noticed a brazier on the floor containing ashes. One glance was enough for her to recognize them as the remains left after burning spirit money.

Beside the food sat a radish, already shriveled, with traces of burned incense sticks stuck into it.

The only thing in the room that offered even a hint of warmth was the bed. It had been made with exceptional neatness. The blue floral-patterned bedding against a white background looked simple and clean.

At that moment, Widow Zhou sat on one of the stools beside the table and beckoned to my mother.

Taking a deep breath and summoning her courage, my mother carried me over and sat down on the only remaining stool across from Widow Zhou.

“Uh... Xiuyun... uh... no matter what... uh... you see today... uh... you cannot tell anyone... The only thing... uh... you may repeat... is what I tell you... uh... afterward. Remember that?”

Widow Zhou spoke very seriously. Although the hiccups made her sound awkward and almost comical, they did nothing to lessen the sternness in her words.

My mother immediately nodded timidly in agreement. People in the village placed great importance on keeping their promises. If not for certain events that happened later, my mother would never have revealed anything that occurred in that room.

Moreover, telling someone else about it had been Widow Zhou’s request. But that is a matter for later.

After my mother agreed, Widow Zhou closed her eyes. Not knowing what she was doing, my mother could only wait quietly.

After a short while, my mother noticed a change in Widow Zhou’s expression.

She was smiling.

It was a gentle, graceful smile unique to a woman. Yet in that eerie setting, under the dim lamp light, the smile sent chills through my mother’s entire body.

What was there to smile about?

My mother felt that even if someone gave her ten egg-laying hens at that moment, she would not be able to smile.

Then Widow Zhou frowned. Surprise filled every corner of her face. After that, she began muttering something in a strange cadence. The speech was so rapid that my mother could not make out a single word.

The strangest part was that Widow Zhou kept her eyes closed the entire time. Ever since she started smiling, her head had remained turned toward another direction.

My mother was merely an ordinary village woman with little experience of the wider world. This scene alone had covered her body in goosebumps. She did not know how much courage it took just to remain seated there, watching everything unfold.

Finally, Widow Zhou stopped muttering. Her expression relaxed. Then her entire body shuddered, her head turned back, and she opened her eyes while looking at my mother.

The moment those eyes opened, my mother froze.

She knew Widow Zhou well. The reason she froze was because from the instant Widow Zhou opened her eyes, the person before her no longer seemed like Widow Zhou herself.

Calling her a stranger did not feel right either. She was not unfamiliar.

As for why she was not unfamiliar, my mother could not explain.

“You want to know what’s wrong with your son, don’t you?” Widow Zhou spoke.

Strangely, the hiccups were gone. She spoke slowly and clearly, but the voice was extremely peculiar. It was obviously Widow Zhou’s voice, yet it sounded as though someone else were speaking through it.

My mother could never properly describe the feeling. If she absolutely had to, it was like using someone else’s hand to swat a mosquito.

Besides, hadn’t Widow Zhou known all along that she had come because of her son?

But how could my mother dare dwell on such details? Anyone who possessed supernatural arts seemed extraordinary in her eyes. One could not show disrespect. And my situation was what mattered most.

Hearing the question, my mother quickly nodded.

“Bring your son over. Let me take a look first.”

Using that strange tone, Widow Zhou spoke calmly.

My mother was delighted. She quickly stood, carried me over, and opened the swaddling cloth.

And at that very moment, something bizarre happened.

The instant Widow Zhou’s gaze fell upon my tiny face, she suddenly let out a scream, slammed her eyes shut, and shouted, “Take the child away! Take the child away!”

The sudden turn of events made my mother’s heart tighten, then sink.

If even Widow Zhou reacted this way, what kind of terrifying thing had attached itself to her son?

Yet when she looked at Widow Zhou, she felt sorry for her. Widow Zhou’s eyes were squeezed tightly shut, too frightened to open them, and her face had turned deathly pale.

Under those circumstances, how could my mother dare delay? She hurriedly carried me back to her original seat.

“Yuehong, my child...” Worried about me, my mother asked the moment she sat down.

“Take the child outside first. Take him outside, then come back in and we’ll talk.”

Ignoring the question, Widow Zhou repeatedly urged my mother to carry me out. Then she walked to the bed, crouched down, and seemed to begin searching for something underneath it.

My mother was both worried and curious, but she dared not hesitate. After answering, she picked me up and left the west side room.

The moment she stepped outside, she saw my father pacing anxiously back and forth in the courtyard. As soon as he saw her emerge, he hurried over.

“Xiuyun, has our son’s problem been diagnosed?”

“No. I can’t explain it clearly right now. Take our son and go chat with Zhou Er. Don’t stand out here in the yard and let the child get cold. I need to go back inside.”

My mother did not have time to explain. She was desperate to find out what was going on. After giving my father a few instructions, she hurried back toward the west side room.

Holding me, my father clearly wanted to ask more questions, but in the end he only opened his mouth and said nothing. Turning around, he went to find Zhou Er.

When my mother reentered the west side room, she saw Widow Zhou crouching on the floor burning paper offerings. As she burned them, she continuously muttered under her breath. Apparently, when she had crouched by the bed earlier, she had been retrieving spirit money from underneath it.

My mother returned to the table and sat down.

This time, Widow Zhou’s words were no longer spoken in that strange, rapid tone from before, so my mother could finally understand what she was saying.

She could not remember the exact wording, but she remembered the general meaning.

“I offer you this spirit money. Take it and don’t come back here. Don’t cause trouble. We’re all walking the same road, and my life isn’t easy either...”

In short, Widow Zhou kept repeating things like that, and the more my mother listened, the more horrified she became.

My mother was not stupid.

Those words were clearly being spoken to that thing.

But how could Widow Zhou be walking the same road as those things?

Even more terrifying was what happened afterward. Once she finished, Widow Zhou again began speaking that incomprehensible language. The moment she finished, gust after gust of wind began swirling through the room.

There were seventeen or eighteen gusts before it finally stopped.

My mother had never witnessed anything like it.

Heavy curtains hung over the doorway, and there was not even a single window in the room.

Where could the wind possibly have come from?

Tears welled in my mother’s eyes. She was terrified beyond measure.

Yet at the same time, she fought to endure it.

For her child, she felt she could not allow herself to be overcome by fear.